SACW | 06 Jan 2004
Harsh Kapoor
aiindex at mnet.fr
Mon Jan 5 21:46:45 CST 2004
South Asia Citizens Wire | 06 January, 2004
via: www.sacw.net
[ANNOUNCEMENT: Please note, SACW dispatches are
going to be interrupted starting January 6/7 to
and are not likely to resume before February 22,
2004. ]
[1] A report on the 4th South Asian people's summit in Pakistan (Sheela Bhatt)
[2] "Peace and Youth Co-operation in India and Pakistan" (Vanita Sharma)
[3] Education to open horizons: 10000
scholarships for South Asia's needy [news report
on SAF scholarships)
[4] Fascists' Threat Against Kashmir Seminar at WSF in Bombay
[5] India: Report on A consultative process to combat communalism in Orissa
[6] India: Recent Press release by the Narmada Bachao Andolan
[7] India: Hindutva Men at Work !
a) Home Ministry stalls move to publish British Raj documents
c) Mob ransacks Pune's Bhandarkar Institute (Rupa Chapalgaonkar)
--------------
[1]
Rediff.com, January 6, 2003
A summit of a different kind
Sheela Bhatt in Islamabad | January 06, 2004 01:49 IST
They remained unsung till they left Pakistan.
On Monday, when two heads of States were stealing
the limelight in front of TV cameras, around 120
prominent personalities belonging to SAARC
countries left Islamabad.
They were grassroots workers who were in the
Pakistani capital to attend the 4th South Asian
people's summit, on the sidelines of the 12th
SAARC meet.
South Asia Partnership had organised the summit
with the help of other non-governmental
organisations.
"For media the hard news is Kashmir and news
concerning poverty, inequality and injustice to
marginal people are soft stories," said Achyut
Yagnik of SETU, an Ahmedabad-based
non-governmental organisation.
He presented the travails of Gujarati and
Pakistani fishermen. While participating in the
summit, he said, "In September 2003, 22 boats and
47 fishermen were arrested by Pakistan marines.
There is no mechanism in place to set innocent
fishermen free. At the same time around 80
Pakistani fishermen are in Indian jails."
He said such arrests are routine because India
and Pakistan have not resolved the issue of Sir
Creek in Kutch. "Since both sides have a dispute
over Sir Creek, waters are not demarked and both
sides' guards are routinely arresting innocent
fishermen."
People who rubbish people-to-people contacts are
unaware of the ground realities, said Mohammed
Tahseen, executive director, SAP.
"In last 56 years both sides have spread so much
venom against each other that it will be a
Herculean task to counter it," he said. "The
warmongers are not only there but they are
dominant too."
Tahseen said one of the Pakistani participants
who is teaching psychology was surprised to see
Yagnik, a Gujarat-based social activist. He told
Tahseen, "Yaar, he is like us only!"
People have very strange notions about each
other, according to Tahseen. It is very necessary
to increase people-to-people contacts, he added.
One of the participants from India said that an
Indian refused to attend the SAARC meet because
he did not want the red-coloured Pakistan visa
seal on his passport!
Participants from Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka
complained of lack of attention given to issues
concerning their countries.
The issue of desertification, uneconomical
farming, cheap labour, child and women's issues
and the threats from the World Trade Organisation
to SAARC countries were debated in the summit.
I A Rehman, director, Pakistan's Human Rights
Commission, who concluded the summit, told
rediff.com: "The problems of human rights are
quite grim in SAARC countries. We need joint
efforts to bring about changes. But things are
moving very slowly."
______
[2]
Bargad Conference on "Regional Peace and Youth Co-operation Dialogue".
Hosted at Kinnaird College, Lahore, Pakistan (9 - 11 December 2003)
"Peace and Youth Co-operation in India and Pakistan"
by Vanita Sharma
Hello, my name is Vanita Sharma and I am here
today talking to you under a variety of different
hats. Firstly, as Visiting Faculty member at
LUMS who is teaching History. Secondly, as a
fellow student, as I am currently in the third
year of my Phd studies at Oxford University.
Hence, thirdly I am also speaking to you as
British person, but more than that, also as a
British Indian.
My PhD research is focused on comparing how
partition has been remembered in Lahore and Delhi
in oral narratives, newspapers and school
textbooks from the 1950s and 60s. Based on my
early research, in my opinion, the greatest
barrier to peace is how we human beings tend to
"Other-ize" different cultures and people.
However, as my introduction demonstrates, the
notion of belonging to one culture is becoming
increasingly untenable. In today's world there
is growing blurring of identities, both on the
local and the global level. I believe we have to
start thinking beyond ourselves as national
citizens, and start remembering how to relate to
each other as human beings. However, rather than
doing this by subscribing to a new globalised
culture which erases all differences in identity
and culture, we should instead aim to get beyond
the conflict that usually surrounds identity, by
celebrating our differences, instead of being
afraid of them.
I am Indian and a Hindu, but I was born
and brought up in England. So these notions of
mixed identities are particularly pertinent to me
and also for the other British Asians of my
generation, both Indian and Pakistani. Growing
up in England, as I began to learn more about the
histories of India and Pakistan and their
on-going conflict I was be-set by an overwhelming
confusion. Because, at the level of home life
and school life, my experience was of living
amongst a community of different faiths and
nationalities who co-existed in peace and
harmony. I was born in a town called Slough,
which has a mixed population of Indians and
Pakistanis. We grew up together, starting at
nursery and ended our schooling together at 18
before we departed to our various universities.
Our friendships were determined not by our
religions or our ethnic backgrounds, but by
whether we got on together. It would be untrue
to say there was never any conflict Š yes,
occasionally the boys did and do get into
arguments and fights, sometimes serious ones Š
but on the whole, the main rivalry exhibited was
a friendly one, focused on the summer India and
Pakistan cricket matches that took place in the
school playground. We respected each other's
different backgrounds and many of us built up
long-lasting friendships, which transcended our
differing cultural backgrounds. The same was
true at home, where for twenty-five years my
family have lived happily side by side with our
Pakistani neighbours. Other than a brick and
mortar wall that divides our 2 houses, I do not
remember any rancour or disagreement between our
2 families. We have helped each other in times
of need and sadness. And we have respected our
religious and cultural differences, exchanging
good wishes on our respective religious festivals
- seeing these as occasions of mutual merriment,
not an occasion of "us" versus "them".
I think this is the key towards realizing
increased peace and co-operation. We need to
start relating to each other as human beings
again. However, it would be false of me to
present a totally utopian view of Indo-Pak
relations in Britain. There are also many people
who do sustain the rivalry and animosity - but
this is perhaps one the strongest reasons why we
need to work towards peace. It is a sad thing
when the Indo-Pak conflict is also spilling out
into the diaspora, and especially, when people of
my generation, who do not even understand the
roots of this conflict, mindlessly sustain it.
So, what are the root causes of the
impasse towards increased peace and co-operation?
Firstly, mis-trust and ill will, based on
previous wrongs committed by both sides.
However, if we want to have peace in our lives,
then we need to learn to find ways of re-building
this trust. Secondly, another barrier is
close-mindedness and poor education. So, we need
to learn about each other's cultures and
histories, in order to understand each other.
Lastly, in this the media could play a greater
role in providing us with this necessary
education. Instead of focusing on points of
antagonism and disagreement, our media should
concentrate more on building bridges and
promoting peace and harmony, in areas of conflict
about religion, boundaries and political ideology.
But, what role can the youth play in
building peace and encouraging dialogue. From my
own very small experiences, I think we can have a
major role and in many ways, a defining role in
achieving this goal. We have the ability and the
desire to try to transcend these prejudices and,
on both sides, the older generations are more
willing to make an effort to extend a hand of
friendship towards us than perhaps they would
with their contemporaries. Furthermore, if we
make the effort to try to build bridges with each
other, we can use our experiences to break down
the prejudices that are held within our own
communities. For example, this summer I
travelled to both India and Pakistan and my
conclusion from my summer's travels is that our
generation can have an invaluable influence on
encouraging the forging and restoring amicable
links between the countries and people. Whilst I
was in India, I was surprised to find that so
many people I met reacted to the news that I
would soon be going to Pakistan, with a sense of
extreme jealousy, instead of shock, and related
to me how they earnestly wished to be able to go
there one day too. Back at home, before I left
for Pakistan, all of our Pakistani friends and
even people who I didn't know that well extended
a hand of hospitality, giving me the names of
friends or family who I could go to for help,
should I be in need of a friendly face. This
ranged from my neighbour, who said she would even
accompany me to Lahore if I was too nervous to go
alone to our double-glazing salesman who invited
me to a wedding in Rawalpindi! When I arrived in
Pakistan, I was to be honest, extremely nervous -
I knew no one and had no idea how I was going to
survive my trip, with my poor Urdu. The
perceptions that are fed to England through the
media had created a "scary" vision of Pakistan in
my mind and made me question whether it was
really a safe place for a girl to travel to on
her own, and an Indian one at that. However, I
needn't have worried. Within days I had met and
made a range of new friends, and throughout my
stay, was welcomed and taken care of impeccably.
I fell in love with Lahore and felt immediately
at home. In the end, it turned out to be one of
the best trips I have ever had and it restored my
faith in the power of common humanity. When I
went back to England, I was met by immediate
questions from family, and friends, "So how was
it? How did they treat you?" My glowing tales
made them more hopeful too and challenged the
preconceptions of both my Indian and Pakistani
friends, that my visit would be a difficult one.
"Where did you enjoy yourself more?" My answer
had to be Š Pakistan, because although in both
countries I received wonderful hospitality, in
Pakistan, I received the kindness of strangers.
Although, these are strangers who have now become
friends.
So, I believe the role of youth is to
rise above the past and to move forward and
educate our elders to come with us. We don't
want this conflict to be passed down to our
children. This requires that we learn to respect
borders and boundaries, instead of fighting over
them. But, we also need to reach across them to
initiate dialogue, to start sharing and
exchanging again. Just my own visit, has done so
much to make bonds with the small circle of
Indians and Pakistanis that I live with in my
town, as it has given us something to share and
discuss. Moreover, in the last few months, so
many Indians and Pakistanis both from the
subcontinent and back in Britain have started
visiting each others' countries and this is
leading to a slow, but sure increase in goodwill.
And, now, I am back in Pakistan, because of this
amazing opportunity that LUMS has given me to
teach here, which is the source of optimism to
all of my friends at home about how relations are
improving. I am here to teach and to learn. To
teach because I believe we have to share our
skills and knowledge to improve the society
around us, and because I believe we shouldn't
just focus on our own communities. But, also to
learn more about Pakistani culture, using the
knowledge I acquire to break down further
prejudices with people back home. Hopefully, if
we can break down the barriers between us, we can
begin to co-operate on the more important issues
of coming up with ideas to solve the common
problems of poverty and education, in order to
help Asia really develop as a region and reach
its potential. To do this, we need to respect
the plurality and diversity of nations and
cultures within Asia and celebrate, rather than
fight over cultural difference. The absence of
war isn't peace. In other words it is not a
negative concept. Peace, to be real, involves a
willing and unconditional acceptance of each
other and each other's point of view. It takes
one hand to start a quarrel but it takes two to
make a compromise. As the youth of today, I
believe we have the potential to exert a powerful
influence on breaking down the barriers of
prejudice and mis-trust that stand in the way of
realizing this real peace.
______
[3]
[At time secular education is under severe
threat by fundamentalists of all hues and state
spending on education remains abysmal in all of
South Asia a pioneering effort to fund 10000
scholarships to the needy students of all south
asia countries has been taken by a secular body
called the The South Asia Foundation'. See news
report below for reactions from Pakistan ]
o o o
Excerpted from:
The Daily Times, December 5, 2003
India Based Foundation helps Pakistan's poor students
THE South Asia Foundation (SAF), an Indian
non-government organisation, has announced a
scholarship grant for the region's brilliant but
poor students studying in distance learning
universities.
Professor Saleema Hashmi, the head of SAF in
Pakistan, and Pakistan's Allama Iqbal Open
University (AIOU) Vice Chancellor Prof Syed Altaf
Hussain, announced a $300,000 scholarship grant
for 1,000 students of the AIOU. The grants will
be paid in monthly stipends.
Pakistani academics and students were delighted
by the SAF Madanjeet Singh Scholarships. "For an
Indian to donate so much money to Pakistani
students is tremendous. It shows he has a vision
for a prosperous and literate South Asia," said
one academic.
The SAF, a voluntary, secular, non-profit and
non-political youth movement, was founded by
UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Madanjeet Singh, with
the aim of promoting regional cooperation and
peace through education, mutual understanding and
friendship among the young people of South Asia.
The SAF has arranged a large number of
scholarships for talented young students across
South Asia including group scholarships or
gender-paired scholarships to two students each
from eight South Asian countries, meant to help
under-privileged students get a higher education.
Mr Singh was born in Lahore on April 16, 1924. He
did his post-graduation from Government College,
Lahore. Partition obliged him to migrate to New
Delhi, where he volunteered to work in a refugee
camp, all the while preparing for the
post-graduate exams in chemistry at Delhi
Polytechnic. He is also an artist and author of
several books. He joined the Indian Foreign
Service in 1953 and served as ambassador in Asia,
South America, Africa and Europe before joining
UNESCO in 1982. In recognition of his life-long
devotion to the cause of communal harmony and
peace, the UNESCO executive board set up a
biannual UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the
Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence in 1995.
Mr Singh founded the SAF in 2000 to which he has
devoted a considerable amount of money generated
by the sale of stocks of the Art Technology Group
(ATG), an American software company set up by his
son Jeet Singh, a trustee of the SAF.
______
[4]
CHRO News, January 05, 2004, Monday
Fascists' Threat Against CHRO's Kashmir Seminar at WSF
Ever since we announced our Seminar at WSF
Mumbai, "Moving Towards Peace In Kashmir", we
were getting threats through E-Mail and telephone
calls against its conduct.
Taking the lead, the hinduunity.org website said
: "A bunch of anti-India activists and some
Pakistanis will present a "balanced" viewpoint on
Kashmir - not in Pakistan, but in Bombay. Not one
person in this list, promotes an Indian
perspective, while some in the list are
apologists for Pakistani terrorism - yet it will
be "balanced"."
It also demanded : "This conference must be
cancelled immediately or Thousands of Shiv sena
activists ,RSS,VHP members should storm the venue
and burn it.Kick the assess of Organisers....
This is very serious issue. Mobilise the cadres
and take stern action against this pro jehadis
conference."
Another enthusiast wrote : "I live near the venue...
in Goregaon this venue is on the Service Road on
the Western Express Highway...near Jay Coach...I
will be arriving soon with my friends...to occupy
the limited seats..."
While we are moving ahead with the Seminar, we
request all those who uphold democratic values,
especially living in Mumbai, to frustrate these
fascist machinations so as to enable the peaceful
conduct of the Seminar as was scheduled.
Mukundan C. Menon
Secretary General
Confederation of Human Rights Organisations (CHRO)
Kerala
______
[5]
The Hindu
Jan 06, 2004
`Secular space in the media has shrunk'
By Our Staff Reporters
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM. JAN. 5. The secular space in
the media today has considerably shrunk not only
because of the secular-communal divide but also
because the logic of the communal is increasingly
becoming respectable in almost every newspaper
establishment, the Vice-Chancellor of the Sree
Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady,
K.N. Panikkar, has said.
Speaking at the State-level celebrations of the
125th anniversary of The Hindu, here today, Dr.
Panikkar said that communalism had gained
legitimacy, often through crude and false
representations, as a result of which the popular
common sense about key concepts such as
nationalism and secularism were changing.
"This considerably impaired the fundamental
commitment of the media to truth. The truth,
however elusive it is, is not an avoidable
luxury, as it is believed by certain sections of
the media," he said. "In the past, The Hindu has
consistently defended and supported the
principles of democracy and secularism with rare
commitment. So has it stood for protecting the
freedom of expression and civil liberties," Dr.
Panikkar pointed out.
The struggle between secularism and communalism
was not merely a fight for political power, but a
clash between two different systems of values, he
said. The outcome, to a large extent, depended on
the media remaining secular.
Dr. Panikkar said the response of a large section
of the media to the massive religious
mobilisation around the issue of the construction
of a temple at Ayodhya had been ambivalent. While
a section of the media chose to uncritically
accept the communal discourse, others remained as
neutral observers. "The Hindu was then among the
few honourable exceptions who boldly and
consistently championed the secular cause," he
said.
The record of The Hindu in championing the cause
of the nation and upholding the "dharma" of
journalism had led to conflict with the State
many a time. It occurred not only during the
colonial period but, as witnessed recently, was a
continuing phenomenon. The recent action of the
Tamil Nadu Government against The Hindu, both in
nature and execution, was perhaps the most
glaring example of this, Dr. Panikkar said.
_____
[5]
A consultative process to combat communalism in Orissa
Rotary Bhawan, Bhubaneswar, Monday, January 05, 2003
Action Aid - Bhubaneswar Regional office along
with Ambedkar Lohia Vichar Manch hosted a
consultative meeting on outlining strategies -- a
civil society response to combat the rising
communalism in Orissa on the 5th Jan, attended by
a group of activists, academicians, cultural
activists, dalit and tribal leaders. Rabi Ray,
Angana Chatterji, Harsh Mandar and others spoke
at the meeting.
The process of development includes the effort to
ensure the rights of the human being. In India
the fundamental rights given by its constitution
are the foundations on which development appeals
stand. The constitution of India declares India
as a "secular" nation and right to freedom,
liberty, equality and religion are some of the
fundamental rights of an Indian citizen.
Nevertheless these rights of the Indian citizens
have been violated appallingly in recent past.
The great force of communalism has endangered the
values of "unity in diversity" of Indian society.
The Gujarat incident of communal violence is the
burning example of this. The civil society has
played a significant role during the aftermath
and has appealed the citizens of Gujarat not to
violet the fundamental rights in the name of
communalism.
History repeats and it is going to be repeated in
Orissa. After Gujarat the fundamentalists are in
the process to make Orissa the "second
laboratory" of experimenting "communalism". The
dark shadow of communalism has already put its
stain in some parts of Orissa. It is going to
attack the socio-cultural and political scenario
of Orissa "dangerously" in near future. The
nature of public discourse in Orissa is going to
be changed as a consequence of the experiment on
"communalism".
It is a matter of great concern for the civil
society of Orissa to prepare themselves to
counter these forces of communalism. Time has
come to come together and find out the possible
ways to combat the divisive forces of
communalism.
In this context, we are initiating a consultative
process on "combating communalism" in Orissa with
an aim to understand the dynamics of communal
forces, identifying strategies to counter
communalism, defining the role of civil society
and preparing the future plan of action.
Agenda of the first consultative meeting:
Introduction: The need for communal harmony- setting the agenda
Sharing of experience from different parts of India
Communalism- the scenario in Orissa
Strategies to combat communalism in Orissa and role of society
Developing Action Plan
Consolidation of discussions and way forward
_____
[6]
NARMADA BACHAO ANDOLAN
58, Gandhi Marg, Badwani, M.P (07290-22464)
( Mumbai contact - 225292448/ Medha Patkar - 98204-36425
Press Note/Dec. 25, 2003
EARTHQUAKE OF 4 INTENSITY ROCKS NARMADA VALLEY
A WARNING AGAIN AGAINST INCREASING SSP HEIGHT
The Narmada valley was rocked with yet another earthquake of the
intensity of 4 on Richter scale on Wednesday, December 24, 2003. The
epicenter lays between the dam site of the Sardar Sarovar Project
(SSP) and the Toranmal hills in Satpuda ranges (Dist.Nandurbar,
Maharashtra), barely 100 kms. From the dam. The impact was felt in
SSP affected area in Maharashtra and M.P. This is yet another warning
for the dam builders as it closely follows another earthquake of the
intensity of 4.5 on Richter scale on July 27, 2003, whose epicenter
was between the dam and the Dhadgaon in the in Nandurbar district in
Maharashtra.
The eminent seismologists have time and again warned about the
geologically fault in the Narmada valley. After the earthquake of
Kutch in January 2001, Dr. Harsh Gupta, Director of the
Hyderabad-based National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) had
observed then that the extension of the fault zone in the
Narmada-Sone lineament might have been responsible for such
catastrophy, which has released 900% more energy than the Latur
earthquake. Prof. R.S. Negi of NGRI had sloe linked the Narmada-Sone
lineament to that earthquake. Narmada valley has always been a
geological unstable area, as was evident by the Jabalpur earthquake
(1998) and the previous series of tremors in Khandawa region in
1997-1999.
There is an utmost need that the all the environmental studies,
including seismological studies of this dam be completed, and the
fresh environmental clearance must be obtained from the Ministry of
Environment and Forest (MoEF), and these studies must be subjected
to the peer review by the independent experts.
It is necessary that the reservoir level in the dam has to be reduced
and there should be no further increase in the dam height.
Paradoxically, the Narmada Control Authority (NCA) is meeting on
December 26 (Friday) to decide on increasing the height of the dam
from present 100 (+3) meters to 105 or further. MBA has been
constantly exposing the poor track record of the rehabilitation of
the displaced people by the height increase. About 12,000 families
would be affected by the submergence in the next monsoon if the
height is increased, without any sort of resettlement. And, the
earthquake occurred on the even of the meeting. It is yet another
wake-up call. The NBA demands that all the work on the dam should be
halted to have an independent review of all aspects of the dam.
Medha Patkar
______
[7] [ India: Hindutva Men At Work!]
[a]
The Hindu
Monday, Jan 05, 2004
<http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/thscrip/pgemail.pl?date=2004/01/05/&prd=th&>
Home Ministry stalls move to publish British Raj documents
By Our Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI JAN. 4. The Union Home Ministry has
turned down the request of a history scholar to
publish papers culled out of the ``Quarterly
Survey of Political and Constitutional Position
in British India from 1937 to 1947'' that could
throw light on the penultimate stages of India's
struggle for Independence and the drift towards
Partition.
Baren Ray, fellow of Indian Council for
Historical Research in 1997, discovered the
papers from a large body of super secret British
documents among the India Office Records in
London. Prof. Ray had even succeeded in getting
the consent of the Home Ministry to get the
material published by the Ministry.
He was given a grant of Rs. 20,000 to get the
printouts from the microfilm and make them ready
for the press so that it could be made readable
and made available to researchers. The British
Government had declassified the material in 1977.
At the end of a painstaking research and after
printouts from microfilms were prepared, Prof.
Ray submitted the copies to the Home Ministry.
But what has come as a shock to him is that the
Ministry has been sitting over the decision to
publish the material and the entire matter
appears to have been put in cold storage.
``As a researcher who has persevered with this
matter since 1988, I feel very strongly that
while the Ministry is free not to publish the
material on its own auspices, with a Freedom of
Information Act in force in the country, the
Government should not stand in the way of my
going ahead with doing the needful with these
most important documents. The Government has not
in any way proscribed the material. I request you
to kindly return the entire pile of printouts
that I had submitted to the Ministry so that I
may be able to continue my research as well as
take appropriate steps to make their contents
known to the concerned scholars in the country,''
Prof. Ray wrote to the Ministry.
He argued that any scholar with financial
resources could go and obtain another copy of the
material in London or even another set of
printouts. ``Why should I be denied possession of
this material for which I have spent so much of
my physical and mental energy over so many long
years?'' he said.
In a reply to Prof. Ray on November 4, the
Ministry refused to agree to his request on the
ground that the Government had given him the
grant on the condition that the material prepared
by him would be the property of the Ministry of
Home Affairs.
Prof. Ray contended that the ``Quarterly Survey
1937-47'' papers could unearth the complete
history of the freedom struggle and of all the
political process through which the country had
passed then.
He said the material was considered so sensitive
that it was not available even to the Home
Minister of the Interim Government and after the
final agreement of June 3, 1947, extreme care was
taken to destroy all copies in India. The only
copies that remained were those in the India
Office in London.
However, the Home Ministry has maintained silence over the matter so far.
______
[b]
The Indian Express
January 05, 2004
RSS stakes claim to stone found near Bishop palace
RAJU NAYAK
PANAJI, JANUARY 4: A block of carved stone, which
was found in the compound of the Bishop's Palace
in Panaji, has become the centre of a controversy.
Church authorities say the stone was found in the
palace premises after part of a wall was broken
during renovation. But as rumours spread that the
stone was found while the ground was dug up, RSS
and allied organisations began to lay claim to it
earlier this week.
According to Raju Velingkar, in-charge of the RSS
Vishwa Samvaad Kendra, the stone was part of a
''Shiv Lingam'' destroyed by the Portuguese and
will have to be ''located'' where it was found.
Sources said a group led by BJP councillors
Pritam Rane and Deepak Mapusekar and RSS leader
Raju Sukerkar had attempted to gatecrash the
Bishop's Palace and make away with the stone on
Monday.
But officials at the Bishop's Palace, located
just 50 metres from CM Manohar Parrikar's
official residence, prevented them from doing so
and insisted that the object would be handed over
only to the government. Father Olavo Velho
Pereira, director of the Diocesan Centre for
Social Communications Media, said a process was
underway to establish the stone's authenticity.
Department of Archaeology and Archives director
M.L. Dicholkar said the object would be shifted
to the Goa State Musuem and has written to church
authorities in this regard.
______
[c]
Mid Day, January 6, 2003
Mob ransacks Pune's Bhandarkar Institute
By: Rupa Chapalgaonkar
January 5, 2004
Pune: The 87-year old Bhandarkar Oriental
Research Institute (BORI) bears a sad look. A
temple of thousands of rare manuscripts, ancient
books and palm leaf inscriptions the institute's
relentless efforts were destroyed in half hour's
time, when a mob ransacked the institute, leaving
behind an irreparable loss.
The institute was ransacked by nearly 250 members
of a group called Sambhaji Brigade over a book
written on Shivaji by foreign author James Lane.
The book 'Shivaji: Hindu King in Islamic India'
acknowledges one of the Sanskrit scholars,
Shrikant Bahulkar of BORI in it. The Shiv Sainiks
had blackened Bahulkar's face to express their
anger over this mention on December 22.
To protest this incident, Gajanan Mehendale,
well-known scholar and chief editor, Cultural
Index of Mahabharata, BORI tore 400 unpublished
pages of his biography of Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj.
However, the controversy seemed to have resolved
when Lane apologized for his statements on
Shivaji. The book's publisher, Oxford University
Press, too, withdrew the book from the market by
its publisher Oxford University Press.
However, today's incident has aggrieved veteran
scholars at the institute who have given every
bit of their life for development of the
institute. Especially, excruciating is the
destruction of manuscripts, 30,000 in all, stored
in 50 cupboards in institute's premises.
The manuscripts, which were based on varied
subjects like Ayurveda, veda, kavya, shilpa,
mahabharata, bhakti, amongst various other, were
sourced from many parts of the world.
Palm leaf inscriptions, photographs, statues too
have been caused an irreparable damage. Computers
storing digitalized volumes of information lie in
a smashed state.
Dr Gajanan Mehendale, 86 years of age, feels,
that research will become impossible in
institutions like BORI if anti-social elements
will try to bog down researchers by use of
violence.
N B Marathe, assistant editor, Cultural Index of
Mahabharata, says with mellowed eyes, "We did not
give out the original manuscripts to anyone be it
person from any part of the world. Today, we do
not have words left to express our anger."
Students from countries like Germany, Japan,
Switzerland, China, France, United Kingdom visit
BORI for research every year.
President of the Governing Council of the
Institute Leela Arjunwadkar, who falls short of
words as she stands in front of heaps of broken
glasses all over the institute, is unable to
assess the monetary loss but feels that the
cultural heritage of India has received a big
setback. "It is difficult for the institute to
stand back on its feet," she says.
According to an eye-witness, the mob came to the
institute at a time when the institute was less
crowded. While some started pelting stones and
breaking glasses, some cut the telephone lines so
the police could not be contacted.
The Pune police have rounded up nearly 71 men,
who came in Sumo jeeps at 11 am in the institute.
Joint Police Commissioner (crime), Maheshgauri,
said, "Those who will be arrested will be booked
under relevant sections of IPC like sections 143,
147, 148, 149, 295, 395, 120 (b), and 121."
BORI was established in the year 1917 to
commemorate the works of Ramkrishna Gopal
Bhandarkar. When the Bhandarkar Oriental Research
Institute was founded in 1917, the then
Government of Bombay handed over its entire
collection of manuscripts (nearly 20,000
manuscripts) to the Institute.
The Institute has also received grants from the
Government of India and the University Grants
Commission for specific research projects.
The Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute
normally works through its four main Departments:
1. Mahabharata and Research Unit. 2. Manuscripts.
3. Publication and 4. Post-Graduate Teaching and
Research.
____
RESOURCES:
Check out the lastest issue of the 'Insaf Bulletin' [21] January 1, 2004
International South Asia Forum
Postal address: Box 272, Westmount Stn., QC, Canada H3Z 2T2 (Tel. 514 346-9477)
(e-mail; insaf at insaf.net or visit our website http://www.insaf.net)
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Buzz on the perils of fundamentalist politics, on
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