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Foreign Exchange of Hate: |
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Petitions Stop
Corporate Sponsorship of IDRF Stop
Funding Hate Campaign Responds to IDRF's Rebuttal |
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Saffron Dollar April 2004 Dear Friends, Our heartfelt thanks to all of you for sustaining an interest in our somewhat erratic production. We are hoping to announce a completely web based newsletter in the next couple of months which will not only make the editing of this newsletter much easier but will also make it more interactive. More on that later. This month's Saffron Dollar has, in addition to the usual quota of four items,also includes the screening schedule of the by now well known film, Final Solution, on the aftermath of the March 2002 events in Gujarat. Please scroll down and find out about the screening in your area. Please do show up andsupport the initiative. Contents: 1. What is important about this election? 1. What is important about this election ? By the time this newsletter reaches you the electoral fortunes
of various Whatever be the final configurations in the assemblies and in the Lok Sabha,the scramble for the tickets, the heat of electioneering, the wheeling dealing and the horse trading generate a social dynamic all of their own and throw up opportunities for the advancement for 'ideologies' in unseen ways. Take Andhra Pradesh. The BJP stands no chance of winning any significant
How does Hindutva manage this? By insinuating itself into the
nooks and Even if the BJP and the Telugu Desam combine performs poorly in
the Andhra
2. Film showing in NYC: On Monday March 15th, 3rd I NY, in collaboration with SALAAM Theater, organized a screening of Rakesh Sharma's documentary "Final Solution". 3rd I NY, a collective that organizes a monthly film and music salon, provides an alternative space for independent films from South Asia. In the film, Rakesh Sharma explores how the politics of hate is actively nurtured by the fascist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its affiliate organizations, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), Bajrang Dal and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). At the beginning of the screening representatives of the International At the end of the screening, a representative of the Campaign to Stop Funding Hate spoke about the manner in which the right wing in India receives financial support from diasporic communities in the US and the UK. The audience was urged to be careful when donating money to relief and development projects. In conversations with several members of the audience, it became apparent that there was a lack of awareness regarding the extent to which the Hindu right wing duplicitously raises money for their fascist project by misleading the public. This lack of awareness underscores the importance of an ongoing media campaign. 3.The Quiet Professor ploughs on: More than a decade ago, just months after the demolition of the Babri Masjid, Dr. Ram Punyani wrote an article in which he analyzed the phenomena of Hindutva as "chronic fascism". The month of April saw Dr. Punyani visit the USA. His talk at New York's Brecht Forum was illuminating as he fleshed out a theorization that he had begun with the idea of chronic fascism. Dr. Puniyani's analysis of Hindutva as deeply systemic and enmeshed in Brahminism as what makes it capable of lasting and reinventing itself was compelling. Along with Dr. Punyani, S. C. Shah and Surabhi K. presented the process and outline of the International Initiative for Justice in Gujarat's report "Threatened Existence". The NY release of the report follows its release in India and brings to completion a international feminist response to the Gujarat Genocide. Dr. Punyani also spoke at length of the training workshops on Hindutva that he and several others have undertaken in schools and colleges, teacher training programs and youth centers. Dr. Punyani, the quiet professor, serves as an excellent example
of consistent
4. Action Alert: Malayalam writer Sreeni Pattamthanam is facing prosecution from the Kerala government due to his critical investigative book on Mata Amritanandamayi. Pattamthanam, one of the well-known figures of the secular rationalist movement in Kerala, wrote a book titled, “Mata Amritanandamayi: Sacred Stories and Realities.” Using court records and newspaper reports, the book states that the so-called Mata miracles are “bogus” and that the mysterious deaths around her ashram in Kollam ought to be investigated. Based on complaints filed by Mata officials, the ruling United Democratic Front government is now initiating moves to prosecute Pattamthanam. The state government’s move is all the more surprising given that the Mata ashram is seeking prosecution on the ground of “hurting religious sentiments," although it is registered as a welfare/development organization! Please sign on to the petition at 5. Film screening schedule: Rakesh Sharma will be touring the USA between April 25th and May 8th with his film Final Solution. The following is his __almost__ final schedule: For more details send email to mirr@wpunj.edu or mathew@rider.edu The FINAL SOLUTION by Rakesh Sharma. April 25th -- Sunday -- Oberlin College -- Ohio |