From elkamath at yahoo.com Fri Feb 1 09:24:35 2008 From: elkamath at yahoo.com (lalitha kamath) Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2008 19:54:35 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] Fw: REMINDER: Migrant/Media/Metropolis: New Labour Struggles in the global city Message-ID: <580774.22799.qm@web53608.mail.re2.yahoo.com> FYI > Migrant / Media / Metropolis > New labour struggles in the global city > Saturday February 2nd, Amsterdam (Program Below) > > Migration and media-activists gather with theorists and labour > organizers to discuss and share best practices in the fight against > precarity and insecure labour conditions. Sharing inspiring examples of > social justice unionism and creative campaigning like "Justice for > Janitors" in the U.S. and "Cleaners For a Better Future" in the > Netherlands. The aim is to challenge traditional labour practices, > syndicate and inspire a sharper network of social activists, academics, > media makers and artists to join contemporary urban labour struggles and > confederate into a globalization from below. > > With: Enrica Rigo (migration researcher); Marcel van der Linden (Labour > Historian) Zoe Romano (Chainworkers); Nico Sguiglia (Oficinas Sociales), > Massimo De Angelis (the Commoner), Dagmar Diesner (No Borders London), > Seoren Kohler (Multitude), Hagen Kopp (migration activist), preceded by > the book launch of Urban Politics Now! (NAi, 2007). > > Date | Saturday February 2 > > Time | 13.00 - 18.30 hrs. > > Language | English > > Live webcast | www.debalie.nl/live > > Organised in collaboration with Flexmens / Coalition For a Better Future / > FNV Bongenoten > > ========== > > Programme: > > 13:00-13:45 preprogramme – book launch: Urban Politics Now! Reimagining > democracy in the Neoliberal City. With participation from BAVO, Henk van > Houtum en Merijn Oudenampsen. > > 14:00 – 15:30 Start main programme > > panel #1 "Towards a Globalisation from Below" > Facilator: Valery Alzaga (Justice for Janitors – Global Campaign) > > -Massimo De Angelis, Beginning of History: global capital, global value > struggle > -Enrica Rigo, Contested Migrant Citizenship in Europe > -Marcel van der Linden, Organizing and New Labour Internationalism > -Hagen Kopp, Forging a Transnational chain of migration-activism > > Globalization has brought us an increasingly integrated global circuit > of large corporations and financial conglomerates, which have > concentrated power in fewer and fewer hands. On the other side, we can > find an emerging globalization from below, that of migrants, labour > struggles and social activists, claiming space and redistributing wealth. > > 15:30-16:00 Break with possibility of sandwich and conspiring. > > 16:00- 17:15 > panel #2 "Syndicalism 2.0" > > -Dutch Cleaners Campaign (Juliano Vieira & Herrie Hoogenboom,organizer FNV > Bongenoten) > -Migrant labour struggles in South Spain (Nico Scuglia, Indymedia > Estrecho) > -Filipino Migrant Domestic Workers Union (Fe Jusay - CFMW & Katrien > Depuydt - Abvakabo) > -German Retail Strike (Franziska Bruder, Verdi) > > Examples of campaigns that have brought inspiration and innovation back > to labour, revolving around organizing and social movement unionism, > building community, going back to the base and out of the office. > > 17:15-18:30 > panel #3 "No Longer Invisible: Labour & Media" > -Zoe Romano (Chainworkers Milano), interventions of a bio syndicate > -Merijn Oudenampsen (Betere Toekomst), Mediawork in Dutch Cleaners > Campaign > -Soeren Kohler (Multitude e.V) : Media-activism and worker participation > at German Retail strike > -Dagmar Diesner (NoBorders London), Screening Underground Londoners > > Media-activism has provided a vital ingredient to new campaigns, to > visibilize what normally remains hidden from view. Media-activists > showcase their work, and discuss issues of participation and > representation. > Cross-posted frm DEBATE list ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ From aman.am at gmail.com Fri Feb 1 11:26:56 2008 From: aman.am at gmail.com (Aman Sethi) Date: Fri, 1 Feb 2008 11:26:56 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Fw: REMINDER: Migrant/Media/Metropolis: New Labour Struggles in the global city In-Reply-To: <580774.22799.qm@web53608.mail.re2.yahoo.com> References: <580774.22799.qm@web53608.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <995a19920801312156y7cfef3c1wb8e9e43b29579e56@mail.gmail.com> "Hagen Kopp (migration activist)" I ask this question in all innocence. What is a migration activist? best a. On Feb 1, 2008 9:24 AM, lalitha kamath wrote: > > > FYI > > > > Migrant / Media / Metropolis > > New labour struggles in the global city > > Saturday February 2nd, Amsterdam (Program Below) > > > > > Migration and media-activists gather with theorists and labour > > organizers to discuss and share best practices in the fight against > > precarity and insecure labour conditions. Sharing inspiring examples of > > > social justice unionism and creative campaigning like "Justice for > > Janitors" in the U.S. and "Cleaners For a Better Future" in the > > Netherlands. The aim is to challenge traditional labour practices, > > > syndicate and inspire a sharper network of social activists, academics, > > media makers and artists to join contemporary urban labour struggles and > > confederate into a globalization from below. > > > > > With: Enrica Rigo (migration researcher); Marcel van der Linden (Labour > > Historian) Zoe Romano (Chainworkers); Nico Sguiglia (Oficinas Sociales), > > Massimo De Angelis (the Commoner), Dagmar Diesner (No Borders London), > > > Seoren Kohler (Multitude), , preceded by > > the book launch of Urban Politics Now! (NAi, 2007). > > > > Date | Saturday February 2 > > > > Time | 13.00 - 18.30 hrs. > > > > > Language | English > > > > Live webcast | www.debalie.nl/live > > > > Organised in collaboration with Flexmens / Coalition For a Better Future / > > > FNV Bongenoten > > > > ========== > > > > Programme: > > > > 13:00-13:45 preprogramme – book launch: Urban Politics Now! Reimagining > > democracy in the Neoliberal City. With participation from BAVO, Henk van > > > Houtum en Merijn Oudenampsen. > > > > 14:00 – 15:30 Start main programme > > > > panel #1 "Towards a Globalisation from Below" > > Facilator: Valery Alzaga (Justice for Janitors – Global Campaign) > > > > > -Massimo De Angelis, Beginning of History: global capital, global value > > struggle > > -Enrica Rigo, Contested Migrant Citizenship in Europe > > -Marcel van der Linden, Organizing and New Labour Internationalism > > > -Hagen Kopp, Forging a Transnational chain of migration-activism > > > > Globalization has brought us an increasingly integrated global circuit > > of large corporations and financial conglomerates, which have > > > concentrated power in fewer and fewer hands. On the other side, we can > > find an emerging globalization from below, that of migrants, labour > > struggles and social activists, claiming space and redistributing wealth. > > > > > 15:30-16:00 Break with possibility of sandwich and conspiring. > > > > 16:00- 17:15 > > panel #2 "Syndicalism 2.0" > > > > -Dutch Cleaners Campaign (Juliano Vieira & Herrie Hoogenboom,organizer FNV > > > Bongenoten) > > -Migrant labour struggles in South Spain (Nico Scuglia, Indymedia > > Estrecho) > > -Filipino Migrant Domestic Workers Union (Fe Jusay - CFMW & Katrien > > Depuydt - Abvakabo) > > -German Retail Strike (Franziska Bruder, Verdi) > > > > > Examples of campaigns that have brought inspiration and innovation back > > to labour, revolving around organizing and social movement unionism, > > building community, going back to the base and out of the office. > > > > > 17:15-18:30 > > panel #3 "No Longer Invisible: Labour & Media" > > -Zoe Romano (Chainworkers Milano), interventions of a bio syndicate > > -Merijn Oudenampsen (Betere Toekomst), Mediawork in Dutch Cleaners > > > Campaign > > -Soeren Kohler (Multitude e.V) : Media-activism and worker participation > > at German Retail strike > > -Dagmar Diesner (NoBorders London), Screening Underground Londoners > > > > Media-activism has provided a vital ingredient to new campaigns, to > > > visibilize what normally remains hidden from view. Media-activists > > showcase their work, and discuss issues of participation and > > representation. > > > > Cross-posted frm DEBATE list > > > > > > > > > > ____________________________________________________________________________________ > Be a better friend, newshound, and > know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: From ysaeed7 at yahoo.com Fri Feb 1 16:28:16 2008 From: ysaeed7 at yahoo.com (Yousuf) Date: Fri, 1 Feb 2008 02:58:16 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] 17,060 farm suicides in one year Message-ID: <12893.54143.qm@web51409.mail.re2.yahoo.com> 17,060 farm suicides in one year P. Sainath Uptrends in major States unchanged Mumbai: Farm suicides in Maharashtra rose dramatically in 2006, more than in any other part of the country. The State saw 4,453 farmers’ suicides that year, over a quarter of the all-India total of 17,060, according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) in its report Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India, 2006. That is the worst figure recorded ‘in any year for any State’ since the NCRB first began logging farm suicides. The previous worst — 4,147 in 2004 — was also in Maharashtra. It has seen ‘36,428 farmers’ suicides’ since 1995, ‘in official count.’ ‘2006 is the latest year for which data are available.’ The suicides in Maharashtra mark an increase of 527 over the 2005 figure. This was four and a half times bigger than that in Andhra Pradesh, the next worst-hit State, which saw a rise of 117 farm suicides over 2005. It was also more than twice the increase of 198 in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh taken together. Worse, it means farmers accounted for half ‘the increase’ in all suicides in Maharashtra in 2006. Significantly, Maharashtra’s upward spike occurred in the year when the relief packages of both the Prime Minister and Chief Minister — worth Rs. 4,825 crore in all — were being implemented in the Vidharbha region, where suicides have been most intense. The NCRB figures show an unrelenting uptrend in what can be termed the ‘SEZ’ or (Farmers) ‘Special Elimination Zone’ States. These States, which account for nearly two-thirds of all farm suicides in the country, include Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh (including Chhattisgarh). As a group, the ‘SEZ’ States saw an increase of 6.2 per cent in such deaths. Among them, Maharashtra (4,453), Andhra Pradesh (2,607) and Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh (2,858) show a sharp upward spike. Karnataka (1,720) reports a decline. So though the all-India numbers for 2006 reflect a very small decline of 61 over the 2005 figure of 17,131, the broad trends of the last decade continue. And the trend of rapidly rising farm suicides, particularly post-2001 in the ‘SEZ’ States, remains unchanged. So the minuscule decline in the figure for the country as a whole marks no break from the dismal decade-long trend. NCRB data record 1,66,304 farmers’ suicides in a decade since 1997. Of these, 78,737 occurred between 1997 and 2001. The next five years — from 2002 to 2006 — proved worse, seeing 87,567 farmers take their own lives. This means that on average, there has been one farmer’s suicide every 30 minutes since 2002. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search. http://tools.search.yahoo.com/newsearch/category.php?category=shopping From radhikarajen at vsnl.net Fri Feb 1 17:14:34 2008 From: radhikarajen at vsnl.net (radhikarajen at vsnl.net) Date: Fri, 01 Feb 2008 16:44:34 +0500 Subject: [Reader-list] 17,060 farm suicides in one year In-Reply-To: <12893.54143.qm@web51409.mail.re2.yahoo.com> References: <12893.54143.qm@web51409.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Message-ID: True, and unfortunate, as the Prime minister of the nation announces the packages for the farmers, that too, 3000 crores, to be siphoned off by sycophants with the supplies of farm equipments of under quality material what else can be expected. ? With trip to Arunachal after visit to China, this lame duck PM has neither the guts nor the authority or the political will to be of any good governing figure for India, talking of 9 or 10 prcent growth in terms of kickbacks. Regards. ----- Original Message ----- From: Yousuf Date: Friday, February 1, 2008 4:30 pm Subject: [Reader-list] 17,060 farm suicides in one year To: sarai sarai > 17,060 farm suicides in one year > > P. Sainath > > Uptrends in major States unchanged > > Mumbai: Farm suicides in Maharashtra rose dramatically > in 2006, more than in any other part of the country. > The State saw 4,453 farmers’ suicides that year, over > a quarter of the all-India total of 17,060, according > to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) in its > report Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India, 2006. > That is the worst figure recorded ‘in any year for any > State’ since the NCRB first began logging farm > suicides. > > The previous worst — 4,147 in 2004 — was also in > Maharashtra. It has seen ‘36,428 farmers’ suicides’ > since 1995, ‘in official count.’ ‘2006 is the latest > year for which data are available.’ > > The suicides in Maharashtra mark an increase of 527 > over the 2005 figure. This was four and a half times > bigger than that in Andhra Pradesh, the next worst-hit > State, which saw a rise of 117 farm suicides over > 2005. > > It was also more than twice the increase of 198 in > Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh taken together. > > Worse, it means farmers accounted for half ‘the > increase’ in all suicides in Maharashtra in 2006. > > Significantly, Maharashtra’s upward spike occurred in > the year when the relief packages of both the Prime > Minister and Chief Minister — worth Rs. 4,825 crore in > all — were being implemented in the Vidharbha region, > where suicides have been most intense. > > The NCRB figures show an unrelenting uptrend in what > can be termed the ‘SEZ’ or (Farmers) ‘Special > Elimination Zone’ States. These States, which account > for nearly two-thirds of all farm suicides in the > country, include Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, > Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh (including Chhattisgarh). > > > As a group, the ‘SEZ’ States saw an increase of 6.2 > per cent in such deaths. > > Among them, Maharashtra (4,453), Andhra Pradesh > (2,607) and Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh (2,858) show a > sharp upward spike. > > Karnataka (1,720) reports a decline. So though the > all-India numbers for 2006 reflect a very small > decline of 61 over the 2005 figure of 17,131, the > broad trends of the last decade continue. And the > trend of rapidly rising farm suicides, particularly > post-2001 in the ‘SEZ’ States, remains unchanged. > > So the minuscule decline in the figure for the country > as a whole marks no break from the dismal decade-long > trend. > > NCRB data record 1,66,304 farmers’ suicides in a > decade since 1997. > > Of these, 78,737 occurred between 1997 and 2001. The > next five years — from 2002 to 2006 — proved worse, > seeing 87,567 farmers take their own lives. > > This means that on average, there has been one > farmer’s suicide every 30 minutes since 2002. > > > > > > ____________________________________________________________________________________Looking for last minute shopping deals? > Find them fast with Yahoo! Search. > http://tools.search.yahoo.com/newsearch/category.php?category=shopping_________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > subscribe in the subject header. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader- > list > List archive: From radhikarajen at vsnl.net Fri Feb 1 17:26:08 2008 From: radhikarajen at vsnl.net (radhikarajen at vsnl.net) Date: Fri, 01 Feb 2008 16:56:08 +0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Fw: REMINDER: Migrant/Media/Metropolis: New LabourStruggles in the global city In-Reply-To: <995a19920801312156y7cfef3c1wb8e9e43b29579e56@mail.gmail.com> References: <580774.22799.qm@web53608.mail.re2.yahoo.com> <995a19920801312156y7cfef3c1wb8e9e43b29579e56@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: Well have any of us observed when following incidents take place.-- ? 1. Sewerage lines are clogged, the sewerage board has no staff ,ask the contractor to clean up the clogged lines. The person who gets into sewerage line smells of cheap IMFL, but unhesitatingly takes bamboo sticks long ones, dips himself in the filth , cleans the clogged lines, comes out, there is hardly a bucket of water for him to clean himself of the filthy sewrage, but again drowns his smell of filth in country arrack, gets as less as a dollar for a days work, Rs,50/- for all the filth and cleaning of the clogged drain. 2. garment factories have enough jobs for the female workers on contract basis, but working conditions are simply horrible, to add insult to injury, the sexual abuses is also have to be tolereated, for a meagre sum of Rs.50/- for ten hours of hard work. 3. Workers in unorganised sector and also in organised sector, where they have their union, but the top office bearers are not workers but foisted on them by comrade leaders, who live on the subscription of the comrade workers, have the silence to suffer when management uses all methods of greed to appease the comrade leaders. May be these are the migratory workers who migrate for better working conditions/ salaries.? ----- Original Message ----- From: Aman Sethi Date: Friday, February 1, 2008 11:29 am Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Fw: REMINDER: Migrant/Media/Metropolis: New LabourStruggles in the global city To: reader-list at sarai.net > "Hagen Kopp (migration activist)" > I ask this question in all innocence. What is a migration activist? > best > a. > > On Feb 1, 2008 9:24 AM, lalitha kamath wrote: > > > > > > FYI > > > > > > > Migrant / Media / Metropolis > > > New labour struggles in the global city > > > Saturday February 2nd, Amsterdam (Program Below) > > > > > > > > Migration and media-activists gather with theorists and labour > > > organizers to discuss and share best practices in the fight > against> > precarity and insecure labour conditions. Sharing > inspiring examples of > > > > > social justice unionism and creative campaigning like "Justice for > > > Janitors" in the U.S. and "Cleaners For a Better Future" in the > > > Netherlands. The aim is to challenge traditional labour practices, > > > > > syndicate and inspire a sharper network of social activists, > academics,> > media makers and artists to join contemporary urban > labour struggles and > > > confederate into a globalization from below. > > > > > > > > With: Enrica Rigo (migration researcher); Marcel van der > Linden (Labour > > > Historian) Zoe Romano (Chainworkers); Nico Sguiglia (Oficinas > Sociales),> > Massimo De Angelis (the Commoner), Dagmar Diesner > (No Borders London), > > > > > Seoren Kohler (Multitude), , preceded by > > > the book launch of Urban Politics Now! (NAi, 2007). > > > > > > Date | Saturday February 2 > > > > > > Time | 13.00 - 18.30 hrs. > > > > > > > > Language | English > > > > > > Live webcast | www.debalie.nl/live > > > > > > Organised in collaboration with Flexmens / Coalition For a > Better Future / > > > > > FNV Bongenoten > > > > > > ========== > > > > > > Programme: > > > > > > 13:00-13:45 preprogramme – book launch: Urban Politics Now! > Reimagining> > democracy in the Neoliberal City. With > participation from BAVO, Henk van > > > > > Houtum en Merijn Oudenampsen. > > > > > > 14:00 – 15:30 Start main programme > > > > > > panel #1 "Towards a Globalisation from Below" > > > Facilator: Valery Alzaga (Justice for Janitors – Global Campaign) > > > > > > > > -Massimo De Angelis, Beginning of History: global capital, > global value > > > struggle > > > -Enrica Rigo, Contested Migrant Citizenship in Europe > > > -Marcel van der Linden, Organizing and New Labour Internationalism > > > > > -Hagen Kopp, Forging a Transnational chain of migration-activism > > > > > > Globalization has brought us an increasingly integrated global > circuit> > of large corporations and financial conglomerates, > which have > > > > > concentrated power in fewer and fewer hands. On the other > side, we can > > > find an emerging globalization from below, that of migrants, > labour> > struggles and social activists, claiming space and > redistributing wealth. > > > > > > > > 15:30-16:00 Break with possibility of sandwich and conspiring. > > > > > > 16:00- 17:15 > > > panel #2 "Syndicalism 2.0" > > > > > > -Dutch Cleaners Campaign (Juliano Vieira & Herrie > Hoogenboom,organizer FNV > > > > > Bongenoten) > > > -Migrant labour struggles in South Spain (Nico Scuglia, Indymedia > > > Estrecho) > > > -Filipino Migrant Domestic Workers Union (Fe Jusay - CFMW & > Katrien> > Depuydt - Abvakabo) > > > -German Retail Strike (Franziska Bruder, Verdi) > > > > > > > > Examples of campaigns that have brought inspiration and > innovation back > > > to labour, revolving around organizing and social movement > unionism,> > building community, going back to the base and out of > the office. > > > > > > > > 17:15-18:30 > > > panel #3 "No Longer Invisible: Labour & Media" > > > -Zoe Romano (Chainworkers Milano), interventions of a bio > syndicate> > -Merijn Oudenampsen (Betere Toekomst), Mediawork in > Dutch Cleaners > > > > > Campaign > > > -Soeren Kohler (Multitude e.V) : Media-activism and worker > participation> > at German Retail strike > > > -Dagmar Diesner (NoBorders London), Screening Underground > Londoners> > > > > Media-activism has provided a vital ingredient to new > campaigns, to > > > > > visibilize what normally remains hidden from view. Media-activists > > > showcase their work, and discuss issues of participation and > > > representation. > > > > > > > Cross-posted frm DEBATE list > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ____________________________________________________________________________________> Be a better friend, newshound, and > > know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. > http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ> > _________________________________________> reader-list: an open > discussion list on media and the city. > > Critiques & Collaborations > > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net > with subscribe in the subject header. > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > List archive: > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > subscribe in the subject header. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader- > list > List archive: From radhikarajen at vsnl.net Fri Feb 1 17:33:00 2008 From: radhikarajen at vsnl.net (radhikarajen at vsnl.net) Date: Fri, 01 Feb 2008 17:03:00 +0500 Subject: [Reader-list] The devil in the White House kills a million in IRAQ In-Reply-To: <98f331e00801310719o18c19d85i4b80f55b6374f917@mail.gmail.com> References: <98f331e00801310719o18c19d85i4b80f55b6374f917@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: Human greed to dominate in the guise of idealogy or religion and utter disregard of ethics and morals in life for the greed of material wealth has seen many devils in action. Buddhadeb battacharjee has also contributed his might to reduce the population of his voters. ! If american leader wants to control oil facilities, it is Buddha who wants to favour his indusrtial tycoons that have indulged in the activities to be devil in writers building, Biman bose has the credentials to be shakuni mama. ! ----- Original Message ----- From: prakash ray Date: Thursday, January 31, 2008 8:52 pm Subject: [Reader-list] The devil in the White House kills a million in IRAQ To: reader-list at sarai.net > Accordig to a joint study by a London based agency Opinion > Research Business > (ORB) and an Iraqi agency Independent Institute for Administration > and Civil > Society Studies (IIACSS), more than ONE MILLION Iraqis had lost > their lives > as a result of violence between March 2003 and August 2007. > > This study was published on Wednesday and widely reported in leading > newspapers across the globe. > > In a report of the US (in July last year), the population of Iraq was > estimated around 27 MILLION. > > The capital city of Iraq, Baghdad, has witnessed maximum > casualities where > more than 40 PERCENT FAMILIES HAD LOST ONE MEMBER. > > > > Prakash > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > subscribe in the subject header. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader- > list > List archive: From amitabh at sarai.net Fri Feb 1 17:47:54 2008 From: amitabh at sarai.net (Amitabh Kumar) Date: Fri, 1 Feb 2008 17:47:54 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Why Not Comcs..?? A Panel Discussion on the Art, Economics and the Future of the Comic Book Culture of India Message-ID: Why Not Comics? A Panel Discussion on the Art, Economics and the Future of the Comic Book Culture of India Comics in India has a history that extends a little more than 40 years, but it is only now that we are witnessing a rise in public interest towards them, with publishing houses taking the form in its modern renditions more seriously, and more readers turning into creators. In this scenario, it is imperative for a platform to exist through which a new understanding about comics might emerge. Sarai-CSDS, The French Embassy and the FIRC (French Information Resource Center) invite you to an evening celebrating the comic book culture in New Delhi, as well as the culmination of a nine-day workshop on comic books and graphic novels. Jointly produced by the YP foundation (The Youth Parliament), the event will include a first-of-its-kind dialogue between comic book artists and publishers. Join us in trying to understand the economics and the art of comics in India and be witness to a dialogue that will give you a sense of what the future holds! Discussants include : Orijit Sen, Comic Book Author Sarnath Banerjee, Comic Book Author Vishwajyoti Ghosh, Comic Book Artist/Practitioner Diya Kar-Hazra, Commissioning Editor, Penguin India V.K. Karthika, Publisher & Chief Editor, Harper Collins India Sanjay Gupta/ Kshitsh Padhy , Raj Comics Amitabh Kumar, Comic Book Researcher & Practitioner, Sarai Marielle Morin, Director FIRC & Books Attachée French Embassy Suddhabrata Sengupta, Co-Founder Sarai & Member of Raqs Media Collective 5 February, 2008 at 5.30 pm. 18th New Delhi World Book Fair Hall No. 6, Conference Room No.1 Mezzanine Floor Pragati Maidan, New Delhi The Sarai-FIRC comic book workshop has been conceived as one of the new projects undertaken by the Sarai – FIRC collaboration that brings together a fresh crop of practitioners and readers, thus playing a critical role in the emergence of a new sensibility regarding forms of print production in India. This is part of a larger collaboration of Sarai-CSDS and FIRC to promote comic books. The first series of events under this collaboration were the comic book readings where readers/practitioners are invited to talk about comic books (both old and recently published). Both Sarai and the FIRC had conducted comic book workshops independently in the years 2006-2007 and had felt the need to draw out a programme that could provide a space where newer practitioners could enter the fold as well as existing practitioners find ways to extend and deepen their engagement with the form. This understanding yielded to a common ground that gave birth to a collaboration dedicated to the production of a thriving comic book culture in India. From amitabh at sarai.net Fri Feb 1 17:47:54 2008 From: amitabh at sarai.net (Amitabh Kumar) Date: Fri, 1 Feb 2008 17:47:54 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] Why Not Comcs..?? A Panel Discussion on the Art, Economics and the Future of the Comic Book Culture of India Message-ID: Why Not Comics? A Panel Discussion on the Art, Economics and the Future of the Comic Book Culture of India Comics in India has a history that extends a little more than 40 years, but it is only now that we are witnessing a rise in public interest towards them, with publishing houses taking the form in its modern renditions more seriously, and more readers turning into creators. In this scenario, it is imperative for a platform to exist through which a new understanding about comics might emerge. Sarai-CSDS, The French Embassy and the FIRC (French Information Resource Center) invite you to an evening celebrating the comic book culture in New Delhi, as well as the culmination of a nine-day workshop on comic books and graphic novels. Jointly produced by the YP foundation (The Youth Parliament), the event will include a first-of-its-kind dialogue between comic book artists and publishers. Join us in trying to understand the economics and the art of comics in India and be witness to a dialogue that will give you a sense of what the future holds! Discussants include : Orijit Sen, Comic Book Author Sarnath Banerjee, Comic Book Author Vishwajyoti Ghosh, Comic Book Artist/Practitioner Diya Kar-Hazra, Commissioning Editor, Penguin India V.K. Karthika, Publisher & Chief Editor, Harper Collins India Sanjay Gupta/ Kshitsh Padhy , Raj Comics Amitabh Kumar, Comic Book Researcher & Practitioner, Sarai Marielle Morin, Director FIRC & Books Attachée French Embassy Suddhabrata Sengupta, Co-Founder Sarai & Member of Raqs Media Collective 5 February, 2008 at 5.30 pm. 18th New Delhi World Book Fair Hall No. 6, Conference Room No.1 Mezzanine Floor Pragati Maidan, New Delhi The Sarai-FIRC comic book workshop has been conceived as one of the new projects undertaken by the Sarai – FIRC collaboration that brings together a fresh crop of practitioners and readers, thus playing a critical role in the emergence of a new sensibility regarding forms of print production in India. This is part of a larger collaboration of Sarai-CSDS and FIRC to promote comic books. The first series of events under this collaboration were the comic book readings where readers/practitioners are invited to talk about comic books (both old and recently published). Both Sarai and the FIRC had conducted comic book workshops independently in the years 2006-2007 and had felt the need to draw out a programme that could provide a space where newer practitioners could enter the fold as well as existing practitioners find ways to extend and deepen their engagement with the form. This understanding yielded to a common ground that gave birth to a collaboration dedicated to the production of a thriving comic book culture in India. _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From asitredsalute at gmail.com Fri Feb 1 18:58:06 2008 From: asitredsalute at gmail.com (Asit asitreds) Date: Fri, 1 Feb 2008 08:28:06 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] The devil in the White House kills a million in IRAQ In-Reply-To: References: <98f331e00801310719o18c19d85i4b80f55b6374f917@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: well lets not trivialise the grim historical moment today our focus should not be lost on the predatory us imperialism to day the sadist super imperial state with a formidable military machine in a helpless hopelessley unipolar neoliberal world oe has to careful while drawing comparisions wit iraq the scale of its devastation rape plunder and genocide lets not forgt more than one million iraqis died by us invasion lts not forget the death of fivemillion iraqi children thrugh us economic blockade its high time we take the issue of us imerialism deriously and strive for a world wide anti imperialist movement thats most principal contraction today hence thetop most political priority of the toiling democratic masses of the third world asit On Feb 1, 2008 7:03 AM, wrote: > Human greed to dominate in the guise of idealogy or religion and utter > disregard of ethics and morals in life for the greed of material wealth has > seen many devils in action. Buddhadeb battacharjee has also contributed his > might to reduce the population of his voters. ! If american leader wants to > control oil facilities, it is Buddha who wants to favour his indusrtial > tycoons that have indulged in the activities to be devil in writers > building, Biman bose has the credentials to be shakuni mama. ! > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: prakash ray > Date: Thursday, January 31, 2008 8:52 pm > Subject: [Reader-list] The devil in the White House kills a million in > IRAQ > To: reader-list at sarai.net > > > Accordig to a joint study by a London based agency Opinion > > Research Business > > (ORB) and an Iraqi agency Independent Institute for Administration > > and Civil > > Society Studies (IIACSS), more than ONE MILLION Iraqis had lost > > their lives > > as a result of violence between March 2003 and August 2007. > > > > This study was published on Wednesday and widely reported in leading > > newspapers across the globe. > > > > In a report of the US (in July last year), the population of Iraq was > > estimated around 27 MILLION. > > > > The capital city of Iraq, Baghdad, has witnessed maximum > > casualities where > > more than 40 PERCENT FAMILIES HAD LOST ONE MEMBER. > > > > > > > > Prakash > > _________________________________________ > > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > > Critiques & Collaborations > > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > > subscribe in the subject header. > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader- > > list > > List archive: > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > subscribe in the subject header. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > From tasveerghar at gmail.com Sat Feb 2 10:03:58 2008 From: tasveerghar at gmail.com (Tasveer Ghar) Date: Sat, 2 Feb 2008 10:03:58 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] India's Popular Culture: a Marg book release Message-ID: <484c1050802012033q11cf3bb7x8da1f05cf73851d8@mail.gmail.com> Marg Publications, India International Centre, and Asia Society (India Centre) cordially invite you to a panel discussion on Marg's latest publication INDIA'S POPULAR CULTURE Iconic Spaces and Fluid Images Edited by Jyotindra Jain Venue: The Auditorium, IIC Annexe, 40 max Mueller Marg, New Delhi 10003 On Wednesday, February 06, 2007, at 6:30 pm Panel: JYOTINDRA JAIN (Professor at the School of Arts and Aesthetics, JNU, New Delhi) SUMATHI RAMASWAMY (Professor of History at Duke University, North Carolina) YOUSUF SAEED (Independent filmmaker and researcher, also associated with Tasveer Ghar) ====== MARG REFLECTIONS (a discussion forum and an educational initiative) www.marg-art.org ====== Contents of the book Introduction: image mobility in India's popular culture. Jyotindra Jain Of Gods and Globes: the territorialization of Hindu deities in popular visual culture. Sumathi Ramaswamy "The Accidental Ramdev": the spread of a popular culture Christopher Pinney Optics for the Stage: curtains of the Surabhi Company Anuradha Kapur India's Republic Day Parade: restoring identities, constructing the nation Jyotindra Jain Mecca versus the Local Shrine: the dilemma of orientation in the popular religious art of Indian Muslims Yousuf Saeed The Bombay Film Poster: a short biography Ranjani Mazumdar The Family Archive: photo narratives from Goan villages Savia Viegas The Enclaved Gaze: exploring the visual culture of "world class living" in urban India Christiane Brosius From turbulence at turbulence.org Fri Feb 1 20:57:12 2008 From: turbulence at turbulence.org (Turbulence) Date: Fri, 1 Feb 2008 10:27:12 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] Networked_Music_Review Commission: "Flou" by Jason Freeman, et al Message-ID: <004701c864e6$fe36f790$faa4e6b0$@org> February 1, 2008 Networked_Music_Review Commission: "Flou" by Jason Freeman, with Andrew Beck, Xiang Cao, Mark Godfrey, Jagadeeswaran Jayaprakash, Al Matthews, Rachel Ponder, Alex Rae, and Sriram Viswanathan http://turbulence.org/works/flou/ Needs Java 1.5+ "Flou" (pronounced "flew") is not exactly a game; you do fly a ship through space, but you cannot shoot anything, score points, or win or lose. The focus, rather, is on the soundtrack: as you navigate through a 3D world and zoom through objects in space, you add loops and apply effects to an ever-evolving musical mix. You can also design your own worlds to fly through and share them with other "Flou" users. "Flou" is a 2007 commission of New Radio and Performing Arts, Inc. for Networked_Music_Review. It was made possible with funding from the New York State Music Fund, established by the New York State Attorney General at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. BIOGRAPHIES Jason Freeman (http://www.jasonfreeman.net) uses new technology and unconventional notation to break down barriers between composers, performers, and listeners, creating music that "stands as an example of the Web's mind-expanding possibilities" (Billboard) and helps to "bring composition into the Xbox age" (Wired). Recent projects include "Flock", a full-evening performance for saxophone quartet, dancers, and audience participation commissioned by Carnival Center for the Performing Arts in Miami; "Graph Theory", a solo violin and web-based work commissioned by Turbulence; "iTunes Signature Maker", a software artwork commissioned by Rhizome; and "Glimmer", an audience-participation piece commissioned by the American Composers Orchestra. Freeman received his B.A. in music from Yale University and his M.A. and D.M.A. in composition from Columbia University. He is currently an assistant professor at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, where he teaches in the Music Department in the College of Architecture. The students in Freeman's Networked Music course at Georgia Tech (Andrew Beck, Xiang Cao, Mark Godfrey, Jagadeeswaran Jayaprakash, Al Matthews, Rachel Ponder, Alex Rae, and Sriram Viswanathan) are currently pursuing M.S. degrees in music technology, digital media, and human-computer interaction, and they have diverse backgrounds as composers and performers of experimental and popular music, as computer scientists, and as engineers. Over the course of the fall 2007 semester, they collaborated to develop the concept for "Flou", to design its user interface, visual components, and sound worlds, and to write, test, and deploy the software. They are currently creating a live-performance version of the work for presentation in spring 2008. For more Networked_Music_Review Commissions please visit http://turbulence.org/networked_music_review/tags/nmr_commission Jo-Anne Green, Co-Director New Radio and Performing Arts, Inc.: http://new-radio.org New York: 917.548.7780 . Boston: 617.522.3856 Turbulence: http://turbulence.org Networked_Performance Blog: http://turbulence.org/blog Networked_Music_Review: http://turbulence.org/networked_music_review Upgrade! Boston: http://turbulence.org/upgrade New American Radio: http://somewhere.org _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From anansi1 at earthlink.net Sat Feb 2 23:16:32 2008 From: anansi1 at earthlink.net (Paul D. Miller) Date: Sat, 2 Feb 2008 12:46:32 -0500 (GMT-05:00) Subject: [Reader-list] Hey from Paul/Dj Spooky - Michael Jackson!!! Message-ID: <21261179.1201974393602.JavaMail.root@elwamui-milano.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Hey y'all - I know I'm not normally the one to think about Michael Jackson, but when his people got in touch with me to comment on the 25th Anniversary of his album "Thriller," it was hard to turn down. The podcasts of the interviews and commentary will be up and running in a couple of days. For me, Thriller was one of the weirdest albums to hear as a kid, and the re-release should be interesting. They have crazy video stuff of Michael Jackson behind the scenes (no need to comment on how strange that could be!) and lots of other interesting goodies. For anyone who is into music of the last 30 years, regardless of how strange MJ has been... this is an often hilarious look into one of pop culture's most intriguing figures. And yes... there will be remixes!!! Paul Info below: ThrillerCast: A Free Thriller 25th Anniversary podcast series In celebration of the 25th anniversary of Michael Jackson’s multi-platinum, multi-award winning album Thriller, Legacy Recordings is proud to present Thrillercast: A groundbreaking podcast event dedicated to the 25th anniversary celebration of the world's biggest selling album of all time, "Thriller". The 40-episode podcast will run throughout 2008 and feature icons of music and screen, including hip-hop legend DMC, current superstars Akon, Nick Cannon, Kanye West, Chris Brown, will.i.am, Quincy Jones, Imogen Heap, choreographers Shane Sparks and Mia Michaels, turntablist DJ Spooky as well as many more special guests. Each guest sat down with us to discuss their experiences with Thriller, the various singles and videos, and its influence on them, both personally and professionally. Their stories are each unique and profound and singular in their message: Thriller was a game-changer across the board. 25 Years ago, Michael Jackson created what would become the biggest selling album of all time, Thriller. In 2008, Legacy Recordings is proud to present Thrillercast, a year-long podcast event featuring legends of music, film and culture taking you behind the scenes to their own experiences with Michael and hearing the album for the first time. Thrillercast launches on February 12th with Run-DMCs Darryl McDaniels. The free podcasts start today with "Episode 0", a teaser of what's to come, with a new episode available (roughly) each week starting on February 12. To be sure you and your readers don't miss an episode, subscribe the following ways: Embed the ThrillerCast widget into your web page: http://www.springwidgets.com/widgets/view/22851/ Through an RSS Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/thrillercast Listen at the Official Michael Jackson website: http://www.michaeljackson.com/ Or subscribe via iTunes or Zune From oishiksircar at gmail.com Sun Feb 3 21:13:47 2008 From: oishiksircar at gmail.com (OISHIK SIRCAR) Date: Sun, 3 Feb 2008 09:43:47 -0600 Subject: [Reader-list] URGENT LETTER AGAINST THE ANTI-PROSTITUTION PLEDGE In-Reply-To: <2dea8d9c0802030300p71b78b30oc2ccceebab6ef9d8@mail.gmail.com> References: <2dea8d9c0802030256w69b0de9cq765c12161acdec6b@mail.gmail.com> <2dea8d9c0802030300p71b78b30oc2ccceebab6ef9d8@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <62cba67a0802030743v40694d96m9c4544a2d9349634@mail.gmail.com> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Manohar Elavarthi Date: Feb 3, 2008 5:00 AM Subject: [rainbowplanet] URGENT LETTER AGAINST THE ANTI-PROSTITUTION PLEDGE To: rainbowplanet at yahoogroups.com Dear friends, A strong group of advocates is working to strike the anti-prostitution pledge from PEPFAR (www.pepfar.gov ). We need your help from OUTSIDE the USA. The pledge requires organizations receiving U.S. funding to sign a pledge "opposing prostitution." This has created problems for effective programs to combat AIDS. Please sign on to this letter to US Congress recommending that the pledge be removed. To sign on, write to pepfarletter at taumail.com. If you would like to add a sentence about the ways the pledge has affected your work, please send that too! The deadline to sign on is Tuesday, 5 February, at 5 pm GMT. In solidarity, Manohar To Congress Re: PEPFAR A Letter from the Field by January 31, 2008 Dear Member of the US Congress: We are members of non-governmental and community-based organizations from throughout the developing world. We are writing out of concern about the so-called anti-prostitution pledge within the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the ways it affects our work. The pledge requires organizations receiving U.S. funding to sign a pledge "opposing prostitution." This policy has undermined the work of many of our organizations and we must protest it. PEPFAR demonstrates the US's commitment to address one of the world's most urgent health problems, the need to prevent, treat, and care for people infected with or affected by HIV and AIDS. The United States Congress has generously appropriated nearly $23 billion for this program, yet the conditions attached to PEPFAR limit the success of this program and in fact even prevent the people most in need from accessing both the prevention services and anti-retroviral drugs the program was established to provide. In addition, this and other restrictions have seriously diminished the effectiveness of the plan by denying funding purely on ideological grounds to organizations and programs seeking to prevent the greatest number of new infections possible among some of the most vulnerable populations, specifically sex workers. Many of us have turned down US funding because of these restrictions, which if adopted would prevent us from reaching some of the people most vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. Those of us who in fact still receive USAID funding are forced to restrict our activities and sometimes end our support for programs that have proven successful in meeting the needs of the most vulnerable. The vagueness of both the law and policy implementing the pledge fosters self-censorship and stymies programs aimed at building skills within vulnerable populations and saving the lives of those daily at risk of infection, violence, discrimination and even death. We cannot effectively do our work of HIV prevention with the pledge. This restriction leads to violence against sex workers and other human rights violations by further isolating sex workers from mainstream society. Furthermore, this makes them prey to corrupt police and officials. Our work gives us critical perspective on the gaps between U.S. funding through PEPFAR and the reality on the ground. For example: · Sex workers in Bangladesh include women who have no other income-generating opportunities but whose programs have been cut due to the anti-prostitution pledge. HIV/AIDS has reached epidemic proportions among sex workers in some places. This pledge has been used as justification to deprive sex workers and suspected sex workers of clinical and humanitarian services. Sixteen drop-in centers for sex workers in Bangladesh were closed after their parent organization signed the pledge. For most of these women, the drop-in centers were the only places they had to bathe, to use the toilet, and to sleep. · In Thailand, male sex workers were prevented from accessing care at a clinic because offering services to sex workers was seen as violating the anti-prostitution pledge. · In Cambodia and Thailand, sex worker organizations have lost long-term partnerships with other service providers who feared losing their funding if they accepted sex workers at their facilities. We strongly advocate striking the prostitution pledge from the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. This well-intentioned clause has had extremely detrimental effects upon thousands of women, their families, and men throughout the developing world. It has undermined the effectiveness of US aid efforts. And it has undermined our trust in US support for the basic human rights of all persons, no matter their place in society. Yours sincerely, Manohar Elavarthi Bangalore, India __._,_.___ Messages in this topic ( 1) Reply (via web post) | Start a new topic Messages| Files| Photos| Links| Database| Polls| Members| Calendar [image: Yahoo! Groups] Change settings via the Web(Yahoo! ID required) Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest| Switch format to Traditional Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe Visit Your Group Need traffic? Drive customers With search ads on Yahoo! Moderator Central Yahoo! Groups Join and receive produce updates. Weight Loss Group on Yahoo! Groups Get support and make friends online. . __,_._,___ - -- OISHIK SIRCAR Scholar in Women's Rights Faculty of Law, University of Toronto 60 Harbord Street Room 016 B Toronto, ON M5S 3L1 oishiksircar at gmail.com oishik.sircar at utoronto.ca 416.876.7926 From rakesh at sarai.net Tue Feb 5 12:00:57 2008 From: rakesh at sarai.net (rakesh at sarai.net) Date: Tue, 5 Feb 2008 12:00:57 +0530 (IST) Subject: [Reader-list] [Fwd: Anurag Kashyap at Habitat today!] Message-ID: <1960.61.17.118.235.1202193057.squirrel@mail.sarai.net> ---------------------------- Original Message ---------------------------- Subject: Anurag Kashyap at Habitat today! From: "Ranjani Mazumdar" Date: Tue, February 5, 2008 11:57 am To: rakesh at sarai.net bhagwati at sarai.net -------------------------------------------------------------------------- *The Habitat Film Club * Presents Director of *Black Friday*, scriptwriter of *Satya** *and dialogue writer of *Yuva* *ANURAG KASHYAP* With his Film *NO SMOKING* At the Stein Auditorium India Habitat Centre *Tuesday, 5th February at 7 pm* A Discussion with the Director will follow the Screening -- Ranjani Mazumdar Associate Professor Cinema Studies School of Arts and Aesthetics Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi 110067 http://www.jnu.ac.in/SAA/ ----------------------------------------- This email was sent using SquirrelMail. "Webmail for nuts!" http://squirrelmail.org/ From tcm1 at cornell.edu Mon Feb 4 02:37:01 2008 From: tcm1 at cornell.edu (timothy murray) Date: Sun, 3 Feb 2008 16:07:01 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Cornell Goldsen Archive Website and Workshop Message-ID: Please Forward (sorry for cross-postings) Inaugural Workshop: New Media Art and Archival Ambitions Friday, February 8, 2008 Carl A. Kroch Library, Lecture Rom, 2B48 Cornell University A Workshop to inaugurate the Rose Goldsen Archive of New Media Art and its website: http://goldsen.library.cornell.edu The Rose Goldsen Archive of New Media Art serves as a research repository of new media art and resources, featuring digital interfaces and artistic experimentation by international, independent artists. Designed as an experimental center of research and creativity, the Goldsen Archive includes materials by individual artists and collaborates on conceptual experimentation and archival strategies with international curatorial and fellowship projects. 10:00 Welcoming Remarks Timothy Murray, Curator, Rose Goldsen Archive; Professor of Comparative Literature & English Anne Kenney, Acting University Librarian Brett de Bary, Director of The Society for the Humanities Elaine Engst, University Archivist 10:15-11:45 Archival Ambitions Moderator, Renate Ferro, Department of Art, Goldsen Advisory Board H. Thomas Hickerson, Vice-Provost and University Librarian, University of Calgary Sherry Miller Hocking, Assistant Director, Experimental TV Center, Owego, NY Lucila Moctezuma, Media Arts Fellowship Director, Renew Media, New York City 1:45-3:30 New Media Art Practices Moderator, Maria Fernandez, Department of Art History & Visual Studies John Conomos, Senior Lecturer, Sydney College of the Arts, University of Sydney, Australia Annette Barbier, Chair, Department of Interactive Arts and Media, Columbia College, Chicago Kevin McCoy, Associate Professor of Art, New York University 3:45-4:30 Overview of the Rose Goldsen Archive Timothy Murray and Mickey Casad, Curators, Rose Goldsen Archive 4:30-6:00 Public Reception -- Timothy Murray Professor of Comparative Literature and English Curator, The Rose Goldsen Archive of New Media Art, Cornell Library http://goldsen.library.cornell.edu Director of Graduate Studies in Comparative Literature Director of Graduate Studies in Film and Video 285 Goldwin Smith Hall Cornell University Ithaca, New York 14853 office: 607-255-4012 e-mail: tcm1 at cornell.edu From pkray11 at gmail.com Wed Feb 6 10:42:30 2008 From: pkray11 at gmail.com (prakash ray) Date: Wed, 6 Feb 2008 10:42:30 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Films from Latin America Message-ID: <98f331e00802052112o1c38ae28yb0783dbad7430c44@mail.gmail.com> Centre for European & Latin American Studies & Mass Communication Research Centre Jamia Millia Islamia (in collaboration with the Embassies of Cuba, Ecuador,Mexico, Peru & Venezuela) present a Festival of Films from Latin America February 06-12 (3.00- 6.30 pm) at the MCRC- Old Studio Jamia Millia Islamia All are welcome Programme Schedule * (all films with subtitles in English) *subject to change Feb 06 Viva Cuba/ Juan Carlos Cremata Malberti /2005/80min/Cuba Olga/Jayme Monjardim/2004/141min/Brazil/ Feb 07 Dancing Cha Cha Cha(Bailando Cha Cha Cha)/ Inti Herrera /2005/100min/Cuba/ City of God(Cidade de Deus)/Fernando Meirelles/2002/130min/Brazil Feb 08 Nine Queens/Fabian Belinsky/Argentina/114 mins/ The Arcangel's Feather(La Pluma del Arcángel)/Luis Manzo /2002 /92min/Venezuela Feb 09 Amores Perros/Alejandro González Iñárritu/2001/153 min/Mexico Play and Strggle(Tocar y Luchar)/ Alberto Arvelo Mendoza /2006/60min/Venezuela Feb 11 Between Marx and a Naked Woman(Entre Marx y Una Mujer Desnuda)/ Camilo Luzuriaga/1996/90 min/Ecuador La Tigra/ Camilo Luzuriaga/Ecuador Feb 12 Y Tu Mamá Tambien/Alfonso Cuaron/2001 /105 min/Mexico As the Day Arrives(Mientras Llega el Día)/ Camilo Luzuriaga/100 min/Ecuador From shahzulf at yahoo.com Wed Feb 6 11:44:15 2008 From: shahzulf at yahoo.com (Zulfiqar Shah) Date: Tue, 5 Feb 2008 22:14:15 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] Question of land reforms in Pakistan Message-ID: <558178.43938.qm@web38813.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Question of land reforms in Pakistan By Zulfiqar Shah [Daily Dawn, February 2, 2008] THE rural society and agriculture sector of Pakistan is chained by feudal relationships which has given birth to an evil land-tenure system with a high degree of land concentration, absentee landlordism, insecurity of tenure for share-croppers and low agricultural productivity. According to a report, around ten million children are doing labour in brick kilns, farms, carpet manufacturing workshops and restaurants and another twenty million workers engaged in agriculture and industry work as bonded labour. Feudalism is the real problem and all other problems strem from it. The feudal lords and their allies constitute only five per cent of our agricultural households and own 64 per cent of our farm land. The rest of the 95 per cent are only their political vote-bank. The total land area of the country is about 803,940 square kilometres. About 48 million hectares, or 60 percent, is classified as unusable for forestry or agriculture and consists mostly of deserts, mountain and demographic settlements. About 21.9 million hectares is being cultivated. Nearly 65 per cent of the cropped area is in Punjab, perhaps 25 per cent in Sindh and 10 per cent in the NWFP and in Balochistan. Farming is Pakistan's largest economic activity. In Punjab, tenancies are split more evenly between share and fixed rent contracts. Landlords in Punjab are much smaller than those in Sindh, with a median holding of only seven acres of land, and are more likely to be residing in the same village as their tenants. In Sindh, more than one third of the land is tenanted and about two-thirds of land is under sharecropping, a form of farming where output is shared between the landowner and tenant. Sharecropping is the predominant form of tenancy in Sindh where the land ownership distribution is particularly skewed. According to a study, a median landlord in Sindh owns 28 acres of land, whereas nearly 80 per cent of the share-tenants are landless farmers. Big landlords in the province often employ kamdars to manage their tenants. Unlike India, Pakistan did not carry out essential land reforms soon after independence and has, as a result, failed to facilitate the much-needed transition of productive relations from feudal-agrarian stage to industrial one. However, three isolated attempts were made to reduce landholdings at intervals but these could not bring feudal system to an end. In the early 1950s, provincial governments attempted to eliminate some of the absentee landlords or rent collectors, but they had little success in the face of strong opposition. In January 1959, General Ayub Khan's government issued land reform regulations that aimed ‘to boost agricultural output, promote social justice, and ensure security of tenure.’ A ceiling of about 200 hectares of irrigated land and 400 hectares of non-irrigated land was placed on individual ownership; compensation was paid to owners for land surrendered. Numerous exemptions, including title transfers to family members, dampened the impact of the ceilings. Slightly fewer than one million hectares of land were surrendered, of which a little more than 250,000 hectares were sold to about 50,000 tenants. The land reforms failed to lessen the power or privileges of the landed elite. In March 1972, the Z. A. Bhutto government announced further land reform measures, which went into effect in 1973. The landownership ceiling was lowered to about five hectares of irrigated land and about twelve hectares of non-irrigated land; exceptions were limited to an additional 20 per cent of land for owners having tractors and tube wells. The ceiling could also be extended for poor-quality land. The owners of confiscated land received no compensation, and beneficiaries were not charged for land distributed. Official statistics showed that by 1977 only about 520,000 hectares had been surrendered, and nearly 285,000 hectares had been redistributed among about 71,000 farmers. The 1973 measure required landlords to pay all taxes, water charges, seed costs, and one-half of the cost of fertilizer and other inputs. It prohibited eviction of tenants as long as they cultivated the land, and it gave tenants first rights of purchase. Other regulations increased tenants' security of tenure and prescribed lower rent rates than had existed. The ceilings on private ownership of farmland in 1977 were further reduced to about four hectares of irrigated land and about eight hectares of non-irrigated land. Besides, agricultural income became taxable but small farmers owning ten hectares or fewer were exempted. The military regime of Zia ul-Haq did not make efforts to implement these reforms. Governments in the 1980s and early 1990s avoided any significant attempt at strict implementation of the land reform measures, because they got much of their support from landed aristocracy of the country. Agrarian reforms in Pakistan have never transformed rural society in the context of property structure and production re lations. The limits in reforms were fixed in terms of the individual but not family holdings, which resulted in transfer of land to family members and relatives. In times of the military rule, feudal lords support the ruling junta to protect their system. And the military badly needs them. Even after three waves of land reforms, 3,529 zamindars have 5,13,114 holdings of more than 100 acres in the irrigated areas, and 3,32,273 holdings exceeding 100 acres in un-irrigated areas. Some 7,94,774 Khatedars have 54,64,771 land holdings of less than 12 acres in irrigated areas. In un-irrigated areas 1,44,098 are reported to have 16,28,826 holdings of less than 24 acres. Land reforms play an important role in reducing poverty and empowering the poor farmers. In Pakistan, the power of landed aristocracy has acted as a barrier to social and economic progress of the rural society. Genuine land reform can help solve the problems caused by the fact that farmers often use relatively inefficient capital-intensive techniques due to distorted market prices and that small farmers do not have access to the liberal credit subsidies on imported machinery and capital equipment. Under any scheme of serious reforms, the land ceiling should be fixed at 50 acres irrigated and 100 acres non-irrigated land. The necessary legislation should be done in favour of land reforms and Haq-e-Shifa. All laws and regulations regarding land developed under colonial era need to be abandoned and a judicial commission on land utilisation should be formed to check exceeding commercialization of land. Under Haq-e-shifa, the agriculture land of about 8 acres should be allotted to the landless agriculture workers and peasants families. The agriculture land occupied by or allotted to military forms and government departments should be revoked and distributed among the landless peasants under the principle of Haq-e-shifa. Corporate forming should not be promoted. Allotment of forest land to the influential persons has to be revoked and re-allotted to the peasants on the condition of re-forestation. The occupied surveyed or un-surveyed lands in Kacho, Kaachho, Kohistan, Kach, Bailpat, Thar, Thal and elsewhere in the country must be re-surveyed and distributed among the landless peasants and agriculture workers families. Equitable distribution at the tail-end is imperative. It is necessary that all disputed irrigation projects including Kalabagh dam are given up and water requirements of Indus Delta fully met. To avoid water logging and salinity, the canals, branches and watercourses should be lined. The government must draw up an agriculture policy with the consultation of agriculture scientists, peasants, agriculture workers and growers. The parliament should be persuaded to pass a legislation for protection of the peasant’s rights, allowing them to have their trade unions, ensuring social justice and providing old age benefits to them. Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com From prayas.abhinav at gmail.com Wed Feb 6 16:00:31 2008 From: prayas.abhinav at gmail.com (Prayas Abhinav) Date: Wed, 6 Feb 2008 16:00:31 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Call for Participants: India's First Intensive Biological Art Workshop Message-ID: <825bb7b00802060230u3b05d6dbh2a87386a73825ec5@mail.gmail.com> hi all, might be interest to the members of this list, prayas --- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore March 10-14 2008 Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology and the National Centre for Biological Sciences, in collaboration with the Arts Catalyst and SymbioticA, is organizing an intensive 5 day workshop for artists and others interested people. It will be led by SymbioticA¹s Director Oron Catts and his scientific collaborator Greg Cozens from the University of Western Australia. This is a hands-on workshop where the tools of modern biology are demonstrated through artistic engagement, which in turn gives voice to the broader philosophical and ethical exploration into the extent of human intervention with other living things. It involves exploration of biological technologies and issues stemming from their use, and serves as a theoretical and practical introduction to the creation of biological art and is aimed at educating artists from India in issues of biotechnology and the life sciences. The workshop will cover hands-on engagement with these technologies in order to be able to carry out and critique manipulation of living systems from an informed practical perspective. The practical components include DNA extraction and fingerprinting, genetic engineering, plant and animal tissue culture and basic tissue engineering techniques. The workshop will present work of contemporary artists dealing with biotechnology. Scientists will be involved discussing ethical issues raised by artists' work in this area and leading visit to NCBS laboratories. At the end of the week, the ideas explored in the workshop will be opened out with a public discussion event at a venue to be announced in Bangalore. Attendance and Conditions: Attendance at the workshop will be by selection through open submission or by invitation. The selection will be made by Srishti, SymbioticA, the artist in residence at NCBS, and the Arts Catalyst's curator, currently in residence at Srishti. Artists are expected to be available and present for the entire week-long workshop, as this is an intensive process of learning and social interaction. Artists should be based in India, or nearby countries in South Asia. There is no cost to selected participants to attend the workshop, but travel and other expenses will not be covered. Limited accommodation is available at NCBS for artists traveling from outside Bangalore. Subsidized meals will be available for participants at NCBS. The organizers believes that the effects of the workshop will be felt in the long-term, as the artists, having learned the technology, will start working on their own biotech projects, or at least feel their work is informed by the experience. Please send an expression of interest in attending as an email, including a CV and brief bio, by February 8 2008 at the latest to Yashas Shetty: yashas at cema.in For More Information Visit: http://cema.srishti.ac.in/bioart From padmalatha.ravi at gmail.com Wed Feb 6 17:21:43 2008 From: padmalatha.ravi at gmail.com (Padmalatha Ravi) Date: Wed, 6 Feb 2008 17:21:43 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] JustFemme Film festival - calling for entries Message-ID: Hi, http://Justfemme.in is a women's online magazine. It is meant to be a platform for women to discuss issues and ideas that do not find space in the mainstream media. Women from all walks of life - from software engineers to housewives to students from across country and globe are writing for us. We are trying to create an opportunity for first time writers and non-journalists to make their opinion count. To take the discussion further, Justfemme is organising a women's film festival on 8th of March 2008, on the occasion of Women's day. We are looking for short films on women centric themes (not necessarily made by women). The films can be of a duration between 10min to 50 min. Please send in a brief synopsis of the film to justfemme.in at gamil.com The films should be in DVD format. Last date for submission of synopsis - 10 Feb 2008 -- Padma Spunky and unabashedly female http://justfemme.in From vivek at sarai.net Wed Feb 6 17:57:26 2008 From: vivek at sarai.net (Vivek Narayanan) Date: Wed, 06 Feb 2008 17:57:26 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] what is to be done? In-Reply-To: <47986FF9.1030807@gmail.com> References: <48c2916d0801212324m25c66ab3p5bf16ace5ec90864@mail.gmail.com> <47986FF9.1030807@gmail.com> Message-ID: <47A9A7AE.90709@sarai.net> Strange... I have no idea about the recent "incident" that you all are talking about... I feel completely calm and happy with what has been happening on the reader list. Oh, wait a minute, that must be because I have 58 unread messages (since january 21) that went directly into my "bullshit" folder! Time to go and delete them, I suppose. Vivek Tapas Ray wrote: > I agree with Aarti and Nishant. I have been using filters quite > effectively against these individuals, whose crudity entertained me > initially in a perverse sort of way, but became tiresome after a while. > There is no need for anyone to engage with them, since it is now clear > that their objective is not to take part in rational debate but to > destroy this space by swamping it with hate speech. (The reason, I > think, is that they know they lack the ability to engage in reasoned > debate, and cannot hope to "win" it.) > > Mail filters are effective and can be put in place by anyone in a few > minutes. Nishant's suggestion about tagging and reporting abuse is also > good, but having such a system would mean someone, acting as moderator, > having to spend part of his/her day because of the actions of these > individuals - and I do not think they deserve so much importance. > > Tapas > > > > Nishant Shah wrote: > >> Hi Arti, All, >> I have been a silent lurker in these days of virulent invective and >> hate-speech that have unfolded on the reader-list. I haven't been silent >> because I had nothing to say, or that I was not provoked. I haven't been >> silent because I did not feel equally angered, sometimes to such an extent >> that I had to walk away from the computer and swear for the nth time that I >> will just unsubscribe from the reader's list. I have been silent because I >> do not think I have the vocabulary to counter arguments that are based on >> nothing more than personal prejudices, or the resources to deal with emails >> that read a little more than poison pen. >> >> However, there is also another reason why I prefer to be silent, as missiles >> are hurled from one end to the other, one camp offering peace flags and >> reasons, the other camp packaging the same in mails that resemble hand made >> grenades used in violent spaces. Out of long habit of dwelling on various >> digital forms, I have realised that the behaviour (read as writing) of some >> of the members who have come to haunt this particular digital platform, can >> only be classified as 'Troll'. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_troll). >> And as the classic motto goes, 'Do Not Feed The Troll.' There have been many >> discussions on the reader-list about questions of censorship, moderation, >> facilitation and so on. Each time a particularly venomous bunch of people >> descend upon the reader-list, probably abusing their office time and >> professional resources to spew horror on to the unwary people, we talk about >> the possibilities of lags, of delays, of moderation and of down-right >> banning. However, all these, as we have have often observed, will lead to >> nowhere. Death, assassination and banning on the interwebz is unfortunately, >> only notional, symbolic. There are no finalities to either of them and the >> banning or the moderation of one ID would only lead to the Trolls spinning >> of many more IDs which would then come back for their pound and a half of >> flesh. >> >> Hence, IMHO, the best thing to do is to stop FEEDING the TROLLS. I second >> your request that there are so many other more fruitful ways of engaging >> with so many different topics, that it is almost criminal (in the non-legal >> sense of the word) to waste time and resources in trying to convince the >> digital equivalent of a black box with six pre-fed scripts and no semblance >> of intelligence - artificial or otherwise. We might, next, as well start >> arguing with characters in a novel, parts in a movie, components of a >> website. Instead, it is best to just move on. >> >> Having said that, I also realise that it is sometimes difficult to move on. >> More often than not, Trolls specialise in putting their finger on the exact >> right spot that triggers our buttons and induce instantaneous combustion. >> And hence, there will always be people replying to these Flames that come >> our way; unfortunately thinking all the time that they are doing >> fire-fighting, when actually they are just adding fuel to the Troll Fire. >> One technical measure that I can think of - and this takes away the >> unenviable job of a list moderator - is to implement a tagging system in >> place for all mails that come to the reader list. This at least, allows >> people to tag their mails - sometimes the titles are misleading and provide >> no warning for what is to come - so that when a mail arrives, the readers >> can see the tags and decide for themselves whether they want to read the >> mail or not. >> >> The second suggestion I have might be more open for discussion - Most user >> based free spaces of interaction in the cyberspace have developed a policy >> of reactive resistance to what they look upon as an abuse of the space or >> its resources. Under such a policy, you do not ban users from saying what >> they want to say, in whichever way they want to say it, but instead allow >> other users to 'Report Abuse' against a particular user. The Terms of what >> constitutes Abuse can often be generic but also be very specific in nature >> and can have a large consultation from the people who have any stake in it. >> Reporting Abuse eventually needs some sort of a moderator who either >> resolves the problem or simply marks the charged person as guilty of abuse. >> Many times, the reason for this marking is also made public. This ensures >> that some IDs which are seen as destructive or Trollish, can appear >> differently in the conversations, flagged as potentially abusive in nature. >> This also helps in new readers or readers who have more invested in the >> questions, to stay away from the responses that these IDs might be >> generating. >> >> I hope both these suggestions sound feasible. I would be available for >> further communication or planning out of the architectural integration of >> such sort to the Reader's List. I am glad for your intervention and pleased >> to see that instead of wasting time in responding to the Trolls, we are now >> looking upon them as symptomatic to a certain kind of problem that emerges >> in 'free speech and free space' and trying to constructively deal with them. >> >> Un-lurking after a long time, >> Nishant >> On Jan 22, 2008 12:54 PM, Aarti Sethi wrote: >> >> >> >>> Dear all, >>> >>> It is becoming more and more difficult to read the writing on the >>> reader-list. From misogyny, the likes of which I do not recall ever seeing >>> before, to threats of physical violence against women's bodies, to >>> right-wing Hindu vitriol, what is going on? It is actually now painful to >>> have to see 37 responses on a thread which deserves not even one, because >>> people are valiantly trying to talk rationally, reason with, respond to >>> people who should just be told to shut up. I know its very hard to keep >>> quite and let things go, especially when we have exemplars like chanchal >>> and >>> vedavati on this list. But we are all just getting fatigued now with this >>> relentless barrage of invective and hate that the list is constantly >>> subjected to. >>> >>> So now I am asking for solutions. What is to be done?, as Lenin asked many >>> years ago. What is to be done to save the reader-list? Can we have a >>> discussion on this? Clearly responding to them in any rational fashion is >>> not a solution. And I frankly have no interest or hope that anything any >>> of >>> us can say will make any difference. This is not about me refusing to have >>> a >>> conversation, because the fact is, they do not want to have a conversation >>> at all. And i think that is quite clear from the writing on the list in >>> the >>> past two weeks. >>> >>> This is a request to to please stop engaging with them. Lets ignore them, >>> lets not respond to them, lets please just mark all their mails so they go >>> into our collective trash folders, lets talk about other things, anything. >>> They can then keep talking to each other about the wonderful Hindu nation >>> they will build ad nauseum. But we dont have to listen to this. And of >>> course they will claim this as a victory etc etc. How we cant respond to >>> them, how we have nothing to say to their brilliant argumentation. I can >>> already predict the responses to this mail. But I have no trouble saying >>> that they are right. I am limited by my own linguistic incapacity to >>> respond >>> to writing which is so poisonous. >>> >>> And a final qualification about my use of "us" and "them" and any >>> questions >>> regarding othering, insularity, assumption of moral superiority etc etc. I >>> can unabashedly say that I have absolutely no problems creating this >>> binary >>> divide. I have no issues saying that these are people I want to have >>> nothing >>> to do with, as far as I am concerned they are unethical and violent and I >>> dont see why they should have any purchase on my time at all. There are >>> far >>> more interesting things being said and there are interesting people saying >>> them who I would much rather read, than the reams and reams of boring >>> hateful drivel that constantly issue from the likes of chanchal.. >>> >>> If anyone else has any other ideas please lets hear them. And if anyone >>> has >>> forgotten how to make filters so you can trash the trash, here is a link >>> to >>> Vivek's very instructive mail on the matter: >>> http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/2007-November/011005.html >>> >>> best >>> Aarti >>> _________________________________________ >>> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >>> Critiques & Collaborations >>> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >>> subscribe in the subject header. >>> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >>> List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> >>> >>> >>> >> >> >> > > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From radhikarajen at vsnl.net Thu Feb 7 13:01:44 2008 From: radhikarajen at vsnl.net (radhikarajen at vsnl.net) Date: Thu, 07 Feb 2008 13:01:44 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] what is to be done? References: <48c2916d0801212324m25c66ab3p5bf16ace5ec90864@mail.gmail.com> <"a c 6c08200801240216j2929a3a2yf8a6156ea46f0655"@mail.gmail.com> <47986FF9.1030807@gmail.com> <47A9A7AE.90709@sarai.net> Message-ID: Hi, all, it was amusing to read this response from a debater or an individual who lives in society but wants to shut himself from all thoughts, great, indeed. The following incidents atleast must evoke some humane response irrespective of the faith, religion or caste in a democratic individual to least a few, from the only recent past, - 1. Four activists of a rulong partner shot dead at a peaceful protest against taking over farmers lands at Coochbihar, reaction by total bundh in the state capital, being part of the governing system. 2. A fanatic from a region calls other individuals from other states as outsiders in the state, responded by violence of hurting innocent citizens., this individual expects loyalty to the small region and not to the nation. ! 3. Few individuals aided and abetted by across the border funds and explosives plan to violence for their percived faith, and are caught when planning strikes at their own places of worship, training to violence at again a place of worship. ! Common feature in all thse incidents is greed and unseemly implicit will to impose their thoughts on the society and its citizens. Yes, we can use filters and block these thoughts till it hits hard on the fundamental rights of our own, good governance going for a toss.? Regards. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Vivek Narayanan" To: "Tapas Ray" ; Sent: Wednesday, February 06, 2008 5:57 PM Subject: Re: [Reader-list] what is to be done? > Strange... I have no idea about the recent "incident" that you all are > talking about... I feel completely calm and happy with what has been > happening on the reader list. > > Oh, wait a minute, that must be because I have 58 unread messages (since > january 21) that went directly into my "bullshit" folder! Time to go > and delete them, I suppose. > > Vivek > > Tapas Ray wrote: >> I agree with Aarti and Nishant. I have been using filters quite >> effectively against these individuals, whose crudity entertained me >> initially in a perverse sort of way, but became tiresome after a while. >> There is no need for anyone to engage with them, since it is now clear >> that their objective is not to take part in rational debate but to >> destroy this space by swamping it with hate speech. (The reason, I >> think, is that they know they lack the ability to engage in reasoned >> debate, and cannot hope to "win" it.) >> >> Mail filters are effective and can be put in place by anyone in a few >> minutes. Nishant's suggestion about tagging and reporting abuse is also >> good, but having such a system would mean someone, acting as moderator, >> having to spend part of his/her day because of the actions of these >> individuals - and I do not think they deserve so much importance. >> >> Tapas >> >> >> >> Nishant Shah wrote: >> >>> Hi Arti, All, >>> I have been a silent lurker in these days of virulent invective and >>> hate-speech that have unfolded on the reader-list. I haven't been silent >>> because I had nothing to say, or that I was not provoked. I haven't been >>> silent because I did not feel equally angered, sometimes to such an >>> extent >>> that I had to walk away from the computer and swear for the nth time >>> that I >>> will just unsubscribe from the reader's list. I have been silent because >>> I >>> do not think I have the vocabulary to counter arguments that are based >>> on >>> nothing more than personal prejudices, or the resources to deal with >>> emails >>> that read a little more than poison pen. >>> >>> However, there is also another reason why I prefer to be silent, as >>> missiles >>> are hurled from one end to the other, one camp offering peace flags and >>> reasons, the other camp packaging the same in mails that resemble hand >>> made >>> grenades used in violent spaces. Out of long habit of dwelling on >>> various >>> digital forms, I have realised that the behaviour (read as writing) of >>> some >>> of the members who have come to haunt this particular digital platform, >>> can >>> only be classified as 'Troll'. >>> (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_troll). >>> And as the classic motto goes, 'Do Not Feed The Troll.' There have been >>> many >>> discussions on the reader-list about questions of censorship, >>> moderation, >>> facilitation and so on. Each time a particularly venomous bunch of >>> people >>> descend upon the reader-list, probably abusing their office time and >>> professional resources to spew horror on to the unwary people, we talk >>> about >>> the possibilities of lags, of delays, of moderation and of down-right >>> banning. However, all these, as we have have often observed, will lead >>> to >>> nowhere. Death, assassination and banning on the interwebz is >>> unfortunately, >>> only notional, symbolic. There are no finalities to either of them and >>> the >>> banning or the moderation of one ID would only lead to the Trolls >>> spinning >>> of many more IDs which would then come back for their pound and a half >>> of >>> flesh. >>> >>> Hence, IMHO, the best thing to do is to stop FEEDING the TROLLS. I >>> second >>> your request that there are so many other more fruitful ways of engaging >>> with so many different topics, that it is almost criminal (in the >>> non-legal >>> sense of the word) to waste time and resources in trying to convince the >>> digital equivalent of a black box with six pre-fed scripts and no >>> semblance >>> of intelligence - artificial or otherwise. We might, next, as well start >>> arguing with characters in a novel, parts in a movie, components of a >>> website. Instead, it is best to just move on. >>> >>> Having said that, I also realise that it is sometimes difficult to move >>> on. >>> More often than not, Trolls specialise in putting their finger on the >>> exact >>> right spot that triggers our buttons and induce instantaneous >>> combustion. >>> And hence, there will always be people replying to these Flames that >>> come >>> our way; unfortunately thinking all the time that they are doing >>> fire-fighting, when actually they are just adding fuel to the Troll >>> Fire. >>> One technical measure that I can think of - and this takes away the >>> unenviable job of a list moderator - is to implement a tagging system in >>> place for all mails that come to the reader list. This at least, allows >>> people to tag their mails - sometimes the titles are misleading and >>> provide >>> no warning for what is to come - so that when a mail arrives, the >>> readers >>> can see the tags and decide for themselves whether they want to read the >>> mail or not. >>> >>> The second suggestion I have might be more open for discussion - Most >>> user >>> based free spaces of interaction in the cyberspace have developed a >>> policy >>> of reactive resistance to what they look upon as an abuse of the space >>> or >>> its resources. Under such a policy, you do not ban users from saying >>> what >>> they want to say, in whichever way they want to say it, but instead >>> allow >>> other users to 'Report Abuse' against a particular user. The Terms of >>> what >>> constitutes Abuse can often be generic but also be very specific in >>> nature >>> and can have a large consultation from the people who have any stake in >>> it. >>> Reporting Abuse eventually needs some sort of a moderator who either >>> resolves the problem or simply marks the charged person as guilty of >>> abuse. >>> Many times, the reason for this marking is also made public. This >>> ensures >>> that some IDs which are seen as destructive or Trollish, can appear >>> differently in the conversations, flagged as potentially abusive in >>> nature. >>> This also helps in new readers or readers who have more invested in the >>> questions, to stay away from the responses that these IDs might be >>> generating. >>> >>> I hope both these suggestions sound feasible. I would be available for >>> further communication or planning out of the architectural integration >>> of >>> such sort to the Reader's List. I am glad for your intervention and >>> pleased >>> to see that instead of wasting time in responding to the Trolls, we are >>> now >>> looking upon them as symptomatic to a certain kind of problem that >>> emerges >>> in 'free speech and free space' and trying to constructively deal with >>> them. >>> >>> Un-lurking after a long time, >>> Nishant >>> On Jan 22, 2008 12:54 PM, Aarti Sethi wrote: >>> >>> >>> >>>> Dear all, >>>> >>>> It is becoming more and more difficult to read the writing on the >>>> reader-list. From misogyny, the likes of which I do not recall ever >>>> seeing >>>> before, to threats of physical violence against women's bodies, to >>>> right-wing Hindu vitriol, what is going on? It is actually now painful >>>> to >>>> have to see 37 responses on a thread which deserves not even one, >>>> because >>>> people are valiantly trying to talk rationally, reason with, respond to >>>> people who should just be told to shut up. I know its very hard to keep >>>> quite and let things go, especially when we have exemplars like >>>> chanchal >>>> and >>>> vedavati on this list. But we are all just getting fatigued now with >>>> this >>>> relentless barrage of invective and hate that the list is constantly >>>> subjected to. >>>> >>>> So now I am asking for solutions. What is to be done?, as Lenin asked >>>> many >>>> years ago. What is to be done to save the reader-list? Can we have a >>>> discussion on this? Clearly responding to them in any rational fashion >>>> is >>>> not a solution. And I frankly have no interest or hope that anything >>>> any >>>> of >>>> us can say will make any difference. This is not about me refusing to >>>> have >>>> a >>>> conversation, because the fact is, they do not want to have a >>>> conversation >>>> at all. And i think that is quite clear from the writing on the list in >>>> the >>>> past two weeks. >>>> >>>> This is a request to to please stop engaging with them. Lets ignore >>>> them, >>>> lets not respond to them, lets please just mark all their mails so they >>>> go >>>> into our collective trash folders, lets talk about other things, >>>> anything. >>>> They can then keep talking to each other about the wonderful Hindu >>>> nation >>>> they will build ad nauseum. But we dont have to listen to this. And of >>>> course they will claim this as a victory etc etc. How we cant respond >>>> to >>>> them, how we have nothing to say to their brilliant argumentation. I >>>> can >>>> already predict the responses to this mail. But I have no trouble >>>> saying >>>> that they are right. I am limited by my own linguistic incapacity to >>>> respond >>>> to writing which is so poisonous. >>>> >>>> And a final qualification about my use of "us" and "them" and any >>>> questions >>>> regarding othering, insularity, assumption of moral superiority etc >>>> etc. I >>>> can unabashedly say that I have absolutely no problems creating this >>>> binary >>>> divide. I have no issues saying that these are people I want to have >>>> nothing >>>> to do with, as far as I am concerned they are unethical and violent and >>>> I >>>> dont see why they should have any purchase on my time at all. There are >>>> far >>>> more interesting things being said and there are interesting people >>>> saying >>>> them who I would much rather read, than the reams and reams of boring >>>> hateful drivel that constantly issue from the likes of chanchal.. >>>> >>>> If anyone else has any other ideas please lets hear them. And if anyone >>>> has >>>> forgotten how to make filters so you can trash the trash, here is a >>>> link >>>> to >>>> Vivek's very instructive mail on the matter: >>>> http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/2007-November/011005.html >>>> >>>> best >>>> Aarti >>>> _________________________________________ >>>> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >>>> Critiques & Collaborations >>>> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >>>> subscribe in the subject header. >>>> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >>>> List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>> >>> >>> >> >> _________________________________________ >> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >> Critiques & Collaborations >> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >> subscribe in the subject header. >> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >> List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > subscribe in the subject header. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From sadiafwahidi at yahoo.co.in Thu Feb 7 13:22:06 2008 From: sadiafwahidi at yahoo.co.in (S.Fatima) Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2008 07:52:06 +0000 (GMT) Subject: [Reader-list] what is to be done? In-Reply-To: <47A9A7AE.90709@sarai.net> Message-ID: <754835.760.qm@web8407.mail.in.yahoo.com> Dear Vivek Sorry to sound like this, but some of such mails from you reek of elitism. Redirecting some mails to the bullshit folder is one thing, but insulting them further goes to another level. Isn't that a personal vendetta that some on this list are requesting not to get into. Your calmness is akin to sitting in a limousine which is driving through the filthy roads and slums, which your darkened windows don't allow you to see. sf --- Vivek Narayanan wrote: > Strange... I have no idea about the recent > "incident" that you all are > talking about... I feel completely calm and happy > with what has been > happening on the reader list. > > Oh, wait a minute, that must be because I have 58 > unread messages (since > january 21) that went directly into my "bullshit" > folder! Time to go > and delete them, I suppose. > > Vivek > > Tapas Ray wrote: > > I agree with Aarti and Nishant. I have been using > filters quite > > effectively against these individuals, whose > crudity entertained me > > initially in a perverse sort of way, but became > tiresome after a while. > > There is no need for anyone to engage with them, > since it is now clear > > that their objective is not to take part in > rational debate but to > > destroy this space by swamping it with hate > speech. (The reason, I > > think, is that they know they lack the ability to > engage in reasoned > > debate, and cannot hope to "win" it.) > > > > Mail filters are effective and can be put in place > by anyone in a few > > minutes. Nishant's suggestion about tagging and > reporting abuse is also > > good, but having such a system would mean someone, > acting as moderator, > > having to spend part of his/her day because of the > actions of these > > individuals - and I do not think they deserve so > much importance. > > > > Tapas > > > > > > > > Nishant Shah wrote: > > > >> Hi Arti, All, > >> I have been a silent lurker in these days of > virulent invective and > >> hate-speech that have unfolded on the > reader-list. I haven't been silent > >> because I had nothing to say, or that I was not > provoked. I haven't been > >> silent because I did not feel equally angered, > sometimes to such an extent > >> that I had to walk away from the computer and > swear for the nth time that I > >> will just unsubscribe from the reader's list. I > have been silent because I > >> do not think I have the vocabulary to counter > arguments that are based on > >> nothing more than personal prejudices, or the > resources to deal with emails > >> that read a little more than poison pen. > >> > >> However, there is also another reason why I > prefer to be silent, as missiles > >> are hurled from one end to the other, one camp > offering peace flags and > >> reasons, the other camp packaging the same in > mails that resemble hand made > >> grenades used in violent spaces. Out of long > habit of dwelling on various > >> digital forms, I have realised that the behaviour > (read as writing) of some > >> of the members who have come to haunt this > particular digital platform, can > >> only be classified as 'Troll'. > (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_troll). > >> And as the classic motto goes, 'Do Not Feed The > Troll.' There have been many > >> discussions on the reader-list about questions of > censorship, moderation, > >> facilitation and so on. Each time a particularly > venomous bunch of people > >> descend upon the reader-list, probably abusing > their office time and > >> professional resources to spew horror on to the > unwary people, we talk about > >> the possibilities of lags, of delays, of > moderation and of down-right > >> banning. However, all these, as we have have > often observed, will lead to > >> nowhere. Death, assassination and banning on the > interwebz is unfortunately, > >> only notional, symbolic. There are no finalities > to either of them and the > >> banning or the moderation of one ID would only > lead to the Trolls spinning > >> of many more IDs which would then come back for > their pound and a half of > >> flesh. > >> > >> Hence, IMHO, the best thing to do is to stop > FEEDING the TROLLS. I second > >> your request that there are so many other more > fruitful ways of engaging > >> with so many different topics, that it is almost > criminal (in the non-legal > >> sense of the word) to waste time and resources in > trying to convince the > >> digital equivalent of a black box with six > pre-fed scripts and no semblance > >> of intelligence - artificial or otherwise. We > might, next, as well start > >> arguing with characters in a novel, parts in a > movie, components of a > >> website. Instead, it is best to just move on. > >> > >> Having said that, I also realise that it is > sometimes difficult to move on. > >> More often than not, Trolls specialise in putting > their finger on the exact > >> right spot that triggers our buttons and induce > instantaneous combustion. > >> And hence, there will always be people replying > to these Flames that come > >> our way; unfortunately thinking all the time that > they are doing > >> fire-fighting, when actually they are just adding > fuel to the Troll Fire. > >> One technical measure that I can think of - and > this takes away the > >> unenviable job of a list moderator - is to > implement a tagging system in > >> place for all mails that come to the reader list. > This at least, allows > >> people to tag their mails - sometimes the titles > are misleading and provide > >> no warning for what is to come - so that when a > mail arrives, the readers > >> can see the tags and decide for themselves > whether they want to read the > >> mail or not. > >> > >> The second suggestion I have might be more open > for discussion - Most user > >> based free spaces of interaction in the > cyberspace have developed a policy > >> of reactive resistance to what they look upon as > an abuse of the space or > >> its resources. Under such a policy, you do not > ban users from saying what > >> they want to say, in whichever way they want to > say it, but instead allow > >> other users to 'Report Abuse' against a > particular user. The Terms of what > >> constitutes Abuse can often be generic but also > be very specific in nature > >> and can have a large consultation from the people > who have any stake in it. > >> Reporting Abuse eventually needs some sort of a > moderator who either > >> resolves the problem or simply marks the charged > person as guilty of abuse. > >> Many times, the reason for this marking is also > made public. This ensures > >> that some IDs which are seen as destructive or > Trollish, can appear > >> differently in the conversations, flagged as > potentially abusive in nature. > >> This also helps in new readers or readers who > have more invested in the > >> questions, to stay away from the responses that > these IDs might be > >> generating. > >> > >> I hope both these suggestions sound feasible. I > would be available for > >> further communication or planning out of the > architectural integration of > >> such sort to the Reader's List. I am glad for > your intervention and pleased > >> to see that instead of wasting time in responding > to the Trolls, we are now > >> looking upon them as symptomatic to a certain > kind of problem that emerges > >> in 'free speech and free space' and trying to > constructively deal with them. > >> > >> Un-lurking after a long time, > >> Nishant > >> On Jan 22, 2008 12:54 PM, Aarti Sethi > wrote: > >> > >> > >> > >>> Dear all, > >>> > === message truncated === Bollywood, fun, friendship, sports and more. You name it, we have it on http://in.promos.yahoo.com/groups From monica.mody at gmail.com Thu Feb 7 15:42:50 2008 From: monica.mody at gmail.com (Monica Mody) Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2008 15:42:50 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Feb 8/Delhi: Double Feature: Carolyn Forche & Joy Harjo Message-ID: <4badad3b0802070212y2f7d9485kb85a059ea0558b50@mail.gmail.com> Open Baithak presents a reading by two of the most exciting contemporary American poets: CAROLYN FORCHE & JOY HARJO Feb 8, 2008, Friday @ 7 pm Amphitheatre, Gate # 2, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi 110003 Co-sponsors: The American Center & India Habitat Centre CAROLYN FORCHE is the author of "Blue Hour"; "The Angel of History", which received the Los Angeles Times Book Award; "The Country Between Us", which received the Poetry Society of America's Alice Fay di Castagnola Award, and was the Lamont Poetry Selection of The Academy of American Poets; and "Gathering the Tribes", which was selected for the Yale Series of Younger Poets. She has edited an anthology on poetry of witness and has translated many poets. Over the years Forche's quest to understand the individual's struggle with social upheaval and political turmoil has taken her from El Salvador to the occupied West Bank, Lebanon, and South Africa. Her trip is being funded by the NEA. JOY HARJO's books of poetry include "The Woman Who Fell From the Sky", which received the Oklahoma Book Arts Award; "In Mad Love and War", which received an American Book Award and the Delmore Schwartz Memorial Award, and others. She also performs her poetry and plays saxophone with her band, Joy Harjo and the Arrow Dynamics Band. Her many honors include The American Indian Distinguished Achievement in the Arts Award, the Josephine Miles Poetry Award, the Mountains and Plains Booksellers Award, the William Carlos Williams Award, and fellowships from the Arizona Commission on the Arts, the Witter BynnerFoundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. She lives in Hawaii. Her trip is being funded by the NEA. *** OPEN BAITHAK is a contemporary gathering of poets in Delhi who perform. openbaithak at gmail.com openbaithak.wordpress.com From radhikarajen at vsnl.net Thu Feb 7 16:58:12 2008 From: radhikarajen at vsnl.net (radhikarajen at vsnl.net) Date: Thu, 07 Feb 2008 16:28:12 +0500 Subject: [Reader-list] what is to be done? In-Reply-To: <754835.760.qm@web8407.mail.in.yahoo.com> References: <47A9A7AE.90709@sarai.net> <754835.760.qm@web8407.mail.in.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Dear Fatima, I greatfully accept your observation of a traveller in limousine driving thru filth and rot in the society, it is not meant to be any personal attack on any one, but in democratic society, where an individual who for his selfish reasons to gain power, was attacking every individual from south as "madrasis" without even knowing how many states are there in south India, when these individuals were hapless victims of this atrocity, Shivsena was boen as goon brigade, make over as "hindu " defenders was a misnomer, need of the time after the appeasement drama went to the extreme, by opening the gates of dilapidated building in Ayodhya, and the Shah bano case verdict upturned by ordinance. In a democratic society, faith is a very personal issue, which should not, I strongly opine should not come in the way of good governance of the communities as all are equal in law, must get good governance irrespective of faith, caste and region.Good governance is realised only when law treats every citizen equally, system punishes every one who takes law into his/her own hands to undermine the system. Raj Thackeray who seems to be iconic of Marathi pride gives no pride to any humanity in his boorish behaviour. But the way the system is hesitating to take action against such goons irrespective of faith, be it a Owaisi, or a Raj is really sad ugly belly of democratic governance. If a tennis player has to be reluctant to play the game she loves, which gave greater glories to her and the nation because of fathwas, such fathwa creators should be behind the bars along with these goons. Then only we can have rights and duties respected and cherished in the nation. When governance is to be without fear or favour as per the oath taken by every individual in the system of governance, when they fail to deliver good governance to all, discriminate on the basis of caste and faith , region and language, it is neither healthy democracy or good governance. ? Regards. ----- Original Message ----- From: "S.Fatima" Date: Thursday, February 7, 2008 1:24 pm Subject: Re: [Reader-list] what is to be done? To: Vivek Narayanan , reader-list at sarai.net > Dear Vivek > Sorry to sound like this, but some of such mails from > you reek of elitism. Redirecting some mails to the > bullshit folder is one thing, but insulting them > further goes to another level. Isn't that a personal > vendetta that some on this list are requesting not to > get into. > Your calmness is akin to sitting in a limousine which > is driving through the filthy roads and slums, which > your darkened windows don't allow you to see. > > sf > > --- Vivek Narayanan wrote: > > > Strange... I have no idea about the recent > > "incident" that you all are > > talking about... I feel completely calm and happy > > with what has been > > happening on the reader list. > > > > Oh, wait a minute, that must be because I have 58 > > unread messages (since > > january 21) that went directly into my "bullshit" > > folder! Time to go > > and delete them, I suppose. > > > > Vivek > > > > Tapas Ray wrote: > > > I agree with Aarti and Nishant. I have been using > > filters quite > > > effectively against these individuals, whose > > crudity entertained me > > > initially in a perverse sort of way, but became > > tiresome after a while. > > > There is no need for anyone to engage with them, > > since it is now clear > > > that their objective is not to take part in > > rational debate but to > > > destroy this space by swamping it with hate > > speech. (The reason, I > > > think, is that they know they lack the ability to > > engage in reasoned > > > debate, and cannot hope to "win" it.) > > > > > > Mail filters are effective and can be put in place > > by anyone in a few > > > minutes. Nishant's suggestion about tagging and > > reporting abuse is also > > > good, but having such a system would mean someone, > > acting as moderator, > > > having to spend part of his/her day because of the > > actions of these > > > individuals - and I do not think they deserve so > > much importance. > > > > > > Tapas > > > > > > > > > > > > Nishant Shah wrote: > > > > > >> Hi Arti, All, > > >> I have been a silent lurker in these days of > > virulent invective and > > >> hate-speech that have unfolded on the > > reader-list. I haven't been silent > > >> because I had nothing to say, or that I was not > > provoked. I haven't been > > >> silent because I did not feel equally angered, > > sometimes to such an extent > > >> that I had to walk away from the computer and > > swear for the nth time that I > > >> will just unsubscribe from the reader's list. I > > have been silent because I > > >> do not think I have the vocabulary to counter > > arguments that are based on > > >> nothing more than personal prejudices, or the > > resources to deal with emails > > >> that read a little more than poison pen. > > >> > > >> However, there is also another reason why I > > prefer to be silent, as missiles > > >> are hurled from one end to the other, one camp > > offering peace flags and > > >> reasons, the other camp packaging the same in > > mails that resemble hand made > > >> grenades used in violent spaces. Out of long > > habit of dwelling on various > > >> digital forms, I have realised that the behaviour > > (read as writing) of some > > >> of the members who have come to haunt this > > particular digital platform, can > > >> only be classified as 'Troll'. > > (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_troll). > > >> And as the classic motto goes, 'Do Not Feed The > > Troll.' There have been many > > >> discussions on the reader-list about questions of > > censorship, moderation, > > >> facilitation and so on. Each time a particularly > > venomous bunch of people > > >> descend upon the reader-list, probably abusing > > their office time and > > >> professional resources to spew horror on to the > > unwary people, we talk about > > >> the possibilities of lags, of delays, of > > moderation and of down-right > > >> banning. However, all these, as we have have > > often observed, will lead to > > >> nowhere. Death, assassination and banning on the > > interwebz is unfortunately, > > >> only notional, symbolic. There are no finalities > > to either of them and the > > >> banning or the moderation of one ID would only > > lead to the Trolls spinning > > >> of many more IDs which would then come back for > > their pound and a half of > > >> flesh. > > >> > > >> Hence, IMHO, the best thing to do is to stop > > FEEDING the TROLLS. I second > > >> your request that there are so many other more > > fruitful ways of engaging > > >> with so many different topics, that it is almost > > criminal (in the non-legal > > >> sense of the word) to waste time and resources in > > trying to convince the > > >> digital equivalent of a black box with six > > pre-fed scripts and no semblance > > >> of intelligence - artificial or otherwise. We > > might, next, as well start > > >> arguing with characters in a novel, parts in a > > movie, components of a > > >> website. Instead, it is best to just move on. > > >> > > >> Having said that, I also realise that it is > > sometimes difficult to move on. > > >> More often than not, Trolls specialise in putting > > their finger on the exact > > >> right spot that triggers our buttons and induce > > instantaneous combustion. > > >> And hence, there will always be people replying > > to these Flames that come > > >> our way; unfortunately thinking all the time that > > they are doing > > >> fire-fighting, when actually they are just adding > > fuel to the Troll Fire. > > >> One technical measure that I can think of - and > > this takes away the > > >> unenviable job of a list moderator - is to > > implement a tagging system in > > >> place for all mails that come to the reader list. > > This at least, allows > > >> people to tag their mails - sometimes the titles > > are misleading and provide > > >> no warning for what is to come - so that when a > > mail arrives, the readers > > >> can see the tags and decide for themselves > > whether they want to read the > > >> mail or not. > > >> > > >> The second suggestion I have might be more open > > for discussion - Most user > > >> based free spaces of interaction in the > > cyberspace have developed a policy > > >> of reactive resistance to what they look upon as > > an abuse of the space or > > >> its resources. Under such a policy, you do not > > ban users from saying what > > >> they want to say, in whichever way they want to > > say it, but instead allow > > >> other users to 'Report Abuse' against a > > particular user. The Terms of what > > >> constitutes Abuse can often be generic but also > > be very specific in nature > > >> and can have a large consultation from the people > > who have any stake in it. > > >> Reporting Abuse eventually needs some sort of a > > moderator who either > > >> resolves the problem or simply marks the charged > > person as guilty of abuse. > > >> Many times, the reason for this marking is also > > made public. This ensures > > >> that some IDs which are seen as destructive or > > Trollish, can appear > > >> differently in the conversations, flagged as > > potentially abusive in nature. > > >> This also helps in new readers or readers who > > have more invested in the > > >> questions, to stay away from the responses that > > these IDs might be > > >> generating. > > >> > > >> I hope both these suggestions sound feasible. I > > would be available for > > >> further communication or planning out of the > > architectural integration of > > >> such sort to the Reader's List. I am glad for > > your intervention and pleased > > >> to see that instead of wasting time in responding > > to the Trolls, we are now > > >> looking upon them as symptomatic to a certain > > kind of problem that emerges > > >> in 'free speech and free space' and trying to > > constructively deal with them. > > >> > > >> Un-lurking after a long time, > > >> Nishant > > >> On Jan 22, 2008 12:54 PM, Aarti Sethi > > wrote: > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >>> Dear all, > > >>> > > > === message truncated === > > > > Bollywood, fun, friendship, sports and more. You name it, we > have it on http://in.promos.yahoo.com/groups > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > subscribe in the subject header. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader- > list > List archive: From asitredsalute at gmail.com Thu Feb 7 19:32:00 2008 From: asitredsalute at gmail.com (Asit asitreds) Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2008 09:02:00 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] what is to be done? In-Reply-To: References: <47A9A7AE.90709@sarai.net> <754835.760.qm@web8407.mail.in.yahoo.com> Message-ID: dear all this debate takes us back to fundamentals like democrac citizenship rule of law etc governance should be looked through our concept of state is there a neutral state or is a biased class state rule of law is a luxury for people who are influential and pay the lawyers every one knows how a poorman is treted in the police statined so we should come ut of these niciteis as governance democracy equalty etc in a class societ the state apparus is biased against the poor so lets have no illusions about democracy and rule of law emocacy means power is shared equally in a class society the poor are powerles lets have no illusions about voting rule of la etc they make no difference for the subalterns unless we take up the property question seriously there can be no equality hence democracy hence rule of law without radical restructering of property relationships toput it bluntly there can be no democracy without socialism asit On Feb 7, 2008 6:28 AM, wrote: > Dear Fatima, > > > I greatfully accept your observation of a traveller in limousine driving > thru filth and rot in the society, it is not meant to be any personal > attack on any one, but in democratic society, where an individual who for > his selfish reasons to gain power, was attacking every individual from south > as "madrasis" without even knowing how many states are there in south India, > when these individuals were hapless victims of this atrocity, Shivsena was > boen as goon brigade, make over as "hindu " defenders was a misnomer, need > of the time after the appeasement drama went to the extreme, by opening the > gates of dilapidated building in Ayodhya, and the Shah bano case verdict > upturned by ordinance. > > In a democratic society, faith is a very personal issue, which should > not, I strongly opine should not come in the way of good governance of the > communities as all are equal in law, must get good governance irrespective > of faith, caste and region.Good governance is realised only when law > treats every citizen equally, system punishes every one who takes law into > his/her own hands to undermine the system. > > Raj Thackeray who seems to be iconic of Marathi pride gives no pride to > any humanity in his boorish behaviour. But the way the system is hesitating > to take action against such goons irrespective of faith, be it a Owaisi, or > a Raj is really sad ugly belly of democratic governance. > If a tennis player has to be reluctant to play the game she loves, which > gave greater glories to her and the nation because of fathwas, such fathwa > creators should be behind the bars along with these goons. Then only we can > have rights and duties respected and cherished in the nation. > > When governance is to be without fear or favour as per the oath taken by > every individual in the system of governance, when they fail to deliver good > governance to all, discriminate on the basis of caste and faith , region and > language, it is neither healthy democracy or good governance. ? > > Regards. > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "S.Fatima" > Date: Thursday, February 7, 2008 1:24 pm > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] what is to be done? > To: Vivek Narayanan , reader-list at sarai.net > > > Dear Vivek > > Sorry to sound like this, but some of such mails from > > you reek of elitism. Redirecting some mails to the > > bullshit folder is one thing, but insulting them > > further goes to another level. Isn't that a personal > > vendetta that some on this list are requesting not to > > get into. > > Your calmness is akin to sitting in a limousine which > > is driving through the filthy roads and slums, which > > your darkened windows don't allow you to see. > > > > sf > > > > --- Vivek Narayanan wrote: > > > > > Strange... I have no idea about the recent > > > "incident" that you all are > > > talking about... I feel completely calm and happy > > > with what has been > > > happening on the reader list. > > > > > > Oh, wait a minute, that must be because I have 58 > > > unread messages (since > > > january 21) that went directly into my "bullshit" > > > folder! Time to go > > > and delete them, I suppose. > > > > > > Vivek > > > > > > Tapas Ray wrote: > > > > I agree with Aarti and Nishant. I have been using > > > filters quite > > > > effectively against these individuals, whose > > > crudity entertained me > > > > initially in a perverse sort of way, but became > > > tiresome after a while. > > > > There is no need for anyone to engage with them, > > > since it is now clear > > > > that their objective is not to take part in > > > rational debate but to > > > > destroy this space by swamping it with hate > > > speech. (The reason, I > > > > think, is that they know they lack the ability to > > > engage in reasoned > > > > debate, and cannot hope to "win" it.) > > > > > > > > Mail filters are effective and can be put in place > > > by anyone in a few > > > > minutes. Nishant's suggestion about tagging and > > > reporting abuse is also > > > > good, but having such a system would mean someone, > > > acting as moderator, > > > > having to spend part of his/her day because of the > > > actions of these > > > > individuals - and I do not think they deserve so > > > much importance. > > > > > > > > Tapas > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Nishant Shah wrote: > > > > > > > >> Hi Arti, All, > > > >> I have been a silent lurker in these days of > > > virulent invective and > > > >> hate-speech that have unfolded on the > > > reader-list. I haven't been silent > > > >> because I had nothing to say, or that I was not > > > provoked. I haven't been > > > >> silent because I did not feel equally angered, > > > sometimes to such an extent > > > >> that I had to walk away from the computer and > > > swear for the nth time that I > > > >> will just unsubscribe from the reader's list. I > > > have been silent because I > > > >> do not think I have the vocabulary to counter > > > arguments that are based on > > > >> nothing more than personal prejudices, or the > > > resources to deal with emails > > > >> that read a little more than poison pen. > > > >> > > > >> However, there is also another reason why I > > > prefer to be silent, as missiles > > > >> are hurled from one end to the other, one camp > > > offering peace flags and > > > >> reasons, the other camp packaging the same in > > > mails that resemble hand made > > > >> grenades used in violent spaces. Out of long > > > habit of dwelling on various > > > >> digital forms, I have realised that the behaviour > > > (read as writing) of some > > > >> of the members who have come to haunt this > > > particular digital platform, can > > > >> only be classified as 'Troll'. > > > (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_troll). > > > >> And as the classic motto goes, 'Do Not Feed The > > > Troll.' There have been many > > > >> discussions on the reader-list about questions of > > > censorship, moderation, > > > >> facilitation and so on. Each time a particularly > > > venomous bunch of people > > > >> descend upon the reader-list, probably abusing > > > their office time and > > > >> professional resources to spew horror on to the > > > unwary people, we talk about > > > >> the possibilities of lags, of delays, of > > > moderation and of down-right > > > >> banning. However, all these, as we have have > > > often observed, will lead to > > > >> nowhere. Death, assassination and banning on the > > > interwebz is unfortunately, > > > >> only notional, symbolic. There are no finalities > > > to either of them and the > > > >> banning or the moderation of one ID would only > > > lead to the Trolls spinning > > > >> of many more IDs which would then come back for > > > their pound and a half of > > > >> flesh. > > > >> > > > >> Hence, IMHO, the best thing to do is to stop > > > FEEDING the TROLLS. I second > > > >> your request that there are so many other more > > > fruitful ways of engaging > > > >> with so many different topics, that it is almost > > > criminal (in the non-legal > > > >> sense of the word) to waste time and resources in > > > trying to convince the > > > >> digital equivalent of a black box with six > > > pre-fed scripts and no semblance > > > >> of intelligence - artificial or otherwise. We > > > might, next, as well start > > > >> arguing with characters in a novel, parts in a > > > movie, components of a > > > >> website. Instead, it is best to just move on. > > > >> > > > >> Having said that, I also realise that it is > > > sometimes difficult to move on. > > > >> More often than not, Trolls specialise in putting > > > their finger on the exact > > > >> right spot that triggers our buttons and induce > > > instantaneous combustion. > > > >> And hence, there will always be people replying > > > to these Flames that come > > > >> our way; unfortunately thinking all the time that > > > they are doing > > > >> fire-fighting, when actually they are just adding > > > fuel to the Troll Fire. > > > >> One technical measure that I can think of - and > > > this takes away the > > > >> unenviable job of a list moderator - is to > > > implement a tagging system in > > > >> place for all mails that come to the reader list. > > > This at least, allows > > > >> people to tag their mails - sometimes the titles > > > are misleading and provide > > > >> no warning for what is to come - so that when a > > > mail arrives, the readers > > > >> can see the tags and decide for themselves > > > whether they want to read the > > > >> mail or not. > > > >> > > > >> The second suggestion I have might be more open > > > for discussion - Most user > > > >> based free spaces of interaction in the > > > cyberspace have developed a policy > > > >> of reactive resistance to what they look upon as > > > an abuse of the space or > > > >> its resources. Under such a policy, you do not > > > ban users from saying what > > > >> they want to say, in whichever way they want to > > > say it, but instead allow > > > >> other users to 'Report Abuse' against a > > > particular user. The Terms of what > > > >> constitutes Abuse can often be generic but also > > > be very specific in nature > > > >> and can have a large consultation from the people > > > who have any stake in it. > > > >> Reporting Abuse eventually needs some sort of a > > > moderator who either > > > >> resolves the problem or simply marks the charged > > > person as guilty of abuse. > > > >> Many times, the reason for this marking is also > > > made public. This ensures > > > >> that some IDs which are seen as destructive or > > > Trollish, can appear > > > >> differently in the conversations, flagged as > > > potentially abusive in nature. > > > >> This also helps in new readers or readers who > > > have more invested in the > > > >> questions, to stay away from the responses that > > > these IDs might be > > > >> generating. > > > >> > > > >> I hope both these suggestions sound feasible. I > > > would be available for > > > >> further communication or planning out of the > > > architectural integration of > > > >> such sort to the Reader's List. I am glad for > > > your intervention and pleased > > > >> to see that instead of wasting time in responding > > > to the Trolls, we are now > > > >> looking upon them as symptomatic to a certain > > > kind of problem that emerges > > > >> in 'free speech and free space' and trying to > > > constructively deal with them. > > > >> > > > >> Un-lurking after a long time, > > > >> Nishant > > > >> On Jan 22, 2008 12:54 PM, Aarti Sethi > > > wrote: > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> > > > >>> Dear all, > > > >>> > > > > > === message truncated === > > > > > > > > Bollywood, fun, friendship, sports and more. You name it, we > > have it on http://in.promos.yahoo.com/groups > > _________________________________________ > > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > > Critiques & Collaborations > > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > > subscribe in the subject header. > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader- > > list > > List archive: > > > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > subscribe in the subject header. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From chad.chowbey at gmail.com Thu Feb 7 23:06:51 2008 From: chad.chowbey at gmail.com (Chad Chowbey) Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2008 23:06:51 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Hello all Message-ID: Hello all. A friend of mine has been showing me, from time to time, glimpses of the kind of dialogue that goes on on this list. He has been urging me to join the list. Now I have. So I just want to say for now: Hello all From shuddha at sarai.net Fri Feb 8 02:30:57 2008 From: shuddha at sarai.net (shuddha at sarai.net) Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2008 02:30:57 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] A Pianist and a Passport: Daniel Barenboim, Palestine and Israel Message-ID: <9a48312b8f6cfe2dc2033ca91fd193d0@sarai.net> Dear all, for quite some time now, I have had an interest in what might be described somewhat roughly as 'the ethics of treason', or, the moral choices made by a person who is described as a 'traitor' by his own people. The word 'own'here is used somewhat thoughtlessly, because the kind of 'traitor' I am interested in is precisely the kind of person who refuses to let his conscience, or his acts be 'owned' by his 'own' people. He is the Hindu who is hated by Hindutva types, the Muslim harrassed by Islamists, the Christian anathemized by the church, the Communist who has no place within a Communist Party, the person who loves the land he or she lives in (not necessarily exclusively, but nevertheless passionately) but who is hounded out by Nationalists. I believe (following a reading of the Italian-German writer, activist and politican Alexander Langer) that such 'traitors' (on all sides) are actually vitally necessary for the difficult undertaking of getting people caught in webs of animosity to learn to live with each other. I am learning how to be a traitor, an apprentice in treason. That is one reason why I am appending the text below (which was posted recently by Patrice Riemens on Nettime) . It is written by Daniel Barenboim, a person whose music making (he is an excellent classical Pianist) has occasionally given me some moments of solace when the weather on this list has been particularly heavy. He (Barenboim) shared with the late Edward Said a great love for music (Said was also a talented pianist) and a conversation that included dealing with the difficult destiny of being an Israeli in dialogue with Edward Said. (Said, as is well known, was a Palestinian exile). Being Israeli means being implicated in the tribulations of Palestinians, just as being Palestinian means an ongoing and difficult engagement (whether you like it or not) with the reality of the State of Israel. In the piece below, Barenboim spells out his reasons for accepting a Palestinian passport (an act for which he will no doubt be considered a traitor by many in Israel). While I personally would not invest a gesture like accepting or refusing a nationality with meaning for myself(because I am not a nationalist, and accepting or refusing nationalities is in some ways meaningless to me). I do appreciate what it means for someone like Daniel Barenboim to do so. I am not saying this to offer some patronizing endorsement of Barenboims act, but as a token of my respect for some one who performs a manifestly unpopular act on the basis of his convictions about the conduct of his own nation-state. He accepts a Palestinian passport, because he values what it means for someone like him to be an Israeli. I view passports and nationalities, coldly, instrumentally. Barenboim probably does not, which is preciely why his position is interesting to me. His is a choice that I may not make, but I am compelled to value the ethical ground from which it arises. I am not religious, but I often respect the sources of religious action far more than I do the arrogance of people who are not religious. I am not a patriot, but in Barenboim, I see the kind of confllicted, but deeply passionate patriotism that even someone as indifferent as I am to the affects that tie people to land(s) must learn to respect. Barenboim's own dissent towards Zionism (which does not take away a jot from his love and passion for Jewish culture and traditions, and his passionate commitment vis-a-vis locating himself within the history of Israel) and Said's dissatisfaction with Palestinian nationalism (and his lifelong commitment to fighting the good fight for justice for Palestinian people) makes both of them the kind of people I have learnt to respect. Perhaps Barenboim's act could be seen in close proximity to the passionately (and some would argue, peculiarly Jewish refusal) of people like Hannah Arendt and Franz Rosenzweig to buy into the nationalist particularism of zionism. The more immersed I am in the vocabularies and cultures that are associated with the history of the landmass of the country called India, the more internally distant I become to the claims (constitutional and otherwise) made on me by the apparatus of the state called the Republic of India. Sometimes I think that an appreciation of a civilization must necessarily require one to abjure the grandiose perversion of its ideals that occurs within the civilizational travesty called the nation-state. This is especially true when nation states pretend to inherit for themselves the mantle of civilizations, rather than seeing themselves as being the mere accidents of history that they are. Accordingly, I pay my taxes scrouplously as a citizen, but I save my conscience through acts of ethical treason to the very entity I pay my taxes to. Inhabiting this paradox is one of the consequences of having to live here, now. And I will always quietly sit or walk away when a national anthem is played, or a flag is hoisted. Here (below) is the recent piece by Barenboim in the International Herald Tribune that I began by talking about and I offer it on this list with the hope that it may be of interest to some of you. I find Barenboim's candour and sensibility refreshing, and as full of light as his music making. regards Shuddha --------------------------------------------------------------------- Israeli and Palestinian By Daniel Barenboim International Herald Tribune: Tuesday, January 29, 2008 BERLIN: I have often made the statement that the destinies of the Israeli and Palestinian people are inextricably linked and that there is no military solution to the conflict. My recent acceptance of Palestinian nationality has given me the opportunity to demonstrate this more tangibly. When my family moved to Israel from Argentina in the 1950s, one of my parents' intentions was to spare me the experience of growing up as part of a minority - a Jewish minority. They wanted to me to grow up as part of a majority - a Jewish majority. The tragedy of this is that my generation, despite having been educated in a society whose positive aspects and human values have greatly enriched my thinking, ignored the existence of a minority within Israel - a non-Jewish minority - which had been the majority in the whole of Palestine until the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. Part of the non-Jewish population remained in Israel, and other parts left out of fear or were forcefully displaced. In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict there was and still is an inability to admit the interdependence of their two voices. The creation of the state of Israel was the result of a Jewish-European idea, which, if it is to extend its leitmotif into the future, must accept the Palestinian identity as an equally valid leitmotif. The demographic development is impossible to ignore; Palestinians within Israel are a minority but a rapidly growing one, and their voice needs to be heard now more than ever. They now make up approximately 22 percent of the population of Israel. This is a larger percentage than was ever represented by a Jewish minority in any country in any period of history. The total number of Palestinians living within Israel and in the occupied territories (that is, greater Israel for the Israelis or greater Palestine for the Palestinians) is already larger than the Jewish population. At present, Israel is confronted at once with three problems: the nature of the modern democratic Jewish state - its very identity; the problem of Palestinian identity within Israel; and the problem of the creation of a Palestinian state outside of Israel. With Jordan and Egypt it was possible to attain what can best be described as an ice-cold peace without questioning Israel's existence as a Jewish state. The problem of the Palestinians within Israel, however, is a much more challenging one to solve, both theoretically and practically. For Israel, it means, among other things, coming to terms with the fact that the land was not barren or empty, "a land without a people," an idea that was propagated at the time of its creation. For the Palestinians, it means accepting the fact that Israel is a Jewish state and is here to stay. Israelis, however, must accept the integration of the Palestinian minority even if it means changing certain aspects of the nature of Israel; they must also accept the justification for and necessity of the creation of a Palestinian state next to the state of Israel. Not only is there no alternative, or magic wand, that will make the Palestinians disappear, but their integration is an indispensable condition - on moral, social and political grounds - for the very survival of Israel. The longer the occupation continues and Palestinian dissatisfaction remains unaddressed, the more difficult it is to find even elementary common ground. We have seen so often in the modern history of the Middle East that missed opportunities for reconciliation have had extremely negative results for both sides. For my part, when the Palestinian passport was offered to me, I accepted it in the spirit of acknowledging the Palestinian destiny that I, as an Israeli, share. A true citizen of Israel must reach out to the Palestinian people with openness, and at the very least an attempt to understand what the creation of the state of Israel has meant to them. The 15th of May, 1948, is the day of independence for the Jews, but the same day is Al Nakba, the catastrophe, for the Palestinians. A true citizen of Israel must ask himself what the Jews, known as an intelligent people of learning and culture, have done to share their cultural heritage with the Palestinians. A true citizen of Israel must also ask himself why the Palestinians have been condemned to live in slums and accept lower standards of education and medical care, rather than being provided by the occupying force with decent, dignified and liveable conditions, a right common to all human beings. In any occupied territory, the occupiers are responsible for the quality of life of the occupied, and in the case of the Palestinians, the different Israeli governments over the last 40 years have failed miserably. The Palestinians naturally must continue to resist the occupation and all attempts to deny them basic individual needs and statehood. However, for their own sake this resistance must not express itself through violence. Crossing the boundary from adamant resistance (including non-violent demonstrations and protests) to violence only results in more innocent victims and does not serve the long-term interests of the Palestinian people. At the same time, the citizens of Israel have just as much cause to be alert to the needs and rights of the Palestinian people (both within and outside Israel) as they do to their own. After all, in the sense that we share one land and one destiny, we should all have dual citizenship. (Daniel Barenboim, a pianist and conductor, is music director of the Staatskapelle Berlin and principal guest conductor at La Scala Opera in Milan. He is co-founder with Edward Said of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, which brings together Arab and Israeli musicians.) From shahzulf at yahoo.com Fri Feb 8 12:04:26 2008 From: shahzulf at yahoo.com (Zulfiqar Shah) Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2008 22:34:26 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] Balochistan on the brink Message-ID: <556496.91596.qm@web38808.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Balochistan on the brink By Zulfiqar Shah [Dawn February 8, 2008] THE absence of a democratic dialogue between the people of Balochistan and the authorities in Islamabad has resulted in protracted violence, widespread human rights abuses, mass internal displacement and the deaths of hundreds of civilians and armed personnel. Due to Islamabad’s attempt to impose a ‘national identity’ upon the Baloch and the latter’s long-standing resentment towards federal policies the four major insurgencies in 1948, 1958, 1963 and 1973 have become a part of the political history of Pakistan. The first guerilla movement ended in July 1960, when Nauroz Khan, commander of the movement, died during his detention and five of his companions were hanged. Thereafter, the Pakistan army started building new garrisons at key points in the province, triggering another guerilla movement. The armed Baloch revolt comprised left-leaning militants led by Sher Mohammad Marri who set up a network of base camps spread from the Mengal tribal areas of Jhalawan in the south to the Marri and Bugti areas in the north. The sporadic fighting ended in 1969, when General Yahya Khan withdrew the ‘One Unit’ plan and the Baloch agreed to a ceasefire. In 1970, Balochistan was granted the status of a ‘province’. In 1972, Baloch nationalists and the National Awami Party allied with the Islamist Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam to oppose President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. In 1973, Bhutto dismissed the Balochistan government on charges of treason and governor’s rule was imposed on the province. A large number of Marri tribesmen and Baloch students fought against the government and attacked Pakistani and American oil companies leading to the halting of drilling and survey operations. The Pakistani army deployed 80,000 soldiers, used helicopter gun-ships provided by Iran and $200m as financial and emergency aid, to put down the revolt that continued until 1977 in which more than 5,000 Baloch and 3,300 army men lost their lives. In the post-1988 democratic phase, the Baloch tribes were represented in the governments of Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, and ethnic tensions subsided. Baloch nationalist parties were given an opportunity to articulate their grievances through national and provincial legislatures. In the 1988 elections, Akbar Bugti led the Baloch National Alliance — a coalition of tribal leaders and left-wing nationalists that won a number of seats in the provincial assembly. Sui gas, which was first discovered in 1953, was first supplied to Multan and Rawalpindi in Punjab in 1964, but Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, waited until 1986 for its own supply. This too was possible only after the federal government set up a corps headquarters in Quetta. Dera Bugti received gas in the mid-1990s when a paramilitary camp was set up there. Even today only four of the 26 districts of Balochistan are supplied with gas from Sui. Sui accounts for 36 per cent of Pakistan’s total gas production. However, Balochistan receives only 17 per cent of the gas produced in the region. The remaining 83 per cent is sent to the rest of the country. Moreover, Balochistan receives no more than 12.4 per cent of the royalties due to it on gas. The province supplies more than 40 per cent of Pakistan’s primary energy needs. The example of the Saindak copper project illustrates the discrimination Balochistan is being subjected to. The Chinese manage the project with 50 per cent of the share going to them, 48 per cent to the federal government and only two per cent to the government of Balochistan. In 1992, Nawaz Sharif’s government decided to build a seaport at Gwadar on the Makran coast. Initially, Baloch nationalists supported the project but subsequent developments like the creation of a land market, a planned military base and the expected massive inflow of non-Baloch in a province with a total population of six to seven million, disturbed indigenous political elements. These issues had not been discussed in the Balochistan Assembly. The small population of the province means that a massive influx of outsiders will swamp the locals, deprive them of a share in the opportunities created by these mega projects, and wipe out their identity from the face of the earth. Gwadar has only one intermediate college and no technical school. No major steps have been taken to improve health facilities or access to safe drinking water. Most of the locals rely on fishing for a livelihood and have lost prime fishing grounds after the port was constructed. According to an estimate, 89 per cent of rural Balochistan and 49 per cent of Sindh’s rural population live in high-deprivation areas. Over 50 per cent of the population subsists below the poverty line in the province. According to the Labour Force Survey 2003-2004, urban unemployment is 9.7 per cent in Pakistan, and 12.5 per cent in Balochistan. Between 2001 and 2003, unemployment decreased from 8.3 to 7.7 per cent in Pakistan but went up from 7.8 per cent to 8.2 per cent in the province. The literacy rate is low in Balochistan as compared to the rest of the country. According to the Economic Survey of Pakistan 2006-2007, in Balochistan 54 per cent men and 20 per cent women (with a total of 38 per cent) are literate. Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, as the interim prime minister in 2004, had constituted a parliamentary committee on Balochistan. There were two sub-committees to look into current as well as constitutional issues. The current issues committee led by Mushahid Hussain dealt with issues such as the building of military cantonments, mega development projects and violence, whereas the constitutional committee led by Wasim Sajjad dealt with issues related to provincial autonomy. The sub-committees recommended a 15 to 20 per cent increase in gas royalty, 20 to 30 per cent resource allocation for local development, and 5.4 per cent quota for Baloch workers in the federal government. Moreover, they recommended social sector development and constitutional changes for providing greater provincial autonomy to Balochistan. The Wasim Sajjad Committee also recommended a complete revision of the concurrent list and distribution of federal resources on the basis of poverty, backwardness, unemployment and the development level of provinces, instead of using the criterion of population. Conflict between the army and the insurgents has taken the lives of Nawab Akbar Bugti and Balach Marri further alienating the Baloch from Islamabad. The uprising in Balochistan goes on unabated. It is rooted in the structure of the federation. The recommendations of both the committees mentioned above and the 15 points communicated by Akbar Bugti during his talks with Tariq Aziz have still not been addressed. Today, the danger of the dismemberment of the country is greater than ever before. The time has come for Pakistan’s civil-military establishment to change its attitude towards the people and their problems. Let the federating units be given provincial autonomy so that a just socio-economic contract may be implemented. Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com From kauladityaraj at gmail.com Fri Feb 8 12:25:16 2008 From: kauladityaraj at gmail.com (Aditya Raj Kaul) Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2008 12:25:16 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] =?windows-1252?q?A_review_of_Rajesh_Jala=92s_Floati?= =?windows-1252?q?ng_lamp_of_the_Shadow_valley_-_Lalit_Ambardar?= In-Reply-To: <6353c690802072230q64edb529s1df1c4a08da09de7@mail.gmail.com> References: <6353c690802072230q64edb529s1df1c4a08da09de7@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <6353c690802072255r7b1d9ad6lae9414475abdc4be@mail.gmail.com> *A review of Rajesh Jala's Floating lamp of the Shadow valley …* **Lalit Ambardar* It is a paradox that the tragedy of Kashmir has been allowed to be presented to the world at large mostly by the very protagonists of the ongoing turmoil. Ruthless competition within the budding TV media in India has only helped the secessionists acquire political legitimacy what with the channels vying with each other to host them. Film makers have done no better. The absence of Kashmir in mainstream fiction cinema is understandable due to the obvious reasons. In the bygone days it used to be an unwritten 'must' to include at least one song sequence picturised in the scenic valley. *Roja & Mission Kashmir* did highlight the issue of pan Islamic terrorism & to a great extent managed to actually show the menace prevailing in the valley. Many other films did attempt too but failed to make any significant impact. It is ironic that the documentaries that have generally been depicting only the alleged human rights violation in the valley often to the extent that these could at best be labelled as propaganda films made at the behest of the vested interests, are well received by the self proclaimed liberals while the films focussing on the plight of common Kashmiris hardly find any audience. Documentary film makers have a greater responsibility as they are expected to reach out to the opinion makers & the civil society in general. They need to be unbiased in all respects. But unfortunately there is a tendency to overlook the fact that the much spoken about social fabric called 'Kashmiriyat' today stands ruptured almost beyond repair what with the near total aboriginal Pandit community continuing to languish in exile for the past eighteen years now. The impact of mindless violence on the common Kashmiri Muslim folks is generally ignored. It is a pity that the writers, columnists, artists, film makers & intellectuals & the civil society in general continue to be lackadaisical towards the growing political stature of the those responsible for founding the 'gun culture' in the valley & who have now a vested interest in the on going strife, while the vast majority of hapless Kashmiris continues to mourn the tragedy of their venerated MAUJ KASHIR in silence. *Read the entire piece on* - http://shehjar.kashmirgroup.com/Admin/magazineresourcepage.do?pageUrl=/files/resources/zip/080127090031_Floating-lamp_Shadow_valley/index.html&MAG_ID=8 Thanks Aditya Raj Kaul Campaign Blog - www.kashmiris-in-exile.blogspot.com From image.science at donau-uni.ac.at Fri Feb 8 17:41:06 2008 From: image.science at donau-uni.ac.at (Image Science) Date: Fri, 08 Feb 2008 13:11:06 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] place collectively re:viewed Message-ID: <47AC54EA0200007D000050EE@gwgwia.donau-uni.ac.at> re:place conference collectively reviewed by: Jon CATES (US), Winnie FU (HK), Mary HAMMER (US), Rachelle Viader KNOWLES (CA), Eleni MICHAILIDI (GR), Reginald NJEMANZE (NG), Nicolas ROMANACCI (DE), Joanna WALEWSKA (PL), Nina WENHART (AT) and Rolf WOLFENSBERGER(CH) ::: re:place collectively re:viewed ::: ::: full-length reviews of each panel www.mediaarthistory.org/replace/reviews re:place 2007 was the second international conference on the histories of Media, Art, Science and Technology. It took place in Berlin from the 15th until the 18th of November 2007 at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt. re:place followed the first conference Refresh!, the First International Conference on the Histories of Media Art, Science and Technology held at the Banff New Media Institute, Canada, in 2005 (cf. Oliver Grau ed., MediaArtHistories, MIT 2007). In the second conference, re:place was chaired by Andreas Broeckmann and Gunalan Nadarajan supported by an advisory board and a program committee with many well-known key players of the field Media Art Histories. The conference consisted of several pre- and post-conference activities, which were only partly open to the public, and many parallel events. The three-day conference itself was organized into ten thematic panels, evening key lectures, lunchtime lectures and poster sessions. The conference was also complemented by three independently organized exhibitions that were shown in Berlin at the same time: 9 Evenings Reconsidered: Art, Theatre and Engineering at the TESLA, From Spark to Pixel at the Martin-Gropius-Bau and History Will Repeat Itself at the KW. The combination of conference proceedings, parallel events and exhibitions, gave conference attendees many choices to engage in a wide range of activities during re:place. In the introductory talk Oliver Grau gave an overview of the development of the field of MediaArtHistories before and after Refresh! and asked what value can research in this field achieve within the framework of Image Science and Digital Humanities? Starting with the mission of the conference series (www.mediaarthistory.org) the presentation created a "discipline strategic" bridge opening up a perspective to overcome the often placement of Media Arts in a ghetto. In support of that Grau showed the increasing significance of new scientific instruments for the field, *collective* online image and text archives, like www.virtualart.at, www.mediaarthistory.org, which document the art and theory production of the last decades. He finished with a note of caution regarding the too strong particularization in this area and made a plea for a concerted policy and strategy for collectively documenting, archiving and collecting the art of the latest history. In his opening remarks, Andreas Broeckmann referred specifically to the comma between "Media" and "Art" in the subtitle of the conference. He repeated this comment later while introducing the speakers of Panel 5 (which he moderated). Broeckmann stated the organizers gave a great deal of consideration to this distinction while organizing the conference and that it is indicatory of their approach. Unfortunately, as a result, Media Art Histories were less thoroughly addressed as a field. In Broeckmann's explanation, most of the panelists came from very diverse fields. Panels were arranged around special topics. This combination of various fields and approaches in the topical panels would have offered the opportunity to inform a cross-disciplinary toolset of Media Art Histories methods and strategies, but this chance went by unused. ::: Panels ::: The 10 panels of re:place covered a variety of subjects and topics with a few themes connecting multiple panels and presentations. Longer panel reviews follow this general review of re:place. Panel 1 was on the topic of ART, SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING as sites/places where early experiments in Media Art took place, most often as a combined form of research and development, focusing on examples of their intersections. The panel was moderated by Edward Shanken, with panelists Michael Century, Stephen Jones, Eva Moraga and Robin Oppenheimer and is reviewed by Nina Wenhart. The second panel, INTERSECTIONS OF MEDIA AND BIOLOGY, incorporated speakers from vastly different study or artistic backgrounds and study epochs. The first two speakers, Assimina Kaniari and Jussi Parikka, adopted a historical approach on understanding the relationship between Biology and Media Art, while the last two attempted to incorporate theories into their respective art works with Michele Barker describing how the Life Sciences interact with Digital culture and Boo Chapple experimented with sound in relation with biological systems. This panel was moderated Ingeborg Reichle and is reviewed by Winnie Fu. In Panel 3, HISTORIES OF ABSTRACTION, the four lecturers offered brilliant and sophisticated studies on seemingly quite different subjects. Laura Marks, Arianna Borrelli, Amir Alexander and Paul Thomas offered complex and diverse perspectives with highly specialized and elaborated insights that are detailed in the review by Nicolas Romanacci. Panel 4, The COMPARATIVE HISTORIES OF ART INSTITUTIONS, was moderated by Stephan Kovats and included presentations by Lioudmila Voropai, Renata Sukaityte, Christoph Klütsch and Catherine Hamel. This panel raised questions of the possibilities of institutional critiques and is reviewed by jonCates. Panel 5 traced some of the Media Art Histories that can be told in a local context, namely in Australia, Poland, Japan and the North American Pacific Coast. This panel, PLACE STUDIES: MEDIA ART HISTORIES, raising the complex issue of how national and local processes relate to broader national and international media art contexts. Eleni Michailidi reviews this panel, discussing how, as Media Art's global networks have had an acute impact on the development of local artistic and critical practices, analyzing their interactions and mutual influences can help us understand the different ways in which Media Art develops. With: Daniel Palmer, Ryszard W. Kluszczynski, Caroline Seck Langill, Machiko Kusahara. The panelists of Panel 6, MEDIA THEORY IN PRACTICE, charted intersections of Media theory and practice through points of tension and friction, conflicts between innovation and institutional frameworks, displacements, immateriality and the instability of memory in all its forms. This panel included Kathryn Farley, Nils Röller, Wendy Hui Kyong Chun, Antony Hudek and Antonia Wunderlich as panelists and is reviewed by Rachelle Viader Knowles. INTERDISCIPLINARY THEORY IN PRACTICE, the 7th Panel, started by a brief introduction of the speakers by the Moderator Sara Diamonds. She buttressed the effort made by the speakers to apply the emerging forms of Interdisciplinary Theories to Practice, not only in Media Art History but across various domains of knowledge. The papers presented by Christopher Salter, Simone Osthoff, Janine Marchassault and Michael Daroch painted pictures of a hybridized knowledge of Meta Analysis of Methodology and the various points of Productive Collision; not only to New Theories but as they relate to New Practices. Panel 7 is reviewed by Reginald Njemanze. All lectures of Panel 8, PLACE STUDIES: RUSSIA / SOVIET UNION, as well as an introduction by Inke Arns (who tried to outline the importance of Russian avant-garde movements and its technology related utopias) clarified the background of New Media Art in Central and East Europe. In Joanna Walewska's review of Panel 8, she discusses the panel's attempt to extrapolate the future meaning of collaboration between artists and engineers from the histories of such collaborations. With: Olga Goriunova, Margareta Tillberg, Margareta Voehringer, and Irina Aristarkhova. Panel 9, CROSS CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES, investigated the interrelationships and differences between Western and non-Western views. The moderator, Bernd Scherer, stated that this investigation involves a great deal of exchange between cultures, and that the results may challenge the current definitions of modernity. Each panelist, including Erkki Huhtamo, Cynthia Ward, Manosh Chowdhury and Sheila Petty, presented a paper that attempted to challenge the traditional Western view and encourage exchange between cultures. The Cross Cultural Perspectives panel is reviewed by Mary Hammer. The final panel, CYBERNETIC HISTORIES OF ARTISTIC PRACTICES, was introduced and moderated by Geoff Cox. The connections between cybernetics and artistic or, more precisely, emergent everyday practices was presented in two computer-archaeological case studies by David Link and Kristoffer Gansing. Both speakers were separately looking at different occurrences in the early software/hardware history when engineers and programmers were experimenting with the cybernetic machines to produce something other than what they were originally designed for. Brian Reffin Smith then delivered the literally final speech of the panels in a kind of conference performance. In his review of Panel 10, Rolf Wolfensberger, describes how Brian Reffin Smith passionately denounced the ongoing mystification of the computer by artists, scientists and art-critics alike since the early 1970ies and the progressive culture of the spectacle fed by the capitalistic IT-industries since the mid 1990ies. ::: Poster Presentation ::: In addition to the panels, re:place also hosted a Poster Presentation of about 20 projects, reaching from doctoral projects about individual artists such as Lenka Dolanova's poster on her research into the Vasulkas or Darko Fritz's research on Vladimir Bonacic to a poster from and about The Experimental Television Center. If time is limited, posters are a way of at least including projects in the context of the conference. But the way in which the posters were physically presented at re:place was very impolite. The posters were put on simple stand, quite small and too close to one another. Still, the worst aspect of the presentation of the posters was their location. The posters stood in the last corner of the entrance hall, a place with no sufficient lighting. In addition there were two poster presentations, where everyone had 5 minutes to present their projects. Even if time is limited, there can be better ways of showing and presenting these posters, if the organizers are really interested in enriching the content of the conference. Links to all the posters can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ninawenhart/sets/72157603265770404/ ::: Key Note ::: The most pointed approach to describe the framework of a potential field of media art histories was formulated, performed and put into a flaming manifesto by Siegried Zielinski. He made a claim for being enthusiastic, something which was missing in a lot of presentations. ::: Critique & Conclusion ::: The notion of 'place' in the title of the conference was not as evident as the premise of the conference seemed to promise. Perhaps the proposed "thematic focus on located-ness and the migration of knowledge and knowledge production in the interdisciplinary contexts of art, historiography, science and technology" was by definition too vague. Glimpses of local practices at the fringes of mainstream reception (such as the Eastern European Media Art Histories thread that connected a few panels and panelists) or inspirations taken from crossing borders and boundaries did come up momentarily during several of the panels, but practically none of the panelists or moderators made a specific reference to the title of the conference or used this theme to 'locate' her presentation in a broader context. Some of the panels left the impression of a more or less artificially conceived theme with a collection of presentations. This impression seemed to render the hope of the moderators for controversial discussions almost futile from the start. Seen in retrospect the conference did not fully re:cover its 'place' although many of the presentations, posters and discussions as such were fascinating without doubt. ::: Links ::: - re:place 2007 at Haus der Kulturen der Welt: http://www.mediaarthistory.org/replace/reviews - 9 Evenings Reconsidered at TESLA: http://www.fondation-langlois.org/html/e/page.php?NumPage=2092 - History Will Repeat Itself at the KW: http://www.kw-berlin.de/deutsch/program_frameset.htm - From Spark to Pixel at the Martin-Gropius-Bau: http://tinyurl.com/3asg88 From ratishn at gmail.com Fri Feb 8 19:49:41 2008 From: ratishn at gmail.com (Ratish Nanda) Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2008 19:49:41 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] E MAIL FROM MANOJ MISRA, YAMUNA JIYE ABHIYAN REGARDING ONGOING COURT CASE Message-ID: Dear Friends, In continuation of my mail of last tuesday here is the whole story. 3.1.2008 Kindly recall that the Hon'ble Bench of HC of Delhi had made a site visit and spent more than 2 hrs at the impugned sites. Clearly the extent and nature of damage to the river bed indulged in both by DDA and DMRC had become evident to the court. 9.1.2008 Sri Kapil Sibal, the Hon'ble Union Minister of Science and Technology (MOS&T) calls a meeting at Delhi at which only NEERI and DDA are invited. It may be noted that NEERI being a constitutent of CSIR is directly answerable to the MOS&T. NEERI also has a client - contractor relationship with DDA for the Yamuna work. Some kind a strategy is assumably devised at this meeting. 14.1.2008 DDA writes a letter to NEERI specifically asking three leading questions and providing some material from 2006 and 2007 to it for reference. 24.1.2008 NEERI responds to DDA with a so called 'Assessment Report' which says that since they (NEERI) were not aware of the presence of the new bund in the river bed close to the Akshardham when they submitted their report in 2005 (it is notable that the bund had been illegally constructed by the DDA in 2002), hence now that the bund exists the area in question no longer is deemed to be part of the flood plain. A lie of the highest order and technically an incorrect statement. 29.1.2008 DDA submits an affidavit to the Hon'ble HC saying that now that this new NEERI report is in place and as it clarifies all the 'confusion' and hence there is no problem left. The fact of the matter is that NEERI not only knew about the bund but had carried google images of it and referred to it in its 2005 report which is the basis of the whole case against the DDA and the proposed Residential Complex in the name of Games Village as well as the impugned polluting Depot and residential flats by the DMRC in the river bed. Clearly NEERI had been pressurised both by MOS&T and DDA to submit a report quoting wrong facts and condemning it own previous report and thereby tried to misinform and mislead the Court. Today, Sri S M Agrawal, the Convenor of the HC appointed Usha Mehra Committee demolished very systematically and methodically in his inimitable style, the said new report by NEERI and laid bare the whole game of deceit and lies being played by the DDA in the Court. Obviously the DDA had little to say in its defence. (It is now left to be seen as to how does the court take up the matter of the deliberate mischief of both the DDA and NEERI in the matter). Here it may be mentioned that more we see of the Sri Agrawal, a former District and Sessions Judge, in action in the court the more we understand and appreciate the reason why the Court chose him to become the Convenor of this Committee. If there is one true unsung hero in the saga of Save Yamuna Campaign then it is HIM. We (Sri Sanjay Parikh our Counsel) in our counter affidavit filed today have sought suo moto initiation of action for perjury and contempt by the Hon'ble Court against these agencies for deliberate misrepresentation, lies and misinformation. Whatever the final outcome, the larger issue is that if this is the manner in which prestigious and assumably professional agencies are behaving and tend to succumb to extraneous pressures to the extent of out right lying just to please their political masters then can they ever be looked upon with respect for their scientific abilities and achievements? The case shall resume next tuesday (12.1.2008) and hopefully the arguments should conclude on that day, unless DDA or DMRC comes up with some new trump card. The matter of Dr Pachauri heading some Monitoring Committee as suggested by the SG and objected to by Sri Parikh has hopefully been laid to rest when we presented, in response to a letter submitted by DDA from Dr Pachauri (where he agreed to do it if the work was given to TERI), evidence to the fact that TERI and Dr Pachauri has a vested interest in the whole matter. manoj -- www.yamunajiyeabhiyaan.blogspot.com -- Ratish Nanda From indersalim at gmail.com Sat Feb 9 01:05:55 2008 From: indersalim at gmail.com (inder salim) Date: Sat, 9 Feb 2008 01:05:55 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] A Pianist and a Passport: Daniel Barenboim, Palestine and Israel In-Reply-To: <9a48312b8f6cfe2dc2033ca91fd193d0@sarai.net> References: <9a48312b8f6cfe2dc2033ca91fd193d0@sarai.net> Message-ID: <47e122a70802081135v1aab75e1t74a8e36be61389af@mail.gmail.com> Dear All Only the un-artistic will disagree with what Shuddha has written, but the problem is that very few amongst us are privileged to declare that they are artistic. The fact is that either we all are artists or we all are in the process of becoming artists. What makes us un-artistic is perhaps our inability to identify our vital drives of life. That is why we takes sides, often blindly, and discover our mistakes only when our personal ( selfish ) interests come to harm. That still does not make us artists, because we take another side to safeguard our interests. People in general are not at fault for being so casual with their choices, but the privileged amongst us are certainly playing a dirty role that mislead and manipulate at the same time. One only wishes a revolution, but as we all know that now there will be no such thing, but something else. Perhaps, that is why you wrote ' the ethics of treason', and perhaps, why I am also reflecting that.. So, no wonder, that 'courage' is rare commodity….to say this or that at appropriate time…Ghalib comes to my mind KAAY WHO NIMROD KI KHUDIYEE THEE, BANDAGEE MEIN MAYRA BALLA NAA HUVA. ( Now I realize that it was a mistake to worship (the fascist) King Nimrod as my God) Indeed, artists have rarely danced to the national anthem under a national flag. But, if the times were, say, pre 1947 (pre-independence), it might have attracted a veritable artistic expression. Shaheed Bhagat Singh is one such example, who had both courage and vision. He too would have paid taxes in the present, but one can only guess what he might have done to shake the dull and corrupt imagination of our politicians. In any case he was the ideal citizen who might have even asked for a Pakistani Pass port if alive in 1947. The question why one has the tendency to become an arrogant Nationalist is perhaps because the nation-state mundanely castrates a citizen to the extent that he no longer believes in his inherent drives gifted to him by nature. So, the insecurity… As you have rightly said that there are good nationalists, good communists, good Muslims and good Hindus but they are all in minority, because they are simultaneously Artists as well, and therefore, minority within minority. So more insecure, but ironically, it is the majority who cry loudly about their so called insecurity. Now imagine what an un-artistic hindu would do, if s/he suddenly gets a free Hussain Canvas. Obviously it wont be confined to flames, rather it would immediately changed into hard currency. An artistic Hindu does not need a Hussain, because s/he can create an work of art herself and hang it on the wall if needed. Forget what un-artistic communists, did to Taslima in Kolkata, see what they did in Berlin at the end of world war 2nd. They robbed all the museums and took the treasures to Moscow. That includes a lot of stuff which had nothing to do with communism. And as usual an artistic communist does not need a stolen museum object for her/his home, because s/he can create a work of art as and when required. Here, I must use the word Bourgeoisie, and I guess there is a little bourgeoisie is each one of us. I believe, it is fine if the little monster breathes within, but without any growth. But if it grows and comes out and dominates the personality then nothing works. It then grows terribly under the skin of ones gloss as we see in Wilde's Portrait of Dorian Gray. What I am then, or what a person like Shuddha is? Do we necessarily need a word to define the self? If suddenly some of us decide not to be part of that popular vocabulary which fits into this or that then there should be some freedom for a person to be this or that. What eve that be. I recall, that there was a discussion on 'Archives..' by Mr. Arnab on this list recently. Now then what is the significance of the memory of a being vis-à-vis an individual who refrains from being identified this or that. For a while let us say that such a person is RUNIS. WE ALL ARE RUNIS. Ruins that contains the echo of a past, embedded deeply within, which not only we need to retrieve spontaneously, but also to become part of it. I see all the runis reverberating until they merge into each other to realize a collective hysteria. A ruin is naturally pregnant with shadow of a still that hides the form of an existential core. I see, ghosts in the form of words coming and going... A city buried under the runis, as Freud would whisper…we think we heard it, but he perhaps, meant something else… With love and regards Inder salim On Feb 8, 2008 2:30 AM, wrote: > Dear all, > > for quite some time now, I have had an interest in what might be described > somewhat roughly as 'the ethics of treason', or, the moral choices made by > a person who is described as a 'traitor' by his own people. The word > 'own'here is used somewhat thoughtlessly, because the kind of 'traitor' I > am interested in is precisely the kind of person who refuses to let his > conscience, or his acts be 'owned' by his 'own' people. He is the Hindu who > is hated by Hindutva types, the Muslim harrassed by Islamists, the > Christian anathemized by the church, the Communist who has no place within > a Communist Party, the person who loves the land he or she lives in (not > necessarily exclusively, but nevertheless passionately) but who is hounded > out by Nationalists. > > I believe (following a reading of the Italian-German writer, activist and > politican Alexander Langer) that such 'traitors' (on all sides) are > actually vitally necessary for the difficult undertaking of getting people > caught in webs of animosity to learn to live with each other. I am learning > how to be a traitor, an apprentice in treason. > > That is one reason why I am appending the text below (which was posted > recently by Patrice Riemens on Nettime) . It is written by Daniel > Barenboim, a person whose music making (he is an excellent classical > Pianist) has occasionally given me some moments of solace when the weather > on this list has been particularly heavy. > > He (Barenboim) shared with the late Edward Said a great love for music > (Said was also a talented pianist) and a conversation that included dealing > with the difficult destiny of being an Israeli in dialogue with Edward > Said. (Said, as is well known, was a Palestinian exile). Being Israeli > means being implicated in the tribulations of Palestinians, just as being > Palestinian means an ongoing and difficult engagement (whether you like it > or not) with the reality of the State of Israel. > > In the piece below, Barenboim spells out his reasons for accepting a > Palestinian passport (an act for which he will no doubt be considered a > traitor by many in Israel). > > While I personally would not invest a gesture like accepting or refusing a > nationality with meaning for myself(because I am not a nationalist, and > accepting or refusing nationalities is in some ways meaningless to me). I > do appreciate what it means for someone like Daniel Barenboim to do so. I > am not saying this to offer some patronizing endorsement of Barenboims act, > but as a token of my respect for some one who performs a manifestly > unpopular act on the basis of his convictions about the conduct of his own > nation-state. He accepts a Palestinian passport, because he values what it > means for someone like him to be an Israeli. I view passports and > nationalities, coldly, instrumentally. Barenboim probably does not, which > is preciely why his position is interesting to me. His is a choice that I > may not make, but I am compelled to value the ethical ground from which it > arises. I am not religious, but I often respect the sources of religious > action far more than I do the arrogance of people who are not religious. I > am not a patriot, but in Barenboim, I see the kind of confllicted, but > deeply passionate patriotism that even someone as indifferent as I am to > the affects that tie people to land(s) must learn to respect. > > Barenboim's own dissent towards Zionism (which does not take away a jot > from his love and passion for Jewish culture and traditions, and his > passionate commitment vis-a-vis locating himself within the history of > Israel) and Said's dissatisfaction with Palestinian nationalism (and his > lifelong commitment to fighting the good fight for justice for Palestinian > people) makes both of them the kind of people I have learnt to respect. > Perhaps Barenboim's act could be seen in close proximity to the > passionately (and some would argue, peculiarly Jewish refusal) of people > like Hannah Arendt and Franz Rosenzweig to buy into the nationalist > particularism of zionism. > > The more immersed I am in the vocabularies and cultures that are associated > with the history of the landmass of the country called India, the more > internally distant I become to the claims (constitutional and otherwise) > made on me by the apparatus of the state called the Republic of India. > Sometimes I think that an appreciation of a civilization must necessarily > require one to abjure the grandiose perversion of its ideals that occurs > within the civilizational travesty called the nation-state. This is > especially true when nation states pretend to inherit for themselves the > mantle of civilizations, rather than seeing themselves as being the mere > accidents of history that they are. > > Accordingly, I pay my taxes scrouplously as a citizen, but I save my > conscience through acts of ethical treason to the very entity I pay my > taxes to. Inhabiting this paradox is one of the consequences of having to > live here, now. And I will always quietly sit or walk away when a national > anthem is played, or a flag is hoisted. > > Here (below) is the recent piece by Barenboim in the International Herald > Tribune that I began by talking about and I offer it on this list with the > hope that it may be of interest to some of you. I find Barenboim's candour > and sensibility refreshing, and as full of light as his music making. > > regards > > Shuddha > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > Israeli and Palestinian > By Daniel Barenboim > > International Herald Tribune: Tuesday, January 29, 2008 > > BERLIN: I have often made the statement that the destinies of the Israeli > and Palestinian people are inextricably linked and that there is no > military solution to the conflict. My recent acceptance of Palestinian > nationality has given me the opportunity to demonstrate this more tangibly. > > When my family moved to Israel from Argentina in the 1950s, one of my > parents' intentions was to spare me the experience of growing up as > part of a minority - a Jewish minority. They wanted to me to grow up > as part of a majority - a Jewish majority. > > The tragedy of this is that my generation, despite having been > educated in a society whose positive aspects and human values have > greatly enriched my thinking, ignored the existence of a minority > within Israel - a non-Jewish minority - which had been the majority in > the whole of Palestine until the creation of the state of Israel in > 1948. Part of the non-Jewish population remained in Israel, and other > parts left out of fear or were forcefully displaced. > > In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict there was and still is an > inability to admit the interdependence of their two voices. The > creation of the state of Israel was the result of a Jewish-European > idea, which, if it is to extend its leitmotif into the future, must > accept the Palestinian identity as an equally valid leitmotif. > > The demographic development is impossible to ignore; Palestinians > within Israel are a minority but a rapidly growing one, and their > voice needs to be heard now more than ever. They now make up > approximately 22 percent of the population of Israel. This is a larger > percentage than was ever represented by a Jewish minority in any > country in any period of history. The total number of Palestinians > living within Israel and in the occupied territories (that is, greater > Israel for the Israelis or greater Palestine for the Palestinians) is > already larger than the Jewish population. > > At present, Israel is confronted at once with three problems: the > nature of the modern democratic Jewish state - its very identity; the > problem of Palestinian identity within Israel; and the problem of > the creation of a Palestinian state outside of Israel. With Jordan > and Egypt it was possible to attain what can best be described as an > ice-cold peace without questioning Israel's existence as a Jewish > state. > > The problem of the Palestinians within Israel, however, is a much > more challenging one to solve, both theoretically and practically. > For Israel, it means, among other things, coming to terms with the > fact that the land was not barren or empty, "a land without a people," > an idea that was propagated at the time of its creation. For the > Palestinians, it means accepting the fact that Israel is a Jewish > state and is here to stay. > > Israelis, however, must accept the integration of the Palestinian > minority even if it means changing certain aspects of the nature of > Israel; they must also accept the justification for and necessity > of the creation of a Palestinian state next to the state of Israel. > Not only is there no alternative, or magic wand, that will make the > Palestinians disappear, but their integration is an indispensable > condition - on moral, social and political grounds - for the very > survival of Israel. > > The longer the occupation continues and Palestinian dissatisfaction > remains unaddressed, the more difficult it is to find even elementary > common ground. We have seen so often in the modern history of the > Middle East that missed opportunities for reconciliation have had > extremely negative results for both sides. > > For my part, when the Palestinian passport was offered to me, I > accepted it in the spirit of acknowledging the Palestinian destiny > that I, as an Israeli, share. > > A true citizen of Israel must reach out to the Palestinian people with > openness, and at the very least an attempt to understand what the > creation of the state of Israel has meant to them. > > The 15th of May, 1948, is the day of independence for the Jews, but > the same day is Al Nakba, the catastrophe, for the Palestinians. A > true citizen of Israel must ask himself what the Jews, known as an > intelligent people of learning and culture, have done to share their > cultural heritage with the Palestinians. > > A true citizen of Israel must also ask himself why the Palestinians > have been condemned to live in slums and accept lower standards > of education and medical care, rather than being provided by the > occupying force with decent, dignified and liveable conditions, a > right common to all human beings. In any occupied territory, the > occupiers are responsible for the quality of life of the occupied, and > in the case of the Palestinians, the different Israeli governments > over the last 40 years have failed miserably. The Palestinians > naturally must continue to resist the occupation and all attempts to > deny them basic individual needs and statehood. However, for their own > sake this resistance must not express itself through violence. > > Crossing the boundary from adamant resistance (including non-violent > demonstrations and protests) to violence only results in more innocent > victims and does not serve the long-term interests of the Palestinian > people. At the same time, the citizens of Israel have just as much > cause to be alert to the needs and rights of the Palestinian people > (both within and outside Israel) as they do to their own. After all, > in the sense that we share one land and one destiny, we should all > have dual citizenship. > > > (Daniel Barenboim, a pianist and conductor, is music director of the > Staatskapelle Berlin and principal guest conductor at La Scala Opera > in Milan. He is co-founder with Edward Said of the West-Eastern Divan > Orchestra, which brings together Arab and Israeli musicians.) > > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> -- http://indersalim.livejournal.com From alice at tank.tv Thu Feb 7 16:22:09 2008 From: alice at tank.tv (Alice O'Reilly) Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2008 10:52:09 +0000 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] www.tank.tv : Screening at Phoenix Arts, Leicester - Fresh Moves: New Moving Images from the UK Message-ID: <442eb4460802070252x3e14dce4wf2b635c1f288e8d9@mail.gmail.com> www.tank.tv Screening of Fresh Moves: New Moving Images from the UK Phoenix Arts Leicester 12th February 2008 6.05pm tank.tv's DVD - Fresh Moves: New Moving Images from the UK will be screened at the Phoenix Arts Centre in Leicester. The artworks get the screensize they deserve and the audience get 80 eclectic minutes of non stop moving images. "...this special project addresses the idea of carrying video and filmic work beyond the boundaries of contextually, or spatially, confined spaces pertaining to where a work can be seen. [...] It furthers the investigation into how different modes of filmmaking evolve within the changing consciousness of the public media [...] ..." Hans Ulrich Obrist An opportunity not to be missed. Phoenix Arts Centre, Leicester 21 Upper Brown St LE1 5TE www.phoenix.org.uk www.tank.tv -- - - - - - - - - - - - - Alice O'Reilly tank.tv 2nd Floor Princess House 50 - 60 Eastcastle Street London W1W 8EA alice at tank.tv T: +44 (0)207323 3475 F: +44 (0)207631 4280 http://www.tank.tv - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Now showing: The Whole World Curated by Ian White for www.tank.tv 1st January 2008 - 1st March 2008 Fresh Moves - Out now! Order your copy on www.tank.tv "A significant archive of creative practices in the early years of twenty-first century England" Tyler Coburn, Tomorrow Unlimited --- tank.tv is an inspirational showcase for innovative work in film and video. Dedicated to exhibiting and promoting emerging and established international artists, www.tank.tv acts as a major online gallery and archive for video art. A platform for contemporary moving images. -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From phadkeshilpa at gmail.com Tue Feb 5 23:45:19 2008 From: phadkeshilpa at gmail.com (Shilpa Phadke) Date: Tue, 5 Feb 2008 23:45:19 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: Urban Typhoon - Koliwada Dharavi In-Reply-To: <517431.71433.qm@web56208.mail.re3.yahoo.com> References: <517431.71433.qm@web56208.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Please forward widely: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: rahul srivastava Date: Feb 5, 2008 3:07 PM Subject: Urban Typhoon - Koliwada Dharavi Dear Friends, This is an invitation to participate in the Urban Typhoon Workshop to be held in Dharavi, Mumbai during March 16 and 22 2008. (www.urbantyphoon.com) The workshop is being organized together with the residents of Dharavi Koliwada, the support of PUKAR, a Mumbai based research collective and Asia Initiatives. Dharavi's Koliwada is a traditional fisher folk community in one of Asia's largest informal settlements. Koliwada's village like character has been preserved even in the midst of the dramatic urban and demographic changes that Mumbai has experienced in the last century. The workshop will produce creative design alternatives for Koliwada as well as a multimedia testimony to the unique spirit of the community. This workshop will also be an experiment in participatory planning and global collaborative work. Architects, urban planners, artists, activist and legal experts from India and the rest of the world will work in small teams with local residents. At the end of the workshop all the produced output work will be uploaded on a community owned website. This material could then be used to inform any future redevelopment plan - whether it is lead by the government, NGOs, or local communities. In case you or your organization is interested in joining the workshop, please contact us at the earliest - through the website - www.urbantyphoon.com. We look forward to your participation and are confident that the workshop will generate innovative ideas through this rare encounter with a community in such an open and creative environment. The Urban Typhoon 2008 Committee Ravi Keny, Secretary, Koliwada-Dharavi Association Anita D Patil, Director, PUKAR, Partners for Urban Knowledge Action and Research, Mumbai Geeta Mehta, Professor, Temple University, Tokyo Matias Echanove, Coordinator, Urban Typhoon, University of Tokyo. Rahul Srivastava, Research Advisor, PUKAR, Mumbai and others. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ From nc-agricowi at netcologne.de Thu Feb 7 16:04:23 2008 From: nc-agricowi at netcologne.de (NMF2007) Date: Thu, 07 Feb 2008 11:34:23 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] =?iso-8859-1?q?=5BAnnouncements=5D_NewMediaFest2007?= =?iso-8859-1?q?_in_India?= Message-ID: <20080207113423.EECA0459.C7007DC2@192.168.0.3> NewMediaFest2007, the 1st common festival of [NewMediaArtprojectNetwork]:||cologne http://www.newmediafest.org/blog/ is happy to announce the presentation of two festival selections curated by Wilfried Agricola de Cologne on 3rd CeC. and CaC ('Carnival of e-Creativity & Change-agents Conclave') at India International Centre organised by The Academy of Electronic Art New Dehli 15,16, 17 February 2008 - http://www.theaea.org/cec_cac/ceccac08/ i.e. --> 1. CologneOFF III - Toon! Toon! - art cartoons and animated narratives http://coff.newmediafest.org/blog/?page_id=15 featuring films/videos by Konstantin Dimitriev (Russia) Kaspars Groshevs (Latvia), Silvia Cacciatori Filloy (Uruguay) Henry Gwiazda (USA), Gerald Habarth (USA), Lycette Bros. (Australia),, Hermes Mangialardo (Italy) , Lars Nagler (Germany), Martin Oja (Estonia), Tom de Pekin (France), Simon Streatfeild (Australia), Andy Sykes (UK), Alexander Satim Timofeev (Russia) Leonardo R. Beltrán Navarro (Chile) 2. Cinematheque - streaming media project environments "Slowtime/Dreamtime" - http://cinema.nmartproject.net/blog/?page_id=19 featuring videos by Marco Batista (Slovenia), Larissa Sansour (Palestine) Jon Keith Brunelle (USA), Artur Augustynowicz (Canada) Agricola de Cologne (Germany), Antony Rousseau (France) Margarida Paiva (Portugal), Laurent Pernot (France) Oksana Shatalova (Kazakhstan), Jeremiah Jones (USA) Norbert Francis Attard (Malta), Anders Weberg (Sweden) Daniel Iturriza (Peru) -------------------------------------------------- These info are released by netEX - networked experience http://netex.nmartproject.net netex.(at) nmartproject.net _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From turbulence at turbulence.org Fri Feb 8 00:24:06 2008 From: turbulence at turbulence.org (Turbulence) Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2008 13:54:06 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] Turbulence Commissions: "Mixed Realities" Message-ID: <007f01c869ba$e3a9f8e0$aafdeaa0$@org> February 7, 2008 Turbulence Commissions: "Mixed Realities" http://turbulence.org/mixed_realities/turbulence.html Join us for a reception tonight, 5-7 pm EST! Huret & Spector Gallery 10 Boylston Place, 6th Floor Emerson College Boston, MA Ars Virtua (Second Life: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Seventh%20Eye/6/77/48) Artists/Works: CATERWAUL by Pierre Proske with technical assistance from Artem Baguinski and Brigit Lichtenegger IMAGING BEIJING by John (Craig) Freeman NO MATTER by Scott Kildall and Victoria Scott REMOTE by Neill Donaldson, Usman Haque, Ai Hasegawa, Georg Tremmel THE VITRUVIAN WORLD by Michael Takeo Magruder, Drew Baker and David Steele "Mixed Realities" is an exhibition that explores the convergence-through cyberspace-of real and synthetic places made possible by computers and networks. "Mixed Realities" links and overlays the Huret & Spector Gallery (10 Boylston Place, 6th Floor, Emerson College, Boston, Massachusetts), Turbulence.org (http://turbulence.org/mixed_realities/turbulence.html), and Ars Virtua (Second Life: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Seventh%20Eye/6/77/48). Second Life is a shared, synthetic, 3-D environment through which people can interact in real-time by means of a virtual self or avatar. Although it's an imaginary place, it is often able to "masquerade as real" (Richard Bartle) because it approximates reality persuasively enough to facilitate player immersion. Audience members - who will be embodied as avatars in Second Life, browsing the works at turbulence.org, and/or be physically present in the gallery - will interact with the works and with one another. Thus, "Mixed Realities" will enable people who are distributed across multiple physical and virtual spaces to communicate with one another and share experiences in real time. Five works were commissioned by New Radio and Performing Arts, Inc. specifically for the "Mixed Realities" exhibition. They are: "Remote" by Neill Donaldson, Usman Haque, Ai Hasegawa, Georg Tremmel http://turbulence.org/Works/remote/applet/index.html "Remote" connects together two spaces, one in Boston the other in Second Life, and treats them as a single contiguous environment, bound together by the Internet so that things that occur in one space affect things that happen in the other and vice versa - remotely controlling each other. Communication between the two halves of this extended environment is a complex choreography coupling the environmental phenomena of humidity, temperature, light, speech, mist, wind, sound and proximity across the two. The object in Boston appears to be a seat; but, experientially, the Second Life space appears to be inside the seat. A similar alteration of scale occurs in the other direction. Visitors to the Boston space and the Second Life space must negotiate to achieve goals: e.g. by sitting down, breathing, touching, knocking, colliding. The environmental data of both spaces is publicly available in realtime via the EnvironmentXML repository enabling others to build devices and spaces that connect directly to both Boston and Second Life. The intention is to explore an architecture that is resolutely "human" (in the sense of being inhabited, configured and determined by its occupants) yet context-free (because it does not privilege geographical location). "Imaging Beijing" by John (Craig) Freeman http://turbulence.org/works/ImagingBeijing "Imaging Beijing" is the latest installment of Imaging Place, a place-based, virtual reality project that combines panoramic photography, digital video, and virtual worlds to investigate and document situations where the forces of globalization are impacting the lives of individuals in local communities. When a denizen of Second Life first arrives at "Imaging Beijing", he, she or it can walk over a satellite image of central Beijing where they will find a networks of nodes constructed of primitive spherical geometry with panoramic photographs texture mapped to the interior. The avatar can walk to the center of one of these nodes and use a first person perspective to view the image, giving the user the sensation of being immersed in the location. A web-cam captures live video of the user and transmits it to the head of an exhibition avatar. Dated links in the virtual space launch a browser, which opens a web journal of the Imaging Beijing field research. "NO MATTER" by Scott Kildall and Victoria Scott http://turbulence.org/works/nomatter "NO MATTER" is an interactive installation that activates the transformation of imaginary objects through the Second Life virtual economy into physical space. Second Life builders construct replicas of famous buildings, luxury goods and custom-designed objects, first reproducing, then inverting the notion of value itself. With zero cost for gathering resources, production of goods and transport of finished product, these items proliferate widely and quickly. In the real world, consumer items and imaginary objects serve as forms of emotional attachment - projection screens for desire, fear and love. A 3D-simulated space, combined with a virtual currency and social interaction, Second Life is a fully functioning economy of the immaterial. "The Vitruvian World" by Michael Takeo Magruder, Drew Baker and David Steele http://turbulence.org/works/vitruvianworld In the 1st century BC, Roman writer, architect and engineer Vitruvius authored specific building formulae based on the guiding principles of strength, utility and beauty. For him, architecture was intrinsically linked to nature and is an imitation of cosmic order. The most well-known interpretation of this postulate is the Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci in which the human form is depicted in unity with the square and circle - representing material and spiritual existence respectively. "The Vitruvian World" is a real-time immersive installation that embodies the principles of Vitruvius within a contemporary context. Existing in three distinct yet interconnected spaces, the artwork simultaneously embraces the virtual, the physical, and the network that connects them. "CATERWAUL" by Pierre Proske, with technical assistance from Artem Baguinski and Brigit Lichtenegger http://turbulence.org/works/caterwaul When someone screams in real life, do they hear us in virtual reality? Do they want to? "CATERWAUL" is an interactive sound installation that operates as a one way "portal" to Second Life via the internet. A physical wall in Boston operates as a totemic locus of grief. People approach it with intent to wail and mourn. The mourners grieve their lost loved ones who spend more time in virtual and on-line worlds than they do communicating in real life. The cacophony of the lamentation is recorded by hidden microphones in the wall, transmitted across the Internet and piped out of an "identical" wall in the virtual world Second Life. A website displaying a simulation of the wall allows other people, on the threshold of "real" and "second" life, to vicariously eavesdrop the wailing. "Mixed Realities" on Turbulence.org was funded by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. We are deeply grateful for their support. Jo-Anne Green, Co-Director New Radio and Performing Arts, Inc.: http://new-radio.org New York: 917.548.7780 . Boston: 617.522.3856 Turbulence: http://turbulence.org Networked_Performance Blog: http://turbulence.org/blog Networked_Music_Review: http://turbulence.org/networked_music_review Upgrade! Boston: http://turbulence.org/upgrade New American Radio: http://somewhere.org _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From cahen.x at levels9.com Sun Feb 10 16:45:05 2008 From: cahen.x at levels9.com (xavier cahen) Date: Sun, 10 Feb 2008 12:15:05 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] pourinfos Newsletter / 06-02 to 29-02-2008 Message-ID: <47AEDCB9.4050007@levels9.com> pourinfos.org l'actualite du monde de l'art / daily Art news ----------------------------------------------------------------------- >From Sunday, February 06, 2008 through Monday, February 29, 2008 (included) ------------------------------------------------------------------- (mostly in french) @ 001 (06/02/2008) Residence: Art Factory International Artist in Residence Program Bialystok, Poland. http://pourinfos.org/art-35419-tit-Residence-Art-Factory-International-Artist -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 002 (06/02/2008) Residences: for artists, NEKaTOENEa, Domaine d'Abbadia in Hendaye, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35420-tit--d-artistes-NEKaTOENEa-Domaine-d-Abbadia -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 003 (06/02/2008) Residence: for artists, art school of la Roche sur Yon, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35421-tit-Residence-d-artistes-Ecole-d-art-de-la -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 004 (06/02/2008) Residence: A.I.R. International Artists Residencies / FilmFest - Summer 2008 -- BUDAPEST, Hungary. http://pourinfos.org/art-35422-tit-Residence-A-I-R-International-Artists -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 005 (06/02/2008) Residence: Call _Residencies 08/09: box _Bourges, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35423-tit-Residence-08-09-la-box-Bourges- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 006 (06/02/2008) Residence: Eyebeam Residency Call, applications for 2008 Summer Residencies, New York, USA. http://pourinfos.org/art-35424-tit-Residence-Eyebeam-Residency-Call- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 007 (06/02/2008) Programme : semi-annual programme of conferences,Ensba, February 2008, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35433-tit--le-programme-semestriel-de-la-salle-de -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 008 (07/02/2008) Program: February 2008, the Point Ephémère, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35437-tit--mois-de-fevrier-2008-le-Point-Ephemere- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 009 (08/02/2008) Meetings: FACTS VRILLÉS 2008, 26 Rockbrown, Montreuil, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35431-tit--FAITS-VRILLES-2008-26-Rockbrown- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 010 (08/02/2008) Publication: important monograph and catalogue raisonné on designer Pierre Paulin, publishing Museum Grand Hornu archibooks Sautereau and publisher, Belgium. http://pourinfos.org/art-35438-tit--importante-monographie-et-catalogue -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 011 (08/02/2008) Publication: MISTICO FEBBRAIO CON DROME magazine, Rome, Italy. http://pourinfos.org/art-35446-tit--MISTICO-FEBBRAIO-CON-DROME-magazine- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 012 (08/02/2008) Publication: New New releases, Joel Hubaut, POLYPHONIX 40 / Journals spoken and DOCUMENTS / Collages, cut-ups, sampling, Tracelabel, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35447-tit--Nouveautes-New-releases-Joel-Hubaut- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 013 (08/02/2008) Publication: DVDs, editions MK2, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35449-tit--DVDs-edition-MK2-Paris- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 014 (08/02/2008) Publication: THE UNREADy 07, A MAGAZINE PROJECT, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35450-tit--THE-UNREADy-07-A-MAGAZINE-PROJECT- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 015 (08/02/2008) Publication: NEWS MEDIA, r-diffusion, Strasbourg, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35451-tit--NOUVELLES-PARUTIONS-r-diffusion- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 016 (08/02/2008) Publication: Release of books in March edition archibooks, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35452-tit--sortie-d-ouvrages-en-mars-edition -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 017 (08/02/2008) Publication: Ai Kitahara, "How We Divide The World," The exhibition catalogue, Shiseido Gallery, Tokyo, Japan. http://pourinfos.org/art-35453-tit--Ai-Kitahara-How-We-Divide-The-World- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 018 (08/02/2008) Publication: DROME magazine, DROME 12 - freedom, the first in the trilogy, Rome, Italy. http://pourinfos.org/art-35454-tit--DROME-magazine-DROME-12-liberte-the -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 019 (08/02/2008) Formation : Workshop "mixt," In partnership with Kër Thiossane, the collective Culture Ailleurs, Dakar, Senegal. http://pourinfos.org/art-35456-tit-Formation-Workshop-mixt-En -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 020 (08/02/2008) Job Vacancy: International Competition for the post of Director at the MACBA in Barcelona, Spain. http://pourinfos.org/art-35457-tit--Concours-international-pour-le-poste-de -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 021 (08/02/2008) Formation : 2007-2008 SEASON, Cipac, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35458-tit-Formation-SAISON-2007-2008-Cipac-Paris- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 022 (08/02/2008) Offre d'emplpoi : Offer emplpoi: offer of the post civil volunteering, Convenor (trice) network IASTAR, the campus radio network, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35459-tit-Offre-d-emplpoi-offre-de-poste-en -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 023 (08/02/2008) Job Vacancy: Kinglassie Radio Project Co-ordinator, Fife, United Kingdom. http://pourinfos.org/art-35460-tit--Kinglassie-Radio-Project-Co-ordinator- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 024 (08/02/2008) Various: THE RIGHT OF ARTISTS TO ENFORCE THE ARTISTS BY THEMSELVES, Fred Forest, webnetmuseum.org, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35462-tit-Divers-LE-BON-DROIT-DES-ARTISTES-A-FAIRE -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 025 (08/02/2008) Various: Third letter interactive, Progress of the permanent centre of Design, Echirolles, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35463-tit-Divers-Troisieme-lettre-interactive- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 026 (08/02/2008) Divers : program (Printemps des Poètes) Spring program of Poets in Cahors, 4-15 March 2008, Cahors, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35464-tit-Divers-programme-Printemps-des-Poetes-a -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 027 (08/02/2008) Various: Land Art in peril, yet few days to "save" Spiral Jetty, Great Salt Lake, Robert Smithson, Usa. http://pourinfos.org/art-35465-tit-Divers-Land-Art-en-peril-encore-quelques -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 028 (08/02/2008) Various: opening a new space 'La taupinière', Plaine de Plainpalais, Geneva, Switzerland. http://pourinfos.org/art-35466-tit-Divers-ouverture-de-La-taupiniere- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 029 (08/02/2008) Various: Release of the French actors of "Media Culture", France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35467-tit-Divers-Communique-des-acteurs-culture -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 030 (08/02/2008) Various: Les Ateliers de Rennes, new contemporary art biennale, Rennes, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35468-tit-Divers-Les-Ateliers-de-Rennes-nouvelle -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 031 (08/02/2008) Various: Artist photographer Sarah Dobai research models, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35469-tit-Divers-Artiste-photographe-Sarah-Dobai -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 032 (08/02/2008) Various: FOUR - moving forward, Dubblin, Ireland. http://pourinfos.org/art-35471-tit-Divers-FOUR-moving-forward-Dubblin- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 033 (08/02/2008) Call: Prix Ars Electronica 2008 - Call for Entries, Linz, Austria. http://pourinfos.org/art-35472-tit--Prix-Ars-Electronica-2008-Call-for -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 034 (08/02/2008) Call for Participation: "FOR YOU AND WHAT IS ART? "Draft International (!) Collective 2008, Toulouse, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35473-tit--ET-POUR-TOI-C-EST-QUOI-L-ART-Projet -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 035 (08/02/2008) Call: Call for Artists: Contemporary Flanerie: Reconfiguring Cities, Oakland University, USA. http://pourinfos.org/art-35474-tit--Call-for-Artists-Contemporary-Flanerie- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 036 (08/02/2008) Call: for artists, artisty space, Denain, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35475-tit--Espace-artisty-Denain- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 037 (08/02/2008) Call: Search artist (innovative and original!) Who worked on Theme of "home" to organize an exhibition in offices, TroisTemps Agency, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35476-tit--Recherche-artiste-innovant-et-original -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 038 (08/02/2008) Call: ARTCAST: CALL FOR ART PODCASTABLE, Lancaster, United Kingdom. http://pourinfos.org/art-35477-tit--ARTCAST-CALL-FOR-PODCASTABLE-ART- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 039 (08/02/2008) Call: CONCURS REAL TIME - ULTIMS DIES - FESTIVAL REC, Tarragona, Spain. http://pourinfos.org/art-35478-tit--CONCURS-REAL-TIME-ULTIMS-DIES- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 040 (08/02/2008) Call: Visual artists, SOKO (A), gallery window, Brussels, Belgium. http://pourinfos.org/art-35479-tit--Plasticiens-A-SOKO-galerie-vitrine- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 041 (08/02/2008) Call for Participation: Reminder Call for Abstracts: The Future of Space Exploration, Glasgow, United Kingdom. http://pourinfos.org/art-35480-tit--Reminder-Call-for-Abstracts-The -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 042 (08/02/2008) Publication: Invitation to an artist book project by Shahram Entekhabi, Berlin, Germany. http://pourinfos.org/art-35481-tit--Invitation-to-an-artist-book-project-by -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 043 (08/02/2008) Residences: Call for artists - A.I.R. International Artists Residencies / FilmFest-Summer 2008 - BUDAPEST, Hungary http://pourinfos.org/art-35482-tit-Residences-Call-for-artists-A-I-R- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 044 (08/02/2008) Call: EUROPEAN SOUND DELTA, COLLECTIVE MU, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35483-tit--EUROPEAN-SOUND-DELTA-COLLECTIF-MU- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 045 (08/02/2008) Call: "Ici et ailleurs", Here and elsewhere, Brest 2008, Brest, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35484-tit--Ici-et-ailleurs-Brest-2008-Brest- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 046 (08/02/2008) Call: call for the project, creating a work of art in tribute to Antoine Pinay, Saint-Symphorien-on-Coise, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35485-tit--appel-a-projet-creation-d-une-uvre -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 047 (08/02/2008) Residence: Komplot Residency in Brussels, Belgium. http://pourinfos.org/art-35486-tit-Residence-Komplot-Residency-in-Brussels- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 048 (08/02/2008) Call: TWO PROJECTS MAIL ART, "Rue des Graphics and the Comic Strips", Castelnau-Montratier, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35487-tit--DEUX-PROJETS-MAIL-ART-Rue-des -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 049 (08/02/2008) Call: CALL FOR FILMS / CNG 7th FESTIVAL, New Generation Theater, Lyon, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35489-tit--APPEL-A-FILMS-7eme-FESTIVAL-CNG-Cinema -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 050 (09/02/2008) Meetings: publication, the magazine "le croquant " Our Modernity Between technical and aesthetic, Saturday, February 9, library, in many ways, Lyon, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35354-tit--la-revue-le-croquant-Notre -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 051 (09/02/2008) Call: Any sound or music, Canadian 60x60 Project, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada. http://pourinfos.org/art-35488-tit--Any-sound-or-music-Canadian-60x60 -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 052 (09/02/2008) Call: EUROPA Transitland Commissioned Videos, InterSpace Association, Sofia, Bulgaria. http://pourinfos.org/art-35490-tit-Appel-a-canidature-Transitland-EUROPA -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 053 (09/02/2008) Call for Participation: Submit Your Stories of Love, Open Call, Vancouver, Canada. http://pourinfos.org/art-35491-tit--Submit-Your-Stories-of-Love-Open-Call- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 054 (09/02/2008) Call for Participation: Call for artists, Queer Festival 2008 Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia http://pourinfos.org/art-35492-tit--Call-for-artists-Queer-Zagreb-Festival -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 055 (10/02/2008) Meetings: Stéphane Carrayrou, Sunday, February 10, 2008, Photographic Centre d'Ile-de-France, Pontault-Combault, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35443-tit--Stephane-Carrayrou-Le-bruissement-des -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 056 (10/02/2008) Call: call for the project, "Nuit blanche d'Amiens 2008", Amiens, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35493-tit--appel-a-projet-Nuit-blanche-d-Amiens -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 057 (10/02/2008) Call for Participation: One Minute Film & Video Festival Aarau, Switzerland. http://pourinfos.org/art-35494-tit--One-Minute-Film-Video-Festival-Aarau- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 058 (10/02/2008) Call: An International open competition to take part in the exhibition "ILLUMINATORS, Russia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35495-tit--An-International-open-competition-to-take -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 059 (11/02/2008) Meetings: myth, art and politics 4 Encounters with Marc Nichanian, February 11, 2008, UTOPIANA, Geneva, Switzerland. http://pourinfos.org/art-35434-tit--mythe-art-et-politique-4-avec-Marc -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 060 (12/02/2008) Meetings: Christelle Familiari, campus of the University of Nantes, Tuesday, February 12, 2008, Nantes, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35439-tit--Christelle-Familiari-campus-de -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 061 (15/02/2008) Rencontres : Fourth meeting of the round table discussion of cycle art [espace] at the Sorbonne, and amphi Turgot amphi Richelieu, the Sorbonne University, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35425-tit--Quatrieme-rencontre-debat-du-cycle-art -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 062 (15/02/2008) Meetings: Conversations European artistic theories and practices in the former Eastern Europe, February 15, 2008, Jeu de Paume, Paris, http://pourinfos.org/art-35429-tit--Conversations-europeennes-theories-et -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 063 (15/02/2008) Publication: 2008 Utopia, guide Rhone-Alpes Mediterranean culture Paris 2008, Lyon, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35445-tit--Utopia-2008-guide-Rhone-Alpes-culture -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 064 (15/02/2008) Meetings: Economics is a 0-off series Upgrade! The Glass Menagerie, February 15 to 20h on Sunday, February 17 at 20h, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35455-tit--Economie-0-est-un-hors-serie-Upgrade-la -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 065 (16/02/2008) Meetings: Streaming Media Toi / Stream on You, on 16 and 17 February 2008, iMAL Center for Digital Cultures and Technology, Brussels, Belgium. http://pourinfos.org/art-35436-tit--Streaming-de-Toi-Stream-on-You-les-16 -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 066 (17/02/2008) Meetings: Meetings Internet mon amour Should we be afraid of Web 2.0?, February 17, 2008, Third Eye cycle, Centre Pompidou, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35428-tit--Internet-mon-amour-Faut-il-avoir-peur -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 067 (20/02/2008) Meetings: Contemporary Typography, deValence Conference, Fine Arts Department, University of Paris 8, Saint-Denis, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35426-tit--Typographie-contemporaine-Conference-de -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 068 (22/02/2008) Meetings: Robotics: emotional machines, Nautilus.cet, Friday, February 22, 2008, Montreuil, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35440-tit--Robotique-les-machines-emotionnelles- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 069 (22/02/2008) Various: New national mobilization - cinema and audiovisual, Friday, February 22 at 21:00, Cesar ceremony, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35461-tit-Divers-Nouvelle-mobilisation-nationale- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 070 (23/02/2008) Exhibition: Wandering Library 2, the mobile library, here Cargo 21, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35427-tit--Wandering-Library-2-La-bibliotheque -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 071 (26/02/2008) Formation : Workshop / MASTERCLASS SuperCollider, 26 to 29 February and 1 March 2008, Confluences, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35373-tit-Formation-ATELIER-MASTERCLASS ----------- _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From oishiksircar at gmail.com Mon Feb 11 02:05:57 2008 From: oishiksircar at gmail.com (OISHIK SIRCAR) Date: Sun, 10 Feb 2008 14:35:57 -0600 Subject: [Reader-list] Tariq Ali on Turin Book Fair Message-ID: <62cba67a0802101235kfaca78cv72bd11f3ac7a5ed8@mail.gmail.com> Why I Will Not Participate in the Turin Book Fair by TARIQ ALI When I agreed to participate in the Turin Book Fair, which I have done before, I had no idea that the 'guest of honour' was Israel and its 60th birthday. But this is also the 60th anniversary of what the Palestinian call the 'nakba'the disaster that befell them that year, when they were expelled from their villages, some killed, women raped by the settlers. These facts are no longer disputed. So why did the Turin Book Fair not invite Palestinians in equal numbers? 30 Israeli writers and 30 Palestinian writers (and I promise you they exist and are very fine poets and novelists) might have been seen as a positive and peaceful gesture and a positive debate might have taken place. A literary version of Daniel Barenboim's Diwan Orchestra, half-Israeli, half-Palestinian. Such a move would have brought people together, but no. The cultural commissars know best. I have argued vigorously with some of the Israeli writers visiting the fair on other occasions and would have happily done the same again if conditions had been different. What they decided to do is an ugly provocation. http://www.counterpunch.org/tariq02052008.html -- OISHIK SIRCAR Scholar in Women's Rights Faculty of Law, University of Toronto 60 Harbord Street Room 016 B Toronto, ON M5S 3L1 oishiksircar at gmail.com oishik.sircar at utoronto.ca 416.876.7926 From rahul_capri at yahoo.com Mon Feb 11 07:53:28 2008 From: rahul_capri at yahoo.com (Rahul Asthana) Date: Sun, 10 Feb 2008 18:23:28 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] Baba Amte is no more Message-ID: <764756.68342.qm@web53601.mail.re2.yahoo.com> I was lucky to once have met this great man;and observe him for a distance for some time. I have never seen anyone else whose very sight could be so inspiring. May his memory and inspiration live for ever. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ From aman.am at gmail.com Mon Feb 11 11:32:49 2008 From: aman.am at gmail.com (Aman Sethi) Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2008 11:32:49 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Aman Sethi on Gajar Matar Message-ID: <995a19920802102202y47010361gdd39e5afdb86a66e@mail.gmail.com> Cross posted on www.kafila.org This is something that i have been thinking of ever since Chomsky et all brought out their series of letters on Nandigram, left unity etc, shuddha's post on Daniel Baremboim and now Tariq Ali on Why he will not participate in Turin Book Fair. At such points, i imagine the writer of the letter in an almost kung-fu posture - balanced on one foot, maybe raised on one toe to make the stance more complete, the other leg bent at the knee, hands in classic double punch pose. The moment of "taking a stand", defining his/her stance. I do not doubt the intentions of those who take stances - its important that people do take stances on things. What i am interested is public act of taking stance. I suppose when our kung-fu fighter takes stance, s/he assumes that s/he is a "somebody" - that the taking stance has some public value - that people actually care. Could we say that the act of taking stands is often an attempt to remain alive and relevant in increasingly fast paced debates that span countries, cultures and regions? Tariq Ali could have written about why everyone should boycott the Turin Book Fair - Why the Turin Book Fair committee should be condemned - I would have gladly condemned and boycotted. In fact I had already decided not to go to the Turin Book Fair well before Tariq did, for two very good reasons: a) I wasnt invited; and b) I can't afford the air fare. However, Tariq chose to tell us why "he" is not going. So its no longer about Turin, its about Tariq. Maybe Tariq and Noam get up every morning and scan through the papers at light speed - selecting events that they will attend and boycott, endorse and disown; looking at candidates in rainbow revolutions across central asia and eastern europe; speaking out, hitting out, and talking up; emancipating, commiserating, condoling and supporting by simply writing about why they will not go to sistine chapel, shop at Walmart, wear nikes or feed animals in the delhi zoo (because its against zoo rules of course). Maybe Noam slaps his forehead as he thinks "Damn that Tariq, he has rejected the invitation to the weekly meeting of the Siliguri Gram Panchayat because they are parochial, narrow minded and only speak in bengali. I wasnt even invited." And Tariq silently curses Noam for taking a stand on the Cynical Supporters of Mass Hypnosis before he even knew they existed. Perhaps they have secretaries who provide them with a list every morning - a sheaf of cuttings, a zip folder of revolving revolutions. Maybe they actually covertly set up organisations and institutions only to take stands on them. I propose we all come up with lists and stands. I shall take the plunge by declaring that I shall not eat Gajar Matar ki Subzi with Ghee wali roti- because its yucky, fattening and the red and green represents an unholy alliance of the communists and the green movement. Come on guys take your stances, I'll be the crouching tiger, you can be the hidden dragons. Best A. On Feb 11, 2008 2:05 AM, OISHIK SIRCAR wrote: > Why I Will Not Participate in the Turin Book Fair > by TARIQ ALI > > When I agreed to participate in the Turin Book Fair, which I have > done before, I had no idea that the 'guest of honour' was Israel and > its 60th birthday. But this is also the 60th anniversary of what the > Palestinian call the 'nakba'the disaster that befell them that year, > when they were expelled from their villages, some killed, women raped > by the settlers. These facts are no longer disputed. So why did the > Turin Book Fair not invite Palestinians in equal numbers? 30 Israeli > writers and 30 Palestinian writers (and I promise you they exist and > are very fine poets and novelists) might have been seen as a positive > and peaceful gesture and a positive debate might have taken place. A > literary version of Daniel Barenboim's Diwan Orchestra, half-Israeli, > half-Palestinian. Such a move would have brought people together, but > no. The cultural commissars know best. I have argued vigorously with > some of the Israeli writers visiting the fair on other occasions and > would have happily done the same again if conditions had been > different. What they decided to do is an ugly provocation. > > http://www.counterpunch.org/tariq02052008.html > > -- > OISHIK SIRCAR > > Scholar in Women's Rights > Faculty of Law, University of Toronto > > 60 Harbord Street > Room 016 B > Toronto, ON M5S 3L1 > > oishiksircar at gmail.com > oishik.sircar at utoronto.ca > > 416.876.7926 > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From ravikant at sarai.net Mon Feb 11 12:15:21 2008 From: ravikant at sarai.net (Ravikant) Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2008 12:15:21 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] A Focus on Guru Dutt Message-ID: <200802111215.21178.ravikant@sarai.net> *School of Arts and Aesthetics* *Jawaharlal Nehru University* *Presents * *A Focus on Guru Dutt* *With *** *Writer & Documentary Filmmaker* *Nasreen Munni Kabir* *With her film * *In Search of Guru Dutt * *At the SAA Auditorium * *15th February at 2 pm* *A Discussion with the Director will follow the Screening* *Additional Screenings of Guru Dutt films at the SAA Auditorium* *Mr and Mrs 55** : *Thursday 14th Feb, 1.30 pm and *Pyaasa : *Friday, 15th Feb, 10.30 am From vivek at sarai.net Mon Feb 11 12:53:19 2008 From: vivek at sarai.net (Vivek Narayanan) Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2008 12:53:19 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] what is to be done? In-Reply-To: <754835.760.qm@web8407.mail.in.yahoo.com> References: <754835.760.qm@web8407.mail.in.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <47AFF7E7.6000103@sarai.net> Dear Fatima, Absolutely no personal vendetta intended-- and I find it hard to understand how you might read what I have written as a "personal vendetta". I am merely addressing a situation (*without* advocating the removal of anyone from the list) where the list has lost dozens of readers who are not easily able to sort through for important announcements or discussions that they might actually want to participate in. There have been some important recent events that members of the reader list have missed because they have not been able to sort through all the messages. But I'd like to address a more important and revealing slip in your email. Once again, you insist on suggesting/ inferring that a set of posters are residents of "slums" and from non-elite backgrounds based on their political views and incoherence. Please refrain from making such assumptions. Apart from this being very demeaning to a number of non-elites who don't hold forth with those simplistic views, who don't share those political views against muslims, etc, and who cannot afford to spam the list with up to five messages a day because of their lack of internet access-- apart from these kinds of insulting inferences and assumptions, you're also demonstrably wrong. The members whose posts end up in my bullshit folder all post with such a great frequency that they must either have personal broadband access or, at the very least, be spending hundreds of rupees a day at cybercafes. They are elites themselves. And, moreover, apart from being wrong, you're playing right into the hands of these propagandists, who would like to claim that their anti-muslim and jingoistic views represent the views of "the people", "the masses", "the non-elite" and so on. They would make the same claims as you that anyone who believes in equality or questions the violence of the nation-state or anyone interested in meaningful discussion beyond simplistic coercive and bullying language must be elite. So do be careful before your metaphors actually begin to do some damage. In fact, I'd rather not get into metaphors, since a metaphor by definition replaces its object, sometimes making the object harder to see with clarity, but just for the sake of underlining this, let me offer a counter-metaphor, even if, like all metaphors, it will distort, it will fail to represent the situation completely: what if it is me who is walking on the street. Yes indeed the street may be dirty, maybe it is strewn with shit and dust but let's say that the shit doesn't really bother me as much as it seems to bother you. It really doesn't, even in real life-- if I happen to step in shit while on my way to work, well, I scrape my shoe against the pavement and I keep walking. What if I am walking on the street then, enjoying its productive chaos and its instinctive tolerance for diversity, its camaraderie. Let's say a limousine passes by with people who are *not* subaltern, people who are actually quite powerful, maybe they have access to the police and the security forces and the intelligence services. Let's say that it is these people in the limousine who can talk so blithely and simplistically of kicking the muslims out and defending the nation, because they stand to benefit and because they would be shielded from the ensuing violence themselves. Let's say that for some reason you want to try and get in that limousine with them because you believe that you can actually convince them, that they will change their minds simply on witnessing the goodness of your heart. Well, good for you. For my part I already know well what the people in the limousine have to say, I have heard them out, and I know well that they have not a jot of respect for me, or you. It's my right to stay out of that limousine, Fatima. I already know what their views are, and I know what the costs of those views are. Vivek S.Fatima wrote: > Dear Vivek > Sorry to sound like this, but some of such mails from > you reek of elitism. Redirecting some mails to the > bullshit folder is one thing, but insulting them > further goes to another level. Isn't that a personal > vendetta that some on this list are requesting not to > get into. > Your calmness is akin to sitting in a limousine which > is driving through the filthy roads and slums, which > your darkened windows don't allow you to see. > > sf > > --- Vivek Narayanan wrote: > > >> Strange... From kauladityaraj at gmail.com Mon Feb 11 14:48:16 2008 From: kauladityaraj at gmail.com (Aditya Raj Kaul) Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2008 14:48:16 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Pampering Killers In-Reply-To: <6353c690802101100j1297c8cfj7ea6af81b4796dda@mail.gmail.com> References: <6353c690802101100j1297c8cfj7ea6af81b4796dda@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <6353c690802110118q3d50655elcaa7e1a8bba7e071@mail.gmail.com> Pampering Killers - Joginder Singh *Politicians are predisposed not to see spending Other People's Money as a problem, because spending Other People's Money is what politicians do for a living. If politicians thought there were something wrong with it, they would be in a different line of work.* * - Michael F Cannon* ** *The UPA Government has decided to provide a relief package to dependents of terrorists -- those men who fought against the integrity of India and were killed by the security forces in encounters in Jammu & Kashmir. They did nothing for the country except attempting to destabilise it and kill innocent civilians. They tried their best to demoralise and assassinate those who were standing against them and for our nation.* ** *If implemented, the policy will make India look foolish in the eyes of the world, especially since our rulers are crying hoarse over terrorism. Incidentally, India is still bound by the UN resolution that demands strict action against terrorists. That the Government has also decided to come out with an aid package for the Kashmiri Pandits, rendered refugees in their own country, must have been an afterthought. Now, if the Government decision applies to the killers in Jammu & Kashmir, there is no reason not to extend it to other terrorists - Maoists and rebels in the North-East. The following chart will give an idea of the terrorists and killers in the other parts of the country.* ** *Read more on - http://kashmiris-in-exile.blogspot.com/* ** *Thanks* ** *On behalf of Roots In Kashmir * ** *Aditya Raj Kaul * *New Delhi* ** *P.S. - RIK has just launched its Campaign Video here - * * http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xI0STMGgA4g* ** * Please do watch and comment if possible.* From asitredsalute at gmail.com Mon Feb 11 18:21:13 2008 From: asitredsalute at gmail.com (Asit asitreds) Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2008 07:51:13 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Pampering Killers In-Reply-To: <6353c690802110118q3d50655elcaa7e1a8bba7e071@mail.gmail.com> References: <6353c690802101100j1297c8cfj7ea6af81b4796dda@mail.gmail.com> <6353c690802110118q3d50655elcaa7e1a8bba7e071@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: this is a cheap right wing communal fascist propoganda you just cant brand every one terrorist maoists are political activists and maoism is a politcal ideaology which talks about freeing the society from the expoitation of the man by man and did any any on care to find out why the people there are rebelling its stupid to brand peole terrorists with out knowing the facts about the roots of historical injustice done to the societies which force people to rebel why are these unpaid cia agents quite about milllions of death in iraq afganisthan ad billoions of deaths caused by imperialism colonilism nd the plunder of the third world why are these people silent on farmers suicide starvation deaths unempoleyment illteracy hunger and disease thousand deing in tortore fake encounters why are these people silent on millions of girls killd in the womb for patriarchal values in the great hindu society why are these peole silent when the great hindus burn thierbrides fordowry there is a rape in everyhalf an hour in hour great hindu country according to the figures from our great govt why are thses people silent and not ashamed of the daily humilition and expoitationf dalits since centuries whom does thses people represent at least the cia agents get salaries and the capitalits profit world imperialism ould never be so happy after getting so many unpaid agents in india asit On Feb 11, 2008 4:18 AM, Aditya Raj Kaul wrote: > Pampering Killers - Joginder Singh > > *Politicians are predisposed not to see spending Other People's Money as > a > problem, because spending Other People's Money is what politicians do for > a > living. If politicians thought there were something wrong with it, they > would be in a different line of work.* > * > - Michael F Cannon* > > ** > *The UPA Government has decided to provide a relief package to dependents > of > terrorists -- those men who fought against the integrity of India and were > killed by the security forces in encounters in Jammu & Kashmir. They did > nothing for the country except attempting to destabilise it and kill > innocent civilians. They tried their best to demoralise and assassinate > those who were standing against them and for our nation.* > ** > *If implemented, the policy will make India look foolish in the eyes of > the > world, especially since our rulers are crying hoarse over terrorism. > Incidentally, India is still bound by the UN resolution that demands > strict > action against terrorists. That the Government has also decided to come > out > with an aid package for the Kashmiri Pandits, rendered refugees in their > own > country, must have been an afterthought. Now, if the Government decision > applies to the killers in Jammu & Kashmir, there is no reason not to > extend > it to other terrorists - Maoists and rebels in the North-East. The > following > chart will give an idea of the terrorists and killers in the other parts > of > the country.* > ** > *Read more on - http://kashmiris-in-exile.blogspot.com/* > ** > *Thanks* > ** > *On behalf of Roots In Kashmir * > ** > *Aditya Raj Kaul * > *New Delhi* > ** > *P.S. - RIK has just launched its Campaign Video here - * > * http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xI0STMGgA4g* > ** > * Please do watch and comment if possible.* > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > subscribe in the subject header. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From sadiafwahidi at yahoo.co.in Mon Feb 11 18:33:20 2008 From: sadiafwahidi at yahoo.co.in (S.Fatima) Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2008 13:03:20 +0000 (GMT) Subject: [Reader-list] what is to be done? In-Reply-To: <47AFF7E7.6000103@sarai.net> Message-ID: <960986.64584.qm@web8403.mail.in.yahoo.com> Dear Vivek You have a knack of making a hill of out of a mole - and all in the wrong direction. In my analogy of a limousine going through filth, the filth is not at all supposed to mean the economic status of people writing high-volume hate-mails. But by calling someone's views as "bullshit", it is you who is demeaning them. (Ok, I'd like to take back the word "slum" - I apologize for it). My problem with your mail was that as long as you apply those filters and send the unwanted mails to whatever insulting folder quietly, it is fine. But by being sarcastic about it (as in your original message) we are only infuriating them further. Will that help in breaking any ice? Or maybe we do'nt want to break any ice. I don't think I'm playing into the hands of these propagandists - I'm only complicating this issue a little further, because I believe that ignoring them and and not answering their simplistic questions is not a long-term solution. If you read some of my earlier mails, I have mostly been advocating DIALOGUE between the two-parties. Now your immediate reaction would be: "huh, these guys don't deserve an ear - you can't have a dialogue with them". Yes I know it is very irritating to read through most of those hate-mails. But the point is that all their rigid stereotypes and biases are a reality and most of us don't have the time, patience or inclination to sit with these folks and talk. An email discussion in any case doesn't lead to anything fruitful, especially when it comes to such a topic. So, the least we can do is to ignore them. But being sarcastic is worse. Another point : you say that since those folks are using broadband to send that many mails, they must be rich enough to be called elite. Well then, what happened to the claim that internet/broadband is supposed to be empowering and democratizing the thrid world, and so on. You seem to be defining the access to internet still in caste/class terms! cheers --- Vivek Narayanan wrote: > Dear Fatima, > > Absolutely no personal vendetta intended-- and I > find it hard to > understand how you might read what I have written as > a "personal > vendetta". I am merely addressing a situation > (*without* advocating the > removal of anyone from the list) where the list has > lost dozens of > readers who are not easily able to sort through for > important > announcements or discussions that they might > actually want to > participate in. There have been some important > recent events that > members of the reader list have missed because they > have not been able > to sort through all the messages. > > But I'd like to address a more important and > revealing slip in your > email. Once again, you insist on suggesting/ > inferring that a set of > posters are residents of "slums" and from non-elite > backgrounds based on > their political views and incoherence. Please > refrain from making such > assumptions. > > Apart from this being very demeaning to a number of > non-elites who don't > hold forth with those simplistic views, who don't > share those political > views against muslims, etc, and who cannot afford to > spam the list with > up to five messages a day because of their lack of > internet access-- > apart from these kinds of insulting inferences and > assumptions, you're > also demonstrably wrong. The members whose posts > end up in my bullshit > folder all post with such a great frequency that > they must either have > personal broadband access or, at the very least, be > spending hundreds of > rupees a day at cybercafes. They are elites > themselves. > > And, moreover, apart from being wrong, you're > playing right into the > hands of these propagandists, who would like to > claim that their > anti-muslim and jingoistic views represent the views > of "the people", > "the masses", "the non-elite" and so on. They would > make the same > claims as you that anyone who believes in equality > or questions the > violence of the nation-state or anyone interested in > meaningful > discussion beyond simplistic coercive and bullying > language must be > elite. So do be careful before your metaphors > actually begin to do some > damage. > > In fact, I'd rather not get into metaphors, since a > metaphor by > definition replaces its object, sometimes making the > object harder to > see with clarity, but just for the sake of > underlining this, let me > offer a counter-metaphor, even if, like all > metaphors, it will distort, > it will fail to represent the situation completely: > > what if it is me who is walking on the street. Yes > indeed the street > may be dirty, maybe it is strewn with shit and dust > but let's say that > the shit doesn't really bother me as much as it > seems to bother you. It > really doesn't, even in real life-- if I happen to > step in shit while on > my way to work, well, I scrape my shoe against the > pavement and I keep > walking. What if I am walking on the street then, > enjoying its > productive chaos and its instinctive tolerance for > diversity, its > camaraderie. Let's say a limousine passes by with > people who are *not* > subaltern, people who are actually quite powerful, > maybe they have > access to the police and the security forces and the > intelligence > services. Let's say that it is these people in the > limousine who can > talk so blithely and simplistically of kicking the > muslims out and > defending the nation, because they stand to benefit > and because they > would be shielded from the ensuing violence > themselves. Let's say that > for some reason you want to try and get in that > limousine with them > because you believe that you can actually convince > them, that they will > change their minds simply on witnessing the goodness > of your heart. > Well, good for you. For my part I already know well > what the people in > the limousine have to say, I have heard them out, > and I know well that > they have not a jot of respect for me, or you. It's > my right to stay > out of that limousine, Fatima. I already know what > their views are, and > I know what the costs of those views are. > > Vivek > > S.Fatima wrote: > > Dear Vivek > > Sorry to sound like this, but some of such mails > from > > you reek of elitism. Redirecting some mails to the > > bullshit folder is one thing, but insulting them > > further goes to another level. Isn't that a > personal > > vendetta that some on this list are requesting not > to > > get into. > > Your calmness is akin to sitting in a limousine > which > > is driving through the filthy roads and slums, > which > > your darkened windows don't allow you to see. > > > > sf > > > > --- Vivek Narayanan wrote: > > > > > >> Strange... > > Share files, take polls, and discuss your passions - all under one roof. Go to http://in.promos.yahoo.com/groups From asitredsalute at gmail.com Mon Feb 11 19:01:45 2008 From: asitredsalute at gmail.com (Asit asitreds) Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2008 08:31:45 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] what is to be done? In-Reply-To: <960986.64584.qm@web8403.mail.in.yahoo.com> References: <47AFF7E7.6000103@sarai.net> <960986.64584.qm@web8403.mail.in.yahoo.com> Message-ID: dear all iwould advocate of takin the bull by its horn in a civilisd maner we should rationaly explain these irrational medivaal communal hate mongeres that how foolishily they are out of tune in a modrn dmocratic society and how thier vicious retrogade fuedal communal propoganda will help the obscurantist forces to roll back the rights won by centuries of unremmiting struggles asit On Feb 11, 2008 8:03 AM, S.Fatima wrote: > Dear Vivek > You have a knack of making a hill of out of a mole - > and all in the wrong direction. In my analogy of a > limousine going through filth, the filth is not at all > supposed to mean the economic status of people writing > high-volume hate-mails. But by calling someone's views > as "bullshit", it is you who is demeaning them. (Ok, > I'd like to take back the word "slum" - I apologize > for it). My problem with your mail was that as long as > you apply those filters and send the unwanted mails to > whatever insulting folder quietly, it is fine. But by > being sarcastic about it (as in your original message) > we are only infuriating them further. Will that help > in breaking any ice? Or maybe we do'nt want to break > any ice. > > I don't think I'm playing into the hands of these > propagandists - I'm only complicating this issue a > little further, because I believe that ignoring them > and and not answering their simplistic questions is > not a long-term solution. If you read some of my > earlier mails, I have mostly been advocating DIALOGUE > between the two-parties. Now your immediate reaction > would be: "huh, these guys don't deserve an ear - you > can't have a dialogue with them". Yes I know it is > very irritating to read through most of those > hate-mails. But the point is that all their rigid > stereotypes and biases are a reality and most of us > don't have the time, patience or inclination to sit > with these folks and talk. An email discussion in any > case doesn't lead to anything fruitful, especially > when it comes to such a topic. So, the least we can do > is to ignore them. But being sarcastic is worse. > > Another point : you say that since those folks are > using broadband to send that many mails, they must be > rich enough to be called elite. Well then, what > happened to the claim that internet/broadband is > supposed to be empowering and democratizing the thrid > world, and so on. You seem to be defining the access > to internet still in caste/class terms! > > cheers > > > --- Vivek Narayanan wrote: > > > Dear Fatima, > > > > Absolutely no personal vendetta intended-- and I > > find it hard to > > understand how you might read what I have written as > > a "personal > > vendetta". I am merely addressing a situation > > (*without* advocating the > > removal of anyone from the list) where the list has > > lost dozens of > > readers who are not easily able to sort through for > > important > > announcements or discussions that they might > > actually want to > > participate in. There have been some important > > recent events that > > members of the reader list have missed because they > > have not been able > > to sort through all the messages. > > > > But I'd like to address a more important and > > revealing slip in your > > email. Once again, you insist on suggesting/ > > inferring that a set of > > posters are residents of "slums" and from non-elite > > backgrounds based on > > their political views and incoherence. Please > > refrain from making such > > assumptions. > > > > Apart from this being very demeaning to a number of > > non-elites who don't > > hold forth with those simplistic views, who don't > > share those political > > views against muslims, etc, and who cannot afford to > > spam the list with > > up to five messages a day because of their lack of > > internet access-- > > apart from these kinds of insulting inferences and > > assumptions, you're > > also demonstrably wrong. The members whose posts > > end up in my bullshit > > folder all post with such a great frequency that > > they must either have > > personal broadband access or, at the very least, be > > spending hundreds of > > rupees a day at cybercafes. They are elites > > themselves. > > > > And, moreover, apart from being wrong, you're > > playing right into the > > hands of these propagandists, who would like to > > claim that their > > anti-muslim and jingoistic views represent the views > > of "the people", > > "the masses", "the non-elite" and so on. They would > > make the same > > claims as you that anyone who believes in equality > > or questions the > > violence of the nation-state or anyone interested in > > meaningful > > discussion beyond simplistic coercive and bullying > > language must be > > elite. So do be careful before your metaphors > > actually begin to do some > > damage. > > > > In fact, I'd rather not get into metaphors, since a > > metaphor by > > definition replaces its object, sometimes making the > > object harder to > > see with clarity, but just for the sake of > > underlining this, let me > > offer a counter-metaphor, even if, like all > > metaphors, it will distort, > > it will fail to represent the situation completely: > > > > what if it is me who is walking on the street. Yes > > indeed the street > > may be dirty, maybe it is strewn with shit and dust > > but let's say that > > the shit doesn't really bother me as much as it > > seems to bother you. It > > really doesn't, even in real life-- if I happen to > > step in shit while on > > my way to work, well, I scrape my shoe against the > > pavement and I keep > > walking. What if I am walking on the street then, > > enjoying its > > productive chaos and its instinctive tolerance for > > diversity, its > > camaraderie. Let's say a limousine passes by with > > people who are *not* > > subaltern, people who are actually quite powerful, > > maybe they have > > access to the police and the security forces and the > > intelligence > > services. Let's say that it is these people in the > > limousine who can > > talk so blithely and simplistically of kicking the > > muslims out and > > defending the nation, because they stand to benefit > > and because they > > would be shielded from the ensuing violence > > themselves. Let's say that > > for some reason you want to try and get in that > > limousine with them > > because you believe that you can actually convince > > them, that they will > > change their minds simply on witnessing the goodness > > of your heart. > > Well, good for you. For my part I already know well > > what the people in > > the limousine have to say, I have heard them out, > > and I know well that > > they have not a jot of respect for me, or you. It's > > my right to stay > > out of that limousine, Fatima. I already know what > > their views are, and > > I know what the costs of those views are. > > > > Vivek > > > > S.Fatima wrote: > > > Dear Vivek > > > Sorry to sound like this, but some of such mails > > from > > > you reek of elitism. Redirecting some mails to the > > > bullshit folder is one thing, but insulting them > > > further goes to another level. Isn't that a > > personal > > > vendetta that some on this list are requesting not > > to > > > get into. > > > Your calmness is akin to sitting in a limousine > > which > > > is driving through the filthy roads and slums, > > which > > > your darkened windows don't allow you to see. > > > > > > sf > > > > > > --- Vivek Narayanan wrote: > > > > > > > > >> Strange... > > > > > > > > Share files, take polls, and discuss your passions - all under one > roof. Go to http://in.promos.yahoo.com/groups > > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > subscribe in the subject header. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: From pawan.durani at gmail.com Mon Feb 11 19:48:00 2008 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2008 19:48:00 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Pampering Killers In-Reply-To: References: <6353c690802101100j1297c8cfj7ea6af81b4796dda@mail.gmail.com> <6353c690802110118q3d50655elcaa7e1a8bba7e071@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <6b79f1a70802110618m49c4bb0euda40ea962728afc7@mail.gmail.com> Asit , Can you kindly make use of paragraphs, otherwise your mails doesnt even look soothing ,,,,,,forget about someone attempting to read it. Pawan On 2/11/08, Asit asitreds wrote: > > this is a cheap right wing communal fascist propoganda you just cant brand > every one terrorist maoists are political activists and maoism is a > politcal > ideaology which talks about freeing the society from the expoitation of > the > man by man and did any any on care to find out why the people there are > rebelling its stupid to brand peole terrorists with out knowing the facts > about the roots of historical injustice done to the societies which force > people to rebel why are these unpaid cia agents quite about milllions of > death in iraq afganisthan ad billoions of deaths caused by imperialism > colonilism nd the plunder of the third world why are these people silent > on > farmers suicide starvation deaths unempoleyment illteracy hunger and > disease thousand deing in tortore fake encounters why are these people > silent on millions of girls killd in the womb for patriarchal values in > the > great hindu society why are these peole silent when the great hindus burn > thierbrides fordowry there is a rape in everyhalf an hour in hour great > hindu country according to the figures from our great govt why are thses > people silent and not ashamed of the daily humilition and expoitationf > dalits since centuries whom does thses people represent at least the cia > agents get salaries and the capitalits profit world imperialism ould never > be so happy after getting so many unpaid agents in india > asit > > On Feb 11, 2008 4:18 AM, Aditya Raj Kaul wrote: > > > Pampering Killers - Joginder Singh > > > > *Politicians are predisposed not to see spending Other People's Money > as > > a > > problem, because spending Other People's Money is what politicians do > for > > a > > living. If politicians thought there were something wrong with it, they > > would be in a different line of work.* > > * > > - Michael F Cannon* > > > > ** > > *The UPA Government has decided to provide a relief package to > dependents > > of > > terrorists -- those men who fought against the integrity of India and > were > > killed by the security forces in encounters in Jammu & Kashmir. They did > > nothing for the country except attempting to destabilise it and kill > > innocent civilians. They tried their best to demoralise and assassinate > > those who were standing against them and for our nation.* > > ** > > *If implemented, the policy will make India look foolish in the eyes of > > the > > world, especially since our rulers are crying hoarse over terrorism. > > Incidentally, India is still bound by the UN resolution that demands > > strict > > action against terrorists. That the Government has also decided to come > > out > > with an aid package for the Kashmiri Pandits, rendered refugees in their > > own > > country, must have been an afterthought. Now, if the Government decision > > applies to the killers in Jammu & Kashmir, there is no reason not to > > extend > > it to other terrorists - Maoists and rebels in the North-East. The > > following > > chart will give an idea of the terrorists and killers in the other parts > > of > > the country.* > > ** > > *Read more on - http://kashmiris-in-exile.blogspot.com/* > > ** > > *Thanks* > > ** > > *On behalf of Roots In Kashmir * > > ** > > *Aditya Raj Kaul * > > *New Delhi* > > ** > > *P.S. - RIK has just launched its Campaign Video here - * > > * http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xI0STMGgA4g* > > ** > > * Please do watch and comment if possible.* > > _________________________________________ > > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > > Critiques & Collaborations > > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > > subscribe in the subject header. > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > subscribe in the subject header. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> Asit , From epk at xs4all.nl Tue Feb 12 04:17:02 2008 From: epk at xs4all.nl (Eric Kluitenberg) Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2008 23:47:02 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] Conference: Economies of the Commons - Strategies for Sustainable Access and Creative Reuse of Images and Sounds Online, April 10-12, 2008, The Netherlands Message-ID: Dear members of the Reader-list, Since this list and the Sarai initiative have over the years given considerable attention to the construction of the digital commons I take the liberty to post this general announcement of our upcoming conference (in April) on this list. The conference will be streamed and archived. Video registration will also be made available for download and / or p2p file sharing distribution (bit torrent). best wishes, Eric ------------------------------------ FIRST GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENT Economies of the Commons Strategies for Sustainable Access and Creative Reuse of Images and Sounds Online International Working Conference De Balie - Centre for Culture and Politics, Amsterdam, April 11 & 12, 2008 Seminar on Intellectual Property Rights The Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision, Hilversum, April 10, 2008 www.ecommons.eu A wide range of actors around the globe is currently involved in the creation of unprecedentedly rich and invaluable audiovisual cultural and knowledge resources on the internet. These range from national audiovisual archives, broadcasters, professional cultural producers and institutions to civic and p2p file sharing initiatives. De Balie in Amsterdam and the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision in Hilversum, in collaboration with Knowledgeland, Images for the Future, and Virtual Platform, organise a two-day international public working conference on the economies, sustainability, and opportunities for creative reuse of these public audiovisual resources and archives. While the level of activity and investment in this area is enormous, the question of the longer-term sustainability of these audiovisual resources remains wide open. Continued massive public investment is one obvious solution, with equally obvious drawbacks. The conference intends to question which alternative economic models exist, or could be developed that can sustain invaluable public resources. Paradoxically, we may have to ask: What is a sustainable business model for the digital commons? The Economies of the Commons conference will focus on three core issues: strategies for sustainability, new modes of value creation, and the potentials for creative reuse around the digital commons. Our main questions are: - What kind of strategies are available to facilitate the growth of these emerging public knowledge resources, and guarantee their longer- term sustainability? - How is value created around the emerging digital commons, and how can this value be capitalised on for the public good? - How can these resources be activated as a creative productive force for contemporary culture, and how can the reuse of these enormously rich resources be facilitated and stimulated? These questions will be related to current projects, such as Images of the Future (the largest digitisation project of audiovisual heritage in the Netherlands), P2P Fusion (European research project on audio and video sharing), BBC Creative Archives, Prelinger Archives, Smithsonian Global Sound and UbuWeb. The conference brings together a highly international group of specialists, including Peter Kaufman (Intelligent Television), Rick Prelinger (prelinger Archives), Roei Amit (INA), Kenneth Goldsmith (UbuWeb), Anthony McCann (Hallam University), Hubert Best (Best & Soames / FOCAL), Lucy Guibault (University of Amsterdam), Florian Schneider (Kein.tv) and many others. Economies of the Commons creates spaces of discussion in which perspectives of mainstream audiovisual archives are mixed with those of market players as well as public domain and non-legal exchange networks (p2p). The program comprises a variety of formats, such as public keynote lectures, interdisciplinary workshops for the exchange of ideas, experiences and the formulation of strategies, as well as targeted seminars addressing very specific problems relevant to specialists, cultural and media producers, policy makers, and decision makers in public and private organisations. The Economies of the Commons conference addresses a range of target groups that do not regularly meet each other. These include: (broadcast) media professionals, representatives from cultural heritage organisations, internet entrepreneurs, ethnomusicologists, musicians and representatives of the music industry, media activists, researchers in the domains of internet law, economy, information science, p2p file sharing activists, policy makers, and professionals from the field of art and culture. Special public evening programs will introduce the topics of the conference to a wider audience and present best practice examples. A one-day seminar at the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision in Hilversum, on Intellectual Property Rights issues in the digital audiovisual domain, precedes the conference on Thursday April 10, the results of which will feed into the conference program. A web dossier has been set up that provides further information on the conference program and side events, program updates, and information on speakers and highlighted case studies, as well as general background and research materials. This dossier can be found at: www.ecommons.eu Enquiries about the conference program and registration can be directed at: Eric Kluitenberg De Balie Kleine Gartmanplantsoen 10 1017 RR Amsterdam www.debalie.nl e-mail: erick at balie.nl From jcm at ata.org.pe Tue Feb 12 05:37:09 2008 From: jcm at ata.org.pe (Jose-Carlos Mariategui) Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2008 00:07:09 +0000 Subject: [Reader-list] The Habitat of Information: Social and Organizational Consequences of Information Growth Message-ID: <52CCFEB8-1099-45B8-8D28-DAEE3191BE19@ata.org.pe> 8th Social Study of ICT Workshop Information Systems and Innovation Group, Department of Management, London School of Economics and Political Science The Habitat of Information: Social and Organizational Consequences of Information Growth Friday 25th of April, 2008 The workshop will take place in the Hong Kong Theatre, Ground Floor, Clement House, LSE http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/informationSystems/newsAndEvents/2008events/SSIT8programme.htm Information growth is a distinctive phenomenon of the late 20th and early 21st century. Large varieties of information are currently produced and circulated, in a rapidly increasing scale, across the various institutional domains of contemporary societies. Technical and administrative innovations have been expanding the interoperable platforms that make possible the development and diffusion of information within and across systems and organizations. At the same time, a range of devices from desktop computing to cell phones and digital cameras have been spreading across the population, making individuals and social groups important producers and consumers of information. A pivotal development has been the emergence, expansion and deepening involvement of the internet in social and economic life. Taken together, these developments establish a new socio-economic environment in which information-based operations, and information goods and services acquire crucial importance. This is clearly shown in the rapid ascent to economic dominance of internet-based companies that demonstrate superior data editing and information management strategies. New commercial possibilities steadily develop around the production, ordering and distribution of information, as data become interoperable across sources and older forms of information (e.g. image, text and sound) are brought to bear upon one another. But information growth has wider social implications as well. The involvement of information in every walk of life redefines the relationship between information and reality, and reshapes the social practices through which information is stored, retrieved, understood, disseminated and remembered. Increasingly, information mediates between humans and reality. In this context, the activities of ordering, making sense, evaluating, navigating and acting upon information step onto the centre-stage of contemporary life, impinging upon skill profiles and personal choices. They often do so under conditions in which the established boundaries between individuals and institutions are rendered shifting and negotiable. There is a growing awareness of the current information growth dynamics and the emerging information habitat. However, the recent character of the phenomenon makes the social and economic implications of these dynamics not well understood. The 8th Social Study of ICT workshop brings together a number of prominent scholars and practitioners whose work and experience help illuminate the relevant developments. Program 8.30-9.15 Registration 9.15 Welcome Morning Session 9.45 – 10.45 Keynote: Information Growth and the Texture of Reality Albert Borgmann, Professor, Department of Philosophy, University of Montana. 10.45 – 11.00 Coffee Break 11.00 – 12.00 The Expanding Information Universe John Gantz , Chief Research Officer and Senior Vice President of IDC – International Data Corporation. 12.00 – 13.00 Panel on the Organizational Consequences of Information Growth This panel will address how companies and organizations are managing their information resources. Which strategies do they develop to cope with information growth and the increasing involvement of information in organizational operations? Which new practices, skills and roles emerge in today's information-intensive organizations and industries? Chair: Dr. Carsten Sorensen, Information Systems and Innovation Group, Department of Management, London School of Economics. Panel Participants: - Azeem Azhar, Head of Innovation, Reuters. - James Backhouse, Reader, Information Systems and Innovation Group, Department of Management, London School of Economics. - Richard Boulderstone, Director of eStrategy, The British Library. - Ole Hanseth, Professor, Department of Informatics, University of Oslo. 13.00 – 14.30 Lunch Afternoon Session 14.30 – 15.30 Living in Ephemeria: On the Short-lived and Disposable Character of Information Jannis Kallinikos, Professor, Information Systems and Innovation Group, Department of Management, London School of Economics. 15.30 – 16.30 The Fog of Data: Memory, the Past and Computers Geoffrey Bowker, Professor and Director of the Center for Science, Technology and Society, University of California, Santa Clara. 16.30 – 17.00 Coffee Break 17.00 – 18.00 Panel on Information, Memory, and Culture The panel will address the contrast between, on the one hand, the durability of technological information (e.g. databases) and, on the other hand, the short lifespan of information and its rapidly evaporating value (e.g. global stock markets). Information growth is intimately tied to the management of time and the proliferation of events in contemporary life. In this respect, it is as much an instrumental as a cultural phenomenon. Chair: Giovan Francesco Lanzara, Professor, Department of Organization and Political Systems, University of Bologna, Italy. Panel Participants: - Elena Espósito, Associate Professor, Faculty of Communication Science, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy. - Mireille Hildebrandt, Associate Professor, Law Faculty, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Free University Brussels. - Lev Manovich, Associate Professor, Visual Arts Department, University of California, San Diego, California. - Felix Stadler, Senior Lecturer, Media Arts Program, Zurich University of the Arts. 18.00-18.15 Final Remarks If you are interested in coming please send an email to Frances White to reserve a place (F.White at lse.ac.uk ). From pawan.durani at gmail.com Tue Feb 12 09:54:07 2008 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2008 09:54:07 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] mission to revive Shardapeeth Message-ID: <6b79f1a70802112024n20ec998bw700072d299f5dae7@mail.gmail.com> *A mission to revive Shardapeeth* Jagadguru Shankaracharya of Sharda Sarvagyapeeth, Swami Amritananda Dev Teerth, plans to revive the Shankaracharya parampara in Shardapeeth, which is located in PoK. To attain this goal, he plans to restart the fair (mela) of Sharda Ashtami in Shardapeeth, which begins on the Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi and goes on for five days till Sharda Ashtami with the consent of the authorities concerned. The old record says that it was celebrated there in Kashmir—now PoK—till 1949. Organiser correspondent Deepak Kumar Rath spoke to the Shankaracharya to know about the aims and objectives of his math and how he plans the revival of the Peeth. Excerpts: *What is the relevance to revive Shardapeeth at the moment, when India and Pakistan are not having that good diplomatic relations?* Shardapeeth is the one where Shankaracharya parampara originated. In the Mathamnayopanishad written by Adi Shankara, it is clearly stated that there are seven Aamnay in Shankara parampara namely 1. Nishkalamnay, 2. Poorvamnay, 3. Paschimamnay, 4. Uttaramnay, 5. Dakshinamnay, 6. Atmamnay and 7. Urdhvamnay. Nishkalamnay, Sharda Sarvagya-peeth is the first among them and is in Kashmir (Village—Shardi, Tehsil—Attmuqam, District—Muzzaffarabad, PoK). It is purely and clearly an Indian heritage. So the revival of it becomes significant and relevant specially when India and Pakistan are not having good diplomatic relations on Kashmir issue. *What is the possibility of reviving the Peeth and how do you plan to do this? * The pictures of the ruins of Nishkalamnay, Sharda Sarvagyapeeth (provided by our trust) have been published in various magazines, newspapers and even on the website: www.sarvagyapeeth.com. We also plan to restart the fair (mela) of Sharda Ashtami in Shardapeeth (PoK) which begins on the Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi and goes on for five days till Sharda Ashtami with the consent of the authorities concerned. The old record says that it was celebrated there in Kashmir—now PoK—till 1949. The situation can only be improved by reviving the Sharda temple of the Nishkalamnay, but the government support and help is a must. The action plans that have been taken so far are—A) A deep study of Kashmir was undertaken and Kashmir-related documents were collected from different manuscripts. B). It was conveyed to public through magazines, discourses, and newspapers. C) People with similar aims and thoughts are being approached and joined for the achievement of the common goal to revive the Peeth. We had also met the then President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam to discuss the issue. *What are the major objectives of your Math?* The major objectives of our Math are: To bring about a social system in which there are no caste differences in India. Like in Kashmir there is no other caste besides Kashmiri Pandits. This can happen by following the pratyabhigyan darshan system, which was practised to abolish the caste system from Kashmir. To keep the rest of India from becoming another Kashmir in terms of terrorism. This can happen only when Kashmir is brought back completely to the rest of India from the jaws of terrorism. To revive the Sharda Sarvagyapeeth, which is not only the pride and honour of millions of Bharatiyas but also a symbol of human cultural heritage. To make all the Bharatiyas aware of the devastating consequences of spreading of jehad in Bharat and thus securing the borders of our nation from such future invasions like jehad through public programmes, discourses etc. To restart the Kumbh Mela in Shadipur, Kashmir, that was being organised there till 1972. A mission to declare 10 lakh families as the state subjects of Kashmir has been undertaken and worked upon. These families earlier belonged to PoK, which were banished from there for a single reason that they are Hindus. This is their third generation and the government so far has made no arrangement for their basic requirements. This is because they are not the part of vote bank like other Indians, as they have no right to vote. So no political party in the country is interested in their settlement. *It seems that after attack on Swami Jayendra Saraswati, people have somehow lost hope from this great institution. Comment.* This is a conspiracy of the government (state/central) and media together. The news of the arrest and imprisonment of Swamiji was constantly telecasted on all the news channels but when his innocence was proved there was only small news somewhere in a corner of the newspapers. The government did it by joining hands with foreign countries that aim at the destruction of Sanatan sanskriti. When the government itself acts against the public faith how can common man protest and fight for the safety of his religious rights? Is there really a freedom of religion in this country as stated in the preamble and under the rule of this government, which claims to be secular? It is not the people who have lost their hope from this great institution but it was clearly the plan of the anti-Indian groups which might include some of the traitors to make or force Hindus lose their hope and faith in Sanatan culture and the Hindu saints because these groups have a great fear from the popularity of these saints. Their growing popularity among Indians will make Hindus stronger from within and this will be the biggest obstacle in the way of all anti-Indian movements. It was very prominent during Swamiji's arrest that the people expressed their faith in Shankaracharya tradition rather than in the government. People have witnessed the double-standard of government under the garb of secularism. When the priests and mullahs of other religions were caught red-handed in some malicious activities and when it was brought to the notice of the public there were communal riots and so the further proceedings of these cases were suppressed and even closed. What can one call it? What does this all prove? Under the name of secularism all the fundamentalist mullahs, maulavis and priests are supported and protected. It is the conspiracy practised against Hinduism and Hindus in order to uproot them and their rich culture from the world. So now it's time for all the Shankaracharyas to unite and stand by each other, be it the arrest of Swami Jayendra Saraswati or the revival of Sharda Sarvagyapeeth. *As you spend your most of the time in Kashmir, have you got any plan for the rehabilitation of the displaced Kashmir Hindus?* Kashmir has been a clear example of pseudo-secularism. For the last 20 years whatever has taken place in Kashmir with Kashmiri Hindus is so horrifying that all the Kashmiri Hindus are frightened to stay there and have settled down with their families in other parts of India. They now cannot trust anyone, not even the secular government who just kept promising to eradicate terrorism from Kashmir before every election and neglected it completely after assuming the power. After declaring India a secular country, the Hindus were sent away from Kashmir only because they were kafirs (non-Muslims). Is it what should happen in a secular nation? And even now after 20 years of terrorism in Kashmir, it's a shame that the government hasn't taken any step to rehabilitate Kashmiri Hindus and establish peace in Kashmir, which is an inseparable part of India. Though I have plans for their rehabilition, they are not ready to accept anything because they have the fear for their lives. Even when I heard as to what they went through I was horrified. I can understand their fear. Now unless they witness the complete eradication of terrorism they cannot even think of coming back. It is almost impossible to save Kashmir as a part of India unless Hindus are sent back and rehabilitated there. It's high time we found a strong solution on the Kashmiri issue and brought the Kashmir Hindus back to their native place. Even today the Hindu natives from Doda, Bhadrawah and Kishtwar are running away. *Now Hindus are targeted and attacked by the pseudo-secularists, politicians and the media. What is your view?* What is the definition of secularism? Is targeting Hindus a part of secularism? The politicians pretend to be secularists so that they could win votes of people of all the religions in India. The politician does not belong to any religion. Their only religion is fulfilling their selfish ends. The only dharma that preaches and practises tolerance is the Sanatan (Hindu) dharma. Hence the Hindus are targeted and attacked. Targeting and attacking any other religion is not affordable to the politicians both financially and in terms of reactions. The media follows and obeys these politicians for its own selfish purposes. Media's mission is no more for the awareness of the society; it is now a business, which is run for the profit and like politicians it too has no religion. It follows the one who gains it profit. Since anti-Hindu elements are ready to spend unlimited wealth for rooting out Hinduism, they have a strong support of greedy politicians and media. *How do you react to the UPA government's appeasement policy?* What can be more satirical than the fact that in a democratic country like India the Prime Minister, the Home Minister, etc. are nominated and not elected. The Congress, which was in the power for 40 years, on losing the public support, started using the Muslims as its vote bank. Now joining hands with the communists, Congress is giving shelter to almost two crore Bangladeshi Muslims by providing them with ration cards and other facilities, which in a way will be an addition to their vote bank. If this continues, Hindus will soon be the minorities. Obviously, the UPA government's appeasement policy is not acceptable. http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=224&page=41 From anivar.aravind at gmail.com Tue Feb 12 16:36:31 2008 From: anivar.aravind at gmail.com (Anivar Aravind) Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2008 16:36:31 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] 13-17Feb2007: ViBGYOR International Short and Documentary Festival Message-ID: <47B17DB7.8050607@gmail.com> (With the usual apologies for cross posting) Dear friends, The Third Edition of ViBGYOR International Film Festival for Short & Documentary films will be inaugurated on February 13, 2008 in Peechi, in the Pananchery village panchayath, some 10 miles away from Thrissur, the cultural capital of Kerala State in India. `Celebrating identitites and diversity’ is the central theme of ViBGYOR Festival. The environmental focus for the year 2008 is ENERGY. We also have chosen `EASTERN INDIA as the Region focus for 2008. This 5-day fiesta of films, music and cultural expressions is more of a get-together of peoples’movements, students, scholars, filmmakers and artists. It’s Mazhavilmela (rainbow-feast), a celebration of harmony and affirmation of alternative and multi-lateral political stances. http://2008.vibgyorfilm.com WHAT to look forward? ================== Festival from the people: ++++++++++++++++++ During ViBGYOR-07 we had introduced `Festival from the People’, organizing parallel film screenings and interactions with filmmakers at some 5 centres of Pananchery panchayath, 10 miles away from the main festival venue in Trichur town. In 2008 we have planned `Festival from the People’, inaugurating the Festival at Peechi in Pananchery panchayath, on February 13th at 5.30pm. All dignitaries, filmmakers and delegates coming to ViBGYOR will attend the inaugural function in Peechi. The intention is to offset the importance of towns and cities where there are n number of film festivals and cultural extravaganza that reach only a cross-section of the population. We wish to ensure that ViBGYOR reaches those ordinary people in the suburbs and villages, whose life and struggles are portrayed in most of the films that are showcased at our festival. Campus ViBGYOR: +++++++++++++++ In the same spirit of Village ViBGYOR, this year we are introducing a Campus ViBGYOR series, a project to reach-out college and high school students and sensitize them to the pertinent issues of our society and environment through documentary films. We are hoping to arrange a full/half day screening programme in 5 colleges/schools in and around Trichur town. At least one filmmaker who attends ViBGYOR Festival in the town will be invited to each college, show his/her work along with other films and interact with the student community. We are sure this exercise will be enriching both to the filmmakers and students as well. Music NIGHTs: +++++++++++ At least one night of open air screening and cultural expressions have been always an essential part of the alternate film festivals we have been organizing since 2004. As ViBGYOR enters into its third edition, the NIGHT festival is becoming an exuberant celebration with films, music, skits etc, a celebration that begins in the evening and might end next morning! At ViBGYOR-08 we will have two Music Nights, on February 14th & 16th, the focus will be music videos from around the world that tell the story of resistance, struggles and small victories. Mini Conferences: +++++++++++++ We will not have a Full day National Conference during the ViBGYOR Festival; that is planned in January at Thiruvananthapuram as a curtain raiser event. Instead, during the festival in February, we are planning Mini Conferences of 3-4 hours duration under the intiative and leadership of the partner organizations of the ViBGYOR Collective. The themes for the conferences held parallel to the screenings will be `Gender & Sexuality’, `Sustainable Energy in the context of Global climatic changes’ and such topics that are of paramount importance to ViBGYOR. Film Workshop: +++++++++++ A 2-day Film workshop is arranged during ViBGYOR-08, intended mainly for the young filmmakers, but all are welcome! Different aspects of filmmaking and distribution will be discussed by experts from the filed. Renowned Malayalam film director Shyamaprasad is the Workshop Director. Media Exhibition: ++++++++++++ As ViBGYOR is becoming a meaningful space for promoting alternate and politically sensitive films, we are also trying to use the annual festival as an important platform for filmmakers to promote and sell their films. Apart from the film market, we will have different NGOs and agencies displaying books, posters and other campaign materials. Hope to meet you all at ViBGYOR 2008 Anivar Aravind ViBGYOR Collective From anivar.aravind at gmail.com Tue Feb 12 16:39:38 2008 From: anivar.aravind at gmail.com (Anivar Aravind) Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2008 16:39:38 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] =?utf-8?q?15-17thFeb_=3A_photography_Exhibition=22T?= =?utf-8?q?ourism_in_Kerala_-_a_matter_of_fairness=E2=80=9C?= Message-ID: <47B17E72.5030006@gmail.com> EXHIBITION OF PHOTOGRAPHS – “Tourism in Kerala a matter of fairness “ Young photographers’ views on tourism in Kerala Venue: Town Hall, Trissur Date: 15th -17th Feb 2008. Dear friends, KABANI – the other direction is organizing a photography exhibition in collaboration with GAIA (Thrissur): “Tourism in Kerala - a matter of fairness“, at the VIBGOR International Film Festival, Thrissur, Kerala, from 15th – 17th Feb, 2008. The exhibition is the outcome of a photography contest organized by KABANI – the other direction together with Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and arbeitskreis tourismus & entwicklung (akte), Basle. The contest was an opportunity for young photographers to express their perceptions, concerns and expectations on tourism in Kerala though the lens. The photographs are trying to raise and answer questions like: How do local inhabitants live with tourism? How do they see the foreign guests? How does tourism change or affect their lives, environment, culture, traditions? How fair or unfair is tourism? To what extend are people benefiting from tourism? We are also organising an award ceremony on 16th Feb 2008, 4.30 pm, at the same venue. Samson Samuel, a professional photographer from Alleppy, and Sunil Lexmen, a freelance photographer from Trivandrum (the first winners of the contest), will receive their cash awards. We invite all of you to be part of the exhibition, award ceremony and film festival with your friends. KABANI & GAIA team Please visit www.vibgyorfilm.com for more information about VIBGYOR International Film Festival From radhikarajen at vsnl.net Tue Feb 12 11:30:16 2008 From: radhikarajen at vsnl.net (radhikarajen at vsnl.net) Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2008 11:30:16 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Pampering Killers References: <6353c690802101100j1297c8cfj7ea6af81b4796dda@mail.gmail.com> <"63 5 3c690802110118q3d50655elcaa7e1a8bba7e071"@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: well, usual rantings from comrade, Laal Salaam to you, but the issue here is about the behaviour of individuals in democratic society when bad governance or lack of governance in society makes the deprived lot protest, with or without violent means. India being democratic, has right from inception branded itself as secular, but in practise it is not secular, as sections of individuals, communes of individuals based on caste and faith were ruled with fear and favours to caste, religion and region. The very fact that Nethaji had to say about the division of the nation on faith for islam, is worth reminding, when he said, is it fair to divide the nation when both hindus and muslims fought and struggled for freedom, why this division of the nation ,is it a loot of robbery or dacoity to share the spoils. , were the words. Having created the nation on faith of islam, it was again foolish to allow the large lots of islam followers to stay back, instead of their encouragement to migrate to pakistan, created by the faithful follower(?) when they promised to stay in harmony and live like brothers in India, which they have forgotten over the years. Nation saw later appeasement of communes on the basis of caste, region and religion when good governance was the need, without fear or favour to any caste or commune, in delivery of good of democracy. Neglected individuals formed groups and associations to demand fair share of their cake in democratic life, thus the very term "terrorist" is now misused often to describe even the martyrs who sacrificed their lives with smile on their face for the nation.Bhagath Singh is for new generation termed as terrorist, who owned up his act of violence and smiled to death, compare this with Afjal guru, who even after trial and conviction is a "state guest" ! Every region in the nation which lacks good governance be it Vidharbha or singur or nandigram is the fertile grounds for kick backs to ruling combine.Packages are announced, in practise they become packages for hangers on, sycophants to loot the national exchequer with farmers waiting with their hungry children and widows, when the PM and his bindi entourage has sumptous lunch at Vidarbha, even as they are shooed away to meet later. ? Cadres are used to suppress dissent, few at the helm called as politburo decide which farmers have to be deprived of their livelihood. ? Regards. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Asit asitreds" To: "Aditya Raj Kaul" Cc: Sent: Monday, February 11, 2008 6:21 PM Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Pampering Killers > this is a cheap right wing communal fascist propoganda you just cant brand > every one terrorist maoists are political activists and maoism is a > politcal > ideaology which talks about freeing the society from the expoitation of > the > man by man and did any any on care to find out why the people there are > rebelling its stupid to brand peole terrorists with out knowing the facts > about the roots of historical injustice done to the societies which force > people to rebel why are these unpaid cia agents quite about milllions of > death in iraq afganisthan ad billoions of deaths caused by imperialism > colonilism nd the plunder of the third world why are these people silent > on > farmers suicide starvation deaths unempoleyment illteracy hunger and > disease thousand deing in tortore fake encounters why are these people > silent on millions of girls killd in the womb for patriarchal values in > the > great hindu society why are these peole silent when the great hindus burn > thierbrides fordowry there is a rape in everyhalf an hour in hour great > hindu country according to the figures from our great govt why are thses > people silent and not ashamed of the daily humilition and expoitationf > dalits since centuries whom does thses people represent at least the cia > agents get salaries and the capitalits profit world imperialism ould never > be so happy after getting so many unpaid agents in india > asit > > On Feb 11, 2008 4:18 AM, Aditya Raj Kaul wrote: > >> Pampering Killers - Joginder Singh >> >> *Politicians are predisposed not to see spending Other People's Money as >> a >> problem, because spending Other People's Money is what politicians do for >> a >> living. If politicians thought there were something wrong with it, they >> would be in a different line of work.* >> * >> - Michael F Cannon* >> >> ** >> *The UPA Government has decided to provide a relief package to dependents >> of >> terrorists -- those men who fought against the integrity of India and >> were >> killed by the security forces in encounters in Jammu & Kashmir. They did >> nothing for the country except attempting to destabilise it and kill >> innocent civilians. They tried their best to demoralise and assassinate >> those who were standing against them and for our nation.* >> ** >> *If implemented, the policy will make India look foolish in the eyes of >> the >> world, especially since our rulers are crying hoarse over terrorism. >> Incidentally, India is still bound by the UN resolution that demands >> strict >> action against terrorists. That the Government has also decided to come >> out >> with an aid package for the Kashmiri Pandits, rendered refugees in their >> own >> country, must have been an afterthought. Now, if the Government decision >> applies to the killers in Jammu & Kashmir, there is no reason not to >> extend >> it to other terrorists - Maoists and rebels in the North-East. The >> following >> chart will give an idea of the terrorists and killers in the other parts >> of >> the country.* >> ** >> *Read more on - http://kashmiris-in-exile.blogspot.com/* >> ** >> *Thanks* >> ** >> *On behalf of Roots In Kashmir * >> ** >> *Aditya Raj Kaul * >> *New Delhi* >> ** >> *P.S. - RIK has just launched its Campaign Video here - * >> * http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xI0STMGgA4g* >> ** >> * Please do watch and comment if possible.* >> _________________________________________ >> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >> Critiques & Collaborations >> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >> subscribe in the subject header. >> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >> List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > subscribe in the subject header. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From mahmood.farooqui at gmail.com Tue Feb 12 12:27:50 2008 From: mahmood.farooqui at gmail.com (mahmood farooqui) Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2008 12:27:50 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] On ignoring Taslima Message-ID: It is said that after he announced his Prophethood Hazrat Mohammed suffered severe persecution in Mecca. The vitriol and calumny extended from the verbal to the physical. There was one woman who would always throw filth on him whenever he passed by her house. He would unfailingly take the same route everyday and she would equally invariably throw filth on her. He never protested. One day as he passed her house, she was missing. He inquired after her and learning that she was sick he went up to her room, and finding her bed-ridden, tended to her. I grew up listening to a lot of stories from my grandmother about the Prophet Mohammed. Told in an anecdotal form, the stories largely avoided his image as a conqueror and concentrated instead on his personality, specially his grace under hardship. I narrate this story especially to remind my compatriots about what they might do when faced with hostility, or criticism. I write this particularly in the context of Taslima Nasrin, whose vise expires this week and she still does not know whether it will be extended or not. Taslima Nasrin must be given an opportunity to stay on in India, and must be provided that opportunity not as a grace or favor but because she is, as a South Asian, as a fellow human, fully entitled to it. My appeal rests not merely on a liberal idea of freedom of expression, or on making this a litmus test for India's pluralism. India's pluralism, where it exists in practice, is not dependent on appeals or testimonials from intellectuals. Our pluralism does not, and has not, precluded violent confrontations between different social groups. However, we also have countervailing traditions of coming to a working adjustment with each other, which, as an aside, partly explains why the word 'adjust' is so popular in all Indian languages. Denying her asylum is not, suddenly, going to make India less pluralistic or more intolerant than it currently is. It would not, anyway, be unprecedented. We have banned books enough, books which continue to circulate anyway, and have gagged and arrested authors and artists too. It is also not, for me, a case for harking back to the first principles of freedom of expression. I could question the value of freedom of expression in a society where large minorities do not have the freedom to be, but I will let that pass for the moment. We all know what Voltaire said about difference of opinions, and of course we know much less about how much he himself deviated from that maxim, but it is more important for us to find ways of understanding that maxim which make sense to our traditions of treating certain matters with reverence, and veneration. I can't say whether Taslima Nasrin erred in writing what she did, which we of course do not know much about. She grew up in a society dominated by an Islam which, unlike in India, is, in many ways, an establishment religion. In such circumstances, questioning authority can easily lead to questioning traditions that are sanctified in the name of religion and in patriarchal societies, authority needs to be questioned. There are, of course, ways of questioning patriarchal religions and we may find some ways less appealing than ours, in fact some ways may arouse our just wrath. But in civilized societies, the sort of society the Islamic prophet wanted to build, wrath should not, cannot lead to mob judgments about a person's right to live. It would be easy to dismiss demonstrations against Taslima Nasrin, at Calcutta and elsewhere, because, especially after the recent events in Bombay, we know how easily demonstrations can be mounted and how, transient, passions can be manufactured. The thousands of young men roaming the streets of Calcutta were probably good Muslims, in some ways, but who would, perhaps, flout, many Islamic injunctions, and taboos, in their everyday lives. Like watching films, at one time regarded, at least in my family, as an absolute kufr, (an act of infidelity), or ogling at women. Nevertheless, they have the right, as Muslims, to be upset about somebody's attitude. However, I also know that feelings about Taslima Nasrin run wider than the Calcuttan community. Not all that strong feeling, however, will translate into stone throwing or demanding death and banishment. To those who are upset about what Taslima Nasrin has said and done, I would say that she has already suffered enough. She has spent twelve years in Europe in exile and had she simply hated Bangladesh and loved the west, as some believe to be the case, she cold have gone on living there. She has been buffeted around from Calcutta to Jaipur to Delhi, where she lives almost as a pariah, unable to move, unable to do things she would like to do, to go to places she would like to go to. She is deprived, currently, of normal human freedoms. But even if she hadn't suffered, even if she was merrily partying every night with the swish set of Delhi, she still has the right to demand and receive asylum in this country. Besides she has already been gagged, she will dare not say the things she has already said, she has already agreed to delete pages from her forthcoming books, she has already lost, and so have we. I understand an emasculated community's need for symbolic sops such as exiling Taslima or banning Rushdie. But, to the community, or (it not being a monolith), those among them who feel passionately about this, and to our political class, I would urge the avoidance of false pursuits. Freedom of expression is not an absolute, when free from coercion of our rulers we may become victims of ideological fetters. But Taslima is a dissenter, and in spite of Voltaire, we must protect dissenters. She must stay in India because we must be free to criticize and not unfree to maim in return. In the name of Islamic values, we must protect her and listen to her, specially. _______________ From atreyee.m at gmail.com Tue Feb 12 12:31:48 2008 From: atreyee.m at gmail.com (atreyee majumder) Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2008 12:31:48 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: Invitation for public meeting on "Anti-displacement struggles in Orissa" In-Reply-To: References: <20080208082944.9592.qmail@webmail55.rediffmail.com> Message-ID: <1944bc230802112301t24eb5abew9ee47309b45288b2@mail.gmail.com> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Shomona Khanna Date: Feb 12, 2008 12:26 PM Subject: Fwd: Invitation for public meeting on "Anti-displacement struggles in Orissa" *JANHASTAKSHEP; A CAMPAIGN AGAINST FASCIST DESIGNS* * * *Invitation for a public meeting on* * * *"Challenges before Anti-Displacement Struggles In Orissa"* * * Period of last two decades has seen intensification of the pro-imperialist economic policies of the Indian ruling classes. The new 'SEZ Policy' policy is a particularly rabid manifestation of the servility of the comprador Indian rulers to their imperialist masters. Though SEZs are being touted as the fast track to country's industrial development and employment generation, in effect they are part of the well laid out strategy of the imperialist powers to destroy the backbone of our agricultural economy, on which overwhelming section of India's people survive and to hasten the exploitation of our vast natural resources. The widespread agricultural distress being deepened due to acquisition of vast tracts of agricultural land for so called development projects, has spelled doom for our food security besides destroying livelihood of millions of poor Indians. SEZs are 'special exploitation zones' where cheap labor is being lent for rapacious exploitation by industrial corporations in absence of any labor laws. Exceptional tax exemptions are being offered to the companies for setting up their shop in SEZs, in return for the kickbacks for the friendly politicians and bureaucrats. As regards compensation, let alone any compensation for the lands being acquired now, even the oustees of the development projects of the fifties and sixties have not been properly rehabilitated. People have learnt from their experience. No wonder then that SEZs have met with stiff resistance from the people, specially the peasantry in all corners of the country. Orissa has been witness to some of the most heroic of these struggles. 13 tribal peasants were martyred at Kalinganagar in their struggle against forcible acquisition of land for setting up of steel plant by Tata Steel. Villagers at Jagatsinghpur have stood up bravely against the setting up of the POSCO's steel plant. These humble sons and daughters of Orissa have thus far succeeded in foiling the designs of the industrial corporations backed by the coercive machinery of the state. However the unabashed use of muscle power by the CPM in Nandigram to crush the opposition of the peasantry to setting up of a SEZ there, seems to have emboldened the governments elsewhere to resort to open use of police and goonda force for suppressing anti-displacement movements. This poses new challenges before these movements and underlines the need for broader democratic support to these struggles. It is a welcome sign that people in different parts of the country; specially the peasantry has not succumbed to this onslaught as a fiat accompli and has posed a formidable challenge even by sacrificing of their lives. As concerned citizens of the country we can hardly afford the 'know all' arrogance of the elite. It is our patriotic duty to stand in support of the anti-displacement struggles of the peasantry, against the pro-imperialist development model being pushed by our rulers. * * *Panelists:* · *Representative of Bisthapan Birodhi Manch, Sukinda* · *Prafulla Das: POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti* · *Rajendra Sarangi: Convener, Lokpakhya* * Date: 13th February, 2008 at 5.00 pm. Venue: Gandhi Peace Foundation, ITO* From radhikarajen at vsnl.net Tue Feb 12 13:28:32 2008 From: radhikarajen at vsnl.net (radhikarajen at vsnl.net) Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2008 13:28:32 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] On ignoring Taslima References: Message-ID: Well appreciated good views and thoughts representing perhaps the silent majority of true muslims .In any faith, there are silent majority who would love to live good life, both at materialistic, intellectual and spiritual spheres and the system of governance always takes it for granted this silence majority and tries to coerce such majority when an election is around the corner with the typical foisted "leaders" in those communities, methods of coercion differ with funds of the political parties and access to national exchequer. A democratic nation needs a system of good governance that has legislatures who abide by the rules, not get above the laws, beaurocrats who execute laws without fear or favour, judiciary which is accountable to society, to adjudicate without fear or favour and is of good morals and ethics, but is it too much to expect where material gains are more important than good life for all in society. ? Freedom of expression of an individual or a society is not absolute , is correct and right as long as it does not impinge other individuals and societies.In a civil society, if some individuals take license in the guise of freedom of expression to express their dissent in moderate views, that certainly is good for the society to have an introspection of itself and correct the ills in society. With media and technology, we have now celebrity anchors who live on miseries of the humanity, with new HR perks of promotion and titles, awards and rewards, but are they truely journalists or just celebrity anchors who have absolutely no social responsibilty in media. ? Taslima, Hussain and many dissenters have become celebrities more because of these anchors who love to titillate and sensationalise every incident when a Raj Thackeray utters some views it is played out every half hour again and again and the reaction of an Abu Azmi is then more of a repeat of hit for the masses, thus provoking the elephantine societies to have a go at each other as more news and breaking news is created of induced rift and earthquake in peaceful society, thanks to hungry more for more news attitude of whatever it takes to create news, even at the cost of destruction of tranquil societal peace, such anchors should first be taken care of by laws of the nation, booked and prosecuted for the same offence as a Raj or Abu, as otherwise the mob takes care of them which is highly undesirable. Regards. ----- Original Message ----- From: "mahmood farooqui" To: "SARAI" Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2008 12:27 PM Subject: [Reader-list] On ignoring Taslima > It is said that after he announced his Prophethood Hazrat Mohammed > suffered severe persecution in Mecca. The vitriol and calumny extended > from the verbal to the physical. There was one woman who would always > throw filth on him whenever he passed by her house. He would > unfailingly take the same route everyday and she would equally > invariably throw filth on her. He never protested. One day as he > passed her house, she was missing. He inquired after her and learning > that she was sick he went up to her room, and finding her bed-ridden, > tended to her. I grew up listening to a lot of stories from my > grandmother about the Prophet Mohammed. Told in an anecdotal form, the > stories largely avoided his image as a conqueror and concentrated > instead on his personality, specially his grace under hardship. I > narrate this story especially to remind my compatriots about what they > might do when faced with hostility, or criticism. > > I write this particularly in the context of Taslima Nasrin, whose vise > expires this week and she still does not know whether it will be > extended or not. Taslima Nasrin must be given an opportunity to stay > on in India, and must be provided that opportunity not as a grace or > favor but because she is, as a South Asian, as a fellow human, fully > entitled to it. My appeal rests not merely on a liberal idea of > freedom of expression, or on making this a litmus test for India's > pluralism. India's pluralism, where it exists in practice, is not > dependent on appeals or testimonials from intellectuals. Our pluralism > does not, and has not, precluded violent confrontations between > different social groups. However, we also have countervailing > traditions of coming to a working adjustment with each other, which, > as an aside, partly explains why the word 'adjust' is so popular in > all Indian languages. > > Denying her asylum is not, suddenly, going to make India less > pluralistic or more intolerant than it currently is. It would not, > anyway, be unprecedented. We have banned books enough, books which > continue to circulate anyway, and have gagged and arrested authors and > artists too. It is also not, for me, a case for harking back to the > first principles of freedom of expression. I could question the value > of freedom of expression in a society where large minorities do not > have the freedom to be, but I will let that pass for the moment. We > all know what Voltaire said about difference of opinions, and of > course we know much less about how much he himself deviated from that > maxim, but it is more important for us to find ways of understanding > that maxim which make sense to our traditions of treating certain > matters with reverence, and veneration. > > I can't say whether Taslima Nasrin erred in writing what she did, > which we of course do not know much about. She grew up in a society > dominated by an Islam which, unlike in India, is, in many ways, an > establishment religion. In such circumstances, questioning authority > can easily lead to questioning traditions that are sanctified in the > name of religion and in patriarchal societies, authority needs to be > questioned. There are, of course, ways of questioning patriarchal > religions and we may find some ways less appealing than ours, in fact > some ways may arouse our just wrath. But in civilized societies, the > sort of society the Islamic prophet wanted to build, wrath should not, > cannot lead to mob judgments about a person's right to live. > > It would be easy to dismiss demonstrations against Taslima Nasrin, at > Calcutta and elsewhere, because, especially after the recent events in > Bombay, we know how easily demonstrations can be mounted and how, > transient, passions can be manufactured. The thousands of young men > roaming the streets of Calcutta were probably good Muslims, in some > ways, but who would, perhaps, flout, many Islamic injunctions, and > taboos, in their everyday lives. Like watching films, at one time > regarded, at least in my family, as an absolute kufr, (an act of > infidelity), or ogling at women. Nevertheless, they have the right, as > Muslims, to be upset about somebody's attitude. However, I also know > that feelings about Taslima Nasrin run wider than the Calcuttan > community. Not all that strong feeling, however, will translate into > stone throwing or demanding death and banishment. > > To those who are upset about what Taslima Nasrin has said and done, I > would say that she has already suffered enough. She has spent twelve > years in Europe in exile and had she simply hated Bangladesh and loved > the west, as some believe to be the case, she cold have gone on living > there. She has been buffeted around from Calcutta to Jaipur to Delhi, > where she lives almost as a pariah, unable to move, unable to do > things she would like to do, to go to places she would like to go to. > She is deprived, currently, of normal human freedoms. But even if she > hadn't suffered, even if she was merrily partying every night with the > swish set of Delhi, she still has the right to demand and receive > asylum in this country. Besides she has already been gagged, she will > dare not say the things she has already said, she has already agreed > to delete pages from her forthcoming books, she has already lost, and > so have we. > > I understand an emasculated community's need for symbolic sops such as > exiling Taslima or banning Rushdie. But, to the community, or (it not > being a monolith), those among them who feel passionately about this, > and to our political class, I would urge the avoidance of false > pursuits. Freedom of expression is not an absolute, when free from > coercion of our rulers we may become victims of ideological fetters. > But Taslima is a dissenter, and in spite of Voltaire, we must protect > dissenters. She must stay in India because we must be free to > criticize and not unfree to maim in return. In the name of Islamic > values, we must protect her and listen to her, specially. > > _______________ > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > subscribe in the subject header. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From mail at shivamvij.com Tue Feb 12 13:44:12 2008 From: mail at shivamvij.com (=?UTF-8?Q?Shivam_Vij?= =?UTF-8?Q?_=E0=A4=B6=E0=A4=BF=E0=A4=B5=E0=A4=AE?= =?UTF-8?Q?=E0=A5=8D_=E0=A4=B5=E0=A4=BF=E0=A4=9C=E0=A5=8D?=) Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2008 13:44:12 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] =?utf-8?q?The_man_who_didn=E2=80=99t_know_too_much?= Message-ID: <9c06aab30802120014s1086c0a6rae88e1dc92d857ff@mail.gmail.com> The man who didn't know too much Cho Ramaswamy February 07, 2008 http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=17d9cde3-bb44-494f-bed8-3c1df7d5f293&&Headline=The+man+who+didn%u2019t+know+too+much Dr Manmohan Singh was worried. No, not worried, but concerned. No, not concerned, but agitated. Yes. When curiosity starts biting viciously, the mind cannot but get agitated. He was, of course, curious. And there seemed to be no way of quenching that curiosity. The media were agog with rumours about an impending cabinet reshuffle. If it had been an official announcement, the PM would not have bothered. He knew that a formal denial would follow. This was a rumour featured in all gossip columns. The greatest gossip of them all, the visual media, were also forecasting a cabinet reshuffle. One can ignore news, but the man who disregards a rumour, does so at his own peril. So the cultured Doctor was sure that there was going to be a reshuffle. But who was going to barge in and who was going to be kicked out? Will the portfolios of the ministers be changed? Who will get what? The PM was anxious to know. Of course, being only the PM and not Sonia Gandhi, he had no right to expect to know anything in advance. His lot, he knew, was to wait and watch. He would come to know, when the ministers would be sworn in by Abdul Kalam. No, no, not Abdul Kalam. He was no longer the President. That woman — what was her name? — some Patel. Ahamed Patel? No, a woman. Some other Patel. Ah! Pratibha Patil! When she would say 'I...' and rest her office, the ministers — at least the new ones if any — would have to confess their names and admit their identities. Then the Prime Minister would know. But curiosity is something that cannot wait to be killed at the last moment. He wanted to know in advance, at least before the invited audience at the Rashtrapati Bhavan came to know the names and the faces. What faces? Does it matter at all? After all, whatever the face is now, it will be lost once the person joined the cabinet. But that is a side issue. Who are going to become ministers? That is the question now. Curiosity, earlier biting the PM, now started eating into him. He had to do something about it. He could ask Karunanidhi. At least he would know, whether his daughter was going to be inducted into the cabinet or not. But if Dr Manmohan Singh talked to him, Karunanidhi would definitely talk about the Ram Sethu issue. He would want to know the Centre's position on it and the line it was going to take before the Supreme Court. And what could the PM say? If the government knew what it was going to tell the Supreme Court, it would have already done so. The government, being a secular one, had nothing but contempt for Rama. But he seemed to carry some votes in his pocket. If there was a way of keeping the votes and letting Rama go, the government would have embraced the idea with enthusiasm. But Karunanidhi would not listen. He wanted the bridge to go along with Rama, making way for TR Balu, the Shipping Minister to sail in the Palk Straits. So talking to Karunanidhi would only be inviting acrimony. Lalu Prasad Yadav might know all about the cabinet reshuffle. But if the PM asked Lalu to satisfy his curiosity, Lalu may use the occasion to demand a Bharat Ratna for Rabri Devi. Sure, anyone who would be prepared to accept the award from the hands of the present President would be making the ultimate sacrifice. The sacrifice of self-respect. That itself, being an act of the highest form of humility, would make the person deserving of the highest award. But then, if Rabri was given the Bharat Ratna, the next in line would be Mrs Deve Gowda. And Sonia Gandhi would not like that. So Lalu cannot be approached. Who else? Pranab Mukherjee? He was already considering himself to be more important than the PM. Why confirm it by seeking enlightenment from him? Chidambaram could be knowing some particulars, as his son was close to DMK circles, thus being in a position to know Sonia Gandhi's mind. But, after the recent coronation by a TV channel as the Indian Politician of the Year, Chidambaram would be assuming airs. Not that he did not have any earlier. But the air assumed by him now could be so dense that he may be causing a low pressure area around himself. And worse, under the pretext of mentioning in passing the next budget, he may start giving lessons in economics to Dr Manmohan Singh. That being the ultimate in humiliation, would be the limit. No, no Chidambaram. Anyway who knew what was going to happen to him in the reshuffle? The Leftists were already baying for his blood. Talking of Leftists, Prakash Karat would certainly be posted with all details about the reshuffle. But if he was approached, he may start talking about the nuclear deal. It was already exploding in the PM's face, and he did not want to invite another blast. The effects of radiation had started to tell. Arjun Singh may be expected to find out at least some aspects of the reshuffle. But he would carry tales to Sonia Gandhi, accusing the PM of being a nosey sort of man, exhibiting an inquisitiveness, totally unbecoming of his office. The PM was by now a man resigned to his fate. He wrote on a piece of paper lying on his table, "Who am I to aspire to know anything in advance? I am only a Prime Minister. There are higher powers." He studied it to steady himself, and stifle his curiosity. And to divert his mind, he switched on the TV set. Someone was giving a pitch report prior to a one-day fixture and pointing to a spot on the pitch said, "Look… over here, yes over here…" The other words were lost on the PM. The words "over here" had an electrifying effect on him. Yes. That's it! One can 'overhear'! Sonia and Rahul Gandhi would definitely be discussing the cabinet reshuffle, to decide who was going to be made what. If only he could go to Sonia Gandhi's residence, hide in a convenient corner, and listen, he could get all details. But could he? The hiding part of it, he could carry out with consummate skill, having perfected the art by sheer practice. After all, whenever the communists came to discuss the proposed pact with the US, he had successfully hidden himself. When he started weighing the pros and cons of attempting to overhear the conversation between Sonia and her son, his enthusiasm diminished. There were no pros, but plenty of cons. Just then, he heard some footsteps. Someone was approaching. No, there were two of them, somebody talking to somebody. Yes. They were Sonia and Rahul approaching his room. Dr Manmohan Singh was shaken. Their arrival on the scene, just as he was considering the outrageous act of overhearing their conversation, disconcerted him. He felt as if he was already eavesdropping. His conscience castigated him. He felt guilty. He also knew, that his face would reveal all. His was the face of a nobleman, and it would not hide his inner secrets. One look at him, and she would know. He must avoid the mother and the son. He took a decision. His face would not hide anything, but he could hide himself. He jumped from his chair, jumped around the sofa set, jumped over a table, and the final jump led him behind a wardrobe. As he stood motionless, a practice which had grown on him through his years of prime ministership, Sonia and Rahul seated themselves near the table where he had been sitting and brooding. They thought that he had gone to the restroom, and would be returning shortly. Just then, Sonia Gandhi's eyes fell on the piece of paper on which he had been scribbling. The words, "Who am I to aspire to know anything in advance? I am only a Prime Minister. There are higher powers," stared at her. She was impressed and showed it to Rahul. He too was impressed. "Could we ever hope to get a Prime Minister like him? Whoever comes or goes, he must stay." As he heard these words of Sonia Gandhi, Dr Manmohan Singh, heaved a silent sigh of relief. Whatever the blasted reshuffle did, it would not touch him. Cho Ramaswamy is a political commentator and Editor, Tughlak From machleetank at gmail.com Tue Feb 12 23:18:32 2008 From: machleetank at gmail.com (Jasmeen P) Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2008 23:18:32 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] question/ answer : Blank Noise Message-ID: Hello With our most recent blog postat Blank Noise we want to open a space for dialogue. Please send in your rarely asked burning questions about Blank Noise to us at blurtblanknoise at gmail.com or leave it in the comments section below. New volunteers are requested to participate more so, because with the answering of questions and clearing of doubts we will be able to hopefully move forward. It is always exciting and challenging to work with volunteers from across the country because every individuals brings in his or her enthusiasm and interprets Blank Noise in a unique way. At the end 20 questions will be selected and answered right here on the blog! All questions will be shared on the blog*. * *Deadline for questions is Feb 22nd. Answers will be published in a week from the due date ** * We thank you. always! Blank Noise Team BLANK NOISE www.blog.blanknoise.org PHONE : 0091 98868 40612 -- ph: + 91 98868 40612 From naeem.mohaiemen at gmail.com Wed Feb 13 10:09:30 2008 From: naeem.mohaiemen at gmail.com (Naeem Mohaiemen) Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2008 10:39:30 +0600 Subject: [Reader-list] Arundhati/Mahasweta/Ashish/Girish on Taslima Nasrin Message-ID: Public Statement by Forum For The Protection of Free Speech and Expression At a time when India is projecting itself on the world's stage as a modern democracy, while it hosts international literary festivals and book fairs, the Government of India, most mainstream political parties and their armed squads are mounting a concerted assault on peoples' right to Free Speech. It is a matter of abiding shame that even as some of the world's best-known writers were attending the Jaipur literary festival and prestigious publishers were doing business at the World Book fair in Delhi, the exiled Bengali writer Taslima Nasrin was (and is) being held in custody by the Government of India in an undisclosed location somewhere in or around Delhi in conditions that amount to house arrest. Contrary to misleading press reports stating that her visa has been extended, her visa expires on the 18th of February, after which she is liable to be deported or remain confined as an illegal alien. Taslima Nasrin is only one in a long list of journalists, writers, scholars and artists who have been persecuted, banned, imprisoned, forced into exile or had their work desecrated in this country. At different points of time, different governments have either directly or indirectly resorted to these measures in order to fan the flames of religious, regional and ethnic obscurantism to gain popularity and expand their 'vote-banks'. Every day the threat to Free Speech and Expression increases. In the case of Taslima Nasrin it was the CPI (M) and not any religious or sectarian group who first tried to ban her book Dwikhondito some years ago. The ban was lifted by the Calcutta High Court and the book was in the market and on bestseller lists in West Bengal for several years. During those years Taslima Nasrin lived and worked as a free person in Calcutta without any threat to her person, without being the cause of public disorder, protests or demonstrations. Ironically, Taslima Nasrin's troubles in India began immediately after the Nandigram uprising when the people of Nandigram, mostly Dalits and Muslims, rose to resist the West Bengal Government's attempt to takeover their land, and tens of thousands of people marched in Calcutta to protest the government's actions. Within days a little known group claiming to speak for the Muslim community asked for a ban on Dwikhondito and demanded that Taslima Nasrin be deported. The CPI(M)-led government of West Bengal immediately caved in to the demand, informed her that it could not offer her security, and lost no time in deporting her from West Bengal against her will. The Congress-led UPA Government has condoned this act by holding her in custody in Delhi and refusing, thus far, to extend her visa and relieve her of her public humiliation. They have once again played the suicidal card of pitting minority communalism against majority communalism, a game that can only end in disaster. Inevitably, hoping to make political capital out of the situation, the BJP is publicly shedding crocodile tears over Taslima Nasrin, going to the extent of offering her asylum in Gujarat. It seems to expect people to forget that the BJP, VHP and RSS cadres have been at the forefront of harassing, persecuting, threatening and vandalizing newspaper offices, television studios, galleries, cinema halls, filmmakers, artists and writers. Or that they have forced M.F. Husain, one of India's best-known painters, into exile. Meanwhile, in states like Chattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, away from the public glare of press conferences and television cameras, journalists are being threatened and even imprisoned. Prashant Rahi from Uttarakhand, Praful Jha from Chattisgarh, Srisailum from Andhra Pradesh, P. Govind Kutty from Kerala are a few examples. As we speak Govind Kutty, who is on a hunger strike in prison is being force-fed, bound hand and foot. Scores of ordinary people, including people like Binayak Sen have been arrested and held illegally under false charges. We the undersigned do not necessarily agree with, endorse or admire the views or the work of those whose rights we seek to defend. Many of us have serious differences with them. We agree that many of them do offend our (or someone else's) religious, political and ideological sensibilities. However, we believe that instead of making them simultaneously into both victims and heroes, their work should be viewed, read, criticized and vigorously debated. We believe that the Freedom of Speech and Expression is an Absolute and Inalienable Right, and is the keystone of a modern democracy. If the Indian Government deports Taslima Nasrin, or holds her as an illegal alien, it will shame and diminish all of us. We demand that she be given a Resident's Permit or, if she has applied for it, Indian citizenship, and that she be allowed to live and work freely in India. We demand that the spurious cases filed against M.F. Husain be dropped and that he be allowed to return to a normal life in India. We demand that the journalists who are being illegally detained in prison against all principles of natural justice be released immediately. Signed: Mahashweta Devi, Arundhati Roy, Ashish Nandy, Girish Karnad From project.labels at gmail.com Wed Feb 13 14:27:00 2008 From: project.labels at gmail.com (Raheema Begum) Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2008 14:27:00 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Speaking Secularism and meaning it. Message-ID: The *White Ribbon Arts Collective* is a group of individuals from across the sub-continent committed to redefining secularism in today's context. While setting up a goal as big as a One State Solution seems suicidal to many people, I gather that there are also others out there who think that this possible and worth doing. While we are all harrowed by the erosion of the secular fabric within the subcontinent, bringing our energies together will give us the momentum we need to see this through. Do you need convincing? Do you need to be nudged out your and our dormancy? *Among the tasks that I envision us performing are sustaining the One State Solution blog , and organising diverse initiatives under White Ribbon Campaign in order to strenghten and sustain your own idea of what it means to be tolerant, secular and plural.* [image: q] *Interested people can please contact me at apsidalobe at gmail.com,* *For The White Ribbon Campaign, **Raheema Begum.** * From radhikarajen at vsnl.net Wed Feb 13 12:50:15 2008 From: radhikarajen at vsnl.net (radhikarajen at vsnl.net) Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2008 12:50:15 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Arundhati/Mahasweta/Ashish/Girish on Taslima Nasrin References: Message-ID: Sir, the very statement that freedom of speech and expression is absolute and unfettered is absolutely incorrect in a civilised society, as societal right to be civilised in expression of speech.Rrights do have a bearing on societal rights in civilised society with duties as the other side of right. While I fully empathise with Taslima nasreen and the political games being played with this issue by the athiests in the society, with views expressed one may or may not agree. But to say that freedom of expression is absolute is like saying that as free citizen every one has right to have coitus on the median of highway in front of all passing vehicular traffic. No freedom is absolute in a society where it impinges on the rights of others in society. Taslima or Hussain can express themselves freely within the parametres of civil society.Hussain in his expression so creative uses his artistic skills to graphically expose his pervert sense of depravity in showing his motherland in nude. ? Why his creative expression looks at his mother fully clothed. ? All those symbols considered sacred and worshipped as believers like, are his objects of expression and crative artistic liberty and right to express in nude. ? Why the same creative expression does not get inspired to portray his parents in conjugal bliss on canvass. ? In Taslimas expression, sure, she has not offended anybody except the clergies of a faith who think that they are the tekedars of the faith, which again is bad in any faith irrespective of the faith, but same is happening in all faiths. All faiths are ways of living a good life, in material, intellectual and spiritual spheres of human existence. To believe or not to believe in any faith is free choice. But the clergies of the faith ,in any faith, always try to impose that their faith is the only saviour, which is unfortunate. Society in free India is divided at the very instant of achieving the freedom of the nation in 1947, by dividing the land mass on faith, then allowing the citizens the option not to go that land mass created for faith. The truth of the matter is even though the bangladesh and pakistan were created for the followers of faith, they are failed states in governance. India, which could have good governance chose to be "secular" but in practise, it only created more divisions in the land mass with language, region and castes communes for political gains. to cap it left further encouraged the neighbouring nations' citizens to have a stay in the free India with fake ration cards, ids and opportunities to live in this nation, while governance in the federal state was diluted to total lack of governance or no governance with fuedal lords of individual communes mastering the art of securing "class votes", " commune votes" and "regional votes" in the election frey. And today election is a fight to secure votes by any fair or foul means to secure power and possession of material wealth, not service to all citizens.In the process, the free India is now islands of communes with every commune trying to corner maximun benefits of democracy to their communes with out fear, depriving the common citizen of all the opportunities to live a dignified life in the nation. Regards. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Naeem Mohaiemen" To: Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2008 10:09 AM Subject: [Reader-list] Arundhati/Mahasweta/Ashish/Girish on Taslima Nasrin > Public Statement by Forum For The Protection of Free Speech and Expression > > At a time when India is projecting itself on the > world's stage as a modern democracy, while it hosts > international literary festivals and book fairs, the > Government of India, most mainstream political parties > and their armed squads are mounting a concerted > assault on peoples' right to Free Speech. > > It is a matter of abiding shame that even as some of > the world's best-known writers were attending the > Jaipur literary festival and prestigious publishers > were doing business at the World Book fair in Delhi, > the exiled Bengali writer Taslima Nasrin was (and is) > being held in custody by the Government of India in an > undisclosed location somewhere in or around Delhi in > conditions that amount to house arrest. Contrary to > misleading press reports stating that her visa has > been extended, her visa expires on the 18th of > February, after which she is liable to be deported or > remain confined as an illegal alien. > > Taslima Nasrin is only one in a long list of > journalists, writers, scholars and artists who have > been persecuted, banned, imprisoned, forced into exile > or had their work desecrated in this country. At > different points of time, different governments have > either directly or indirectly resorted to these > measures in order to fan the flames of religious, > regional and ethnic obscurantism to gain popularity > and expand their 'vote-banks'. Every day the threat to > Free Speech and Expression increases. > > In the case of Taslima Nasrin it was the CPI (M) and > not any religious or sectarian group who first tried > to ban her book Dwikhondito some years ago. The ban > was lifted by the Calcutta High Court and the book was > in the market and on bestseller lists in West Bengal > for several years. During those years Taslima Nasrin > lived and worked as a free person in Calcutta without > any threat to her person, without being the cause of > public disorder, protests or demonstrations. > Ironically, Taslima Nasrin's troubles in India began > immediately after the Nandigram uprising when the > people of Nandigram, mostly Dalits and Muslims, rose > to resist the West Bengal Government's attempt to > takeover their land, and tens of thousands of people > marched in Calcutta to protest the government's > actions. Within days a little known group claiming to > speak for the Muslim community asked for a ban on > Dwikhondito and demanded that Taslima Nasrin be > deported. The CPI(M)-led government of West Bengal > immediately caved in to the demand, informed her that > it could not offer her security, and lost no time in > deporting her from West Bengal against her will. The > Congress-led UPA Government has condoned this act by > holding her in custody in Delhi and refusing, thus > far, to extend her visa and relieve her of her public > humiliation. They have once again played the suicidal > card of pitting minority communalism against majority > communalism, a game that can only end in disaster. > > Inevitably, hoping to make political capital out of > the situation, the BJP is publicly shedding crocodile > tears over Taslima Nasrin, going to the extent of > offering her asylum in Gujarat. It seems to expect > people to forget that the BJP, VHP and RSS cadres have > been at the forefront of harassing, persecuting, > threatening and vandalizing newspaper offices, > television studios, galleries, cinema halls, > filmmakers, artists and writers. Or that they have > forced M.F. Husain, one of India's best-known > painters, into exile. > > Meanwhile, in states like Chattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh > and Karnataka, away from the public glare of press > conferences and television cameras, journalists are > being threatened and even imprisoned. Prashant Rahi > from Uttarakhand, Praful Jha from Chattisgarh, > Srisailum from Andhra Pradesh, P. Govind Kutty from > Kerala are a few examples. As we speak Govind Kutty, > who is on a hunger strike in prison is being > force-fed, bound hand and foot. Scores of ordinary > people, including people like Binayak Sen have been > arrested and held illegally under false charges. > > We the undersigned do not necessarily agree with, > endorse or admire the views or the work of those whose > rights we seek to defend. Many of us have serious > differences with them. We agree that many of them do > offend our (or someone else's) religious, political > and ideological sensibilities. However, we believe > that instead of making them simultaneously into both > victims and heroes, their work should be viewed, read, > criticized and vigorously debated. We believe that the > Freedom of Speech and Expression is an Absolute and > Inalienable Right, and is the keystone of a modern > democracy. > > If the Indian Government deports Taslima Nasrin, or > holds her as an illegal alien, it will shame and > diminish all of us. We demand that she be given a > Resident's Permit or, if she has applied for it, > Indian citizenship, and that she be allowed to live > and work freely in India. We demand that the spurious > cases filed against M.F. Husain be dropped and that he > be allowed to return to a normal life in India. We > demand that the journalists who are being illegally > detained in prison against all principles of natural > justice be released immediately. > > Signed: > > Mahashweta Devi, Arundhati Roy, Ashish Nandy, Girish > Karnad > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > subscribe in the subject header. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From jeebesh at sarai.net Wed Feb 13 16:44:55 2008 From: jeebesh at sarai.net (Jeebesh Bagchi) Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2008 16:14:55 +0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Arundhati/Mahasweta/Ashish/Girish on Taslima Nasrin In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <767F9167-120E-4DE7-8C87-8ACE7297E6B6@sarai.net> dear All, In this case the question is not about freedom of speech. Taslima is not a citizen of India, so State in India has no jurisdiction to have a say on her freedom of speech. The state can persecute her publishers or ban the book but her freedom of speech is not guaranteed here. The question is of "ashraya" (or what is termed as asylum). Every culture has developed ways of thinking about "ashraya" and very interesting histories can be uncovered here from all over the world. It will be interesting how "ashraya" is thought in our times. warmly jeebesh On 13-Feb-08, at 12:20 PM, radhikarajen at vsnl.net wrote: > Sir, > > the very statement that freedom of speech and expression is > absolute and > unfettered is absolutely incorrect in a civilised society, as > societal right > to be civilised in expression of speech.Rrights do have a bearing on > societal rights in civilised society with duties as the other side > of right. > While I fully empathise with Taslima nasreen and the political > games being > played with this issue by the athiests in the society, with views > expressed > one may or may not agree. But to say that freedom of expression is > absolute > is like saying that as free citizen every one has right to have > coitus on > the median of highway in front of all passing vehicular traffic. > No freedom is absolute in a society where it impinges on the > rights of > others in society. Taslima or Hussain can express themselves freely > within > the parametres of civil society.Hussain in his expression so > creative uses > his artistic skills to graphically expose his pervert sense of > depravity in > showing his motherland in nude. ? Why his creative expression looks > at his > mother fully clothed. ? All those symbols considered sacred and > worshipped > as believers like, are his objects of expression and crative artistic > liberty and right to express in nude. ? Why the same creative > expression > does not get inspired to portray his parents in conjugal bliss on > canvass. ? > In Taslimas expression, sure, she has not offended anybody except > the > clergies of a faith who think that they are the tekedars of the > faith, which > again is bad in any faith irrespective of the faith, but same is > happening > in all faiths. > All faiths are ways of living a good life, in material, > intellectual and > spiritual spheres of human existence. To believe or not to believe > in any > faith is free choice. But the clergies of the faith ,in any faith, > always > try to impose that their faith is the only saviour, which is > unfortunate. > Society in free India is divided at the very instant of achieving > the > freedom of the nation in 1947, by dividing the land mass on faith, > then > allowing the citizens the option not to go that land mass created > for faith. > The truth of the matter is even though the bangladesh and pakistan > were > created for the followers of faith, they are failed states in > governance. > India, which could have good governance chose to be "secular" but in > practise, it only created more divisions in the land mass with > language, > region and castes communes for political gains. to cap it left further > encouraged the neighbouring nations' citizens to have a stay in the > free > India with fake ration cards, ids and opportunities to live in this > nation, > while governance in the federal state was diluted to total lack of > governance or no governance with fuedal lords of individual communes > mastering the art of securing "class votes", " commune votes" and > "regional > votes" in the election frey. And today election is a fight to > secure votes > by any fair or foul means to secure power and possession of > material wealth, > not service to all citizens.In the process, the free India is now > islands of > communes with every commune trying to corner maximun benefits of > democracy > to their communes with out fear, depriving the common citizen of > all the > opportunities to live a dignified life in the nation. > > Regards. > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Naeem Mohaiemen" > To: > Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2008 10:09 AM > Subject: [Reader-list] Arundhati/Mahasweta/Ashish/Girish on Taslima > Nasrin > > >> Public Statement by Forum For The Protection of Free Speech and >> Expression >> >> At a time when India is projecting itself on the >> world's stage as a modern democracy, while it hosts >> international literary festivals and book fairs, the >> Government of India, most mainstream political parties >> and their armed squads are mounting a concerted >> assault on peoples' right to Free Speech. >> >> It is a matter of abiding shame that even as some of >> the world's best-known writers were attending the >> Jaipur literary festival and prestigious publishers >> were doing business at the World Book fair in Delhi, >> the exiled Bengali writer Taslima Nasrin was (and is) >> being held in custody by the Government of India in an >> undisclosed location somewhere in or around Delhi in >> conditions that amount to house arrest. Contrary to >> misleading press reports stating that her visa has >> been extended, her visa expires on the 18th of >> February, after which she is liable to be deported or >> remain confined as an illegal alien. >> >> Taslima Nasrin is only one in a long list of >> journalists, writers, scholars and artists who have >> been persecuted, banned, imprisoned, forced into exile >> or had their work desecrated in this country. At >> different points of time, different governments have >> either directly or indirectly resorted to these >> measures in order to fan the flames of religious, >> regional and ethnic obscurantism to gain popularity >> and expand their 'vote-banks'. Every day the threat to >> Free Speech and Expression increases. >> >> In the case of Taslima Nasrin it was the CPI (M) and >> not any religious or sectarian group who first tried >> to ban her book Dwikhondito some years ago. The ban >> was lifted by the Calcutta High Court and the book was >> in the market and on bestseller lists in West Bengal >> for several years. During those years Taslima Nasrin >> lived and worked as a free person in Calcutta without >> any threat to her person, without being the cause of >> public disorder, protests or demonstrations. >> Ironically, Taslima Nasrin's troubles in India began >> immediately after the Nandigram uprising when the >> people of Nandigram, mostly Dalits and Muslims, rose >> to resist the West Bengal Government's attempt to >> takeover their land, and tens of thousands of people >> marched in Calcutta to protest the government's >> actions. Within days a little known group claiming to >> speak for the Muslim community asked for a ban on >> Dwikhondito and demanded that Taslima Nasrin be >> deported. The CPI(M)-led government of West Bengal >> immediately caved in to the demand, informed her that >> it could not offer her security, and lost no time in >> deporting her from West Bengal against her will. The >> Congress-led UPA Government has condoned this act by >> holding her in custody in Delhi and refusing, thus >> far, to extend her visa and relieve her of her public >> humiliation. They have once again played the suicidal >> card of pitting minority communalism against majority >> communalism, a game that can only end in disaster. >> >> Inevitably, hoping to make political capital out of >> the situation, the BJP is publicly shedding crocodile >> tears over Taslima Nasrin, going to the extent of >> offering her asylum in Gujarat. It seems to expect >> people to forget that the BJP, VHP and RSS cadres have >> been at the forefront of harassing, persecuting, >> threatening and vandalizing newspaper offices, >> television studios, galleries, cinema halls, >> filmmakers, artists and writers. Or that they have >> forced M.F. Husain, one of India's best-known >> painters, into exile. >> >> Meanwhile, in states like Chattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh >> and Karnataka, away from the public glare of press >> conferences and television cameras, journalists are >> being threatened and even imprisoned. Prashant Rahi >> from Uttarakhand, Praful Jha from Chattisgarh, >> Srisailum from Andhra Pradesh, P. Govind Kutty from >> Kerala are a few examples. As we speak Govind Kutty, >> who is on a hunger strike in prison is being >> force-fed, bound hand and foot. Scores of ordinary >> people, including people like Binayak Sen have been >> arrested and held illegally under false charges. >> >> We the undersigned do not necessarily agree with, >> endorse or admire the views or the work of those whose >> rights we seek to defend. Many of us have serious >> differences with them. We agree that many of them do >> offend our (or someone else's) religious, political >> and ideological sensibilities. However, we believe >> that instead of making them simultaneously into both >> victims and heroes, their work should be viewed, read, >> criticized and vigorously debated. We believe that the >> Freedom of Speech and Expression is an Absolute and >> Inalienable Right, and is the keystone of a modern >> democracy. >> >> If the Indian Government deports Taslima Nasrin, or >> holds her as an illegal alien, it will shame and >> diminish all of us. We demand that she be given a >> Resident's Permit or, if she has applied for it, >> Indian citizenship, and that she be allowed to live >> and work freely in India. We demand that the spurious >> cases filed against M.F. Husain be dropped and that he >> be allowed to return to a normal life in India. We >> demand that the journalists who are being illegally >> detained in prison against all principles of natural >> justice be released immediately. >> >> Signed: >> >> Mahashweta Devi, Arundhati Roy, Ashish Nandy, Girish >> Karnad >> _________________________________________ >> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >> Critiques & Collaborations >> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >> subscribe in the subject header. >> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >> List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > subscribe in the subject header. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From nitbhag at gmail.com Wed Feb 13 16:28:29 2008 From: nitbhag at gmail.com (Nitesh Bhatnagar) Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2008 16:28:29 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Combative Indian magazine struggles to sell 'bad news' Message-ID: Combative Indian magazine struggles to sell 'bad news' By Sonia Phalnikar Sunday, January 27, 2008 http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/01/27/technology/mag28.php NEW DELHI: A glance at a newsstand in any major Indian city reveals a media market in the midst of a boom. There are frothy tabloids, slick business papers, racy Bollywood glossies and lifestyle magazines, with new titles hitting the stands every week. Advertisers are shoveling out cash and foreign investors are stampeding in. But the news is not as good for the country's boldest English-language news magazine, Tehelka. The crusading independent weekly is struggling to expand and take a bigger slice of a highly competitive print market. Like many anti-establishment publications around the world, Tehelka has garnered only lukewarm support from advertisers and relative disinterest from readers more interested in upbeat news. Tehelka, which means "sensational" in Hindi, has lived up to its name with hard-hitting investigations that have often used undercover cameras to confront officials and expose corruption. Its crusading reports also focus on the downtrodden of India. After beginning as a Web site in 2000, Tehelka rocked the country the next year with a sting operation in which its reporters secretly filmed senior politicians and army officers taking bribes and, in some cases, consorting with prostitutes. The scandal forced top politicians, including the defense minister, to resign. "Tehelka has pioneered a new kind of journalism in India," Anil Dharker, a media critic and columnist who has edited several Indian publications, said. "It has forced other papers to investigate more and become more competitive in their reporting." But shortly after the bribery scandal broke, a government-appointed inquiry turned its focus on Tehelka. Reporters were arrested and questioned and the Web site's main financial backer was imprisoned for two months. Tax raids and judicial investigations followed, and its staff fell from 120 to three. The site went into debt and finally out of business. In early 2004, Tehelka emerged from the rubble as a reader-financed weekly newspaper. Calling itself the "People's Paper" and promoting what it called "free, fair and fearless" journalism, it was, and still is, backed by the intellectual and social elite - writers, lawyers, businesspeople and activists. Arundhati Roy, Shashi Tharoor and V.S. Naipaul lined up to support it. More than 200 people became founder-subscribers by paying 100,000 rupees, or $2,500, to be associated with the venture. "Tehelka attracts a very affluent, influential, well-educated readership in India, which could potentially be very attractive to both investors and advertisers," Harjinder Singh-Heer, a media analyst based in London, said. >From its offices in a swank south Delhi neighborhood, Tehelka's staff of about 45 journalists combines vigorous reporting, interviews and straight analysis with essays and columns by high-profile writers and intellectuals. "It is crucial to bring stories of people who will never read a magazine to those who ought to be made aware of them," said Tarun Tejpal, the paper's founder and editor in chief, a charismatic 44-year-old who has worked for and edited several major Indian magazines. The weekly's hallmark remains its sting operations. The footage is often sold to national television channels. "That's why people who will never read a magazine in English in India will still have heard of Tehelka," said Shreekant Khandekar, a media analyst who said the method also provided a clever marketing tool. Last year, a Tehelka reporter spent six months undercover in the western state of Gujarat, where more than 2,000 Muslims were killed during a pogrom in 2002. The undercover footage showed Hindu nationalists confessing to murder and rape. The transcripts were published in November. The next issue, headlined "India Writes Back," contained only reader mail, most expressing deep shock. Nonetheless, the chief minister of the state, Narendra Modi, a Hindu nationalist who was implicated in the sting, was re-elected last month. The weekly's fame, however, has done little to help lift its financial fortunes. Tehelka has been hampered by a cash crunch. With a budget of close to $3 million last year, according to Tejpal, the loss last year was under $1 million. Tehelka, which sells around 75,000 to 90,000 copies a week and has a subscriber base of about 30,000, attracts few advertisements. Its 106-page special issue on the Gujarat massacre featured just three ads. Last year, ad revenue came to around $750,000, Tejpal said. Its main rivals - the English-language political news magazines Outlook, India Today and The Week - are backed by large media groups and, in one case, a business conglomerate. The market leader, India Today, has a circulation of 1.1 million each week and a readership of more than 15 million, according to its Web site. To bolster its position with potential advertisers and improve its visibility on newsstands, Tejpal reinvented Tehelka once again in September and changed the tabloid-format newspaper into a magazine. He said the new look has already increased interest from advertisers. But Tejpal acknowledged that Tehelka's tendency to rock the boat might still put off investors. "There's a certain reluctance to be associated with us because we are seen as people who create trouble and get into the wrong side of money and power," Tejpal said. The problem is not confined to India. Around the world in emerging economies with troubling records on press freedom, the critical, independent media are failing to sell ads. "Advertisers and big business houses in many developing countries often don't want to take the risks involved with doing critical and investigative stories," said Vincent Brossel, head of the Asia desk at Reporters Without Borders, a media watchdog based in Paris. The first Malaysian independent news Web site, Malaysiakini - or Malaysia Now - has faced government raids and its reporters are routinely harassed, according to its founder, Steven Gan. It is financed primarily by 10,000 subscribers who pay $5 a month to view the site. Though it has made a small profit in past years, Gan said attracting advertising was a struggle. "In Malaysia, there's a nexus between politicians and companies," he said. "Since we report critically on the government, we're not getting a lot of advertisements." Likewise, Radomir Licina, senior editor of the left-of-center Serb daily Danas, or Today, which was set up in 1997 by a group of journalists and still owned by them, said the newspaper had stopped getting advertisements from companies whose business practices were criticized in its reporting. Undeterred, Tejpal is again taking Tehelka into new territory. To reach a wider audience, he recently introduced a Hindi language Web site. About 180 million Indians are estimated to consider standard Hindi as their native tongue. There are plans to expand the content to other Indian languages. "We want to have a louder voice, be more visible and revive public discourse that's touched rock-bottom levels in this country," Tejpal said. In his search for a cash injection, Tejpal is engaged in his first professional round of financing with Indian investors, with a target of $5 million to $10 million. Over the years, he has mainly raised capital from personal contacts by diluting equity in his media company, Agni Media, which owns Tehelka. He remains the single largest shareholder. Tehelka may yet strengthen its foothold in the media, but some doubt whether its overtly political message fits the zeitgeist in modern India. "Psychologically, Indians are on such a high with the economy booming," Dharker, the media critic, said. "They are in no mood to hear bad news. And that's what Tehelka offers." From patrice at xs4all.nl Wed Feb 13 17:50:26 2008 From: patrice at xs4all.nl (Patrice Riemens) Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2008 13:20:26 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] Arundhati/Mahasweta/Ashish/Girish on Taslima Nasrin In-Reply-To: <767F9167-120E-4DE7-8C87-8ACE7297E6B6@sarai.net> References: <767F9167-120E-4DE7-8C87-8ACE7297E6B6@sarai.net> Message-ID: <20080213122026.GA64978@xs4all.nl> dear All, 'Ashraya' or 'asylum' looks like dead in our times. However, it seems that the French minister for Human Rights has pleaded for giving French citizenship to both Taslima Nasreen and Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Ciaou from Paris, patrizio & Diiiinooos! On Wed, Feb 13, 2008 at 04:14:55PM +0500, Jeebesh Bagchi wrote: > dear All, > > In this case the question is not about freedom of speech. Taslima is > not a citizen of India, so State in India has no jurisdiction to have > a say on her freedom of speech. The state can persecute her > publishers or ban the book but her freedom of speech is not > guaranteed here. > > The question is of "ashraya" (or what is termed as asylum). Every > culture has developed ways of thinking about "ashraya" and very > interesting histories can be uncovered here from all over the world. > It will be interesting how "ashraya" is thought in our times. > > warmly > jeebesh > From mrsg at vsnl.com Wed Feb 13 19:57:38 2008 From: mrsg at vsnl.com (MRSG) Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2008 19:57:38 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Plz Correct the misrepresentation of facts in thestatement on Taslima References: Message-ID: <000601c86e4c$c242b2a0$0201a8c0@MRAY> The statement by Mahasweta Devi, Arundhati Roy, Ashish Nandy, Girish Karnad is a glaring example to hide Islamic Fundamentalism. There are a number of misrepresentations in this statement. Plz GET YOUR FACTS RIGHT before supproting/signing it. The statement said that "In the case of Taslima Nasrin it was the CPI (M) and not any religious or sectarian group who first tried to ban her book Dwikhondito some years ago." Only a government or a court can ban a book, not any group. CPIM-led Government banned it not because the book has said anything against CPIM, but because the Islamic groups in West Bengal DEMANDED that and all other major political parties in West Bengal - Trinamul Congress and Congress supported the move to appease the islamic groups. The demand was corroborated by a list of '25 intellectuals', led by 'eminent literatuere Sunil Gangopadhyay. Please note 'communal' BJP has no presence in the state. So the ban was done to appease the Islamic Fundamentalist. By blaming only CPIM, it tries to hide the power of Islamic fundamentalists in West Bengal today. After Calcutta High Court lifted the ban, no one went to the Supreme Court against the ban. But the islamic groups, particualrly Milli Ittehad Parishad, including Mr.Siddikullah, the champion of Nandigram, came on streets demanding the head or expulsion of Taslima Nasrin from the country. They met Chief Minister to warn of dire consequence. There were street protests and demand to kill Taslima by islamic groups at the centre of Kolkata. Even a CPIM-backed journal Pathasanket was banned as an article there justified Taslima's views on Islam. This publication springed a subsequent round of not only banning the journal (its September 2007 issue), but the protests turned violent even after the journal was banned and all its copies were withdrawn fromn the market. No 'secular' intellectual protested this ban. Eminent 'secular' intellectuals of West Bengal and muslim MPs of CPIM fanned the demand against Taslima. And then on 21 Novemeber 2007, the Islamists carried out violence throughout the day in Kolkata. And the police, who fires readily on any peasant demonstrations like Nandigram or Dinhata, looked the other way. No political parties in West Bengal came out against this violence. The petition by Mahasweta Devi et al is silent on this black day of Kolkata. Islamic muscle, appeasement by political parties and silence of these "intellctuals" - all together bundled out Taslima from her room into a car to kick her out from great "progressive" Kolkata. All these are recorded in the media and it is not any activity of any 'unknown' muslim group to defuse the land issue by appeasing Muslims. To hide the role of islamic fundamentalists the issue of Nandigram has been dragged into in this statement. The statement says that Taslima issue was raised by an unknown group and CPIM caved in to appease the muslims and in turn to destroy the 'dalit - muslim' protest of Nandigram. It is a blatant lie as one of the most championed leader of Nandigram, Mr. Siddikullah of Jamaet Ulema Hind (a secular party for Mahasweta Devi) himself and Milli Ittehad Parishad led a big street protest in Kolkata few days before the 21st Novemeber. Was it also arranged by CPIM? All kinds of Islamic groups have supported the demand. To hide this face of Islamic fundmentalists this petition is unfortunately changing a peasant revolt of Namdigram as a 'dalit - muslim' protest, thus communalising the protest movement of Bengal. And finally to confuse the main issue a host of other issues have been included. And if those issues are not solved why then Taslima should return to Kolkata or stay in India. Is it really in favour of Taslima? ----- Original Message ----- From: "Naeem Mohaiemen" To: Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2008 10:09 AM Subject: [Reader-list] Arundhati/Mahasweta/Ashish/Girish on Taslima Nasrin > Public Statement by Forum For The Protection of Free Speech and Expression > > At a time when India is projecting itself on the > world's stage as a modern democracy, while it hosts > international literary festivals and book fairs, the > Government of India, most mainstream political parties > and their armed squads are mounting a concerted > assault on peoples' right to Free Speech. > > It is a matter of abiding shame that even as some of > the world's best-known writers were attending the > Jaipur literary festival and prestigious publishers > were doing business at the World Book fair in Delhi, > the exiled Bengali writer Taslima Nasrin was (and is) > being held in custody by the Government of India in an > undisclosed location somewhere in or around Delhi in > conditions that amount to house arrest. Contrary to > misleading press reports stating that her visa has > been extended, her visa expires on the 18th of > February, after which she is liable to be deported or > remain confined as an illegal alien. > > Taslima Nasrin is only one in a long list of > journalists, writers, scholars and artists who have > been persecuted, banned, imprisoned, forced into exile > or had their work desecrated in this country. At > different points of time, different governments have > either directly or indirectly resorted to these > measures in order to fan the flames of religious, > regional and ethnic obscurantism to gain popularity > and expand their 'vote-banks'. Every day the threat to > Free Speech and Expression increases. > > In the case of Taslima Nasrin it was the CPI (M) and > not any religious or sectarian group who first tried > to ban her book Dwikhondito some years ago. The ban > was lifted by the Calcutta High Court and the book was > in the market and on bestseller lists in West Bengal > for several years. During those years Taslima Nasrin > lived and worked as a free person in Calcutta without > any threat to her person, without being the cause of > public disorder, protests or demonstrations. > Ironically, Taslima Nasrin's troubles in India began > immediately after the Nandigram uprising when the > people of Nandigram, mostly Dalits and Muslims, rose > to resist the West Bengal Government's attempt to > takeover their land, and tens of thousands of people > marched in Calcutta to protest the government's > actions. Within days a little known group claiming to > speak for the Muslim community asked for a ban on > Dwikhondito and demanded that Taslima Nasrin be > deported. The CPI(M)-led government of West Bengal > immediately caved in to the demand, informed her that > it could not offer her security, and lost no time in > deporting her from West Bengal against her will. The > Congress-led UPA Government has condoned this act by > holding her in custody in Delhi and refusing, thus > far, to extend her visa and relieve her of her public > humiliation. They have once again played the suicidal > card of pitting minority communalism against majority > communalism, a game that can only end in disaster. > > Inevitably, hoping to make political capital out of > the situation, the BJP is publicly shedding crocodile > tears over Taslima Nasrin, going to the extent of > offering her asylum in Gujarat. It seems to expect > people to forget that the BJP, VHP and RSS cadres have > been at the forefront of harassing, persecuting, > threatening and vandalizing newspaper offices, > television studios, galleries, cinema halls, > filmmakers, artists and writers. Or that they have > forced M.F. Husain, one of India's best-known > painters, into exile. > > Meanwhile, in states like Chattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh > and Karnataka, away from the public glare of press > conferences and television cameras, journalists are > being threatened and even imprisoned. Prashant Rahi > from Uttarakhand, Praful Jha from Chattisgarh, > Srisailum from Andhra Pradesh, P. Govind Kutty from > Kerala are a few examples. As we speak Govind Kutty, > who is on a hunger strike in prison is being > force-fed, bound hand and foot. Scores of ordinary > people, including people like Binayak Sen have been > arrested and held illegally under false charges. > > We the undersigned do not necessarily agree with, > endorse or admire the views or the work of those whose > rights we seek to defend. Many of us have serious > differences with them. We agree that many of them do > offend our (or someone else's) religious, political > and ideological sensibilities. However, we believe > that instead of making them simultaneously into both > victims and heroes, their work should be viewed, read, > criticized and vigorously debated. We believe that the > Freedom of Speech and Expression is an Absolute and > Inalienable Right, and is the keystone of a modern > democracy. > > If the Indian Government deports Taslima Nasrin, or > holds her as an illegal alien, it will shame and > diminish all of us. We demand that she be given a > Resident's Permit or, if she has applied for it, > Indian citizenship, and that she be allowed to live > and work freely in India. We demand that the spurious > cases filed against M.F. Husain be dropped and that he > be allowed to return to a normal life in India. We > demand that the journalists who are being illegally > detained in prison against all principles of natural > justice be released immediately. > > Signed: > > Mahashweta Devi, Arundhati Roy, Ashish Nandy, Girish > Karnad > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > subscribe in the subject header. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From info at contemporaryart-india.com Thu Feb 14 01:03:24 2008 From: info at contemporaryart-india.com (info at contemporaryart-india.com) Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2008 14:33:24 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Invitation-an art show 19th -26th February 2008 Message-ID: <20080213143324.nwlyosj50k044sso@www.youngagainforever.com> Hello friends, I'm writing to tell you about an art show being presented in Kolkata this month: Venue: Birla Academy of Art & Culture, (2nd floor), 108 Southern Avenue, Kolkata 700029. Dates: 19th February ? 26th February 2008 ; Time: 4.00 pm ? 8.00 pm Event: "Windows on the World" - a solo show of paintings by Ranadip Mukherjee, presented by Contemporary Art-India, Kolkata A graduate of the Government College of Art & Crafts, Kolkata, the artist, now based in Mumbai, has had 22 solo shows in India and abroad. In his present series, Ranadip Mukherjee sets out to discover that essence of place, those forms and colours of mind and spirit that inhabit and give shape to a city or a physical community ? the quality, which makes them ?the type of some great idea ?whose image dwells on the memory of man ...? For as surely as men create cities, cities too grow into live entities that temper the minds of men. The journey starts in Varanasi, a city which the artist sees as a work of art, and moves to Sarnath to explore the nature of the aura, the many faces of charged stillness ? serenity, austerity, tenderness, transcendence ? that are revealed to him in the Buddha. Finally, he follows the river towards the teeming hub of Kolkata. An effusion of images drenched in sepia shades of nostalgia throng his canvas ? cultural icons, urban markers, historical figures, artistic and religious heritage interwoven with glimpses of daily life ? people, lifestyles and landmarks forged in the flux and ferment, heat and light of the city?s evolution. This exhibition will be interesting viewing for anyone who has ever been fascinated by the ?charge? that is palpable in any of the great cities. Best, Roshmi Raychaudhuri www.contemporaryart-india.com Or view it online at: http://www.contemporaryart-india.com/index.php?page=exhibition_in&th_id=11 From vivek at sarai.net Thu Feb 14 10:12:51 2008 From: vivek at sarai.net (Vivek Narayanan) Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2008 10:12:51 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The noisy nativist crowd In-Reply-To: <960986.64584.qm@web8403.mail.in.yahoo.com> References: <960986.64584.qm@web8403.mail.in.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <47B3C6CB.70704@sarai.net> This is from "Leaving Prague: A Notebook" by Alexei Tsvetkov, who is widely considered one of the most important Russian poets writing today: "When I first came here [Prague], it had been years since I’d written a poem. I stopped writing poetry without a clear explanation of why it happened. Later on I came up with lots of convincing reasons: one of the best, as I recall, was the turmoil in my erstwhile homeland, Russia. In some way poetry, no matter how private, is always addressed to an audience, and when a level of noise in that audience exceeds a certain value, the exercise becomes pointless. It is possible to imagine an opera star performing to an empty hall but not to a full and noisy one. There’s an old saying: when guns talk, the Muses fall silent. But that’s wrong: Cicero was talking about laws, not Muses. When people talk, especially when they talk feverishly, the Muses definitely shut up. "I remember at the time I could not figure out who it was that Joseph Brodsky was addressing in his late verse—it still seems to me driven largely by inertia. Brodsky’s best poetry is the voice of someone who deliberately positions himself between and above two mighty empires: it’s a running commentary on their perceived decline. When one of those empires suddenly collapsed, he was left groping. We will never know how he would have regained his internal balance. "When I lost mine, I came to Prague voiceless. Brodsky died soon after and, however shocking, the news seemed fitting: the last universal voice fell silent, leaving the stage in full possession of the noisy nativist crowd." I bring this thesis up not as some kind of advice from the gods, but because I am not certain if it is true. Tsvetkov himself presents it only as a possible theory, and of course I'm still puzzling around that example (metaphor?) of the opera singer. I'd be curious to know what readers on this list think about-- am eager to hear both philosophical and pragmatic responses-- how to bring the muses back to this list. In a way this is to explore the inverse, positive side of the anti-censorship debate: what are the conditions for speech, what makes speech possible, how does one revive rich conversation? The essay is from the February issue of Poetry magazine from the US which, by the way, has now gone entirely online. (Except for the Beckett poems in this issue--that upload was most likely blocked by the Beckett estate, which probably did not give permission out of concern for copyright. Fools.): http://www.poetrymagazine.org/ . Thanks Vivek S.Fatima wrote: > Dear Vivek > You have a knack of making a hill of out of a mole - > and all in the wrong direction. In my analogy of a > limousine going through filth, the filth is not at all > supposed to mean the economic status of people writing > high-volume hate-mails. But by calling someone's views > as "bullshit", it is you who is demeaning them. (Ok, > I'd like to take back the word "slum" - I apologize > for it). My problem with your mail was that as long as > you apply those filters and send the unwanted mails to > whatever insulting folder quietly, it is fine. But by > being sarcastic about it (as in your original message) > we are only infuriating them further. Will that help > in breaking any ice? Or maybe we do'nt want to break > any ice. > > I don't think I'm playing into the hands of these > propagandists - I'm only complicating this issue a > little further, because I believe that ignoring them > and and not answering their simplistic questions is > not a long-term solution. If you read some of my > earlier mails, I have mostly been advocating DIALOGUE > between the two-parties. Now your immediate reaction > would be: "huh, these guys don't deserve an ear - you > can't have a dialogue with them". Yes I know it is > very irritating to read through most of those > hate-mails. But the point is that all their rigid > stereotypes and biases are a reality and most of us > don't have the time, patience or inclination to sit > with these folks and talk. An email discussion in any > case doesn't lead to anything fruitful, especially > when it comes to such a topic. So, the least we can do > is to ignore them. But being sarcastic is worse. > > Another point : you say that since those folks are > using broadband to send that many mails, they must be > rich enough to be called elite. Well then, what > happened to the claim that internet/broadband is > supposed to be empowering and democratizing the thrid > world, and so on. You seem to be defining the access > to internet still in caste/class terms! > > cheers > From apnawritings at yahoo.co.in Thu Feb 14 11:17:17 2008 From: apnawritings at yahoo.co.in (ARNAB CHATTERJEE) Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2008 05:47:17 +0000 (GMT) Subject: [Reader-list] Free expression for a Muslim Traitor-Alien or Hindu betrayers? In-Reply-To: <767F9167-120E-4DE7-8C87-8ACE7297E6B6@sarai.net> Message-ID: <502356.88308.qm@web8515.mail.in.yahoo.com> Dear Sarai readers and writers, While I had just started thinking about Shudha's ethics of treason, Jeebesh washed me away with his asylums and aliens.So two short notes on both of them before getting any further. Shuddha first ;( though I still need to go through his post fully). A muslim considered traitor by fellow muslims and thus a hindu considered a betrayer by other hindus makes interesting case against say Amartya Sen's views on these ( And why did Shuddha celebrate them elsewhere?). Consider Amartya's examples on an intolerant Auurangzeb remaining a Muslim and a tolerant Akbar also remaining a Muslim. Now, if go by the ethics of treason( in its rudiments) then who remains a muslim and who does not will be settled by whom? They will be settled, as it is well known by now, by "the structures of recognition" well incorporatable into the "politics of recognition" as such.Here how I or we will be recognised is dependent on others rather than how we decide for ourselves. So, Amartya's views are media celebrated but vacous to say the least. Shuddha's insertion opens this debate in this interesting direction. How to get out of this dilemma? There is no way out; we are knee deep into the modern multicultural trap and pursuit. Theoretically, if we want to know this more, I can suggest a way. Drawing on hermenetuic phenomenology, this brilliant Indian guy ( though you will find him not in any seminars in India)Rajeswara Sunder Rajan ( not the feminist one)I remember talked about something called "structures of transcendence" by which, I opine, these structures of recognition by others and one self, could be attempted-- by you, me and all of us-- in a braceketed form, so that they could be transcended --atleast in a pure form. More on this latter. Jeebesh has struck again and has hit a new chord. While I temporarily disagree with his no freedom of speech for aliens etc., I agree that asylum should be dug for deeper news. Though I think Lawrence Liang( who I guess is undergoing a long leaning vasectomy operation in Bangalore) could tell us best about this, I think denying freedom of speech to aliens or immigrants is a violation of their huamn rights under international laws. The rights are not available to enemy aliens or those booked under preventive detention. They do have freedom of speech( in the ordinary sense) but are prone to all 'reasonable restrtictions' and modifications that the government could subject these laws and modifications to.But asylum is a different case; has Taslima sought political asylum in writing? I don't remember. ( So Pranab Mukherjee's call for self control( and celebrated in idiotic editorials in Indian newspapers) from asylum seekers is seriously misplaced.)No political executive can settle for such a call; it has to be juridically negotiated. But let me cite here an American example in refutation of Jeebesh's first thought.( Though Ashis Nandy speaking for protection of constitutional rights is an irony in all theoretical senses.) In the wake of an arrest of immigrants alleged to have been participating in subversive activities and thus the first amendment ( protecting free speech)in the US conflicting with the rights that could be enjoyed and pursued by aliens, here is an important piece of insertion. "U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson has ruled in Los Angeles that when immigrants' First Amendment rights collide with the Government's right to control immigration, the First Amendment wins. It's a victory for free speech and common sense. Judge Wilson, a Reagan Administration appointee, now supports their view, declaring those provisions (of deportation harmful aliens) unconstitutional. He found that aliens, once admitted to the United States, have free-speech rights which generally take precedence over the Government's right to control immigration. But that concession does not diminish the Government's power to deport aliens engaged in harmful activity unrelated to speech, like terrorism or crime. Too often, however, the harmful activity that Government seeks to control is only speech. As Judge Wilson noted: ''In this case, the Government is trying to stifle certain ideas from entering our society from certain aliens through its immigration power. Our society, however, was built on the premise that only through the free flow of ideas can our nation grow and prosper.'' It's a judgment worth cheering. Judge Wilson rightly recognizes that immigration law ought to control offensive actions, not offensive views." (The New York Times, Feb 13, 2008) Thank you, arnab --- Jeebesh Bagchi wrote: > dear All, > > In this case the question is not about freedom of > speech. Taslima is > not a citizen of India, so State in India has no > jurisdiction to have > a say on her freedom of speech. The state can > persecute her > publishers or ban the book but her freedom of speech > is not > guaranteed here. > > The question is of "ashraya" (or what is termed as > asylum). Every > culture has developed ways of thinking about > "ashraya" and very > interesting histories can be uncovered here from all > over the world. > It will be interesting how "ashraya" is thought in > our times. > > warmly > jeebesh > > > On 13-Feb-08, at 12:20 PM, radhikarajen at vsnl.net > wrote: > > > Sir, > > > > the very statement that freedom of speech and > expression is > > absolute and > > unfettered is absolutely incorrect in a civilised > society, as > > societal right > > to be civilised in expression of speech.Rrights do > have a bearing on > > societal rights in civilised society with duties > as the other side > > of right. > > While I fully empathise with Taslima nasreen and > the political > > games being > > played with this issue by the athiests in the > society, with views > > expressed > > one may or may not agree. But to say that freedom > of expression is > > absolute > > is like saying that as free citizen every one has > right to have > > coitus on > > the median of highway in front of all passing > vehicular traffic. > > No freedom is absolute in a society where it > impinges on the > > rights of > > others in society. Taslima or Hussain can express > themselves freely > > within > > the parametres of civil society.Hussain in his > expression so > > creative uses > > his artistic skills to graphically expose his > pervert sense of > > depravity in > > showing his motherland in nude. ? Why his creative > expression looks > > at his > > mother fully clothed. ? All those symbols > considered sacred and > > worshipped > > as believers like, are his objects of expression > and crative artistic > > liberty and right to express in nude. ? Why the > same creative > > expression > > does not get inspired to portray his parents in > conjugal bliss on > > canvass. ? > > In Taslimas expression, sure, she has not > offended anybody except > > the > > clergies of a faith who think that they are the > tekedars of the > > faith, which > > again is bad in any faith irrespective of the > faith, but same is > > happening > > in all faiths. > > All faiths are ways of living a good life, in > material, > > intellectual and > > spiritual spheres of human existence. To believe > or not to believe > > in any > > faith is free choice. But the clergies of the > faith ,in any faith, > > always > > try to impose that their faith is the only > saviour, which is > > unfortunate. > > Society in free India is divided at the very > instant of achieving > > the > > freedom of the nation in 1947, by dividing the > land mass on faith, > > then > > allowing the citizens the option not to go that > land mass created > > for faith. > > The truth of the matter is even though the > bangladesh and pakistan > > were > > created for the followers of faith, they are > failed states in > > governance. > > India, which could have good governance chose to > be "secular" but in > > practise, it only created more divisions in the > land mass with > > language, > > region and castes communes for political gains. to > cap it left further > > encouraged the neighbouring nations' citizens to > have a stay in the > > free > > India with fake ration cards, ids and > opportunities to live in this > > nation, > > while governance in the federal state was diluted > to total lack of > > governance or no governance with fuedal lords of > individual communes > > mastering the art of securing "class votes", " > commune votes" and > > "regional > > votes" in the election frey. And today election is > a fight to > > secure votes > > by any fair or foul means to secure power and > possession of > > material wealth, > > not service to all citizens.In the process, the > free India is now > > islands of > > communes with every commune trying to corner > maximun benefits of > > democracy > > to their communes with out fear, depriving the > common citizen of > > all the > > opportunities to live a dignified life in the > nation. > > > > Regards. > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Naeem Mohaiemen" > > > To: > > Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2008 10:09 AM > > Subject: [Reader-list] > Arundhati/Mahasweta/Ashish/Girish on Taslima > > Nasrin > > > > > >> Public Statement by Forum For The Protection of > Free Speech and > >> Expression > >> > >> At a time when India is projecting itself on the > >> world's stage as a modern democracy, while it > hosts > >> international literary festivals and book fairs, > the > >> Government of India, most mainstream political > parties > >> and their armed squads are mounting a concerted > >> assault on peoples' right to Free Speech. > >> > >> It is a matter of abiding shame that even as some > of > >> the world's best-known writers were attending the > >> Jaipur literary festival and prestigious > publishers > >> were doing business at the World Book fair in > Delhi, > >> the exiled Bengali writer Taslima Nasrin was (and > is) > >> being held in custody by the Government of India > in an > >> undisclosed location somewhere in or around Delhi > in > >> conditions that amount to house arrest. Contrary > to > >> misleading press reports stating that her visa > has > >> been extended, her visa expires on the 18th of > >> February, after which she is liable to be > deported or > >> remain confined as an illegal alien. > >> > >> Taslima Nasrin is only one in a long list of > >> journalists, writers, scholars and artists who > have > >> been persecuted, banned, imprisoned, forced into > exile > >> or had their work desecrated in this country. At > >> different points of time, different governments > have > >> either directly or indirectly resorted to these > >> measures in order to fan the flames of religious, > >> regional and ethnic obscurantism to gain > popularity > >> and expand their 'vote-banks'. Every day the > threat to > >> Free Speech and Expression increases. > >> > >> In the case of Taslima Nasrin it was the CPI (M) > and > >> not any religious or sectarian group who first > tried > >> to ban her book Dwikhondito some years ago. The > ban > >> was lifted by the Calcutta High Court and the > book was > >> in the market and on bestseller lists in West > Bengal > >> for several years. During those years Taslima > Nasrin > >> lived and worked as a free person in Calcutta > without > >> any threat to her person, without being the cause > of > >> public disorder, protests or demonstrations. > >> Ironically, Taslima Nasrin's troubles in India > began > >> immediately after the Nandigram uprising when the > >> people of Nandigram, mostly Dalits and Muslims, > rose > >> to resist the West Bengal Government's attempt to > >> takeover their land, and tens of thousands of > people > >> marched in Calcutta to protest the government's > >> actions. Within days a little known group > claiming to > >> speak for the Muslim community asked for a ban on > >> Dwikhondito and demanded that Taslima Nasrin be > >> deported. The CPI(M)-led government of West > Bengal > >> immediately caved in to the demand, informed her > that > >> it could not offer her security, and lost no time > in > >> deporting her from West Bengal against her will. > The > >> Congress-led UPA Government has condoned this act > by > >> holding her in custody in Delhi and refusing, > thus > >> far, to extend her visa and relieve her of her > public > >> humiliation. They have once again played the > suicidal > >> card of pitting minority communalism against > majority > >> communalism, a game that can only end in > disaster. > >> > >> Inevitably, hoping to make political capital out > of > >> the situation, the BJP is publicly shedding > crocodile > >> tears over Taslima Nasrin, going to the extent of > >> offering her asylum in Gujarat. It seems to > expect > >> people to forget that the BJP, VHP and RSS cadres > have > >> been at the forefront of harassing, persecuting, > >> threatening and vandalizing newspaper offices, > >> television studios, galleries, cinema halls, > >> filmmakers, artists and writers. Or that they > have > >> forced M.F. Husain, one of India's best-known > >> painters, into exile. > >> > >> Meanwhile, in states like Chattisgarh, Andhra > Pradesh > >> and Karnataka, away from the public glare of > press > >> conferences and television cameras, journalists > are > >> being threatened and even imprisoned. Prashant > Rahi > >> from Uttarakhand, Praful Jha from Chattisgarh, > >> Srisailum from Andhra Pradesh, P. Govind Kutty > from > >> Kerala are a few examples. As we speak Govind > Kutty, > >> who is on a hunger strike in prison is being > >> force-fed, bound hand and foot. Scores of > ordinary > >> people, including people like Binayak Sen have > been > >> arrested and held illegally under false charges. > >> > >> We the undersigned do not necessarily agree with, > >> endorse or admire the views or the work of those > whose > >> rights we seek to defend. Many of us have serious > >> differences with them. We agree that many of them > do > >> offend our (or someone else's) religious, > political > >> and ideological sensibilities. However, we > believe > >> that instead of making them simultaneously into > both > >> victims and heroes, their work should be viewed, > read, > >> criticized and vigorously debated. We believe > that the > >> Freedom of Speech and Expression is an Absolute > and > >> Inalienable Right, and is the keystone of a > modern > >> democracy. > >> > >> If the Indian Government deports Taslima Nasrin, > or > >> holds her as an illegal alien, it will shame and > >> diminish all of us. We demand that she be given a > >> Resident's Permit or, if she has applied for it, > >> Indian citizenship, and that she be allowed to > live > >> and work freely in India. We demand that the > spurious > >> cases filed against M.F. Husain be dropped and > that he > >> be allowed to return to a normal life in India. > We > >> demand that the journalists who are being > illegally > >> detained in prison against all principles of > natural > >> justice be released immediately. > >> > >> Signed: > >> > >> Mahashweta Devi, Arundhati Roy, Ashish Nandy, > Girish > >> Karnad > >> _________________________________________ > >> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and > the city. > >> Critiques & Collaborations > >> To subscribe: send an email to > reader-list-request at sarai.net with > >> subscribe in the subject header. > >> To unsubscribe: > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > >> List archive: > > > > > _________________________________________ > > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and > the city. > > Critiques & Collaborations > > To subscribe: send an email to > reader-list-request at sarai.net with > > subscribe in the subject header. > > To unsubscribe: > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > List archive: > > > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and > the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to > reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the > subject header. > To unsubscribe: > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: Chat on a cool, new interface. No download required. Go to http://in.messenger.yahoo.com/webmessengerpromo.php From radhikarajen at vsnl.net Wed Feb 13 18:50:19 2008 From: radhikarajen at vsnl.net (radhikarajen at vsnl.net) Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2008 18:50:19 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Combative Indian magazine struggles to sell 'badnews' References: Message-ID: In any democratic society, media is considered as fourth pillar upholding the freedom of free society and is respected for the work. Journalists are respected and honoured for their impartial work in journalism of reporting the news as it is, without the added masala of partisan views on news. However recent trend in media has been that was of more partisan reportage suiting the political outfit they are sponsored with. The sponsorship is many times indirect, with advertisements of PSUs and governance controlled ventures. many times it is indirect, with "well wishers of the political outfits sponsoring the advertisements with attached strings. Thehelka lost credibilty in the eyes of the viewers when it did not hesitate to use sex and sex workers which is quite a common weakness of all , say almost all humans for sensuous pleasures.Its own reporter in a press club at kerala, was boasting of the good times he had with his work in tehelka days. ! More to be precise, the editor seems to be having very soft corner for some political party with most corrupt leaders in it, may be he scared to take on the might of violent goon brigades of such parties. Many channels did a mayajal, to immediately resort to complete silence later when the goon brigades retorted with violent acts. ? Lalu Yadav is always good with media to use the media for his spins, but not even one expose" of his adventures are visible in media may be because he believes in his danda more than democratic rights. ? Ofcourse much mud slinging which does not stick is done against BJP and sangh parivar, but inspite of having the power, they are too decent even on channels for debate or discussions, but when it comes to Congress, Tarun is positively scared of its power of goon brigade also known as youth wing with leaders of the kind, Kamalnath,Jagadeesh Tytler, Sajan kumar, Hariprasad who have noteworthy records of sorts which are really worth coverage in stings. ?Ofcourse what happened to 300,000 oil coupons given to party along with coupons of natwar singh, and tarun seems to be selective in his stings ? This was not the scene in earlier days with chitra Subramaniam doing the wonderful investigation in Bofors scam, but those days tv was state controlled, later even the midnight visit of additional solicitor general to London without the knowledge of the highest court to defreeze the accounts of uncle Q was not matter of a sting for tarun, so much of journalistic ethics. ! ----- Original Message ----- From: "Nitesh Bhatnagar" To: "sarai list" Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2008 4:28 PM Subject: [Reader-list] Combative Indian magazine struggles to sell 'bad news' > Combative Indian magazine struggles to sell 'bad news' > > By Sonia Phalnikar > Sunday, January 27, 2008 > http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/01/27/technology/mag28.php > > > NEW DELHI: A glance at a newsstand in any major Indian city reveals a > media market in the midst of a boom. There are frothy tabloids, slick > business papers, racy Bollywood glossies and lifestyle magazines, with > new titles hitting the stands every week. Advertisers are shoveling > out cash and foreign investors are stampeding in. > > But the news is not as good for the country's boldest English-language > news magazine, Tehelka. The crusading independent weekly is struggling > to expand and take a bigger slice of a highly competitive print > market. > > Like many anti-establishment publications around the world, Tehelka > has garnered only lukewarm support from advertisers and relative > disinterest from readers more interested in upbeat news. > > Tehelka, which means "sensational" in Hindi, has lived up to its name > with hard-hitting investigations that have often used undercover > cameras to confront officials and expose corruption. Its crusading > reports also focus on the downtrodden of India. > > After beginning as a Web site in 2000, Tehelka rocked the country the > next year with a sting operation in which its reporters secretly > filmed senior politicians and army officers taking bribes and, in some > cases, consorting with prostitutes. The scandal forced top > politicians, including the defense minister, to resign. > > "Tehelka has pioneered a new kind of journalism in India," Anil > Dharker, a media critic and columnist who has edited several Indian > publications, said. "It has forced other papers to investigate more > and become more competitive in their reporting." > > But shortly after the bribery scandal broke, a government-appointed > inquiry turned its focus on Tehelka. Reporters were arrested and > questioned and the Web site's main financial backer was imprisoned for > two months. Tax raids and judicial investigations followed, and its > staff fell from 120 to three. The site went into debt and finally out > of business. > > In early 2004, Tehelka emerged from the rubble as a reader-financed > weekly newspaper. Calling itself the "People's Paper" and promoting > what it called "free, fair and fearless" journalism, it was, and still > is, backed by the intellectual and social elite - writers, lawyers, > businesspeople and activists. Arundhati Roy, Shashi Tharoor and V.S. > Naipaul lined up to support it. More than 200 people became > founder-subscribers by paying 100,000 rupees, or $2,500, to be > associated with the venture. > > "Tehelka attracts a very affluent, influential, well-educated > readership in India, which could potentially be very attractive to > both investors and advertisers," Harjinder Singh-Heer, a media analyst > based in London, said. > > From its offices in a swank south Delhi neighborhood, Tehelka's staff > of about 45 journalists combines vigorous reporting, interviews and > straight analysis with essays and columns by high-profile writers and > intellectuals. > > "It is crucial to bring stories of people who will never read a > magazine to those who ought to be made aware of them," said Tarun > Tejpal, the paper's founder and editor in chief, a charismatic > 44-year-old who has worked for and edited several major Indian > magazines. > > The weekly's hallmark remains its sting operations. The footage is > often sold to national television channels. > > "That's why people who will never read a magazine in English in India > will still have heard of Tehelka," said Shreekant Khandekar, a media > analyst who said the method also provided a clever marketing tool. > > Last year, a Tehelka reporter spent six months undercover in the > western state of Gujarat, where more than 2,000 Muslims were killed > during a pogrom in 2002. The undercover footage showed Hindu > nationalists confessing to murder and rape. The transcripts were > published in November. The next issue, headlined "India Writes Back," > contained only reader mail, most expressing deep shock. Nonetheless, > the chief minister of the state, Narendra Modi, a Hindu nationalist > who was implicated in the sting, was re-elected last month. > > The weekly's fame, however, has done little to help lift its financial > fortunes. Tehelka has been hampered by a cash crunch. With a budget of > close to $3 million last year, according to Tejpal, the loss last year > was under $1 million. > > Tehelka, which sells around 75,000 to 90,000 copies a week and has a > subscriber base of about 30,000, attracts few advertisements. Its > 106-page special issue on the Gujarat massacre featured just three > ads. Last year, ad revenue came to around $750,000, Tejpal said. > > Its main rivals - the English-language political news magazines > Outlook, India Today and The Week - are backed by large media groups > and, in one case, a business conglomerate. The market leader, India > Today, has a circulation of 1.1 million each week and a readership of > more than 15 million, according to its Web site. > > To bolster its position with potential advertisers and improve its > visibility on newsstands, Tejpal reinvented Tehelka once again in > September and changed the tabloid-format newspaper into a magazine. He > said the new look has already increased interest from advertisers. > > But Tejpal acknowledged that Tehelka's tendency to rock the boat might > still put off investors. "There's a certain reluctance to be > associated with us because we are seen as people who create trouble > and get into the wrong side of money and power," Tejpal said. > > The problem is not confined to India. Around the world in emerging > economies with troubling records on press freedom, the critical, > independent media are failing to sell ads. > > "Advertisers and big business houses in many developing countries > often don't want to take the risks involved with doing critical and > investigative stories," said Vincent Brossel, head of the Asia desk at > Reporters Without Borders, a media watchdog based in Paris. > > The first Malaysian independent news Web site, Malaysiakini - or > Malaysia Now - has faced government raids and its reporters are > routinely harassed, according to its founder, Steven Gan. It is > financed primarily by 10,000 subscribers who pay $5 a month to view > the site. Though it has made a small profit in past years, Gan said > attracting advertising was a struggle. > > "In Malaysia, there's a nexus between politicians and companies," he > said. "Since we report critically on the government, we're not getting > a lot of advertisements." > > Likewise, Radomir Licina, senior editor of the left-of-center Serb > daily Danas, or Today, which was set up in 1997 by a group of > journalists and still owned by them, said the newspaper had stopped > getting advertisements from companies whose business practices were > criticized in its reporting. > > Undeterred, Tejpal is again taking Tehelka into new territory. To > reach a wider audience, he recently introduced a Hindi language Web > site. About 180 million Indians are estimated to consider standard > Hindi as their native tongue. There are plans to expand the content to > other Indian languages. > > "We want to have a louder voice, be more visible and revive public > discourse that's touched rock-bottom levels in this country," Tejpal > said. > > In his search for a cash injection, Tejpal is engaged in his first > professional round of financing with Indian investors, with a target > of $5 million to $10 million. Over the years, he has mainly raised > capital from personal contacts by diluting equity in his media > company, Agni Media, which owns Tehelka. He remains the single largest > shareholder. > > Tehelka may yet strengthen its foothold in the media, but some doubt > whether its overtly political message fits the zeitgeist in modern > India. > > "Psychologically, Indians are on such a high with the economy > booming," Dharker, the media critic, said. "They are in no mood to > hear bad news. And that's what Tehelka offers." > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > subscribe in the subject header. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From asitredsalute at gmail.com Thu Feb 14 12:18:27 2008 From: asitredsalute at gmail.com (Asit asitreds) Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2008 12:18:27 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] posco struggle Message-ID: * * *"Over Our Dead Bodies" A Report from the Barricades.* *A brief note on the Anti POSCO struggle in Orissa* * * *The crisis of capitalism and the collapse of the Brettonwood system:** * The coming in of Neo-Liberal Economics in the form of "globalization", read imperialism, has led to the intensification of imperialist intervention solely because of capital's ruthless drive for accumulation and profit maximization. This incessant drive is forcing developed capitalist countries in an ever increasing search for cheap labour, cheap resources and captive markets. Ever since the collapse of the Soviet bloc and the counter revolutionary reforms in China, the space allowing imperialist interventions with impunity has increased manifold. In the recent past the globe has witnessed numerous violent and insidious so called "non violent" interventions across the globe, i.e Nicaragua, Granada, Panama, Tahiti, Afghanistan, Argentina, several countries of Africa. The most striking example of early 21st century accumulation through direct occupation and even genocide as is happening in Iraq. These interventions have upset regional and national economies, disposed millions and created areas of unrest and strife; the pauperisation of Latin America, hunger famine and ethnic strife in Africa and the establishment of compradors, outright World Bank puppets, dictatorships/client regimes and military juntas such as in India, Pakistan, Saudia Arabia, Kuwait, Philippines, South Korea, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Interventions from imperialist agencies such as the World Bank, IMF, WTO, The ADB and NGO's and donor agencies etc. have so far been effective in imposing a structural shift within the third world economies. This shift from a relative notion of self reliance through "import substitution" industrialisation, food self sufficiency towards dismantling their welfare structures and imposing an outright commodified imperialist culture heavily dependant on the privatization of services and the commodification of natural resources has only resulted in further marginalisation of the people and increasing inequalities. In the context of India, these imperialist interventions are being implemented by the comprador elite which has taken on the task to facilitate the easy entry of capital. The task for capitalist intervention has been through these compradors who divert the people attention from issues confronting their immediate life and necessities through strengthening feudal oppression and captivating the middle classes within an illusionary web of crass consumerism and cash nexus. Because of this ruling comprador class, imperialist capital has at its disposal an unprecedented quantity of cheap mineral resources, land, labour, youth and government funds. In India we can see the rapid increase in the private service sector, where a huge number of our youth are being lured into working as semi-slaves in late night call centers and BPO's, thousands of which sprung up overnight only because of rising labour costs in core capitalist countries. With developed nations facing rapidly depleting resources, rising unemployment, high costs of unsustainable consumerism and falling productivity their ruling classes are compelled to intensify their economic, cultural, political and armed interventions in developing nations. This form of brutal primitive accumulation has also given an impetus to several centers of resistance across developing nations. In India we can see an intensification of the struggles of the peasantry against forced displacement taking place across the length and breadth of India, especially in those resource rich regions where the levels of neo colonial extraction are high and brutal. A case in point would be the states of Jharkhand, Chattisgarh and Orissa. Taking the particular case of Orissa we can see that since the colonial period there have been a huge number of imperialist interventions and parallel struggles being waged by the peasantry on the issue of displacement from forests and farm lands. Orissa is the continuous target for loot by the imperialist powers, finding within an amicable ally in the comprador ruling class puppet such as Naveen Patnaik. Nevertheless, there have been several heroic tribal uprisings against the earlier colonial plunder by martyrs such as Laxman Nayak in the early 20th century and in the recent years we can see the emergence of several struggles in Kashipur, Hirakud, Kalinganagar, Lanjigarh and Jagatsingpur (Anti POSCO). It is in Kalinganagar where resistance by the adivasi peasantry changed the very contours of resistance across India. The Kalinganagar struggle marks a break with the earlier existing forms of Gandhian/Sarvodaya and other liberal forms of protest as organized by various NGO's etc which looked at anti displacement resistance within the structures of official grievance redressal mechanisms of the Indian state which ironically was the primary agent for this imperialist loot. Even while co-opting and diffusing people's anger, these interventions were found inadequate when faced with the wrath and greed of rapacious capital and the armed might of the comprador state. On the contrary, the mass militant resistance at Kalinganagar, for the first time refused to negotiate and engage with the state on its assumed legalistic terms of dialogue which also restricted and set the terms for protest within the ambit and ideology of the ruling classes on how it perceives and allows dissent. The activists of the Kalinganagar Vistaphan Birodhi Janmanch took a stance of no rehabilitation no compensation and no forced displacement from their lands which have now become an immense source of inspiration for other anti displacement movements across India. The anti POSCO people's resistance has been going on in parts of Jagatsinghpur district of Orissa against the steel plant and captive port proposed in the area. This struggle has been on since July 2005, a month after the Memorandum of Understanding regarding the project was signed between the Government of Orissa and Pohang Steel Company Limited (POSCO). In many ways the anti POSCO struggle is a logical outcome of the mass peasant resistance at Kalinganagar. *The Economy of the region* There is need to counter the misinformation being disseminated by the ruling classes regarding the economy of the region. According to the government the people of this area are very poor and only subsist as marginal farmers. Nothing can be further from the truth. According to a fact finding team's survey done in the area[1]; • The local economy is a thriving, labour-intensive one, based on agriculture and fishing. The economy is also sustained, apart from staple crops such as paddy, coconut etc., on cash crops such as betel, cashew, supari and kewra. Fishing and pisiculture are also prominent sources of livelihood. Most of these sources provide income and employment throughout the year. • The uniqueness of the betel vine cultivation economy, due to the typicality of the geographical and topographical features like soil, was highlighted repeatedly by everybody the Team interviewed. It is a thriving, highly labour intensive activity which provides income throughout the year, supporting and providing work to a wide age group of people—from the young to the old—who are engaged in various productive tasks related to cultivation, plucking, transport and marketing of betel leaves. The locals are certain that they will not be able to get most of these jobs at the POSCO factory because they do not have the requisite skills. Even if they do manage to get a few of these jobs, they emphasize, the steel project and port will not be able to provide with the kind of secure livelihood they currently enjoy. • The Jatadhari river, estuary and the forest resource base play a very important role in supporting the cultivation, fishing as well as household needs like fuel wood etc. In the late 1960s, Loknath Chaudhury, a local leader and former CPI(MP), led a struggle for transfer of much of the common land in the area, some of which was already under betel vine, from the revenue records to the Forest Department so that afforestation initiatives could be carried out to provide a natural barrier for protection of villages from impacts of cyclone and to provide for the basic needs of firewood and stalk for betel vine cultivation. Finally the land was transferred to the category of gramya jungle or community forests. *The MOU* Similarly, concerning the MOU, both the Centre and the Orissa state government have been extremely secretive about the terms and conditions. The above mentioned fact finding team also investigated and found startling facts about the deal. ON June 22, 2005 the State of Orissa signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the South Korean Steel giant—Pohang Steel Company Limited, also known as POSCO. Touted as India's largest Foreign Direct Investment (worth Rs 52,000 crores) the project involves building of a 12 Million Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA) integrated steel plant and a captive port in the Ersama Block of Jagatsinghpur district, Orissa. * * *As per the MoU, based on the needs of the "Steel Project", the Company will also develop and operate the following infrastructure:* [2] ** *Mining* facilities in the areas allocated by Government of Orissa/Government of India: i). To help POSCO produce steel, the Orissa government has promised recommend to the Union government to hand over captive coal mines to POSCO until it is ready for mining of its coal block. ii). To make steel POSCO needs 600 million tonnes of ore from the government of Orissa. Iron Ore is available at Rs. 2000 to Rs. 2600 per ton. Discounting extraction costs at Rs 400 per ton, the state government is subsidizing POSCO at Rs. 96000 crore per year in only the use of iron ore. And this does not include the amount it may take away. The MoU is set up to allow extraction for 30 years with extension possible for 20 years. In addition, unspecified amounts of chromium and manganese will also be provided to POSCO. Dolomite and limestone will also be made available at subsidized rates. *Communications and Transport:* Road, rail and port infrastructure will be provided with government help, including the dedicated railway line from the mine-belt to Paradeep. POSCO will also construct its own port at Paradeep. *The government will also construct, a railway line from Haridaspur-Paradeep and Bansapanl-Paradeep for export of POSCO company's iron ore. * *Integrated township:* The state government will provide about 6500 acres of land for the plant site in Paradeep. There is no statement regarding the price that POSCO will pay for this land. In addition, the state government has agreed to provide about 20-25 acres of land in Bhubaneswar and hand it over to POSCO for its office. At what price the company will take this land has not been mentioned. *Water supply infrastructure:* According to the MoU, the Government of Orissa is to permit withdrawal and use of water (near- about 12 thousand to 15 thousand crore liters) from the Mahanadi barrage at Jobra and Naraj in Cuttack for construction and operation of the "Overall Project". Concerns have been repeatedly raised over the past two years by citizens of the area and technical experts that this would severely impact the drinking and agricultural water supply of Cuttack and neighbouring four districts. The MoU also promises water to POSCO from the Mahanadi from Jobra barrage. For free. The MoU is silent about the quantity of water to be provided. *Revenue:* In order to increase profits for POSCO, the government of India has given Special Economic Zone (SEZ) to POSCO. The company will not have to follow various trade, labour and economic regulations. None can compel POSCO to even pay tax in view of liberalised regime prevalent in SEZs. *As per current understanding, in 30 years time, the government of Orissa will get Rs 22,500 crore and the central government Rs 89,000 crore i.e. a total of Rs 1,11,500 crore in the form of tax revenue. This works out to Rs 3,700 crore income per annum. This is less than the amount Orissa is paying POSCO in subsidies only for Iron Ores.* *Administrative support:* In addition, senior IAS officers of the state will be put at the service of POSCO for implementation and coordination. It is mentioned in the conditionality also that if POSCO wants, it can accept foreign and indigenous private players as partners, whenever it finds necessary. The local administration is acting in close collaboration with the Ersama MLA Damodar Rout, (General Secretary BJD). Adept at mobilising Goondas, Damodar Raut, with POSCO officials, the district collector, have been gathering their forces, all of this is monitored by Priyabrata Pattnaik, a notorious IAS officer whose action of applying for mining contract for the officers' club named 'Bhubaneswar Club' was recently exposed. Incidentally Priyabrata Pattnaik is also the Govt. nodal officer for the POSCO. Even the present Collector, Mr. Pramod Kumar Meherda has a history of repression against people's democratic protest, while collector in Rayagada district, he unleashed a reign of repression to silence the Kashipur Movement, against the proposed Utkal Alumina bauxite mining and Alumina plant of the Birlas. The Struggle: The modus of the intervention by the Indian state to forcibly evict large mass of the peasantry from their farmlands and forests has also undergone a radical change in the last year. In Nandigram the state first used its armed forces to try and defeat the democratic resistance of the people, failing which, the ruling party sent its armed cadres to brutally suppress the dissent. On Nov 29th 2007 it was the BJD in Jagatsingpur which made the use of goons to terrorize those involved in the anti POSCO struggle. This is an alarming trend seen across India, the Congress and NCP in Maharastra has allowed Reliance to use its goons in intimidating the anti SEZ movement in Raigarh, the BJP has been using the Bajrang Dal to forcibly acquire land for SEZs in Gujarat, the BJP has repeated this using the land mafia to forcibly acquire land for an SEZ near Indore, in Kerala the CPI(M) once again used its armed cadres to evict adivasis in Wynad, the BJP and Janta Dal(S) used goons to evict people from Bangalore and other SEZ's spread across the state and the list is endless. What marks the danger of this current mode of forced displacement by the state is its increase dependence on using extra constitutional means and the hiring of goons and lumpen elements to suppress the democratic struggles and voices of the people. In POSCO the stakes are very high, not only for the resistance being organized under the banner of POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti, but also for the political and business interests. POSCO is a project which's cost is estimated to about Rs.52,000 crores; flush with money, the POSCO management in open connivance of the ruling class elite is desperate to please their imperialist masters, while the corrupt bureaucracy jump like hungry dogs at even the small crumbs POSCO throws at them. After the goons of BJD and POSCO drove the agitators from Balitutha in the evening of 29th November 2007, within a period of one hour the police entered Nuagaon village, erected road blockade at Balitutha and establishing a camp at the same site where the protesters were sitting for the last 2 months, barricaded the road and the police establishing check point near Trilochanpur, with two platoons staying in a camp in the Trilochanpur school. The goons with complete support of the armed forces attacked in a strength of about 1500, heavily armed, with bombs, guns, bows and arrows and other weapons. After throwing a bomb at the protestors gathering and burning their tent, the goons mercilessly beat the anti POSCO protestors, especially targeting the aged and women. The BJD goons were ruthless; Mrs. Ghura Das of Dhinkia a lady of about 65 had her broken by beating her with an iron rod; Mrs. Tulsi Das about 60 years old also had her hand broken by a severe beating; Mrs. Kunilata Swain, 32 years old was grievously injured on her forehead; Mr. Dwijo Dash, about 60 years old and Mr. Parikshit Maiti also about 60 were ruthless beaten and hands fractured. There is a huge list of others injured and beaten black and blue by the lumpen brigade of the BJD and POPSCO and none of the injured have been provided any medical assistance by the state till now, on the other hand the injured have to secretly smuggle themselves out of Dinkia and get medical assistance at Paradeep or Cuttack. Through this entire sordid episode the police were shameless partisans and they watched while old women and men were being beaten ruthlessly. In a classic revelation of the true nature of the criminal justice system of India, those who were beaten have had further additions to their already absurdly long list of criminal cases filed against them. Several of the anti POSCO leaders and sympathizers have more than 200 criminal cases lodged against them, they cannot leave the area on fear of immediate arrests under ranging from attempt to murder, rape, criminal trespass, dacoity, arson etc. Not one goon has had a single case registered against them. This exposes the farce called the Indian Justice System and the truth behind the much touted "Largest Democracy in the World". This is the truth behind empty slogans such as "India Shining" "Land of Ahimsa" "Land of Mahavira and Buddha" "Father of the nation and non violent Gandhi" all this lies completely exposed while the class nature of the Indian state and its comprador rulers leave no stone unturned in serving their imperialist masters. But why to blame a boot licking dog such as Naveen Patnaik, when his true master, our revered soft spoken P.M., Manmohan Singh can shamelessly declare in Oxford that "India has greatly benefited from Colonial rule…" and in Washington he opens his address to Congress with the words, "I have come to sell India.." *Situation in Dhinkia Gram Panchayat*: Despite the reverses suffered, the morale of the villagers is very high and they are willing to face the police at any moment. The people expect that the first occasion for a decisive fight may come in the shape of entry of survey team along with Goons and Police. Their steely resolve was echoed in words from all age groups, "POSCO can be built only over our dead bodies". They are keeping night vigil on the boundary of the village and are preparing themselves to face the ensuing Nandigram style combined assault by the Armed Goons and Police. About 13 platoons of the police have been deployed all around Dhinkia with the notion of "maintaining peace and order", in reality they have laid siege to Dhinkia panchayat and its villages. Despite this ordeal and isolation, the people of Dhinkia putting behind all personal hardships are ready for a decisive fight. Grocery shops are not functioning properly for the lack of materials, as merchants supplying goods are facing hardships from the Goons and the police. Many injured are suffering without treatment. Despite such fascist repressive measures the PPSS have been organizing meetings in Gobindpur and Nawagaon. In the last month some positive developments have taken place; the refusal of the Orissa government to compensate any affected families farming on so called government land has forced the pro POSCO agitators to take a harsh look at their anti people stance and to come to terms with the fact that their real interest lie with the PPSS and not with corrupt middle men and contractors such as Damodar Raut. After the ruthless occupation of Iraq and the down trend and slowdown in the world economy the intensification of loot by developed nations is bound to get even sharper. The only realistic and practical solution to this onslaught can be through mass resistance movements such as Kalinganagar and the anti-POSCO resistance. The point to be noted is that these movements are inspiring in showing the resolve of the militant peasantry, hence they are the important sites of resistance against imperialism and the comprador elite in the third world. Therefore it is imperative for the democratic and progressive forces to firmly rally behind these struggles and provide them their unflinching support. ------------------------------ [1]A team of independent observers comprising Sumit Chakravartty, Editor, Manistream weekly, New Delhi; Sridevi Panikkar, Delhi Solidarity Group; Bijulal M. V., Indian Social Institute, New Delhi; Manshi Asher, National Centre for Advocacy Studies, Pune, visited Bhubaneswar and Jagatsinghpur between April 19 and 22, 2007 [2] http://orissagov.nic.in/posco/POSCO-MoU.htm From apnawritings at yahoo.co.in Thu Feb 14 14:24:48 2008 From: apnawritings at yahoo.co.in (ARNAB CHATTERJEE) Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2008 08:54:48 +0000 (GMT) Subject: [Reader-list] Freedom of Speech for Alien traitor muslims & hindus? Message-ID: <222997.6192.qm@web8501.mail.in.yahoo.com> Dear Sarai readers and writers, ( This mail didn't go through in my first attempt, so Im trying for the second time and there are some changes for good.) While I had just started thinking about Shudha's ethics of treason, Jeebesh washed me away with his asylums and aliens.So two short notes on both of them before getting any further.( And this does not reflect my own positions on freedom of expression etc.) Shuddha first ;( though I still need to go through his post fully). A muslim considered traitor by fellow muslims and thus a hindu considered a betrayer by other hindus makes interesting case against say Amartya Sen's views on these ( And why did Shuddha celebrate them elsewhere?). Consider Amartya's examples on an intolerant Auurangzeb remaining a Muslim and a tolerant Akbar also remaining a Muslim. Now, if go by the ethics of treason( in its rudiments) then who remains a muslim and who does not will be settled by whom? They will be settled, as it is well known by now, by "the structures of recognition" well incorporatable into the "politics of recognition" as such.Here how I or we will be recognised is dependent on others rather than how we decide for ourselves. So, Amartya's views are media-celebrated but vacous to say the least ( by this simple reason that 'structures of recognition' in Akbar's time are neither available,nor are they same as of now.) Shuddha's insertion opens this debate in this interesting direction. How to get out of this dilemma? Shuddha seems to be calling for an enjoyment of the allegation of treason or urging us to indulge in ethical treason ( like ethical hacking?.Anybody can suggest this to Taslima as well ( I guess oishik is well placed to do this with furor) but even this suggestion can rarely be universalized.What is the way out? There is no way out; we are knee deep into the modern multicultural trap and pursuit. While an other- recognition is mandatory and I may have respect and responsibility, it is not necessary they will be redoubled and returned in the manner in which I expect it to be. Theoretically, if we want to know this more, I can suggest a way. Drawing on hermenetuic phenomenology, this brilliant Indian philosopher ( though you will not find him invited at any seminars in India atleast)Rajeswara Sunder Rajan ( not the feminist one)I remember talked about something called "structures of transcendence" by which, I opine, these structures of recognition by others and one self, could be attempted-- by you, me and all of us-- in a braceketed form, so that they could be transcended -- in a pure form. More on this latter. Jeebesh has struck again and has hit a new chord. While I temporarily disagree with his no freedom of speech for aliens etc., I agree that asylum should be dug for deeper news. Though I think Lawrence Liang( who I guess is undergoing a long leaning vasectomy operation in Bangalore) could tell us best about this, I think denying freedom of speech to aliens or immigrants is a violation of their huamn rights under international laws. The rights are not available to enemy aliens or those booked under preventive detention. The former do have freedom of speech( in the ordinary sense) but are prone to all 'reasonable restrtictions' and modifications that the government could subject these laws and modifications to.But asylum is a different case; has Taslima sought political asylum in writing? I don't remember. ( So Pranab Mukherjee's call for self control for asylum seekers is seriously misplaced.)No political executive can settle for such a call; it has to be juridically negotiated first. But let me cite here an American example in refutation of Jeebesh's first thought.( Though Ashis Nandy speaking for protection of constitutional rights is an irony in all theoretical senses.) In the wake of an arrest of immigrants alleged to have been participating in subversive activities and thus the first amendment ( protecting free speech)in the US conflicting with the rights that could be enjoyed and pursued by aliens, here is an important piece of insertion. "U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson has ruled in Los Angeles that when immigrants' First Amendment rights collide with the Government's right to control immigration, the First Amendment wins. It's a victory for free speech and common sense. Judge Wilson, a Reagan Administration appointee, now supports their view, declaring those provisions (of deportation harmful aliens) unconstitutional. He found that aliens, once admitted to the United States, have free-speech rights which generally take precedence over the Government's right to control immigration. But that concession does not diminish the Government's power to deport aliens engaged in harmful activity unrelated to speech, like terrorism or crime. Too often, however, the harmful activity that Government seeks to control is only speech. As Judge Wilson noted: ''In this case, the Government is trying to stifle certain ideas from entering our society from certain aliens through its immigration power. Our society, however, was built on the premise that only through the free flow of ideas can our nation grow and prosper.'' It's a judgment worth cheering. Judge Wilson rightly recognizes that immigration law ought to control offensive actions, not offensive views." (The New York Times, Feb 13, 2008) Thank you, arnab Save all your chat conversations. Find them online at http://in.messenger.yahoo.com/webmessengerpromo.php From namratakakkar1 at yahoo.co.in Thu Feb 14 14:30:08 2008 From: namratakakkar1 at yahoo.co.in (Namrata Kakkar) Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2008 09:00:08 +0000 (GMT) Subject: [Reader-list] Arundhati/Mahasweta/Ashish/Girish on Taslima Nasrin In-Reply-To: <20080213122026.GA64978@xs4all.nl> Message-ID: <956904.71520.qm@web8614.mail.in.yahoo.com> Dear All, The last news is Taslima has had her visa extended but her freedom of movement is going to be curtailed. Why are we talking about her freedom of expression? Namrata - -- Patrice Riemens wrote: > dear All, > > 'Ashraya' or 'asylum' looks like dead in our times. > However, it seems that > the French minister for Human Rights has pleaded for > giving French > citizenship to both Taslima Nasreen and Ayaan Hirsi > Ali. > > Ciaou from Paris, patrizio & Diiiinooos! > > On Wed, Feb 13, 2008 at 04:14:55PM +0500, Jeebesh > Bagchi wrote: > > dear All, > > > > In this case the question is not about freedom of > speech. Taslima is > > not a citizen of India, so State in India has no > jurisdiction to have > > a say on her freedom of speech. The state can > persecute her > > publishers or ban the book but her freedom of > speech is not > > guaranteed here. > > > > The question is of "ashraya" (or what is termed as > asylum). Every > > culture has developed ways of thinking about > "ashraya" and very > > interesting histories can be uncovered here from > all over the world. > > It will be interesting how "ashraya" is thought in > our times. > > > > warmly > > jeebesh > > > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and > the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to > reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the > subject header. > To unsubscribe: > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> 5, 50, 500, 5000 - Store N number of mails in your inbox. Go to http://help.yahoo.com/l/in/yahoo/mail/yahoomail/tools/tools-08.html From jeebesh at sarai.net Thu Feb 14 15:23:36 2008 From: jeebesh at sarai.net (Jeebesh Bagchi) Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2008 14:53:36 +0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Freedom of Speech for Alien traitor muslims & hindus? In-Reply-To: <222997.6192.qm@web8501.mail.in.yahoo.com> References: <222997.6192.qm@web8501.mail.in.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <602EB0E9-1D21-4E3B-83DE-45F962F5E386@sarai.net> On 14-Feb-08, at 1:54 PM, ARNAB CHATTERJEE wrote: > While I temporarily disagree with his no > freedom of speech for aliens etc., Did i say that? not really. I was just saying the "protection of speech" by the state is available to the citizens. A non-citizen does not have that protection. State and it's everyday million invocations has circumscribed the space fundamentally. Now what will be the basis of "protection of speech" will rage on for many many years. Whether it will be on normative grounds or other grounds cannot be resolved. Protected speech will have it's own "reasonable restrictions". So the ground conditions of this debate will go on for a long time, and will be more venomous in the coming times. But the questions around condition of speech, socially acceptable and unacceptable speech, freedom negotiated within each act of speech, significant speech or heretical speech cannot be understood if all our arguments are about how we will petition the state or how best to think like the state. The present debate remains at the level of how to speak to the state or convince the state or condemn the state. How do we understand the limits of "unacceptable" speech that we can live with or bear with is an area that gets left behind, within this. The tendency to mobilize sentimental or paranoid fictions of communities to argue reaches a dead end quickly. Then how do we think about speech - without the state as the guarantor and without fiction of communities as the crutch? ------------------- Formally asylum came up as an address to the condition of stateless people in the first part of the 20th century. But the culture of giving shelter to the prosecuted, the traveller who is not acceptable in some places or the one who is on the run is deep in all cultures and has been part of stories for ages. Maybe time has come re- invigorate these domains of practices and thinking from various cultures and see what has been the ways of practicing "ashraya" (refuge) in cultures and civilizations. warmly jeebesh From lawrence at altlawforum.org Thu Feb 14 15:53:55 2008 From: lawrence at altlawforum.org (Lawrence Liang) Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2008 15:53:55 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Free expression for a Muslim Traitor-Alien or Hindu betrayers? In-Reply-To: <502356.88308.qm@web8515.mail.in.yahoo.com> References: <502356.88308.qm@web8515.mail.in.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <47B416BB.4090009@altlawforum.org> Hi Arnab and Jeebesh The doctors have given me permission to take a quick break from this very painful vasectomy to clarify and add a legal point; There is a clear distinction in the constitution between Art. 19 (freedom of speech) and Art. 21(right to life), and while Art 21 is available to to all persons, Art. 19 is only available to citizens, which means that non citizens do not have the same claim that citizens can in the case of free speech, and hence do not have access to same remedies either. In any case i read jeebesh's posts as not making a legal argument but urging us to move beyond the rather narrow conceptual frame of liberal legality, and explore the possibilities of a wider set of cultural resources through which we can think of hospitality, and again not as candy floss virtue ethic but as forms of life Lawrence From anne at freewaves.org Thu Feb 14 06:43:19 2008 From: anne at freewaves.org (Anne Bray) Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2008 17:13:19 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] Reminder: Freewaves Media Art Festival OPEN CALL - due Feb. 29 Message-ID: <24595540.1202951600001.JavaMail.root@localhost> A reminder: the submission deadline is February 29, 2008 *PLEASE POST/FORWARD* OPEN CALL: Freewaves (experimental media art, video, animation, cell videos, wifi events, images for electronic moving signs+) HollyWould... Freewaves' 11th Festival of New Media Arts Freewaves' HollyWould... festival will take place in October 2008, in the perceived world capital of media on Hollywood Boulevard. We are looking for INTERESTING WORKS THAT REPRESENT AN ALTERNATIVE TO MAINSTREAM MEDIA or directly relate to Hollywood. Selected festival works will be installed in this urban hall of mirrors in screening rooms, art centers, stores, vacant walls intersecting with audiences where they live, recreate and shop. Competitive selection process will be conducted online by a group of international and local curators with a range of specialties and backgrounds. - Work must be completed since January 1, 2005. - Notification of acceptance is in July 2008. - Artists will be paid $100-$200 for selected works. For submission details, online entry form and Hollywood Boulevard photo gallery, see: http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=190967241&u=1926394 Contact: anne at freewaves.org and http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=190967241&u=1926395 ---------------------------------------- You are subscribed to this list as reader-list at sarai.net. To unsubscribe, send email to unsubscribe.236124.190967241.3774505697520880263-reader+2Dlist_sarai.net at en.groundspring.org. Our postal address is 2151 Lake Shore Avenue Los Angeles, California 90039 United States Visit http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=190967241&u=1926396 From asitredsalute at gmail.com Thu Feb 14 11:13:19 2008 From: asitredsalute at gmail.com (Asit asitreds) Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2008 11:13:19 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] POSCO write up Message-ID: "Over Our Dead Bodies" A Report from the Barricades. A brief note on the Anti POSCO struggle in Orissa The crisis of capitalism and the collapse of the Brettonwood system: The coming in of Neo-Liberal Economics in the form of "globalization", read imperialism, has led to the intensification of imperialist intervention solely because of capital's ruthless drive for accumulation and profit maximization. This incessant drive is forcing developed capitalist countries in an ever increasing search for cheap labour, cheap resources and captive markets. Ever since the collapse of the Soviet bloc and the counter revolutionary reforms in China, the space allowing imperialist interventions with impunity has increased manifold. In the recent past the globe has witnessed numerous violent and insidious so called "non violent" interventions across the globe, i.e Nicaragua, Granada, Panama, Tahiti, Afghanistan, Argentina, several countries of Africa. The most striking example of early 21st century accumulation through direct occupation and even genocide as is happening in Iraq. These interventions have upset regional and national economies, disposed millions and created areas of unrest and strife; the pauperisation of Latin America, hunger famine and ethnic strife in Africa and the establishment of compradors, outright World Bank puppets, dictatorships/client regimes and military juntas such as in India, Pakistan, Saudia Arabia, Kuwait, Philippines, South Korea, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Interventions from imperialist agencies such as the World Bank, IMF, WTO, The ADB and NGO's and donor agencies etc. have so far been effective in imposing a structural shift within the third world economies. This shift from a relative notion of self reliance through "import substitution" industrialisation, food self sufficiency towards dismantling their welfare structures and imposing an outright commodified imperialist culture heavily dependant on the privatization of services and the commodification of natural resources has only resulted in further marginalisation of the people and increasing inequalities. In the context of India, these imperialist interventions are being implemented by the comprador elite which has taken on the task to facilitate the easy entry of capital. The task for capitalist intervention has been through these compradors who divert the people attention from issues confronting their immediate life and necessities through strengthening feudal oppression and captivating the middle classes within an illusionary web of crass consumerism and cash nexus. Because of this ruling comprador class, imperialist capital has at its disposal an unprecedented quantity of cheap mineral resources, land, labour, youth and government funds. In India we can see the rapid increase in the private service sector, where a huge number of our youth are being lured into working as semi- slaves in late night call centers and BPO's, thousands of which sprung up overnight only because of rising labour costs in core capitalist countries. With developed nations facing rapidly depleting resources, rising unemployment, high costs of unsustainable consumerism and falling productivity their ruling classes are compelled to intensify their economic, cultural, political and armed interventions in developing nations. This form of brutal primitive accumulation has also given an impetus to several centers of resistance across developing nations. In India we can see an intensification of the struggles of the peasantry against forced displacement taking place across the length and breadth of India, especially in those resource rich regions where the levels of neo colonial extraction are high and brutal. A case in point would be the states of Jharkhand, Chattisgarh and Orissa. Taking the particular case of Orissa we can see that since the colonial period there have been a huge number of imperialist interventions and parallel struggles being waged by the peasantry on the issue of displacement from forests and farm lands. Orissa is the continuous target for loot by the imperialist powers, finding within an amicable ally in the comprador ruling class puppet such as Naveen Patnaik. Nevertheless, there have been several heroic tribal uprisings against the earlier colonial plunder by martyrs such as Laxman Nayak in the early 20th century and in the recent years we can see the emergence of several struggles in Kashipur, Hirakud, Kalinganagar, Lanjigarh and Jagatsingpur (Anti POSCO). It is in Kalinganagar where resistance by the adivasi peasantry changed the very contours of resistance across India. The Kalinganagar struggle marks a break with the earlier existing forms of Gandhian/Sarvodaya and other liberal forms of protest as organized by various NGO's etc which looked at anti displacement resistance within the structures of official grievance redressal mechanisms of the Indian state which ironically was the primary agent for this imperialist loot. Even while co-opting and diffusing people's anger, these interventions were found inadequate when faced with the wrath and greed of rapacious capital and the armed might of the comprador state. On the contrary, the mass militant resistance at Kalinganagar, for the first time refused to negotiate and engage with the state on its assumed legalistic terms of dialogue which also restricted and set the terms for protest within the ambit and ideology of the ruling classes on how it perceives and allows dissent. The activists of the Kalinganagar Vistaphan Birodhi Janmanch took a stance of no rehabilitation no compensation and no forced displacement from their lands which have now become an immense source of inspiration for other anti displacement movements across India. The anti POSCO people's resistance has been going on in parts of Jagatsinghpur district of Orissa against the steel plant and captive port proposed in the area. This struggle has been on since July 2005, a month after the Memorandum of Understanding regarding the project was signed between the Government of Orissa and Pohang Steel Company Limited (POSCO). In many ways the anti POSCO struggle is a logical outcome of the mass peasant resistance at Kalinganagar. The Economy of the region There is need to counter the misinformation being disseminated by the ruling classes regarding the economy of the region. According to the government the people of this area are very poor and only subsist as marginal farmers. Nothing can be further from the truth. According to a fact finding team's survey done in the area[1]; • The local economy is a thriving, labour-intensive one, based on agriculture and fishing. The economy is also sustained, apart from staple crops such as paddy, coconut etc., on cash crops such as betel, cashew, supari and kewra. Fishing and pisiculture are also prominent sources of livelihood. Most of these sources provide income and employment throughout the year. • The uniqueness of the betel vine cultivation economy, due to the typicality of the geographical and topographical features like soil, was highlighted repeatedly by everybody the Team interviewed. It is a thriving, highly labour intensive activity which provides income throughout the year, supporting and providing work to a wide age group of people—from the young to the old—who are engaged in various productive tasks related to cultivation, plucking, transport and marketing of betel leaves. The locals are certain that they will not be able to get most of these jobs at the POSCO factory because they do not have the requisite skills. Even if they do manage to get a few of these jobs, they emphasize, the steel project and port will not be able to provide with the kind of secure livelihood they currently enjoy. • The Jatadhari river, estuary and the forest resource base play a very important role in supporting the cultivation, fishing as well as household needs like fuel wood etc. In the late 1960s, Loknath Chaudhury, a local leader and former CPI(MP), led a struggle for transfer of much of the common land in the area, some of which was already under betel vine, from the revenue records to the Forest Department so that afforestation initiatives could be carried out to provide a natural barrier for protection of villages from impacts of cyclone and to provide for the basic needs of firewood and stalk for betel vine cultivation. Finally the land was transferred to the category of gramya jungle or community forests. The MOU Similarly, concerning the MOU, both the Centre and the Orissa state government have been extremely secretive about the terms and conditions. The above mentioned fact finding team also investigated and found startling facts about the deal. ON June 22, 2005 the State of Orissa signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the South Korean Steel giant—Pohang Steel Company Limited, also known as POSCO. Touted as India's largest Foreign Direct Investment (worth Rs 52,000 crores) the project involves building of a 12 Million Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA) integrated steel plant and a captive port in the Ersama Block of Jagatsinghpur district, Orissa. As per the MoU, based on the needs of the "Steel Project", the Company will also develop and operate the following infrastructure: [2] Mining facilities in the areas allocated by Government of Orissa/ Government of India: i). To help POSCO produce steel, the Orissa government has promised recommend to the Union government to hand over captive coal mines to POSCO until it is ready for mining of its coal block. ii). To make steel POSCO needs 600 million tonnes of ore from the government of Orissa. Iron Ore is available at Rs. 2000 to Rs. 2600 per ton. Discounting extraction costs at Rs 400 per ton, the state government is subsidizing POSCO at Rs. 96000 crore per year in only the use of iron ore. And this does not include the amount it may take away. The MoU is set up to allow extraction for 30 years with extension possible for 20 years. In addition, unspecified amounts of chromium and manganese will also be provided to POSCO. Dolomite and limestone will also be made available at subsidized rates. Communications and Transport: Road, rail and port infrastructure will be provided with government help, including the dedicated railway line from the mine-belt to Paradeep. POSCO will also construct its own port at Paradeep. The government will also construct, a railway line from Haridaspur-Paradeep and Bansapanl- Paradeep for export of POSCO company's iron ore. Integrated township: The state government will provide about 6500 acres of land for the plant site in Paradeep. There is no statement regarding the price that POSCO will pay for this land. In addition, the state government has agreed to provide about 20-25 acres of land in Bhubaneswar and hand it over to POSCO for its office. At what price the company will take this land has not been mentioned. Water supply infrastructure: According to the MoU, the Government of Orissa is to permit withdrawal and use of water (near- about 12 thousand to 15 thousand crore liters) from the Mahanadi barrage at Jobra and Naraj in Cuttack for construction and operation of the "Overall Project". Concerns have been repeatedly raised over the past two years by citizens of the area and technical experts that this would severely impact the drinking and agricultural water supply of Cuttack and neighbouring four districts. The MoU also promises water to POSCO from the Mahanadi from Jobra barrage. For free. The MoU is silent about the quantity of water to be provided. Revenue: In order to increase profits for POSCO, the government of India has given Special Economic Zone (SEZ) to POSCO. The company will not have to follow various trade, labour and economic regulations. None can compel POSCO to even pay tax in view of liberalised regime prevalent in SEZs. As per current understanding, in 30 years time, the government of Orissa will get Rs 22,500 crore and the central government Rs 89,000 crore i.e. a total of Rs 1,11,500 crore in the form of tax revenue. This works out to Rs 3,700 crore income per annum. This is less than the amount Orissa is paying POSCO in subsidies only for Iron Ores. Administrative support: In addition, senior IAS officers of the state will be put at the service of POSCO for implementation and coordination. It is mentioned in the conditionality also that if POSCO wants, it can accept foreign and indigenous private players as partners, whenever it finds necessary. The local administration is acting in close collaboration with the Ersama MLA Damodar Rout, (General Secretary BJD). Adept at mobilising Goondas, Damodar Raut, with POSCO officials, the district collector, have been gathering their forces, all of this is monitored by Priyabrata Pattnaik, a notorious IAS officer whose action of applying for mining contract for the officers' club named 'Bhubaneswar Club' was recently exposed. Incidentally Priyabrata Pattnaik is also the Govt. nodal officer for the POSCO. Even the present Collector, Mr. Pramod Kumar Meherda has a history of repression against people's democratic protest, while collector in Rayagada district, he unleashed a reign of repression to silence the Kashipur Movement, against the proposed Utkal Alumina bauxite mining and Alumina plant of the Birlas. The Struggle: The modus of the intervention by the Indian state to forcibly evict large mass of the peasantry from their farmlands and forests has also undergone a radical change in the last year. In Nandigram the state first used its armed forces to try and defeat the democratic resistance of the people, failing which, the ruling party sent its armed cadres to brutally suppress the dissent. On Nov 29th 2007 it was the BJD in Jagatsingpur which made the use of goons to terrorize those involved in the anti POSCO struggle. This is an alarming trend seen across India, the Congress and NCP in Maharastra has allowed Reliance to use its goons in intimidating the anti SEZ movement in Raigarh, the BJP has been using the Bajrang Dal to forcibly acquire land for SEZs in Gujarat, the BJP has repeated this using the land mafia to forcibly acquire land for an SEZ near Indore, in Kerala the CPI(M) once again used its armed cadres to evict adivasis in Wynad, the BJP and Janta Dal(S) used goons to evict people from Bangalore and other SEZ's spread across the state and the list is endless. What marks the danger of this current mode of forced displacement by the state is its increase dependence on using extra constitutional means and the hiring of goons and lumpen elements to suppress the democratic struggles and voices of the people. In POSCO the stakes are very high, not only for the resistance being organized under the banner of POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti, but also for the political and business interests. POSCO is a project which's cost is estimated to about Rs.52,000 crores; flush with money, the POSCO management in open connivance of the ruling class elite is desperate to please their imperialist masters, while the corrupt bureaucracy jump like hungry dogs at even the small crumbs POSCO throws at them. After the goons of BJD and POSCO drove the agitators from Balitutha in the evening of 29th November 2007, within a period of one hour the police entered Nuagaon village, erected road blockade at Balitutha and establishing a camp at the same site where the protesters were sitting for the last 2 months, barricaded the road and the police establishing check point near Trilochanpur, with two platoons staying in a camp in the Trilochanpur school. The goons with complete support of the armed forces attacked in a strength of about 1500, heavily armed, with bombs, guns, bows and arrows and other weapons. After throwing a bomb at the protestors gathering and burning their tent, the goons mercilessly beat the anti POSCO protestors, especially targeting the aged and women. The BJD goons were ruthless; Mrs. Ghura Das of Dhinkia a lady of about 65 had her broken by beating her with an iron rod; Mrs. Tulsi Das about 60 years old also had her hand broken by a severe beating; Mrs. Kunilata Swain, 32 years old was grievously injured on her forehead; Mr. Dwijo Dash, about 60 years old and Mr. Parikshit Maiti also about 60 were ruthless beaten and hands fractured. There is a huge list of others injured and beaten black and blue by the lumpen brigade of the BJD and POPSCO and none of the injured have been provided any medical assistance by the state till now, on the other hand the injured have to secretly smuggle themselves out of Dinkia and get medical assistance at Paradeep or Cuttack. Through this entire sordid episode the police were shameless partisans and they watched while old women and men were being beaten ruthlessly. In a classic revelation of the true nature of the criminal justice system of India, those who were beaten have had further additions to their already absurdly long list of criminal cases filed against them. Several of the anti POSCO leaders and sympathizers have more than 200 criminal cases lodged against them, they cannot leave the area on fear of immediate arrests under ranging from attempt to murder, rape, criminal trespass, dacoity, arson etc. Not one goon has had a single case registered against them. This exposes the farce called the Indian Justice System and the truth behind the much touted "Largest Democracy in the World". This is the truth behind empty slogans such as "India Shining" "Land of Ahimsa" "Land of Mahavira and Buddha" "Father of the nation and non violent Gandhi" all this lies completely exposed while the class nature of the Indian state and its comprador rulers leave no stone unturned in serving their imperialist masters. But why to blame a boot licking dog such as Naveen Patnaik, when his true master, our revered soft spoken P.M., Manmohan Singh can shamelessly declare in Oxford that "India has greatly benefited from Colonial rule…" and in Washington he opens his address to Congress with the words, "I have come to sell India.." Situation in Dhinkia Gram Panchayat: Despite the reverses suffered, the morale of the villagers is very high and they are willing to face the police at any moment. The people expect that the first occasion for a decisive fight may come in the shape of entry of survey team along with Goons and Police. Their steely resolve was echoed in words from all age groups, "POSCO can be built only over our dead bodies". They are keeping night vigil on the boundary of the village and are preparing themselves to face the ensuing Nandigram style combined assault by the Armed Goons and Police. About 13 platoons of the police have been deployed all around Dhinkia with the notion of "maintaining peace and order", in reality they have laid siege to Dhinkia panchayat and its villages. Despite this ordeal and isolation, the people of Dhinkia putting behind all personal hardships are ready for a decisive fight. Grocery shops are not functioning properly for the lack of materials, as merchants supplying goods are facing hardships from the Goons and the police. Many injured are suffering without treatment. Despite such fascist repressive measures the PPSS have been organizing meetings in Gobindpur and Nawagaon. In the last month some positive developments have taken place; the refusal of the Orissa government to compensate any affected families farming on so called government land has forced the pro POSCO agitators to take a harsh look at their anti people stance and to come to terms with the fact that their real interest lie with the PPSS and not with corrupt middle men and contractors such as Damodar Raut. After the ruthless occupation of Iraq and the down trend and slowdown in the world economy the intensification of loot by developed nations is bound to get even sharper. The only realistic and practical solution to this onslaught can be through mass resistance movements such as Kalinganagar and the anti-POSCO resistance. The point to be noted is that these movements are inspiring in showing the resolve of the militant peasantry, hence they are the important sites of resistance against imperialism and the comprador elite in the third world. Therefore it is imperative for the democratic and progressive forces to firmly rally behind these struggles and provide them their unflinching support. MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF ORISSA AND M/s POSCO FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF AN INTEGRATED STEEL PLANT AT PARADEEP. (http://orissagov.nic.in/posco/POSCO-MoU.htm) This Memorandum of Understanding is made on the Wednesday day of June 22, 2005, between the Governor of Orissa on the one part and M/s POSCO on the other part. 1. M/s POSCO having its registered office at 1 Koidong-Dong, Nam-Ku, Pohang-City, Kyungsanbuk Province, Republic of Korea, (hereinafter referred to as POSCO, which expression shall, unless repugnant to the context or meaning thereof, include its successors, executors, administrators, representatives and permitted assignees), is proposing to set up an Integrated Steel Plant of a total capacity of 12 million tonnes per annum in the State of Orissa at Paradeep, in Jagatsinghpur district. 2. The Government of Orissa, desirous of utilizing its natural resources and rapidly industrializing the State, so as to bring prosperity and wellbeing to its people, has been making determined efforts to establish new industries in different locations. In this context, the Government of Orissa have been seeking to identify suitable promoters to establish new Integrated Steel Plants in view of the rich iron ore and coal deposits in the State. 3. POSCO will establish an Indian company (hereinafter referred to as the "Company") through their relevant subsidiaries, related companies or third parties nominated by POSCO to invest in the State of Orissa in : (A) steel manufacturing; (B) infrastructure necessary for the Integrated Steel Plant and related Projects; and (C) related mining of iron ore and other ores. 4. (1)The Company is desirous of developing and operating the following facilities on the basis described in this MoU in the State of Orissa with proposed investment of around US$ 12 billion or Rs. 51,000 crores (approximately). The details of the facilities are given in the table below : Project Phase No. Capacity in MTPA Project Details Project cost in Rs. Crore (Approx.) Time Schedule Finished products Steel Plant with FINEX / BF, along with other facilities like Lime Calcining Plant, Oxygen Plant, Captive Power Plant, Steel Melt Shop with Converters, Casters, Rolling Mills etc. (collectively, the "Steel Project") & Minor Port Phase-1 6 (in two modules of 3 MT each) 1st Module Crude Steel - 3 MTPA Finished Steel -2.82MTPA 10,100 To be commissioned by July 2010 or 36 months from the date of (i) taking title to and possession of land. (ii) registration of the executed prospecting licence, whichever is later Slabs (3MT) 2nd Module Crude steel – 3MTPA Finished Steel -2.82MTPA 11,800 To be commissioned by July 2012 or 24 months from Commissioning of Phase - I, Module – I, whichever is later Hot rolled Coil (4.5MT), Plate (1.5MT) etc.* Phase-2 6 (in two modules of 3 MT each) 1st Module Crude Steel -3MTPA Finished Steel -2.82MTPA 9,500 To be commissioned by July 2014 or 24 months from commissioning of Phase - I, Module – 2, whichever is later Slabs (3MT) 2nd Module Crude steel – 3MTPA Finished Steel -2.82MTPA 12,000 To be commissioned by July 2016 or 24 months from commissioning of Phase - 2, Module - 1. Hot Rolled Coil (4.5MT), Plate, Cold rolled coil (1.5MT) etc.** Note: Detailed time schedule for the commissioning of each phase will be determined pursuant to Clause 18. * Cumulative of Phase-1; ** Cumulative of Phase-2. (2) The Company is also desirous of developing and operating the following related infrastructure based on the needs of the "Steel Project", on the basis described in this MoU : i. mining facilities in the areas allocated by Government of Orissa/Government of India (the "Mining Project"); ii. road, rail and port infrastructure (the "Transportation Project"), including the dedicated railway line from the mine-belt to Paradeep; iii. integrated township; and iv. water supply infrastructure (the "Water Project"). (3) The Steel Project will be located at Paradeep. The Mining Project will be established at the mining site(s) that are identified as the mineral resources for the Company. (4) To achieve the foregoing purposes, the Government of Orissa and the Company agree to be "Partners in Development" and have, therefore, come together to record their intentions through this MoU. 5. LAND : (i) The Company will establish their registered office and national headquarters in the State of Orissa, in the city of Bhubaneswar. The Government of Orissa will identify, acquire and transfer a suitable tract of land between 20 and 25 acres for this purpose, in accordance with the specifications provided by the Company. (ii) The Company will require approximately 4,000 acres of land (hereinafter referred to as the "Land") for the purpose of setting up the Steel Project and associated facilities, including the port facilities and a storage yard for coking coal. (iii) In addition, the Company will require approximately 2,000 acres of land for township development, recreational activities and all related social infrastructure development (collectively, the "Integrated Township Development"). Out of this, approximately 1,500 acres would be identified adjacent/near to the Steel project and another 500 acres (approx.) near the Mining Project. State Government will facilitate all clearances and approvals of the Central Government, if required. (iv) In addition to the land required for the core activities of the Overall Project, the Company may require additional land pockets for development of the "transportation project", the "water project" and any other project-related infrastructure facilities. (v) The Government of Orissa agrees to acquire and transfer all the above-mentioned land required for the Overall Project, free from all encumbrances through Orissa Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO) on payment of the cost of land. (vi) The Company shall pay to the relevant authority (ies) the cost of such land. For private land, the Company shall pay the cost as determined under the provisions of the Land Acquisition Act and incidental charges as mutually agreed upon. For Government land, the Company shall pay as per the rates determined by the prevailing Industrial Policy Resolution on this date. For forest land, the Company shall pay the rates determined under the applicable Rules. (vii) On its part, the Government of Orissa will expeditiously and within a reasonable time frame, hand over to the Company non-forest Government land for which the Company has completed all formalities. Acquisition of private land will be taken up on priority. (viii) For rehabilitation of displaced families, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Package would be implemented as per prevailing guidelines and practices. 6. RAW MATERIALS : (i) Coal : The State Government agrees to recommend to the Government of India for allotment of suitable coal blocks for captive coal mining for the project either directly or through a PSU. Further, the State Government will assist the Company to get the allocation of coal linkage of suitable grade in the desired quantity to meet its requirement until it is ready for mining of its coal block. (ii) Iron Ore : The Company will need the equivalent of 600 million tonnes of iron ore of an average Fe content of 62%, to meet the requirements of the proposed Steel Project of 12 million tonnes per annum. The Company may swap certain quantities (not exceeding 30% of the total requirement for the Paradeep Plant annually) of such iron ore which have high alumina content with equal quantity of low alumina content iron ore of equivalent or better Fe content imported for blending, in order to produce better quality steel in the Paradeep Project and conserve energy . Any export of iron ore by way of swap will be allowed only after an equivalent quantity of ore has been imported for the plant. The extent of the above quantity of iron ore by way of replacement for equal quantity of import of higher grade iron ore, will be within the framework of the Export-Import Policy of the Government of India applicable from time to time. It is clarified that no export of iron ore will be allowed from the captive mine except by way of full replacement through import of equal quantity of high grade ore and within the limits mentioned above. (iii) The Government of Orissa agrees to grant prospecting licenses and captive mining leases for 600 million tonnes of iron ore to the Company after following prescribed procedures and completion of required milestones including approvals of Government of India. For this purpose, the Government of Orissa shall recommend to the Central Government and use its best efforts to obtain the Central Government's approval within the minimum possible time for the grant of prospecting licenses and the captive mining leases for the iron ore mines. (iv) The Government of Orissa will recommend grant of the Prospecting Licences only after the following milestones have been achieved : a) Formation of the Indian Company referred to in Clause - 3 has been done; b) Feasibility study has been started and a Detailed Project Report has been commissioned ( July - November, 05); c) Additional Soil test and site survey has been started ; d) Preparation of Port Development Plan has been commissioned (July, 05 – January,06); e) Preparation of Industrial Water Development Plan has been commissioned (July, 05 – January,06); f) Preparation of Township Master Plan has been commissioned (August,05 – March 06); g) Preparation of Environment Impact Assessment Study has been commissioned (July,05 – January,06); h) Requisition has been submitted to the Orissa Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO) for acquisition of land for the steel plant as well as the port; i) The Indian Company is provided with paid up equity to the tune of at least US$ 50 million to enable it to undertake all the preparatory work required for setting up the plant. (v) The Government of Orissa will recommend such areas as are free from litigation as well as encumbrances. In the event of litigation at any stage, Government of Orissa will diligently defend their recommendations made in favour of the Company in the appropriate judicial, quasi judicial fora. (vi) Prior to recommending the case of the Company for Mining Lease, the State Government will ensure that the following milestones have been achieved : a) The Company has submitted the Detailed Project Report; b) The Company has submitted the Port Development Plan ; c) The Company has submitted the Industrial Water Development Plan ; d) The Company has submitted the Township Master Plan ; e) The Company has ensured that application for Environment Impact Assessment Study has been submitted to the Government of India ; f) The Company has filed necessary requisition for land for different components of the project with IDCO and has deposited necessary funds; g) The Company has submitted the rehabilitation and re-settlement package for the oustees to the competent authority and received the approval of Government of Orissa; h) The Company has submitted the proposal with requisite details for diversion of forest land which the Government of Orissa will recommend to the Government of India; i) The Company has applied for Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance. (vi) The Indian Company is provided with paid up equity to the tune of at least US$ 200 million to enable it to undertake adequate investment connected with the setting up of the plant. (vii) Recommendation for the mining lease will be made in two phases, commensurate with the first two modules and the last two modules of 3 million tonnes each. The recommendation will, however, be subject to suitable adjustment of mining blocks. State Government will take a decision pertaining to the first phase after the following milestones have been achieved for the first phase of 6 million tonnes : a) Award of 50% of orders for civil and structural contracts in terms of value. b) Placement of 20% of firm orders for machinery in terms of value. (viii) State Government will make recommendation pertaining to the second phase after : a) Commissioning of the first module of 3 million tonnes of the first phase has been achieved ; b) Award of 50% of orders for civil and structural contracts in terms of value for the second phase of 6 million tonnes ; c) Placement of 20% of firm orders for machinery in terms of value for the second phase of 6 million tonnes. (ix) The State Government agrees to assist the Company in making a firm arrangement with the Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC) along with other private iron ore lessees in the State, to meet a substantial portion of the requirement of iron ore of suitable grade for initial period of steel making under mutually agreeable terms and conditions, if required by the Company. (x) All iron ore Mining Leases and Prospecting Licenses shall be clean and free of any encumbrances. (xi) Before the grant of mining lease, the Company would submit a detailed progress report of all components of the project with reference to the agreed implementation schedule (referred to Clause 18 (ii) hereinafter). The mining lease would be granted subject to the satisfaction of the Government of Orissa that adequate progress has been achieved in all critical parameters. (xii) The iron ore mining leases shall be granted to the Company initially for a period of 30 years and will be considered for renewal on an application by the Company before expiry, for another 20 years. (xiii) The Government of Orissa will assist the Company in obtaining all clearances, including forest and environment clearance and approval of the State Pollution Control Board, and the Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India under Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 and Environmental (Protection) Act, 1986 for opening up the iron ore mines, laying roads, constructing township etc. (xiv) The Government of Orissa agrees to provide all possible assistance to the Company for acquiring mineral concession for limestone and dolomite within the ambit of the MMDR Act and MC Rules. (xv) Govt. of Orissa will make best efforts and provide all possible assistance to POSCO for expeditious clearance of applications relating to mining lease and related matters such as forest, environment etc. so as to enable POSCO to start its mining operations in time to synchronize with the commissioning of its steel plant. POSCO have requested to source an additional 400 MT of Iron ore from India for their existing steel plants in South Korea. This can be done through a long–term commercial supply arrangement from the open market. Any such trading arrangement shall fall entirely within the domain of the Government of India and will be regulated by the prevailing Export – Import Policy of the Country. No mine-able reserves can be provided by Government of Orissa purely for the purpose of direct exports beyond what has been indicated for value addition in the steel plant of the Company in Orissa in the preceding paragraphs. However, Government of Orissa will assist POSCO in establishing suitable contacts and interfaces with Government of India for this purpose. (xvi) Chrome Ore : State Government will facilitate suitable long term arrangement with OMC and other lessees for supply of chrome ore to meet the requirement of the plant. (xvii) Manganese Ore : The State Government would consider assigning appropriate priority to an application of the Company for mineral concession for manganese ore in the State as and when available within the ambit of MMDR Act and MC Rules. 7. WATER : (i) The Government of Orissa will permit drawal and use of water from the Mahanadi barrage at Jobra in Cuttack or any other suitable source for construction and operation of the Overall Project as per the prevailing rates and appropriate terms and approval of the Water Allocation Committee, subject to availability. (ii) The Company shall prepare and inform the Government of Orissa within a short period of time, the water requirement for each phase and the total water requirement for each component. The Government of Orissa will facilitate meeting these water requirements. (iii) The Government of Orissa will permit implementation of a suitable water supply scheme prepared jointly by the Company and the Department of Water Resources, Government of Orissa. The Government of Orissa will allow the Company to operate and maintain necessary infrastructure including creation of water bodies, laying of pipelines etc. to pump required quantity of water for the development and operation of the Project. (iv) The Government of Orissa will facilitate the process of obtaining various approvals expeditiously for the Company. 8. DRAINAGE AND SEWERAGE : (i) The Government of Orissa shall assist the Company to provide adequate drainage and sewerage off-take facilities for each component project during both the construction and operation stages prior to commencement of construction after following all prescribed procedures and obtaining required approvals. (ii) The Government of Orissa shall facilitate grant of all necessary approvals for provision of such facilities and the discharge of drainage and sewerage into such facilities. 9. POWER : (i) The Government of Orissa have agreed to ensure that about 25 MW of power is made available to the Company to meet the construction power requirements of the steel plant, port, township and also the mining project. During the operation phase, the Government of Orissa will make best efforts to meet the power requirement of all components of the project including each of its components. The details of the requirement of power during the construction phase of the Overall Project including each of its components and year-wise requirement thereafter for the operation of the project, will be prepared by the Company and the Government of Orissa or agency designated by it and will be duly informed in good time. (ii) The Government of Orissa will facilitate the execution of an agreement for the Transmission line from the sub-stations to their project sites, under the supervision of GRIDCO. 10. CAPTIVE POWER PLANT : (i) The Company will establish a Captive Power Plant (CPP) to meet the power requirement in full or part of the overall project including its components. (ii) The Government of Orissa will facilitate grant of approvals, if any, required for setting up of this CPP and also execution of necessary Power Purchase Agreement or Agreement for wheeling of electricity or both, with GRID Corporation of Orissa or any other agency designated by the Government of Orissa. (iii) The Government of Orissa will facilitate the establishment of fuel linkages, if any, for the CPP. (iv) The Company will offer to sell any surplus power to GRIDCO or to any other corporation so designated by the Government at a tariff to be mutually agreed between the Company and GRIDCO/ any other corporation so designated by the Government and approved by OERC. 11. ENVIRONMENT: (i) The Government of Orissa agrees to facilitate and use its best efforts to enable the Company to obtain a "No Objection Certificate" (NOC) through the State Pollution Control Board in the minimum possible time for the development and operation of the Project. (ii) The Company will conduct a rapid Environment Impact Assessment ("EIA") and prepare a detailed EIA Report and an Environment Management Plan ("EMP") for the Project. The Government of Orissa agrees to provide any assistance requested by the Company during the time the EIA is conducted and the EMP is prepared. (iii) The Government of Orissa agrees to use its best efforts to procure the grant of all environmental approvals and forest clearances from the Central Government within the minimum possible time for the Project. 12. INCENTIVES AND CONCESSIONS : (i) The State Government would consider granting to the Company such incentives and concessions as are provided in the relevant Industrial Policy Resolution (IPR) in force on this date. (ii) The Government of Orissa shall recommend to the Central Govt. and facilitate granting of "Special Economic Zone" (SEZ) status as required by the Company. This would include granting to the various aspects of the Project, the status of "SEZ Developer" or "SEZ Unit", as the case may be, so as to receive the same incentives and benefits as an SEZ (as permissible under the policy of Central Government). (iii) If the Company makes an application for setting up its different facilities under the SEZ scheme of the Government of India, the Government of Orissa would recommend their case to the Government of India and accord necessary facilitation with regard to the approved scheme of the Government of India as modified from time to time. 13. RAILWAYS, ROADWAYS & PORT: (1) Railways : (i) The Government of Orissa shall coordinate with the Ministry of Railways to ensure expeditious completion of Daitari – Banspani broad gauge rail link. (ii) Haridaspur – Paradeep broad gauge rail link is proposed to be developed through public private partnership by the Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd., an instrumentality of the Ministry of Railways. The Government of Orissa will actively pursue with the Ministry of Railways and Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd. for expeditious completion of this project. The Company shall explore the possibility of participating in the SPV for this project. The Government of Orissa shall facilitate all assistance in this connection. (iii) Banspani – Paradeep broad gauge rail link based on the transportation capacities available and project economics, the Company may develop a dedicated railway line from the site of the Mining Project to the Steel Project. This development may be undertaken by the Company or jointly with RVNL or third parties in consultation with the Ministry of Railways. All assistance in this regard will be provided by the Government of Orissa. (iv) In this connection, the Government of Orissa shall extend all possible support for securing the cooperation of the Ministry of Railways, East Coast Railways & Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd. etc. to facilitate necessary clearance from the Ministry of Railways. (v) The Government of Orissa shall facilitate the Steel Project and Mining Project to make appropriate commercial arrangements for use of the railroads mentioned above as per existing laws and procedures. (2) Roads : (i) The Government of Orissa shall provide all support to facilitate the early completion of the National Highway between Haridaspur (Chandikhol) and Paradeep and for upgradation of the State Highway from Cuttack to Paradeep to a two lane road. (ii) The Government of Orissa shall actively consider construction of two lane, free access, public roads connecting the Steel Project, the Mine Project and the Integrated Township Development to the nearest National Highway or State Highway. (3) Port : (i) The Company may : a) develop a new minor port adjacent to the existing Major Port of Paradeep and/or, b) develop a dedicated berth at the Major Port of Paradeep and/or c) make use of the existing port facilities at the Major Port of Paradeep. (ii) In connection with subparagraphs (b) & (c) of (i) above, Government of Orissa shall facilitate cooperation between the Paradeep Port Trust and the Company. (iii) In case the Company decides to develop a new minor port, the Government of Orissa will consider granting the Company necessary permission under its existing policy for development and operation of such a port as per standard concessions prescribed. (iv) The Government of Orissa agrees to provide all necessary infrastructure and logistic support required for setting up of the minor port by the Company. (v) Such minor port or berth will be constructed and operated on the basis of BOO/BOOT/BOOST. (vi) The Government of Orissa shall facilitate drawal of power and water for the port project. (vii) For this purpose, the Government of Orissa subject to fulfillment of prescribed procedures and requirements shall grant necessary approvals within its power and facilitate grant of all approvals from the Central Government and other relevant agencies including clearance by the Central Government, the Ministry of Environment and Forest under the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification [S.O.114(E)] of 1991 pursuant to the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. 14. PROJECT FACILITATION : (i) A dedicated High Powered Committee shall be constituted jointly by the Government of Orissa and the Company to ensure that the Project proceeds as per the planned schedule. The High Powered Committee shall include as permanent members, senior officers of the departments of Steel & Mines, Industries, Energy, Water Resources, Works, Commerce and Transport, Forest and Environment and representatives from the Company. The Government of Orissa shall arrange for representatives of other departments to be present for each meeting as required. (ii) The High Powered Committee shall meet from time to time to review the progress of the Project. (iii) The High Powered Committee will also have regular interactions with the Chief Minister and the Chief Secretary of the Government of Orissa to apprise them of the progress made on the Overall Project and each component project. 15. SINGLE WINDOW : The Government of Orissa shall establish a special "Single Window Clearance Committee" to ensure clearances under State laws from agencies / departments within specified time limits. 16. NODAL OFFICER : (1) The Government of Orissa shall appoint a senior officer to be the Nodal Officer for the Project. (2) All applications made by the Company for all relevant clearances, permits, approvals, licenses, consents and the like or facilitation for the Project shall be routed through the Nodal Officer. The Nodal Officer shall diligently pursue the granting of all such approvals/ clearances within the minimum possible time and update the Company at regular intervals on the status of these applications. (3) An Officer reporting to the Nodal Officer would be designated by the Government of Orissa to assist in obtaining necessary approvals from the Central Government as well as its agencies as quickly as possible. 17. SECURITY : The Government of Orissa will take action to provide overall security as per applicable law, as may be required to all parts of the Project during the operation phase. All necessary steps in this regard including setting up of police stations, if required, would be taken by Government of Orissa. 18. NEXT STEPS (i) Immediately following the execution of this MoU, the Government of Orissa shall second (at its own cost) to the Company's Project office in Bhubaneswar, an Officer of the appropriate level to be dedicated to the facilitation of the Project. (ii) Within 6 months from the formulation of the Company, (i) a detailed project schedule will be prepared by the Company and submitted to the Government of Orissa, (ii) a detailed implementation plan will be prepared by the Company and submitted to the Government of Orissa and (iii) Agreement will be signed between the Government of Orissa and the Company along the lines of this MoU. 19. GENERAL CLAUSES (i) The Government of Orissa appreciates that the Company will be a responsible corporate house with a high involvement in employees' welfare and social development. The Government of Orissa, therefore, anticipates that the Company will bring this philosophy to the steel plant project being set up in the district of Jagatsingpur and other district(s) where captive mines linked to the project are located to ensure the well being of these districts in particular and the people of Orissa in general. In terms of employment, preference will be given to the people of Orissa subject to need and their possessing the necessary qualifications. The Company will make every effort to improve their skill levels, if necessary, through specialized training. For this purpose State Government will nominate a nodal Agency/Officer to coordinate with the Company. (ii) The Government of Orissa appreciates that the Company will be entitled to induct suitable foreign and/or Indian Joint Venture partners, choose appropriate financial options, suppliers, credit options and technologies in the best interests of the project. (iii) The Company shall effect sale of all its products in the domestic tariff area (including inter-state sales) in the State of Orissa and shall not effect any branch transfer of its products to out side the State. These stipulations are not, however, applicable to export of finished products outside the country. (iv) The Company shall comply with all applicable laws and policies of the Republic of India and the State of Orissa including more specifically those relating to environment, mining, rehabilitation and socio-economic development in the periphery of the project and also including the Orissa Government Notification No.375 dated 15th January, 2004. (v) The MoU shall remain valid for a period of five years from the date of signing. Further extension, if necessary, shall be made as per mutual agreement. However, no such extension shall be considered unless the Company has made substantial progress on implementation of the project in terms of construction, erection of plant and machinery and investment at site to the satisfaction of the State Government in these five years in implementing the first phase as envisaged in this MoU. (vi) The Company understands that the offers and special considerations of the State Government indicated in this MoU are for the overall Steel project (vii) The Company while implementing the project undertakes to comply with all statutory requirements/clearances in respect of laws, regulations and procedures governing establishment and operation of Industries. (viii) In the event of non-implementation of the project or part thereof, the corresponding support/commitment of the State Government indicated in the MoU with regard to Iron ore Mines/Coal Block, incentives and concessions of the State Government in particular shall be deemed to be withdrawn. Signed on the date mentioned herein above at Orissa Secretariat, Bhubaneswar by the authorized representatives of the parties to this Memorandum of Understanding. For and on behalf of the Government of Orissa (Mr. Bhaskar Chatterjee) Principal Secretary to Government Department of Steel & Mines For and on behalf of POSCO (Mr. Soung Sik Cho) Senior Executive Vice President [1] A team of independent observers comprising Sumit Chakravartty, Editor, Manistream weekly, New Delhi; Sridevi Panikkar, Delhi Solidarity Group; Bijulal M. V., Indian Social Institute, New Delhi; Manshi Asher, National Centre for Advocacy Studies, Pune, visited Bhubaneswar and Jagatsinghpur between April 19 and 22, 2007 [2] http://orissagov.nic.in/posco/POSCO-MoU.htm From radhikarajen at vsnl.net Thu Feb 14 17:36:43 2008 From: radhikarajen at vsnl.net (radhikarajen at vsnl.net) Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2008 17:36:43 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Free expression for a Muslim Traitor-AlienorHindubetrayers? References: <502356.88308.qm@web8515.mail.in.yahoo.com> <47B416BB.4090009@altlawforum.org> Message-ID: Hi all, freedom of speech and then show of lati along with the free speech has resulted in enough violence and show of intolerence in maharashtra,one non-entity who with his navnirman sena went on to destroy the property that belonged to all in his state invoking the marati manoos for the violence, another talking of retaliation holding a lati in his hand, did his best to further divide the citizens in to communes on language and faith. All along the Marata great fuedal lord, minister for agriculture and king of sports body with billions to control all, had secret parleys to divide the commune votes of maratis, and the sufferer in all this game is reflected with death of a marati manoos by a stone thrown at him ! So, is freedom of speech available to invoke violence to Abu and Raj who were media hyped into celebrities overnight, that centre had to send para military forces for the drama of arrest and bailing out. ? Is this democratic working of the system where citizens are scared of goons and the system actively helps to breed such goons in the politics of the nation and governance. ?Apologetic words of a CM of a state, that police arrested the culprits and CM has no role in the arrests is atbest a reflection of an impotent ruler who has no courage to own acts of prosecution of evil criminals. ? Regards, ----- Original Message ----- From: "Lawrence Liang" To: "ARNAB CHATTERJEE" Cc: ; ; "Jeebesh Bagchi" Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2008 3:53 PM Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Free expression for a Muslim Traitor-Alien orHindubetrayers? > Hi Arnab and Jeebesh > > The doctors have given me permission to take a quick break from this > very painful vasectomy to clarify and add a legal point; There is a > clear distinction in the constitution between Art. 19 (freedom of > speech) and Art. 21(right to life), and while Art 21 is available to to > all persons, Art. 19 is only available to citizens, which means that > non citizens do not have the same claim that citizens can in the case > of free speech, and hence do not have access to same remedies either. > > In any case i read jeebesh's posts as not making a legal argument but > urging us to move beyond the rather narrow conceptual frame of liberal > legality, and explore the possibilities of a wider set of cultural > resources through which we can think of hospitality, and again not as > candy floss virtue ethic but as forms of life > > > > > Lawrence > > > > > > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > subscribe in the subject header. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From asitredsalute at gmail.com Thu Feb 14 19:46:13 2008 From: asitredsalute at gmail.com (Asit asitreds) Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2008 19:46:13 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Arundhati/Mahasweta/Ashish/Girish on Taslima Nasrin In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: freinds the taslima issue is not only the question of right to freedom of expression but also the third world womens struggle against patriarchy taslima has consistently written about the rights of women which has angerd the religious establishment who are pampered for vote bank poltics asit On 2/13/08, radhikarajen at vsnl.net wrote: > > Sir, > > the very statement that freedom of speech and expression is absolute and > unfettered is absolutely incorrect in a civilised society, as societal > right > to be civilised in expression of speech.Rrights do have a bearing on > societal rights in civilised society with duties as the other side of > right. > While I fully empathise with Taslima nasreen and the political games being > played with this issue by the athiests in the society, with views > expressed > one may or may not agree. But to say that freedom of expression is > absolute > is like saying that as free citizen every one has right to have coitus on > the median of highway in front of all passing vehicular traffic. > No freedom is absolute in a society where it impinges on the rights of > others in society. Taslima or Hussain can express themselves freely within > the parametres of civil society.Hussain in his expression so creative uses > his artistic skills to graphically expose his pervert sense of depravity > in > showing his motherland in nude. ? Why his creative expression looks at his > mother fully clothed. ? All those symbols considered sacred and worshipped > as believers like, are his objects of expression and crative artistic > liberty and right to express in nude. ? Why the same creative expression > does not get inspired to portray his parents in conjugal bliss on canvass. > ? > In Taslimas expression, sure, she has not offended anybody except the > clergies of a faith who think that they are the tekedars of the faith, > which > again is bad in any faith irrespective of the faith, but same is happening > in all faiths. > All faiths are ways of living a good life, in material, intellectual and > spiritual spheres of human existence. To believe or not to believe in any > faith is free choice. But the clergies of the faith ,in any faith, always > try to impose that their faith is the only saviour, which is unfortunate. > Society in free India is divided at the very instant of achieving the > freedom of the nation in 1947, by dividing the land mass on faith, then > allowing the citizens the option not to go that land mass created for > faith. > The truth of the matter is even though the bangladesh and pakistan were > created for the followers of faith, they are failed states in governance. > India, which could have good governance chose to be "secular" but in > practise, it only created more divisions in the land mass with language, > region and castes communes for political gains. to cap it left further > encouraged the neighbouring nations' citizens to have a stay in the free > India with fake ration cards, ids and opportunities to live in this > nation, > while governance in the federal state was diluted to total lack of > governance or no governance with fuedal lords of individual communes > mastering the art of securing "class votes", " commune votes" and > "regional > votes" in the election frey. And today election is a fight to secure votes > by any fair or foul means to secure power and possession of material > wealth, > not service to all citizens.In the process, the free India is now islands > of > communes with every commune trying to corner maximun benefits of democracy > to their communes with out fear, depriving the common citizen of all the > opportunities to live a dignified life in the nation. > > Regards. > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Naeem Mohaiemen" > To: > Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2008 10:09 AM > Subject: [Reader-list] Arundhati/Mahasweta/Ashish/Girish on Taslima Nasrin > > > > Public Statement by Forum For The Protection of Free Speech and > Expression > > > > At a time when India is projecting itself on the > > world's stage as a modern democracy, while it hosts > > international literary festivals and book fairs, the > > Government of India, most mainstream political parties > > and their armed squads are mounting a concerted > > assault on peoples' right to Free Speech. > > > > It is a matter of abiding shame that even as some of > > the world's best-known writers were attending the > > Jaipur literary festival and prestigious publishers > > were doing business at the World Book fair in Delhi, > > the exiled Bengali writer Taslima Nasrin was (and is) > > being held in custody by the Government of India in an > > undisclosed location somewhere in or around Delhi in > > conditions that amount to house arrest. Contrary to > > misleading press reports stating that her visa has > > been extended, her visa expires on the 18th of > > February, after which she is liable to be deported or > > remain confined as an illegal alien. > > > > Taslima Nasrin is only one in a long list of > > journalists, writers, scholars and artists who have > > been persecuted, banned, imprisoned, forced into exile > > or had their work desecrated in this country. At > > different points of time, different governments have > > either directly or indirectly resorted to these > > measures in order to fan the flames of religious, > > regional and ethnic obscurantism to gain popularity > > and expand their 'vote-banks'. Every day the threat to > > Free Speech and Expression increases. > > > > In the case of Taslima Nasrin it was the CPI (M) and > > not any religious or sectarian group who first tried > > to ban her book Dwikhondito some years ago. The ban > > was lifted by the Calcutta High Court and the book was > > in the market and on bestseller lists in West Bengal > > for several years. During those years Taslima Nasrin > > lived and worked as a free person in Calcutta without > > any threat to her person, without being the cause of > > public disorder, protests or demonstrations. > > Ironically, Taslima Nasrin's troubles in India began > > immediately after the Nandigram uprising when the > > people of Nandigram, mostly Dalits and Muslims, rose > > to resist the West Bengal Government's attempt to > > takeover their land, and tens of thousands of people > > marched in Calcutta to protest the government's > > actions. Within days a little known group claiming to > > speak for the Muslim community asked for a ban on > > Dwikhondito and demanded that Taslima Nasrin be > > deported. The CPI(M)-led government of West Bengal > > immediately caved in to the demand, informed her that > > it could not offer her security, and lost no time in > > deporting her from West Bengal against her will. The > > Congress-led UPA Government has condoned this act by > > holding her in custody in Delhi and refusing, thus > > far, to extend her visa and relieve her of her public > > humiliation. They have once again played the suicidal > > card of pitting minority communalism against majority > > communalism, a game that can only end in disaster. > > > > Inevitably, hoping to make political capital out of > > the situation, the BJP is publicly shedding crocodile > > tears over Taslima Nasrin, going to the extent of > > offering her asylum in Gujarat. It seems to expect > > people to forget that the BJP, VHP and RSS cadres have > > been at the forefront of harassing, persecuting, > > threatening and vandalizing newspaper offices, > > television studios, galleries, cinema halls, > > filmmakers, artists and writers. Or that they have > > forced M.F. Husain, one of India's best-known > > painters, into exile. > > > > Meanwhile, in states like Chattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh > > and Karnataka, away from the public glare of press > > conferences and television cameras, journalists are > > being threatened and even imprisoned. Prashant Rahi > > from Uttarakhand, Praful Jha from Chattisgarh, > > Srisailum from Andhra Pradesh, P. Govind Kutty from > > Kerala are a few examples. As we speak Govind Kutty, > > who is on a hunger strike in prison is being > > force-fed, bound hand and foot. Scores of ordinary > > people, including people like Binayak Sen have been > > arrested and held illegally under false charges. > > > > We the undersigned do not necessarily agree with, > > endorse or admire the views or the work of those whose > > rights we seek to defend. Many of us have serious > > differences with them. We agree that many of them do > > offend our (or someone else's) religious, political > > and ideological sensibilities. However, we believe > > that instead of making them simultaneously into both > > victims and heroes, their work should be viewed, read, > > criticized and vigorously debated. We believe that the > > Freedom of Speech and Expression is an Absolute and > > Inalienable Right, and is the keystone of a modern > > democracy. > > > > If the Indian Government deports Taslima Nasrin, or > > holds her as an illegal alien, it will shame and > > diminish all of us. We demand that she be given a > > Resident's Permit or, if she has applied for it, > > Indian citizenship, and that she be allowed to live > > and work freely in India. We demand that the spurious > > cases filed against M.F. Husain be dropped and that he > > be allowed to return to a normal life in India. We > > demand that the journalists who are being illegally > > detained in prison against all principles of natural > > justice be released immediately. > > > > Signed: > > > > Mahashweta Devi, Arundhati Roy, Ashish Nandy, Girish > > Karnad > > _________________________________________ > > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > > Critiques & Collaborations > > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > > subscribe in the subject header. > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > subscribe in the subject header. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From mahmood.farooqui at gmail.com Thu Feb 14 20:27:31 2008 From: mahmood.farooqui at gmail.com (mahmood farooqui) Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2008 20:27:31 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Free expression for a Muslim Traitor-AlienorHindubetrayers? In-Reply-To: References: <502356.88308.qm@web8515.mail.in.yahoo.com> <47B416BB.4090009@altlawforum.org> Message-ID: Are intellectuals/artistes/writers special people whom we should treat differently from other people...are Bangladeshi migrants seeking freedom from tyranny of hunger part of those whom we can give asylum to...could this extend to Pakistanis, who went from India, or those that didn't but who now want to come and live in India...the great modernist short story writer and poet Ahmed Hamesh, who did his high school from India, tried hard to return to India and live here, in the eighties, but failed and had to be deported here... Would asylum depend on the fitness of the candidate, whethe she is deserving or not? Can we use examples from lived practices, from the past, or history, without drawing any general conclusions from it, without, in short, becoming normative--can history serve us as particulars alone? On 14/02/2008, radhikarajen at vsnl.net wrote: > Hi all, > > freedom of speech and then show of lati along with the free speech has > resulted in enough violence and show of intolerence in maharashtra,one > non-entity who with his navnirman sena went on to destroy the property that > belonged to all in his state invoking the marati manoos for the violence, > another talking of retaliation holding a lati in his hand, did his best to > further divide the citizens in to communes on language and faith. All along > the Marata great fuedal lord, minister for agriculture and king of sports > body with billions to control all, had secret parleys to divide the commune > votes of maratis, and the sufferer in all this game is reflected with death > of a marati manoos by a stone thrown at him ! > So, is freedom of speech available to invoke violence to Abu and Raj who > were media hyped into celebrities overnight, that centre had to send para > military forces for the drama of arrest and bailing out. ? Is this > democratic working of the system where citizens are scared of goons and the > system actively helps to breed such goons in the politics of the nation and > governance. ?Apologetic words of a CM of a state, that police arrested the > culprits and CM has no role in the arrests is atbest a reflection of an > impotent ruler who has no courage to own acts of prosecution of evil > criminals. ? > Regards, > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Lawrence Liang" > To: "ARNAB CHATTERJEE" > Cc: ; ; "Jeebesh Bagchi" > > > Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2008 3:53 PM > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Free expression for a Muslim Traitor-Alien > orHindubetrayers? > > > > Hi Arnab and Jeebesh > > > > The doctors have given me permission to take a quick break from this > > very painful vasectomy to clarify and add a legal point; There is a > > clear distinction in the constitution between Art. 19 (freedom of > > speech) and Art. 21(right to life), and while Art 21 is available to to > > all persons, Art. 19 is only available to citizens, which means that > > non citizens do not have the same claim that citizens can in the case > > of free speech, and hence do not have access to same remedies either. > > > > In any case i read jeebesh's posts as not making a legal argument but > > urging us to move beyond the rather narrow conceptual frame of liberal > > legality, and explore the possibilities of a wider set of cultural > > resources through which we can think of hospitality, and again not as > > candy floss virtue ethic but as forms of life > > > > > > > > > > Lawrence > > > > > > > > > > > > _________________________________________ > > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > > Critiques & Collaborations > > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > > subscribe in the subject header. > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From mahmood.farooqui at gmail.com Thu Feb 14 20:30:40 2008 From: mahmood.farooqui at gmail.com (mahmood farooqui) Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2008 20:30:40 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: Press Invite: Against Witch Hunts of Minorities; In solidarity with Aftab Ansari In-Reply-To: <192fb7330802140015g3ff8d293g6a58d8960c96f90f@mail.gmail.com> References: <192fb7330802140015g3ff8d293g6a58d8960c96f90f@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: manisha sethi Date: 14 Feb 2008 13:45 Subject: Press Invite: Against Witch Hunts of Minorities; In solidarity with Aftab Ansari To: alam.arshad at gmail.com PRESS INVITE JNUSU and Forum for Democratic Initiatives (FDI) invite you to a Press Meet Case Of False Framing Of Aftab Alam Ansari and Justice Against Witch-Hunt Of Minorities Date: 15.2.08 Venue: IWPC Time: 2.00pm Speakers: Aftab Alam Ansari, the victim of false terror charges and torture. An employee of the Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation (CESC), Aftab, was arrested and tortured on false charges of being a 'terrorist' by the STF of UP in conjunction with Kolkata Police on 27 Dec 07. After being tortured for 20 days he was eventually released and proved innocent due to the efforts of his mother. Md. Sohaib Aftab's Lawyer Piyush Shrivastava Journalist (Mail Today) who first made Aftab's story public Manoj Kr. Singh ( Dainik Hindustan, Gorakhpur Correspondent) Prashant Bhushan, Supreme Court advocate Prof. Tanika Sarkar, JNU and Office Bearers of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union and Forum for Democratic Initiatives. The meeting and the Press conference are being organized to highlight the atrocities on Aftab Ansari, demand due justice and compensation, and also to emphasize the rampant witch-hunt against minorities that is going on in UP at this juncture in the name of "war on terror". Please ensure your presence and support by sending your correspondent and photographer/cameraperson to cover the event. Sandeep Singh, President, JNUSU, Radhika Menon, Convenor, FDI From sadiafwahidi at yahoo.co.in Thu Feb 14 21:26:04 2008 From: sadiafwahidi at yahoo.co.in (S.Fatima) Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2008 15:56:04 +0000 (GMT) Subject: [Reader-list] Transcendental love Message-ID: <102516.55228.qm@web8401.