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ACHA is an non-profit, non-political organization, which is dedicated to promote peace and harmony among South Asians regardless of where they live. Current Board Members are Pritam Rohila (President), Jagdish Grewal (Secretary), Dr. Abdul Qayum (Treasurer), Dr. Kanak R. Ravel, Gulzar Ahmed, Ishvar Patel and Susheela Hoefer. Dharam Yadav is the Honorary Financial Advisor. For more information about ACHA and comments about ACHA Bulletin, please contact us at by telephone at 503-362- 4635, or 503-658-4715, or by email at pritamr@open.org, or visit our Web Page at http://ecumene.org/ACHA/ACHA.htm . The Web Page is maintained by Dr. Ingrid H. Shafer, Professor of Philosophy, Religion & Interdisciplinary Studies, University of Science and Arts, Chickasha, OK. ( The Web Page used to be maintained by Dr. Sunil Khanna of OSU at http://osu.orst.edu/groups/acha/.)
This Bulletin is being relayed as a part of ACHA's South Asian community service program. Currently, it is being sent out every other Wednesday to about 300 individuals in Africa, Canada, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, U.K., and USA. Please let us know (pritamr@open.org), if you want to have your name removed from our email distribution list. Also, please let us know if someone should be added to the list. Comments, letters to editor, and short articles are also welcome and can be sent to the same address. ACHA BULLETIN 11/18/98 (Next issue due on 12/2/98) CONTENTS About ACHA
ABOUT ACHA * Members' Declaration of Commitment Members of the Association for Communal Harmony in Asia declare their commitment to peace and communal harmony in South Asia, and promise to support and promote this objective by non-violent methods, including the following: 1. They affirm that members of other religious and ethnic communities are as human as those of any other. As such they deserve the same respect as those of any community. They will treat members of other religious and ethnic groups with dignity and fairness. 2. They will avoid and discourage all jokes and comments where the purpose or effect is to ridicule or belittle any person or group on the basis of religion, or ethnic origin. 3. They will respect the right of each individual to worship God in the way (s)he wishes. They will refrain from imposing their ways of worship and their religious practices on others. 4. They will respect the founders, holy books, and places of worship of other religions. They shall not speak ill of them, nor they shall in any way desecrate or harm them. 5. Every year, in addition to doing something for the welfare of their own community, they will contribute financially or otherwise to the welfare of individuals of at least one other ethnic or religious community. 6. They will seek out other like-minded individuals in their community and elsewhere, and they will work with them to promote and foster peace and harmony among various communities and countries of South Asia. They will not do anything that is likely to incite disharmony or discord among them. SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT * November 21-22, Peshawar, Pakistan: PAKISTAN-INDIA PEOPLES' FORUM FOR PEACE AND DEMOCRACY will hold its convention at Nishtar Hall here, according a report published in November 18 issue of Daily Jang. More than 150 delegates from India and around 300 delegates and observers from all over Pakistan are expected to attend the convention. The opening session of the convention will be held which will be addressed by co-chairpersons Nirmal Mukerjee and I A Rehman. There will be speeches and working group meetings on nuclear issue, demilitarization, human rights, religious tolerance and Kashmir. The forum was launched in 1994 by the peace-loving citizens of India and Pakistan to initiate people-to-people dialogue between the two countries. The forum aims at ending politics of confrontation between India and Pakistan that has failed to achieve benefits of any kind for the peoples of the two countries. More info from Safdar Hasan Siddiqui, Secretary General, Pak-India People's Forum for Peace & Democracy, 11 Temple Road, Lahore (92-42-735-7926, Fax 92-42-722-3455, or humanrights@usa.net). OPINION * Diversity in Unity by Ashok Mitra (From 11/12/1998 Rediff on the NeT) Fashions change, so do clich s. They change, may be because of a shift in objective reality at the base, or on account of developments in society's superstructure. Jawaharlal Nehru used to get excited over the mystique packed in the aphorism unity in diversity. Half a century later, the subject and the predicate have swapped places. India, it is currently being freely suggested, is a pristine example of diversity in unity. It is quite a party even without those who have no faith in the concept of the Indian nation. Between J Jayalalitha and Laloo Prasad Yadav, between Bal Thackeray and the Bahjujan Samaj Party, between the Shiromani Akali Dal and the protagonists of Jharkhand, the stretch of attitudinal differences is truly remarkable. The diversity is overwhelming, the so-called unity is just formal. The confusion in the political situation disgusts many honest citizens. Some amongst them indulge in reveries over a fabulously glorious past, when Indira Gandhi's authoritarianism reached its peak and thousands, placed behind the prison bars, learn the lesson of their lives. At least one seasoned politician has dared to articulate in public his private thoughts in the matter; it would be mean-minded not to congratulate him on the courage of his conviction. The political uncertainties confronting the nation, he has put on record, can be resolved only if there is a return to a one-party regime. How a regime of this nature can be ushered in when people's minds are infested with diverse moods and hybrid thoughts, has politely refused to dilate upon. Perhaps he has something akin to the promulgation of a national emergency, a la June 1975 in mind. There are others who are contemplating, in the manner of the stalwarts of the Bharatiya Janata Party, a thoroughgoing overhaul of the Constitution itself; Hindutva for ever and for everybody, and let all dialectics be stilled A few others are seemingly weighing the pros and cons of the emergence of a circumstance where a prince or a princess rushes centre-stage majestically riding a noble looking horse. Yet others will claim that what has eventuated is hardly a happenstance. India, according to them, was always a jigsaw puzzle of heterogeneity. The British for their own purpose tried to establish, within the format of the empire, a common, rigorous administrative structure, as if that would take care of the latent differences. During the phase of the struggle for Independence, several coalitions reared their heads among the nationalists, creating the half illusion of a nation in the making. But the underlying reality refused to play a co-operative role. The early Nehru phase proved a false dawn. Of late, the background has been increasingly raucous. Non-believers have proliferated. And they have drawn attention to the existence of obstinate structural anomalies. There is therefore frequent reference of the datum of a European civilisation, or of a European ethos, or of a European tradition of music, sculpture, art, architecture and literature, and yet there is no such thing as Europe as a politically unified homogeneous entity. Europe has been riven by nation states through the centuries. Current endeavours to construct a loosely linked European Union are a feeble homage to a long-lasting aspiration; the protagonists themselves are however anything but cocksure, every measure they decide upon is an elegy to caution. It took a while, but the lesson has finally struck home. The British introduced the device of an empire so as to bind together the different linguistic and cultural entities dispersed over the vast expanse of the subcontinent. The initial post-1947 phase witnessed desperate efforts to stay loyal to the British inheritance. The empire was gone. Substituting the imperial mantle by the magic wrap-around of a democratic sanction was widely regarded as a credible next station; the best, it was assumed, was yet to be. The assumption has been just that. The diversities continued to dominate the objective reality. The learning curve of consciousness proceeded at its own pace. Roughly two score decades constituted the time span before the implications of a democratic sanction sunk in. The psyche of India's hitherto dumb millions is at the moment experiencing a gala spree of awakenings. Grumblings will be of no avail at this juncture. Tumultuous times are tumultuous times, heralded by boisterous, often flamboyant outbursts of consciousness here, there, everywhere, within this caste group, within that ethnic entity. High-minded discourses touching such themes as the destiny that awaits a unified integrated India will fall on deaf ears in the context of a situation where per capita income almost touches the fringe of poverty and, on top of that, income and assets distribution is horrendously uneven. Tension will threaten to tear asunder whatever remains of the administrative structure in different parts of the country. The Hurriyat in Kashmir, the United Liberation Front of Asom and the Bodos, the countless categories of the insurgents in the rest of the North-East, the People's War in Andhra Pradesh, not to mention the Bal Thackeray and the Laloo Yadavs, each is donning a particular role delineated by history. To try to supplant the notion of democratic consent by alternative arrangements of the kind both the BJP and a handful of Indira Gandhi's acolytes are contemplating will only add fuel to the fire. Mischiefs, if you want to call it that, is afoot, it is determined to run its full course. Accountants and economists, great believers in nit-picking, will continue to grumble: all this is a huge waste of resources. They could not be more right. Enough indications however already abound that riding roughshod over the sentiments of the hybrid elements that make up the uneasy conglomerate otherwise known as India will be no easy matter. Politeness has prevented the rest of the country from demanding a rough and ready estimate of how much the sustenance of the myth of Kashmir being an integral part of the nation has cost the Union of India. Such estimates are not available with respect to the pacification programmes embarked upon in the North-East either. Uprisings are likely to multiply in number as well as intensity, in case the precarious communion between the Centre and the outlying areas gets snapped in some manner or other; should that happen, the burden on the exchequer of the Union of India could be intolerable. Much vulgarity is in the air. Specimens like Laloo Yadav and Jayalalitha may be considered insufferable by many sophisticated members of society. Nothing can however be done in the matter. It is no longer possible to banish from the republic of India the Jayalalithas and the Laloo Yadavs along with their followers and admirers for the straightforward reason they constitute the bulwark of the republic. The gentry who object to the existence of the boorish crowd have an option; they can choose to walk away from India. But here too there is a snag. Despite the high fault in the preamble of the World Trade Organisation, and non-stop pressure from the Western powers that such countries as India must allow the free entry of services from other shores, no reciprocal gesture will be forthcoming from the rich countries on the issue. Those Indians unhappy with the rude manifestation of gross heterogeneity in their native land will be refused entry into the United States beyond the boundary condition set by the immigration quota. It is inevitable in this situation that diversities will continue to dominate India's objective reality. Whether this will in the ultimate round lead to the ruination of the country is an altogether different speculation. That particular outcome need not be a product of kismet, but a spin-off of the dictum of the historical process. Besides, definitions do matter, one person's meat is another's poison, what is ruination for one class or group is liberation for another. Whose version of the objective reality should we then opt for? Even economists specialising in the theory of social choice do not have the answer. Smart, clever people, these economists, but even they cannot shove aside the tough datum of class or caste -- or the biases of sector ethnicity. * The power of optimism by Moonis Ahmar (From Daily Jang 11/18/98) Optimism and pessimism are part and parcel of human nature. And, if we see the ground realities in the context of our society, numerous opportunities exist to successfully emerge from the prevailing grim situation. Unfortunately though, neither the state nor society tend to create a situation in which the sentiment of optimism can be cultured. The reality is that Pakistan is in deep economic as well as political trouble. But the people at the helm of affairs do not realise the need to urgently build confidence among people and seriously address all such issues which generate economic and political insecurity in different segments of society. No society can succeed in terms of human development unless it is able to understand the need to institutionalise optimism as an approach in dealing with various vital issues. There are nine important areas were the power of optimism lies, which are: vision, courage, resilience, clarity, education, leadership, politics, economy and morality. If a nation is strong in these areas, it can cope with any crisis. These areas promote hope and optimism among people for a better future and create confidence to deal with present challenges. Most developed nations in the West and the East, which were victims of poverty and backwardness, had managed to progress because their leaders and people adopted an optimistic approach, thought positively and in the right direction. The problem with Pakistan is that there is no dearth of such people who work overtime to create unhappiness, confusion and dissatisfaction. Since the society lacks direction and majority of our leaders limit their approach and thinking to personal, group or party interests, they are not able to counter those who encourage and promote pessimism. Even if the country is in deep political or economic crisis, the people and their leaders must face such a situation with boldness, imagination and courage -- and they can make it. But in order to accomplish this task, it is important that the leaders are educated, have a vision to direct economics and politics and possess a degree of moral courage. It is with these qualities that the power of optimism is created. The question is how a sense of optimism could be created in the Pakistani society and what are the impediments in this regard? Some societies are intrinsically optimistic because over there the traditions of education, vision, courage, honesty and hard work are very strong. But a virtual absence of all such qualities among the leaders of Pakistan doesn't mean that one cannot promote optimism in this country. There are strong indications that despite severe economic and political problems and the failure of our leadership to take the country out of the zero hour, people at different levels have begun to realise the fact that they cannot permanently live in an environment of bleakness and pessimism. That light at the end of the tunnel is always present provided we get out of this vicious cycle and we can survive and succeed. Regardless of continuous brain drain, flight of capital, role of mafias in exploiting people and the critical situation arising out of nuclear tests of May 1998 people have not lost hope in future. When the overwhelming majority of people cannot migrate to foreign countries and they are in the same ship, no matter how fragile, they can pass through the crisis and emerge victorious. Some of the major hindrances in promoting the power of optimism in this country are: Hypocrisy and distortion of facts: One can find such people in large number whose only task is to cheat others, hide truth and distort facts. They are responsible for creating pessimism and crisis in our society. They take advantage of ignorance of people and spread rumours for the fulfilment of their vested interests. Society is suppressed and buried under a sea of exploitation: It is a great tragedy that despite 51 years of independence Pakistan has not been able to emancipate suppressed sections of its society. As a result, women, who are roughly equal to men, continue to face exploitation. They are denied basic justice and are considered inferior beings. Same is the case with the minorities whose socio-economic status has not improved. There is little regard for the weak in our society and every effort is made by the powerful to usurp the rights of poor. In such a situation when majority of the population is victim of exploitation, society cannot be healthy and hence cannot prosper. Pessimism flourishes when society is devoid of hope, opportunities and social justice. Lack of direction for the youth: A vast majority of our youth are frustrated and unable to utilise their energies for the betterment of the country. Gun culture, drugs and petty political interests continue to play havoc with the youth of Pakistan. As a result, when the younger generation is not hopeful about its future, it plays into the hands of those who want to exploit them for their vested interests. If young people are contented and hopeful about their future they can promote hope and optimism in society. Most of our schools, colleges and universities are unable to create leadership qualities among the students. Instead of promoting healthy habits like reading, discussion and sports, their energies are utilised for negative purposes. Inability of the power elite to fulfil their responsibilities in nation-building: When those holding responsible positions are involved in corruption and nepotism, how can one expect to promote optimism among people? The alarming decline of our economy should act as a wake-up call for the political, bureaucratic and military elite. They are the ones who should rise above their personal interests and think selflessly. Most important, the power of optimism depends on creating a balance between theory and practice. Nations who are conceptually strong but also focus on the practical application of ideas are bound to be successful. The lessons to be learned from such nations should be applied by our leaders. No doubt, the present crisis in Pakistan could be an opportunity for us to change our behaviour and attitude vis-a-vis various national issues and adopt an approach which is positive and rational. We need to get out of the vicious cycle of pessimism and promote a thinking, which could lead us to a better future. The task is difficult but not impossible. If we start with this process now, the results may appear in the not-too-distant future. * Negative Politics in Poor Countries by A Husnain (From Daily Star 11/18/98) There is a general trend of practising negative politics in poor, under-developed and newly-emerging nations. Some of the reasons and limitations are well known and documented. Sometimes this trend continues or is maintained for decades, or even for couple of generations. With some affluence due to scattered and sporadic development, fresh imbalances are created, resulting in more distortions and unethical practices, especially at the upper levels of the society, where power and money tend to concentrate. The centre of gravity goes up, causing unstable conditions. New and weak administrations are all the time grappling with the day to day problems, in an atmosphere of corruption and lawlessness, causing loss of concentration on development projects, thereby slowing these down. The growth rate struggles, and creeps up very slowly. Add national calamities from time to time, and the recurring exercises tend to start all over again from zero (note the economic effects of the recent cyclone in the some Central American states). Bangladesh cannot claim the distinction of being exempted from these weak and undesirable trends. A child has to be a crawler, then a toddler before he can walk. Many factors are out of control in a changing political and economic environment. A sloping curve, rising or falling, is theoretically not a sign of stability. The curve has to flatten out at some stage, for a specific period, short or long, for proper assessment and review of the progress of a nation. The fall of the tiger countries in Asia also fall within the purview of the above symptoms. The diagnosis come later rather than early, before corrective actions could be set into motion - and that makes all the difference to the end result at specific monitoring points. Recently some analysts in the local press have been cautioning Bangladesh to analyse what happened to once prosperous Nigeria, literally floating in oil wealth; as we are presently at the stage of planning exercises to harness our natural gas resources. An African nation is in the news with the diabolical news that evil persons deliberately aim to get into the parliament for evil designs of the subjective kind, beneficial only to specific coteries for using or misusing powermanship. Where there are power and money, there are bound to be grey areas. Lust and greed apolitical non-virtues, hence it would be unfair to blame only the politicians; but as the latter govern the country, the spotlight is upon them, and they cannot evade this 'benevolent' public attention. Expectations cannot be ignored harshly. One of the strongest motivation factors in life is that of self-preservation and self-security either individual, familial, or tribal ('tribal politics' is an academically recognised area even in non-tribal 'modern' states). The politicians come into the picture in the latter category. Negative politics has two main thrusts: living in the past, and depending heavily on the cult of nepotism and tribal allegiance. The latter needs base and structure; later expanding networks. The wider and stronger the network, the better for 'business'. The multinational companies also follow the same strategy, driving out the better, the smaller, and the (watch giant Microsoft's global strategies now fighting charges of monopoly). Democracy is a comprise to mediocrity, and is always struggling to get above that level (this is not a denouncement of democracy, but a pointer to its theoretical limitations). In the poorer nations, the inward look prevails; and the range of the horizon is limited. To widen the horizon, an elevated stance is necessary, to get the perspective view. Even then forward planning may be limited, with limited resources, and human systems losses. PEACE NEWS * October 25, London, U.K.: The first ever gathering of Hindu, Muslim and Sikh Kashmiri people in U.K. vowed to work towards peace and reconciliation among all Kashmiri communities in Britain as well as in Jammu and Kashmir, according a report published in the November 6 issue of India West. The meeting held under the chairmanship of Khurshid Drabhu observed a two-minute silence in memory of all Kashmiris who had died in J & K in the past decade. * November, New York, NY, USA: A peace petition signed by 13 million people from across the world was submitted to UN Deputy Secretary General Louise Frechette, according an IANS report. The petition called upon countries of the world to abolish nuclear weapons within a fixed time. The signatures were gathered by members of Soka Gakkai International, Buddhist peace organization in Japan. * November 10, Islamabad, Pakistan: Pakistan promises not to deploy nuclear weapons, if India makes a similar promise, said Pakistan Foreign Minister Sartaj Aziz in an interview carried by the Associated Press of Pakistan. * November 10, New Delhi, India: Pakistan will accord the Most Favored Nation status to India in "due course" and is eager to sell power to India. But, Pakistan foreign ministry spokesman said, "It is very difficult to try and conduct unfettered or unreserved trade with India until an environment of peace and security is created. India's trade balance with Pakistan, which was in favor of the former at Rs. 2.07 billion during April-July 1997, reversed to minus Rs. 1.24 billion during the same period this year, according to P. P. Prabhu, Indian commerce secretary. * November 12, Islamabad, Pakistan: Pakistan will sign both the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and the Non-Proliferation Treaty unconditionally, announced Pakistan Foreign Minister Sartaj Aziz in an interview to Moscow daily Nezavimaya Gazeta. * November 14, New Delhi, India: The central government announced a cease-fire with National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang) beginning November 15. A cease-fire agreement with National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Issak-Muivah) is already in force since August 1. * November 16, Islamabad, Pakistan: India and Pakistan will discuss all bilateral issues soon, according to Pakistan Foreign Minister Sartaj Aziz. * November 16, New York, NY, USA: UN Disarmament Committee adopted a resolution calling for urgent steps to reduce the risk of accidental use of nuclear weapons. The resolution, moved by India was carried by 68 votes in favor, 44 against, and with 12 abstentions. NEWS * November 6: President Clinton has decided to lift most economic sanctions that had been imposed on India and Pakistan following their nuclear tests last May. * November 7: The Uttar Pradesh government (India) has decided to implement with immediate effect the Moral Code of Conduct on its Cabinet members. They are now required to file details of their property and income and to dissociate themselves from any business being run in their name. * November 11: Japan is planning to lift sanction on Pakistan, but not India. The sanction were imposed after the two countries had exploded nuclear devices last Spring. * November 12: NIIT Ltd, an Indian information technology company won a $10 million plus order from the U.S. company, National Education Technology Group, for building educational multimedia products. DID YOU KNOW * It costs Rs. 400 ($9.5) to deliver a single cooked chapati to soldiers guarding Saichan glacier, at the 6000 meters from sea level, revealed J N Dixit, India's foreign secretary in 1992, in a recent interview with Rediff On The NeT. It costs Rs 1 crore to 3 crore to maintain India's soldiers a day there. (Rs 1 crore is roughly equal to $239,000). * A special train to the Buddhist pilgrimage centers (Rajgir, Nalanda, Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, Sarnath and Bodh Gaya) has been started by India Tourism Development. The trains depart from HowrahThe cost of this six day package including all land transportation, accommodation, food, and guides ranges from $379 per person in Standard class to $799 per person in Luxury class. More info from India Tourism Development Corporation, III Floor, New Delhi House, 27 Barakhmaba Rd, New Delhi. Phone 011-331-3233, Fax 011-332-4905. * Pakistani youth having trouble getting bank loans to start work can now complain directly to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif once a week in a toll free 60-second call to 920-8881. *A power erection system using helicopters has been launched by The Power Grid Corporation of India to restore electricity speedily in areas hit by natural calamity. The Corporation manages nearly 32,000-km-long extra high voltage system. * With her young Bangladeshi models the country's famous fashion designer Bibi Russell, made a U.S debut at San Francisco on November 1. Her company, Bibi Productions, employs 35, 000 handloom weavers and tailors and is an inspiring example of micro-financing. Her work has been supported by the Grameen Bank and UNESCO's Fashion for Development program. She has already exhibited her works in France and England and Harrod's of London has agreed to feature her designs. * A day-long air-conditioned bus tour to Tirumala temple of Lord Venkateswara has been launched by Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation, according to a UNI report. It will be operated 4 days a week and will cost Rs 600 per person. * Opposition to the Anti-Dowry Act expressed by women leader from Goa, India. They think it will deprive them of the only share they can get from their father's property. * Beggars of Andhra Pradesh, India, have united for their rights. At a meeting held in Kakinada, they passed a resolution demanding their right to their trade plus ration cards, free medical care, site for residence and reservation. Also, they urged the state government to stop the inflow of beggars from other states, according to a United News of India report. HOLIDAYS: November - 24 Guru Teg Bahadur's Martyrdom Day, 26 Thanksgiving Day (USA), December - 25 Guru Gobind Singh's Birthday/Christmas ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT * November 18, 20 & 21, New York, NY, USA:: RAGA: IN SEARCH OF FEMININITY, a full-length production by one of India's most significant choreographic voices, Chandralekha, at 7:30 P.M. at BAM Majestic Theater in Brooklyn.. Tickets at $40, $30, $15 from Ticketmaster at 212-307-4100. * November 21, Portland, OR, USA: RAGAS & THUMRIS by Dr. Prabha Atre, an eminent Hindustani Vocalist, at 7:30 p.m., Evan Auditorium, Lewis & Clark College. Tickets at FASTIXX 503-224-8499. More info from www.kalakendra.org. * November 22, New York, NY, USA: MOTHER INDIA, the popular 1957 Hindi film by Mehboob Khan starring Nargis and Sunil Dutt, at at 2:00 p.m. Tickets at $7 Asia Society members, $10 nonmembers from 212-517-ASIA. * November 28, Seattle, WA, USA: SITAR CONCERT by Habib Khan at 7:30 p.m. at Brechemin Auditorium, Music School, University of Washington. More info from 206-522-0084. * Till November 28, Berkeley, CA, USA: INDIAN PAINTINGS from Marshall Collection exhibited at Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. More info from 510-642-0808. * November 28 & 29, Portland, OR, USA: KUCH KUCH HOTA HAI a new Indian film starring Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol at 11.00 a.m. & 2.30 p.m. on 28th, and 2.00 & 5.30 p.m. on Nov. 29th at Cinemagic, SE 20th & SE Hawthorn. More info from http:// www.indiafoods.com. * November 29, Bellflower, CA, USA: BHUPINDER SINGH & MITAHLEE CONCERT at 6 p.m. at William Bristol Civic Auditorium, 16600 Civic Center Drive. More info from 562-860-1135. * Till November 30, Bombay, India: KOREAN FINE ARTS TODAY 1998 EXHIBITION & VISHWANATH'S PAINTINGS on display from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily at the National Gallery of Modern Art, opposite Regal Cinema, Fort. More info from 022-285-2457. * Till November 30, San Francisco, CA, USA: LOOKING AT INDIA, UP CLOSE AND FROM FAR, an exhibition of 22 work from a PRIVATE San Francisco collection at the Asian Art Museum at Golden Gate Park. More info from 415-379-8801. * December 11-13, Seattle, WA,USA: 15 OUTSTANDING DOCUMENTARY FILMS (Muktir Gaan and Achin Pakhi from Bangaldesh; The Spirit Doesn't Come Here Anymore from Nepal; Mr. Jinnah: The Making of Pakistan, Nusrat Has Left the Building: But When and Aur Woh Raks Karte Rahi from Pakistan; Dry Days in Dobbagunta from Andgra Pradesh Amrit Beeja from Karnataka, Aan Poove from Kerala, Ashgari Bai from Madhya Pradesh, Marubhumi from Rajasthan, and Ajit from West Bengal in India) will be screened from 7 to 9 p.m. at 911 Media Arts Center Yale Avenue N. Tickets at $4 at the door each 30 minutes before each screening. More info from <sascuw@u.washington.edu> * Till December 15, New York, NY, USA: EXHIBITION OF PAINTINGS by A Gujarati artist Vinod Dave at Bose Pacia modern art gallery. More info from 212-966-3224. OTHER EVENTS * November 21, Sherman Oaks, CA, USA: SANSKRIT classes at 1 and 3 p.m. for youth and adults at 14606 Sutton St. More info from 310-215-1788. * November 21, Pasadena, CA, USA: PAKISTAN CULTURE, a celebration of its art, culture and history by Pacific Asia Museum from 1-4 p.m. at 46 North Los Robles Ave. More info from 626-449- 2742. * December 9, New York, NY, USA: TECHNOLOGY & VISION: ENABLING BUSINESS IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY a lecture by Charles B. Wang, Chairman & CEO, Computer Associates International, Inc. in Asia Society's Autumn 1998 CEO Forum series. Tickets at $50 for Asia Society Corporate Members and $65 for non-members. Registration and more info from 212- 327-9276. * SOUTH ASIAN LAW STUDENTS CONFERENCE on "Re-establishing Lawyers as leaders" is being planned by students of Georgetown University Law Center and George Washington Law School. More info from <kuntamu@hotmail.com> BOOKS * Urdu for Pleasure for Ghazal Lovers: Publication this transliterated
dictionary with 10,000 Urdu words by Sultan Nathani was hailed by renowned
individual like Sardar Ali Jafri, Chitra & Jagit Singh, Talat Mehmood,
Khushwant Singh and Dilip Kumar. Published by Lughat it costs Rs. 212.
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