goanet-digest Saturday, May 18 2002 Volume 01 : Number 3980
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In this issue:
[Goanet] Pre world cup report
[Goanet] Cybermatrimonials... next issue being worked on
[Goanet] FEATURE: 15-year-old responds with camera to the carnage in Gujarat
[Goanet] Evidence-Based Religion
[Goanet] Never Vote For. Vote Against!
See end of digest for information on subscribing/unsusbcribing.
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Date: Fri, 17 May 2002 22:57:46 -0700
From: "Marlon Menezes" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Goanet] Pre world cup report
Unless you have been living in the caves of Tora Bora for the last few years, you are
probably aware that World Cup fever is about to befall upon us.
I have the misfortune of being in S.Korea for the next few weeks :) Surprisingly,
there is very little excitement yet, though everywhere you go, the streets are
festooned with WC banners, advertizments etc. I have no idea about how Korea is going
to survive the influx of visitors from overseas. As it is, its streets and highways
are packed with traffic - and this is considered normal for them.
Ticket prizes are outrageous. Forget about getting anything for less than $250 - and
these are for the crappiest games. For the semis, the cheapest tickets are in the
range of $2000+ per ticket. Perhaps prices will drop once the games begin. The same
thing happend when the world cup took place in the US in 1994, but then the, S.Koreans
are little more soccer crazy than the Americans.
We all know of course that the final result is a foregone conclusion: Germany, the
eternal champions will win it yet again. Their recent crushing of Asian super powers
Kuwait only validates Germany's ownership of this game.
Viva Germany, 2002 World Cup Champions!!
:-)
Marlon
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Date: Sat, 18 May 2002 10:37:08 +0530 (IST)
From: Frederick Noronha <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Goanet] Cybermatrimonials... next issue being worked on
CYBERMATRIMONIALS: The next issue of this matrimonial listings is being
currently prepared. We carry free details in the form of classified
advertisements. Send in your submissions, in under 50 words, to
[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Ads are subject to editing, caste affiliations will
not be mentioned.)
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Date: Sat, 18 May 2002 10:39:32 +0530 (IST)
From: Frederick Noronha <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Goanet] FEATURE: 15-year-old responds with camera to the carnage in Gujarat
15-YEAR-OLD RESPONDS WITH CAMERA TO THE CARNAGE IN GUJARAT
>From Frederick Noronha
PANAJI, May 18: Shocked by scenes of violence and inhumanity that tore apart
the industrialised western Indian state of Gujarat, a 15-year-old decided to
tell the world his story using his camera.
Sahir Raza (15), a student of Class Eleven, says he took the 79 photographs
that currently form a roving exhibition, while in Gujarat between April 7
and 10 this year.
He has so far held exhibitions in Delhi, Mumbai and Goa. From here he plans
to visit the eastern Indian state of Orissa and Kerala in the South.
Gujarat was wrecked by inter-religious conflict, in which between 900 to
1000 persons were officially listed as killed. The situation there has
shocked opinion in India and abroad, with the rightwing BJP regional
government being accused of not taking adequate steps to diffuse the
situation, or even aggravating the problem.
"If you see my pictures, they look like leaves plucked out of our history
book detailing a foreign invasion on the Indian soil in the medieval ages.
But, the sad part is both the invader and the invaded, the killer and the
killed, the plunderer and the plundered belong to this soil. They are all my
countrymen," Sahir had told journalists recently, when the exhibition went
up at Delhi.
This exhibition is titled 'And they killed him again' -- an allusion to the
killing of the leader of the Indian independence struggle, Mohandas
'Mahatma' Gandhi, who was killed in 1948 by the bullet of religious
intolerance soon after India gained Independence.
It shows charred ruins of homes and religious places, the selective
demolition of shops and business centres belong to the minority Muslim
community, and terrified victims and grief-striken survivors of the carnage.
"I've been taking photographs since (the age of) nine," says Sahir. He used
a Nikon FE camera, and in all used up some 20 rolls of 24 exposures each to
etch on film the images he wanted the world to take note of.
Sahir says the situation was complex, so that he had to include a lot of
subjects to make his point. His photographs focus on people who were victims
of the carnage, relief camps where an estimated 100,000 Gujarati
largely-Muslim victims still live, the damage done and burnt-out houses or
buildings and shops, even dead bodies.
Did he face any tense movements while doing the work?
Recalls Sahir: "While shooting, not really. But, at one shop, I happened to
call my father 'abbu' (the traditional Muslim term for 'dad'). Suddenly, the
shop-keeper went freaky. He started calling people, saying here's this boy
who's calling his father 'abbu', he must be a Muslim..."
What was the impact on his young mind?
"It's very scary. It remains with you. To realise that just the name of a
peron is enough to get him murdered," says he.
Sahir himself says that though the official death toll is around 900 to
1000, the number who actually were killed could be closer to 2000 to 2500.
Besides, there are almost an equal number of people missing, he says.
"I've never seen a carnage before. We think such photographs should raise
awareness. Right now Gujarat is in a very bad position. Just being there
scares you. People (affected by the carnage and violence) have not been to
their homes for 40 to 50 days, even to look at their homes," says Sahir.
He points out with surprise to the planning that went into engineering these
riots, and says "how can one identify which one out of 300 shops is owned by
a Muslim?"
While young Sahir worked on photographs, his father put together a
video-film on the communal carnage at Gujarat. Father Gauhar Raza (45) has
completed a speedily-worked on video titled 'Junoon ke Badhte Kadaam', a
34-minute film with English-language subtitles that means 'Evil Stalks The
Land'.
Delhi-based Gauhar Raza (45) is a scientist at the Indian capital. By
education an electrical engineer from the prestigious Indian Institute of
Technology (IIT) in Delhi, he has made 12 films so far.
Most of these have however been aimed at improving the public understanding
of science. His earlier themes focussed on subjects like prominent Indian
scientists (Dr Homi Bhabha, S.S.Bhatnagar), computer virus, computers in
India, nuclear disarmament, and related themes.
Gujarat's violence is a diferent cup of tea, though.
Gauhar Raza says Gujarat's troubles are not one that touch only the Muslim
community, or minorities in India. "This is an extremely important subject.
It has to do with more with the future of the country," says the
scientist-filmmaker.
Raza (Sr.) fears that Gujarat is a "laboratory" where the politics of
spreading hatred, suspicion and fear on the basis of the religious
differences of the people "seems to be a huge success for those perpetrating
it". Says he: "I've just been there for four days. Since then, something has
changed in me."
He says just "one per cent" of the enormity of the situation is being
protrayed in the media. But, he agreed that the English-language media was
doing a good job at building awareness on the situation.
Guhar Raza warns that intense religious-based intolerance could yield an
Indian form of Fascism, just as racial-based hatred led to Facism in
Germany.
"I come from Aligarh, the city of riots, and have grown up in that kind of
environment. In 1984, we saw Delhi burning (due to the anti-Sikh riots),"
says he. But this was different, and the enormity of the scale, shocking.
"As a family, we've not been able to sleep properly since we visited
Gujarat. It's not a paranoia," says he.
One scene in Raza (Senior)'s film shows the articulate BJP minister Arun
Jetley objecting to the media coverage of the carnage in Gujarat. Jetley
is shown arguing that the television depiction of dead bodies would only
incite more trouble.
But human rights campaigners have charged the regional Gujarat government,
and its fellow-partymen at Delhi, with trying to make light and cover-up for
the one-sided nature of the carnage, in which an estimated 900-1000
mostly-Muslim citizens of that prosperous western Indian state lost their
lives.
Another film shown during the recent screening in Goa was of Gopal Menon's
film "Hey Ram: Genocide in the Land of Gandhi". This too was speedily
put-together in the aftermath of the February 27, 2002 murderous attack on
Hindu 'kar sevaks' (campaigners on an drive to build a temple on the site of
a mosque destroyed by right-wing Hindu extremists earlier) at the town of
Godhra in Gujarat.
What are young Sahir's plans? Would he like to put his photographs up on the
Net, to make it accessible to a wider audience, or publish it in form of a
book?
"Yes, that's possibly there. But right now, we just want to help the
affected people in any way we can. "My aim was simply to capture all that I
could (on film) in a way that it showed the real condition of Gujarat."
Sahir can be contacted via email [EMAIL PROTECTED] Gauhar is
contactable via [EMAIL PROTECTED] (ENDS)
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 18 May 2002 05:28:40 -0000
From: "santoshhelekar" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Goanet] Evidence-Based Religion
Joel wrote:
>
>I can look around and, once I find them, suggest one or more books
>relating to the religion I know best (Christianity).
>
Dan wrote:
>
>In response to Santosh's enquiry about a book that deals with
>apologetics.
>
Sidney wrote:
>
>I agree fully with you that religion can never be about logic.
>
Thanks guys for your comments and suggestions. Joel, Please provide
me with only original sources of evidence, translated in English
(would have said "or Konkani", but I don't want to sound more
disingenuous than required for this amusing thread:-). Massaged
evidence is hard to digest.
Dan I have to admit (goodnaturedly, of course) I am a little unsure
about buying your book, because the website that sells it claims
folks who bought that book also bought a book entitled "Defeating
Darwinism by Opening Minds":-). The last time I bought a book that
was also bought by people who bought the latter book, it was a
complete waste of my time and money. It was a book called "Forbidden
Archeology" published by the Bhaktivedanta Institute, the premier
seminary of the Hare Krishna followers. The authors who were
scientists provided us with hard evidence for an ancient Vedic
spiritual civilization (circa 10000 BC) more advanced than the
present material one. Both authors had left Christianity to embrace
Krishna consciousness after carefully weighing all available logic
and evidence.
Now if I could shed my cloak of playful disingenuousness just for
this last paragraph, I never understand why people have to be
defensive about being religious. Why not say that you believe in your
religion because you have a deeply felt intuition about it. It is
based on your personal faith. What is so embarrassing about admitting
that? Faith in something is always good for your health and peace of
mind. Why do you have to engage in this charade that your religious
belief is based on logic and evidence? Why do you have to mention
that even thinkers and scientists have converted themselves to some
evidence-based religion? Why do you need reassurance from a scientist?
Cheers,
Santosh
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Date: Sat, 18 May 2002 02:49:59 -0700 (PDT)
From: ash k <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Goanet] Never Vote For. Vote Against!
The dearth of good people as politicians have created
a havoc in the country. I would rather cut all my
fingers than vote for a communal party! But I believe
in one thing: "NEVER VOTE FOR. VOTE AGAINST!"
In our country I won't surprised to see communal
groups seen catching each individual from the minority
and changing his/her religion (Brutal Death would be
granted to those not complying with it...). While at
the same time, a scamster would sell his motherland to
make money!
Gujarat is a very good example for what a communal
party can do. If these parties continue to rule the
country, soon there will be bloodshed throughout the
country.
But the worst is when the whole populace of this
country knows the problem, and just talk about it and
write about it on such forums and do nothing about it!
Complacency has decayed this country beyond recovery -
history has proved it; presence is proving it; will
there be a future, we got to wait and see!
ash
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End of goanet-digest V1 #3980
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