[Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR

Sat Apr 17 17:37:19 IST 2010

Dear Shuddha,

You are describing the painful paper wall made by the system/govt. with pain
and we read your pretty long mail with patience and pain. But, I am talking
about the physical/virtual wall made by maoist in their area today which
comes in between their development. If they want to stick with their walls,
boundaries and do not want to come out from their fence, tradition. They
wants MOU's to be cancelled than in that case people like Human right
activists, NGO's, Arundhati Roy, vote seeker politician must stop cry out
for their backwardness or  up-liftment, since that's their willing situation
to remain as it is. They should leftover in the forest for roaming and
eating forests resources as per their choice. They should be kept out of all
surveys like education, malnutrition, BPL list and all relevant HDI
parameters.

Thanks

Bipin

From: Shuddhabrata Sengupta [mailto:shuddha at sarai.net] 
Sent: Saturday, April 17, 2010 4:09 PM
To: Bipin Trivedi
Cc: 'Kshmendra Kaul'; sarai-list
Subject: Re: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR

Dear All, 

A wall was certainly built. It was a wall built out of the paper of Forestry
Acts and Memoranda of Understanding with Mining Companies. They paved the
way for many other kinds of walls. These paper walls, much more powerful
than any wall of bricks or mortar, made people homeless in their own space.
It was written on the paper walls that  the dweller in the forest was an
intruder. One day, she picked up firewood from the ground, the next day she
did the same, one day she was a forager, the next day she was a thief. The
words on the walls separated those two days from each other. 

Then came the sentries, and the high priests of the words that were written
on the paper walls. Forest guards came, then paramilitaries came, then came
police and armed thugs to protect the paper wall. To man the watchtowers. To
tell the forest dwellers that they must stay outside the wall, for their own
good. Then came the TV channels and the patriots and the NGOs and the
experts. They all admired the wall. No one said the wall needed to come
down. Some tried to improve the handwriting on the paper. Some argued about
the font size and italicization. Others said the papers needed to be copied
and distributed. 

The inhabitants of the forest looked around for a method to rebuild their
homes that had been broken by the words on the paper walls. Some of them
tried to fight words with words. Some petitioned. Some of them tried to lay
seige to the consciences of others. None of this worked. Some words were
heard, understood, others were dismissed, not listened to.

The paper wall grew stronger, deeper, thicker. Their words grew louder. The
forest spoke. The forest sang. The forest warned. The forest cried. The
forest whispered. The forest screamed. But the wall did not listen. And
those who built the wall laughed out loud, thinking that paper was cement.
That ink was stone. That their word was law.

This meant that they (the people of the forest) had to take down some of the
watchtowers. This meant that when words failed, they found their way to
guns. It seemed that when the guns spoke, the people manning the watchtowers
listened. And so, when the guns came to them, the forest dwellers did not
say no to the guns. They no longer had the words with which they could
afford to say 'no, we do not need the guns'. Perhaps, if those who had built
the wall, had listened, the guns that came to the people in the forest would
have found no use. If you hold a gun, you stand in the line of fire. No one
wants to be in the line of fire for no good reason. Right now.The wall needs
to be taken down for any conversation to begin again. 

Tear the paper that carries the MoUs, and maybe there can be some talking.
So take the wall down. And the guns may fall silent. Words may begin again.
Or try and keep the wall, and invite the war to spread its cloak of silence.
You don't need more development in the forests, perhaps you need less. At
least less of the kind that is written up in the MoUs. 

If the war crosses the forest and comes to the fields, if the war comes to
the cities, it will be because the paper walls multiplied. Then those who
wrote the words that made the paper walls rise will answer for the war.
After all, they did not have to build the paper walls in the first place.
They could have chosen to listen, when there was still time to listen. They
might then say that they were sorry, but people may have forgotten the
meaning of forgiveness by then. Guns have a way of making people forget how
to speak and to listen. If the words you write on the paper walls you build
bring guns into the conversation, then many other words will eventually die.

Try and listen for a change. Don't always think that your word is law.There
may still be time. 

best

Shuddha

On 17-Apr-10, at 3:59 PM, Bipin Trivedi wrote:

Dear Kshmendra,

You are right. It is respected state govt. negligence since years that

allowed to "build" wall and vote-bank politics made this wall thicker and

thicker and so we are suffering the sins. Just like negligence by WB govt.

allowing infiltrations of Bangladeshis to increase their vote bank in the

name of minor appeasement and their sins are suffering whole India, since

Bangladeshis spread almost all over India.

Whatever, happened in the past, but it is time to rectify mistakes and govt.

making/wants to make some sincere efforts but few rationalists like Aundhati

Roy and few vote seeker politicians comes in between. Even maoist made this

as their business now and don't want to come out by conversation, so they

even did not allow infrastructure in their area or destroys if made. So, it

is time for govt. to take some hard action though it is painful step.

Thanks

Bipin

From: Kshmendra Kaul [mailto:kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com] 

Sent: Saturday, April 17, 2010 2:51 PM

To: sarai-list; Bipin Trivedi

Subject: Re: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR

Dear Bipin

You wrote : "Naxal/maoist army cadre has built a wall like (may be not

physical wall in some areas) periphery and cornered that area where army or

even police cannot go there easily, so to built all above infrastructure and

provide facilities to their local people is remote

possibilities."

I agree. That is an appropiate description of the situation.

What needs thinking is:

1. Did this "wall" exist when India becamje independent in 1947? No, it did

not. So what was it that allowed the Maoists/Naxals to build that "wall"?

Who ceded that space to them? Who allowed their violent-extremist ideology

to be propagated? Why were people attracted to it? Why did it become an

'alternative' for people to adopt instead of subscribing to the Constitution

of India?

    This is not a matter of the last 5 or 10 or 15 or 20 years, but a

culmination of indifferent and/or corrupted governance since 1947.

2. If you think the above is a resonable argument then please consider that

breaking down or bulldozing that "wall" might by itself alone not be a

solution. If the "root causes" are not addressed then it will be only a

matter of time that another "wall" comes up, and another, and another.

3. Wouldnt you agree that what needs to be done is to ensure that no one

lays the foundations for more such "walls"?

    Wouldnt you agree that the route for that is to make available competent

governance, opportunities and an environment of justice?

4. Yes that will be an arduous task since the "walls" are strong but that is

an impediment of our own making since we allowed the "walls" to come up in

the first place through neglect and we have to suffer that disadvantage. It

is a punishment for our own sins.

Kshmendra

--- On Sat, 4/17/10, Bipin Trivedi <aliens at dataone.in> wrote:

From: Bipin Trivedi <aliens at dataone.in>

Subject: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR

To: "sarai-list" <reader-list at sarai.net>

Date: Saturday, April 17, 2010, 12:30 PM

I believe that it is wrong to say that Naxal or Maoist are trying to protect

right of poor/tribal. As in case of terrorist or supporter of terrorist

(sleeper or active cell) are misguided by some terrorists group/wasted

interest, same way naxal/maoist are acting with misguidance. 

Many argues that we should built infrastructure like school, hospitals,

roads, industries and other amenities in naxal affected districts to provide

essential amenities and employment. But, actual situation in all such

district is very strange and different. Naxal/maoist army cadre has built a

wall like (may be not physical wall in some areas) periphery and cornered

that area where army or even police cannot go there easily, so to built all

above infrastructure and provide facilities to their local people is remote

possibilities. In the case, how can there up-liftment is possible? Is anyone

who favors them have thought this much extremities adopted by naxals/maoist.

Government did tried to solve by conversation and requested to allow govt.

machinery for developing infrastructure, but they boldly denied. If we want

to make some infrastructural work to provide facilities to people their then

one has to remove such boundary and freed the area even with the help of

army then also.

In the news and media air attack news was published. This is also myth,

there was no plan for air attack, but with the help air-force, aerial

surveillance or map view is necessary, so that army or police can go ahead

to capture that area and freed from maoist. Also, please note that most of

the poor/tribal are not supporting them by heart but they support forcefully

with gun on their head.

So, looking to above reason it seems that they made business to create

terror and playing in the hand of some wasted interest may be from outside

India. So, it is necessary to freed such naxal affected area from their

terror by any means. So if anyone says that naxal/maoist helping local

people or tribal is baseless.

Thanks

Bipin

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Shuddhabrata Sengupta

The Sarai Programme at CSDS

Raqs Media Collective

shuddha at sarai.net

www.sarai.net

www.raqsmediacollective.net