Saturday, December 25, 2010
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Govt announces scholarships for single girl children
Ministry of Human Resource Development , Central Government has introduced a Post-Graduate Indira Gandhi Scholarship Scheme for Single Girl Child with the purpose of supporting higher education at PG level in non-professional subjects for any eligible girl who is the only child in her family. The Scheme was introduced from the academic year 2005-06. Duration of Scholarships is two years. Number of Scholarships given per year is 1200 and rate of scholarship is Rs. 2,000 per month (for 20 months).
The selection of candidates is made on the basis of recommendations of an Expert Committee following criteria is given below:
(i) Should be the single child in the family.
(ii) Admitted to Non-professional PG-1st year Degree course.
(iii) Should be less than 30 years at the time of PG-1st year admission.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Human Resource Development Smt. D. Purandeswari, in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.
The selection of candidates is made on the basis of recommendations of an Expert Committee following criteria is given below:
(i) Should be the single child in the family.
(ii) Admitted to Non-professional PG-1st year Degree course.
(iii) Should be less than 30 years at the time of PG-1st year admission.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Human Resource Development Smt. D. Purandeswari, in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.
Unicef India internship. Applications due Jan 21
From Sakshi Saini, WAVE videoblogger:
UNICEF India Invites Applications for Full Time Internship Programme
Knowledge Community On Children In India Internship Programme
25 May – 3 August 2011
For more info, go to:
http://www.unicef.org/india/media_6603.htm
UNICEF India Invites Applications for Full Time Internship Programme
Knowledge Community On Children In India Internship Programme
25 May – 3 August 2011
For more info, go to:
http://www.unicef.org/india/media_6603.htm
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Laadli awards - inviting media from North India that is gender-sensitive by Jan 1
You can email Nawed Akhter at if you would like to apply. Here is an extract from his email:
We are very pleased and privileged to write to you about Laadli Media Awards for Gender Sensitivity 2010-11.
These awards are for Media Professional who have worked on the subjects that are gender sensitive and help bring about gender parity and sensitise people on such subject.
We request you to kindly help us by sending entries if you have any or by furthering this information to relevant friends who you think are working on such subject.
We are very pleased and privileged to write to you about Laadli Media Awards for Gender Sensitivity 2010-11.
These awards are for Media Professional who have worked on the subjects that are gender sensitive and help bring about gender parity and sensitise people on such subject.
We request you to kindly help us by sending entries if you have any or by furthering this information to relevant friends who you think are working on such subject.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Lebul Nisa's video 'In Limbo: Kashmir's Half Widows' Wins a Laadli Award!
She will be accepting an award on Sunday November 19 from 11-1 pm at the MICA Auditorium, Shela in Ahmedabad.
The award, instituted by the NGO Population First in association with UNFPA, is for furthering gender sensitivity in the media. WAVE entered from the Western Region, and won in the 'Best Videoblog' category.
Watch Lebul's video here.
Visit Population First's website to learn more about the Laadli awards.
The award, instituted by the NGO Population First in association with UNFPA, is for furthering gender sensitivity in the media. WAVE entered from the Western Region, and won in the 'Best Videoblog' category.
Watch Lebul's video here.
Visit Population First's website to learn more about the Laadli awards.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Kudos to Goa for being the first state to recruit women firefighters
Times of India (Goa) story Dec 12:
PANAJI: If the state government keeps its promise, then Goa will be the first state in western India to recruit women fire fighters in the fire and emergency services.
However, the new recruits will not land in tough fire-fighting operations straightaway. They will be first put on fire prevention, training and communication duty till they can handle riskier jobs. Atpresent only Chennai and Hyderabad fire brigades have women firefighters.
"A proposal to change the recruitment rules to enable recruitment of women in the fire and emergency services has been received by us and we are in the process of changing the recruitment rules and identifying the posts to be allotted to women in the department," chief secretary Sanjay Srivastava said. "In a critical situation, we have felt that a woman can help another woman better. We have seen during Bicholim floods that women are hesitant when men try to help or rescue them. Therefore, women fire personnel are the need of the hour. Initially, we will recruit women for fire prevention, training and communication duty and also train them as fire fighters to handle emergency situations," said director of fire and emergency services Ashok Menon. Srivastava said, "Once recruitment rules for inducting women in the services are finalized, then we will notify posts to enable the recruitment. This should be done by April 14, 2011." The proposal will go to Personnel department from where it will be referred to the law department, Srivastava added. Sources said the fire department has suggested that a similar criterion as the one adopted by the Goa police in recruitment of female officers be adopted for fire services also.
Home minister Ravi Naik said that induction of women in the force is crucial as they can be involved in rescue operations involving women casualties. All the 13 fire stations in the state will have women fire-fighters, he said.
At the moment there are 507 sanctioned posts in the fire department and all posts are filled by men. Based on the study conducted by the Administrative reforms study, the fire department has sent a proposal to the government to increase the staff strength to 700. "Once the sanction for 200 more personnel is granted by the government and recruitment rules are changed to appoint women, then we will earmark posts for women," added Menon.
PANAJI: If the state government keeps its promise, then Goa will be the first state in western India to recruit women fire fighters in the fire and emergency services.
However, the new recruits will not land in tough fire-fighting operations straightaway. They will be first put on fire prevention, training and communication duty till they can handle riskier jobs. Atpresent only Chennai and Hyderabad fire brigades have women firefighters.
"A proposal to change the recruitment rules to enable recruitment of women in the fire and emergency services has been received by us and we are in the process of changing the recruitment rules and identifying the posts to be allotted to women in the department," chief secretary Sanjay Srivastava said. "In a critical situation, we have felt that a woman can help another woman better. We have seen during Bicholim floods that women are hesitant when men try to help or rescue them. Therefore, women fire personnel are the need of the hour. Initially, we will recruit women for fire prevention, training and communication duty and also train them as fire fighters to handle emergency situations," said director of fire and emergency services Ashok Menon. Srivastava said, "Once recruitment rules for inducting women in the services are finalized, then we will notify posts to enable the recruitment. This should be done by April 14, 2011." The proposal will go to Personnel department from where it will be referred to the law department, Srivastava added. Sources said the fire department has suggested that a similar criterion as the one adopted by the Goa police in recruitment of female officers be adopted for fire services also.
Home minister Ravi Naik said that induction of women in the force is crucial as they can be involved in rescue operations involving women casualties. All the 13 fire stations in the state will have women fire-fighters, he said.
At the moment there are 507 sanctioned posts in the fire department and all posts are filled by men. Based on the study conducted by the Administrative reforms study, the fire department has sent a proposal to the government to increase the staff strength to 700. "Once the sanction for 200 more personnel is granted by the government and recruitment rules are changed to appoint women, then we will earmark posts for women," added Menon.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
1 Minute To Save The World
To Youth Participation to UNFCCC Process,
I am writing to let you know about an exciting online environmental
awareness film competition that may be of interest to you. Our
submission deadline is January 17, 2011. If you could please post
information about our project, I would very grateful. I have attached
a description below. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate
to contact me.
All the best,
Michael Greenberg
http://1minutetosavetheworld.com
Young filmmakers are being asked to take part in an international
film competition by entering 1minute films on regional climate
change. The films will be shown on the Internet, at targeted
political screenings and film festivals worldwide.
“These films are valuable public service announcements that need to be
seen!” said Juan Carlos Brandt of 2009 1 minute to save the world’s
winning films. (Chief of Advocacy, United Nations, Department of
Public Information)
2010 saw devastating heat and natural disasters, such as the floods in
Pakistan. It is more pertinent now than ever before for the global
community to share their stories and have their opinions seen and
heard in an expressive and collective way to promote tangible change.
Award winning film director and climate change activist Shekhar Kapur
(Elizabeth, Bandit Queen), Frank Oz (Star Wars, The Muppet Show) and
UNICEF’s Copenhagen 4, a group of young climate activists, are among
the competition’s impressive line-up of judges.
"The great thing about a one minute film is that it can be as pure and
passionate as an idea. It does not need to be polluted by becoming an
enterprise, a complexity or the desire to make it a work of art,”
Shekhar Kapur, judge for 1 Minute To Save The World.
Collaborating partners include Sony’s Open Planet Ideas, UNICEF,
United Nations Development Program, the British Council, The British
Film Institute (BFI) and Greenpeace.
Prizes for this year’s competition include a £5000 Youth Vision prize
by Artist Project Earth, and the latest digital technology from Sony,
the NEX VG10 camcorder, for the Best Film by a person under 18 years
of age.
“We hope that the global community of young filmmakers will be
inspired to give their creative feedback, ideas and messages and we
will be looking forward to seeing their 1minute films", said
Competition Director Jessica Dunlop. “Anyone can participate by
sharing the films with their online communities, commenting on the
films and voting for their favourites to win the Audience Award”
Advertisers and multinationals have long recognised the power that
just 60 seconds of film can have. The first 1minute competition took
place in the lead up to COP15 and were screened as part of the UN’s
public art exhibit in Copenhagen, in the House of Commons UK, and
online to an audience of over 11 million viewers with the aim of
swaying public opinion and political will.
####
Notes:
1 minute to save the world 2009 received 203 films from 35 countries
76000 people from 176 countries voted for their favourite films
The winning films attracted a global audience of 11 million.
http://www.1minutetosavetheworld.com/
http://www.1minutetosavetheworld.com/category/shortlist/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gasMl5DdhkA
Michael Greenberg
Amsterdam Group
Public Relations Consultant/Liaison
1minutetosavetheworldrep@gmail.com
I am writing to let you know about an exciting online environmental
awareness film competition that may be of interest to you. Our
submission deadline is January 17, 2011. If you could please post
information about our project, I would very grateful. I have attached
a description below. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate
to contact me.
All the best,
Michael Greenberg
http://1minutetosavetheworld.com
Young filmmakers are being asked to take part in an international
film competition by entering 1minute films on regional climate
change. The films will be shown on the Internet, at targeted
political screenings and film festivals worldwide.
“These films are valuable public service announcements that need to be
seen!” said Juan Carlos Brandt of 2009 1 minute to save the world’s
winning films. (Chief of Advocacy, United Nations, Department of
Public Information)
2010 saw devastating heat and natural disasters, such as the floods in
Pakistan. It is more pertinent now than ever before for the global
community to share their stories and have their opinions seen and
heard in an expressive and collective way to promote tangible change.
Award winning film director and climate change activist Shekhar Kapur
(Elizabeth, Bandit Queen), Frank Oz (Star Wars, The Muppet Show) and
UNICEF’s Copenhagen 4, a group of young climate activists, are among
the competition’s impressive line-up of judges.
"The great thing about a one minute film is that it can be as pure and
passionate as an idea. It does not need to be polluted by becoming an
enterprise, a complexity or the desire to make it a work of art,”
Shekhar Kapur, judge for 1 Minute To Save The World.
Collaborating partners include Sony’s Open Planet Ideas, UNICEF,
United Nations Development Program, the British Council, The British
Film Institute (BFI) and Greenpeace.
Prizes for this year’s competition include a £5000 Youth Vision prize
by Artist Project Earth, and the latest digital technology from Sony,
the NEX VG10 camcorder, for the Best Film by a person under 18 years
of age.
“We hope that the global community of young filmmakers will be
inspired to give their creative feedback, ideas and messages and we
will be looking forward to seeing their 1minute films", said
Competition Director Jessica Dunlop. “Anyone can participate by
sharing the films with their online communities, commenting on the
films and voting for their favourites to win the Audience Award”
Advertisers and multinationals have long recognised the power that
just 60 seconds of film can have. The first 1minute competition took
place in the lead up to COP15 and were screened as part of the UN’s
public art exhibit in Copenhagen, in the House of Commons UK, and
online to an audience of over 11 million viewers with the aim of
swaying public opinion and political will.
####
Notes:
1 minute to save the world 2009 received 203 films from 35 countries
76000 people from 176 countries voted for their favourite films
The winning films attracted a global audience of 11 million.
http://www.1minutetosavetheworld.com/
http://www.1minutetosavetheworld.com/category/shortlist/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gasMl5DdhkA
Michael Greenberg
Amsterdam Group
Public Relations Consultant/Liaison
1minutetosavetheworldrep@gmail.com
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Make a 2 min film and maybe go to the Cannes Film Festival
Gorbatschow Pure Shots - Short Film Festival:
Make a short film of upto 2 minutes on the theme
"Whoever you are. Be Pure" & Visit Cannes Film Festival or
Make a short film with Mahesh Bhat
Last date for submission of films: 7th January 2011
For more info, visit the website
Make a short film of upto 2 minutes on the theme
"Whoever you are. Be Pure" & Visit Cannes Film Festival or
Make a short film with Mahesh Bhat
Last date for submission of films: 7th January 2011
For more info, visit the website
Invitation - National Convention of Youth Organizations
In this Issue of ICYO-Youth Information:
ICYO - Youth Information Newsletter
Indian Committee of Youth Organizations
Platform of 356 Youth Organizations in India
India's largest network of urban and rural youth
National Convention of Youth Organizations
------------------------
Building Partnerships with
Youth Organizations for
Promoting Dialogue & Mutual Understanding
----------------------------
Invitation to Indian NGOs
The National Convention of Youth Organizations will be held from December 3 to 5, 2010 in Indore, M P. It is being organized by Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO), Aantar Bharati, MP, National Youth Project (NYP) and theme of the convention is 'Building Partnerships'. The 500 delegates from 200 youth serving organizations are expected to attend this mega event.
The United Nations observe the 2010 is as International Year of Youth with the theme 'Dialogue & Mutual Understanding'. The Convention will focus on theme and create the dialogue among the youth organizations and increase the understanding between youth organizations in India on youth development
We are all concerned that India is suffering violence, poverty & unemployment, economic disparity, corruption, addiction etc. As members of youth organizations, we together can contribute to make India a happy nation. The Indore Convention will be a step in that direction and hence its importance.
In keep view on above problem face by India youth, the Convention will focus it discuss on issue like - Peace and Non-Violence; Poverty; Unemployment; Corruption; Unhealthy habits.
We extend the invitation to youth servicing organizations in India to be part of the Convention and be part of process of make India a happy nation.
Formation of Youth Advisory Board (YAB)
Young people constitute important proportion of the population. The diversity and heterogeneity of the group also shares common concerns and need and have a different role and responsibilities. We believe that involving youth in the decision making process making them in the front of action will empower youth. ICYO initiate the process of formation of national level 'Youth Advisory Board'(YAB) which consultative group so that it helps in forming proper policy and programmes and also work out mechanism where youth get recognition in society especially in the youth organization that they are associated by initiating programmes and monitoring it as a follow-up of Indore Convention. Active youth will be selected to be part of the YAB.
The first formation meeting of will be held during the Convention. We extend the invitation to all youth serving organizations to attend the Convention and join hand to empower the young people to take new challenges and initiatives in coming days.
Please nominate Minimum two and maximum five delegates from your organization to attend the Indore Convention; it will be all the more welcome if it can be men and women representative both. The organizer will provide the simple group accommodation and food during the convention.
If two are more organizations are traveling in group of 5 (under 35 year of age) or more, can avail the 50% rail concession (for concession certificate etc contact organizer).
The token registration fees is Rs.50/- per organization payable on arrival.
Interested organizations can send the nominations to icyoindia@gmail.com
For further detail, contact:
Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO)
Khare Apt, 194-A, Arjun Nagar
Safdarjung Enclave,
New Delhi 110029.
Mobile 09811729093 Email: icyoindia@gmail.com
(Mobile 09811729093)
------------------------------------------
Youth Information is published by
Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO)
194-A, Arjun Nagar, Safdarjang Enclave
New Delhi 110029, India
Phone: 91 9811729093 / 91 11 26183978 Fax 91 11 26198423
Email: icyoindia@gmail.com / icyo@icyo-india.org
Web: www.icyo.in / www.icyo-india.org
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO) is a registered non-profit, non-governmental network organization, committed in developing areas of mutual cooperation and understanding among different youth voluntary agencies, youth groups, clubs and individuals working in the field of youth welfare in India.
ICYO functions as an umbrella organization of youth NGOs in India. It's family consists of
over 389 organizations spread in 124 districts of 26 states from different corners of India.
Our goal:
To improve and extend the youth work and services through Youth Organizations;
To enhance and demonstrate youth work in the society;
To promote effective youth programmme;
To organize network of civil society organizations working towards the development of youth work;
To organize seminars, conferences, workshops, trainings;
To maintain international relation with organizations promoting young people in their programme and activities
Affiliation:
Consultative (Roster) Status with ECOSOC, United Nations;
Consultative Status with Commission on Sustainable Development;
Full Member of World Assembly of Youth (WAY); Asian Youth Council (AYC);
Member of CRIN;
Member of South Asia Youth Environment Network (SAYEN);
Affiliate with ECPAT International, Thailand;
Member of ATSECE-DELHI;
Indian Partner of AIDS Care Watch Campaign;
Working relation with Indian Association of Parliamentarians (IAPPD);
Working relation with International Medical Parliamentarians Organizations (IMPO);
Working relation with Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD).
ICYO - Youth Information Newsletter
Indian Committee of Youth Organizations
Platform of 356 Youth Organizations in India
India's largest network of urban and rural youth
National Convention of Youth Organizations
------------------------
Building Partnerships with
Youth Organizations for
Promoting Dialogue & Mutual Understanding
----------------------------
Invitation to Indian NGOs
The National Convention of Youth Organizations will be held from December 3 to 5, 2010 in Indore, M P. It is being organized by Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO), Aantar Bharati, MP, National Youth Project (NYP) and theme of the convention is 'Building Partnerships'. The 500 delegates from 200 youth serving organizations are expected to attend this mega event.
The United Nations observe the 2010 is as International Year of Youth with the theme 'Dialogue & Mutual Understanding'. The Convention will focus on theme and create the dialogue among the youth organizations and increase the understanding between youth organizations in India on youth development
We are all concerned that India is suffering violence, poverty & unemployment, economic disparity, corruption, addiction etc. As members of youth organizations, we together can contribute to make India a happy nation. The Indore Convention will be a step in that direction and hence its importance.
In keep view on above problem face by India youth, the Convention will focus it discuss on issue like - Peace and Non-Violence; Poverty; Unemployment; Corruption; Unhealthy habits.
We extend the invitation to youth servicing organizations in India to be part of the Convention and be part of process of make India a happy nation.
Formation of Youth Advisory Board (YAB)
Young people constitute important proportion of the population. The diversity and heterogeneity of the group also shares common concerns and need and have a different role and responsibilities. We believe that involving youth in the decision making process making them in the front of action will empower youth. ICYO initiate the process of formation of national level 'Youth Advisory Board'(YAB) which consultative group so that it helps in forming proper policy and programmes and also work out mechanism where youth get recognition in society especially in the youth organization that they are associated by initiating programmes and monitoring it as a follow-up of Indore Convention. Active youth will be selected to be part of the YAB.
The first formation meeting of will be held during the Convention. We extend the invitation to all youth serving organizations to attend the Convention and join hand to empower the young people to take new challenges and initiatives in coming days.
Please nominate Minimum two and maximum five delegates from your organization to attend the Indore Convention; it will be all the more welcome if it can be men and women representative both. The organizer will provide the simple group accommodation and food during the convention.
If two are more organizations are traveling in group of 5 (under 35 year of age) or more, can avail the 50% rail concession (for concession certificate etc contact organizer).
The token registration fees is Rs.50/- per organization payable on arrival.
Interested organizations can send the nominations to icyoindia@gmail.com
For further detail, contact:
Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO)
Khare Apt, 194-A, Arjun Nagar
Safdarjung Enclave,
New Delhi 110029.
Mobile 09811729093 Email: icyoindia@gmail.com
(Mobile 09811729093)
------------------------------------------
Youth Information is published by
Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO)
194-A, Arjun Nagar, Safdarjang Enclave
New Delhi 110029, India
Phone: 91 9811729093 / 91 11 26183978 Fax 91 11 26198423
Email: icyoindia@gmail.com / icyo@icyo-india.org
Web: www.icyo.in / www.icyo-india.org
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO) is a registered non-profit, non-governmental network organization, committed in developing areas of mutual cooperation and understanding among different youth voluntary agencies, youth groups, clubs and individuals working in the field of youth welfare in India.
ICYO functions as an umbrella organization of youth NGOs in India. It's family consists of
over 389 organizations spread in 124 districts of 26 states from different corners of India.
Our goal:
To improve and extend the youth work and services through Youth Organizations;
To enhance and demonstrate youth work in the society;
To promote effective youth programmme;
To organize network of civil society organizations working towards the development of youth work;
To organize seminars, conferences, workshops, trainings;
To maintain international relation with organizations promoting young people in their programme and activities
Affiliation:
Consultative (Roster) Status with ECOSOC, United Nations;
Consultative Status with Commission on Sustainable Development;
Full Member of World Assembly of Youth (WAY); Asian Youth Council (AYC);
Member of CRIN;
Member of South Asia Youth Environment Network (SAYEN);
Affiliate with ECPAT International, Thailand;
Member of ATSECE-DELHI;
Indian Partner of AIDS Care Watch Campaign;
Working relation with Indian Association of Parliamentarians (IAPPD);
Working relation with International Medical Parliamentarians Organizations (IMPO);
Working relation with Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD).
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Arts & Business | News | 'Handmade - who pays?' debate kicks off London Design Festival to a fine start
Arts & Business | News | 'Handmade - who pays?' debate kicks off London Design Festival to a fine start
this is my dream.......to make this happen in India.....
Monday, December 6, 2010
Asia Pacific Community Fund is seeking young volunteers and organisations to award
Seeking Nominations for Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy!
The Asian Pacific Community Fund (APCF) and Asian Americans/ Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP) are seeking nominations for young individuals and organizations that have exemplified outstanding support for the Asian Pacific Islander community through their leadership and philanthropic efforts. Know someone that fits that description? Make a nomination for the 3rd Annual 2011 Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy Awards today!
Awards
Individual Awards
* Distinguished Leader in Philanthropy (Ages 18-24)
* “Russell Sakaguchi” Distinguished Leader in Philanthropy (Ages 25-35)
Leaders hold a vital position in motivating and inspiring others in the community. This award is given to an individual who has stood out as a strong and effective leader within an organization and whose volunteer philanthropic activities have helped to further the Asian Pacific Islander community in the greater Los Angeles area. Philanthropic activities may include raising funds for community causes/programs, contributing one’s own resources to help those in need and leading others to participate in such activities.
*One individual will be awarded per age category.
The “Russell Sakaguchi” Award recipient will also receive a $500 grant award to be given to a community organization serving the Asian and Pacific Islander community in the greater Los Angeles area. The organization must be a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization in good standing.
Organizational Awards
* Community Excellence Award (Collegiate)
* Community Excellence Award (Post-Grad/Professional)
Student and professional organizations provide a major avenue in getting people involved, informed and linked to a network of social support. This award is given to an organization that has displayed a continuous history of philanthropy and leadership to further the Asian Pacific Islander community in greater Los Angeles area. Philanthropic activities may include raising funds for community causes/programs, contributing one’s own resources to help those in need and leading others to participate in such activities.
*One organization will be awarded per category.
For more info, click here
The Asian Pacific Community Fund (APCF) and Asian Americans/ Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP) are seeking nominations for young individuals and organizations that have exemplified outstanding support for the Asian Pacific Islander community through their leadership and philanthropic efforts. Know someone that fits that description? Make a nomination for the 3rd Annual 2011 Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy Awards today!
Awards
Individual Awards
* Distinguished Leader in Philanthropy (Ages 18-24)
* “Russell Sakaguchi” Distinguished Leader in Philanthropy (Ages 25-35)
Leaders hold a vital position in motivating and inspiring others in the community. This award is given to an individual who has stood out as a strong and effective leader within an organization and whose volunteer philanthropic activities have helped to further the Asian Pacific Islander community in the greater Los Angeles area. Philanthropic activities may include raising funds for community causes/programs, contributing one’s own resources to help those in need and leading others to participate in such activities.
*One individual will be awarded per age category.
The “Russell Sakaguchi” Award recipient will also receive a $500 grant award to be given to a community organization serving the Asian and Pacific Islander community in the greater Los Angeles area. The organization must be a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization in good standing.
Organizational Awards
* Community Excellence Award (Collegiate)
* Community Excellence Award (Post-Grad/Professional)
Student and professional organizations provide a major avenue in getting people involved, informed and linked to a network of social support. This award is given to an organization that has displayed a continuous history of philanthropy and leadership to further the Asian Pacific Islander community in greater Los Angeles area. Philanthropic activities may include raising funds for community causes/programs, contributing one’s own resources to help those in need and leading others to participate in such activities.
*One organization will be awarded per category.
For more info, click here
WAVE videoblogger Apoorva's film selected for No Time Left int'l film festival
Apoorva Shaligram from Mumbai (Thane) made a wonderful animation film about the environment with the help of WAVE editor Pooja Iyengar from Delhi. It's been selected for the French-based No Time Left film festival which features eight short films created by prominent directors like Mira Nair, Gael Garcia Bernal, etc, making one film each about a millenium development goal.
Watch Apoorva's film here.
Watch Apoorva's film here.
Friday, December 3, 2010
InnoCentive Video Challenge - $10,000 to the winner!
Challenge Overview
This is the Fourth Annual InnoCentive Video Challenge with the purpose of advancing InnoCentive’s mission, business model, and accomplishments.
For this Challenge, InnoCentive seeks a video whose goal is to drive InnoCentive market awareness and present a clear call to action around our 2011 theme, The Uniquely Prepared Mind.
InnoCentive will select the winning videos and there will be at least one guaranteed winner. The total award amount to all winning Solvers will be $10,000. The award for the first place video will be at least $5,000, and no award will be less than $1,000. In addition, the top 20 finalists will receive an InnoCentive, Inc. t-shirt. Winning videos may be used in future marketing campaigns, and the winning Solvers may be asked to participate in promotions on behalf of InnoCentive.
The winning videos will be a centerpiece for driving InnoCentive market awareness and Solver/Seeker registration. They will also meet the technical specifications outlined in the Detailed Description of the Challenge.
Everyone, including first-time Solvers, is invited to participate in this Challenge!
Note: The videos must only employ elements that their authors have either ownership of or can prove as being in the public domain. InnoCentive will retain exclusive IP rights to all winning videos, and they may be used in future marketing campaigns. The Winning Solvers may be asked to participate in promotions on behalf of InnoCentive.
Click here for more info
This is the Fourth Annual InnoCentive Video Challenge with the purpose of advancing InnoCentive’s mission, business model, and accomplishments.
For this Challenge, InnoCentive seeks a video whose goal is to drive InnoCentive market awareness and present a clear call to action around our 2011 theme, The Uniquely Prepared Mind.
InnoCentive will select the winning videos and there will be at least one guaranteed winner. The total award amount to all winning Solvers will be $10,000. The award for the first place video will be at least $5,000, and no award will be less than $1,000. In addition, the top 20 finalists will receive an InnoCentive, Inc. t-shirt. Winning videos may be used in future marketing campaigns, and the winning Solvers may be asked to participate in promotions on behalf of InnoCentive.
The winning videos will be a centerpiece for driving InnoCentive market awareness and Solver/Seeker registration. They will also meet the technical specifications outlined in the Detailed Description of the Challenge.
Everyone, including first-time Solvers, is invited to participate in this Challenge!
Note: The videos must only employ elements that their authors have either ownership of or can prove as being in the public domain. InnoCentive will retain exclusive IP rights to all winning videos, and they may be used in future marketing campaigns. The Winning Solvers may be asked to participate in promotions on behalf of InnoCentive.
Click here for more info
Arundhati Roy is being victimised by a State that's not in control
Dear Friends,
I have pasted below the speech that *Arundhati Roy *made at the the
`*Azadi' seminar *for which she and other speakers are being accused of*
"sedition"*. Those who are trying to have the speakers arrested are
spreading all kinds of rumours and falsehoods about the "provocative"
speeches made at that meeting. (Though, I firmly believe that in a
mature democracy you should be able to say absolutely anything without
fear of intimidation or reprisal.) Responding to a complaint made by one
*Mr. Sushil Pandit* (who I am told is a former campaign manager for
Arun Jaitley) the Police filed (PS Tilak Marg) a *Status Report* in
which they submitted that nothing that had been said at the meeting
could be deemed seditious. Despite the police report, the *Metropolitan
Magistrate Nivita Kumari Bagga* instructed the police to file an *FIR*
based on complaints made by Mr. Pandit.. As you all must have read in
the newspapers, an FIR has been filed against Roy and the other
speakers.Apart from the harassment that the speakers are being subjected
to, this development seriously threatens our right to free speech and
the very foundations of a democracy. *Therefore, please read the
transcript for yourself so that you know exactly what is being
considered "seditious". **Do feel free to share it with those who might
be interested. I only urge that you forward the speech in its entirety. *
Warmly
Shohini Ghosh
*
*
*TRANSCRIPT OF ARUNDHAT ROY‚S SPEECH AT SEMINAR CALLED „AZADI˜THE ONLY
WAY‰ IN DELHI ON OCTOBER 21^st 2010*
SAR GEELANI: now I request Arundhati Roy to come and speak.
*AR*: If anybody has any shoes to throw, please throw them now ..
Some PPl in the audience: we‚re cultured∑etc..etc
*AR: *Good, I‚m glad. I‚m glad to hear that. Though being cultured is
not necessarily a good thing. But anyway..
[interruption from some ppl in the audience (inaudible in the video)]
SAR GEELANI: please will you talk afterwards. Now prove that you are
cultured.
*AR: *About a week or 10 days ago, I was in Ranchi where there was a
Peoples‚ Tribunal against Operation Green Hunt˜ which is the Indian
state‚s war against the poorest people in this country˜and at that
tribunal, just as I was leaving, a TV journalist stuck a mic in my face
and very aggressively said „Madam, is Kashmir an integral part of India
or not? Is Kashmir an integral part of India or not?‰ about 5 times. So
I said, look Kashmir has never been an integral part of India. However
aggressively and however often you want to ask me that. Even the Indian
government has accepted, in the UN that it‚s not an integral part of
India. So why are we trying to change that narrative now. See in 1947,
we were told that India became a sovereign nation and a sovereign
democracy, but if you look at what the Indian state did from midnight of
1947 onwards, that colonized country, that country that became a country
because of the imagination of its colonizer˜the British drew the map of
India in 1899˜ so that country became a colonizing power the moment it
became independent, and the Indian state has militarily intervened in
Manipur, in Nagaland, in Mizoram.. (Someone‚s phone rings here).. in
Mizoram, in Kashmir, in Telangana, during the Naxalbari uprising, in
Punjab, in Hyderabad, in Goa, in Junagarh. So often the Indian
government, the Indian state, the Indian elite, they accuse the
Naxalites of believing in protracted war, but actually you see a
State˜the Indian State˜that has waged protracted war against its own
people or what it calls its own people relentlessly since 1947, and when
you look at who are those people that it has waged war against˜ the
Nagas, the Mizos, the Manipuris, people in Assam, Hyderabad, Kashmir,
Punjab˜it‚s always a minority, the Muslims, the Tribals, the Christians,
the Dalits, the Adivasis, endless war by an upper caste Hindu state,
this is what is the modern history of our country. Now, in 2007, at the
time of the uprising in Kashmir against that whole acquisition of land
for the Amarnath Yatra, I was in Srinagar and I was walking down the
road and I met a young journalist, I think he was from Times of India,
and he said to me˜he couldn‚t believe that he saw some Indian
person˜walking alone on the road˜ and he said, „can I have a quote?‰, so
I said, „yes, do you have a pen? Because I don‚t want to be misquoted‰
and I said, „write down˜India needs azaadi from Kashmir just as much as
Kashmir needs azaadi from India‰, and when I said India, I did not mean
the Indian state, I meant the Indian people because I think that the
occupation of Kashmir˜ today there are 700,000 security personnel
manning that valley of 12 million people˜ it is the most militarized
zone in the world˜ and for us, the people of India, to tolerate that
occupation is like allowing a kind of moral corrosion to drip into our
blood stream. So for me it‚s an intolerable situation to try and pretend
that it isn‚t happening even if the media blanks it out, all of us
know∑..or maybe all of us don‚t know∑.but any of us who‚ve visited
Kashmir know˜ that Kashmiris cannot inhale and exhale without their
breath going through the barrel of an AK-47. So, so many things have
been done there, every time there‚s an election and people come out to
vote, the Indian government goes and says˜„Why do you want a referendum?
There was a vote and the people have voted for India.‰ Now, I actually
think that we need to deepen our thinking a little bit because I too am
very proud of this meeting today, I think it‚s a historic meeting in
some ways, it‚s a historic meeting taking place in the capital of this
very hollow superpower, a superpower where 830 million people live on
less than 20 rupees a day. Now, sometimes it‚s very difficult to know
from what place one stands on as formally a citizen of India, what can
one say, what is one allowed to say, because when India was fighting for
independence from British colonization˜ every argument that people now
use to problematize the problems of azaadi in Kashmir were certainly
used against Indians. Crudely put, „the natives are not ready for
freedom, the natives are not ready for democracy‰, but every kind of
complication was also true, I mean the great debates between Ambedkar
and Gandhi and Nehru ˆ they were also real debates and over these last
60 years whatever the Indian State has done, people in this country have
argued and debated and deepened the meaning of freedom. We have also
lost a lot of ground because we‚ve come to a stage today where India a
country that once called itself Non Aligned , that once held its head up
in pride has today totally lain down prostrate on the floor at the feet
of the USA. So we are a slave nation today, our economy is
completely˜however much the Sensex may be growing, the fact is the
reason that the Indian police, the paramilitary and soon perhaps the
army will be deployed in the whole of central India is because it‚s an
extractive colonial economy that‚s being foisted on us. But the reason
that I said what we need to do is to deepen this conversation is because
it‚s also very easy for us to continue to pat ourselves on the backs as
great fighters for resistance for anything whether it‚s the Maoists in
the forests or whether it‚s the stone pelters on the streets˜ but
actually we must understand that we are up against something very
serious and I‚m afraid that the bows and arrows of the Adivasis and the
stones in the hands of the young people are absolutely essential but
they are not the only thing that‚s going to win us freedom, and for that
we need to be tactical, we need to question ourselves, we need to make
alliances, serious alliances∑. Because∑ I often say that in 1986 when
capitalism won its jihad against soviet communism in the mountains of
Afghanistan, the whole world changed and India realigned itself in the
unipolar world and in that realignment it did two things, it opened two
locks , one was the lock of the Babri Masjid and one was the lock of the
Indian markets and it ushered in two kinds of totalitarianism- Hindu
fascism, Hindutva fascism and economic totalitarianism and both these
manufactured their own kinds of terrorism ˜so you have Islamist
„terrorists‰ and the Maoist „terrorists‰˜ and this process has made 80%
of this country live on 20 rupees a day but it has divided us all up and
we spend all our time fighting with each other when in fact there should
be deep solidarity. There should be deep solidarity between the
struggles in Manipur, the struggles in Nagaland, the struggle in
Kashmir, the struggle in central India and in all the poor, squatters,
the vendors , all the slum dwellers and so on. But what is it that
should link these struggles? It‚s the idea of Justice because there can
be struggles which are not struggles for justice, there are peoples
movements like the VHP is a peoples movement˜but it‚s a struggle for
fascism, it‚s a struggle for injustice, we don‚t align ourselves with
that. So every movement, every person on the street, every slogan is not
a slogan for justice. So when I was in Kashmir on the streets during the
Amarnath Yatra time, and even today˜ I haven‚t been to Kashmir recently˜
but I‚ve seen and my heart is filled with appreciation for the struggle
that people are waging, the fight that young people are fighting and I
don‚t want them to be let down. I don‚t want them to be let down even by
their own leaders because I want to believe that this fight is a fight
for justice. Not a fight in which you pick and choose your justices˜„we
want justice but it‚s ok if the other chap is squashed‰. That‚s not
right. So I remember when I wrote in 2007, I said the one thing that
broke my heart on the streets of Srinagar, was when I heard people say
„Nanga Bhooka Hindustan, jaan se pyaara Pakistan‰. I said „No. Because
the Nanga Bhooka Hindustan is with you. And if you‚re fighting for a
just society then you must align yourselves with the powerless‰, the
Indian people here today are people who have spent their lives opposing
the Indian state. I have, as many of you may know, been associated for a
long time with the struggle in the Narmada valley against big dams and I
always say that I think so much about these two valleys - the Kashmir
valley and the Narmada valley. In the Narmada valley, they speak of
repression, but perhaps the people don‚t really know what repression is
because they‚ve not experienced the kind of repression that there is in
the Kashmir valley. But they have a very very very sophisticated
understanding of the economic structures of the world of imperialism and
of the earth and what it does and how those big dams create an
inequality that you cannot get away from. And in the Kashmir valley you
have such a sophisticated understanding of repression, 60 years of
repression of secret operations, of spying, of intelligence operations,
of death, of killing. But have you insulated yourself from that other
understanding, of what the world is today? What these economic
structures are? What kind of Kashmir are you going to fight for? Because
we are with you in that fight, we are with you. But we want, we hope
that it‚ll be a fight for justice. We know today that this word
Œsecularism‚ that the Indian state flings at us is a hollow word because
you can‚t kill 68,000 Kashmiri Muslims and then call yourself a secular
state. You cannot allow the massacre of Muslims in Gujarat and call
yourself a secular state and yet /you/ can‚t then turn around and say
that „we are allowed to treat our minorities badly „˜so what kind of
justice are you fighting for? I hope that the young people will deepen
their idea of Azaadi, it is something that the State and your enemies
that you‚re fighting uses to divide you. That‚s true.
[Some ppl in theAudience: „Do you know what happened to the pundits?(not
very audible)..etc ..etc..]
*AR: *I know the story of the Kashmiri pundits. I also know that the
story that these Panun Kashmir pundits put out is false. However, this
does not mean that injustice was not done.
[Ppl in Audience: interrupting and inaudible, all taking at the same
time∑ „do you know how many hindus were killed?‰∑ commotion.. no one
can hear anyone].
*AR: *I think∑ok let me continue.. [part of the crowd arguing loudly]..
SAR GEELANI: I request everyone to please sit.
*AR: *Alright, I want to say that, I think this disturbance is based on
a misunderstanding, because I was beginning to talk about justice and in
that conversation about justice, I was just about to say that what
happened with the Kashmiri pundits is a tragedy, so I don‚t know why you
all started shouting, I think it‚s a tragedy because when we stand here
and talk about justice, it is justice for everybody, and those of us who
stand here and talk about their being a place for everybody whether
there‚s a minority whether it‚s an ethnic minority or a religious
minority or minority in terms of caste, we don‚t believe in
majoritarianism so that‚s why I was talking about the fact that
everybody in Kashmir should have a very deep discussion about what kind
of society you‚re fighting for because Kashmir is a very diverse
community and that discussion does not have to come from critics or
people who are against azaadi trying to divide this struggle , it has to
come from within you so it is not the place of people outside to say
„they don‚t know what they mean by azaadi, do they mean Gilgit and
Baltistan, what about Jammu? What about Laddakh?‰ These are debates that
people within the state of J&K are quite capable of having by themselves
and I think they understand that. So, to just try and derail things by
shouting at people is completely pointless because I think that people,
the pundits in Kashmir, all the time I‚ve spent in Kashmir, have only
heard people say they are welcome back and I know people who live there,
who believe that too, so all I want to say is that when we are having
these political debates, I feel I have watched and have been listening
to and following the recent uprising in Kashmir, the fact that unarmed
people, young people armed with stones, women, even children are out on
the streets facing down this massive army with guns is something that
nobody in the world cannot help but salute. However it is up to the
people who are leading this struggle, it is up to the people who are
thinking to take it further, because you cannot just leave it there˜
because the Indian state, you know what its greatest art is˜ it‚s not
killing people ˆ that‚s its second greatest art, the first greatest art
is to wait, to wait and wait and wait and hope that everybody‚s energies
will just go down. Crisis management, sometimes it‚s an election,
sometimes it‚s something else, but the point is that people have to look
at more than a direct confrontation on the streets. You have to ask
yourselves why˜the people of Nagaland must ask themselves why there‚s a
Naga battalion committing the most unbelievable atrocities in
Chhatisgarh. After spending so much time in Kashmir watching the CRPF
and the BSF and the Rashtriya Rifles lock down that valley, the firat
time I went to Chhattisgarh, on the way I saw Kashmiri BSF, Kashmiri
CRPF on the way to kill people in Chhatisgarh. You‚ve got to ask
yourself˜ there‚s more to resistance than throwing stones˜ these things
can‚t be allowed to happen˜ „how is the state using people?‰ The
colonial state whether it was the British State in India or whether it‚s
the Indian State in Kashmir or Nagaland or in Chattisgarh, they are in
the business of creating elites to manage their occupations, so you have
to know your enemy and you have to be able to respond in ways where
you‚re tactical, where you‚re intelligent, where you‚re political˜
internationally, locally and in every other way˜ you have to make your
alliances, because otherwise you‚ll be like fish swimming furiously
around a fish tank bombing the walls and getting tired in the end
because those walls are very very strong. So I‚ll just leave with this:
Think about justice and don‚t pick and choose your injustices, don‚t say
that „I want justice but it‚s ok if the next guy doesn‚t have it, or the
next woman doesn‚t have it‰. Because justice is the keystone to
integrity and integrity is the key stone to real resistance.
Thank you.
I have pasted below the speech that *Arundhati Roy *made at the the
`*Azadi' seminar *for which she and other speakers are being accused of*
"sedition"*. Those who are trying to have the speakers arrested are
spreading all kinds of rumours and falsehoods about the "provocative"
speeches made at that meeting. (Though, I firmly believe that in a
mature democracy you should be able to say absolutely anything without
fear of intimidation or reprisal.) Responding to a complaint made by one
*Mr. Sushil Pandit* (who I am told is a former campaign manager for
Arun Jaitley) the Police filed (PS Tilak Marg) a *Status Report* in
which they submitted that nothing that had been said at the meeting
could be deemed seditious. Despite the police report, the *Metropolitan
Magistrate Nivita Kumari Bagga* instructed the police to file an *FIR*
based on complaints made by Mr. Pandit.. As you all must have read in
the newspapers, an FIR has been filed against Roy and the other
speakers.Apart from the harassment that the speakers are being subjected
to, this development seriously threatens our right to free speech and
the very foundations of a democracy. *Therefore, please read the
transcript for yourself so that you know exactly what is being
considered "seditious". **Do feel free to share it with those who might
be interested. I only urge that you forward the speech in its entirety. *
Warmly
Shohini Ghosh
*
*
*TRANSCRIPT OF ARUNDHAT ROY‚S SPEECH AT SEMINAR CALLED „AZADI˜THE ONLY
WAY‰ IN DELHI ON OCTOBER 21^st 2010*
SAR GEELANI: now I request Arundhati Roy to come and speak.
*AR*: If anybody has any shoes to throw, please throw them now ..
Some PPl in the audience: we‚re cultured∑etc..etc
*AR: *Good, I‚m glad. I‚m glad to hear that. Though being cultured is
not necessarily a good thing. But anyway..
[interruption from some ppl in the audience (inaudible in the video)]
SAR GEELANI: please will you talk afterwards. Now prove that you are
cultured.
*AR: *About a week or 10 days ago, I was in Ranchi where there was a
Peoples‚ Tribunal against Operation Green Hunt˜ which is the Indian
state‚s war against the poorest people in this country˜and at that
tribunal, just as I was leaving, a TV journalist stuck a mic in my face
and very aggressively said „Madam, is Kashmir an integral part of India
or not? Is Kashmir an integral part of India or not?‰ about 5 times. So
I said, look Kashmir has never been an integral part of India. However
aggressively and however often you want to ask me that. Even the Indian
government has accepted, in the UN that it‚s not an integral part of
India. So why are we trying to change that narrative now. See in 1947,
we were told that India became a sovereign nation and a sovereign
democracy, but if you look at what the Indian state did from midnight of
1947 onwards, that colonized country, that country that became a country
because of the imagination of its colonizer˜the British drew the map of
India in 1899˜ so that country became a colonizing power the moment it
became independent, and the Indian state has militarily intervened in
Manipur, in Nagaland, in Mizoram.. (Someone‚s phone rings here).. in
Mizoram, in Kashmir, in Telangana, during the Naxalbari uprising, in
Punjab, in Hyderabad, in Goa, in Junagarh. So often the Indian
government, the Indian state, the Indian elite, they accuse the
Naxalites of believing in protracted war, but actually you see a
State˜the Indian State˜that has waged protracted war against its own
people or what it calls its own people relentlessly since 1947, and when
you look at who are those people that it has waged war against˜ the
Nagas, the Mizos, the Manipuris, people in Assam, Hyderabad, Kashmir,
Punjab˜it‚s always a minority, the Muslims, the Tribals, the Christians,
the Dalits, the Adivasis, endless war by an upper caste Hindu state,
this is what is the modern history of our country. Now, in 2007, at the
time of the uprising in Kashmir against that whole acquisition of land
for the Amarnath Yatra, I was in Srinagar and I was walking down the
road and I met a young journalist, I think he was from Times of India,
and he said to me˜he couldn‚t believe that he saw some Indian
person˜walking alone on the road˜ and he said, „can I have a quote?‰, so
I said, „yes, do you have a pen? Because I don‚t want to be misquoted‰
and I said, „write down˜India needs azaadi from Kashmir just as much as
Kashmir needs azaadi from India‰, and when I said India, I did not mean
the Indian state, I meant the Indian people because I think that the
occupation of Kashmir˜ today there are 700,000 security personnel
manning that valley of 12 million people˜ it is the most militarized
zone in the world˜ and for us, the people of India, to tolerate that
occupation is like allowing a kind of moral corrosion to drip into our
blood stream. So for me it‚s an intolerable situation to try and pretend
that it isn‚t happening even if the media blanks it out, all of us
know∑..or maybe all of us don‚t know∑.but any of us who‚ve visited
Kashmir know˜ that Kashmiris cannot inhale and exhale without their
breath going through the barrel of an AK-47. So, so many things have
been done there, every time there‚s an election and people come out to
vote, the Indian government goes and says˜„Why do you want a referendum?
There was a vote and the people have voted for India.‰ Now, I actually
think that we need to deepen our thinking a little bit because I too am
very proud of this meeting today, I think it‚s a historic meeting in
some ways, it‚s a historic meeting taking place in the capital of this
very hollow superpower, a superpower where 830 million people live on
less than 20 rupees a day. Now, sometimes it‚s very difficult to know
from what place one stands on as formally a citizen of India, what can
one say, what is one allowed to say, because when India was fighting for
independence from British colonization˜ every argument that people now
use to problematize the problems of azaadi in Kashmir were certainly
used against Indians. Crudely put, „the natives are not ready for
freedom, the natives are not ready for democracy‰, but every kind of
complication was also true, I mean the great debates between Ambedkar
and Gandhi and Nehru ˆ they were also real debates and over these last
60 years whatever the Indian State has done, people in this country have
argued and debated and deepened the meaning of freedom. We have also
lost a lot of ground because we‚ve come to a stage today where India a
country that once called itself Non Aligned , that once held its head up
in pride has today totally lain down prostrate on the floor at the feet
of the USA. So we are a slave nation today, our economy is
completely˜however much the Sensex may be growing, the fact is the
reason that the Indian police, the paramilitary and soon perhaps the
army will be deployed in the whole of central India is because it‚s an
extractive colonial economy that‚s being foisted on us. But the reason
that I said what we need to do is to deepen this conversation is because
it‚s also very easy for us to continue to pat ourselves on the backs as
great fighters for resistance for anything whether it‚s the Maoists in
the forests or whether it‚s the stone pelters on the streets˜ but
actually we must understand that we are up against something very
serious and I‚m afraid that the bows and arrows of the Adivasis and the
stones in the hands of the young people are absolutely essential but
they are not the only thing that‚s going to win us freedom, and for that
we need to be tactical, we need to question ourselves, we need to make
alliances, serious alliances∑. Because∑ I often say that in 1986 when
capitalism won its jihad against soviet communism in the mountains of
Afghanistan, the whole world changed and India realigned itself in the
unipolar world and in that realignment it did two things, it opened two
locks , one was the lock of the Babri Masjid and one was the lock of the
Indian markets and it ushered in two kinds of totalitarianism- Hindu
fascism, Hindutva fascism and economic totalitarianism and both these
manufactured their own kinds of terrorism ˜so you have Islamist
„terrorists‰ and the Maoist „terrorists‰˜ and this process has made 80%
of this country live on 20 rupees a day but it has divided us all up and
we spend all our time fighting with each other when in fact there should
be deep solidarity. There should be deep solidarity between the
struggles in Manipur, the struggles in Nagaland, the struggle in
Kashmir, the struggle in central India and in all the poor, squatters,
the vendors , all the slum dwellers and so on. But what is it that
should link these struggles? It‚s the idea of Justice because there can
be struggles which are not struggles for justice, there are peoples
movements like the VHP is a peoples movement˜but it‚s a struggle for
fascism, it‚s a struggle for injustice, we don‚t align ourselves with
that. So every movement, every person on the street, every slogan is not
a slogan for justice. So when I was in Kashmir on the streets during the
Amarnath Yatra time, and even today˜ I haven‚t been to Kashmir recently˜
but I‚ve seen and my heart is filled with appreciation for the struggle
that people are waging, the fight that young people are fighting and I
don‚t want them to be let down. I don‚t want them to be let down even by
their own leaders because I want to believe that this fight is a fight
for justice. Not a fight in which you pick and choose your justices˜„we
want justice but it‚s ok if the other chap is squashed‰. That‚s not
right. So I remember when I wrote in 2007, I said the one thing that
broke my heart on the streets of Srinagar, was when I heard people say
„Nanga Bhooka Hindustan, jaan se pyaara Pakistan‰. I said „No. Because
the Nanga Bhooka Hindustan is with you. And if you‚re fighting for a
just society then you must align yourselves with the powerless‰, the
Indian people here today are people who have spent their lives opposing
the Indian state. I have, as many of you may know, been associated for a
long time with the struggle in the Narmada valley against big dams and I
always say that I think so much about these two valleys - the Kashmir
valley and the Narmada valley. In the Narmada valley, they speak of
repression, but perhaps the people don‚t really know what repression is
because they‚ve not experienced the kind of repression that there is in
the Kashmir valley. But they have a very very very sophisticated
understanding of the economic structures of the world of imperialism and
of the earth and what it does and how those big dams create an
inequality that you cannot get away from. And in the Kashmir valley you
have such a sophisticated understanding of repression, 60 years of
repression of secret operations, of spying, of intelligence operations,
of death, of killing. But have you insulated yourself from that other
understanding, of what the world is today? What these economic
structures are? What kind of Kashmir are you going to fight for? Because
we are with you in that fight, we are with you. But we want, we hope
that it‚ll be a fight for justice. We know today that this word
Œsecularism‚ that the Indian state flings at us is a hollow word because
you can‚t kill 68,000 Kashmiri Muslims and then call yourself a secular
state. You cannot allow the massacre of Muslims in Gujarat and call
yourself a secular state and yet /you/ can‚t then turn around and say
that „we are allowed to treat our minorities badly „˜so what kind of
justice are you fighting for? I hope that the young people will deepen
their idea of Azaadi, it is something that the State and your enemies
that you‚re fighting uses to divide you. That‚s true.
[Some ppl in theAudience: „Do you know what happened to the pundits?(not
very audible)..etc ..etc..]
*AR: *I know the story of the Kashmiri pundits. I also know that the
story that these Panun Kashmir pundits put out is false. However, this
does not mean that injustice was not done.
[Ppl in Audience: interrupting and inaudible, all taking at the same
time∑ „do you know how many hindus were killed?‰∑ commotion.. no one
can hear anyone].
*AR: *I think∑ok let me continue.. [part of the crowd arguing loudly]..
SAR GEELANI: I request everyone to please sit.
*AR: *Alright, I want to say that, I think this disturbance is based on
a misunderstanding, because I was beginning to talk about justice and in
that conversation about justice, I was just about to say that what
happened with the Kashmiri pundits is a tragedy, so I don‚t know why you
all started shouting, I think it‚s a tragedy because when we stand here
and talk about justice, it is justice for everybody, and those of us who
stand here and talk about their being a place for everybody whether
there‚s a minority whether it‚s an ethnic minority or a religious
minority or minority in terms of caste, we don‚t believe in
majoritarianism so that‚s why I was talking about the fact that
everybody in Kashmir should have a very deep discussion about what kind
of society you‚re fighting for because Kashmir is a very diverse
community and that discussion does not have to come from critics or
people who are against azaadi trying to divide this struggle , it has to
come from within you so it is not the place of people outside to say
„they don‚t know what they mean by azaadi, do they mean Gilgit and
Baltistan, what about Jammu? What about Laddakh?‰ These are debates that
people within the state of J&K are quite capable of having by themselves
and I think they understand that. So, to just try and derail things by
shouting at people is completely pointless because I think that people,
the pundits in Kashmir, all the time I‚ve spent in Kashmir, have only
heard people say they are welcome back and I know people who live there,
who believe that too, so all I want to say is that when we are having
these political debates, I feel I have watched and have been listening
to and following the recent uprising in Kashmir, the fact that unarmed
people, young people armed with stones, women, even children are out on
the streets facing down this massive army with guns is something that
nobody in the world cannot help but salute. However it is up to the
people who are leading this struggle, it is up to the people who are
thinking to take it further, because you cannot just leave it there˜
because the Indian state, you know what its greatest art is˜ it‚s not
killing people ˆ that‚s its second greatest art, the first greatest art
is to wait, to wait and wait and wait and hope that everybody‚s energies
will just go down. Crisis management, sometimes it‚s an election,
sometimes it‚s something else, but the point is that people have to look
at more than a direct confrontation on the streets. You have to ask
yourselves why˜the people of Nagaland must ask themselves why there‚s a
Naga battalion committing the most unbelievable atrocities in
Chhatisgarh. After spending so much time in Kashmir watching the CRPF
and the BSF and the Rashtriya Rifles lock down that valley, the firat
time I went to Chhattisgarh, on the way I saw Kashmiri BSF, Kashmiri
CRPF on the way to kill people in Chhatisgarh. You‚ve got to ask
yourself˜ there‚s more to resistance than throwing stones˜ these things
can‚t be allowed to happen˜ „how is the state using people?‰ The
colonial state whether it was the British State in India or whether it‚s
the Indian State in Kashmir or Nagaland or in Chattisgarh, they are in
the business of creating elites to manage their occupations, so you have
to know your enemy and you have to be able to respond in ways where
you‚re tactical, where you‚re intelligent, where you‚re political˜
internationally, locally and in every other way˜ you have to make your
alliances, because otherwise you‚ll be like fish swimming furiously
around a fish tank bombing the walls and getting tired in the end
because those walls are very very strong. So I‚ll just leave with this:
Think about justice and don‚t pick and choose your injustices, don‚t say
that „I want justice but it‚s ok if the next guy doesn‚t have it, or the
next woman doesn‚t have it‰. Because justice is the keystone to
integrity and integrity is the key stone to real resistance.
Thank you.
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