[Reader-list] reader-list Digest, Vol 62, Issue 12
Kuhu Tanvir
kuhutanvir at gmail.com
Wed Sep 3 11:18:25 IST 2008
Re: Chanchal's random comments
Honestly Chanchal, when will you stop this? I can't believe I just read a
line you wrote, "Islam is deadly against its elder brother Hinduism." I can
forgive passionate statements about religion, but such ahistorical,
illogical statements like this are infuriating. Please open a class 6
history textbook and you will realise that Islam came to India, and is
probably one of oldest religions in the world, so your 'older brother'
analogy is stupid.
Of course had you said big brother, we would agree upon something!
Meanwhile, please, please spare us these meaningless rants, for the sake of
sanity
On Wed, Sep 3, 2008 at 11:03 AM, <reader-list-request at sarai.net> wrote:
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> Today's Topics:
>
> 1. Re: Have you seen this face of the world's largest democracy?
> (Rohit Shetti)
> 2. Hindu Report : Software vending machine at Technopark
> (Anivar Aravind)
> 3. Prakash Karat ensured peace in chengara (Anivar Aravind)
> 4. VOGUE INDIA: Starving for a $10,000 handbag (Naeem Mohaiemen)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 08:27:02 +0530
> From: "Rohit Shetti" <rohitism at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Have you seen this face of the world's
> largest democracy?
> To: "Aditya Raj Kaul" <kauladityaraj at gmail.com>
> Cc: sarai list <reader-list at sarai.net>
> Message-ID:
> <c07fc63e0809021957l52bdc67dh1689223c9021b044 at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
>
> ..regardless of where it comes from, I think it is more important to
> acknowledge the current emotions than some sort of competition on masjid
> mandir demolition lists. History is important, but I think we are all
> capable of not using it for creating or justifying hatred within ourselves.
>
> R
>
> On Tue, Sep 2, 2008 at 11:02 PM, Aditya Raj Kaul <kauladityaraj at gmail.com
> >wrote:
>
> > And, probably your emotional one liners come from bollywood. :) :)
> >
> >
> > On 9/2/08, inder salim <indersalim at gmail.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > BE SHAK MANDIR MASJID TODO, PAR PYAR BARA DIL KABI NA TODO -
> > >
> > > ( .. may demolish a temple, a mosque, but never a heart full of love )
> > >
> > > it is normal for Indians to love bollywood
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > On Tue, Sep 2, 2008 at 10:08 PM, chanchal malviya
> > > <chanchal_malviya at yahoo.com> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Do you think Islam is Laxman?
> > > > Laxman was obedience to his elder brother.
> > > > Islam is deadly against its elder brother Hinduism.
> > > >
> > > > And do not say Ramayan is a myth. All the research on Ram Sethu and
> > > further in Sri Lanka has gone to proove the million year old history of
> > > India, that is sung by every Indian even today.
> > > >
> > > > If you want the list of temples put down in Kashmir in recent decade,
> > > here is it:
> > > > http://www.awakehindu.com/Articles/ListOfTempleDemolition.htm
> > > >
> > > > ----- Original Message ----
> > > > From: inder salim <indersalim at gmail.com>
> > > > To: reader-list at sarai.net
> > > > Sent: Tuesday, September 2, 2008 9:58:25 PM
> > > > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Have you seen this face of the world's
> > largest
> > > democracy?
> > > >
> > > > Lord Rama is weeping on seeing his brother Laxmana injured.
> > > >
> > > > only the most insensitive would hesitate to derail the process of
> > > > healing in Kashmir.
> > > >
> > > > so, listen to what the patient is suffereing from?
> > > >
> > > > with love
> > > > inder salim
> > > >
> > > > On Tue, Sep 2, 2008 at 7:17 PM, Shivam Vij शिवम् विज्
> > > > <mail at shivamvij.com> wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > Rage in Kashmir meets India's brute force
> > > > >
> > > > > http://in.reuters.com/article/topNews/idINIndia-35279820080902
> > > > >
> > > > > By Alistair Scrutton
> > > > >
> > > > > SRINAGAR, India (Reuters) - The world's largest democracy locks up
> > > > > protest leaders without charge, shoots dozens of demonstrators
> dead,
> > > > > beats and intimidates ordinary citizens and raids homes without
> > > > > warrants.
> > > > >
> > > > > Welcome to Indian Kashmir, where the biggest separatist protests in
> > > > > two decades have clashed with the might of the state.
> > > > >
> > > > > "They are ruthless, trigger happy," said Ghulam Rasool Bhat, a
> > > > > labourer who says he was beaten by federal police after he tried to
> > > > > buy milk for his two nephews under a curfew in Srinagar, the summer
> > > > > capital of Indian Kashmir.
> > > > >
> > > > > He lay in a bed, both legs bandaged where a soldier, shouting "Get
> > > > > your milk from Pakistan" had smashed a rifle into his shins. His
> legs
> > > > > felt, he said, as if in a continuous cramp.
> > > > >
> > > > > Police have shot dead at least 35 Muslim protesters in the
> > > > > Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley after a row over land for a Hindu
> > > > > shrine spiralled into marches and strikes against Indian rule.
> > > > >
> > > > > More than 1,000 people have been wounded in clashes over three
> weeks,
> > > > > hospital officials and police say, with the Kashmir Valley often
> > under
> > > > > curfew. Hundreds of people have suffered police baton beatings and
> > > > > bullet wounds, doctors say.
> > > > >
> > > > > The Indian government says its security forces have been fired upon
> > by
> > > > > protesters on several occasions, and said authorities had "acted
> > > > > within the law and with restraint".
> > > > >
> > > > > Witnesses said some protesters had thrown stones at police, but
> said
> > > > > that most were marching peacefully. India's hardline response to
> the
> > > > > protests has highlighted what critics say is its lack of strategy
> to
> > > > > find a solution to a problem that has already sparked two wars
> > between
> > > > > India and Pakistan, who both claim the region in full but rule it
> in
> > > > > parts.
> > > > >
> > > > > The crackdown may also be counter-productive. Residents say the
> > deaths
> > > > > and violent crackdown have fuelled anger against India and boosted
> > the
> > > > > separatist cause after years of relative peace.
> > > > >
> > > > > "The government of India does not have a strategy," said Siddharth
> > > > > Varadarajan, diplomatic editor of The Hindu newspaper.
> > > > >
> > > > > "It is relying heavily on coercion, arresting top and middle-level
> > > > > leaders in the hope it will break the back of unprecedented
> > protests."
> > > > >
> > > > > In rare criticism last week, the UN High Commissioner for Human
> > Rights
> > > > > called on India to avoid using excessive force. It drew a rebuke
> from
> > > > > India for interfering in its affairs.
> > > > >
> > > > > SIMMERING RESENTMENT
> > > > >
> > > > > For decades there has been simmering resentment at the hundreds of
> > > > > thousands of Indian troops stationed in Kashmir, making it one of
> the
> > > > > most militarised regions on earth.
> > > > >
> > > > > Roadblocks, verbal abuse from soldiers and raids on homes have long
> > > > > been a part of daily life. But as protests spiralled in August, the
> > > > > government sent in battalions of the Central Reserve Police Force
> > > > > (CRPF), a federal police force of mainly Hindus who do not speak
> > > > > Kashmiri. Strangers to Kashmir, most residents appear to despise
> > them.
> > > > >
> > > > > In interviews in Srinagar and nearby villages, tales were similar:
> > > > > CRPF beatings, night raids on homes, verbal abuse and smashed
> > windows.
> > > > > Life has been worse than in previous years.
> > > > >
> > > > > "They are not human," said Raja, a villager from Newtheed less than
> > an
> > > > > hour's drive from the city. She said soldiers smashed up her home,
> > > > > shouting "We'll show you what freedom is".
> > > > >
> > > > > In Srinagar, the CRPF has taken over from the local Kashmiri police
> > to
> > > > > enforce curfews and riot control. Residents complain of abuse at
> the
> > > > > slightest provocation -- selling bread, buying milk.
> > > > >
> > > > > One surgeon, who asked to remain anonymous because of fear of
> > > > > retribution from Indian authorities, said he has received around
> 400
> > > > > wounded people in three weeks, 150 of them hit by bullets.
> > > > >
> > > > > "These are target killings. It's simple to see," said the doctor,
> > > > > explaining that many of the chest wounds were from weapons such as
> > > > > AK-47s. "Most of these were intended to kill. They were not to
> > > > > disperse a crowd."
> > > > >
> > > > > Shabir Ahmed Dar, 22, lay in one hospital bed after three
> operations.
> > > > > He was shot in the abdomen during a protest march to the Pakistani
> > > > > Kashmir border.
> > > > >
> > > > > "There was no warning from the police. They just fired."
> > > > >
> > > > > The police firings drew criticism from Human Rights Watch. "To end
> > > > > this cycle of tragedy, the government should order security forces
> to
> > > > > act with restraint," it said in a statement.
> > > > >
> > > > > It is not just a hardline response to street protests. Authorities
> > > > > have detained several separatist leaders without charge. Other
> > > > > leaders, many committed to democratic change and who publicly
> reject
> > > > > militant violence, were in hiding.
> > > > >
> > > > > Asiya Andrabi, chief of Kashmir's women's separatist group
> > > > > Dukhtaran-e-Milat (Daughters of the Muslim Faith) who had led some
> of
> > > > > the protests, has been detained under the Public Safety Act that
> > > > > allows for a year in jail without trial.
> > > > >
> > > > > The violence still pales in comparison with previous years when
> > > > > officials say more than 43,000 people have been killed in clashes
> > > > > involving Indian troops and Muslim militants since 1989. Human
> rights
> > > > > groups put the toll at about 60,000 dead or missing.
> > > > >
> > > > > Some analysts say authorities were in a difficult situation.
> > > > >
> > > > > "This is a place where security officials are getting attacked
> every
> > > > > second day," said Brahma Chellaney, professor of strategic studies
> at
> > > > > the New Delhi-based Centre for Policy Research, referring to the
> > years
> > > > > of militant insurgency.
> > > > >
> > > > > For Shameema, a 35-year-old woman who sells bread, the fear of
> police
> > > > > was clear. She talked about how police smashed her and her family
> > with
> > > > > batons for selling bread under curfew. Her husband displayed a
> wound
> > > > > to his head.
> > > > >
> > > > > She fell silent for a moment as a federal policeman official walked
> > up
> > > > > to her shop, ominously tapping his baton. Then, realising he could
> > not
> > > > > speak Kashmiri, she talked again.
> > > > >
> > > > > "I am scared," she said "But we have nowhere to go."
> > > > >
> > > > > (Additional reporting by Sheikh Mushtaq; Editing by Simon Denyer
> and
> > > > > Megan Goldin)
> > > > > _________________________________________
> > > > > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city.
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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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> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > >
> > > 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
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> > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with
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>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 09:22:30 +0530
> From: "Anivar Aravind" <anivar.aravind at gmail.com>
> Subject: [Reader-list] Hindu Report : Software vending machine at
> Technopark
> To: Greenyouth <greenyouth at googlegroups.com>,
> ilug-tvm at googlegroups.com, "
> fourth-estate-critique at googlegroups.com"
> <fourth-estate-critique at googlegroups.com>, "Reader List"
> <reader-list at sarai.net>
> Message-ID:
> <35f96d470809022052n6922a8b1ld4be2dd4afe59fe9 at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
>
> http://www.hindu.com/2008/09/03/stories/2008090356150300.htm
>
> *Software vending machine at Technopark*
>
> Staff Reporter
>
> THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: And you thought only colas and crispies can be had from
> a vending machine? How about one that has on its 'menu' such things as
> 'Ubuntu' and 'Fedora'? Well, that is just the kind of gizmo that you may
> spot if you drop by the Park Centre at Technopark these days.
>
> Named Freedom Toaster, this machine promises to set you 'free' from
> proprietary software and paraphernalia such as licences. All you have to do
> at the Toaster is to insert a CD in a slot and press the right buttons. The
> Toaster will then 'burn' your choice on to the CD free.
>
> The Toaster, a dispenser of free software, is the brainchild of the Linux
> Users Group in Thiruvananthapuram and a private firm, Zyxware Technologies.
>
> Anoop John, chief executive officer of the company, says the idea is to
> spread the concept of free software among the techies of Tehnopark.
>
> "We want people to understand that there is an alternative to licences and
> proprietary software. We want people to have the freedom to share, to copy
> and to modify. We are now talking to companies in the Technopark to sponsor
> the Toaster at various locations inside the park," Mr. John says.
>
> He points out that normally, free software is spread through broadband
> Internet. In a country such as India, the scope of this is still limited.
> This is where a software dispenser such as the Toaster assumes importance.
> So, the freedom associated with free software works in two ways — one, the
> freedom to study, copy, share, modify and so on and two, the freedom from a
> price tag as many popular free software come free of cost.
>
> Mr. John says Zyxware will soon publish the details of the design and
> software that powers the Toaster so that anyone interested in building one
> will be free to do so.
>
> One advantage of the Toaster is that it can be dismantled and transported
> with ease anywhere. The Toaster will be lent to Linux users groups across
> the country, if needed.
>
> The Toaster was unveiled at the inaugural ceremony of a five-day Linux
> Install Fest inaugurated at the Technopark on Monday.
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 09:40:23 +0530
> From: "Anivar Aravind" <anivar at movingrepublic.org>
> Subject: [Reader-list] Prakash Karat ensured peace in chengara
> To: "Reader List" <reader-list at sarai.net>, Invitesplus
> <invitesplus at yahoogroups.com>, pucl <pucl at yahoogroups.com>
> Message-ID:
> <35f96d470809022110s1b72242cp851f50d3199347e at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
>
> Efforts on to ensure peace at Chengara
>
> Special Correspondent
> The Hindu
> http://www.hindu.com/2008/09/03/stories/2008090356730100.htm
>
> CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat met a team from Chengara on Tuesday.
> THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Concerted efforts are on at the level of the
> government and the CPI(M) leadership to avert any outbreak of violence
> at Chengara where plantation workers are planning to hold a march to
> the venue of a land struggle in the estate land of the Harrison
> Malayalam Group.
>
> The government has issued strict instructions to the district
> administration to ensure that there is no breach of peace in
> connection with the march planned by the trade unions, which have been
> staging a 'blockade' on the roads leading to the estate land where
> hundreds of Scheduled Caste and Dalit Christian families are on an
> agitation for land for cultivation and habitation. The confrontation
> between the two sides has been a matter of concern and efforts are
> under way at different levels to find an amicable solution to the
> stand-off.
>
> Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Development Minister A.K. Balan
> was in touch with the district administration and the district
> leadership of the party on Monday following reports that some Dalit
> families headed for the estate land were beaten up by the plantation
> workers. The offices of the Chief Minister and Revenue Minister K.P.
> Rajendran also have been keeping a close tab on the unfolding
> situation with strict instructions to the administration to see to it
> that nothing untoward happens in the area.
>
> On Tuesday, CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat, who discussed the
> issue with Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, was told that all
> steps were being taken to ensure that there was no breach of peace and
> no attack on the agitators.
>
> Mr. Karat told a delegation of women activists, who called on him on
> Tuesday evening with a memorandum seeking an early resolution to the
> Dalits' struggle for land, that the Home Minister had been told to
> prevent violence as part of the march on Wednesday. Issues relating to
> plantations in general would have to be dealt with separately, he
> pointed out.
>
> The delegation appealed to Mr. Karat to ensure that there was no
> further violence against women participating in the agitation and the
> plantation workers' blockade was lifted at the earliest. He assured
> them that the CPI(M) and the government were fully sensitive to the
> issues raised by them.
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 4
> Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 11:33:37 +0600
> From: "Naeem Mohaiemen" <naeem.mohaiemen at gmail.com>
> Subject: [Reader-list] VOGUE INDIA: Starving for a $10,000 handbag
> To: reader-list at sarai.net
> Message-ID:
> <e9cfea7c0809022233v42005a14i763764172425294f at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"
>
> http://www.sajaforum.org/2008/09/vogue-india-fas.html
>
> A fashion spread in the latest Vogue India, in which poor, nameless
> Indians sport $10,000 handbags and $100 bibs, has catalyzed a profound
> reaction in the press and blogosphere. What is the acceptability, many
> are asking, of employing such jarring images, un-ironically, for the
> sake of commerce?
>
> >From UK's Telegraph:
>
>
> "The poor are always used as props, not as real people, which is
> why they haven't even been named in the magazine," said columnist
> Parsa Venkateshwar Rao. "Would they use homeless or hard up people in
> London for this kind of shoot?"
> <<<
>
> In The New York Times article which first brought widespread attention
> to the matter, Indian journalist Kanika Gahlaut is quoted:
>
>
> There's nothing "fun or funny" about putting a poor person in a mud
> hut in clothing designed by Alexander McQueen. "There are farmer
> suicides here, for God's sake," she said, referring to thousands of
> Indian farmers who have killed themselves in the last decade because
> of debt.
> <<<
>
> To which Vogue India editor Priya Tanna rebuts:
>
>
> "Lighten up...Vogue is about realizing the 'power of fashion' and
> the shoot was saying that "fashion is no longer a rich man's
> privilege. Anyone can carry it off and make it look beautiful. You
> have to remember with fashion, you can't take it that seriously. We
> weren't trying to make a political statement or save the world."
> <<<
>
> The online debate is mostly propelled by incredulity:
>
> Sepia Mutiny's Anna questions the nature of aspirational consumption
> that marks India's current moment: "Giving impoverished
> people $10,000 bags, Burberry bumbershoots and Fendi bibs for their
> children reeks of an appalling level of arrogance, an utterly clueless
> infatuation with 'edginess', and a heartless disregard for those for
> whom India does not yet shine. Way to keep it classy, VI. Also, just
> so you know, the text on that picture says, 'Baby's Day Out: It's
> never too early to start living in style.'"
>
> More outrage at Jossip...
>
>
> "Generally, we'd applaud the use of non-models in a fashion book. But
> we usually reserve our "thanks for not using anorexic models" applause
> for those who don't substitute them with "skinny because of
> malnourishment" persons."
> <<<
>
> <<<
>
> However, Daniel Altman, on his blog, Managing Globalization, insists
> Vogue's spread should be tolerated, as it only reflects the growing
> pains of a nascent but healthy liberal democracy: "But India is a
> democracy, and you can't simply tell people what to do with their
> money. Nor can you tell poor people what they should aspire to in
> life. Is a poor person somehow less deserving of a fancy handbag?
> Should they be prohibited from dreaming about the same luxuries as
> rich people enjoy?"
> <<<
> http://www.sajaforum.org/2008/09/vogue-india-fas.html
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
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>
> End of reader-list Digest, Vol 62, Issue 12
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