[Reader-list] A YEAR OF SHAME

Aarti Sethi aarti.sethi at gmail.com
Tue Nov 11 00:25:50 IST 2008


Dear Aditya,

By saying again and again that this is about your politics, that this is
because we cannot tolerate your "alternative opinion", that somehow finally
we have reached the end of our communist tether and can no longer bear the
searing light of uncomfortable truth you shed, and so we are asking that you
be evicted, is incorrect. All of the above is true, but that is not why you
are being called out. If that were the case we would have asked that you be
evicted a year and a half ago.

You are being called out because you have falsely alleged that a list member
receives *payment* for his writing. Unless substantiated this is a
defamatory and libellous charge. If anyone has made similar accusations
against you, please cite them and place them before the list community and
the moderator. But you can only speak in vague generalities because none of
us have done so.

What should I proviode proof of? That I deeply detest your hate-filled
venomous politics? Of that there is ample proof I hope. But that I have made
unsubstantiated defamtory charges against you, of that there is no proof,
because I have not done so.

You may hold whatever opinion you do about anyone's politics, knowledge of
history, Kashmir, life, the universe and everything. And you have the right
to express that opinion. Indeed that right has been upheld and protected
beyond reasonable limit. You have sworn at, abused and spat on list members.
You have called them terrorist sympathisers and worse (incidentally I have
never called you a terrorist which you claim. But you have me on several
occasions). And you have bored us to tears and dulled our senses into a
weary stupor with your never-ending rant. And despite the excruciating agony
of it, we have let you do so because we have an almost absurdist libertarian
position when it comes to freedom of expression.

But you do not have the right to make a false accusation against someone's
credibility. If you do, then you have prove it. Surely you would wish that
anyone who spreads lies about a list member is held to account? So prove it
then, and provide evidence of my having defamed you, and place it here for
all to see.

Don't try and make this a question of democracy. That is an intellectually
dishonest move even for you.

regards
A


On Tue, Nov 11, 2008 at 12:03 AM, Aditya Raj Kaul
<kauladityaraj at gmail.com>wrote:

> Has anybody stopped you from commenting or asking for opinion on 'A
> Wednesday' ? or for that matter from writing and posting a review on 'The
> White Tiger'.
>
> Lame excuses don't substantiate any point. And, this indeed is pointless of
> you to raise.
>
> To ban us for this reason is stupidity. And, if there is a major second
> opinion on 'Kashmir' why not debate, discuss and write on it, rather than
> simply baning what you can't take as your ideology doesn't approve of it.
>
> This is simply Dumbocracy rule here in SARAI. Shuddha being the originator.
> His mails are filled with trash, he has bad 'history' and 'Civics'.
>
> Be honest, not autocratic.
>
> Regards
>
> On 11/10/08, sabitha t p <sabitha_tp at yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
> >
> > I too am mostly a lurker, only rarely adding my two-bit. I
> whole-heartedly
> > second the idea of ousting some unidimensional boring ignorant rude
> > parochial misogynist people from the list. As Vivek had suggested
> earlier, I
> > had directed some of the mailers directly to my "Trash" folder, but
> there's
> > a limit to the hijacking of the list and the silencing of any serious
> > discussion. The American election has at least animated the list with
> things
> > other than Kashmir. But that's for now.
> > Let's talk about "The White Tiger" (a seriously badly written novel - we
> > should ask why some of us find it so), the films "A Wednesday" (and why
> it
> > made us profoundly uneasy) and "The Dark Knight" (and its fantastic shot
> of
> > the Benjaminian angel of destuction), Mayawati and mainstream Dalit
> politics
> > in India, the case against article 377, the "global" art market (is
> global
> > always already the market, thus making the term tautological?)  and many
> > other such equally riveting things. Out damn spot (of bother)! Long live
> the
> > list!
> >
> > Cheers
> > Sabitha.
> >
> > --- On Mon, 10/11/08, Ravikant <ravikant at sarai.net> wrote:
> >
> > From: Ravikant <ravikant at sarai.net>
> >
> > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] A YEAR OF SHAME
> >
> > To: reader-list at sarai.net
> > Date: Monday, 10 November, 2008, 10:25 PM
> >
> >
> > Dear Moderator,
> >
> > I have been an avid reader yet mostly a lurker on this list. I have read
> > and
> > seen all the drama and I am glad to notice that more and more people are
> > getting impatient with certain people who can do no better than post
> > comments
> > like the one posted below. I think the time has come to say good bye to
> > some
> > of our friends. Their track record on the list is anything but healthy
> for
> > the robust growth of this list. Remember this list had a life before they
> > came here, and it has a future. Like Shuddha, I am very tolerant of
> people
> > who do not agree with me, and I do believe that you can not remain an
> > island
> > for far too long - the filth around will catch up with you howsoever hard
> > you
> > may try to escape it. But unlike him, I do not entertain any wishful
> > thinking
> > about them. So If these people can see niether history nor reason, and if
> > they can't see the multildimensionality of this list, they have no
> business
> >
> > being here. I join the people who think they should be given a farewell.
> I
> > don't mind a less colourful life - I will at least have more time to read
> > better stuff - of which there has never been a dearth on this list.
> >
> > All they can do is spit on people they do not agree with!! That's the
> limit
> > of
> > their civility. And that's the limit to which I can go hosting them.
> >
> > ravikant
> >
> >
> > सोमवार 10 नवम्बर 2008 21:36 को, Aditya Raj Kaul
> > ने लिखा था:
> > > like INDER SALIM.
> > >
> > > On 11/10/08, inder salim <indersalim at gmail.com> wrote:
> > > > in the least,  i hope , the stupid Govt would ensure this
> > 'Taslima
> > > > Event' not disrupted by extra stupid elements
> > > >
> > > > love
> > > > is
> > > >
> > > > On Mon, Nov 10, 2008 at 7:45 PM, MRSG <mrsg at vsnl.com> wrote:
> > > > > Dear Shudda Sengupta
> > > > > Thanks. Kindly correct the date - It is on 19 Novemeber 2008.
> > > > > M Ray
> > > > >  ----- Original Message -----
> > > > >  From: Shuddhabrata Sengupta
> > > > >  To: MRSG
> > > > >  Cc: sarai list
> > > > >  Sent: Monday, November 10, 2008 7:31 PM
> > > > >  Subject: Re: [Reader-list] A YEAR OF SHAME
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >  Dear M.Ray,
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >  Thank you very much for posting this. It is very good to know
> > that
> > > >
> > > > Kolkata stands by the exiled writer Taslima Nasrin. I hope that she
> > will
> > > > one day be able to return to live there in liberty and dignity.
> > > >
> > > > >  regards
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >  Shuddha
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >  On 10-Nov-08, at 7:15 PM, MRSG wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >    Invitation
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >    A YEAR OF SHAME
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >    On the eve of one year of throwing out of Taslima Nasrin from
> > > > > Kolkata
> > > > >
> > > > >    An anthology of Poems for Taslima to be released by
> > > > >
> > > > >    Eminent educationist and thinker Amlan Dutta,
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >    An Evening Of Protest With Poems of
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >    Tarun Sanyal, Sarat Mukhopadhy, Joy Goswami, Sabyasachi Deb,
> > > > > Shrijato,
> > > >
> > > > Kalikrishna Guha, Farukh Ahmed, Lalmia Molla, Naser Hussain, Ranjit
> > > > Gupta, Namita Chowdhury, Mousumi Bilkis, Taimur Khan, Pallab
> > Kirtania,
> > > > Partho Bandyopadhyay, Bipul Chakraborty, Sumitava Ghosal and others.
> > > > Giyasuddin and Saswati Ghosh will speak
> > > >
> > > > >    ON 19 DECEMBER, 2008. ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS, CONFERENCE HALL,
> > > > > KOLKATA,
> > > >
> > > > 6 PM
> > > >
> > > > >    Organised by CAAMB (Campaign Against Atrocities on Minorities
> > of
> > > >
> > > > Bangladesh), Kolkata
> > > >
> > > > >    A year back, on 22 December 2007, Taslima Nasrin was hounded
> > out of
> > > >
> > > > Kolkata by Islamic fundamentalists. She was earlier hounded out of
> > > > Bangladesh, roamed like a refugee throughout the world, but always
> > > > believed that she at least had a safe house in the left and secular
> > city
> > > > of Kolkata. We also believed that.
> > > >
> > > > >    The process of hounding out Taslima from West Bengal began
> > long
> > > > > back.
> > > >
> > > > She was barred to read her poems in Medinipur, she was not allowed to
> > > > inaugurate The Book Fair in Siliguri. To support these
> > fundamentalists,
> > > > Left Front government banned her book. Our protest was too mild. And
> > then
> > > > finally on 22 December 2007, Left front government threw her out of
> > > > Kolkata after a day-long violence by a group of Muslims in Kolkata.
> > The
> > > > expulsion was supported by Trinamul leader Mamata Bandopadhyay in her
> > > > earlier lectures to the madrasa students, CPI-M supremo Biman Basu
> > told
> > > > that Taslima should have left herself earlier, Congress leader
> > Subrata
> > > > Mukherjee said that the violence on 21 December was like the freedom
> > > > struggle. Kolkata had to realise who really controls the so-called
> > > > cultural capital of India. Kolkatans never faced such a shame
> > earlier.
> > > >
> > > > >    Taslima still cannot come back to Kolkata. We have lived
> > through a
> > > >
> > > > year of shame.
> > > >
> > > > >    We shall not forget. We shall not remain silent. Join us
> > there
> > > > >
> > > > >    _________________________________________
> > > > >
> > > > >    reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city.
> > > > >
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> > > > >
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> > > >
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> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >  Shuddhabrata Sengupta
> > > > >
> > > > >  The Sarai Programme at CSDS
> > > > >
> > > > >  Raqs Media Collective
> > > > >
> > > > >  shuddha at sarai.net
> > > > >
> > > > >  www.sarai.net
> > > > >
> > > > >  www.raqsmediacollective.net
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > _________________________________________
> > > > > 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.
> > > >
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> > > >
> > > > --
> > > >
> > > > http://indersalim.livejournal.com
> > > > _________________________________________
> > > > 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.
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> > _________________________________________
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> > 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
> >
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> >
> >
> >       Add more friends to your messenger and enjoy! Go to
> > http://messenger.yahoo.com/invite/
> >
> > _________________________________________
> > 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.
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> >
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>
>
>
>
> --
> Aditya Raj Kaul
>
> Freelance Correspondent, The Times of India
> Cell - +91-9873297834
>
> Campaign Blog: http://kashmiris-in-exile.blogspot.com/
> Personal Blog: http://activistsdiary.blogspot.com/
> _________________________________________
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> Critiques & Collaborations
> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with
> subscribe in the subject header.
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