Sunday, December 13, 2009

[ZESTCaste] 2009 scholarship donations

 

2009 scholarship donations

 

Dear donors and friends,

I apologize for the delay in accepting donations for 2009 scholarships. It is delayed as we were trying to fix Organizational issues in India. I am almost done with it. Following is the progress:

1.       Friends for Education International has been registered under Friends for Education International (India Chapter)

2.       Organizational committee has been established. I will send the info in another mail

3.       Bank Account is opened (Corporate Bank, Nampally, Hyderabad)

4.       Working on getting Income Tax exemption and FRCA clearance

5.       Applications for scholarships have been received

 

So, I request for your donations. We have only 2 weeks in 2009. Please rush your donations.

For donations in USD, we will issue certificate for your tax purposes as ours is a 501(c)(3) org.

For donations in rupees, we may not be able to do so.

 

Remember that we gave more than 100 scholarships last year and I want to see atleast 50% increase this year. Please help us to help the deserving but financially and socially backward children in India. Please let your family members, friends, and colleagues know our work and encourage them to help us.

 

You can donate online or send check to US or India.

Please follow the link for donation information: http://www.friends4education.org/scholarship/0Main/html/donate_address.htm

 

US (Tax exempted under 501(c)(3):
In favor of :FFEI (Friends for Education International)

Bank        : US Bank, La Crescenta, CA

Address:

Benjamin P Kaila
2755 Sanborn Ave

La Crescenta, CA 91214
Tel:   818.248.5889  818.248.5889    818.248.5889  818.248.5889

Email: benjamin_kaila@yahoo.com
Please write to me for any questions

 

India (not yet income tax exempted):
Please contact the following:

Address to send cheque:
In favor of
: Friends for Education International (India Chapter)
Bank:
Corporation Bank, Nampally, Hyderabad

Mr K L Paul
Gayatri Apartments,
Block 1, Flat 407, APIIC Colony, Jidimetla
Hyderabad, India 500 055

Please send this request to your friends, colleagues, and other who you think can help us. Please write to me for any questions.

With regards
Benjamin


 
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An educated man without character and humility was more dangerous than a beast. If his education was detrimental to the welfare of poor, he was a curse to society.
-Babasaheb Dr B R Ambedkar

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[ZESTCaste] Maximum complaints from Dalits in UP: NCSC

 

http://www.ptinews.com/news/421259_Maximum-complaints-from-Dalits-in-UP--NCSC

Maximum complaints from Dalits in UP: NCSC

STAFF WRITER 13:47 HRS IST
Muzaffarnagar, Dec 13 (PTI) The National Commission for Scheduled
Castes has received maximum complaints from Dalits in Uttar Pradesh,
where the state government has allegedly failed to protect their
interests, its chairman Buta Singh said.

Singh told mediapersons in Saharanpur yesterday that "Dalits in UP
have not been getting benefits of the schemes of the Centre due to
their improper implementation by the BSP government".

Only 15 per cent out of 17 per cent population of Dalits in the state
have got the benefit of reservation so far, Singh claimed.

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[ZESTCaste] SC/ST body to fast for pvt job quota

 

http://in.news.yahoo.com/48/20091213/814/tnl-sc-st-body-to-fast-for-pvt-job-quota.html

SC/ST body to fast for pvt job quota

Sun, Dec 13 04:36 AM
Taking a cue from Telangana and Gorkhaland activists, leaders of the
All India Confederation of Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes
Organisations on Saturday declared a fast-unto-death from December 15
to press for job reservation in the private sector and other demands.

Chairman of the confederation Udit Raj charged the government of being
apathetic towards the demands of SCs and STs, and said he and other
members of the organisation would fast-unto-death from December 15.

He said that marginalisation of people in the lower strata of society
was the primary reason behind the demand for separate states and urged
the government to address their problems.

Raj said there were several competent SC/ST candidates, but they were
unemployed as private sectors did not have reservation for them.

"The private sector employs very few persons from the SC/ST category
especially in positions of power. Therefore, the government should
intervene to address the inequality," he said. He also charged the UPA
government of ignoring the issue despite the fact that reservation was
part of the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) of UPA 1.

Apart from reservation in private sector, the confederation also
demanded enactment of the Reservation Act, abolition of contract
labour system in government services, caste certificates issued by one
state to be made valid in all states and reservation in higher
judiciary and the Armed Forces.

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[ZESTCaste] LS members resist AIIMS 'privatisation'

 

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/74685/India/LS+members+resist+AIIMS+'privatisation'.html

LS members resist AIIMS 'privatisation'
Mail Today Bureau
New Delhi, December 12, 2009

Lok Sabha members on Friday protested against the government's push
for financial autonomy in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences
(AIIMS).

Raising the matter during question hour, Mangani Lal Mandal of the
JD-U alleged that the government was "moving towards privatisation" by
accepting the recommendations of the M. S. Valiathan Committee, set up
to look into the institute's functioning.

Mandal alleged that at a meeting held on November 26, the government
had agreed to involve industry associations in its move to privatise
the AIIMS. The MP was particularly agitated about what he perceived
was a proposal of the committee that recruitment to Class C and D
level posts should be done through reputed professional agencies in
public/private sectors.

He demanded to know if the government would fill backlog of vacancies
in the SC/ST/OBC categories in AIIMS in these categories.

Health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad's assurance that the government was
duty-bound to implement reservations, and that the AIIMS governing
panel and the government had not approved the Valiathan Committee
proposal, did not pacify members from the BJP, JD-U and Left parties.
JD-U MPs, in fact, threatened to stage a walkout.

The Valiathan report has invited criticism, particularly from
academics, researchers and doctors, on the ground that it aims to push
the institute out of the common man's reach.

They believe that since the AIIMS was set up under an Act of
Parliament, any change in its basic character should be made only by
Parliament. The report's proposals have been rejected by the AIIMS
institute body.

Some "objectionable" proposals are that members of business bodies
like FICCI and ASSOCHAM be empanelled on the research council and
academic council and the decisionmaking process of the institute.

It is also being said that the committee has recommended a
revenue-generation model that would lead to increased privatisation of
the AIIMS.

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[ZESTCaste] Our Levitating Prejudice

http://www.tehelka.com/story_main43.asp?filename=hub191209our_levitating.asp

From Tehelka Magazine, Vol 6, Issue 50 Dated December 19, 2009

CULTURE & SOCIETY books

Our Levitating Prejudice

Ilaiah's latest book intoxicates but threatens to overdose

ANAND TELTUMBDE


KANCHA ILAIAH is known for books with explosive titles like Why I Am
Not a Hindu and Buffalo Nationalism, but with spiritual content. This
book, his latest, follows in the same tradition. At a time when many
intellectuals are morbidly worried about the resurgence of Hindutva,
Ilaiah boldly sees Hinduism on course of its death because of its
"failure to mediate between scientific thought and spiritual thought".
The book is a reflective account of his own journey through castes and
communities and highlights everyday clashes of caste cultures and
conflict between "the productive ethic of Dalit-Bahujan castes and the
anti-productive and anti-scientific ethic of Hindu Brahminism".

The contents page would catch the fancy of any reader with its catchy
phrases like 'intellectual goondas", "spiritual fascists", used for
Brahmins and "subaltern scientists", "meat and milk economists" for
the Dalit- Bahujans. The first thing that crossed my mind is that the
marketing wing of any publication house will be simply overjoyed with
brand 'Kancha Ilaiah,' with its potential appeal to the vast market
spanning three out of four spiritual worlds (Christian, Islam and
Buddhist, excluding Hindu), to make use of his phraseology. Indeed,
with his passionate promotion of Dalit-Bahujan and outlandish
interpretation of mundane details of life, he has created a unique
place for himself among subaltern writers.


POST-HINDU INDIA: DALIT-BAHUJAN SOCIO-SPIRITUAL AND SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION
Kancha Ilaiah
Sage Publications
316 pp; Rs 295
Reading this book gives you a feel of travelling in a Maglev train —
an illusion of running on rails but in fact levitates over a thin
layer of air. While traversing through its arguments, the book creates
an illusion of being based on truth but is distanced from it by a thin
layer of prejudice. There is an overdose of culture and spirituality
which could intoxicate readers without them realising it.

If one is not so 'spiritually' intoxicated, one suffers from mundane
doubts nibbling at his intellect: is this conjoint term
'Dalit-Bahujan' sociologically viable, given the huge load of material
contradictions between these two population groups that have been
precipitating into most heinous caste atrocities? How and why did
these worthy 'spiritual democrats' or 'spiritual revolutionaries' come
to emulate the caste hierarchy of Brahmins, the spiritual fascists,
within themselves and zealously preserve it? If the Dalit- Bahujans
were so accomplished in terms of their scientific and technological
prowess, how could they be enslaved by a handful of scheming and
spiritually degenerate Brahmins for millennia? The book succeeds in
establishing the superiority of Dalit-Bahujans, but doesn't it
essentially follow the very same Brahmanic ethos of
superiority-inferiority?

The value of Kancha Iliah's book lies not so much in its thesis but in
the richness of its observations not only on the castes of India, but
also on the many people and events in the world.

(Teltumbde is the author of Khairlanji: A Strange and Bitter Crop)


From Tehelka Magazine, Vol 6, Issue 50 Dated December 19, 2009


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[ZESTCaste] Re [E-Forum] Brave Gujarati girl

 

Dear Imran Sahab,

Thank you so much for your generous commitment to contribute $100 towards helping one of the victims of Patan Gang Rapes. We know there are many others, including the victims of the 2002 carnage. Possibly opening our wallet for one may get us into the habit of opening it up more often and readily and induce others to do the same.

It would be nice if all of us voluntarily decided to allocate a certain percentage of our income every year towards a personal pay back to the society we live in.

So far I had not committed any amount towards Guddi (the Dalit victim whose faintings at the sight of her tormentors caused this case to gather momentum and expose the scandal). But your generous commitment has encouraged me to do the same. I am also pledging to make a contribution of $100 towards helping Guddi. I will be sending my check to Mr. Kaila in the next few days.

For the address where to send the contribution to, I am copying the latest letter of Mr. Benjamin Kaila in this regard below. As far as I can make out, the contribution can be sent to one of the following two addresses mentioned at the website:
http://www.friends4education.org/

US (Tax exempted under 501(c)(3):
In favor of :FFEI (Friends for Education International)
Bank : US Bank, La Crescenta, CA

Address:
Benjamin P Kaila
2755 Sanborn Ave
La Crescenta, CA 91214
Tel: 818.248.5889
Email: benjamin_kaila@yahoo.com

For contributions in India, I think the address as given on the website is obsolete. It is supposed to go to Mr PVV Rao, Secretary, Hyderabad, India, Tel: (91)944.072.4001 (Mobile) pvvrao@hotmail.com

Mr. Rao has taken over the responsibilities previously allocated to: Mr K L Paul.

Thank you again, Imran Sahab. You an angel!

With love and best wishes to you and your family for a very Happy, Healthy and Wealthy New Year and joyous holidays!

Satinath

===============

Re: [nri-sahi] Re [E-Forum] Brave Gujarati girl
Saturday, 12 December, 2009 4:34 PM
From: "mohammad imran" imran@verizon.net
To: nri-sahi@yahoogroups.comCc: "'Satinath Choudhary'" <satichou2@yahoo.com>Dear Satinathji,

We should raise some funds for these girls. I will contribute $100.

Imran

On Dec 12, 2009, at 3:01 PM, Satinath Choudhary wrote:
Dear Prashant jee,

============

[E-Forum] On brave Gujarati girl
Saturday, 12 December, 2009 10:55 AM
From: "Benjamin Kaila" <benjamin_kaila@yahoo.com>
To: raghavan@prl.res.in
Cc: sshankar@cmi.ac.in, "S. Anand" <anand@navayana.org>, "S.Anand" <anand.navayana@gmail.com>, "Dr. John Dayal" <catholicunion@gmail.com>, "Chandrabhan" <pioneercbp@yahoo.com>, "\'Shivam Vij\'" <shivamvij@gmail.com>, "shobhita naithani" <shobhitanaithani@gmail.com>, "Journalist-Rajeev" <rajeevravisankar@gmail.com>, "Tehelka-Shammy" <shammy@tehelka.com>, "Tehelka-Vikram" <vikram@tehelka.com>, "HinduReporter-RaviReddy HinduSpecialCorrespodent" <maramreddyravi@gmail.com>, "Journalist-Swathi" <swathi.vsk@gmail.com>, "Journalist-vidya venkat" <vidya_venkat153@yahoo.co.in>, "French Media-Saindon Stephanie" <stephanie.saindon@courrierinternational.com>, "StalinK" <stalink123@gmail.com>, "Stalin K" <drishti@vsnl.com>, "Dalits Media Watch" <PMARC@dgroups.org>, "AmbedkarScholarshipGroup" <ambedkarscholarship@yahoogroups.com>, "Human Horizons" <humanhorizons@yahoogroups.co.uk>, "APJC-Vinaya K" <k_vinaya16@yahoo.com>, "Dalit Group" <dalit@yahoogroups.com>, "KIRIT
PARMAR" <kirit11@yahoo.com>, "OfficersForum" <officersforum@yahoogroups.com>... more
(I am sending this email to some journalist and people in the media to see what do they think of it.) Please free to forward it to others.
Dear friends in the media,
I request you to give maximum publicity to this brave girl. Any help from your side is appreciated. Is she not brave enough to get bravery award from Govt of India? When a small dowry victim's case became international news, why her bravery doesn't hear anywhere? If you are with me, please publicist it widely and get the attention it requires.
Dear Mr Raghu,
Can I have your brief introduction to know you better?
Thanks for your communication and interest in this brave girl's case. Here are my responses to your queries.
1. As I have mentioned in my earlier email, we have a number of options I could think of. If all promised donations are realized, we may raise little more than a lakh. My first option is putting all the money in a Fixed Deposit for a period with an option of getting interest every month. But, I do not know how badly she is in need of money and how much she needs. That can be found by people like you, who are at the ground. We go by your suggestion.
2. I am also thinking of buying a second-hand auto-rikshaw and present it to her father, if that can help the whole family. Please think of it as well.
3. No function or no expenses involving in it. I may send someone I know to handover the check to her. We may need a photo or two with or without her (if there is any objection in publicity) to upload on our website.
4. Sure, please send an appeal and see if anyone responds. They can send donations to an India address or to you and you may send them to our organization in India. The details are at our website www.friendsforeduca tion.org
5. I will verify the FFEI website and try to correct it. It is a very outdated website and my all attempts to make it good failed. So far, I am looking for a free service as do no want to spend money for such cosmetics. Now, I think,I have no option.
6. Sure, you can contact the doctor and take whatever the help we may get. He may present when we are distributing our donation. I would like to invite the woman teacher Ms Patel (I read it in the news articles) who supported her, if possible.
7. I do not have the correct amount right now. Unless all pledged donations are realized, I will not have the amount. I do not quote some figure and recant when I could not deliver it. But, I am appealing to many people via group emails and individually as well. I want to help her to the maximum extent possible.
8. I am also trying my best to get her some job. I wrote to several influential people, but only one responded so far. Please try at your end as well.
9. To be frank, I got a marriage proposal for her from some social activist. I did not pursue it as I think it is too much for me to involve in such matters.
10. My special request to activists in India:
a. See that the case goes without a barrier. Take whatever the help required and see that the culprits punished to the fullest. I wish they should be hanged, frankly speaking. They destroyed so many lives accroding to the media reports.
b. See that she will get this year's bravery award from the Govt of India. Extensive publicity will be the only way to be noticed by the think-skinned bureaucrats in our "Karma Bhoomi." So, please take initiation on this front.
With regards
Ben
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -
An educated man without character and humility was more dangerous than a beast. If his education was detrimental to the welfare of poor, he was a curse to society.
-Babasaheb Dr B R Ambedkar
Please visit www.friendsfor education. org or www.ambedkarscholar ship.org

__________________________________________________________
Dear Friends, in case you respond to any of my posts on any forum, please send a copy of the same to the eaddress: satichou2@yahoo.com. This ID is much less cluttered, and letters on this ID are much less likely to escape my notice.

Regards,
Satinath Choudhary

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