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Saturday, December 4, 2010

[ZESTCaste] 2010 donations - urge for help during this festive season

Dear friends,
I am still waiting to hear from you. Only a few days left in 2010 and we are planning to conduct the 2010 function in Jan 2011.
 
We spend a lot on trivial things. In this festive season, I urge you to please consider the following:
1. a donation to help us help these kids.
2. tell about our project to your friends, relatives, and colleagues 

I am counting on you. Your help of any kind will be a great boost for us to help the most descriminated sections of Indian society.
With regards
Ben Kaila 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
  From: Benjamin Kaila <benjamin_kaila@yahoo.com>
To: AmbedkarScholarshipGroup <ambedkarscholarship@yahoogroups.com>; OfficersForum <officersforum@yahoogroups.com>; Dalit Group <dalit@yahoogroups.com>; Dalit-international <dalits-international@yahoogroups.com>; DalitCOnference <dalitconference@googlegroups.com>; Human Horizons <humanhorizons@yahoogroups.co.uk>; ZestCaste <ZESTCaste@yahoogroups.com>
Cc: siddoji rao <nsiddojirao@yahoo.co.uk>; Michael Arlen <arlen@earthlink.net>; Self Kaila <benjamin_kaila@yahoo.com>; "&#39;Jim&#39; Kommu" <kommu_j@yahoo.com>; Michael Jonas <michaeljonas@gmail.com>; RayadasManthena <rayadasm@yahoo.com>; kaila anand <paulkaila@yahoo.com>; FFEI-India Rajvardhan <raj@samsact.com>;  FFEI-India Samuel <samuel@sonussoftware.com>; pvvrao@hotmail.com; Shiva Shankar <sshankar@cmi.ac.in>
Sent: Fri, October 8, 2010 5:53:16 AM
Subject: Donations for 2010

Please circulate it widely to your colleagues, friends, relatives, organizations, and social and email groups.
-----------------------------------------
Dear donors, friends, and well-wishers,
It has been over a month since I came from India. I am still busy with my personal matters (my brother's death is still bothering me a lot) and so I could not devote time to give information on my Indian trip or work on FFEI projects. I have yet to finalize the accounts for 2009. I will complete it ASAP.
 
I am thinking of sending donation appeal after finalizing accounts; but time and tide wait for none.
 
So, I am appealing for donations for 2010. Please send them as early as possible so that we will make arrangements. You have been patronizing FFEI (Ambedkar Scholarships) since 2003 and I expect the same this year as well. Our responsibility has greatly increased as we have adopted kids for education at 5 different states and we need your help. Please come forward with whatever you can spare. We need your help. 
 
In the past one month, the following activities have been taken place:
 
We sent advertisement to all schools in AP and expecting to get the applications by the end of October.
 
We disbursed Rs. 1,00,000 to Sakya Hostel for its maintenance.  As the funds are running out, its maintenance is worrying its managers. I was very impressed of its working when I visited the hostel. Thanks to Prof Shiva's initiative, the donation was made by Prof David Mumford of US. Thanks to both.
 
We disbursed Rs.50,000 to a microloan project (called "Centring" in building construction), thanks to Prof Anandswarup of Australia.  A group of 10 construction workers will become owners with this donation in a year or so. I met them, listened carefully the proposal, and requested help. Prof Anandswarup, as usual came forward. Thanks Professor.
 
We also planning to buy a computer for the library in Veluru, again with the donation of Rs.20,000 by Prof Anandswarup. 
 
We are pleased to announce that Dr Siddoji Rao, Director, AP Study Circle (IAS coaching center run by AP Government) is willing to associate with FFEI. He is a young and dynamic. He studied in JNU, USA, Australia and gold medalist all through his academic career. He was a dean in an Australian university before coming to India to do social work.  I saw his dedication and sincerity from close quarters. We may officially induct him at a later date. Thanks, Dr Siddoji for coming on board.
 
I have been in dialogue with individuals and organizations I visited during my trip on how we can work together to help the most needy children.
 
So, friends, please come forward with you generous donations for 2010. We have 501(c)(3) in USA and your donation is tax deductible. We are hoping to get Income Tax exemption in India as well, most probably by the end of this year.
 
We are planning to wind this drive by Dec 31, 2010. Please rush your donations.
 
Please send your donations to one of the following methods:
Online donation: http://www.friends4education.org/scholarship/0Main/html/donate_address.htm
 
USD donation: 
  In favor of :FFEI (Friends for Education International)
Bank        : US Bank, La Crescenta, CA 

Benjamin P Kaila
2755 Sanborn Ave
La Crescenta, CA 91214
Tel: 818.248.5889  

Indian rupees:
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
 
With regards
Benjamin P Kaila
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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

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[ZESTCaste] SC frees John Pandian in Kovai murder case

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/chennai/sc-frees-john-pandian-kovai-murder-case-898

SC frees John Pandian in Kovai murder case

December 4th, 2010
DC Correspondent

Delhi/Salem, Dec. 3: The Supreme Court on Friday acquitted dalit
leader John Pandian and four others, while upholding the conviction
and life imprisonment of two persons in a 17-year-old case in which a
man was killed by the jilted lover of his wife in Coimbatore.

A Bench headed by Justice V.S. Sirpurkar, acquitted five co-accused,
including John Pandian, for want of sufficient evidence against them.
They were earlier awarded life imprisonment by the trial court.

"We hold Kumar and Pavunraj guilty and further confirm the judgement
of the appellate court convicting them. We, however, allow the appeals
filed by Sivakumar, Ubaiadulla, Yusuf and Abdul Kareem and John
Pandian giving them the benefit of doubt and acquit them," the bench
said in its 98-page judgement.

The apex court was deciding on a bunch of appeals lodged by several
convicts against the judgement of the high court which had awarded
rigorous life imprisonment to them for their varying roles in the
murder.

The Bench termed the murder of Vivek alias Vivekanandan a pathetic
story of a love triangle having resulted in the gruesome end of the
deceased on August 17, 1993, on Diwan Bahadur Road near Richy Rich
restaurant in Coimbatore.

Key accused Venkataraman committed suicide inside the jail and,
consequently, the appeal against him was abated. Venkataraman was
upset with the marriage of Sunita with the victim.

He allegedly conspired with others and got the victim eliminated.

Meanwhile, in Salem, jail officials said they have not received the
Supreme Court's order, which will happen only next week after which
John Pandian will be released.

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Friday, December 3, 2010

[ZESTCaste] India court okays Dalit leader Mayawati's statues park

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11910895

3 December 2010 Last updated at 13:14 GMT
India court okays Dalit leader Mayawati's statues park

Construction was stopped at the park in October last year

India's Supreme Court has said work can resume at a memorial park
being built by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati in the Delhi
suburb of Noida.

The court said 50% of the 75-acre park must have trees as it was close
to a bird sanctuary and that only 25% could involve permanent
structures.

Ms Mayawati is an icon for India's 160 million low-caste Hindus.

She is famous for building statues of herself and other Dalit icons
but denies encouraging a personality cult.

'Self-glorification'

The Supreme Court has appointed a three-member expert group to ensure
the park is built according to guidelines.

It had ordered the Mayawati government to stop building work in October 2009.

Mayawati, seen here wearing a garland of 1,000-rupee notes (Photo:
Krishan Saith)
Huge numbers of statues commissioned by Ms Mayawati can be seen in the
state capital, Lucknow, and other towns and cities of Uttar Pradesh.

Critics accuse her of self-glorification. She accuses them of
conspiring against her.

Uttar Pradesh is one of India's most deprived states, with a high
crime rate and poor health indicators.

Ms Mayawati's spending on statues and memorials has been described as
"shameful" by India's Home Minister P Chidambaram.

Last year, she unveiled 15 new memorials, including two of herself.

Statues of political leaders are generally put up posthumously, but Ms
Mayawati says that belief is outdated.

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[ZESTCaste] Role of statutory institutions on Dalits shocking : Study

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/article930868.ece

JAIPUR, December 4, 2010

Role of statutory institutions on Dalits shocking : Study
Special Correspondent

A study on the role of statutory institutions in the protection of
Dalit rights in Rajasthan, the findings of which were released here on
Thursday, has revealed a shocking track record of various Commissions
as well as caste biases and nexus rampant in police and administration
resulting in the denial of justice to Dalits and dilution of cases
registered against the perpetrators of crimes against Dalits.

Participants at a State-level consultation at Nehru Sahakar Bhavan
here deliberated on the study results to conclude that the State
Government's protective and development measures for Dalits were
"perfunctory and half-hearted", while Dalits continue to face
tremendous barriers to socio-economic and political progress.

The Society for Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA) and the Centre
for Dalit Rights (CDR) jointly conducted the study over a period of
two months while looking into the role of statutory bodies such as the
State Human Rights Commission, Commission for Scheduled Castes,
Women's Commission and the State Assembly's Committee on Welfare of
SCs.

Noted economist and State Planning Board deputy chairperson V. S. Vyas
was shocked to note that the Commission for SCs had not brought out
its annual report even once during the last 10 years of its existence.
The Commission is at present defunct after the dissolution of the
previous body amid litigation in the Rajasthan High Court.

Not sufficient

Prof. Vyas, who is also a member of the Prime Minister's Economic
Advisory Council, said the 11 {+t} {+h} Five Year Plan's emphasis on
"inclusive growth" would be meaningless if Dalits continued to remain
on the periphery and the statutory bodies supposed to protect them
remained ineffective: "Merely policy formulation is not sufficient.
Conditions have to change at the grassroots."

The speakers at the consultation were dismayed at the 2009-10 annual
report of the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment cited
in the study with the observation that Rajasthan had reported one of
the highest occurrences of atrocities against Dalits during 2008.

Over 4,300 cases of atrocities against Dalits were registered under
the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities)
Act, 1989, in the State during the year, with an average of 44.7 cases
calculated per lakh of population, constituting one of the highest
rates of crimes in the country.

The study noted that pockets of poverty and deprivation still remained
untouched and the protective and development measures had not been
implemented in the spirit in which they were conceived. Since the
bodies such as the SC/ST Development and Finance Corporation are
non-functional, the financial resources under various schemes are
simply not utilised.

CDR patron P. L. Mimroth noted that the State Budget for 2008-09 had
allocated only Rs.27.24 lakh for the Special Component Plan,
comprising an abysmal 2.7 per cent of the total budgetary outlay.
"Coupled with the biases and feudal mindset of the members of
[various] Commissions, this approach renders absolute injustice to
Dalits," he said.

The study also threw light on high levels of dissatisfaction among
Dalits vis-à-vis the constitutional and quasi-legal bodies which were
meant to protect their interests. With an "unsatisfactory role and
disappointing track record", the Commissions had failed to provide
constitutional safeguards or redress grievances of Dalits, felt the
participants.

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[ZESTCaste] Maya to inaugurate two more parks on Ambedkar Jayanti

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Maya-to-inaugurate-two-more-parks-on-Ambedkar-Jayanti/719808/

Maya to inaugurate two more parks on Ambedkar Jayanti

Press Trust of India Posted online: Fri Dec 03 2010, 05:25 hrs
Lucknow : Caring little about allegations of misuse of funds to erect
parks and statues, Chief Minister Mayawati will inaugurate two more as
a tribute to Dr B R Ambedkar on his birth anniversary on December 6.
The state government has sanctioned around Rs 150 crore to develop the
parks.
To be named after the architect of the Constitution, both parks are
coming up in the city's Gomti Nagar locality, where a grand memorial
in the name of Amebdkar already exists. While one is being developed
over a sprawling 22 acres — featuring Lucknow's biggest and most
spectacular musical fountain — the other is coming up over 23 acres on
the banks of Gomti bandha and will have the first four-faced statue of
Amebdkar, said an official.

"Cast in marble, the 18-feet high statue has been sculpted in Jaipur.
Another 12-feet high statue of Dr Ambedkar has been put up inside a
huge pavilion at one of the parks," he added. With well laid out
pathways, flower beds and lights, the entire 45-acre stretch of Gomti
barrage is being beautified to provide a visual treat to visitors.
"There will be a mix of light, music and colours. The hi-tech musical
fountain has cost Rs 2.5 crore," the official said.

Earlier, the Lucknow Development Authority had wanted to sell this
reclaimed land along the Gomti for the construction of a hotel.
However, the idea was shelved after the High Court shot down the
proposal following a public interest litigation challenging the move.

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Saturday, December 4, 2010

[ZESTCaste] 2010 donations - urge for help during this festive season

[ZESTCaste] SC frees John Pandian in Kovai murder case

Friday, December 3, 2010

[ZESTCaste] India court okays Dalit leader Mayawati's statues park

[ZESTCaste] Role of statutory institutions on Dalits shocking : Study

[ZESTCaste] Maya to inaugurate two more parks on Ambedkar Jayanti

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