Latest News Update: Aug 13, 2011

Saturday, August 13, 2011

[ZESTCaste] 345 LESSONS 14 08 2011 brahmanavagga brahmans FREE ONLINE eNālandā Research and Practice UNIVERSITY and BUDDHIST GOOD NEWS letter to VOTE for BSP ELEPHANT to attain Ultimate Bliss-Through http://sarvajan.ambedkar.org- Free Buddhist Studies for Young Students- Lesson 10: Pure States of Mind and Loving-kindness

345 LESSONS 14 08 2011 brahmanavagga brahmans FREE ONLINE eNālandā Research and Practice UNIVERSITY and BUDDHIST GOOD NEWS letter to VOTE for BSP ELEPHANT to attain Ultimate Bliss-Through http://sarvajan.ambedkar.org- Free Buddhist Studies for Young Students- Lesson 10: Pure States of Mind and Loving-kindness

MAY YOU BE EVER HAPPY, WELL AND SECURE
MAY YOU LIVE LONG
MAY ALL SENTIENT AND NON-SENTIENT BEINGS BE EVER HAPPY
MAY YOU BE ALWAYS HAVE CALM, QUIET, ALERT,ATTENTIVE AND
EQUANIMITY MIND WITH A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING THAT
NOTHING IS PERMANENT

[ZESTCaste] Odd caste for film that honours the Bollywood mould

http://www.smh.com.au/world/odd-caste-for-film-that-honours-the-bollywood-mould-20110812-1iqyp.html

Odd caste for film that honours the Bollywood mould
Amrit Dhillon, Delhi
August 13, 2011
Khap features well-known actor Om Puri.

Bollywood doesn't do social evils. It doesn't do serious issues. The
film industry shies clear of tackling such subjects for fear the
audience might find them too ''heavy''.

Where would you insert the compulsory song-and-dance routines -
couples dancing in sunflower fields or prancing around on mountain
tops - when the story is about female foeticide, dowry deaths or the
selling of young girls into prostitution?

None of these concerns has deterred director Ajai Sinha, whose new
film, Khap - Honour Killings, has just been released, to the fury of
conservatives who do not like traditional customs being questioned.
Advertisement: Story continues below

This particular custom, widespread in north India, dictates that no
man or woman can marry if they belong to the same clan. If they dare
to do so, the village khap panchayat (caste council) wreaks swift and
barbarous retribution.

The couple are often strung up from the nearest tree or beaten to
death, either by their parents or by the parents and a pack of
villagers, for ''dishonouring'' the community.

Khap features well-known actor Om Puri (below) as a panchayat head who
violently opposes intra-caste marriages. His son rebels against the
father and goes off to become a human rights activist.

Mumbai-based Sinha says he carried out extensive research into honour
killings and met members of khap panchayats and the relatives of men
and women who had been murdered.

''I wanted to shine a light on these crimes to ask audiences what era
are we living in? Is this the 15th century? My basic message is that
no matter what your beliefs about caste or marriage, you do not have
the authority to kill anyone,'' he said.

In this dark subject, Sinha, loyal to Bollywood traditions, manages to
insert not one but six song-and-dance routines, most of which pop up
at bizarre moments.

In Haryana, khap panchayat leaders have denounced the film for
portraying them as ''cruel fanatics'' and threatened to boycott it.
Some were livid at being portrayed as violent. Yet one of the
characters in the film articulates their point of view and speaks in
favour of honour killings. ''I wanted to give their side … to show
that this idea of not marrying within the same caste was originally
not a bad idea,'' said Sinha.

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[ZESTCaste] Special scheme for SC/ST patients

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/183419/special-scheme-scst-patients.html

Special scheme for SC/ST patients
Banglore, August 12, DHNS:

The Department of Medical Education (DME), for the first time, has
come out with a special scheme to assist patients belonging to
Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe (SC/ST) communities receiving tertiary
care treatment.

Principal Secretary Gopalkrishne Gowda said on Friday that the funds –
Rs 36 crore for SC and Rs 18 crore for ST categories this year – will
be released only after the patient has availed assistance from other
health schemes.

The patients can avail Rs one lakh or the actual cost if it's within
the ceiling for the treatment of cardiac problems, cancer and kidney
diseases, said Dr C N Manjunath, Director, Sri Jayadeva Institute of
Cardiovascular Sciences and Research.

Besides, 30 children suffering from congenital heart diseases have
been undergoing surgery during the three-day national workshop that
began on Friday.

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[ZESTCaste] Tribals in J&K demand ban on Aarakshan

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_tribals-in-j-and-k-demand-ban-on-aarakshan_1575430

Tribals in J&K demand ban on Aarakshan
Published: Saturday, Aug 13, 2011, 8:30 IST
By DNA Correspondent | Place: Srinagar | Agency: DNA

Tribal Gujjars have started mounting pressure on the Omar Abdullah-led
government to ban the screening of Parkash Jha's Aarakshanin Jammu and
Kashmir.

Tribal Research and Cultural Foundation -main organisation of
Scheduled Tribe - Gujjars and other marginalised groupson Friday
demanded immediate ban on the screening of film in the state as it
hurts the sentiments ofbackward and suppressed sections of society.

"A team of our organisation who viewed the film todayhas decided to
oppose the screening ofcontroversial movie in sensitive state like
J&K. Some continents of the movie hurt our souls,hearts and minds"
said Javaid Rahi, secretary of Tribal Foundation, in a statement.

Rahi noted that the reservationis neither a charity nor an aidtothe
weaker sections of societies.

"The concept of reservation was based on proportion of total
population of a suppressed community fall under a particular
categorywhereby a percentage of posts are reserved in admission,
employment, promotion,assemblies and Parliament," said Dr Rahi

"The objective ofthe reservationis to mitigate backwardness of the
socially and educationally backward communities includingScheduled
Castes and Tribes who do not have adequate representation in these
services and institutions but this part is missing in the film".

Rahi said scheduled tribe, scheduled caste and other backward class
(ST/SC/OBC) constitute a substantial chunk of J&K's population and
therefore thegovernment should respect our sentiments and ban
screening ofAarakshan in the state.

"Since three Indian states have banned the film based on the
controversial issue of reservation / quotas for low-caste people, J&K
government should take action on priority. Tribal Foundation demand
immediate ban asthis is in public interest, taking into account
certain objectionable dialogues and scenes that are against dalits and
suppressed classes," said Rahi

------------------------------------

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[ZESTCaste] Father argues for aarakshan, sons shine bright without availing reservation

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Father-argues-for-aarakshan-sons-shine-bright-without-availing-reservation/articleshow/9586843.cms

Father argues for aarakshan, sons shine bright without availing reservation
I P Singh, TNN | Aug 13, 2011, 07.13AM IST

JALANDHAR: As `Aarakshan` is expected to trigger a debate on
reservation issue, the story of a advocate from Phagwara and prominent
dalit writer S L Virdee and his two sons Manav and Insaan stands out
in this sphere, even as the family sets new benchmarks in the society.

Virdee`s two sons have not availed reservation in their entire
education even as their father is a strong votary of reservation and
has churned out thousands of pages - of books, booklets and articles
for newspapers and periodicals - advocating it. His argument for
shunning reservation for his own sons is, "they don`t need it".

Manav had done LLB and he then topped the university in LLM, after
registering as general category candidates for both the degrees. The
only time he availed reservation was when he appeared for PCS judicial
exam last year that too after Virdee`s fellow advocates nearly
compelled him (Manav) to fill the forms as SC candidates.

"We didn`t want him to spoil his career for his father`s idealism as
earlier he lost a seat in Haryana Judicial Service exam just by one
mark in general category. Had he applied in reserved category he would
have topped in that exam," said an advocate at Phagwara courts who was
part of the "pressure group". However, he was selected without
reservation as he ranked 11 in the overall merit in Punjab last year.

In judicial services exam of Haryana and Delhi, he applied as a
general category candidate and cracked both the tests. In Delhi, he
had ranked 13 in overall merit. Manav preferred Punjab to serve as a
judicial officer and is currently undergoing training.

Virdee`s younger son, Insaan is pursuing LLB at Regional Centre of
Punjabi University where he got admission without availing
reservation.

Virdee believes that the creamy layer in the dalits should not avail
reservation so that others on the lower socio-economic strata could
come up in society, but he also feels that Dalits should not be barred
by law, their giving up on reservation should only be done
voluntarily. "Official figures reveal that in higher education and
elite services, dalits are very few as compared to their population,"
he said.

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[ZESTCaste] Bollywood film is deemed untouchable

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/31089468-c4e6-11e0-9c4d-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1UunhBc46

August 12, 2011 6:58 pm
Bollywood film is deemed untouchable

By James Fontanella-Khan in Mumbai and Akanksha Awal in New Delhi

The painful legacy of India's caste system has collided with Bollywood
after a new movie highlighted long-running discrimination against the
country's Dalits, or untouchables.

Aarakshan, which means reservation or quota, has been banned in three
Indian states. Protests ahead of its release on Friday sparked fears
of social unrest and highlighted the enduring divisiveness of
Hinduism's millennia-old hierarchy system.

Starring Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan, the Hindi-language film
focuses on the quota system established at the time of independence,
which set aside a proportion of university places and public sector
jobs for the country's most underprivileged castes and tribes.

The caste-based affirmative action policies were aimed at redressing
inequalities generated by Hinduism's caste system, which divides
society based on traditional occupations.

Critics say that Aarakshan depicts upper castes in a bad light for the
way they mistreated Dalits, while at the same time ignoring how the
quota system helped lift many people out of poverty.

"While the overall theme of the film is not objectionable, it is
loaded with anti-Dalit and anti-[quota] dialogues," P.L. Punia,
chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled
Tribes, said. "Aarakshan has failed. It is likely to create communal
tension."

The film, released just days before India celebrates the 64th
anniversary of independence, was banned in Uttar Pradesh, Andhra
Pradesh and Punjab. Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state with
180m people, is ruled by Kumari Mayawati, the country's most powerful
lower-caste politician. In Mumbai, police were deployed to guard
cinemas and protect Mr Bachchan and the movie's other Bollywood stars
amid fears of attacks by extremists.

Mr Bachchan wrote on his blog that the decision to ban the film
infringed India's freedom of expression laws: "I am saddened that
India's destiny, the dispenser of which rules the minds of all people,
has no effect on those minds that sit in the most august houses of our
legislative assembly."

Prakash Jha, Aarakshan's director, said it aimed to explore the
problems of the quota system, which many believe has failed to create
a more egalitarian society.

According to Sunalini Kumar, an associate lecturer at Delhi
University, the quotas' impact on social mobility has been limited
since their introduction more than 60 years ago. "A recent survey of
professional occupations by caste in Mumbai shows that around 98 per
cent of the sweepers, municipal workers, sewage workers . . . are
Dalits," Mr Kumar said. "Around 97 per cent of journalists and media
professionals in the country belong to upper castes."

Amaresh Dubey, a professor at Jawaharlal Nehru university in New
Delhi, counters that quotas remain the best way to address India's
social divisions: "The ethnicity and caste-based discrimination has
been widely researched. . . Affirmative action or positive
discrimination has to be the way to go."

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[ZESTCaste] Matter of choice

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/183342/matter-choice.html

Matter of choice
August 12

''Only the Censor Board can clear the films.''

A multitude of self-appointed censors have imposed a ban on Prakash
Jha's movie, Aarakshan, claiming it has certain 'objectionable' parts
that could hurt the sentiments of dalits and OBCs. Aarakshan deals
with the sensitive subject of caste reservations in India. A special
panel of the Central Board of Film Certification viewed the movie,
found nothing offensive, still suggested a couple of minor changes and
gave it a U/A certificate. Jha made the changes the board suggested
and prepared for the film's release. That was when an array of
'censors' jumped in to raise what are rather ridiculous objections.
Even Saif Ali Khan, a Muslim, portraying a backward caste youth in the
movie has been objected to. Politicians smelling opportunity to
project themselves as defenders of the interests of one caste or
another called for the film's ban. The governments of Punjab, Uttar
Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh have banned its screening on the grounds
that it contains objectionable material that could lead to an ugly law
and order situation. Others can be expected to follow.

The Indian constitution guarantees citizens the right to freedom of
speech and expression. This right is already tempered by the Central
Board of Film Certification's censoring of films. And to add to this
we now have an array of individuals, organisations, bodies and
political parties that seem to regard themselves as supra censors. The
right to censor films is vested in the Censor Board alone. No other
individual or organisation, private or public or even
government-appointed has the right to decide whether or not a movie is
suitable for Indian audiences. Thus those governments that have banned
the film are in effect undermining the Censor Board's authority.

Those demanding the banning of movies, books and works of art on the
ground that they are objectionable, insensitive or wrongly represent
the 'truth' would do well to realise that Indian audiences are mature
and capable of evaluating for themselves the merit of these works. We
do not need moral police and self-appointed censors to decide what we
should see and in what form. Those who have objections to Aarakshan
have a choice. They could even make another movie expressing their
point of view. India's constitution gives us this choice. The
self-appointed censors cannot deny us this choice.

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[ZESTCaste] Raksha Bandhan: Another form of Slavery

Raksha Bandhan: Another form of Slavery

http://drambedkarbooks.wordpress.com/2011/08/13/raksha-bandhan-another-form-of-slavery/

http://drambedkarbooks.wordpress.com

Know Buddha, Know Life
No Buddha, No Life..!

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