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Please, use the back button in your browser to return to the table of contents and choose another linked section. ABOUT US ACHA Bulletin is being relayed to you as a part of ACHA's South Asian community service program. It is sent out on the first Wednesday of each month. It goes to individuals in Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, U.K., and USA, and Zimbabwe. 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 consists primarily of material selected from the printed and the electronic media. It aims to highlight the news of peace and harmony in the world, to shed light on issues of concern to South Asians, and to provide them information of general interest. The Bulletin is edited by Pritam K. Rohila, Ph.D. Its editorials and the selection of its material are his sole responsibility and do not necessarily represent the views of or an endorsement by any other Director, or member of ACHA or Dr. Ingrid H. Shafer, who has graciously donated space for it on her server and is volunteering her time to maintain our Web Page. ACHA is a non-profit, non-political organization. It is dedicated to promote peace and harmony among South Asians regardless of where they live. The membership is open to all who are committed to ACHA Mission and its Declaration of Commitment. Annual dues are $10 (Individuals), $20 (Couples), $25 (Family). ACHA Board of Directors appreciates people's goodwill and support for this cause. For more information about ACHA and comments about ACHA Bulletin, please contact us at by telephone at 503.393.6944, or 503.251.0070, or by email at <pritamr@open.org>, or visit our Web Page at http:/ecumene.org/ ACHA/ACHA.htm. Our sincere apology for the unusual delay in production of this issue. CONTENTS: Section A: PRAYER
SECTION B (This section will be sent to only those who request it by sending an email to <pritamr@open.org> with "Section B" as its subject). BOOKS & JOURNALS
ACHA BULLETIN: Kashmir Peace Initiatives Volume II, No. 8, 08/02/2000 (Next issue on 09/6/2000) *I recognize the beauty of Spirit within a world of diversity, Daily World <www.unityworldhq.org>, 07/23/00. We have all heard the saying that beauty is only skin-deep, yet we know that there is a beauty that is truly spirit-deep. Within every human being is a beauty of Spirit that only could have been created by God and sustained by the spirit of God. We live in a world of diversity, a world in which - with all the different shapes and sizes, textures and colors, beliefs and understandings - no two people are exactly alike. Yet beneath the very different and unique outer appearances, the spirit of God resides. The spirit of God within us connects us one with another. As God's universal family, we share a beauty of Spirit that shines from us - one to another. We do recognize the beauty of spirit within all and thank God for a world of diversity. *July, Ariyamangalam, Tamilnadu, India: Tiruchi Corporation designing a place of FINAL RITES common for Hindus, Christians and Muslims of the area. It will include a new cremation shed for the Hindus, separate waiting halls, extended pathways, compound wall and a toilet. Separate places for burial will be earmarked for both Christians and Muslims, 100 saplings of different species have also been planted (New Indian Via India News <indianews@pobox.com>. *July 12, New Delhi, India: President K R Narayanan today called on GOVERNORS to act as harmonizing influences and play a crucial role in upholding India's heritage of tolerance, according to a report by Amberish K Diwanji. Narayanan made the remarks while inaugurating a two-day conference of governors of 25 states and lieutenant governors of Union territories at the Rashtrapati Bhawan here <www.rediff.com/news/2000/jul/12akd.htm>. *July 12, Guwahati, Assam, India: Addressing a press conference here, NEPAL's ambassador to India, Bhekh B Thapa, has said his government has taken several steps to curb illegal activities along the Indo-Nepal border. Also, he sought cooperation from the governments of all the north-eastern states of India to facilitate trade <www.rediff.com/news/2000/jul/13nepal.htm>. *July 18, Islamabad, Pakistan: A group of former Afghan diplomats is in Pakistan to hold discussions with government officials in an attempt to end the relentless Afghan civil war, which has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and has destroyed the country's economy over the past 20 years, according to a report by Ayaz Gul of VOA. The delegation represents a former king of Afghanistan, Zahir Shah, who has been living in exile in Italy since 1973. Mr. Shah is promoting the idea of resolving the Afghan conflict by convening a loya jirga, a traditional assembly of Afghan tribal elders, Islamic clerics, intellectuals and landowners with a mandate to settle social and political problems that arise in the Afghan society. Hedayat Amin Arsala, a former Afghan Foreign Minister, who heads the Afghan delegation says that, over the years, Afghans have tried a number of political systems, such as Communism, factional rule and the current Islamic rule of the Taleban. But he says - so far - none have worked. Mr. Arsala says the time has come to give the traditional loya jirga a chance to finally bring peace to Afghanistan *July 20, New Delhi, India: Pakistan has given a written guarantee to
provide necessary security to the proposed GAS PIPELINE from Iran to India
planned to run through its territory, visiting Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister
Mohsen Aminzadeh said here today. Stating that the project, when translated
into reality, would benefit India, Pakistan and Iran substantially, Aminzadeh
said, "we should all try to create an environment of security through multilateral
and international guarantees".
*July 21, Neemrana, Rajasthan, India: HUMAN RIGHTS activists from five South Asian countries met here starting today to discuss, how to raise respect for human rights in the region. The consultations focused on the marginalized or discriminated for their belief, ethnicity, gender, politics or social status (The Hindu, 07/20/00, Via India News <indianews@pobox.com>. *July 31, New Delhi, India: A Government of India official announced here today an agreement with the National Socialist Council of NAGAS fighting for a separate homeland, to extend the cease fire for another year to work out a lasting political solution, according to a Reuters report. It was due to expire today. India's mountainous northeast region, which is home to more than 200 ethnic groups, including Nagas, has been ravaged by separatist movements since 1947 (India West <www.indiawest.com>). *July 31, Colombo, Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka's cabinet today approved a set
of constitutional reforms aimed at ending the country's long-running ethnic
war, according to Reuters report. A debate on the bill is expected
to commence when Parliament meets for its scheduled monthly session from
August 8 (India West <www.indiawest.com>).
*August 4, Khipora, Jammu & Kashmir, India: The Indian Army and the Hizbul Mujahideen, foes of yesterday, battled it out again in Kashmir valley, but in an encounter of different kind, according to a PTI report. This time on a CRICKET field, where the latter won by 24 runs. The friendly encounter took place here in the frontier district of Kupwara today between the Hizb and the army's 4-Rashtriya Rifles. The match was a part of confidence building measures between the two sides which have seen a lot of bloodshed in past decade, a Hizb commander quipped after the match <www.rediff.com/ news/2000/aug/05jk5.htm>. *August 5, Jammu & Kashmir, India: Hizbul Mujahideen wants to give PEACE a chance in Jammu and Kashmir, the group's chief Syed Salah-ud-Din said in an interview to an online news agency, PTI has reported. Also, he denied that it declared the ceasefire under any pressure. He expressed the hope other militant outfits still active in the state would also halt their operations <www.rediff.com/news/ 2000/aug/05jk6.htm>. *August 6, Islamabad, Pakistan: To emphasize the need for peace and to protest against the use and building of nuclear arms and arsenals, Citizen Peace Committee observed the HIROSHIMA DAY today at 4:30 p.m. at Abpara (Zubair Faisal Abbasi <zubair@isb.sdnpk.org>). *South Asian Initiative for Human Rights (SAIHR) At the initiative of the renowned Pakistani leader Asma Jehangir, several South Asia social activists have joined hands to form a common platform against human rights abuses in the subcontinent, such as trafficking of women and children, smuggling and stone cutting. It includes the former Bangladesh minister Kamal Hussain, and from India the former prime minister of India Inder Kumar Gujral, Rajya Sabha MP Kuldip Nayar, Nirmala Deshpande and Justice Leela Seth. Named South Asian Initiative for Human Rights (SAIHR), it will be formally launched on July 21 at Neemrana on Delhi-Jaipur highway in Alwar district of Rajasthan. At least 100 activists from all across the sub-continent with largest number from India are expected to attend its first session (South Asia Citizens Web Dispatch <www.mnet.fr/aiindex>). *Action Committee Against Arms Race, Pakistan (ACAAR) At a meeting held at PILER office in Karachi on Saturday, July 15, it was decided to send a letter to the President of the United States of protest against America's new star war project, the National Missile Development (NDM) system and to resolved to protest U.S. as well as Indian missile tests. The participants decided to approve CPC Islamabad's proposal to revive the cloth banner campaign and wrote down their messages and signed their names on the banner. More banners with slogans were given to the participants with the request to get messages and signatures for the demonstrations planned on Nagasaki Day - 9th August. It was decided to jointly with IPPNW (Pakistan Chapter) and Pakistani Doctors for Peace and Democracy (PDPD) organize a program for Hiroshima Day, on August 6 from 5 P.M. to 7 P.M. at PMA House, Garden Road, Karachi, to highlight the impact of all forms of arms race upon the people and their lives as a whole. The meeting agreed to organize a peaceful demonstration for Nagasaki Day, on August 9, outside the Karachi Press Club at 4 P.M. After the demonstration they decided to march on Abdullah Haroon Road and turn back from Regal Chowk and march through Zaibunnisa Street and return to the Press Club. They resolved to distribute a handbill and other literature for peace and against war and arms race, intolerance and violence. Finally it was decided to organize a national convention of anti-nuclear,
anti-arms race peace activists was discussed. It was suggested in November
or January in Sindh (B. M. Kutty and Rehana Iftikhar
*National Office of the Justice and Peace Commission, Multan, Pakistan In 1998 non-governmental organizations, working for people's development and right, felt the need of people's movement, to highlight people's demands on a joint national forum. Many organizations, become part of this movement. In Southern Punjab, the Justice and Peace Commission had been coordinated this activity for a year. In January 2000, the national committee of the People's Assemblies initiated a nationwide public debate on the issue of devolution of power. To organize these local level people's assemblies, focal points were assigned to facilitate the process. The Justice and Peace Commission is one of the focal point for Punjab province. People Assembly in Punjab province was organized on June 10 at Lahore. After a thorough discussion, the planning committee for (Punjab) Provincial People's Assembly agreed for Holy Bible reading along with a recitation from Holy Quran. During March – June 2000, a series of about 40 People's Assemblies were held in all four provinces of Pakistan and in AJK. The recommendations emerging from the local level People's Assemblies were being synthesized at the provincial level assemblies and then on the National People's Assembly in Islamabad from July 1-3, 2000. About 750 people from all over the country participated in the National People's Assembly. The issue of joint electorates was fully supported by the assembly. The assembly also showed its concern about religious harmony, religious tolerance, minority rights and equal rights of citizenship for all Pakistanis, irrespective of religion, gender, class or area. The final statement of the Assembly passed resolutions, asking the government to ensure provincial autonomy, representation of marginalized segments of society, restoration of joint electorates and at least 33 percent representation of women at all levels. The assembly also demanded great fiscal powers for district governments (Aftab Alexander Mughal, Executive Secretary Via Communalism Watch and Governance Monitor http://www.saccer.org). *Peace season in Kashmir by Tapan Bose and Rita Manchanda, Himal, July 2000 (Via South Asia Citizens Web Dispatch <www.mnet.fr/aiindex>). "Why didn't you Indians come before?" demanded the young Kashmiri lawyer.
He was addressing a room packed with civil society activists from various
parts of India who had come to Srinagar to enter into the first-ever dialogue
with their counterparts in Jammu and Kashmir. After 11 years of
Such an angry outburst was to be expected, for many of the activists who were in the forefront of struggles for substantive democracy and human rights in India, had incongruously chosen to remain silent on injustices suffered by Kashmir's civilians. "Why have you come now, to rub balm on the wounds made by your security forces," asked a Kashmir University teacher. What the Kashmiri activists wanted was not relief but partnership against the all-engulfing violence. The tone for this meeting of Kashmiri activists and professionals from various parts of India was set by an elegiac poem by G N Gauhar contrasting the fabled beauty of the Valley with a land now become barren, houses burnt, children killed, and a place where women no longer laugh. The Kashmiri participants did most of the talking, for it was their
voice, silenced for so long, which had to be transported. Their problem
was the systematic denial of justice by the Indian State and the
Victim's perspective The "victim's perspective" was necessarily different from that of the
"non-victim", as was clear from the two days of remarkably candid exchanges
in Srinagar, on 10 and 11 June. Parveena Ahangar, sometimes stoical
and at other times passionately emotional, spoke of the trauma of families
who lost their members to the void. An uneducated housewife, Parveena is
the founder of the Association
For most of the participants from various parts of India, this was their first exposure to the human face of the Kashmir story. The killing of Rafiq Bakal, a local shopkeeper of Lal Chowk, by the Border Security Force under very questionable circumstances, brought home the nature of arbitrary terror which stalks ordinary civilians in the very heart of Srinagar. As they commiserated with the dead man's young wife and elderly mother, educationist Lalita Ramdas and Admiral Ramdas, former chief of the Indian Navy, tasted the rage, frustration and the overwhelming sense of insecurity of civilians. "Sister, in how many houses will you weep," said an elderly relative to a weeping Lalita Ramdas. The meeting in Srinagar was organised in the belief that there could be no significant political movement forward unless the struggle for human rights and justice in Jammu and Kashmir was linked with the struggle for human rights and justice in the various parts of India. Among other things, the Srinagar meeting of 90 civil society members, deliberated on how to help community level activists in Jammu and Kashmir to cope with the traumatic impact of violence on their society. A Jammu and Kashmir Federation of Civil Society Organisations (JKFSCO) was established, in an effort to rebuild the social capital which has been destroyed by militant extremism and state terror. The Federation represents about 20 civil society groups representing business and commercial interests, lawyers, doctors, teachers, environmentalists, human rights activists, women and child rights activists, writers, poets, and trade unions of Jammu and Kashmir. In a place where the government agencies ruthlessly suppress any popular expression of dissent and where militant organisations are suspicious of every civil society initiative, forming an independent organisation such as this was of course fraught with risk. Reciting the list of human rights activists killed in Kashmir, senior advocate G N Hagroo candidly admitted that they would never have dared to speak up, let alone organise a civil society meeting, without the demonstrated solidarity of civil society groups from the various parts of India. Since 1990, when the upsurge in popular protest morphed into militancy, the 'Kashmir issue' has been appropriated by militarised nationalism on both sides of the border. In Pakistan, the religious right appropriated the arena, claiming that "protecting the honour of Muslim brothers and sisters and recovering their homeland from foreign oppressors" was the "sacred" duty of every Muslim, and therefore, that of the Pakistani State. In India, both the religious right and the secular nationalists projected the struggle of the Kashmiri people as an assault on the integrity of the nation and/or its secularism. These external considerations so forcefully impacted Kashmiri polity that the struggle got militarised, and popular opinion was left out in the cold. Elsewhere in India and Pakistan, the activists struggling for substantive democracy and genuine reforms shied away from engaging with the Kashmiri struggle, anxious to avoid entrapment in the manipulative politics of militarised nationalism. This was how the Kashmiris were left to suffer for themselves. Clearly, there is a peace season brewing in Srinagar. Just a week before the Federation was formed, there was a 'track two' conclave in Srinagar attended by political leaders, retired foreign secretaries, and journalists associated with influential Indian publications. At the same time, the demands for autonomy from India were being pressed forcefully by Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, even though this was seen by Kashmiri activists as a cynical attempt to divert attention from his government's incapacities. The Srinagar civil society initiative was significant also because it emphasises the importance of democratic process in realising a ‘just' peace at a time when there is a growing number of interventions to impose a peace without justice. For example, there was common cause among the participants against a partition-based settlement for Jammu and Kashmir. Veteran editor Ved Bhasin and the ideologue of Kashmir's multiple identity, Balraj Puri, both vehemently opposed any division along "religious, sectarian or regional lines". Indeed, the bloody partition of the Subcontinent was never far from the thoughts of those present, since no region of Jammu and Kashmir is without a minority. The decision by the Kashmiri activists to set up a federation to speak in unison for justice and human rights is, both bold and ambitious. The Srinagar meeting recognised that reconciliation requires the victims and survivors to be heard, and that their stories, their emotions, and the facts on the ground be acknowledged. There has to be the space created in our minds to hear and be moved by Naseem Shafiq's poem of the lament of a Mother and Seven Daughters whose only son/brother was taken away by the security forces, in the midst of a wedding revelry. Why? Because there was too much gaiety, too much noise. The brutal senseless killing of over hundred innocent people in Kashmir, most of whom were on their sacred pilgrimage to Amarnath and the workers who were sleeping, is one of the most shocking and condemnable acts of violence. The militants who have done this for whatever the cause they espouse are barbaric, inhuman demons who need to be given the severest punishment possible. These killers, these butchers who have committed this heinous crime, cannot be called as human beings. We condemn their methods and acts in a wholehearted manner. It is surprising that the state govt. of Farooq Abdullah and the central govt. have been caught napping. How come they could not anticipate that at time when Hijbul Mujahidin is declaring a cease fire, the rival militant outfits will not do some thing nasty to play one-up in the game of gaining importance on the political arena. This problem is related to the simmering Kashmir issue, and is not a communal problem. Using this as a pretext VHP and Bajarang Dal have incited anti-Minority violence and have also rampaged the Holy Daragah in Ahmadabad. Their hatred campaign against minorities in this context, is also condemnable. We appeal to fellow citizens not to fall prey to their attempts to communalise the issue. Also the democratic solution of the Kashmir problem is long overdue. Sincerely Your
SECTION B *The Chittagong Hill Tracts, Living in a borderland by Willem van Schendel, Wolfgang Mey, Aditya Kumar Dewan, Paperback, January 2000, 325 pages, ISBN: 9748434982, White Lotus Co., Ltd. The Chittagong Hill Tracts: Living in a Borderland (which includes more than 400 mostly unpublished photographs, many in color, from over 50 private collections) examines the borderland between Burma, India and Bangladesh, inhabited by twelve distinct ethnic groups with strong cultural and linguistic links with Southeast Asia. It introduces the reader to the remarkable cultural variety and modern transformations of this virtually unknown region bridging Southeast Asia and South Asia. The 20 carefully documented chapters include: Creating a Colonial Aristocracy, The Public Display of Power, Images of Nature and Destruction, Religions of the Hills, Bodies and Costumes, Developing the Hills, and Lifestyles. The Chittagong Hill Tracts is the first comprehensive work on this complex region of Asia (Feroz Mehdi <ceras@alternatives.ca> Via Communalism Watch and Governance Monitor, <www.saccer.org>). *Exporting corruption: privatisation, multinationals and bribery by Sue Hawley, The Corner House Briefing No. 19, June 2000, Pages 24. Email versions FREE, (send your address to <cornerhouse@gn.apc.org>), Printed paper copies #2/$3. The Corner House, PO Box 3137, Station Road, Sturminster Newton, Dorset DT10 1YJ, U.K. Tel: +44 (0)1258 473795, Fax: +44 (0)1258 473748, Email <cornerhouse@gn.apc.org>. Mention corruption in an international context and many people think of Third World dictators and Swiss bank accounts and missing resources. It's reckless to give debt relief or more foreign aid until such corruption can be stopped, it is argued. In short, mention corruption and we tend to think of bribe-TAKERs, not bribe-GIVERs; of developing countries, not industrialised ones; of politically-lax cultures in the South, rarely those in the North; of low-paid civil servants, not wealthy multinationals. Yet if corruption is growing throughout the world, it is largely the result of the rapid privatisation of public enterprises worldwide, argues the latest briefing from The Corner House, UK. "Multinationals, supported by Western governments and their agencies, are engaging in corruption on a vast scale in North and South alike," maintains author Sue Hawley. "Donor governments and multilateral agencies such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund frequently put forward 'good governance' agendas to combat corruption", Hawley says, "but their other actions send a different signal about where their priorities really lie" (Via Communalism Watch and Governance Monitor, <www.saccer.org>). *Principles & profit: The search for ethical business, Humanscape <www.humanscapeindia.org>, July 2000. For generations, business school students were taught that the bottom-line for business is profits. In India, it was universally accepted that you couldn't do business without dealing in black money, without paying bribes. Now, finally, B-school grads are being taught that profits are a requirement, but not the purpose, of business. Many corporates today believe they have a responsibility to the society they function in. And that this responsibility goes beyond the writing of cheques and corporate philanthropy. Companies like Chennai-based Alacrity Foundation and Ion Exchange (India) have demonstrated that it is possible, even in the corrupt climate of India, to be ethical and profitable. World-wide, companies that still don't accept that social and environmental responsibility must go hand-in-hand with business, are being forced into compliance by consumer boycotts and positive action such as Christian Aid's supermarket campaign. This issue of Humanscape explores the need for ethical business and thepioneers of ethical business, in India and abroad (Jayesh shah <bomaaa97@giasbm01.vsnl.net.in>). *An obedient father by Akhil Sharma, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux It is a shockingly powerful first novel set in India on the eve of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. An inspector for the Physical Education Department in the Delhi school system, elderly Ram Karan supports his widowed daughter and young granddaughter by collecting bribes for a small-time Congress Party boss. Sharma brilliantly exposes the corruption and greed behind this local election, and the decay of one family at the hands of a sexually dysfunctional patriarch in this corrosive and disturbing examination of a country, and a family, tormented by its past. Utterly compelling, An Obedient Father recalls the guilt-ridden heroes of Dostoyevsky and the satire of Gogol in a remarkable debut that hails the arrival of a talented young writer. Born in New Delhi India in 1971, Akhil Sharma moved to America where he attended Princeton University and studied under Toni Morrison. Sharma then went to become a Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford and graduated from Harvard Law School in 1998. An investment banker in New York City, Sharma has always pursued writing, dabbling in scriptwriting in Hollywood and covering politics as a reporter in India. His first short story appeared in The Atlantic Monthly in 1995 and was included in The Best American Short Stories and O. Henry Prize collections, as was his second short story. The New Yorker featured an excerpt from the book in their debut fiction issue and Sharma was chosen by the Voice Literary Supplement as a "Writer on the Verge" for 2000. Publishers Weekly called Sharma a "supernova in the galaxy of young, talented Indian writers" and Sharma has been singled out in articles about the latest wave of Indian writers in TIME, The Philadelphia Inquirer and The New York Times (Sarita Varma <sarita.varma@fsgee.com> Via Communalism Watch and Governance Monitor <www.saccer.org>). *From cane fields to freedom: A chronicle of Indian South African life, by Uma Dhupelia-Mestherie, published by Kwela Publishers, Cape Town, South Africa. This book by a great-granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi reflects the development and growth of of the South African Indian community in al provinces since they first arrived here in 1860. *Supermodel Claudia Schiffer helped administer oral polio vaccine to children in BANGLADESH during her five-day visit here starting July 9. Bangladesh, along with India and Pakistan, is still one of the few polio endemic countries (Reuters Via India West <www.indiwest.com>). *POWER in Kerala is being decentralized and people are being given the right to decide how to improve their local environment. They have also been given the money to do so. The story of a unique experiment as narrated by Richard Mahapatra in a Down To Earth cover story at <www. cseindia.org/html/dte/dte20000715/dte_cover.htm>. *VEGETABLES AND FRUITS go online in Chennai! www.pookaaikani.com is aimed at upwardly mobile families and young single people who lead busy professional lives <www.rediff.com/ money/2000/jul/22veg.htm>. *The U.S. NASDAQ stock exchange, with more than 5,000 company listings from arounfd the world, has in principle decided to launch its India operations in Bangalore (IANS Via India West <www.indiwest.com>). *Anil Agarwal, Director of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), New Delhi, has prepared a briefing paper ‘Drought? Try capturing the rain' for members of parliament and state legislatures with strategies to confront the present water crisis. The briefing paper emphasizes the potential of community-based RAINWATER HARVESTING and shows the intrinsic relationship between the community and water management. The presentation to the Governors and the briefing paper for MPs can be viewed at <www.cseindia.org/html/cmp/cmp43.htm>. *Madhya Pradesh Civil Service Conduct Rules (1965) have been amended to make the birth of the THIRD CHILD a "misconduct" after January 26, 2001. Parents giving birth to their third child will not be eligible for government jobs, benefits and facilities. (New India Express, Via India News <indianews@pobox.com>) *FUEL CELLS BATTERIES that chemically combine hydrogen with water to make electricity without any emissions - have promised a lot in the past three decades, and failed to deliver. But things are changing. Now, it is not just the greens who are harping on clean energy. The corporates are joining the fuel cell bandwagon in droves. How solid is the possibility of a clean, 'hydrogen economy' as a solution to the polluting fossil fuel economy? <www.cseindia.org/html/dte/dte20000731/ dte_cover.htm>. *India is the world's second largest producer of SILK, but has only 10 percent share of the world silk trade. Most of the $1,557 million industry is in the unorganized sector (PTI Via India West <www.indiwest.com>). *The British Broadcasting Corporation will help spread the message in Orissa that leprosy is curable and end prejudices against LEPROSY patients. People will alsobe informed about the free anti-leprosy drugs being made available. <www.rediff.com/news/2000/jul/21bbc.htm>. *The government of India has cleared large-scale field trials on genetically engineered COTTON by the Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company. The studies of adverse effects of transgenic cotton seeds and oil on the health, milk production, insect resistence and toxicity on animals will be undertaken But the seeds will not be used for commercial sale. (PTI Via India West <www.indiwest.com>). *August 16-20, Seattle, WA, USA: CAMP BHARAT 2000, a camp on Indian culture, tradition and history for youth age 7 and above is being organized by the India Association of Western Washington at Camp Casey on Whidby Island. More info from 425.889.0129, 425.820.5220, 206.367.7100, or raju@connectexpress.com. *Till August 26, Sipti Valley, Himachal Pradesh, India: KALCHAKRA ceremony performed, under the supervision of Dalai Lama here at the picturesque Ki Monastery, the second largest and most important monastery of the Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism. Kalchakra, a deity of world peace is regarded as the purest and most secret form of the tantra yanas of Vajrayana Buddhism widely practiced among Tibetans (PTI Via India West <www.indiwest.com>). *Till September 17, New York, NY, USA: JOURNEY TO ENLIGHTENMENT. A small selection of photographs of Tibet and Bhutan by Matthieu Ricard at Asia Society at Midtown, 502 Park Avenue at 59th St., New York, NY. offers an insider's glimpseinto the world of Tibetan Buddhism and the color and pageantry surrounding the spiritual path. More info from 212.288.6400 or <www.asiasociety.org/arts/exhibitions.htm>. *Till September 17, Berkeley, CA, USA: MANDALA: THE ARCHITECTURE OF ENLIGHTENMENT, an exhibition of rare and exquisite mandalas from Bhutan, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Nepal and Tibet are on display since July 19 at Berkeley Art Museum. Mandala is an ancient Hindu and Buddhist graphic symbol of the universe and is used as an aid to meditation and concentration. Tickets at $7 ($3-5 for students). More info from 510.643.2219, or 510.642.0808. *Till February 18, 2001, Quebec, Canada: INDIA: THE LIVING ARTS. The exhibition features more than 500 works of arts and craft, including priceless historical pieces to ceramics and textiles. There is a life-size elephant carrying a maharajah's howdah, complete with trappings of scarlet and gold. In one section, 'A Traditional Wedding', visitors are invited to participate in preparations for a wedding. Also the visitor can see how jewelers, textile artists, potters, carvers and painters produce modern designs relying on ancient traditions. Scattered throughout the exhibition, 20 way stations examine individual artists and their crafts and are occasionally animated by an artist at work. It showcases the rich diversity of India's many artistic traditions through the many artefacts displayed in four settings: The City, The Village, The Home and The Court. Co-sponsored by the Canada Council for the Arts, Nortel Networks and Bank of Montreal, it is being presented at the Canadian Museum of Civilization <www.rediff.com/us/2000/jul/20us.htm>. *August 28-31, New York, NY, USA: MILLENNIUM WORLD PEACE SUMMIT will be held at the United Nations Headquarters, where the General Assembly meets. U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan will preside over the opening session. This is the first time that the U.N. itself has taken the initiative to summon a meeting of religious and spiritual leaders. The deliberations will later be considered by the Millennium Summit of the Heads of the State and Government scheduled to meet at the same venue in the first week of September. *September 2-3, Dallas, TX, USA: TELEGU ASSOCIATION OF NORTH AMERICA AND YOUNG ADULTS CONFERENCE will be held here with "Tradition, Technology & Youth" at the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The cultural program will include Padma Bhushan Dr. Vempati China Satyam's Kuchipudi dance ballet with over 30 artists from India, and a film music concert by playback singer Chitra. More info from 817.577.1665 or <www.tana-regionals.org>. *Sardar is no more! A salute to a comrade and a psalmist by John Dayal <johndayal@mantraonline. com The All India Catholic Union and the All India Christian Council mourn the passing away of Sardar Jafri, poet and spokesman of those who believe in a secular India. For all the years of Independence, the Sardar's verse encouraged those depressed by sectarian agendas and communal strife. It is a challenge for us all to keep alive the flame he, and his ilk, lit. *TIM SINGH, an Australian of Indian descent has been elected mayor of the Darebin City Council in Victoria. *ARUNA ROY of Rajasthan, India was awarded, July 25, in Manila, this year's Ramon Megsaysay award for public service for "empowering Indian villagers to claim what is rightfully theirs by upholding and exercising the people's right to information," according to an announcement by the board of trustees. Please raise your voice in getting the name of Netaji Subhash
Chandra Bose , from the War Criminal List , as maintained by the United
Nations Organization. Mr Kofi Annan , says he is powerless!! Please visit
& sign the petition at <www.petitiononline.com/13netaji/petition.html>.
Thanking you,
*Chagai – the white peak by Shaheen Rafi Khan I'm withered and deformed –
Once I was nature's pride,
Still, silent, serene;
No! men don't come to me now, I go to them,
*<http://in.altavista.com> is the new India specific search engine launched by the U.S.-based Alta Vista, a leading global internet search service. This Alta Vista's first country specific site in Asia, will bring to Indiaover 1.25 million search pages, access to the Alta Vista's global index of over 350 million pages of web content, and the Alta Vista multi-media library of over 35 million objects. *<www.ftcindia.org> A Calcutta based child rights activist group, "Free the Children-India" (FTC-India), has recently floated a comprehensive website on various forms of CHILD RIGHTS violations. In addition to giving details of child-trafficking, prostitution, sexual abuse and malpractice's in granting adoption, the site covered at least 25 un-organized industrial sectors and five major service sectors, where use of child labor is rampant. The organization plans to form an e-platform for all such groups across the country and make the movement stronger and coherent. It also plans to bring out a fortnightly web magazine on child rights. (Hindu 12, June 2000, Via India News <www.indianewsweb.org>). *<www.konkani2000.com> is the website of the Chicago-based American Konkani Association. *If only we believe God by Ambalal Rawal <ACRAWAL@aol.com> To believe is to know that every
To believe is to see angels
To believe is to know value of a nuturing heart,
To believe is to find the strength and
To believe is to know we are not alone,
To believe is to find the strength
To believe is to know hat wonderful
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