Latest News Update: Oct 18, 2011

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

[ZESTCaste] Extravaganza in Stone and Bronze

http://blogcritics.org/politics/article/extravaganza-in-stone-and-bronze1/

Extravaganza in Stone and Bronze
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Author: Pooja Wanpal — Published: Oct 17, 2011 at 6:18 am 2 comments
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We find throughout the course of history, various cities, parks,
monuments, and of course, statues of people (or named for them) who
are well alive and active. For political, social or scientific
personalities in the last stage of their lives, this can be an
honourable way to show respect and commemorate their lives' work, but
what about a person who goes about erecting huge memorials and
statues, which are often of herself? That can simply be termed as the
megalomania of a demagogue.
Precisely this megalomania in brass and sandstone spans Uttar Pradesh,
masquerading in the form of Dalit (Depressed classes) memorials. Built
by Mayawati, who is paraded as the 'Queen of Dalits', which she is
arguably not, and as the messiah who would work for their upliftment,
these memorials can find no place in Indian history, except as a
terrible waste of the exchequer's funds.

Located in the Hindi heartland, Uttar Pradesh is India's most populous
state, with a per capita income of Rs 23,132 as compared to India's Rs
44,345. 1000 to 2000 crore rupees have been spent by the Uttar Pradesh
Government in erecting these monuments and statues, and an upwards of
80 crore rupees will be spent every year, in their upkeep.

Dissenting voices against these actions are often suppressed by
claimants, that this was the desire of Kanshi Ram, the founder of
Mayawati's political party, and the money for this expenditure was
from the budget of ministries not related to education or healthcare,
where possibly, the money could have been better spent. If we start to
abide by the wishes of dead sectarian political leaders by
transforming the landscape of a state and misusing power, India would
be a chaotic place indeed, considering that there are hundreds of
regional parties like that of Mayawati which periodically come into
power. And since the memorials utilize the funds allocated to others,
we need a serious consideration of the budget, its ramifications and
subsequent reforms that are so essentially needed, as illustrated by
these justifications.

What these huge monuments that dot Uttar Pradesh's landscape will do,
is provide a constant reminder of the 'leaders', who 'shaped' the
state's past, present and will do so in future, and hence will
subliminally affect the public mind.
The shapes of colossal elephants, the symbol of Mayawati's party
(Bahujan Samaj Party) look down upon the people sedately in Lucknow,
Noida and the rest of the state, while secretly trumpeting the mark
the Mayawati has made on the state. The raised per capita income and
the growth rate of the state finds a secondary place, in comparison to
these gleaming bronze statues and gigantic sandstone figures, which
have attracted ire throughout the country. It is a mark of her true
ascent of power but it may mean a hazy future for her PM-dreams, as a
display of her indelicate attitude and the popular opinion about her
immoderation. It's a victory for now, but a pyrrhic one.

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[ZESTCaste] Dalits face boycott for refusal to beat drums

http://roundtableindia.co.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3897:dalits-face-boycott-for-refusal-to-beat-drums&catid=1:current-news&Itemid=103

Dalits face boycott for refusal to beat drums
Wednesday, 12 October 2011 17:37

MYSORE: Dalit families in Kasuvanahalli village of Nagamangala taluk
who demanded money to beat drums during the Ganesha idol immersion
have been socially boycotted. Upper caste members had approached two
Dalits, Shivaraj and Seetharam, to play drums during the Ganesha idol
immersion procession.

When they demanded Rs150 per person as wages, they were summoned near
Mayamma temple by the village headmen and abused. When they further
refused to play the drums, village headman Mudde Gowda, Parigowda and
others abused their caste. They were forced to fetch water from a
borewell were cattle are fed.

The Dalit families were denied entry into the village. In fact, Dalit
women have been removed from the self-help groups and humiliated
constantly.

As there was no electricity, the Dalit women had to collect water from
a tank only to be threatened by upper caste youths that they would be
paraded in nude.

Meanwhile, MLA Suresh Gowda, who hails from Kasuvanahalli, held a
meeting with the two groups and appealed to them to bury their
differences. Shivaraj and Mayanna lodged a complaint with Nagamanagala
town police station, charging that they fear for their lives and
property. Shivaraj told Express that they worked as labourers in
Nagamanagala town and were not employed by the upper castes.

He added that the panchayat has not given job cards to Dalit families.

Mandya SP Kawshalendra Kumar visited the village and deputed DSP
Channabathanna to look into the allegations.

[Courtesy: IBN Live, October 12, 2011]

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[ZESTCaste] Dalit engineers suspend agitation against PCL mgmt

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-10-12/lucknow/30270697_1_power-engineers-uppcl-management-kb-ram

Dalit engineers suspend agitation against PCL mgmt
TNN Oct 12, 2011, 02.02AM IST

LUCKNOW: Power engineers of the reserved category on Tuesday decided
to suspend their agitation against UP Power Corporation Limited
(UPPCL) management. The engineers had threatened of staging protest
from Wednesday against the UPPCL management alleging the corporation
management of being anti-dalit.

The engineers changed their decision after they had a last minute talk
with chairman-cum-managing director of UPPCL, Navneet Sehgal, late on
Tuesday evening. Later, the UP Power Association, the umbrella
association of engineers from the reserved category, in a statement
announced suspension of the agitation.

Of late, the UPPCL has been in a thick of controversies. While on one
hand the corporation has been accused of buying power at higher cost,
on the other dalit engineers have been accusing the corporation
management of harassing them. The crisis on the second issue stood
diffused but for only for six days. Association's president, KB Ram
said that the talks with the CMD have been positive. But that will be
considered only till October 17.

The association had earlier met power minister Ram Veer Upadhyay who
after considering the demands directed the CMD to take necessary steps
to ease the crisis.

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[ZESTCaste] 'My voice is my greatest weapon to fight injustice'

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/My-voice-is-my-greatest-weapon-to-fight-injustice/articleshow/10395630.cms

'My voice is my greatest weapon to fight injustice'
TNN | Oct 18, 2011, 03.59AM IST

PUNE: The benefits of globalisation are yet to reach the common people
in villages and the inequality in distribution of wealth is growing by
the year, said well-known Dalit activist Bant Singh who is from the
village of Jabbar in Punjab's Mansa district.

In the city to release a book on crime against women by activist Mukta
Manohar, Singh was speaking with reporters during an interaction
organised by the Pune Union of Working Journalists on Monday.

Singh used to be a farm labourer, who was left to die in 2006 after
being beaten up by the village sarpanch and his cronies. His crime
being that he had protested against the rape committed on his daughter
in 2002. Things, though, have changed much since then. Today, the man
is the voice of courage and determination for 50,000 other farm
labourers through his organisation Majdoor Mukti Morcha. He even uses
his singing talent to spread revolutionary messages of social justice,
cast equality and human rights.

"The upper caste villagers in Punjab are known to snatch land from
poor farmers. We are fighting 32 different cases for such farmers and
against their wrong-doers. It's a fight for respect and rights of farm
labourers that we are engaged in. My organisation is ready to fight
for the cause of individuals in other parts of the country who have
faced similar problems," Singh said.

Having grown up in an environment imbued with revolutionary ideals and
the quest for farmers' rights, Singh has been an activist for his
farmer brethren right from his adolescence. His very zeal ruffled the
feathers of his village heads and, in 2002, Singh's eldest daughter
was raped by some village goons. It took him the next four years to
get justice with the culprits being sentenced to seven years
imprisonment. "But today they are out on bail. The sarpanch was never
convicted due to lack of evidence."

Father of four daughters and four sons, Singh said, "My both hands and
legs were amputated due to spread of gangrene, but my voice is still
intact and that is my greatest weapon to fight against injustice."

In 2006, he was awarded a compensation of Rs 10 lakh. But people woke
up to his rich and soulful voice when he began singing two days after
his surgery in the hospital itself. That drew doctors, nurses, the
media and high-profile people from different fields to Singh's life.
"Since then, there have been international musicians from Canada,
France and the US visiting Singh's village to record his voice and
collaborate on music with him, one of them being The Bant Singh
Project," says fellow activist and Singh's close colleague Sudarshan
Singh.

A self-taught folk singer, Singh has been heavily influenced by the
revolutionary Punjabi folk singer Santrak Udasi. Singh is often
invited to farmers' gatherings and delivers fiery performances and
speeches on their rights and freedom. He even lyricises his own songs
that are rendered in Punjabi.

Today, Singh's activism has reached residents of six different
districts in southern Punjab. "Now people are wary of committing
heinous crimes against women because they are very well aware of our
movement that will get the better of them. The caste and class clashes
are apparent, but Singh's struggles have led to poor farmers and farm
labourers uniting with determination and confidence to fight for a
common cause," Sudarshan said.

Actor Aamir Khan, too, is collaborating with him on a television
episode on his life story, claimed Singh. The project is in the
pre-production stage with Khan's team having visited his village this
July.

Meanwhile, Singh said, "Globalisation did not elevate people's
standard of living at the grass-root level. Government benefits don't
reach us. Due to poverty, people like me can't afford to educate our
women and children despite wanting to, and even now the groundwater in
our village is salty and unfit for consumption. Poor farmers are
compelled to buy water for drinking and irrigation."

But his fight for justice has empowered the women in and around his
village. "Hordes of women, including my wife Harbans Kaur, who were
home-bound till a few years ago, are now coming out confidently and
agitating against injustice in rallies through our movement," Singh
added.

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[ZESTCaste] Danam booked under SC, ST Act

http://www.siasat.com/english/news/danam-booked-under-sc-st-act

Danam booked under SC, ST Act
Monday, 17 October 2011

Hyderabad, October 17: The City Police registered a case under SC, ST
Attrocities Act against Labour Minister Danam Nagender and his
supporters for allegedly attacking a dalit youth near Tukkaramgate
here on Sunday morning.

The youth was allegedly beaten up by minister's men after a group of
Telangana activists threw eggs on Nagender's vehicle. The youth,
identified as Sharavan, had a bleeding injury on his face and multiple
injuries on the body. Basing on a complaint, a case under SC, ST
Atrocities Act has been booked against the minister and his men at the
Tukkaramgate Police Station.

Meanwhile, the attack has drawn widespread condemnation with the
pro-Telangana parties demanding his arrest and removal from the
cabinet. Handlooms and Textiles Minister Dr P Shankar Rao too
condemned the attack and demanded impartial probe into the matter. He
exhorted the dalit organisations to organise protest across the State
against the minister. He informed that he spoke to the police
officials concerned asking them to take severe action against those
involved in the attack.

Demanding stern action against the Labour Minister, the Osmania
University Students JAC said that the state government arrested the
MPs and MLAs who were peacefully participating in the Rail Roko
agitation, but spared a minister who openly attacked a dalit youth.

------Agencies

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[ZESTCaste] Symbols arouse dalit consciousness (Opinion)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/opinion/edit-page/Symbols-arouse-dalit-consciousness/articleshow/10392890.cms

COUNTERVIEW
Symbols arouse dalit consciousness
Jay Kumar | Oct 18, 2011, 12.00AM IST

Friday's inauguration of the Rashtriya Dalit Prerna Sthal, a public
park in Noida, by UP chief minister Mayawati is being lamented as a
colossal loss by the Congress and the BJP. The concerns expressed by
them, couched in apparently benevolent terms, are amusing. The two
parties have abjectly failed to rein in corruption in their own
governments, which hurts the poor more. Moreover, they have never
spared the slightest opportunity to indulge in symbolism.

The Congress, in particular, is more hypocritical. Whether it is
roads, streets, parks, social welfare programmes, universities,
stadiums et al, the party has named everything after the Nehru-Gandhi
family in the country. And let's not forget the humongous losses that
the country has suffered in a plethora of scams during the UPA's rule.

The losses incurred in the 2010 Commonwealth Games and the 2G spectrum
allocation scam could have taken care of mega infrastructure
development projects and bankrolled welfare programmes across the
board. Likewise, the BJP has many skeletons in its cupboard. Moreover,
its government in Gujarat hasn't yet furnished details of the
expenditure of chief minister Narendra Modi's three-day sadbhavna
fast, paid for by the state exchequer.

Housing statues of dalit icons like B R Ambedkar, Jyotiba Phule and
Kanshi Ram, the sthal developed by Mayawati raises dalit consciousness
and pride. If anything, it will be perceived as the community's
challenge to upper caste domination. It's a legitimate move towards
the creation and depiction of an alternate version of history.

The symbolic power of such moves can't be underestimated. And any
attempt to undercut it may backfire electorally. In that sense,
Mayawati is spot on that the park symbolises dalit empowerment.

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[ZESTCaste] Mere symbolism can't empower (Opinion)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/opinion/edit-page/Mere-symbolism-cant-empower/articleshow/10392775.cms

TIMES VIEW
Mere symbolism can't empower
Oct 18, 2011, 12.00AM IST

According to UP CM Mayawati, the newly inaugurated Rs 685-crore park
in Noida symbolises dalit empowerment. In other words, the memorials
on display are part of her counter-cultural project to compensate for
centuries of neg-lect and oppression suffered by her community. By her
logic, the statues of Ambedkar, Kanshi Ram and herself installed at
such sites are a necessary homage to champions of social justice. No
one else has honoured dalit icons, she said, so she is rectifying
matters. The question is, can Mayawati's strategy of monumentalising
her caste-based political brand be conflated with uplift of the
downtrodden?

The answer is no. Public good isn't served by promoting exclusivist
agendas linked to personality cults. It demands efficient service
delivery to citizens across the social board. Parties exploiting
identity politics invariably equate the good of this or that section
with their own political fortunes. True, Mayawati has tried to widen
her social base. But she seems yet to understand that people's
empowerment depends on inclusive development on the ground.

UP's record here isn't pretty. Health services are in a shambles, as
exposed by an encephalitis outbreak killing over 400, mostly children,
in poverty-wracked eastern UP. With the second highest slum child
population after Maharashtra, UP is an educationally backward state
where vast numbers face grinding poverty, be they dalits, Muslims or
upper caste Hindus. Moreover, the administration is widely perceived
to be corrupt.

Given all this, Mayawati can hardly justify blowing up jaw-dropping
sums on memorial-building sprees that are environmentally unfriendly
to boot. If she's serious about creating a positive legacy, she'd
focus on good governance the way Nitish Kumar does in Bihar. In an
aspirational nation, leaders will increasingly be judged by their
ability to improve lives by providing schools, hospitals, roads, power
and jobs. Symbolism alone won't cut it.

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[ZESTCaste] Tahsildar pacifies villagers; promises meeting soon

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/197457/absence-officials-irk-dalits-stage.html

Tahsildar pacifies villagers; promises meeting soon
Absence of officials irk dalits; stage protest
Malavalli (Mandya Dist), Oct 12, DHNS

A public grievance redressal meeting for dalits was convened at taluk
panchayat auditorium on Wednesday. But the absence of the officials
and the non-availability of the auditorium as another programme was in
progress irked the dalit leaders who staged a snap stir on the
premises.

An invite for holding a meeting at 11 am on Wednesday was sent to the
dalit leaders and taluk-level officers. Accordingly, some dalit
leaders and tahsildar B Vani arrived at the spot.

Officials absent

When some taluk-level officers did not attend the meeting even after
the scheduled time, tahsildar left the place saying the issue would be
brought to the notice of the deputy commissioner and the meeting would
be held at a later date.

Dalit leaders stressed the social welfare officer to summon the
tahsildar to the spot as they had to bring to her notice on the
absence and negligence of the officials.

They even shouted slogans against the district administration and
officials and staged a protest in front of the office.

The tahsildar again arrived at the spot and pacified the leaders and
said the meeting would be convened at a later date as some officials
were absent. They alleged that a forest official had harassed a dalit
woman in Basavanahalli in the taluk and a barber had severed the nose
of a dalit at Kirugavalu.

But the officials are turning a blind eye towards the issue. If the
officials do not take any steps to protect the dalits, the protest
would be intensified, they warned.

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[ZESTCaste] Day when Dalit becomes premier not far, says Shastri

http://gulfnews.com/news/world/india/day-when-dalit-becomes-premier-not-far-says-shastri-1.895497

Day when Dalit becomes premier not far, says Shastri

Senior ruling Congress party leader says India may have first Dalit
prime minister in future

By Ajay Jha, Chief Correspondent
Published: 13:12 October 17, 2011
Gulf News

New Delhi: Senior ruling Congress party leader Anil Shastri feels that
the party may give the country its first Dalit (lower caste Hindu)
prime minister in future.

Shastri, son of former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, said that
this development may not be far off.

"Congress has made 4 (Dalit) CMs (chief ministers) in different states
in past. Day is not far when it will give a Dalit PM, not for votes
but for Dalit empowerment," Shastri posted ion his Twitter account
Monday.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati, herself a Dalit, fuelled the
speculation last week by saying that the Congress party may appoint
either Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar or federal power minister Sushil
Kumar Shinde, both Dalits, as the prime minister for a short while
ahead of next year's state assembly elections in her state to lure in
the Dalit voters.

The Congress general secretary in-charge for Uttar Pradesh, Digvijay
Singh though downplayed Mayawati's statement saying incumbent prime
minister Manmohan Singh would remain in the post

Shastri, in an another tweet, said, "Mayawati can't be the only Dalit
aspiring to be PM. There are many more qualified and capable leaders
in the Congress."

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[ZESTCaste] Mayawati should resign as BSP has lost majority: SP

http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/mayawati-should-resign-as-bsp-has-lost-majority-sp/864565.html

Mayawati should resign as BSP has lost majority: SP
PTI | 08:10 PM,Oct 17,2011

Kannauj, Oct 17 (PTI) Claiming that the BSP government in Uttar
Pradesh has lost majority in the Assembly, Samajwadi Party leader
Akhilesh Yadav today asked the chief minister to resign immediately.
"Due to recent sacking of ministers and removal of a number of MLAs
from the BSP, the government has lost majority and the CM should
immediately step down," Yadav told a gathering here. He also said that
the common man was fed up with the functioning of the "corrupt" BSP
government. PTI COR ABN PG MQA

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[ZESTCaste] Dalit Park: Boon or Bane for Mayawati?

http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2011/10/18/dalit-park-boon-or-bane-for-mayawati/

October 18, 2011, 11:00 AM IST

Dalit Park: Boon or Bane for Mayawati?

By Preetika Rana

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kumari Mayawati on Friday unveiled her
latest pet project: the 6.85 billion rupees ($139 million) Dalit park
in Noida, just outside New Delhi.

Over 40,000 supporters of Ms. Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party gathered
in and around the park for its extravagant inauguration, which started
with the chief minister's helicopter arrival. In her opening speech,
Ms. Mayawati said that "the park honors the efforts of Dalit leaders
to uplift backward sections of society."

The park, the "Rashtriya Dalit Prerna Sthal," or Dalit tribute
monument, is spread over 33 acres of land and includes 24 pink
sandstone elephants, the BSP party symbol, as well as statues of 15
Dalit icons. Among them: one of Ms. Mayawati herself. She stands next
to figures like Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, the Dalit hero who drafted
India's constitution.

That the chief minister is included in this illustrious list comes as
no big surprise: her home state is already dotted with many of her
statues. But will this populist initiative draw more support for Ms.
Mayawati ahead of the 2012 U.P. elections or backfire?

Ms. Mayawati's lavish park, unveiled at a time when her state is
reportedly struggling with a 186-million-rupee fiscal deficit, has
been slammed by opposition politicians.

The Dalit park has become the latest stage of the battle between
Congress and the BSP over Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state
and one of the country's most coveted electoral prizes. Dalits,
historically at the bottom of India's caste hierarchy, traditionally
support Ms. Mayawati's BSP. But Congress, spearheaded by Rahul Gandhi,
the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, has its eyes on the state and
has been attacking the current chief minister on issues ranging from
law and order to land compensation. The park gives new fodder to
Congress.

Noting that "hard earned money of Indian tax-payers had been
squandered" on the memorial, Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi
told India Real Time that this money could have been put to better
use, like to improve the state's law and order or to provide relief
for the poor. Others described Ms. Mayawati's Dalit park as
symptomatic of her feudal mentality, echoing earlier criticisms
revealed in U.S. diplomatic cables recently made public by WikiLeaks.

The BSP has spoken in Ms. Mayawati's defense, strongly rejecting
allegations of megalomania. They say that erecting statues of the
chief minister wasn't her idea at all – but that of late party founder
Kanshi Ram. A BSP official told India Real Time that Ms. Mayawati
"selflessly" erected her own statues. "Kanshi Ram's written will
requests that his statues should only be erected, if instituted
besides those of the current BSP president," he explained. "Opposition
parties are attempting to mock Behenji [Mayawati] as they fear losing
upcoming state elections," the BSP official added.

One of Ms. Mayawati's main political tools against Congress has been
to slam the party as "anti-Dalit," which she did again on Friday. "The
western banks of river Yamuna in Delhi are adorned with memorials
dedicated to Nehru and Gandhi, however, nothing has been done by the
Congress to honor the Dalit community, which has long been suppressed
and looked down upon" she said. "The BSP took it upon itself to do the
needful," she added. Ms. Mayawati said that at the 2012 state
elections, "not a single Dalit vote from Uttar Pradesh or any other
part of the country would go to them."

Mr. Singhvi of the Congress party rejected Ms. Mayawati's claims.
"Congress is an amalgamation of all castes and communities
representing India," he told India Real Time.

Experts say the BSP may not gain much from the initiative. George
Verghese, of the Delhi-based think tank Centre for Policy Research,
said that the Dalit memorial would only "marginally strengthen BSP's
voter base."

"Extravagant parks cannot feed poverty-stricken [people] across the
state" he said. "Voters no longer live in a fool's paradise." Mr.
Verghese further noted that the launch came at a time when the BSP
"strongly needed to substantiate their credentials" and that memorials
could do little to guarantee a wider voter base.

Srikant Pandey, a professor of political science at Delhi University,
similarly found that the BSP adopted a "short-sighted policy" in its
bid to woo potential voters. "The party might not be able to attract
the urban educated [elite], however it leaves no stone unturned to
secure voters among minorities and the underprivileged, which account
for most of the state's population" said Mr. Pandey. He said that
while this strategy might work initially, it is bound to backfire in
the long run.

The park in Noida is likely to be one of many similar initiatives Ms.
Mayawati's government is set to sponsor in the near future. U.P.'s
administration has set aside 500 billion rupees ($10.2 billion) to
build and maintain memorials, parks and statues around the state, and
only 1% of this amount has been spent so far, Ms. Mayawati said during
the inaugural. The park in Noida was funded partly with money from
this budget and partly through donations, a BSP party official told
India Real Time. Ms. Mayawati said entry fees (visitors have to pay 10
rupees for admission to the park) will help make up for the costs.

While her government has allocated significant sums for memorials and
similar, only 1,800 million rupees (3.6 million dollars) have been set
aside to fight encephalitis, a viral disease that has killed over 400
people in the state in recent months.

Mahesh Kumar, a BSP official, told India Real Time that "all necessary
measures were being taken" to combat the ongoing health crisis in
Uttar Pradesh.

Follow India Real Time on Twitter @indiarealtime.

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