[Reader-list] NO CAVILING AT GUJARAT'S HARD FACTS

Britta Ohm ohm at zedat.fu-berlin.de
Fri May 28 15:34:29 IST 2010 

Wasted interest is an interesting term, I only know of wasted time.  
Off Relief Road in the old city (round the corner of the House of MG)  
you find the headquarters of the Ulema-e-Hind, a very accessable  
though delapidated place whose staff will be happy to take you to  
Madni Nagar, in Ramol, just South East of the city centre. Ask for  
Shaikh Bey, who I very much hope is in good health. If you want it  
more posh, go to Satellite and ask for the Janvikas headquarters, they  
have a meticulous documentation of all 69 camps that existed in  
Gujarat 2007, when I was there, and the six in and around Ahmedabad.  
I'm sure Gagan Sethi will arrange for you to visit the Haji Majid Kaka  
camp in Halol/Panchmahal, which is maintained by them, or Citizen  
Nagar, which is also in Ahmedabad, Bombay Hotel. I'm happy to go with  
you any time but would prefer to donate the money I would have to  
invest for a ticket to India at this point. So, do you think you can  
manage witthout me? It's easy, really.

Am 28.05.2010 um 10:55 schrieb Bipin Trivedi:

> Please come to Ahmedabad and show me 'semi permanent' camp practically
> exists, we can visit together to verify it. Can you come along with  
> me? As
> such no such camp practically exists. NGO's in Bombay keep it exists  
> on
> paper just to take fund nothing else. THIS IS WASTED INTEREST,  
> Britta try to
> understand.
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Britta Ohm [mailto:ohm at zedat.fu-berlin.de]
> Sent: Friday, May 28, 2010 1:33 PM
> To: anupam chakravartty
> Cc: Bipin Trivedi; sarai list
> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] NO CAVILING AT GUJARAT'S HARD FACTS
>
> And if you could also tell us, Bipin, how people that officially do
> not exist can enter surveys and take part in elections? Or, for that
> matter, file FIRs? Teesta Setalvad does not run any NGO in Gujarat but
> a documentation centre in Bombay, the camps are maintained by a
> thankfully long list of organisations, reaching from Janvikas via the
> Sarvajanik Relief Committee, the Islamic Relief Committee to the  
> Ulema-
> e-Hind. None of the relief and rehabilitation efforts has been
> supported by the Gujarat government, of course, how can you support
> what does not exist?
>
> Am 28.05.2010 um 08:06 schrieb anupam chakravartty:
>
>> Bipin,
>>
>> If you could tell us what was the alternative rehabilitation offered
>> by
>> Gujarat government? Are you referring to the speeches made by Modi
>> during
>> 2002 election campaign when he was asking Muslims to go back to
>> Pakistan?
>>
>> Anupam
>>
>> On Fri, May 28, 2010 at 11:04 AM, Bipin Trivedi <aliens at dataone.in>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Dear Britta,
>>>
>>> Because few NGO's of wasted interest (for ex. Teesta NGO, proved
>>> her wasted
>>> interest) wants to keep this issue alive for ever want to maintain
>>> these
>>> camps for ever. Gujarat government offered them alternative
>>> rehabilitation
>>> far back, but they did not accept it and playing in the hand of
>>> Teesta like
>>> people. So, how can Gujarat government acknowledge it officially.
>>> It is
>>> absolutely baseless that they are not in any survey. Most of them
>>> voted in
>>> the elections.
>>>
>>> Thanks
>>> Bipin
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: reader-list-bounces at sarai.net [mailto:reader-list-bounces at sarai.net
>
>>> ]
>>> On Behalf Of Britta Ohm
>>> Sent: Thursday, May 27, 2010 1:27 AM
>>> To: Pawan Durani
>>> Cc: sarai list
>>> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] NO CAVILING AT GUJARAT'S HARD FACTS
>>>
>>> I also have a few questions:
>>>
>>> a) Numbers being as stretchable to the creation of myths as any  
>>> other
>>> source, what about the displaced inhabitants of the 70 'semi-
>>> permanent' camps scattered around Gujarat, not officially
>>> acknowledged
>>> by the Gujarat government and maintained by NGOs (a few of which I
>>> visited in 2007)? The Muslim inhabitants' voter IDs and ration cards
>>> have to a large degree never been replaced, which means they would
>>> never figure in any 'proper' survey. Does the physical displacement
>>> and statistical/legal erasure of nearly 200 000 Muslims not
>>> constitute
>>> a 'hard  fact'? Or is it precisely the necessary basis of 'hard
>>> facts'
>>> creation?
>>>
>>> b) At what political and psychological price has this numerical
>>> mystery been achieved? How many legal cases have been withdrawn  
>>> under
>>> what pressure? How many Muslims are imprisoned without seeing a
>>> lawyer, or even knowing their case? What rights were sacrificed in
>>> return for acceptance in employment? How many residential areas were
>>> 'voluntarily' vacated (or not reclaimed) in order to not provoke
>>> further exclusion? Which topics of learning and education have been
>>> dropped so as to be admitted to higher education? What do the  
>>> numbers
>>> of primary schools close to a 'Muslim area' tell about kids'
>>> discrimination? Any minority that knows it can't do anything to
>>> profoundly change its situation will cooperate to the best of its
>>> abilities - and after a while, helped by the outer circumstances  
>>> that
>>> play off 'cooperative' against 'non-cooperative' members - possibly
>>> truly believe that it is doing really well and even start to
>>> discredit
>>> 'non-cooperative' members of the same community. After all, it's
>>> their
>>> fault if they do not progress and make their lives difficult, and
>>> they
>>> better learn to adjust lest they soil the new good reputation of
>>> those
>>> who cooperate willingly and see the advantages. The deal is
>>> psychologically extremely straining but at the core dead simple:
>>> inclusion for justice.
>>>
>>> The pogrom of Gujarat was not classified by the UN as an attempted
>>> genocide because of the number of victims but because there was no
>>> other way of doing categorical justice to the uncompromising will to
>>> kill the Muslim minority. Everybody knew that it was, because of
>>> their
>>> numbers, impossible to 'get them all'. Modi's 'success' thus lies  
>>> not
>>> in the pogrom itself but in having been able to employ it as a means
>>> of ending the 'communal/minority problem' on another level. The
>>> numbers of success and inclusion suggested here correspond with
>>> claims
>>> and imaginations of fair and supportive minority politics. Nice. But
>>> how should this be possible after a genocidal attack and the same
>>> government in power? There are just things that do not go together,
>>> whichever way you turn them, because they are humanly impossible, so
>>> there have to be found other, more human explanations. And looked at
>>> the 'hard facts' this way, it simply is more likely that they  
>>> express
>>> the 'actual' and realistically pursued outcome of the pogrom, namely
>>> the renunciation or created sheer impossibility of democratically
>>> claiming human and minority rights.
>>>
>>>
>>> Am 26.05.2010 um 13:26 schrieb Pawan Durani:
>>>
>>>> Any idea of recent communal riot in Shahpur , Ahmedabad....I dont
>>>> see anyone
>>>> discussing that.
>>>>
>>>> pawan
>>>>
>>>> On Wed, May 26, 2010 at 4:43 PM, anupam chakravartty <c.anupam at gmail.com
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Bipin,
>>>>>
>>>>> I have a few questions for you: When was the Sachar committee
>>>>> report filed?
>>>>> Was there any such committee before Sachar to assess the condition
>>>>> of one
>>>>> particular community as mentioned in your post? Do you think a
>>>>> comparative
>>>>> analysis is required in ascertaining the conditions prevalent in
>>>>> the
>>>>> community now and then?
>>>>>
>>>>> thanks anupam
>>>>>
>>>>> On Wed, May 26, 2010 at 3:30 PM, Bipin Trivedi <aliens at dataone.in>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> To an editorial published in the Indian Express on May 22  
>>>>>> titled "
>>>>>> <http://www.indianexpress.com/news/hard-facts-to-face/622193/>
>>>>>> Hard
>>>>> facts
>>>>>> to
>>>>>> face" the Gujarat Government had sent a letter in response  
>>>>>> stating
>>>>>> the
>>>>>> factual position regarding the status of Muslim in Gujarat.
>>>>>> <http://www.indianexpress.com/news/hard-facts/623677/0> A part of
>>>>>> the
>>>>>> letter
>>>>>> was published in the Indian Express dated May 26, 2010. The
>>>>>> complete
>>>>>> version
>>>>>> of the letter that was sent to the Editor Indian Express is
>>>>>> enclosed
>>>>>> herewith so that you will be conversant with the real hard facts.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Refer link:
>>>>> http://www.indianexpress.com/news/hard-facts-to-face/622193/0
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> No caviling at Gujarat's hard facts
>>>>>>
>>>>>> How do Muslims fare in Gujarat? They fare much better compared to
>>>>>> other
>>>>>> states. The objective study by the Prime Minister's high-level
>>>>>> committee
>>>>>> headed by Justice Rajendra Sachar, appointed by Prime Minister Dr
>>>>> Manmohan
>>>>>> Singh in 2006, indicates that Muslims in Gujarat perform and fare
>>>>>> much
>>>>>> better when compared with other states in several key indicators
>>>>>> such as
>>>>>> education, employment, income and access to critical
>>>>>> infrastructure. The
>>>>>> editorial in the Indian Express dated May 22, 2010 is mostly  
>>>>>> based
>>>>>> on
>>>>>> perceptions and anecdotal evidences rather than hard facts.
>>>>>> However the
>>>>>> facts below speak for themselves.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> In trying to make out a case for Muslim children being given a  
>>>>>> raw
>>>>>> deal
>>>>> in
>>>>>> primary and upper primary school enrolment facts that has placed
>>>>>> Muslims
>>>>> in
>>>>>> Gujarat on the top of literacy ladder have been totally ignored.
>>>>> According
>>>>>> to Sachar committee report the percentage of literacy of Muslims
>>>>>> in
>>>>> Gujarat
>>>>>> is 73.5 per cent, the highest in India. It is pertinent to note
>>>>>> that this
>>>>>> is
>>>>>> much higher than that of national average of 59.1 per cent and
>>>>>> also the
>>>>>> percentage of literacy of Hindus in Gujarat which is 68.3 per
>>>>>> cent. Even
>>>>>> Muslim women in urban areas of Gujarat have average literacy
>>>>>> rate 5
>>>>> points
>>>>>> higher than the national average and rural Muslim women are far
>>>>>> much
>>>>> better
>>>>>> with their literacy rate of 57 per cent as compared to the
>>>>>> national
>>>>> average
>>>>>> of 43 per cent. If Muslim children are not provided education how
>>>>>> can
>>>>>> Muslims in Gujarat attain the highest literacy rate in the
>>>>>> country?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> During 2009-10 the enrolment of Muslim children has been 6.45 per
>>>>>> cent
>>>>> (as
>>>>>> against 4.7 per cent reported). It should be kept mind that this
>>>>> percentage
>>>>>> excludes the enrolment in Madarsas and also some of the private
>>>>>> schools
>>>>>> which do not provide segregated data. The very fact that Muslims
>>>>>> in
>>>>> Gujarat
>>>>>> have the highest literacy rate in the country proves that they
>>>>>> have
>>>>> access
>>>>>> to education much better than in other states. If you look at
>>>>>> Muslim
>>>>>> education attainment those who have passed the primary stage are
>>>>>> 74.9 per
>>>>>> cent way ahead of the national average 60.9 per cent. In the
>>>>>> category of
>>>>>> those who passed secondary education Gujarat at 45.3 is ahead of
>>>>>> the
>>>>>> national average of 40.5 per cent. Even in the category of those
>>>>>> who have
>>>>>> passed higher secondary level Gujarat with 26.1 per cent is ahead
>>>>>> of the
>>>>>> national average of 23.9 per cent. In the average years of
>>>>>> secondary
>>>>>> schooling provided between the age group of 7-16 once again
>>>>>> Gujarat with
>>>>>> 4.29 per cent is ahead of the nationa Your reference to Juhapura
>>>>>> area of
>>>>>> Ahmedabad lacking schools due to "gradual disentitlement and
>>>>> ghettoisation
>>>>>> of Gujarat's Muslims" is specious to the say the least as the
>>>>>> facts prove
>>>>>> otherwise. There are eight high schools out of which three are
>>>>>> government-aided schools. In Juhapura and surrounding areas there
>>>>>> are 13
>>>>>> municipal primary schools funded by the state government and
>>>>>> also 15
>>>>>> private
>>>>>> schools. Far from being ghettoized there is ample opportunity for
>>>>>> the
>>>>>> Muslim
>>>>>> children to enroll themselves.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Secondly it has become a knee-jerk habit of secularists to pooh-
>>>>>> pooh the
>>>>>> good governance of the state of Gujarat. And as to your question
>>>>>> if "his
>>>>>> fabled governance genius translate into a better life for those
>>>>>> his
>>>>>> politics
>>>>>> rejects?" the answer is clearly in the Sachar report which has
>>>>>> called the
>>>>>> bluff of those who have tried to besmirch Gujarat.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> In the very social sectors which your editorial cites as the
>>>>>> indicator of
>>>>>> percolation of development to the minorities, Sachar Committee
>>>>>> report
>>>>>> reveals the performance of Gujarat is far better than many other
>>>>>> states.
>>>>>> The
>>>>>> document also reveals Gujarat is far ahead in terms of providing
>>>>> education
>>>>>> facilities and health facilities. If we take the case  
>>>>>> availability
>>>>>> of
>>>>>> schools in villages where there is Muslim population Gujarat is
>>>>>> far ahead
>>>>>> of
>>>>>> the national average. In the category of villages with
>>>>>> population of
>>>>>> Muslims
>>>>>> more than 2000 all the villages have education facility as  
>>>>>> against
>>>>>> 98.7
>>>>> per
>>>>>> cent national average. In the category of 1000 to 2000  
>>>>>> population,
>>>>>> 99.9
>>>>> per
>>>>>> cent villages have education facilities as against the national
>>>>>> average
>>>>> of
>>>>>> 95.4 per cent. In the category of less than 1000 population 98.6
>>>>>> per cent
>>>>>> of
>>>>>> the villages have education facility as against the national
>>>>>> average of
>>>>>> 80.4
>>>>>> per cent.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> When we consider the availability of medical facilities in
>>>>>> villages,
>>>>> where
>>>>>> Muslim population is more 2000, 89.9 per cent of the villages  
>>>>>> have
>>>>> medical
>>>>>> facilities as against the national average of 70.7 per cent. In
>>>>>> the
>>>>>> category
>>>>>> of 1000-2000 population, 66.67 per cent of villages have medical
>>>>> facilities
>>>>>> against the national average of 43.5 per cent. In the category of
>>>>> villages
>>>>>> less than 1000 population, 53 per cent of the villages have
>>>>>> medical
>>>>>> facilities as against the national average of 20.2 per cent.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Even in the case of other indicators such as road connectivity,
>>>>>> availability
>>>>>> of pucca approach road etc Gujarat is far ahead of national
>>>>>> average and
>>>>>> many
>>>>>> other states. Even on per month per capita income of Muslims is
>>>>>> more than
>>>>>> the Hindus of Gujarat in rural areas. For Muslims it stands at Rs
>>>>>> 668
>>>>>> compared to Rs 644 for Hindus (SCs Rs 527 and OBCs Rs 594). This
>>>>>> is much
>>>>>> higher than many other states for example Andhra Pradesh (Rs  
>>>>>> 610);
>>>>>> West
>>>>>> Bengal (Rs 501); UP (Rs 509); Karnataka (Rs 532); MP (Rs 475) .
>>>>>> The per
>>>>>> capita income of Muslims in urban areas is also higher than the
>>>>>> national
>>>>>> average and many other states. (see Sachar report). The  
>>>>>> prosperity
>>>>>> of
>>>>>> Muslims in Gujarat when compared with other states is reflected  
>>>>>> in
>>>>>> terms
>>>>> of
>>>>>> the bank account wise average deposit. For instance Gujarat it
>>>>>> is Rs
>>>>> 32,932
>>>>>> compared to West Bengal Rs 13, 824, Assam Rs 26,319 to cite a few
>>>>> examples.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> If you take the employment of Muslims in critical departments of
>>>>> government
>>>>>> such as home department, state transport dept and even in public
>>>>>> sectors
>>>>>> the
>>>>>> percentage of Muslims occupying high posts is higher in Gujarat
>>>>>> when
>>>>>> compared with other States. Just to cite an example in Gujarat
>>>>>> where the
>>>>>> percentage of Muslims is 9.1 the proportion of Muslims in high
>>>>>> posts is
>>>>> 8.5
>>>>>> per cent whereas in West Bengal where the Muslim population is
>>>>>> 25.2 per
>>>>>> cent
>>>>>> the proportion of Muslims is merely 1.2 per cent.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> To discuss on each and every parameter to establish that Muslims
>>>>>> fare far
>>>>>> better in Gujarat is neither required nor possible to enumerate
>>>>>> in a
>>>>>> letter.
>>>>>> Your editorial mentions that Modi should be open to verification
>>>>>> of his
>>>>>> claims of inclusive development. The above mentioned facts  
>>>>>> clearly
>>>>>> demonstrate that better governance in Gujarat has been translated
>>>>>> into a
>>>>>> better life for all the people in Gujarat, including the
>>>>>> minorities. Your
>>>>>> editorial recommends open verification of the claims. The high-
>>>>>> powered
>>>>>> committee appointed by the Prime Minister has to a great extent
>>>>>> not only
>>>>>> verified the claims but also clearly established that these  
>>>>>> claims
>>>>>> are
>>>>>> true.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> _________________________________________
>>>>>> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city.
>>>>>> Critiques & Collaborations
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>>>>> _________________________________________
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>>>>>
>>>> _________________________________________
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>>>
>>> ---------------------------------------
>>> Dr. Britta Ohm
>>>
>>> Institute of Social Anthropology
>>> University of Bern
>>> Laenggassstr. 49a
>>> 3012 Bern
>>> Switzerland
>>> +41-(0)31-631 8995 (main office)
>>> +41-(0)31-631 8997 (direct line)
>>> britta.ohm at anthro.unibe.ch
>>>
>>>
>>> Solmsstr. 36
>>> 10961 Berlin
>>> Germany
>>> +49-(0)30-69507155
>>> ohm at zedat.fu-berlin.de
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> _________________________________________
>>> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city.
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>> _________________________________________
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>> Critiques & Collaborations
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>
> ---------------------------------------
> Dr. Britta Ohm
>
> Institute of Social Anthropology
> University of Bern
> Laenggassstr. 49a
> 3012 Bern
> Switzerland
> +41-(0)31-631 8995 (main office)
> +41-(0)31-631 8997 (direct line)
> britta.ohm at anthro.unibe.ch
>
>
> Solmsstr. 36
> 10961 Berlin
> Germany
> +49-(0)30-69507155
> ohm at zedat.fu-berlin.de
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> _________________________________________
> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city.
> Critiques & Collaborations
> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with  
> subscribe in the subject header.
> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list
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---------------------------------------
Dr. Britta Ohm

Institute of Social Anthropology
University of Bern
Laenggassstr. 49a
3012 Bern
Switzerland
+41-(0)31-631 8995 (main office)
+41-(0)31-631 8997 (direct line)
britta.ohm at anthro.unibe.ch


Solmsstr. 36
10961 Berlin
Germany
+49-(0)30-69507155
ohm at zedat.fu-berlin.de

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