goanet-digest Wednesday, May 1 2002 Volume 01 : Number 3911
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
In this issue:
[Goanet] NEWS: Indian coalition wins vote, but victory is bitter
Re: [Goanet] Arundhati Roy - Part I, II, III
[Goanet] Merry Month Of May.
See end of digest for information on subscribing/unsusbcribing.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 May 2002 11:48:41 +0530 (IST)
From: Frederick Noronha <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Goanet] NEWS: Indian coalition wins vote, but victory is bitter
Indian coalition wins vote, but victory is bitter
By M.R. Narayan Swamy, Indo-Asian News Service
New Delhi, May 1 (IANS) India's ruling coalition won a parliamentary vote on
its handling of Gujarat's bloody sectarian strife after a marathon debate
that ended just before dawn Wednesday, but it was clear the multi-party
combine had been bruised.
An opposition-sponsored motion flaying the federal and Gujarat governments
for failing to check the death and destruction in the state was defeated
276-182 in the Lok Sabha after 16 hours of discussions marred by acerbic
verbal duels.
Many of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's allies, while backing the
government, denounced Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and sought his
sacking for not curbing the largely anti-Muslim fury that has claimed around
925 lives since February-end.
Vajpayee as well as Home Minister L.K. Advani did not accept the demand but,
faced with an all-round attack on Modi, sounded conciliatory. For the first
time in two months, the prime minister criticised Hindu extremism.
After a suspected Muslim mob set fire to a train killing 58 Hindu passengers
February 27 in Gujarat, Hindu fanatics went on a revenge spree, massacring
hundreds of innocent Muslims and destroying their property.
Advani, who has remained largely silent on the horrendous killings in
Gujarat, said: "There is no place for revenge in a civilised society. Both
the train tragedy and the violence in the aftermath are tragic, painful and
unfortunate."
Vajpayee, whose image as a moderate has taken a beating in recent times, was
more explicit. He said Hindu fundamentalism, like its Islamic counterpart,
also posed a danger to society.
"I have never supported proponents of hardline Hindutva," he said, referring
to rightwing Hindu groups allied to his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who
advocate a Hindu supremacist society in place of a secular state.
And in what was clearly a vote against Gujarat's BJP government led by Modi,
he announced a Rs.1.5 billion package for the relief and rehabilitation of
the victims of violence whose implementation he said would be monitored by
the federal government. This would have to be completed in four months, he
said.
But both the opposition and the government allies felt Vajpayee's gesture
had come too late in the wake of what is seen as the worst Hindu-Muslim
strife in an Indian state since the country's independence in 1947.
Worse, extensive documentation by rights and civic groups, the media and the
opposition has sought to prove that the Gujarat government was abetted by
sections of the BJP and its allied Hindu organisations such as the Rashtriya
Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS). The RSS is the BJP's ideological mentor and is also
India's most influential Hindu group.
Hindu groups have sought to present the violence as a spontaneous "upsurge"
in the wake of the train killings.
The debate on the Gujarat motion began at noon Tuesday and went on until
4.30 a.m. rpt a.m. Wednesday. More and more MPs were clamouring to speak
when Deputy Speaker P.M. Sayeed finally called for a vote.
Both the debate and the vote exposed the fissures within the ruling
coalition.
Coal Minister Ram Vilas Paswan set the ball rolling Monday by quitting the
cabinet and the ruling combine to protest against the killings in the
BJP-ruled state. On Tuesday Minister of State for External Affairs Omar
Abdullah offered his resignation after his National Conference party decided
not to vote in support of the government.
Another Vajpayee backer, Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee, praised
Paswan for resigning from the government and, along with another ally, the
Janata Dal (United), blasted Chief Minister Modi.
All 28 MPs of the Telugu Desam Party, the largest prop of the Vajpayee-led
coalition, trooped out of the Lok Sabha before the vote after the prime
minister rejected its demand for Modi's ouster.
Former defence minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, who initiated the debate
Tuesday, later claimed a moral victory for the opposition.
"We have not lost," he told reporters after coming out of the Lok Sabha just
before dawn Wednesday. "We have exposed the gaping holes in the ruling
combine. We have shown they are a house divided."
- --Indo-Asian News Service
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 01 May 2002 10:30:12 +0400
From: "Sunila Muzawar" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: [Goanet] Arundhati Roy - Part I, II, III
Nice article and thanks for posting it George. It does seem more balanced in
many respects as compared to most of the articles we have seen previously.
Arundhati is a beautiful and eloquent writer.
Wish she would also break out into such eloquence over the plight of
thousands of Hindus killed in Kashmir every day;
Wish she would be an activist for the 0.8 million Kashmiri Pandits displaced
and living in pitiable conditions for the last ten years;
Wish she would reject publicly the Church sponsored terrorism in the
North-East;
Wish she would also work towards ending the caste wars in UP and Bihar;
Wish she would denouce the Imam of Jama Masjid for giving a sort of call for
civil war to disintegrate the nation;
Wish she would give a call for the revamping of the madrassas in India which
for some reason is okay for Pakistan to do but a controversial issue for
India to address;
Wish she would urge the legislators to remove the perpetuation of the
British divide and rule policy by implementing an uniform civil code;
Wish she would insist on the removal of special status for the state of
Kashmir;
Wish she would highlight how India is the only country in the world that
provides a subsidy for Haj pilgrims - something which is considered
unislamic by Saudi Arabia - somethings which Saudi Arabi has urged India to
remove but which the Vajpayee govt. did not and instead raised the subsidy;
Wish she would mention that one of the richest persons of the world and the
richest Indian is a Muslim;
Wish she would go deeper into the reasons why Adivasis and Dalits who are
certainly not the VHP/Bajrang Dal supporters took part in large numbers in
the Gujarat riots;
Wish she would work towards removing the slur of harijan from the face of
Indians;
Wish she would focus on the development of the economy in order to eliminate
polticians using communal vote bank politics;
Wish she would berate the media for the half truths and the untruths that
they print at crucial times e.g. Vajpayees's speech in Goa;
Wish she would question the integrity and responsibility of the media in
fanning the communal riot flames with biased reporting;
Wish she had decried the press and people who blamed the Hindus for church
bombings engineered by the Pakistani ISI;
Wish she had examined the role of the Congress and others in the mass
killings of the Sikhs after Indira Gandhi's assasination;
Wish she had got more upset about the normal Muslim community and especally
women being so backward;
Wish she had shed a tear for the little child that was beaten to death
because she was so immersed in play that she forgot to bow to the local
Thakur;
Wish she would get angry about the links SIMI had with Al Qaeeda and denouce
them totally;
Wish she had written such eloquence when Godhra happened and before the
revenge riots followed;
And wish so many things. Because if she and the rest of us reacted with the
same outrage as we have reacted to the Gujarat riots I am completely sure
that the situation would never have reached the deterioration point that it
did. Unfortunately, we believe in only supporting some causes and some
communities and some people and some issues. And while it is fashionable to
deplore the Gujarat riots it is incomprehensible to find such depths of
emotion for all the other atrocities in India.
Cheers,
Sunila
>From: George Pinto <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>Subject: [Goanet] Arundhati Roy - Part I
>Date: Tue, 30 Apr 2002 10:39:58 -0700 (PDT)
>
>Tim mentioned Arundhati Roy's name in a post yesterday. At the same time I
>recd. this forward
>from retired Prof. of Sociology Hari Sharma (Canada). I am forwarding this
>article in three parts
>without comment. George
_________________________________________________________________
Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 01 May 2002 13:27:14 +0530
From: Daniel <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Goanet] Merry Month Of May.
MERRY MONTH OF MAY=85=85=85=85
Come the month of May and all hell breaks loose in Amchem Goem.=20
Come the month of May and every susegad Goenkar is charged with=20
activity. Come the month of May and everyone is out for the kill. The=20
young and the old, the not-so-young and not-so-old are overnight=20
transformed into Casanovas and Ballerinas. Come the month of May and all=20
the buses and taxis are packed like sardine tins. Come the month of May and=
=20
Amchem Goem is invaded on all 4 sides by the Kuwaitkars, Dubaikars, and=20
of=92course the Bombaimkars (Read..Mumboikars) and last but not the least=
the=20
Bhonvddekars (Tourists), our most honoured guests. The influx is so=20
great and unprecedented that the easy going fun loving Goenkar is=20
often caught on the wrong foot. There is not a single corner of the land=
=20
left untouched where the poor Goenkar can breathe in peace. He is totally=
=20
denied of his rightful afternoon siesta, for every available place is taken=
=20
over by these holiday makers and fun seekers and the Goenkars is left out=20
in the cold, perhaps =91out in the heat=92 would sound very much better. =
They=20
crowd our buses, our immaculate beaches, our churches, markets, tavernas,=20
theatres, restaurants and what-have-you. The list could be unending. Come=
=20
the month of May and all the wells and taps run dry, when on the contrary=20
the innumerable barrels piled up on the loft overflow incessantly with=20
=91Goenchi Feni=92 the spirit inducing liquid. And sometimes it makes me=20
wonder why should all these things happen only during the month of=20
May? And there is no one in sight who could give me a convincing answer=20
and so finally I have to reluctantly accept the fact that there=92s=
something=20
special about this month of the year, for after all it is the Merry Month=20
of May!
=91Marriage are made in heaven but they are solemnised in Amchem=20
Goem and there is absolutely no limit to this ritual during the month of=20
May. And for some reasons I am fully convinced that all the eligible=20
bachelors/spinsters find it rather exceptionally pleasant despite the=20
scorching summer heat to have their Big Day in the Merry Month of=20
May. Across the length and breadth of Amchem Goem one will find that the=20
best halls, Open air lawns and all the Big City and Village Bands are fully=
=20
booked right through the month. I feel that to be a musician is the best=20
part-time profession one can indulge in Amchem Goem, for there is no end to=
=20
the lucrative offers coming your way not only from within Amchem Goem but=20
from far and wide and even as far as from the deserts of Persian Gulf=20
irrespective of the month whether it is August or the Merry month of=20
May. Just a little bit of drumming or freaking out at the drums or jamming=
=20
blindly at the key-boards and screaming at the top of your voice is all it=
=20
needs. That=92s the trick of the trade. A sure way to do the fast=20
buck. And I still curse myself for having given up my guitar classes=20
several years ago and condemned my guitar for good just because I was not=
=20
comfortable playing the =91F Chord=92 and it=92s changes. In the meantime my=
=20
guitar continues to gather a thick layer of dust in the secluded corner of=
=20
my room hopelessly waiting to be strummed. But, deep within me I know that=
=20
day will never come.
The religious side of every Goenkar comes to full view=20
particularly during the Merry Month of May. For, every kilometer that you=
=20
travel, you are bound to come across a couple of road side =91Crosses=92 and=
=20
small chapels. For all the ll months preceding the month of May these=20
sacred places are completely ignored or rather forgotten about. But, come=
=20
the Merry Month of May and you will notice that they have received a fresh=
=20
coat of white wash and the interiors and exteriors are richly decorated=20
with festoons and buntings. Everyday after dusk the activity begins.=20
Devotees gather around, singing devotional hymns and prayers to the tune of=
=20
the traditional violin. This is the best occasion for the professional=20
veteran and amateur violinist to come into lime light and at the same time=
=20
make hay while the sun (Read moon) shines. The ceremony ends by=20
distributing hot boiled grams which are washed down by the =91Goenchi=20
Feni=92. And more often than not I feel these litanys to the Holy Cross=
are=20
mere rituals and there=92s nothing much solemn about them, for the younger=
=20
folks specially indulge in every conceivable fun, but prayers. For them it=
=20
is yet another form of adventure and entertainment at the cost of the few=20
really pious souls.
Football is the essence of life of every Goenkar. This is one form=
=20
of sport in Amchem Goem which can trigger the best of friendship and at=20
the same time the worst of enmity between two fans. Crazy fans will=20
paddle, ride, drive or traverse miles and miles on foot to see their=20
favourite football team in action. And the merry Month of May is the best=
=20
occasion when football in Amchem Goem is at its peak in the villages. Every=
=20
open space available is converted into a playground, every paddy field=20
resembles a mini football stadium. No feast in Amchem Goem may it be=20
church or chapel feast is complete without a football match. And more=20
often than not, the ever generous Celebrant of the feast will be only too=20
glad to donate a trophy or two to the local club in order to have a=20
exhibition football match to entertain the villagers on the feast day. As=
=20
far as entertainment is concerned, football comes next only to the=20
Tiatr! But come the Merry Month of May and there is a flood of tiatrs and=
=20
non-stop tiatrs hitting the Goan scene one after another and one better=20
than the other. And every playwright is hell bent on creating new records=
=20
in Amchem Goem a-la-Sachin Tendulkar hitting centuries and double centuries=
=20
within the shortest inning possible.
Come the Merry Month of May and the mercury in the thermometer=20
shoots up to the top, the sun is scorching hot, it actually cuts through=20
your tender skin. Tempers boil, well and spring waters are no longer cool,=
=20
the fans give out hot air too. But, every cloud has a silver lining, and=20
in this case we have the =91Urraca=92 which acts as the Cooling Agent. It is=
=20
widely acknowledged fact by now that there=92s nothing like a chilled bottle=
=20
of =91Urraca=92mixed with Limca on a hot May afternoon. The more you try to=
=20
avoid it, the more you feel like having it, and every sip leads to another,=
=20
and another, and yet another till you are flying on cloud nine under the=20
blue skies. Though I still wonder at times whether this is really true, or=
=20
dose one actually find himself on cloud nine, for I am still to try it=
myself.
Come the Merry Month of May, and the road accidents in Amchem Goem=
=20
are on the increase, nobody gives a damn to the traffic rules and the road=
=20
signs. All cautions are thrown to the wind, perhaps, it is the effect of=20
the seasonal =91urraca=92 that plays the mischief.
And finally while all the tourists and the sons of the soil=20
returning to their mother land are engaged in the Merrry Making day in and=
=20
day out, the poor Goenkar is forced to follow suit with the others even=20
though he is painfully aware that it is not his idea of fun, but, he=20
still takes a break leaving behind all his daily chores, not because he=20
has the time or the inclination to do so, but only because it=92s the Merry=
=20
Month of May!!
Com=92on go ahead make the best of the Merry Month of May!
Daniel F. de Souza
Vasco da Gama - Goa
------------------------------
End of goanet-digest V1 #3911
*****************************
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--W-E-B--S-I-T-E--=-=-=
To Subscribe/Unsubscribe from GoaNet Digest | http://goacom.com/goanet
======================================================================
* Send e=mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] (NOT [EMAIL PROTECTED])
* Leave SUBJECT blank <--- Commom Mistake !!
* On first line of the BODY of your message, type:
subscribe goanet-digest YOUR.EMAIL
OR unsubscribe goanet-digest YOUR.EMAIL
DO NOT include the entire digest when replying to goanet !!!!!!
Questions/Problems? Contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
