Latest News Update: Jan 29, 2010

Friday, January 29, 2010

[ZESTCaste] Update on brave Gujarati girl

Dear donors and friends,

Thanks to all those who came forward to help.

I spoke to the brave Gujarati girl a couple of days ago. She is a very brave and intelligent girl. Tough we spoke most of the time in Hindi (with my broken butler Hindi), for her background, she spoke English comfortably. At the end I am convinced that she has a great potential to excel, only if there a helping hand to give her a push in this time of need.

Here is what I gathered from my conversation with her:

1. She lives in Mehesena district (Unja Taluk) 85Km away from Ahmedabad.

2. Her father (an auto driver) met with an accident and could not work for 2-3 months.

3. She has two elder sisters (both married) and two brothers (one married and another is a B Com student)

4. She completed her teacher training (primary level) with distinction and applied for govt jobs advertised

5. She is currently doing a basic computer training that is required for teaching position

6. She is also doing BA (English) from Dr Ambedkar Open University and continue it even after joining a job

7. Her wish is to become an officer

8. Many NGOs and politicians visited her, but did not get any help so far

9. She is doing labor work (Rs. 30-40/day) to feed herself and her family while attending school

10. Her father is not willing to send her away from Mahesana for fear of her safety. I am trying to convince on this.

11. Immediate need is to find a job for her to stand on her own legs and to keep her mind occupied

12. She is very confident that she will be OK and her statement "I consider myself a victor, not a victim" impressed me so much.

13. I was told (by other sources) that she attempted suicide a few weeks ago. I purposefully avoided bringing it into conversation.

What we did so far:

1. We collected approximately Rs.1 lakh. We are considering all possibilities to help her the best way. I will ask your suggestions on this ASAP.

2. We are talking to several contacts (intellectuals and people in position) in India to get her a job near her place.

3. We are trying to understand what her priorities in education. She is keen on becoming an officer. We are exploring the possibilities of sending her to an English speaking course, advanced computer course (if she is interested). She was not interested in Nursing, though I thought that may fetch a quick and a comfortable job.

4. She may need psychological counseling to keep her out of depression. We are finding possibilities of getting such help. We are asking around.

Currently, Mr Kirit and Dr Raghavendra, both from Gujarat helping me on this case. Thanks to both of them apart from all donors.

Due to the sensitivity of the issue, we are very careful. But, without asking we will not be able to help. So, if someone can help us in anyway, please let me know ASAP.

We are still collecting donations. Please send if you like to help her.

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

Please visit www.friendsforeducation.org or www.ambedkarscholarship.org

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[ZESTCaste] Nooyi for women's quota at Davos

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/business/nooyi-womens-quota-davos-741

Nooyi for women's quota at Davos
Jan 29 2010
Indra Nooyi, the first Indian-born chief executive at PepsiCo, wants a
quota system to get more women at the annual World Economic Forum in
Davos, Switzerland.

Nooyi ranked No. 3 on Forbes' 100 Most Powerful Women list last year
laments that at this "one-of-a-kind initiative," women are still
grossly underrepresented.

"We are up to 15 percent now, but I think the numbers should be more
like 40 percent-50 percent," she told ForbesWoman at Davos noting that
one of the problems is that women have not "done enough" to bring
other women into Davos.

While she acknowledged that definitive conclusions were rarely, if
ever, reached at the Swiss resort, it is a time for great leaders,
executives and thinkers to talk about issues in a "fairly open way."

The 54-year-old business leader believes that bringing together a
critical mass of women at Davos would ensure that women's issues were
more prominent on the agenda.

Putting women on panels and having a quota system where every panel
has at least one woman would "change the whole nature of Davos," she
asserts. And just getting women to Davos at least once to "show them
how powerful Davos could be," is the first step on a long road to
success, she maintains.

Women's issues aside, Nooyi's outlook on 2010 is cautiously
optimistic. While the Western economies-the US and Western Europe-are
still struggling, the Middle East is experiencing tremendous buoyancy,
she says.

Citing employment and job creation as the "engine of growth," Nooyi
warns that North America, Mexico and Western Europe have to ramp up
their efforts on these fronts, this year.

"At this point, we have to put our faith in all of the leaders and
hope that all of the policy actions they're taking actually leads to
something," she concludes.

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[ZESTCaste] BSP govt to raise spcl force to protect Dalit memorials

http://www.zeenews.com/news599685.html

BSP govt to raise spcl force to protect Dalit memorials

Updated on Friday, January 29, 2010, 00:29 IST Tags:Mayawati, VIP
force, statues

Lucknow: The grand memorials the BSP government has built for Dalit
icons here and in Noida are still mired in legal battle but that has
not deterred it from coming out with a proposal for raising a special
security force at a cost of about Rs.60 crore for protecting them.

A bill, titled "State Special Region Security Bill, 2010", tabled in
the Uttar Pradesh Assembly by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Lalji
Verma, aims at providing security to the various memorials, status and
parks set up in the state.

The measure describes the memorials, parks and other important places
as "special region" for the purpose of providing security to them.
While the UP government estimates place the cost of the memorials in
Lucknow at Rs. 2,600 crore, the one in Noida, near Delhi, is around
Rs.650 crore.

They include the Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Samajik Parivartan Sthal, Dr
Ambedkar Bihar, Manyavar Kanshiramji Smarak Sthal as well 13, Mall
Avenue (the bungalaow allotted to Chief Minister Mayawati when she was
CM earlier and has since then been converted into a memorial) and the
Gautam Buddh Nagar Samta Moolak Sthal in Noida, near Delhi.

Following public interest ligation in Supreme Court in the wake of
raging controversy over public money being spent on these memorials,
work in all these memorials has been put on hold.

Under the bill, the raising of the force would cost Rs53 crore while a
recurring annual expenditure is estimated at around Rs.14 crore,
excluding the expenditure on land required for purpose of having
infrastructure for the force.

IPS and PPS officers would be appointed to head the top positions in
the new force while subordinate staff would be directly recruited.

In the initial stage, only one battalion of the force would be raised
but the state government would have the right to expand it.

PTI

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[ZESTCaste] Mayawati seeks SC permission for completion of 'smarak' projects

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Mayawati-seeks-SC-permission-for-completion-of-smarak-projects/articleshow/5510338.cms

Mayawati seeks SC permission for completion of 'smarak' projects
TNN, 29 January 2010, 03:58am IST

NEW DELHI: Nearly four months after the Supreme Court took exception
to huge public funds being spent on 24 memorial projects for Dalit
leaders in Lucknow and stayed all ongoing work, the Mayawati
government on Thursday sought its permission to complete the work at
the project sites.

The reason for such permission articulated in the application filed
through additional advocate general Shail Kumar Dwivedi was
interesting to say the least for it said: "Public funds have been
expended on these constructions, and it is necessary that they be
fully completed by the contractors, which at this stage requires
removal of shortcomings."

The state through senior advocate Harish Salve gave an undertaking
before a Bench comprising Justices H S Bedi and A K Patnaik that "no
new project will be launched nor any new construction undertaken in
any of these projects."

Before reserving the orders on UP's application, the Bench sought
response of the petitioners. Their counsel -- senior advocates A M
Singhvi and Rajeev Dhawan -- termed this as a "trap" to eke out a
concession which the apex court had stoutly denied through its interim
orders of September 11 and October 6 last year.

Singhvi said no grave urgency has been pointed out by the state to
carry on with the unfinished work and expressed apprehension that "it
is a trap by the state of Uttar Pradesh". The Bench said: "We can
assure you that we will not get into any trap."

Dhawan said that the nature and breadth of work specified by the UP
government to be carried out at Kashiram Smarak Sthal, Ramabai
Ambedkar Maidan, Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Sthal, Samajik Parivartan
Sangrahalaya (Stupa) and Pratibimb Sthal and Pyramid (Drishya Sthal)
only showed the anxiety of the state to get on with the unfinished
work in the name of maintenance and repair.

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[ZESTCaste] Mayawati creates history

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opinion/editorial/Mayawati-creates-history-/articleshow/5511697.cms

Mayawati creates history

29 Jan 2010, 0603 hrs IST, ET Bureau

The Uttar Pradesh chief minister's latest move would be considered
unusual even in a country with a monarchial tradition like Britain,
whose spies
are said to be On Her Majesty's Secret Service (OHMSS). If the British
parliament adopted a bill like the one recently moved by the UP
government, OHMSS could even stand for On Her Majesty's Statue
Service! A special task force (STF) of 1,000 policemen is to be set up
to guard the 10 memorials in UP — 9 in Lucknow, one in Noida —
featuring Mayawati's statues along with those of Ambedkar and Kanshi
Ram.

The Supreme Court had stayed the construction of more such memorials,
responding to a petition alleging expenditure of crores of rupees of
public money on these statues. UP, whose ratio of policemen per every
100,000 people is among the lowest in India, will now have the world's
best ratio for cops protecting statues, especially those of Ms
Mayawati, who could cite Opposition leader Mulayam Singh's threat to
pull down the statues, if his party regained power, to defend the new
force.

Mayawati's advisers could well ask whether a squad of 1,000 cops is
alone enough to protect these statues from all those harbouring
nefarious designs. For instance, can a land-based force foil pigeons
which relieve thermselves on statues in even the most developed
nations? The historic statue in London's Trafalgar Square has to be
scrubbed to remove traces of bird droppings so often that, four
decades ago, the wife of the then British prime minister Harold Wilson
wrote a poem which began, "They are cleaning Lord Nelson".

If Lucknow's pigeons are as poorly toilet-trained as their London
counterparts, the only way to maintain the pristine purity of the
Mayawati memorials would be to have a mini air-force of pilots in
planes to chase away approaching birds. Competitions could be held to
decide which is the cleanest memorial and the officer in charge could
be fast-tracked for promotion!

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[ZESTCaste] 'Thakur' Amar Singh for Rajput resurgence in Indian politics!

http://twocircles.net/2010jan28/thakur_amar_singh_rajput_resurgence_indian_politics.html

'Thakur' Amar Singh for Rajput resurgence in Indian politics!
Submitted by admin4 on 29 January 2010 - 10:56am.
Articles India Politics Indian Muslim
By Adnan Alavi,

The decline in influence of Thakur leaders in Indian politics has been
a cause of concern among the once-dominant Rajput community.

And Amar Singh's visible haste in moving away from Samajwadi Party and
Mulayam Singh, is an indication that the suave-socialite now wants to
play the pivotal role for Rajput resurgence.

He is already one of the most prominent faces of the community in the
country. The fact that major North Indian states where Thakurs earlier
used to hold political clout, have undergone a sea change in
post-mandal politics, and there is a void in the leadership of the
Rajputs seems to have stirred Amar.

It's difficult to predict whether he will succeed. However, Amar Singh
seems to have taken the plunge and has burnt his boats. He may not be
a leader of grassroots but has certain qualities, to which we will
come later in this blog post.

WHITHER THAKURS

Once Bollywood was so fixated that in every other Hindustani movie,
the Thakur was branded as a villain and for decades shown as an
oppressor. [Of course there were exceptions like the heroic Sanjeev
Kumar playing the pro-poor Thakur in Sholay.]

In fact, Thakur got more than their share of blame. But never in the
past Thakurs seemed so concerned about the lack of tall Thakur leaders
in the country. And it is indeed ironical that the tallest Thakur
leader VP Singh became instrumental in changing the Indian political
scenerio.

Singh, during his brief term as Prime Minister, implemented the Mandal
report, which changed the complexion of Indian polity.

Thakurs, who aren't numerically a strong force, lost the political
space. Backwards like Yadavs and Kurmis, Dalits, Tribal and other OBCs
who were much more numerous soon took over.

Chandra Shekhar became Prime Minister for four months. Arjun Singh was
one of the strongest Thakur leaders and came close to becoming Prime
Minister.

The days of Vir Bahadur Singh, who was Chief Minister of UP, and
Digvijay Singh ruling Madhya Pradesh [or Virbhadra Singh in Himachal
Pradesh] are gone.

Of course, Raman Singh is at the helm in Chhattisgarh but his
influence is limited. The number of Rajput MLAs and MPs has gone down
significantly in the last two decades.

Thakur stalwarts like Bhairon Singh Shekhawat and Arjun Singh have
been either shunned or sidelined in their respective parties. Jaswant
Singh and Rajnath are also gone from the scene. Do we even hear of
Karan Singh these days?

KSHATRIYAS+EBCs
It is in this context that the need for Thakurs to play a part in
politics is being felt dearly. It is quite clear that Kshatriya
organisations at district and town levels are giving such feelers that
they would back Amar Singh wholeheartedly.

After all, it is not possible for a Thakur in dynasty ruled Congress
to play a major role. Amar Singh, with his manoeuvres, connections and
other qualities, can either head a political party supported by
Thakurs or lead a loose group of Thakur MPs.

If one does focus on his statement published in a post on his blog,
then it's crystal clear that Singh aims at forging an alliance of
Extremely Backward Castes (EBCs) or Most Backward Castes (MBCs) who
abhor the OBC dominance.

Yes, SP rule was perceived as Yadav raj and BSP rule appears Dalit
monarcy. But can he get the necessary support. Amar Singh now says
that he would dedicate himself to Kshatriyas and Nishads, Rajbhars,
Nonia, Vishwakarma, Pal, Teli and caste groups like Kashyap, Kumhar et
al.

It may appear a fantasy but there are signs that his community members
want him to play a pan-Indian role. Given the strong sense of clanship
among Thakurs, even if they belong to diverse political spectrum, this
is a possibility.

However, electoral victory is not easy. Thakur population is
relatively small and given the feudal influence, there are still
resentment among Thakur leaders in rural areas. The million dollar
question that how Amar can act as magnet to the neglected
micro-minuscule groups that number 1-3% each? [Now he doesn't talk
about Muslims, naturally.]

Brahmins had also suffered electorally after Mandal commission report
but because they are a strong caste group, numbering around 9% in UP
and 5-8% in other North Indian states, their alignment can benefit any
coalition and thus they are again being wooed.

Singh has some strengths. Apart from the ability to recall and recite
couplet for any occasion, he even otherwise has a way with words and
knows how to stay in news. Sections of Muslims praise him as he was
the only man who spoke courageously after the Batla House encounter,
at a time, when no Muslim leader was visible on the streets.

It is a fact that he stands by his friends and has certain
characteristics which endear him to others. Otherwise there are many
more cash-rich and connected persons in this country but none of them
can boast of dedicated friendships of the likes of Anil Ambani,
Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Prada and Sanjay Dutt among others.

Especially in the class of celebreties where people have huge egos and
nobody bothers much for the other, he goes the extra mile and takes
care for his friends, which attract them towards Singh. Samajwadi
Party leaders and workers seem happy that Singh is gone. But the SP
has a tough battle ahead.

For Amar Singh. He is testing waters and is touring UP, gauging the
support of his community and other groups before taking a decision. It
may not change the shape of Indian politics but Thakurs are poised to
support him in his move.

We've just heard of Kshatriya Chetna Jagran Rath Yatra. Many more
might follow soon. UP has seen AJGAR [Ahit, Jat, Gujar and Rajput] &
MY [Muslim-Yadav] formulae in the past. Will Amar's caste calculations
work? Let's wait and watch this interesting man.
Urdu Muslim India Islam Poetry Religion Hindu Shairi Ghalib Literature
Ada Lucknow Meer Faiz Indian Muslim Blog Cricket Ghazal Blogger
Islamic Hindi Kavita Shayar Sahitya

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[ZESTCaste] Sangam wants lands restored to Dalits

http://www.thehindu.com/2010/01/29/stories/2010012953370300.htm

Tamil Nadu

Sangam wants lands restored to Dalits

Staff Reporter

Undertakes 40-km padayatra and submits memorandum to District Revenue Officer

Seeking justice: Members of the Tamilnadu Vivasayigal Sangam squatted
near the Collector's chamber in Krishnagiri on Thursday demanding
proper reply from the Collector. —

KRISHNAGIRI: Tamilnadu Vivasayigal Sangam affiliated to Communist
Party of India (Marxist) undertook a 40-km padayatra and submitted a
memorandum to District Revenue Officer (DRO) P. Prabhakar here on
Thursday urging the district administration to retrieve lands
belonging to Dalits in Reddipatti village. P. Shanmugam, State
Secretary of the Sangam led the padayatra.

As they were not satisfied with the response, the Sangam members
squatted near the Collector's chamber.

Mr. Shanmugam also urged the district administration to retrieve the
lands from caste Hindus at Ittikal Agaram village and Vasanthapalli.

Earlier, the yatra commenced from Reddipatti village on Wednesday and
reached Krishnagiri via Thattakkal, Kaveripattinam on Thursday
evening. The sangam said about 500 acres in Reddipatti were cultivated
by poor Dalits for more than 50 years.

These lands were categorised in the revenue records as 'Thotti
Uzhiyam', distributed during the British rule. The village Reddipatti
is situated between SIPCOT in Bargur and Vanipatti Lake. Most of these
lands are rainfed tracts and uplands and farmers used to cultivate
only dry crop.

Migration

As a result, many Dalit families were not economically sound. Many
farmers migrated to Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh to earn their
livelihood.

It is alleged that a certain Chettiyar familyruled the villagefor over
50 years. During the period, the Chettiyar family exploited the
Dalitsand surreptitiously transferred their lands to Chettiyar family
in 1985 with the connivance of revenue officials.

As the Dalits did not have the money or muscle power to fight the
Chettiyars they kept quiet all these years. Those who showed grit to
stand up to the might of the Chettiyar family were threatened by the
Chettiyars' goondas or tortured by the police and were thrown out of
the lands they were cultivating.

A Dalit A. Duraisamysubmitted many memoranda to the government urging
it to cancel the illegal pattas given to the Chettiyar family.

In 2001 the then district collector of the combined Dharmapuri
district K. Balachandran directed the Revenue Divisional Officer to
inquire into the alleged scamand file a report in 30 days. But the
Chettiyar family managed to block the inquiry.

After the bifurcation of Krishnagiri district, Mr. Duraisamy submitted
a memorandum to the Krishnagiri RDO on November 11, 2005. An inquiry
was conducted on April 5, 2006. Meanwhile, Mr. Duraisamy died in June
2006.

After the demise of Mr. Duraisamy, the Chettiyar family started
selling the lands cultivated by him, it was alleged. More than 300
families live in this village.

Some of the Dalits told that they could not get the information about
the `Thoti Uzhiyam" land through RTI.

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