Admins, I could not find proper thread to post announcement(s) about events (social, cultural or political etc), hence I am creating a new thread. Should you feel this is not needed please delete after few days. Thank you.
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The most talked about and researched movie 'Veer Savarkar' is coming
to the silver screen in Washington, DC Metropolitan area. This is the
movie that every Indian must see. The movie will not be released on
DVD or VCD for another year. One should not miss the chance of seeing
this epoch making event. Please mark your calendar.
Movie: Veer Savarkar
Date: Sunday, November 9, 2003
Time: 1:30 PM
Place: Loehmann Plaza Twin Cinemas
(7291 Arlington Blvd, Falls Church, VA 22042)
Admission: $8.00 per person (children under 6 years free)
Event Organized by Savrkar Darshan Pratishtan & World Hindu Council
of the USA.
For information please call:
Adapa V. Prasad: (410) 531-2933
Satish Misra: (301) 340-2983
Prem Rangwani: (703) 948-9549
Sharadanad: (301) 917-1555
Vandana Joshi: (703) 803-2872
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was a brilliant poet, powerful writer,
electrifying speaker, great patriot and a dauntless revolutionary. He
personified an effulgent philosophy that had the capacity to
strengthen the national spirit, to rouse the Hindu Society to its
shortcomings, to cleanse it of them, and to make it a mighty being
I have seen the movie in the SF Bay area this summer. It is a very moving experience and I havent felt so inspired since the early days of independence.
Guys and gals, you must watch it. It is awesome movie (savarkar). Yes, krishna if I hear anything about xxxx showing this film, will give you heads up.
Anti-India Talk at Kansas State University by Gulam Nabi Fai Organised by PAKISTAN STUDENTS ASSOCIATION
Mr. Shankara Ramanan (President of India Student Association isa@ksu.edu ) : Please send more details on this
Dear Editor,
This is in regard with the talk from Dr.
Ghulam Nabi Fai, titled "Kashimir and UN", sponsored
by Pakistan Student Association at Kansas State
University, Manhattan, Kansas, USA.
News about this event and invitation came from the
Kansas State University International Student Center.
I was curious to attend it as it intrigued me why some
other country is sponsoring a talk related to a state
of India.
The talk has drawn crowds from both the
Indian and Pakistani community along with few
Americans. From the start of the talk, Dr. Ghulam made
statements hurting feelings of Indians and
Indo-Americans. He quoted several statements about
Kashmir and talked bad about Indian military and its
operations in Kashmir.
Now a little about Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai. He is
an expatriate of India, who left Kashmir some 24 years
ago. He has been charged by CBI(Criminal Bureau of
Investigation of India), for funding many terrorist
organizations, outfits in training and politicians who
have relationships with terrorists.
This activist has been charged by CBI to fund
"Hizb-ul-Mujaheddin" through "Jamaat-e-Islami". United
States of America has already recognized these
organizations as terrorist organizations.
"By 1998, Indian officials were becoming increasingly
aware of the sheer scale of such funds transfers - as
well as of official Pakistani complicity in them. In
that year the Jammu and Kashmir Police discovered that
the Pakistan Embassy in Saudi Arabia had been passing
money to the Hizb-ul-Mujaheddin through
Jamaat-e-Islami affiliated charities like the Kashmir
Medicare Trust and the Muslim Welfare Society.
Mohammad Nazir, an ethnic Kashmiri employed in the
Pakistan Embassy in Jeddah moved the funds through a
Dubai-based businessman of Kashmiri origin, Mohammad
Shafi Mir. The Hizb also regularly received funds
gathered in the United States and United Kingdom by
activists like Ayub Thakur and Ghulam Nabi Fai" -
Kashmir Herald
I wanted to bring to your attention about such
activities happening on-campus in American
Universities and these talks sponsored by Pakistani
Student Associations surprises me more.
I am sure that the goal of an International
Organization like Pakistan Student Association and
Indian Student Association, is to display their
culture to the students from different nationalities
on campus and not to talk about any political issues.
I request you to publish an article about this event
and make other people and student organizations aware
about such talks
Thank you,
Indian
You are requested to contact Mr. Shankara Ramanan, the
president of India Student Association at isa@ksu.edu.
He will be official person to let you know the truth.
PS: Some information about Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai is
available at these links
The surprise is not so much that the award was so large but that it took so long for the British NHS to recognize that there was blatant discrimination against Indians in the service. One for the good guys
Vijay Jadhav, an Indian doctor, has won a record compensation of £635,000 (over Rs.five crore) from Britain's National Health Service (NHS) after he complained that he had been denied promotion on racial grounds. / Discuss: Are overseas doctors widely discriminated against in UK and US? /
Forty-five year old Dr Jadhav claimed that he suffered both 'direct' and 'indirect' discrimination when he applied for the post of consultant in 1999.
According to media reports, the doctor was told that he could not be considered because his visa would run out by the time his training was completed, though the officials concerned knew that immigration rules were to be changed and he was eligible.
The tribunal which heard Dr Jadhav's complaint was told that health officials were concerned that promoting too many overseas doctors would affect the the 'career opportunities of EEC nationals.'
Report said the tribunal was also told about the allegedly racist behaviour of the official directly responsible for doctors' placement and training.
Taking note of a letter he wrote to a hospital about Dr. Jadhav, the tribunal said: "We asked ourselves if he would have written such a letter about a white doctor in comparable circumstances. We do not believe that he would."
Reports said the damages paid to Dr. Jadhav are based on the salary he would have earned if he had been promoted, and his estimated earnings from private practice as a consultant is allowed to do private practice. This is the biggest payout by the NHS in a case of racial discrimination.
Symposium on 'Religious cleansing for centuries in the south Asian
subcontinent'
The Agni Foundation organizes on Saturday 7 February 2004 the lecture '
Religious cleansing for centuries in the south Asian subcontinent'. Agni
organizes annually an informative symposium. Previous year it covered human
rights in a more general sense, but in February 2004 Agni will focus mainly
on religious cleansing in the south Asian subcontinent. In these modern and
progressive times, freedom of religion and tolerance are unfortunately not
self-evident everywhere on the globe.
Expert speakers will deal with the status quo of the rights of Hindu
minorities especially in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan, far
underexposed in western media, from various perspectives. Also religious
cleansing in Kashmir is a part of the programme.
Bangladesh is one of the most violent countries in the world in the case of
human rights violations. Although human rights of minorities and freedom of
religion is guaranteed in the constitution, the authorities fail to protect
the rights of religious minorities. Political and religious murder,
grabbing of land, gang rapes, state sponsored discrimination, and
destruction of images and temples are daily scenes. Bhutan, country of
deportation, has ethnic purification institutionalised and has since 1990 a
sixth of the total domestic population, mainly the ethnic minority
Lhotshampa, involuntarily and forceful deported to Nepal. Until recently
the human rights situation in Afghanistan was plainly disastrous. Terror
became more directed against specific groups like religious minorities.
Strict clothing prescriptions, threats and the strictly Islamic constitution
made the life for these groups unbearable. After the departure of the
Taliban, religious minorities still face many risks and they still are
excluded from active participation in negotiations over the building up of
the country. The National Assembly of Pakistan passed a law formally
abolishing bonded labour and prohibiting the practice, but debt bondage
remains both widespread and virtually unchallenged by the Government of
Pakistan. Almost without exception those in debt bondage are Hindus, working
for landlords who are Muslim. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
(HRCP), one of the country's most prominent non-governmental organizations,
has secured the release of between 7,000 and 8,000 bonded labourers in Sindh
over the past five years, by persuading police or local government officials
to inspect sites where bonded labourers are reported to be held, and
ordering them to be released when they are found.
The federal state Kashmir is tormented through "cross border terrorism". In
the past ten years over 200.000 Kahmiri Pandits feared for their life, have
escaped from Kashmir and live now elsewhere in Indian refugee centres as
"refugees in own country".
The symposium is illustrated with authentic and on the spot taken film and
photograph material. Especially for this symposium, Pandit Ashok Pathak,
revered by the Indian authorities, has developed a religious cleansing
portraying raga with his sitar.
The symposium starts at 18.00 hours till 23.00 hours in the Museon, The
Hague. www.agni.nl
FORUM TONIGHT STEMS FROM ALLIANCES BORN IN WAKE OF RELIGIOUS VIOLENCE
By Matthai Chakko Kuruvila
Mercury News
Last March, when Lisa Cohen heard about a terrorist attack in Kashmir, India, she immediately thought about suicide bombings in Israel. So the Menlo Park resident, who is Jewish, went to Fremont and joined a street-corner rally organized by Hindu nationalists to raise awareness about the violence.
``We're both democracies,'' she said this week. ``We're both faced with the daily threat of radical Islamic terror.''
Cohen's presence at the rally is but one of many ways that Zionist Jews and Hindu nationalists -- not traditional allies -- have begun to forge alliances in the post-Sept. 11 era. That continues tonight, when a slew of Israeli and Hindu groups are sponsoring a talk at Stanford titled ``Global Trends That Will Defeat Terror.''
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon visited India earlier this year, a first for an Israeli leader since 1992, when India opened ties with the Jewish state. Some Hindu nationalist Web sites now carry Israeli flags. Rep. Tom Lantos, D-San Mateo, who will be introducing tonight's speakers, told a coalition of Indian and Israeli political action committees last summer, ``We have been drawn together by our joint fight against mindless, vicious, fanatic Islamic terrorism.''
The groups hope joining together will give them a more powerful voice. But their bonds concern many in India's minority Muslim community, including many Bay Area residents who believe the ties are based more on politically convenient stereotypes than reality.
``These organizations try to portray a blanket condemnation of all Muslims,'' said Sajed Ahmed, a Santa Clara resident and volunteer with the Indian Muslim Council. ``In this post-Sept. 11 hysteria, everything Muslim is supposed to be a terrorist. . . . The Hindu fundamentalists are the real terrorists. They're using the Islamophobic atmosphere to justify continuous oppression and communalization of Indian politics.''
Hindu nationalism, or Hindutva, has burgeoned over the past decade with a rise to political prominence. Critics say the Hindu nationalist vision of India excludes the country's religious minorities, including Muslims, Sikhs and Christians. They say the Hindu nationalist government has fueled ethnic violence against them -- a contention affirmed by Human Rights Watch, a New York-based watchdog group.
The past decade, during which India and neighboring Pakistan became nuclear powers, also coincided with a growing relationship with Israel, but supporters of the alliance between the two countries say that the roots run far deeper.
India and Israel both emerged from British colonial rule into modern nationhood soon after World War II. Both countries have had violent clashes with neighboring Muslim nations since their modern inceptions. And Hinduism and Judaism have spawned many of the world's religions.
Fremont resident Mihir Meghani, who has played a leading role in several Hindu nationalist organizations in the United States, saw the opportunity to build a bridge. Last year, he helped organize a meeting at Congregation Kol Emeth, a synagogue in Palo Alto, to introduce the idea of Democracies Against Terror, an organization that would forge an alliance between members of the two groups.
Pointing out that the past year has seen terrorist attacks in Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia and Turkey, Meghani said that his organization's goal is not anti-Muslim.
``Muslims are also victims,'' he said, adding that there are non-Hindu Indians who are also part of the organization. ``This is not a movement against Islam. This is a movement in support of moderate Muslims.''
Others aren't so sure.
The alliance between Hindu nationalists and Zionist Jews ``brings out the polarized elements in both the Jewish and Hindu communities,'' said Zahir Janmohamed, whose writings on the issue have been followed by many Bay Area Indian Muslims. ``I see it as unrepresentative of all Indians.''
Janmohamed said tonight's event, whose speakers include Ved Nanda, a prominent Hindu nationalist, is important. But it ``should be placed in the larger context of how Indian and Israeli policy has disenfranchised minorities in those nations. In my experience, these types of events have not included such criticism of Israel and India, and they have focused exclusively on Muslim culpability.''
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IF YOU'RE INTERESTED
The talk will be held at Jordan Hall, Psychology Building 420, Room 041 on the Stanford University campus at 7 p.m.
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The Washington Post and the Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact Matthai Chakko Kuruvila at mkuruvila@mercurynews.com or (650) 688-7581.
Received via email:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->After very little interaction for over 50 years, corporate America is
engaging with India as never before. At the same time, a new corporate
elite is emerging in India that is looking to interact with the US
business world in ways unimaginable only a few years ago.
Increased interaction has led to the realization of new mutually
profitable business opportunities, in such areas as IT, pharmaceuticals,
auto components, and defense. It is also uncovering
new challenges such as patent protection, tariffs, federal bans on
outsourcing etc.
On February 26th, 2004 a symposium is being held at the Federal Reserve in Philadelphia to discuss the most pressing and current US-India bilateral
economic and business strategic issues. The symposium is being organized by the Global Interdependent Center and the US India Institute. It aims to
promote greater economic, business and trade opportunities between the
two countries. India's Ambassador to the US, His Excellency Lalit Mansingh, will give the keynote address to the large number of business leaders, government officials and strategic thinkers who will be present.
The Global Interdependence Center (GIC), established in 1976, concerns itself with fostering dialogue to meet the challenges faced in building a
global civilization focusing on the consequences and opportunities of
global economic transformations and promoting productive global
interdependence.
The US India Institute has been established to promote a long-term
alliance befitting the world's two largest democracies anchored in
democratic freedoms and the strengthening of economic and national
security ties between the United States and India.
Here are some details:
When: Thursday, February 26, 2004
Where: The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia,
7th Street between Arch & Race Streets
Philadelphia
Time: 2:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., followed by a cocktail reception.
Guest speakers will address emerging U.S.-India relations, recent economic reforms in India, foreign investments, and a panel discussion on business opportunities for U.S. firms in India.
The cost of this event for the public is $100 (with $50 for students).
Those interested can RSVP to GIC at 215-898-9453
[For information; please communicate to your friends in Delhi.]
World Association for Vedic Studies, India Branch
&
Deptt. of Sanskrit, University of Delhi, South Campus, New Delhi
Cordially invite you to a Special Lecture
on
"HINDUISM IN AMERICA"
by
Professor K. L. Seshagiri Rao,
Chief Editor, Encyclopedia of Hinduism, USA
at
The Conference Room, University of Delhi, South Campus,
Benito Juarez Road, New Delhi â110021
on
Saturday, 7th February, 2004 from 11.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m.
Professor Devendra Mishra
Head of the Sanskrit Department, University of Delhi
will preside over the function.
On this occasion 5th Issue of Newsletter of India Branch, WAVES
will be released by the Chief Guest, Professor Ram Karan Sharma,
University of California, Berkeley, USA.
You are requested to make it convenient to attend the programme.
Dr.Shashi Tiwari
Secretary
WAVES, India Branch
Ph: 25265237
Prof. Dipti Tripathi
Incharge of Sanskrit Deptt
South Campus,University of Delhi
Ph:26882231, 26111955/ext. 106
At the risk of giving them exposure and for the benefit of the members to keep a finger on the pulse of events such as these...
-----------------------
PRESS RELEASE
COUNCIL OF KHALISTAN
E-Mail: <khalistan@k...>
President: Dr Gurmit Singh Aulakh
WASHINGTON DC
U S A
WHAT: CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS ON KASHMIR AND KHALISTAN
BY
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE, CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES
CHAIR: The HONORABLE DAN BURTON, MEMBER OF CONGRESS
WHERE: ROOM 2154, RAYBURN BUILDING, CAPITOL HILL, WASHINGTON DC
WHEN: 10:00 A M 3rd MARCH, 2004
SPEAKER (INVITATIONAL) ON KHALISTAN: DR GURMIT SINGH AULAKH
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<!--emo&:thumbdown--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' /><!--endemo--> Now Dan Burton want election funds. What a shame?
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->As some of you already know, Dan Burton is holding a "hatchet-job on India" hearing. The details of the hearing are as follows:
The Congressional hearing is on March 3 on human rights abuses in Kashmir:
"Decades of Terror: Exploring Human rights Abuses in Kashmir and the Disputed Territories".
It is being held, I believe, by the subcommittee on Human rights and wellness.
One of the key aspects of the hearings is the witness list - it reads more like Terrorism R' US - in fact, the list of witnesses include:
These are the witnesses requested by Burton:
Mrs. Dortit Radzin from Human Rights Watch
Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulukh
Dr. Gulam Nabi Fai, Kashimir American Council
Mr. Bob Giuda
Mr. Atliya Inayatullah, Advocate for Victims
Colin Powell
<b>We need to act - at least to remove some of the witnesses from 1 to 5. What we need to do is quite simple - search and post to this list (with appropriate URLs and references) any and all information that you have on the following issues :
1. Detailed background information on the witnesses - especially in their anti-India activities and their support for terrorism
2. Human rights violations with references in Pakistan including PoK
3. Comparative conditions that exist in Indian J&K versus the status of rights/economy in PoK
The first item is extremely urgent, since we need to rebut this list of witnesses before mid-day tomorrow - Friday. Let us get our act together and scuttle this heinous farce that Burton is trying to pull together - your help is kindly needed. </b>
Please let me know, if you need any help from me - your help is appreciated
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->As some of you already know, Dan Burton is holding a "hatchet-job on India" hearing<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Event cancelled. Don't know the reason. My guess is the 'hafta' didn't reach Burton's office in time. <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Remember this "Honorable" Senator from Indiana had kicked out the Pukis back in mid-90s as they could not raise a measley $5000 for his campaign <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' /><!--endemo-->
' /> 
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> 
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' /><!--endemo-->