Founding Editor: Daya Varma (1929-2015)
Editors: Vinod Mubayi (New York) and Raza Mir (New Jersey).
Editorial Board: Ram Puniyani and Irfan Engineer (Mumbai); Pervez Hoodbhoy (Islamabad); Dolores Chew (Montreal); Vamsi Vakulabharanam (Amherst); Ajay Bhardwaj (Vancouver).
Circulation/website: Feroz Mehdi (On behalf of Alternatives, Montreal).
INDO-US NUCLEAR AGREEMENT: SOME ISSUES AND CONSIDERATIONS
Vinod Mubayi
The opposition to the proposed 123 Indo-US nuclear deal in India can be divided into several categories: (1) anti-nuclear activists who are unalterably opposed to anything “nuclear” even if it is for peaceful uses, such as electricity production, either because of a belief in the inherent danger of ionizing radiation to environment, safety and health, or because of a perception that nuclear electricity and nuclear weaponry are inextricably linked, or a combination of both, (2) right-wing Indian nationalists who believe that the deal will impose unacceptable restrictions on India’s sovereign “great-power right” to further develop its nuclear weapons arsenal, and (3) left-wing Indian nationalists who feel that the deal will make India into a junior, subaltern partner of U.S. imperialist interests and curtail India’s foreign policy choices.
SIXTY YEARS OF FREEDOM, ONE HUNDRED FIFTY YEARS OF STRUGGLE
Kaleem Kawaja
India’s Independence Day this year marks full sixty years of freedom from the colonial yoke. Also it marks the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of India’s first war of independence in 1857. It marks one hundred fifty years of the struggle of the Indian masses to remove the domination of foreign control on their society, their ethos, their educational system, their economy and their place among the comity of nations.
HYDERABAD BOMB BLAST
Irfan Engineer
Yet another bomb blast in Hyderabad in Lumbini Park and Gokul Chaat on 25th August 2007, has left us all shattered. The sooner the culprits are caught and punished, the better for the society. At least the suspense would end as to who is involved and why?
PAKISTAN: ANY WAY OUT?
M B Naqvi
(The News, August 29, 2007, produced by SACW August 29-30, 2007)
The situation today is precarious, pregnant with different possibilities. If good sense prevails, Pakistanis can regain their lost sovereignty and a democratic dispensation may be within reach. But equally, selfishness of rulers can lead to dangerous consequences. It all depends.
NEPAL: HINDU RIGHTEOUSNESS
Prashant Jha
(Nepali Times 24 August 07 – 30 August 07)
India’s Hindu right which has been traditionally sympathetic to the monarchy and opposed to Nepal going secular is split about Nepal policy. There are differences in approach between the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) about the political approach to Nepal. The RSS is reassessing its past policy on the future of the monarchy and says putting all their eggs in the royal basket was not a wise move. Besides being a Hindu king, they believed only the king could fight the Maoists. Now, senior RSS leaders admit the erosion of the king’s credibility in Nepal has damaged them as well.
SPECIAL COURTS TO TRY RIOT CASES
Special Correspondent
(The Hindu Aug 14, 2007)
MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh said that special courts would be set up to try serious cases in the 1992-93 communal riots in Mumbai. He told a delegation that at least four to five courts would be set up to try about 24 to 36 cases.
ATTACK ON OUTLOOK MAGAZINE BY FASCIST SHIV SANIKS CONDEMNED
Statement of Dr John Dayal,
Member, National Integration Council, Government of India and President of the All India Catholic Union (Abridged)
ATTACK ON TASLIMA NASRIN AT HYDERABAD CONDEMNED
Three statements by:
- C.M. Naim
- Muslim Intellectual Forum
- John Dayal Read more…
STOP DEMOLITION OF HINDU TEMPLES IN MALAYSIA
A statement by the Association of Indian Muslims of America
(sent by Kaleem Kawaja)
We have learned with much sorrow that in recent months several Hindu temples in Malaysia have been demolished to make way for the government’s development projects. The government of Malaysia has explained that these temples were built on government land without obtaining the government’s approval.
MORE INDIANS IN ‘CITY OF WIDOWS’
Jyotsna Singh BBC News
(sent by Rana Bose)
The number of young Hindu widows seeking refuge in India’s holy city of Vrindavan – nicknamed “the city of widows” – is rising, a study says. The study, funded by the United Nations women’s organisation Unifem, found it was poverty, and not spirituality, that was driving women to Vrindavan. The report said that poor and helpless women went to the northern city to escape “humiliation and dependence”.
RAPE OF ADIVASI WOMEN
Tapan Kumar Bose
South Asia Forum for Human Rights
Eleven women of Vakapalli village in Nurmati panchayat of G. Madugula mandal in Visakhapatnam district, Andhra Pradesh were raped by personnel of a Greyhounds unit in the village on the morning of August 20, ’07. All the women belong to the Kondh tribe (indegenous people), administratively listed as a PTG (Primitive Tribal Group). Ten of them are in the age group of 20 to 30 years, while one woman is 45 years. All of them are married. The village is located about 43 km from the divisional headquarters of Paderu in the Agency region of Vizag district. Paderu is about 100 km from Visakhapatnam.
Obituary: LAL SINGH DIL
Jai Birdi
I am very saddened to hear the news about the loss of a renowned poet and a stalwart of literary works of the peasants- Mr. Lal Singh Dil. He will be missed but his legacy will undoubtedly be cherished for generations to come.