Professional Documents
Culture Documents
N.Nandhivarman
General Secretary Dravida Peravai
Catalyst for
Change
N.Nandhivarman
General Secretary Dravida Peravai
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Our chosen path………
A politician should know something about everything and
everything about something, defined Aringnar Anna. In the social
milieu where politics is condemned as last resort of the scoundrel,
we want to pursue a different path with determination to prove
that politics need not be cursed for human fault. Men at helm
matters. Trend setter’s failure need not be laid at the doors of a
field that is meant to govern human behaviour and life. We decided
to pursue an experimental politics venturing into fields usually
politicians shun.
We dedicate our lifetime for the Tamils and all human beings on
earth who fight for equality and fraternity with prosperity to be
common fruits to all our kinsmen on earth.
N.Nandhivarman
General Secretary
Dravida Peravai
www.dravidaperavai.org.in
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Index Page
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FISHING VILLAGE FIGHTS: SUCCEEDS
Narambai is a fishing village off the Bay of Bengal within the
territorial limits of the Union Territory of Pondicherry. There was
an attempt to evacuate the entire village to set up an offshore LPG
plant from their traditional homes where they were pursuing their
profession for centuries. The Congress Government led by
V.Vaithialingam gave clearance to this project, which will wipe out
the fishing village. The Narambai fishing village Panchayat took up
cudgels against this move which snow balled into a fight for finish
to both sides. We reproduce in verbatim a report from INDIAN
EXPRESS dated 27.05.1995.
While environmental activists are jumping into the fray to stop this
project, an encouraging sign is the manner in which these
uneducated villagers are arming themselves with simple technical
knowledge on what environmental and health hazards this project
may pose for them.
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But the project proposed itself says that activity will be within 300
meters of the high tide line.
About CRZ, he said “We are not violating any regulation and the
law allows such activity beyond 200 meters from the High Tide
Line in cases where the activity requires a water front and
foreshore facilities.
But Kishore Vangul, head of the Enviro Legal Cell of the CPR
Environment Education Center, a center for excellence of the
Ministry of environment points out that even though the CRZ
regulations allow relaxation in such issues' several other
parameters from Environment Impact assessment notification has
to be satisfied. These relate to human settlements and
displacement of population. The project report has falsely stated
that the project is away from major human settlements and there
will be no displacement of the population.
Time and again the Supreme Court has come to the rescue of
people when there is a threat to right to life and livelihood and
both these dangers are very real in this case. The project proposal
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says 150 people will be given jobs. But for this, is it right to take
away the livelihood of thousands of people?
Director of The CPR Center, Nandita Krishna said “We will first
appeal to the company as well as the Ministry to have a reappraisal
of the project. If this does not work we will help the people of the
region to go to Court, but only as a last resort."
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taken steps to provide us water during the last 3 months. Though
no epidemiological studies have been made to assess the medical
problems caused by these chemical industries, in the evenings the
area is completely under smoke.
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Chandrasekar raises a more valid point." During the last few years
all kinds of chemical units have cropped up in this region and
polluted our water resources. And the Pondicherry Paper Mill
discharges its effluent through a pipeline into the sea. Already
some of us have lost our nets when got entangled with those pipes.
When the mill came up in the late 1970's, we did not envisage this
problem. With chemically polluted water our children are
constantly suffering from dysentery, cholera and skin diseases.
And we do not know what other problems our future generations
may face."
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The association of Dravida Ilaignar Peravai with Narambai
Fishermen Panchayat grew day by day cementing an everlasting
bond of comradeship. In the ultimate success of the peoples
struggle the role of two journalists must be recorded with
gratitude. They are T.Manivannan of The Indian Express and
M.Ramachandiran of Dinamani Tamil daily. Mr.T.Manivannan is
currently the Bureau Chief of Tamil News at BBC London. Dravida
Ilaignar Peravai released an unpublished report of an expert study
about which a report by T.Manivannan in The Indian Express is
reproduced here.
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Industrial pollution in the Kirumampakkam area, which has been
the most talked about subject in lay circles in past few years and
more has now been confined by the findings of an expert study
sponsored by the Government itself which is however predictably
gathering dust somewhere in the bureaucratic cupboards.
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some months, the pollution is so damagingly persistent that the air
is harmful most of the time.
The report notes that all through the study by a coincidence the
atmospheric stability was never at its worst possible.: In situation
such as during heavy cloud cover when the stability will be more
than during our studies, the concentrations of the air pollutants are
likely to be higher and more persistent and their impact on the
environment is likely to be more severe, it warns........ (To be
concluded)
The study states that the pollution of the water environment might
be due to heavy withdrawal of ground water leading to salinity
intrusion and pollution of aquifers due to industrial effluents.
Barely eleven years ago, were many of the now salinised wells
usable according to the report. After the establishment of the
industries during the 1980's and consequent spurt in ground water
extraction, the salinity intrusion began and in a few years several
well had become saline.
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Aggravating this seriously was the pollution caused by industries
by way of effluents discharged in ponds and on land and run off
from the solid waste dumps. These have polluted surface water
bodies which being rain fed should not otherwise have become
saline. The ground water also has been polluted by infiltration of
these effluents. The study using statistical analysis of water quality
data concludes that the ponds and underground aquifers keep
receiving waste waters of varying characteristics and
concentrations due to industrial inputs.
More alarming is the finding that water samples taken from these
areas contained excessive concentrations of toxic elements such as
arsenic and mercury. Mercury was found in concentrations 16 to
38 times higher than the permissible limit in all the samples
analyzed for heavy metals wherever arsenic was found to be
crossing the permissible levels in 50 percent of the cases, the
report states.
Solid waste dumps piled across the villages are not only a major
environmental hazard but also objectionable from purely a civic
point of view because they are either dumped on government land
or private property. The run off from solid waste during rains also
pollute the surface water and the percolation wells dug by the local
bodies to collect water during the rainy season. Solid waste also
contaminates the nearby vegetation and when cattle graze on such
vegetation the pollutants contaminate them and through them
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reach humans. The impact of the pollutants is particularly severe
on children, the report states.
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becoming more and more problematic in Pondicherry the over
mining of water, Nandhivarman said the surface water position
also has become precarious due to encroachments in tanks and
canals.
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functioning or non-functioning of the council as well as the
Committee.
LEGAL BATTLE:
UNION GOVERNMENT WITHDRAWS CLEARANCE:
HIGH COURT DISMISSES PETITION
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1A.II{I] date 19. 01.1995 issued by the first respondent granting
environment clearance for starting LPG bottling project.
Sir
ii} Laying of pipe line for transfer of LPG from mother vessel to on
shore terminal.
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“I submit that the above writ petition has become infractous and is
liable to be dismissed on the sole ground that the first respondent
has since withdrawn their approval granted in letter No.
J/11012/31/94 I a dated 15.05.1996, pursuant to the orders of the
Hon'ble Supreme Court of India not to locate any industrial unit
within 500 meters of the High tide Line. As the company's project
as originally envisaged and cleared by the Government of India fell
within the Coastal regulation Zone of 500 meters from HTL, the
Government revoked its earlier approval. Hence the question of
quashing the aforesaid approval does not arise.
With The High Court of Madras passing this order the setting up of
LPG unit must have been laid to rest. But it is not so. Emissaries
were sent to N.Nandhivarman to persuade him and use him to
pacify the Narambai villagers. A former MLA of Tamil Nadu called
him to a Star Hotel in Pondicherry and tried his best. “I have
fought against LPG plant when Congress government backed it,
now how can I withdraw just because DMK Coalition had come to
power" Nandhivarman retarded. Then one fine morning when
fishermen woke up for the day, the found new vessels near their
village surveying. This was on May 8 th 1997, two months after the
High Court judgment. The infuriarated villagers took their
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catamarans and boats went racing to the vessel. The officials who
had come to survey on behalf of the LPG plant sponsors fled from
the scene. This heroic struggle is recoded by Dinamani Tamil Daily
on May10. 1997.
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AL-BASHIR ALIAS RAJAPAKSHE
International Criminal Court had found Sudan President to have
committed genocide. If we look at the meaning for genocide, we get
the following explanation “The term 'Genocide' was coined by a
jurist named Raphael Lemkin in 1944 by combining the Greek
word 'genos' (race) with the Latin word 'cide' (killing). Genocide as
defined by the United Nations in 1948 means any of the following
acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a
national, ethnic, racial or religious group, including: (a) killing
members of the group (b) causing serious bodily or mental harm to
members of the group (c) deliberately inflicting on the group
conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction
in whole or in part (d) imposing measures intended to prevent
births within the group (e) forcibly transferring children of the
group to another group”. The news reports about Sudan
President’s indictment are as follows. Dravida Peravai feels
Srilankan President who kills his own countrymen if they are
Tamils and Indian fishermen must be charged for genocide in
International Court of Justice.
It is expected that the judges will authorize the arrest warrant for
Sudan’s president since they have accepted all the previous 11
arrest warrants requested by Moreno-Ocampo in the last five
years. Firstly, one of China’s more important political allies in
Africa has officially been charged with Genocide. Any government
recognizing his legitimacy from now on will immediately be linked
to the charges.
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This is the first international charge of genocide ever recorded. Our
grand-grand children will talk about the 14th of July as a historic
date. This is a symbolic date that will never be forgotten. I wonder
whether the date for the announcement was randomly or
specifically chosen due to the fact that today is also the national
day of France, whose famous motto is well-known around the
world: Liberté, égalité, fraternité. And today that is the case for the
Sudanese. Their first signal of freedom has just been made.
Coming back to China, from this day China will officially be
conducting business with a government put under the most
terrible legal accusation in the world. Al-Bashir will most likely be
banned from traveling; the African Union will tacitly or directly
have to distance itself from him and his government. The future
looks dire both for the Sudanese and the Chinese governments.
The reality at the end of the day is that the place that needs real
changes the most; the people in Darfur, have only achieved a
symbolic victory. Their lives will not be changed significantly. They
are not safer than in the past, though some analysts could safely
argue that the government will be more cautious before sending
more troops in Darfur. Genocide will not stop.
The 2.5 million refugees will not return home. If this conflict will
ever chase to exist without killing other hundreds of thousands of
people, this is something for the international community to
decide. It is not the indictment itself but how it will be played out
that will make a difference in the lives of the Darfurians.Moreover;
some general trends are easily predictable. The Sudanese
government will not accept the authority of the ICC. It will try to
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find supporters among the Arab League members, the African
Union states or directly from Russia and China. It will fight this
indictment both legally and ideologically (play the race card or the
poverty card). It remains to be seen who exactly will have the
courage to fight for al-Bashir directly. He is no longer just the
president of Sudan: he is the killer who is the president of Sudan.
There is something else few analysts will talk about these days. It’s
about a man who consciously carries the guilt of not acting in time
to protect the lives of one million Rwandans who were decimated
in 1994. A man who put the bases and carried a long and
exhausting battle to make the ICC an internationally recognized
legal parasitical organization.
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HUMAN GENOME PROJECT
To hold a symposium on Human Genome project is not in the
agendas of action pursued by political parties. On 15.12.2000 in its
party auditorium Dravida Peravai invited Dr.Pandjassarame
Kangueane of the National University of Singapore to deliver a
lecture on this subject.
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medicine, will be posted for free on genetic data banks. Celera
whose data was available by subscription never intended to carry
its draft genome to completion.
The working draft of three years ago contained most human genes
and was useful for researchers seeking a specific gene. But up to a
year ago biologists said they often had to do considerable extra
sequencing work on the DNA regions they were interested in. The
completed genome announced on Monday is far more accurate. It
can be used out of the box, so to speak, without extra re-
sequencing. The genes and other important elements of the
genome are now almost in their correct position, a vital
requirement for researchers seeking to locate a gene that
contributes to disease. Scientists praised the human genome
project for its further 3 years of hard work and for producing a
resource of enormous value to research. But several qualified their
administration by noting that even if the project is complete, the
human genome is not. The parts of the genome still missing are of
minor importance, but many biologists would like to see them
sequenced before declaring the genome finished. The human
genome is packed in 23 pairs of chromosomes, each a giant
molecule of DNA. Though DNA's best known role is to encode the
information needed to build specific proteins, the working parts of
the living cell, some of the DNA performs structured roles. This
included the DNA at the tips of each chromosome/0 and at the
center. The tip and center DNA consists of monotonously repeated
sequences whose extract order of units is so hard to determine that
the consortium's leaders said from the outset they would not try to
do so. .... [News report by: Nicholas Wade in 2003]
On this issue even in 2000 itself Dravida Peravai, the only political
party in India which showed interest in developing scientific
temper, organized a symposium. The invitation of the symposium
is as follows:
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Management, Pondicherry University, Keynote Address in Tamil
by young scientist of Singapore and son of Pondicherry's soil
Dr.Pandjassarame Kangueane B.Tech. Ph.D
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TIBET STRUGGLE
ASYLUM TO KARMAPA WILL MAR RELATIONS
With this headline "The New Indian Express" front page-all edition
news describes the unhappiness by Chinese government over
granting of asylum to 14 year old Tibetan spiritual leader Karmapa
Rimpoche. Beneath that news in a box item "Asylum for Karmapa"
was the UNI story from Pondicherry. It is given as follows:
The Dravida Peravai, a political party here, today urged the Center
to grant asylum to Karmapa. Dravida Peravai General Secretary
N.Nandhivarman made this demand in a representation to
External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh.[UNI] The full text of the
memorandum is given here.
Today's new stories reveal the escape of 14 year old Karmapa and
his 24 year old sister with the help of 4 others negotiating 16000
feet snowbound mountain passes and trekking 900 miles from
Tibet to India. We demand that Indian government must grant
political asylum to the 14 year old Karmapa Lama Ugyen Trinley
Dorje and his team.
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recognized Tibet's status as a sovereign state. During the UN
general assembly debate on Tibet Irish representative Frank Aitkin
stated " For 1000 years or for a couple of 1000 years, at any rate
Tibet was as free and fully in control of its own affairs as ant nation
in this assembly and a thousand times more free to look after its
own affairs than many of the nations here [UN General assembly
docs A/PV 898/1960; a/PV 1394, 1401, 1965].................
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BROKEN PACTS
Dravida Peravai released a White Paper on The Srilankan Tamil
issue. It organized an all party meeting to discuss the whole issue.
Its view may not be acceptable to all but in a democracy various
views have to be discussed and no view point could be suppressed
in a civilized democracy like India. We reproduce the condensed
version of the White Paper released by www.TamilCanadian.com,
foe which we thank them. As appearing in Tamil Canadian.com,
the text follows:
23 initiatives between 1957 and now had failed to yield any result.
Yet Indian bureaucracy is trying to mislead this government also
that “ political solution” is possible what new proposal India has
which has not been said in of these 23 proposals and which India
thinks can resolve the crisis within the framework of a unitary
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state. India that cannot resolve Kashmir issue or for that matter
the question of sub-nationalism in India is now gearing itself to
commit another faux pas in its foreign policy. Dravida Peravai
urges the Union government to be clear in its goals, sure of its
approach and have a clear-cut solution in mind before taking the
plunge.
Many policy makers live in a world of make belief. They think 1983
is watershed in the history of Sri Lanka. IT IS NOT SO. IT IS
TRUE THAT SINHALESE STARTED TARGETING TAMILS
FROM 1983. BUT SINHALESE WERE FOR ETHNIC CLEANSING
DATING BACK TO A CENTURY. Kumari Jayawardene in her book
on Ethnic and class clashes in Sri Lanka wrote: The first riots in
recent history of Sri lanka occurred in 1883 at Kotana adjacent to
Colombo between Sinhalese Buddhists and Catholics.’ So religious
intolerance is one hallmark of Sinhalese policy.
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The next to be targeted were small traders from Bombay and South
India. Buddhist religious leader Anagarika Dharmapala spitted
venom in his speeches against North and South Indian traders. The
culmination of this hate campaign resulted in wherein numerous
lost their lives in 1915.In 1930 Sinhalese chauvinists next ignited
their campaign of hate against the 30000 settlers from Kerala.
A.E.Gunesingha, a trade unionist groomed by none other than
Communist leader A.K.Gopalan launched vituperative attacks
through his mouthpiece ”Veeraiyya”
Then came the EALAM TAMILS ETHNIC ISSUE, which has any
solution all these years. The American Jews had the liberty to help
for the formation of Israel like a bolt from the blue. Including India
everyone supported the Palestinian cause. Such cross border
support based on humanitarian reasons cannot be extended by
TAMILS to FELLOW TAMILS ACROSS THE PALK STRAITS.
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TAMIL REFUGEES AND INDIA’s DUTY
At the party headquarters of Dravida Peravai various Human right
activists met on 18,12,2000 and sent a Joint Memorandum to
National Humans Rights Commission of India, which is given in
verbatim here:
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by the Supreme Court on the basis of the rights of aliens under
article 14 and 21.
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As mentioned previously the Government of India determines the
refugee status and has no specific legislation to deal with refugees.
Professor Saxena of Jawaharlal Nehru University maintains that
despite these lacunae, India does apply in practice certain articles
of the 1951 U.N Refugee Convention. These include Article 7 as
India provides refugees the same treatment to all aliens, Article 3
as India fully applies a policy of non discrimination, Article 3 a as
no penalty is imposed on illegal entry, article 4 as religious
freedom is guaranteed, Article 16 as free access to Court is
provided, Article 17 &!8 as work permits have no meaning and
refugees do work, thus complying with these articles on wage
earning rights, article 21 as freedom oh housing is allowed and
refugees need not stay in camps, for freedom of movement is
guaranteed to all aliens, except in certain areas where special
permits are required not only for aliens but also for all Indians and
article 27 and 28 as identity and travel cards are issued to refugees.
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HENCE WE THE SIGNATORIES TO THIS
MEMORANDUM URGE THE NATIONAL HUMAN
RIGHTS COMMISSION TO MONITOR THE POSITION OF
SRILANKAN TAMIL REFUGEES KEPT IN 129 CAMPS.
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Non-Refoulement and the Right to Refugee Status
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provided while in detention. In the case of Gurunathan and others
(WP Nos 6708 of 1992] The Madras high Court on March 27, 1994
stayed the repatriation process as it was not voluntary. It held that
when there is an international organization to ascertain the
volunteriness of the consent it is not for the court to decide
whether the consent was voluntary or not. It also directed the
Government to transmit this order in Tamil to the camps as well as
an order that refugees will not be sent back against their will.
Right to Leave
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BANGLADESH ENCLAVES
Diplomacy does not mean singing sweet tunes and side tracking
issues without resolving for decades to come.
The recent visit of Bangla Desh Foreign Minister and the joint
press briefing claims that all outstanding issues were debated. I
beg to differ and humbly would like to draw the attention of the
External Minister to the issue of our 130 enclaves in Bangladesh
and their 93 enclaves within India. An earnest attempt was made
by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru to resolve this issue when he signed an
agreement with his Pakistani counterpart in 1958. Since then no
serious attempt is made.
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OPEN LETTER: INDIAN PRIME MINISTER
ATAL BIHARI VAJPAYEE URGED
TO UPHOLD SECULARISM
On the eve of the National Executive of SAMATA PARTY in which
as associate party DRAVIDA PERAVAI participates, we place
before you an open appeal to uphold the secular character of our
Indian constitution. With regard to your call on a national debate
on conversions, we state that a democratic society is bound to
discuss everything under the SUN. Our party always welcomes
such open discussion. But we cannot accept your suggestion to
curtail the scope of discussions only with regard to conversions.
Our Dravidian movement wants to discuss threadbare all the tools
of religious propaganda particularly the mythologies, Vedas and
religious texts. We have debated in South for nearly 70 years. Let a
national debate begin on every text of every religion and whatever
part is found irrational and unscientific be deleted.
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existed in every religion. And the similarities must make Hinduvta
School rethink their inflated claims...
The family clan cult among the Romans was related to archaic fire
worship. The fire cult took on a national form with the evolution of
the Roman community out of clan associations.” The eternal flame
in the communal sanctuary was personified in the form of
GODDESS VESTA, who was analogous to the Greek Hestia. In
both cases the personification of fire in female form could be
regarded as a survival of matriarchal society. The Aryans being
products of patriarchal societies might have male gods of fire and
beyond that there is no logic in fomenting hatred between various
religions.Agni. The fire god is invoked in many family rituals.
Tamil Saint Maraimalai adigalar believes that the fire producing
instrument "thee kadai koal" is what is being sculptured as
Sivalingam.
The Romans did crucify people on crosses but these were in the
form of letter "T"... The cross as a religious symbol existed in
almost every country, Ancient China, Ancient India, Africa and
America. Even among Australians the totemic vanniga is
sometimes made in the form of large cross. Various hypotheses
exist about the original religious significance of the cross. Some
maintain that it is a symbol of fire perhaps at first wooden steel
formerly used for kindling fire. Others claim that it was a solar sign
or symbol of fertility. The various interpretations of the swastika
(also a form of cross) are just as numerous. Among North
American Indians the symbol of four corners of the world is also
related to the worship of four elements. Atalji, an impartial inquiry
is the need of the hour. A secular country like India must take the
lead. We, Tamils who have read Maraimalai adigalar see the
similarity between a CROSS and SHIVALINGA. If cross is an
instrument to kindle fire Maraimalai Adigal states Shivalinga is
also a symbol of the instrument to lit fire. SUCH BEING THE
CASE WHY SHOULD HATRED BE FOMENTED BETWEEN SO
CALLED HINDUS AND SO CALLED CHRISTIANS AS BOTH ARE
PART AND PARCEL OF MANKIND.
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ADAPA, THE FIRST MAN WHO NOT ONLY RESEMBLES
BIBLICAL ADAM, BUT ALSO OUR TAMIL SAINT
THIRUVALLUVAR'S ADI.
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Mercury, Ishtar with Venus, Nergal with Mars, Marduk with
Jupiter, and Ninruta with Saturn. Incidentally, the Greeks
borrowed from the Babylonians this custom of naming planets
after the gods. Romans took it from Greece and Roman i.e. Latin
names of the gods are still the names of planets today. The months
of the year were also named after the gods. This astral orientation
of Babylonian religion also influenced the creation of the calendar.
twelve month system that was later adopted by the Europeans.
Let us have a look at one episode from the most ancient epic,
GILGAMESH EPIC in which the meeting between Gilgamesh with
his ancestor Utnapishtim is reported. The later told Gilgamesh
about the terrible floods started by gods. The flood covered the
whole world and only Utnapishtim, his family and animals
survived because he followed Ea's advice and built a ship. THIS
MYTHOLIGICAL MOTIF and INDIVIDUAL DETAILS ARE
REMNISCENT OF THE BIBLICAL FLOOD STORY THAT WAS
APPARENTLY BORROWED BY THE JEWS FROM
BABYLONIANS. In an impassionate manner religion and history
should be studied. History should not be used as a tool to foment
hatred. One race would have overthrown the rule of another race,
but people of both races might have assimilated certain features of
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the other and such historical accidents are common in history. To
say that other religion has no contribution to India is a distortion
of history and facts.ATALJI, UNFORTUNATELY HINDUVTA
SCHOOL FAILS TO UNDERSTAND THE DIALECTICS OF
CIVILISATIONS.
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like their counterparts that religion is a lucrative business made
Confucius a god and in early 20 th Century China built 1500
Confucian temples. All through human history religion has
emerged as a code of conduct and later demi-gods, semi-gods and
pantheon of gods were invented by their followers.
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So let not India is drawn into needless controversy when progress
stands retarded. European communities are coming together to
drive their economy to unmatchable progress. Conflicts be it for
caste, religion, ethnicity and language will only spell doom for our
tottering economy. From an able Prime minister people did not
expect the RSS tunes and the anti-Christian. Anti-Muslim
propaganda unleashed must stop. A quest for absolute truth should
begin, and the Prime Minister must uphold the secular character of
our INDIAN CONSTITUTION.
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AMARTHYA SEN SHOULD BE MADE FINANCE MINISTER
JOIN HANDS WITH VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT
TO FIGHT OIL SPECULATIVE TRADE OF
GREEDY NATIONS
Today the meeting of Oil Producing and Exporting Countries is taking place
initiated by Saudi Arabia which was pressurized by G-8 and others to
ponder over stabilizing the oil prices. The panacea Saudi Arabia offers is a
hike of 6 percent of its oil production, hoping other countries will follow
suit. We are of the opinion that this will not work. The rising prices of oil
and petroleum products could not be arrested. Why do we opine so, let me
record our views.
1. Saudi Arabia is not, as many may be thinking, the largest producer of oil.
Russia stands first, and there is no hope that Russian President will play the
Saudi Arabian tune of increasing oil production.
2. The worlds largest 20 oil fields were all discovered between 1917 and
1979 and the annual output from these oil fields is falling by 4 million
barrels per day, says a Report of Earth Policy Institute. Taking into account
country specific data details and projections, German based Energy Watch
Group concludes that world oil production has peaked. It will also decline
by 7 percent a year falling to 58 million barrels per day in 2020.
4. Venezuela, the fifth largest producer of oil had declined to attend the
Summit of OPEC called by Saudi Arabia. It opines cosmetic exercises like
hike in production a little bit will not be a long term solution. The Socialist
President of Venezuela, Mr. Hugo Chavez, who finds a place among leaders
this century must emulate displayed in Dravida Peravai banners, feels the
increase in production is not to ease oil prices and reduce the burden on
common man, but to help speculation. He had earlier said in a BBC
interview in 2006 that by 1990, the price of a barrel was just 20 US dollars.
The oil producing countries must have a long term policy and fix the
maximum profitable and reasonable price of 50 US dollars per barrel, and if
the countries arrive at a consensus to sell oil at 50 US dollars per barrel for a
long period, that alone will help the world, Mr. Hugo Chavez opines.
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Dravida Peravai feels he is the voice of the conscience of the world. A
nation that got Independence led by Mahatma Gandhi must back
Venezuelan President in world forums but India also joins the chorus of
greedy nations, sorry greedy companies that dictate their nation’s choices, in
keeping oil prices in high. Our rulers are only for slight reduction in prices
as eye wash. They are not even speaking loud for common good of the
mankind.
The supply and demand of oil on an average remains 85 million barrels per
day. Till 2003 USA was only holding 350 million barrels as buffer stocks.
Now it had doubled to 750 million barrels, which also creates artificial
scarcity resulting in hiking of prices. By 2006 when oil prices touched 60 US
dollars per barrel, The Senate Committee of USA woke up and examined
the ground reality and told the ‘stock piling of companies hoping to make a
kill when prices go up’ is also one of the reasons of soaring oil prices.
How this is being done? “After loosing money in the housing market, big
hedge funds and investment banks are now pouring money into commodity
markets, including oil, which are much less regulated than stock markets.
They are not buying or hoarding actual oil, and hence do not have to incur
the cost of storage. Instead they are buying oil futures with borrowed money
at low rates of interest that is buying papers that entitle the holder to get oil
after, say three months, at a price negotiated today. These papers are traded
in commodity exchanges, just like company shares in stock markets” says
Alok Ray, Professor of Economics at IIM Calcutta.
47
companies, we have to be content with periodical oil price rises followed by
cosmetic reductions in election eve to hoodwink the people.
[Press Release of 22nd June 2008, a part of which will be telecasted by a local
channel Rainbow channel]
48
THE CHINESE DESIGNS IN ENCIRCLING INDIA
The Chinese people and Indian people have a hoary past but we
cannot be blind to what is happening in the present. We as a nation
must closely watch every move of our neighbors and their plans
towards future. The Communist Party of India [Marxist] Chief
Prakash Karat had let a cat out of his party’s bag when he admitted
that Indo-United States cooperation in nuclear energy field would
be against the interests of India. His subconscious had activated
his tongue to slip a statement of confession. In India when there is
a strong Chinese lobby we have to be extra careful about Chinese
games in the geo-political chess. China is not a state connected
with Indian Ocean, yet it had been tirelessly working out a strategy
to have land route access to Indian Ocean. This is facilitated by the
Myanmar military rule. Apart from land routes it had been eyeing
on ports to have access towards Indian Ocean.
Just facing our Andaman Nicobar islands, the military rulers have
handed on platter the Coco islands to China to build a port there.
International Institute of Strategic Studies said that China had
installed Radars made my Russia and employed electronic gadgets
to spy Indian army headquarters situated in Port Blair. India’s
missile launching station is in Chandipur of Orissa, and from Coco
Island China can always keep a vigil eye on India’s missile
programme. Coco Island is just 40 kilometers away from Andaman
Nicobar, our territory. China had constructed highways from
Chinese capital of Hunan up to Shewli in the border of Myanmar.
China is holding talks with the military rulers of Myanmar to
extend the highway till Chinking, so that from there through
Iravathy River Chinese can reach Rangoon harbor. Apart from
these moves with Chinese cooperation on build operate transfer
basis Myanmar had consented to Chinese to control 6 ports facing
India’s east coast. China has agreed to build naval yards and to
train Myanmar navy in warfare.
49
Watch China in Srilanka
China had taken a Moro island 40 kilometers away from the capital
of Maldives to build a Port.
All these are not mere business. It has hidden agenda. It is Chinese
checkmate for India. In future China wants to control the sea-lanes
of Indian Ocean. The prospects of Oil exploration in Indian Ocean
too had prompted China to take these advance steps so that it can
stake claim as a state having access to Indian Ocean. Years have
gone into this preparation and India’s intelligence had failed to
alert India. Indian political parties always sing tunes for support of
neighborly good relationship, but that cannot be at the altar of
surrendering our geo-political interests.
50
WATER WAR: PANCHAYAT VERSUS MNC
IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA
W.A. No. 2125 of 2003 etc.
Decided On: 07.04.2005Appellants:
Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (P) Ltd.Vs.Respondent:
Perumatty Grama Panchayat
51
preferred W.A.No. 215 of 2004 feeling aggrieved by some other
findings that had been entered into by the learned Single Judge,
which would have, according to the Panchayat, gone against their
interests.
52
before this Court for almost two years, and a large amount of time
had been spent and reports from expert bodies, appointed by The
Court, have been made available. Therefore relegating the matter
to be decided by the Tribunal may not be a proper procedure, since
the effort is to have a lasting solution to the disputes that had
cropped up, for unfortunate Reasons. Hence the parties were
required to state their respective cases.
53
10. The provocation of the Panchayat for filing W.P. (C) No. 34292
of 2003 could be stated now. At one point of time, they had refused
to renew the license in favour of the company. The steps were
challenged by way of a Writ Petition. Although a stay order had
been issued, ultimately this Court refused to go into the merits of
the case, and had suggested that since already an appeal had been
filed before the Government, it would have been proper for the
company to pursue the appeal. The Writ Petition was closed.
Thereafter, on hearing the parties, the Government by order dated
13.10.2003 had held that the Panchayat was in error in issuing the
orders, and a more detailed investigation should have been
appropriate, and had directed consequential instructions in this
direction. This order was the subject matter of challenge, at the
instance of the local authority. The details of the Sequences would
be given later.
54
were smooth for a while. But discordant notes were heard at a
distance, but they had thought it prudent to take them in their
stride, as basically their hands were clean.
13. An application for renewal of the License, for the year 2003-04,
had been duly presented with in prescribed time. But, by
communication dated 9.4.2003, the company was informed that
the Panchayat had decided not to renew the license consequent to
a resolution of the Panchayat dated 7.4.2003. The company was
also required to show cause as to why the working License should
not be cancelled within 15 days of receipt of the notice dated
9.4.2003. It had been alleged that because of the working of the
factory, exploitation of excess groundwater occasioned and there is
serious shortage of Drinking water. Ecological problems also were
seen. Further reason pointed out was that the Panchayat was also
noticing that certain organizations were agitating over the
functioning of the factory. At the auspices of early settlers, for over
a year an agitation was going on. Panchayat had been constrained,
according to them, therefore to pass a resolution, taking notice of
these. The notice is Ext.P2 in W.P. (C) No. 34292/2003 and Ext.P1
is the copy of the resolution dated 7.4.2003.
14. A reply was filed by the company against the show cause notice
on 30.4.2003, where under they refuted the allegations as made.
They apprehended that it is a post-decisional notice and amounted
to violation of the principles of natural justice. The allegations,
According to them, were factually not sustainable and the
agitations were stage Managed and for extraneous reasons.
Reference had been made to the grant of License by the other
statutory authorities. It had been pleaded that taking Notice of the
circumstance that it was catering to the social needs of the region,
the Panchayat was requested to desist from the contemplated
steps. A right of hearing had also been solicited. It had also been
highlighted in Ext.P3 Reply that:” We have also done/are
undertaking number of community development programmes for
the people living in the locality in the field of education, health and
drinking water supply. We are actively supporting the Perumatty
Panchayat run Higher Secondary School at Kannimari by
providing laboratory facility for the students."
55
to be stopped from 17.5.2003. It appears that the only recourse
available viz., an appeal had been filed before the Government by
the Company, challenging the Steps contemplated by the
Panchayat, seeking guidance and interference, as briefly referred to
earlier.
56
the cancellation of the license issued to the Company, the stay
granted by Government on 12.6.2003against the order of
cancellation of license by the Panchayat will continue
inoperation."A copy of the order is Ext.P6. W.P. (C) No. 34292 of
2003 came to be filed at the instance of the Panchayat challenging
the above order of the Government. Observations and directions
had been made and issued by the learned Judge, while disposing of
the Original Petition. The validity thereof has presently come up
for consideration in the two Writ Appeals (W.A.No. 2125of 2003
and W.A.No. 215 of 2004), as both the parties had grievances in
their respective areas of interest.
19. Before us, it had been suggested that there was even an over
play of the issue. Notice confided that on enquiries, the Panchayat
gathered that though the company has shareholders in India, none
of them has voting rights or any say in the decision making process
by the company. All decisions are taken by the foreign nationals as
regards the manufacturing of soft drinks, establishment of
factories, disposal of waste etc., without any say to any one of the
Indian Nationals. Therefore, the Panchayat claimed that it had
reasons to believe that the very establishment of the factory in the
country, and especially at Plachimada, is violative of various
provisions of law regulating the conduct of Business by multi-
national companies. As the sale and consumption of the products
like Coca-Cola have been banned within the Parliament premises
in New Delhi and also by the State Legislative Assembly,
Trivandrum on the ground that they contained poisonous
57
substance, according to them, the proposal for closure was being
mooted.
21. On the show cause notice, taking notice of the reply, a personal
hearing had been offered. A stand had been taken by the company
that the later developments in the form of Government Orders took
cognizance of the disputes and there was no requirement for a
separate or independent examination, or orders to be passed, as a
course of conduct had been directed to follow. The Writ Petition
itself was however disposed of, observing that the matter was being
heard by the Panchayat on 17.11.2003 and the decision, if adverse,
could be challenged. Against this judgment dated 14.11.2003,
W.A.No. 1962 of 2003 had come to be filed, pointing out that the
exercise of power by the Panchayat was unwarranted and showed
the mala fides harboured by the local authority against them, and
this Court should have considered the issue son merits.
23. We may also advert to W.P. (C) No. 12600 of 2004, at this
juncture. An application for license for the year 2004-2005 had
been submitted by the company along with a covering letter dated
17.2.2004 (Ext.P1 in the Writ Petition). However, referring to the
Resolution that had been passed on 5.3.2004, by Ext.P2
communication dated 11.3.2004; the company had been informed
that their style of running of the industrial unit was not one which
inspired confidence. To the regret of the Panchayat, they had
noticed, according to them, the over extraction of ground water by
installing six bore-wells without the permission of the Panchayat,
58
and as a result thereof, there was drought resulting in shortage of
drinking water. Additionally, there was a direction by the
Government to stop the drawing of ground water by the company,
and a Joint Parliamentary Committee had reported about the all
round pollution brought about by the working of the factory and
manufacturing products, which were hazardous to health. There
were complaints about skin diseases, itching etc., as a result of the
discharge of poisonous effluents from the factory, there was
improper effluent treatment and the Pollution Control Board as
per their letter dated 23.2.2004 was dissatisfied about the disposal
of hazardous waste generated from the factory, and that the
Panchayat had a duty to preserve water resources, soil protection
etc. Because of the precarious availability of water, they were
therefore practically convinced that considering the nature of
magnitude of water requirement, it may not be proper for grant of
the request.
59
Parliamentary Committee report has clearly indicated that the
products of the company contain harmful materials, which is
injurious to public health.4) The drawl of ground water by the
company has affected the source of drinking water and water
supply to the entire area, which is a matter of consideration and
the Government had declared so and stopped the drawl of ground
water until the Edavapathy (Monsoon).5) The Panchayat is
convinced that the reasons stated in its intimation dated11.3.2004
have to be reiterated and the company has not satisfactorily
explained any one of them either in the course of the hearing or in
the written statement made by the company through the counsel.
This order had been challenged by way of an appeal. By order
dated 1.4.2004, the Government had granted a stay on three
conditions, namely that (i) The Government Order dated
21.2.2004regarding the extraction of ground water (which
pertained to prohibition of extraction of water during drought
season) was to be strictly followed; (ii) the appellant was to strictly
follow the conditions laid down by the Pollution Control Board;
(iii) the directions in the judgment of the High Court in W.P.(C)
No. 34292 of 2003 regarding the extraction of ground water
subject tithe directions/ orders in W.A.No. 2125 of 2003 was to be
followed. In the Writ Petition, at the instance of the Panchayat, it is
contended that an ex parte order ought not to have been
passed.Mr. Ramakumar submits that the practical solution now
will be to direct the statutory Tribunal to hear and dispose of the
pending appeal, after hearing all the parties, and the indiscretion
of the Government in granting the interim order is not to be
separately examined.
60
requirement of expert opinion, and it had to come from a
competent body.
61
30. A preliminary report, followed by a final report, has come on
record. Formal objection has-been filed by the Government on
1.4.2005, in the form of an affidavit, filed on behalf of the second
respondent. The Panchayat has also filed an objection, and had
produced along with it the materials relied on by them as about the
interim report, reserving leave to file further statements/objections
in due course. Before adverting to them, it is essential that the
criticism and contentions raised by the parties in Writ Appeals No.
2125/03 and 215/04 are examined.
31. Judgment in W.P. (C) No. 34292 of 2003 dealt with the issues
in some detail and paragraph8 thereof could be extracted as
follows:"8. Exts.P1, P2 and P4 would show that action was taken
against the 2ndrespondent for excessive extraction of ground water
and the resultant problem of drinking water scarcity and
environmental problems. But, at the time of hearing before the
Government, the Panchayat raised certain allegations regarding
the pollution caused by the industrial waste generated and also the
impurity of the Cola produced by the company. The 2nd
respondent answered those allegations. The Government, while
disposing of the matter, ordered an investigation and a decision on
these matters also. While exercising the licensing jurisdiction, the
Panchayat is not competent to go into the quality of the beverages
produced. It is for other appropriate authorities to look into such
allegations. Regarding the pollution caused by industrial effluents,
the Panchayat can look into and take appropriate action in
consultation with expert bodies under Section 233A of the Act. But,
in this case, the notice was issued only on the ground of excessive
exploitation of ground water and the decision to cancel the license
was taken only on the basis of that ground. Therefore, the
Panchayat fairly submitted that the validity of its decision and that
of the Government on this point alone need be considered by this
Court in this case.” The Court therefore had held that while
exercising the licensing jurisdiction, the Panchayat is not
competent to go into the quality of the beverages produced and it is
for other authorities to look into such aspects. As notice was issued
only on the ground of excessive exploitation, the jurisdiction or
right to cancel the license could have been exercised by the
Panchayat only on the basis of that reason. The approach is
unexceptionable.
62
highlighted in the appeal memorandum, according to him, most of
such points were never even agitated. Counsel referred to
paragraph 12 of the judgment also, which is in the following
terms:"12. Now, coming to the present case, at the outset, it has to
be held that the order of the Panchayat to close down the unit on
the finding of excessive extraction of ground water is unauthorized.
The Panchayat can at best, say, no more extraction of ground water
will be permitted and ask the Company to find out alternative
sources for its water requirement. So, the Government's order to
the extent it interfered with the closure of the unit has to be
upheld.” But, according to him, the learned Judge had faltered
steps, when he observed that:” even in the absence of any law
governing ground water, I am of the view that the Panchayat and
the State are bound to protect ground water from excessive
exploitation”. The approach and enquiry, which began from this
premises, according to the counsel, has adversely affected the
thought process leading to the rest of the directions, which
according to him plainly defied logic.
63
upholding the finding of the learned Judge that extraction of
ground water is illegal. It is definitely not something like digging
out a treasure-trove. We cannot endorse the finding that the
company has no legal right to extract this 'wealth'. If such
restriction is to apply to a legal person, it may have to apply to a
natural person as well. Abstract principles cannot be the basis for
the Court to deny basic rights, unless they are curbed by valid
legislation. Even reference to mandatory function, referred to in
the third schedule of the Panchayat Raj Act, namely” Maintenance
of traditional drinking water sources" could not have been
envisaged as preventing an owner of a well from extracting water
there from, as he wishes. The Panchayat had no ownership about
such private water source, in effect denying the proprietary rights
of the occupier and the proposition of law laid down by the learned
Judge is too wide, for unqualified acceptance.
36. In fact, we find that the learned Single Judge was himself in
two minds about an absolute proposition that might have resulted.
Observations in paragraph 14 of the judgment indicated that what
was objectionable was a "right to claim a huge share of it" alone.
Further, it has been observed in paragraph 15 that "like every other
land owner, the second respondent can also be permitted to draw
ground water by digging wells, which must be equivalent to the
water normally used for irrigating the crops in a 34 acre plot", but
however, the right had been given to the Panchayat to fix the
quantity permitted to be used. No reason is however given as to
why agriculture has a priority than an industrial activity.
Agricultural needs for water differ from crops to crops. Therefore,
the observation in sum total would have resulted in a chaotic
situation
64
38. We find that the findings are not precise and the follow up
course suggested may not be practical. After holding that there is
right for using a reasonable amount of water, the Court could not
have held that the Panchayat is obliged to renew the license and
should not interfere with the functioning of the company, only if
the Company is not extracting ground water and is depending for
its water needs from other sources. The absolute prohibition was
neither called for, nor legal. A further direction had been made,
where under the Panchayat was to get the assistance of the Ground
Water Department for assessing the quantity of water that could be
drawn by a land owner, who had 34 acres of land for his domestic
and agricultural purposes. But it is not suggested as to what earthly
purpose this exercise is to benefit anybody. Use of any amount of
water had been prohibited and the earlier directions stood as a ban
for use of water for the manufacturing work in the factory. The
criticism of the appellant appears to be correct, as in spite of the
suggested examination or exercise directed to be carried out,
follow-up directions had not forth come, as to whether the ground
water could have been utilized at least to a limited extent.
39. Mr. Vaidyanathan also points out that the condition prescribed
by the learned Single Judge that the factory may be worked by
bringing water from other sources, though established in
Perumatty Grama Panchayat, would have been plainly unworkable.
Not only the right to use its own water is prohibited, but
impossible conditions are prescribed, which can lead only to one
result viz., that the establishment is to be closed down. The benefit
of the earlier observations, when the Government order had been
upheld is thereby lost to the company. It is argued that if the
principle deducible from the judgment could be understood in
plain terms, an owner of a land cannot draw water from his
properties or use even a single drop thereof. It could be visualized
that in all possibility, any other local authority would have objected
to drawing of water for being utilized for an industry distantly
situated. The restrictions would have applied to them as well, as an
individual was not entitled to draw water without the permission of
authorities. The net result will be that bringing water from any
other sources becomes illegal and unauthorized.
65
and try to resolve the issues with a sense of proportion and
balancing. A water based industry, with a huge investment has to
receive water, to quench its thirst without inconveniencing others.
We also do not approve the observation made in paragraph 13 of
the judgment that "even assuming the experts opine that the
present level of consumption by the second respondent is
harmless, the same should not be permitted". The reasons given in
the judgment do not appeal to us as reasonable. Also the above,
essentially does not go hand in hand with the finding in the
judgment, in paragraph 12 that:” Now, coming to the present case,
at the outset, it has to be held that the order of the Panchayat to
close down the unit on the finding of excessive extraction of
ground water is unauthorised"as well as the observation:” so the
Government's order to the extent it interfered with the closure of
the unit has to be upheld"41. Coming to Writ Appeal No. 215 of
2004, we notice that the findings just above extracted have not
been subjected to challenge in the Writ Appeal of the Panchayat.
The grounds taken were that the Judge erred in law in holding that
the Panchayat cannot cancel the license if there is a health hazard
in the continuance of an industrial unit within the area of the
Panchayat (Ground A); and that the "observations of the learned
Judge are contrary to the mandate of the Constitution enjoying on
the Panchayat to attend to measures of protection of health and
wellbeing of its residents (Ground-B). Ground-C was that the
learned Judge erred in holding that the cancellation of the license
is not warranted in the case. Ground-D also was in the following
terms:” The learned Judge ought to have held that if an industrial
unit poses health hazards or causes pollution all round it is within
the powers of the Panchayat to exercise the power of licensing and
seeking the cancellation of the license already granted.” But these
grounds have been taken totally forgetting the submissions made
by the Panchayat, while the matter was being heard by the learned
Single Judge. There was no categorical challenge about the finding
in paragraph 8 of the judgment that "while exercising the licensing
jurisdiction, the Panchayat is not competent to go into the quality
of the beverages produced and it is for other appropriate
authorities to look into such allegations."
66
42. Therefore, the appeal filed by the Panchayat poses no challenge
on the quoted findings of the learned Judge. On the other hand,
the Court has held in favour of the Company that the Panchayat
had been arbitrary in imposing its decision. This appeal therefore
has no merit. Really we are again being reminded of the necessity
of examining the report of the Expert Committee, so as to give a
quietus to the issues
44. Now we may enter the next phase of the adjudication. The final
report of the Expert Committee is comprehensive, and it could be
gathered there from that a scientific investigation on the ground
water potential of the area and the shortage and scarcity of
drinking water in the nearby areas due to the current level of water
extraction by the company had been made the subject matter of
enquiry/investigation. The Committee found that the rainfall data
recorded in respect of the areas revealed of a shortfall in showers
for the years 2002-03 and 2003-04, as much lesser than the mean
value. This deficiency, according to the Committee, could be
considered as the most significant factor that has contributed to
the scarcity of water experienced in the study area. The Committee
has recorded the opinion that the unregulated withdrawal of
ground water from the wells within the Coca-Cola factory complex
and also outside, even during such a deficit period had aggravated
the scarcity situation. The annual average rainfall for the past ten
years had been taken notice, and up to the year 2004. During the
year 2004, as could be seen from the statements, there was a better
amount of rainfall (1690 mm at Meenkara). For the purpose of
calculation, the lower value of 1412mm at Chitturpuzha Project
office has been taken for assessing the ground water potential of
67
the area. The data available for the macro area of Chittur Block had
been considered and the Committee had come to the conclusion
that the committed annual ground water draft that should be
reserved to meet the water requirements of both domestic and
irrigation sectors in Chittur Block till 2025 AD could be estimated
as 62.5 Million Cubic Meters (MCM), leaving an annual balance of
about 4.2 MCM of ground water resources for meeting other uses
of water, including industrial purposes. The annual ground water
required by the company, at the average rate of 5lakh litres per
day, would have come at 0.1825 MCM, which would be less than
5% of the total available 4.2 MCM.45. As revealed in the report,
Committee had also studied the data pertaining to ground water
resource of Plachimada watershed. It found that what could be
used by the company was4.97% of the annual available ground
water resource of 3.67 MCM which would be there in the
watershed. The recommendation appears to be that permissible
ground water withdrawal could be 5 lakh litres per day, if for
relevant year, average rainfall was available. If it was less by10%,
exploitation is to be reduced to 4 lakh litres per day. If the
monsoon is less by 20% or30%, restriction should have been made
to 3 lakh litres and 2 lakh litres respectively. In a case of a year
where there was 30% lesser rainfall than average, total ban of use
has to be imposed.46. The Panchayat had not filed any detailed
objection about the report, and continued to rely on the objections
made against the interim report. Thus, it has not been possible to
know their stand about the presentation, including the watershed
approach for arriving at water availability status for various
purposes, which alone appears to have been the addition (See
Minutes dated20.1.2005 - Appendix IF). Nothing was specifically
pointed out for discarding the report or the recommendations.
Although an affidavit is filed on behalf of the second respondent
on1.4.2005, it has come out as a very feeble effort, and an effort,
which is difficult to be accepted as of any consequence. A
"Geological Assistant" of the Ground Water Department is the
signatory to the affidavit. He submits that on going through the
report, no principle is found outland reason for allowing
withdrawal of such a huge quantity of water is also not discernible
from the report. Attempt is to import and rely on statistics in the
form of Ext.R2 (a) (Yearly Rainfall at Chulliar Dam) and Ext.R2(c)
(Monthly Rainfall at Meenkara Dam) for the year 2004. It is to be
noticed that Chulliar Dam is situated more than 15 kilometers
away. Also the signatory has overlooked that the Expert Committee
had taken the lowest figures of rainfall as mean value recorded by
68
relevant rain gauges, which was lesser than for the latest year. The
mechanism of the projections suggested is not attempted to be
challenged. We are also constrained to observe that it was not
prudent for a subordinate officer to swear an affidavit controvert
the findings of the Expert Committee, especially since his superior
officer (Hydro geologist, Groundwater Department) was one of the
members of the Expert Committee. The opinion of the Officer, who
is a Geological Assistant, can only be considered as pedestrian.
Evidently, the attempt of the Government was to escape from a
possible pique of indiscretion that otherwise might have been
suggested. Perhaps it is filed purely for the purpose of records; if
not to appease the gallery. We find that the report of the
Committee is fair; it appears to be authentic, based on data
collected, mature and therefore acceptable.
47. Before coming to the final phase of the case, we may also advert
to the relevance of W.P. (C) No. 12600 of 2004. Although orders
were passed by the Government on 13.10.2003, as per the
directions of this Court in O.P.No. 13513 of 2003, certain fresh
issues were precipitated, especially pointing out the health hazard
and the application for license for the year 2004-05had been
rejected. Because of the binding judgment in W.P. (C) No. 34292 of
2003 dated16.12.2003, wherein the Panchayat had suffered an
order that "while exercising the licensing jurisdiction, the
Panchayat is not competent to go into the quality of the beverages
produced and it was for the other appropriate authorities to look
into such allegations", we feel that such arguments are incapable of
being reinitiated, as the Panchayat is bound by the observations, as
such findings have never been challenged. Also the proceedings
were of not good taste, as the Government Order dated 13.10.2003
bound the discretion of the Panchayat, which had only been
partially modified by the judgment in W.P. (C) No. 34292 of 2003.
All steps were to be kept in abeyance, and they had a duty to assess
the magnitude of alleged exploitation before any further adventure.
Of course, it could be seen that additional circumstances were
arrayed, but even prima facie; such allegations appear to be of no
substance.
69
drawn any groundwater from anywhere in Perumatty Grama
Panchayat, including the open well, and they may bring water from
outside; (2) The company is to immediately stop discharge of
waste, including dangerous and offensive contents, which are
serious health hazards and attend to waste management; and (3)
the products are to be ensured as not having any poisonous
chemical substance in them, as has been found by the Joint
Parliamentary Committee. Therefore, it was more of an ego clash,
and we do not wish to go to other details.
49. As regards the first objection, we have already held that such a
restriction will be unwarranted. It always will be permissible for an
occupier to draw water out of his holding. The permissible
restrictions, in public interest, can only be to compel him to ensure
that by his conduct he does not bring about a drought or any
imbalance in the water table. The interim report of the Expert
Committee itself indicate (vide paragraph 4.3) that although the
pumping of ground water was stopped during March, 2004 the
trend of water level falling in the observation wells in the area
continued. The suggestion and condition to bring water from
outside the Panchayat area to run an industry housed there is
plainly unreasonable and we cannot approve such a condition for
curbing the normal activities.
70
51. An overall assessment of the situation, we feel, may not be out
of place. Water travels constantly through water channels beneath
the ground. These are generally referred to as water sources and
reserves, and replenishment of ordinary wells is brought about
naturally through this system. But, water in immeasurable
quantities which reach substantially lower levels by percolation
processes round the year are locked in, for ages, between rock
formations, and it could be tamed out only by mechanical devices,
e.g., through bore-wells. Presence of water could be compared to
that of petroleum deposits underground, although there is no
regular replenishment for the latter. Often kilometers below
ground level, both remain eternally trapped. It is not uncommon
that large deposits of petroleum are found far below the ocean
floor. The ground water similarly is trapped deep below the
ground. Such deposits are not subject to evaporation, and laws of
gravity do not permit it ever to come up of its own. It is, therefore,
safe to assume that bore-wells are used to draw such water alone
and by working of such pumps, water might be drawn from areas
extending to several kilometers. Drying up of ordinary wells, tanks
etc., in summer season is not a phenomenon specific to
Plachimada. As could be gatherable from the report, the shortage
in rainfall substantially is a contributory factor thereto. By natural
seepage during rainy seasons, on its own, water travels downwards
to reach low levels. The Committee has explained the above as a
process of recharging to the ground water, which is likely to replace
the exploited amounts. This appears to be the basis of the future
projections made by them. The very fact that the wells were drying
up in the summer at Plachimada, notwithstanding stoppage of
exploitation after March 2004, and when the company's bore-wells
were kept idle, leads to the assumption that the apprehensions and
allegations were not true to the factual situation.
52. We, therefore, come to the conclusion that the Panchayat was
not justified in resorting to steps, whereby renewal of license for
the Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Private Limited was rejected
well before a scientific assessment was made. The Panchayat had
also no legal authority to cancel the license for functioning the unit
in the Panchayat area for any of the reasons pointed out, at
different occasions. The Panchayat is therefore directed to consider
the application for renewal of the license granted to the Company,
for the coming year, or any block years, if such application is filed
within two weeks from today. The Company will have the
71
obligation to apprise the Panchayat that they possess licenses
issued under the Factories Act and clearance received from the
Pollution Control Board. Within one week of such presentation, if
the above two conditions are satisfied, the Licensing Authority of
the Panchayat is directed to grant the license and it may not be
within its jurisdiction to enquire about the details of the
machineries installed, including bore-wells, as such matters
predominantly are to be within the jurisdiction of enforcement
officers under the Factories Act. After grant of license, it may be
permissible for the Panchayat for making inspections, so as to see
whether further license fee would be payable.
53. For the year 2005-06, taking notice of the average rainfall that
had been there in the locality, the Company will be entitled to draw
ground water not exceeding 5 lakh of litres per day, without any
right for accumulation in case of non-user per day. The Panchayat
will be entitled to carry out inspection, as coming within its
jurisdiction, including the limits of use of water per day, in a
manner at their discretion, of course without unduly interfering or
inconveniencing the company. The Company should satisfy the
Panchayat about the intake of water per day, keeping correct up-
to-date log books and records. The renewal of license for the
coming years should also be on the basis of the observations made
herein, as might be applicable with required changes, so as to suit
the occasion.
54. Although third parties had got themselves imp leaded, we had
only opportunity to hear Mr.Chithambaresh, representing the
cause of workmen. They were vociferous in contending that the
Panchayat had been unnecessary twisting the arms of the company
for no useful purpose, misdirecting itself. There were no
representations from any others, who posed to represent the
general public. Nevertheless, we feel that taking notice of the
commitment to which reference and claim is made by the
company, we have to direct that the company should actively
involve in the community development programs for the people
residing in the locality especially in the matter of health and
drinking water supply, at the supervision of the Panchayat. We
may refer to the stand taken by them, as could be seen from
Ext.P3, produced in W.P. (C) No. 34292 of2003, which calls for
such directions. Since the early settlers and general public are
apprehensive about the shortage
72
Of drinking water, this becomes an essential duty of the company.
The factory is drawing water resources from the Plachimada
watershed, and also perhaps from other regions of Chittur Taluk
through suction. Therefore, a reasonable amount of the water so
drawn are to be utilized for benefit of general public, and as
directed by the Panchayat from time to time. This work of water
supply is to be undertaken, and commenced before 30th of June
2005. The restriction imposed for its own consumption will not be
applicable when water is drawn for this additional requirement.
56. The three Writ Appeals and the Writ Petition are disposed of as
above. The directions and observations of the learned Single Judge
in the judgment in W.P. (C) No. 34292 of 2003 will be deemed as
modified in consonance with the directions, as above made. On
pronouncement of the judgment in open Court, the learned
counsel for the Panchayat submits that one week's time granted for
consideration of the application will be too short a period and at
least two weeks might be required. Although Sri. Shaffique,
appearing for the respondent-Company, submits that the time
granted is adequate, taking notice of the circumstances, the time
granted as one week will stand modified as two weeks.
Posted on Wednesday, September 24, 2008 4:32 AM
73
VOICE OF WORLD SOCIALISM
By dravidaperavai @ 2006-05-23 – 08:02:18
74
developing countries – one person in five – lack access to
safe water."
Author: DG
75
Dravida Peravai
Dravida Peravai on global political issues and causes
Combating Terrorism,
Understanding Terrorists
Terrorism is a tactic, not an enemy that we can target in a
war, which means that the 'war on terrorism' is nothing of
the sort. Instead, we are fighting a war against people who
use terrorism. This war probably won't be won by destroying
the enemy; on the other hand, denying them their goals and
reducing their fervor may accomplish much more.
76
This attitude is a mistake, however: Understanding radical groups
in other cultures is difficult. Insight requires a degree of empathy, and
parochial observers find it hard to empathize with different
worldviews, while cosmopolitan observers naturally find reactionary
ideologies alien and unfathomable. It is also vital to distinguish
between empathy and sympathy. Anyone who appears to sympathize
with terrorists will be discredited as a source of wisdom on
counterterrorism, but those who do not empathize with terrorists will
not get far enough inside their heads to develop the maximum base
of intelligence for counterterrorism.
This does not mean that we should meet terrorist demands, but
rather that knowing the enemy better increases the odds of finding an
opening in his armor, or of figuring out better ways to use
propaganda (what “public diplomacy” for the war on terror really
means) to sway the populations whose allegiance is at issue. Dealing
with future terrorism will require plenty of inventive intelligence
activities, to be sure, but there will be no single technological or
bureaucratic fix on which to pin all our hopes.
77
Counterterrorism will require a lot of plain old politics and
psychology. Some people seem to favor a purely military solution to
terrorism — they simply want to destroy terrorists and be done with
it. To call this a simplistic reaction to the situation is an
understatement. At best, it’s an emotional reaction to the horrors of
terrorism which should have been overcome by more rational and
sensible thinking long ago.
Even if terrorists don’t have any legitimate grievances, they think they
do and unless those grievances are dealt with on some level, more
extremism and terrorism will keep being produced. As Betts says, this
doesn’t mean “meeting their demands,” but at the very least we have
to think about what the demands are and what can be done. Perhaps
we’ll find some legitimate arguments and will thus have to admit to
having to change.
Other times, maybe we can find ways to subvert the demands and
thus deny the extremists any broad support they need to continue
over the long term. KKK terrorists were ultimately subverted by the
government strongly backing integration — there was no declared
war, but there was a great deal of social and legal pressure placed on
the KKK. Today, they aren’t a threat anymore and they don’t have
enough broad support in the community to even have serious
influence anywhere. What better fate can there be fore Al Queda —
to become a shadow of its former self, unable to be more than the
butt of jokes?
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Dravida Peravai
Dravida Peravai on global political issues and causes
A BOOK ALL MUST READ
By dravidaperavai @ 2006-04-30 – 04:59:08
The Final Theory is a new science book that breaks the mold
entirely. It does not align itself with today's fanciful science,
yet is a best-selling science book based on very sound logic
and solid scientific principles. It is the first truly viable
answer to all the confusion, mysteries, and head-scratching
found in today's science. See the truth for yourself...
Read the free first chapter of The Final Theory and finally
begin to understand your world.
79
began with Newton mistaking gravity as an "attracting force",
which neither he, nor anyone since, has ever been able to
explain. Einstein further mistook gravity as a mysterious
warping of "4-dimensional space-time", which also remains
completely unexplained. Now our scientists are tossing
"quantum gravity" and "10-dimensionalsuperstrings" into
the fray. Similarly, Benjamin Franklin’s misunderstanding of
observations gave us the equally unexplained "electric
charge" concept, while still others followed, such as the
"nuclear forces" holding the atom together, Quantum Theory,
Special Relativity Theory, the” Big Bang" concept, etc. All of
these ideas are useful working models of observations, but
they are also all now widely recognized as fundamentally
unexplained hypotheses.
80
centuries-old beliefs from a much simpler time. Our
scientists are now heavily invested in our current science
paradigm -- right or wrong -- and are highly unreceptive to a
book that questions and overturns their beliefs. This has left
us with the very odd situation that although many educated,
science- minded individuals have made this book an ongoing
science bestseller it has yet to receive a response from the
scientific community. Reclaim Your Lost Birthright of
Understanding
81
TURKEY MUST BE ADMITTED
IN EUROPEAN UNION
By dravidaperavai @ 2006-02-21 – 05:43:59
82
PLEA FOR TURKEY MADE BY ERSOY
Some people say that Turks are an Asiatic people and does
not belong to Europe. In fact, population of Asiatic origin in
Turkey is only %15 and the rest is the grand children of
converted Eastern European people and native people of
Anatolia. On the other hand, a great percentage of today's
Greek population is also of Anatolian origin. They have been
sent to Greece during the "population exchange" in 1920's in
return of Muslim people living in Greece. The same thing
happened for Muslim people in Bulgaria, Romania,
Macedonia and elsewhere. The only criteria to decide who
was Turk and who was not was "religion" only. That’s why in
today's Turkey 99% of people is Muslim. Because Christian
Turks now are Greek citizens and Muslim Greeks are now
Turks. Some people who were sent to Greece did not speak
even Greek Language, and learn it later. In fact some of their
elderly never did at all. They were considering them as
Christian Turks. Therefore if Today's Greeks are European
Turks also Europeans. Their genetic diseases, blood group
distribution prove that too. How come familial
"Mediterranean" Fever disease can be so common in an
"Asiatic" people. I'm a medical doctor and know the issue
very well. So that rhetoric is not valid at all.
83
perfect democracy but we truly have the longest experience
of democracy (60 years) and thousands of years of good state
tradition in Moslem world. Some people may see Turks as
new comers to the area and barbaric occupiers of civilized
territories. (I would like to remind you that most European
nations came to their modern territories only a few hundred
years before Turks have come to Asia Minor, I am not even
talk about Americans, Australians, or South Africans so on!).
84
000-1.5 million Armenians lost their lives. But no one really
has counted them. Especially Turkish lives have always been
very inexpensive and worthless even for their own
government during those terrible first decades of 20th
century.
85
needed to pass through Gallipoli strait, with your gunship, it
is quite likely that you will ask for it in the future too (Did
you know that if Western Forces would be able to pass straits
in 1918, besides invading Istanbul one of their major goals
was to help Czar in Moscow and with their help maybe
communism would never be in power in most of Europe for
60 years and history would drastically change, readers from
Russia and former Eastern European countries would
understand what that really means! Bad thing probably,
Eisenstein movie "Potemkin" would never be made!).
86
RELIGION IS THE REAL PROBLEM
By dravidaperavai @ 2006-02-19 – 18:36:24
87
God also instructs us to murder people who work on the Sabbath,
along with adulterers and children who curse their parents. While
they're at it, members of Congress might want to reconsider the 13th
Amendment, because it turns out that God approves of slavery —
unless a master beats his slave so severely that he loses an eye or
teeth, in which case Exodus 21 tells us he must be freed.
What should we conclude from all this? That whatever their import
to people of faith, ancient religious texts shouldn't forms the basis of
social policy in the 21st century. The Bible was written at a time when
people thought the Earth was flat, when the wheelbarrow was high
tech. Are its teachings applicable to the challenges we now face as a
global civilization?
Of course, the Bible is not the only ancient text that casts a shadow
over the present. A social policy based on the Koran poses even
greater dangers. Koran 9:123 tells us it is the duty of every Muslim
man to "make war on the infidels who dwell around you." Osama bin
Laden may be despicable, but it is hard to argue that he isn't acting in
accord with at least some of the teachings of the Koran. It is true that
most Muslims seem inclined to ignore the Koran's solicitations to
martyrdom and jihad, but we cannot overlook the fact that some are
not so inclined and that some of them murder innocent people for
religious reasons.
88
war with precisely a vision of life presented to Muslims in the Koran.
Anyone who reads this text will find non-Muslims vilified on nearly
every page. How can we possibly expect devout Muslims to happily
share power with "the friends of Satan"? Why did 19 well-educated,
middle-class men trade their lives for the privilege of killing
thousands of our neighbors? Because they believed, on the authority
of the Koran, that they would go straight to paradise for doing so. It
is rare to find the behavior of human beings so easily explained. And
yet, many of us are reluctant to accept this explanation.
Anyone who thinks that terrestrial concerns are the principal source
of Muslim violence must explain why there are no Palestinian
Christian suicide bombers. They too suffer the daily indignity of the
Israeli occupation. Where, for that matter, are the Tibetan Buddhist
suicide bombers? The Tibetans have suffered an occupation far more
brutal. Where are the throngs of Tibetans ready to perpetrate suicidal
atrocities against the Chinese? They do not exist. What is the
difference that makes the difference? The difference lies in the
specific tenets of Islam versus those of Buddhism and Christianity.
There are now more people in our country who believe that the
universe was created in six solar days than there were in Europe in
the 14th century. In the eyes of most of the civilized world, the
United States is now a rogue power — imperialist, inarticulate and
retrograde in its religiosity. Our erstwhile allies are right not to trust
our judgment. We elect leaders who squander time and money on
issues like gay marriage, Janet Jackson's anatomy, Howard Stern's
obscenities, marijuana use and a dozen other trifles lying at the heart
of the Christian social agenda, while potentially catastrophic problems
like nuclear proliferation and climate change go unresolved.
89
unable to recognize a common enemy, even when that enemy
massacres hundreds of people in their nation's capital.
90
NEW ZEALAND'S LAST COLONY ON ROAD
TO FREEDOM
By dravidaperavai @ 2006-02-15 – 08:24:49
The atoll of Atafu, the tiny South Pacific territory of Tokelau with
600 people is on the road to freedom. New Zealand's last colony ends
its colonial rule. The observers of United Nations and officials of
New Zealand went there to enable people vote in
referendum.Pondicherry too got liberation from French rule by way
of local bodies voting in favour of Indian Union. Here the people of
Atoll of Atafu are expressing their burning desire for freedom by way
of ballots.Dravida Peravai welcomes this new dawn and thanks the
women Prime Minister of New Zealand Helen Clark for ending the
colonial rule in the atoll of atafu.
91
UNITED NATIONS MUST DELIVER
JUSTICE TO EAST TIMOR
By dravidaperavai @ 2006-02-14 – 20:56:52
92
HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS BY INDONESIA
DURING OCCUPATION
93
West Papua's religious leaders have also been calling for the
authorities there to respect the human dignity of the
indigenous population and for the Indonesian government to
enter into dialogue in the spirit of building Papua as a land of
peace.
94
report provides a detailed account of the structure and
operations of the Indonesian military in East Timor from
November 1975 to October 1999. CAVR examined extensive
documentary evidence and took statements from more than
7,000 people to form the basis of its report, which are more
than 2,000 pages long.
95
while hundreds more were at serious risk of disease and
malnutrition, having being denied access to emergency aid.
96
standing trial for the December 2000 killing in Papua of
three students and the torture of up to 100 civilians. Each
failure to bring perpetrators of human rights violations to
justice reinforces the confidence of perpetrators that they are
indeed above the law.
97
Dravida Peravai
Dravida Peravai on global political issues and causes
Courtesy: [www.openDemocracy.net]
THE RESURGENCE OF CHINESE NATIONALISM
Christopher R Hughes
98
Taiwan Strait crisis of 1995-96 (when China conducted a
series of missile tests in the waters surrounding Taiwan) and
running through the 1999 Nato bombing of the Chinese
embassy in Belgrade (where then- President Slobodan
Milosevic of Serbia was thought to have been visiting).
99
In response, the CCP has to constantly reinforce its own
nationalistic credentials. This was most evident when a
“patriotic education campaign” was launched after the
Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989, deploying emotive
memories of the “hundred years of humiliation” that began
with the “opium war” in 1840 and finished with the
establishment of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in
1949. Special emphasis was given to recalling the war against
Japan and the civil war with the Nationalists, with traumatic
events such as the 1937-38 Rape of Nanjing – considered the
Japanese military’s most infamous war crime – singled out to
remind the population that the CCP is the party of national
salvation. Yet despite this ratcheting up of patriotic emotions
under “reform and opening”, the CCP leadership has also had
to ensure that its version of nationalism is compatible with
the economic requirements of attracting foreign investment
and know-how. This dilemma goes back at least as far as the
attempts by Confucians reformers of the 19th century to
preserve the imperial system by using foreign “functional
knowledge” (yong) to preserve Chinese essence (ti). It can
currently be seen in such programs as the claim to be
building a Chinese “socialist spiritual civilization”, or
“socialism with Chinese characteristics”. While such a
formula can appeal to conservatives who want to combat
“spiritual pollution” and “bourgeois liberalization” from
abroad, it can also be calibrated to allow the incorporation of
fashionable themes such as the “world scientific and
technological revolution”. The overall result is a peculiar
globalization of nationalism that allows some sense to be
made of oxymoronic concepts like the “socialist market
economy”.
100
POLITICS AND VOICE
Social groups that have arisen under the impact of market
mechanisms and the belief that science and education can
“rejuvenate the nation” have been given a new political
status; at the same time, entrepreneurs, technical personnel
and managers of non-public and foreign enterprises have
been recognized as “builders of socialism with Chinese
characteristics”, allowing them to join the CCP. This
globalistic nationalism, however, also remains open to
appropriation by actors who feel it is their duty to speak out
for those whose security and welfare are being eroded under
“reform and opening”, including many of the “intellectuals”
and educators upon whom the party relies to safeguard and
disseminate its orthodoxy. Since the mid-1980s, there has
been a strong tendency for demonstrators angry over issues
ranging from corruption to poor campus food to identify
themselves with iconic nationalistic student movements from
the past, frequently choosing to bring their activities to a
head on the anniversaries of well known
patriotic movements. Those who demonstrated in
Tiananmen Square in the spring of 1989 identified
themselves with the May Fourth patriotic student movement,
so-named after the demonstrations on that date in Peking in
1919, expressing outrage against the weakness of a
government that allowed the transfer of German territorial
possessions in China to Japan at the Paris Growing
discontent has meant that nationalist politics has been fed
into broader public discussions of key policy areas.
101
listed these goals as the “three main historical tasks” for the
CCP leadership in January 1980, he created a linkage
between areas of policy-making that has become a hostage to
fortune for his successors. The use by the CCP elite of
symbols of the great Han cultural tradition to appeal for
domestic unity, for example, does not sit well with the official
policy towards the non-Han groups in the border areas of
Tibet and Xinjiang: that the People’s Republic is a multi-
national state in which all ethnic groups are equal.
Conversely, many residents of Taiwan and Hong Kong reject
the reduction of patriotism to loyalty to the CCP by using
democratic notions of sovereignty when they are appealed to
on the basis that they are all “descendants of the Yellow
Emperor”. Balancing the patriotic rhetoric that the CCP aims
at its domestic audience has become particularly difficult to
reconcile with the conduct of foreign policy since 1988,when
the Beijing municipal authorities prohibited demonstrations
against atrocities committed against ethnic Chinese in
Indonesia. For neighboring states, the credibility of China’s
“peaceful rise” has to be put in the balance with popular
demonstrations against Japan and the United States,
Beijing’s refusal to rule out the use of force to unify with
Taiwan and a rapid arms build-up.
102
oriented reforms for its political legitimacy is what gives
nationalist politics in China its current significance.
Movement towards a
more democratic claim to power is one of the conditions for
reducing that dependence.
103
RECALLING OUR PAST: 1965 TAMIL
LANGUAGE STRUGGLE IN INDIA
By Annaist @ 2006-10-19 – 13:49:22
104
105
106
A MOON ASTROLOGERS DONT KNOW
An internal heat source probably drives the geyser, which looks like
Yellowstone's Old Faithful. The source might heat pockets of liquid
water at the bottoms of the cracks, driving it out as hot water or
steam. The mix of inorganic compounds and hydrocarbons found in
the plume, as well as organic compounds detected on nearby regions
of the moon; suggest that a rich, warm organic soup lies beneath the
surface. Such a soup would be a prime place for finding amino acids,
building blocks of life, says Cassini scientist Dennis Matson of
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif. He and
his colleagues report the basic findings about Enceladus in nine
articles in the March 10 Science. A water-bearing zone on Enceladus
might be more easily explored than other promising sites in the outer
solar system could, some planetary scientists now argue. Although
Jupiter's moon Europa may harbor a vast, briny ocean, it would lie
beneath an icy shell estimated to be tens of km thick. And if Titan,
the largest Saturnian moon, contains liquid water, the reserves are
probably well beneath its hydrocarbon-shrouded surface, which is
cold enough to freeze even methane. In contrast, the exposed
crevasses on Enceladus that may hold liquid water are only about a
half-kilometer deep. "I'm not saying we're going to find bugs on
Enceladus, but I am saying that whatever the incipient conditions are
for life, they are readily accessible there," says Cassini researcher
107
Christopher Parkinson of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
"And it's worth taking a look." Volatile findingsEnceladus, a tiny
moon whose area is smaller than that of New Mexico, first captured
the attention of planetary scientists a quarter-century ago. That's
when the two Voyager spacecraft revealed ancient, pockmarked
terrain on the moon lying adjacent to much younger, smoother
regions. The smooth areas suggested that parts of the moon had
recently undergone a facelift in which upheavals erased old craters.
Then, on July 14, Cassini swooped in for a closer look, coming within
172 km of the moon. That's the nearest that the craft has come to a
satellite of Saturn. Images revealed a terrain of faults, folds, and ridges
devoid of craters, further evidence that Enceladus is one of the most
geologically active places in the solar system. The images also showed
fresh-looking deposits of amorphous and crystalline ice that could be
just hours to decades old.
108
revealed that the geyser contained compounds tentatively identified as
carbon dioxide, methane, propane, acetylene, and molecular nitrogen.
Molecular nitrogen requires a relatively warm temperature, notes
Matson. For a crucial 24 seconds during this flyby, instruments on
Cassini observed the southern hemisphere of Enceladus while a
background star, Bellatrix, dipped behind the moon. Just before the
star vanished, some of its light filtered through the tenuous gases
surrounding Enceladus. Viewing this stellar occultation, an ultraviolet
detector on Cassini measured the amount of water vapor expelled by
the plume. It also revealed in the plume and on the nearby surface, a
mixture of organic and inorganic compounds that might support life.
Because that material probably came from the cracks, the vents would
seem to be a hospitable place for life, says Parkinson. Completing the
picture, Cassini revealed an infrared glow—a hint of heat. Though it's
still a frigid 157 kelvins, the region around the plume is 25 kelvins
warmer than other areas on the moon. Solar heating isn't enough to
explain the high temperature, Parkinson says. Instead, the moon must
have some inner source of heat. If the temperature at the base of the
plume at the bottom of the crack is higher than that of the moon's
surface, as several models suggest, it means that the crack may hold
liquid water. Other evidence hints that Enceladus' plume isn't a one-
shot event but has persisted for years. The longer the moon has been
belching water vapor, the more likely it is to have retained liquid
water beneath its surface, says Parkinson. Assuming that the geyser
continues erupting, Cassini might get another chance to study it when the craft
passes the moon again in spring 2008. Enceladus was first detected in 1789. In
the early 1980s, ground-based observations revealed that the moon inhabits an
interesting neighborhood. It lies in the middle of Saturn's E ring, a tenuous outer
circle of fine ice particles. Scientists immediately suspected that Enceladus both
created and replenishes the ring. Computer models indicate that the largest
chunks of ice in the plumes probably follow paths that send them
hurtling back toward Enceladus. But some of the smaller plume
particles disperse into orbits that make up the E ring. The ring
requires constant replenishing because its particles are only loosely
bound by gravity and escape after about 1,000 or so years of orbiting
Saturn, says Parkinson. If Enceladus weren't belching new ice
particles, the E ring would probably have vanished long ago. Lively
speculation the mix of short-chain organic compounds found in the
plumes, Parkinson and his colleagues say, suggests that if there is a
heat source beneath the surface of the moon, amino acids could have
been synthesized there.
109
The same internal heat source suggested to power Enceladus' geyser
might have created pockets of liquid water at the crevasses' bottoms,
which lie only about a half-kilometer below the moon's frigid surface.
Inside Enceladus, water moving through the rocky material near the
moon's core could have created iron-rich clays. Models indicate that
such clays could foster the formation of amino acids and even
bacteria, Parkinson says. Another source of these clays could be
micrometeorites, which deliver organic compounds and metals. The
micrometeorites would pound the surface and ultimately become
incorporated into deeper layers of the moon. Other features also
favor formation of biological materials, Parkinson notes. For
instance, spectra of the surface of the moon show several compounds
that could dissolve in water and trigger energy-releasing chemical
reactions. Known as redox reactions, they break down compounds by
taking away or adding electrons—reducing or oxidizing the
compounds respectively, in the chemical parlance. The rusting of
metal, which gives Mars its reddish color, is one example of an
oxidation reaction. The geothermal activity, liquid water, and redox
reactions "give favorable conditions for life on Enceladus," say
Parkinson. "These conditions are not duplicated anywhere in our
solar system [today] except our planet," he asserts. Mars might have
had flowing water at or just beneath its surface, but only in the distant
past. Titan is a frozen repository of chemicals that could become part
of a biological brew, but other conditions on that moon don't appear
to be favorable for making life. Some of the water from Europe’s vast
underground ocean could have oozed up through cracks in the
overlying ice, refrozen, and then reacted with charged particles from
surrounding space. However, Parkinson says, most of it would
remain isolated beneath a thick layer of ice. Without contact with an
atmosphere, redox reactions are unlikely to have occurred there.
Given these conditions elsewhere, Parkinson concludes, "Enceladus
is the most exciting object in the solar system for the search of extant
life." Some other scientists disagree. For Ralph Lorenz of the
University of Arizona in Tucson, Enceladus and Europa are mere
"side-shows" compared with the intriguing landscape and potential
lessons about the development of life offered by Titan. He says that
he's not all that impressed by the shallow "Perrier water" that
Enceladus may harbor. Although they have their favorites, Parkinson,
Lorenz, and other planetary scientists support explorations of all
three places. But with limited funding for space missions in general,
and astrobiology in particular, "everyone is protecting their own turf,"
says Parkinson. Hot debate Eighteen months ago, a probe carried by
Cassini landed on Titan, revealing a surprisingly earthlike terrain of
110
shorelines and river valleys. These had been sculpted not by water but
by liquid methane or ethane and by moving pebbles apparently
rounded by the flow of the same hydrocarbon. Heat stored and
gradually released by this mammoth moon, which is nearly as big as
Mercury, can account for the complex landscape, notes Jeff Kargel of
the University of Arizona in Tucson.
111
steadily or sporadically. They also want to confirm hints in spectra
that there are compounds of biological significance, such as ammonia
and oxidants, on the moon's surface and to look for chlorophyll and
other harbingers of life. To encounter liquid water, a probe might not
have to descend to the bottom of the cracks. Data in hand indicate
that a mist of water may lie just 7 m down the vents. Cassini is
scheduled to fly past Enceladus in 2 years. "If a wet domain exists at
the bottom of Enceladus' icy crust ... Cassini may help to confirm it,"
says Kargel. But learning whether the moon hosts life is beyond
Cassini's ken, he adds. In the March 10 Science, he wrote, "Any life
that existed could not be luxuriant and would have to deal with low
temperatures, feeble metabolic energy, and perhaps a severe chemical
environment. Nevertheless, we cannot discount the possibility that
Enceladus might be life's distant outpost."
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33 countries, including Sri Lanka
Face possible genocide, says report
Steven Edwards, Canwest News Service
Since the world pledged "never again" in the wake of the Holocaust,
Cambodia, Rwanda and Bosnia-Herzegovina are but three examples of
places where mass slaughter has occurred.
The list by the New York-based Genocide Prevention Project for the first
time combines the findings of five leading independent watch lists to create
a "watch list of watch lists."
The next 25 "orange alert" countries appear in at least three of the indexes
and include China, Colombia, Philippines and Indonesia as places where
ongoing or simmering violence could flare to genocidal proportions.
"It is possible to identify early indicators of mass atrocity crimes. But what
happens now is the international community sees what's going on, gets
paralyzed and, if it acts, really only acts after the fact," said Jill Savitt, project
executive director.
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available to nations and the UN Security Council - can result in "averting an
escalation of violence."
Savitt said what's been lacking in the past was "political will," but added that
may change because of a convergence of recent factors.
Finally, there is what Savitt called the public "guilt" over what occurred in
Rwanda and Bosnia, and what she additionally called public "hunger for a
response" to the Darfur crisis.
"There are things states can do like dispatching the highest-level envoy -
someone of great stature who can call (British Prime Minister Gordon
Brown's residence) 10 Downing Street, or the UN secretary general, or
President Obama," she said. "There are all kinds of penalties and
inducements, including trade and aid, membership in political bodies, or
expulsion from them. And even simple public criticism can work."
Still, many analysts agree the international community has long had difficulty
trying to change state behavior purely using sanctions or diplomatic
pressure.
Among countries in the project's list of 33, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea,
Somalia, Sudan and Zimbabwe all face varying UN or state sanctions aimed
at convincing them to obey the international will.
The list comes as Irwin Cotler, former justice minister and attorney general,
Monday released a petition calling on countries that have signed the
genocide convention to "hold Iran to account for its genocidal incitement."
"The enduring lesson of the Holocaust and that of the genocides that
followed is that they occurred not simply because of the machinery of death,
but because of the state-sanctioned incitement to hatred," Cotler said.
"In the case of Iran, there is no justification for inaction," he added, citing
statements by Iranian leaders calling for the destruction of Israel.
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TAMIL DANCE BEFORE BHARATHA NATYAM
Posted by nandhivarman on May 23, 2007
Tamilnadu then Chief Minister J.J had admitted in the floor of Tamilnadu
assembly that dancing art originated from Tamilnadu. But the Brahminical
Chief Minister was not aware that there existed a Tamil book for dance
which is known as Avinayam written by Avinayar. Koothar, viraliyar, kodiyar,
vayiriyar, paanar were the group of people who were practicing and
propagating dance much before the Sangam age. The Natya sastra of
Bharathamunivar is just the translation of the Natya nannool mentioned by
Ilangoadigal, author of Tamil epic Silapathigaram. Bharathar’s book is not
original one. Though the Avinayam of Tholkappiyar’s days is not available
today, during Sangam period Sathanar’s Koothanool , Arivanar’s Panjamarabu,
Mathivanar’s Nadakatamizh were following the tradition of Avinayar’s
Naatiya Nannool.
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Dravida Peravai appeals to Tamil scholars particularly to Eelam Tamil
women who are spreading the Tamil dance tradition across the continents
to clearly correct the distortion in history and state that Tamil dance must be
renamed as Avinayam, and Bharatha natyam originated from Kashmir is not
the first to originate but a borrowed version of Tamil dance.
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GOD FATHERS OF GENOCIDE
KARADZIC IN EUROPE: RAJAPAKSHE IN ASIA
By ALEKSANDAR HEMON in
Published: July 27, 2008 Chicago
He thundered, “Do not think you will not lead Bosnia and Herzegovina into
hell and the Muslim people into possible annihilation, as the Muslim people
cannot defend themselves in case of war here.” Throughout his tirade, he
clutched the lectern edges, as though about to hurl it at his audience, but
then let go of it to stab the air with his forefinger at the word “annihilation.”
The Bosnian president, Alija Izetbegovic, a Muslim, was visibly distressed.
Watching the news broadcast covering the session, neither my parents nor I
could initially comprehend what he meant by “annihilation.” For a moment
or two we groped for a milder, less terrifying interpretation — perhaps he
meant “historical irrelevance”? For what he was saying was well outside the
scope of our middling imagination, well beyond the habits of normalcy we
desperately clung to as war loomed over our irrelevant lives.
Then I understood that he was wagging the stick of genocide at the Bosnian
Muslims, while the unappetizing carrot was their bare survival. “Don’t make
me do it,” he was essentially saying. “I will be at home in the hell I create for
you.”
The Parliament eventually decided a referendum was the way to go. It took
place in February 1992; the Serbs boycotted it while the majority of
Bosnians voted for independence. In March, there were barricades on the
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streets of Sarajevo and shooting in the mountains surrounding it. In April,
Mr. Karadzic’s snipers aimed at a peaceful antiwar demonstration in front of
the Parliament building, and two women were killed. On May 2, Sarajevo
was cut off from the world and the longest siege in modern history began.
By the end of the summer, nearly every front page in the world had
published a picture from a Serbian death camp. And so it would go for far
too long.
There is little doubt, of course, that Mr. Karadzic would have happily sped
down the hell-and-suffering highway regardless of the outcome of the
parliamentary session. The annihilation machine was already reviving;
everything had already been put in place for genocide, whose purpose was
not only the destruction and displacement of Bosnian Muslims but also the
irreversible unification of the Serbs and their ethnically pure lands into a
Greater Serbia. I wondered later why he staged that performance before the
Parliament, since peace and coexistence were never a possibility for him.
Why did he bother?
The model for Mr. Karadzic’s role as leader was provided by Peter Petrovic
Njegos’s epic poem “The Mountain Wreath” (“Gorski vijenac”). Published
in 1847, it is deeply embedded in the tradition of Serbian epic poetry and is a
foundational text of Serbian cultural nationalism. Set at the end of the 17th
century, its central character is Vladika Danilo, the bishop and the sovereign
of Montenegro, the only Serbian territory unconquered at the time by the
powerful and all-encroaching Ottoman Empire. Vladika Danilo has a
problem: some Montenegrin Serbs have converted to Islam. For him, they
are the fifth column of the Turks, a people who could never be trusted, a
permanent threat to the freedom and sovereignty of the Serbs.
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He summons a council to help him determine the solution. He listens to the
advice of his bloodthirsty warriors: “Without suffering no song is sung,”
one of them says. “Without suffering no saber is forged.” He listens to a
delegation of Muslims pleading for peace and coexistence, who are instead
offered the chance to save their heads by converting back to “the faith of
their forefathers.” He speaks of freedom and the difficult decisions it
requires: “The wolf is entitled to a sheep/much like a tyrant to a feeble man.
/But to stomp the neck of tyranny/to lead it to the righteous knowledge/
that is man’s most sacred duty.”
In the lines familiar to nearly every Serbian child and adult, Vladika Danilo
recognizes that the total, ruthless extermination of the Muslims is the only
way: “Let there be endless struggle,” he says. “Let there be what cannot be.”
He will lead his people through the hell of murder and onward to honor and
salvation: “On the grave flowers will grow/ for a distant future generation.”
Mr. Karadzic was intimately familiar with Serbian epic poetry. A skillful
player of the gusle, a single-string fiddle traditionally accompanying the oral
performance of epic poems, he clearly understood his role in the light cast
by Vladika Danilo. He recognized himself in the martyrdom of leadership;
he believed that he was the one to finish the job that Vladika Danilo started;
he saw himself as the hero in an epic poem that would be sung by a distant
future generation.
The tragic, heartbreaking irony of it all is that Mr. Karadzic played out his
historical role in less than 10 years. In the flash of his infernal pan
hundreds of thousands died, millions were displaced, untold numbers
paid in unspeakable pain for his induction into the pantheon of
Serbian epic poetry.
Before he became the leader of Bosnian Serbs and after he was forced out
by his supporter and fellow nationalist, President Slobodan Milosevic of
Serbia, in the wake of the Dayton peace accord, Mr. Karadzic was a prosaic
nobody. A mediocre psychiatrist, a minor poet and a petty embezzler before
the war, at the time of his arrest he was a grotesque mountebank. It was
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only during the war, on a blood-soaked stage, that he could fully develop his
inhuman potential. His true and only home was the hell he created for
others.
Which is why, after the initial exhilaration, many Bosnians find Mr.
Karadzic’s arrest less satisfying than one would expect. Though he might
spend the rest of his life in the comfortable dungeons of the Western
European prison system, he will live eternally in the verses of decasyllabic
meter written by those for whom the demolition of Bosnia was but material
for the grand epic poetry of Serb hood.
Bosnians know he should have been booed and run off the stage at the peak
of his performance. He should have been seen for what he really was: a
thuggish puppet whose head was bloated with delusions of grandeur.
He should have let us live outside his epic fantasies. Justice is good, but a
peaceful life would have been much better.
History must teach lessons so that past mistakes are not repeated, yet some
fanatics fail to learn from history, and pursue the path of genocide. For
those like Mahinda Rajapakshe the same end awaits, to be on run, to live life
on exile, to be caught guilty of genocide.
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SANE VOICE FROM SINAHALESE LEFT
It will be nonsense to think of eradicating the LTTE, writes
Vickramabahu Karunaratne in a recent article highlighting the need
for alternative thinking. "In the case of the LTTE, it represents the
real anger of the Tamil people against discrimination, humiliation
and oppression by Sinhala chauvinism. [...] It was and is wrong to the
hilt in hating Tamil society for its demand for equality and self-
determination. [...] All global capitalist powers including India will be
forced to repent in time to come for their aggressive participation in
human suffering of this order. [...] The LTTE cannot be blamed for
not surrendering to the Sinhala army of the chauvinist regime," he
writes.
Vickramabahu Karunaratne
The government, while discarding all appeals for a ceasefire is hell bent on
finishing the LTTE. The LTTE cannot be finished as it is a movement in
the hearts and minds of the Tamil people. It represents the strongest
commitment to the Tamil right to self determination and Tamil freedom.
Even those who disagree with the LTTE`s violent methods or with its
political programme for Tamil liberation, still hail it as the most formidable
opposition to Sinhala repression. So, it will be nonsense to think of
eradicating the LTTE. UNP leaders led by the then defence minister
thought of finishing the JVP by eliminating over fifty-thousand JVP
suspects with the leadership. It is claimed that Wijeweera was burnt alive by
a military group. But today modern dissidents of Wijeweera and other JVP
leaders virtually run the government of Mahinda. The ghost of Wijeweera is
behind the president at all times. Champika Ranawaka and Wimal
Weerawansa today, represent the last political message of the Deshapremi
Janatha Viyaparaya, the brainchild of Wijeweera. In that sense both
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Champika and Wimal are legitimate political children of Wijeweera. The
rump JVP is left in the ditch without being able to go along with these two.
It does not represent the JVP past or present. While howling for a better
war it is barking at the government for repression!
So we can count it out. But the real JVP represented by the chauvinist duo,
Champika and Wimal, is doing great. So, the dream of the UNP leaders to
eliminate the JVP has not been fulfilled.Similarly the dream of Mahinda to
eliminate the LTTE by brutal repression of all who are associated with the
LTTE will be a void in the coming period. In the case of the LTTE, it
represents the real anger of the Tamil people against discrimination,
humiliation and oppression by Sinhala chauvinism. The JVP was correct to
an extent. It protested about oppression of Sinhala society by the Anglo-
Saxon Western upper classes. But it was and is wrong to the hilt in hating
Tamil society for its demand for equality and self determination.
Strangely enough it is the wrong side of the JVP that is flourishing today
both inside and outside of the government. However the anger of the Tamil
people over the ruthless attacks made by both the state and the pogroms
cannot be dispersed by decimating the LTTE. The latter will enhance the
hard feelings within Tamil society. It will pour out in the future not only in
Lanka but also in India as a gigantic Dravidian movement.
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If thousands die due to the attacks of the army the blame will squarely fall
on the government and its masters. America, India and others shed
crocodile tears about the massive human tragedy after doing everything
possible to repress the Tamil speaking people. It is sad to watch the UNP
and other so-called liberals happily waiting to see the effect of the tragedy
on the government. There is no attempt to press for a ceasefire. In effect
they give their support to the aggressive war efforts of the government. In
this scenario there is no other way out except the programme of the Left.
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SKELETONS OF TSUNAMI
Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Thiru.Manmohan Singh 11.3.2008
The Chief Minister N.Rangasamy with one point agenda to nurse his
constituency alone neglecting all other 29 constituencies but careful
to keep opposition legislators personally in good humour is an
electoral liability to your party, and you must know in past the neglect
of Karaikal region, a Congress bastion saw complete rout of all the 4
legislators of Congress, just because Karaikal Union Territory
Struggle Group for which I happen to be the Honorary President
brought out just 1000 pamphlets listing out the total neglect, which
the opponent candidates of Congress printed up to 69,000 pamphlets
and defeated all 4 Congress M.L.A.’s. When our party two weeks ago
put up posters saying Neglecting the jobless youth of 29
constituencies and catering only to Thattanchavady youth, Rangasamy
who failed in neutrality must resign; he was panicky, ordered his men
to tear all posters within hours of appearance. The writing on the wall
in Karaikal, you ignored and your party is washed away there. By
shielding Rangasamy if you want to end Congress rule here, we wish
that it happens.
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much was spent in Karaikal. Let me narrate the two year struggle of a
77 year old consumer activist.
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Dhass replies to Joint Secretary Central Information Commission
marking copy on 28.02.2008.Kottucherry Nugarvor Padhukappu
Kuzhu again writes to Joint Secretary Central Information
Commission stating within stipulated time reply had not been made.
Further the crux of the issue is the question how much funds from
Government of India/Government of Puducherry and NGOs came
to Karaikal remains without answer after 2 year struggle by a 77 year
old senior citizen.
This proves Tsunami scandal has taken place and Government has to
hide simple facts. Hence our party urges for a CBI enquiry into the
Tsunami fraud that had made selective few millionaires overnight
here due to their proximity with the key player in power.
With Regards
Yours sincerely
This proves Tsunami scandal has taken place and Government has to
hide simple facts. Hence our party urges for a CBI enquiry into the
Tsunami fraud that had made selective few millionaires overnight
here due to their proximity with the key player in power.
With Regards
126
OATH OF SECRECY VIOLATION
His Excellency The Lt. Governor of Puducherry 8.03.2008
Copy to: Hon’ble Home Minister of India
17. The Act is a self contained Code. All the authorities mentioned therein are
statutory authorities. They are bound by the provisions of the Act. They
must act within the four corners thereof. The State, although, have a general
control but such control must be exercised strictly in terms of Article 162 of
the Constitution of India. Having regard to the nature and the manner of the
control specified therein, it may lay down a policy. Statutory authorities are
bound to act in terms thereof, but per se the same does not authorize any
Minister including the Chief Minister to Act in derogation of the statutory
provisions. Constitution of India does not envisage functioning
of the Government through the Chief Minister alone. It
speaks of Council of Ministers. The duties or functions of
the Council of Ministers are ordinarily governed by the
provisions contained in the Rules of Business framed under
Article 166 of the Constitution of India. All governmental
127
orders must comply with the requirements of a statute as
also the constitutional provisions. Our Constitution
envisages a rule of law and not rule of men. It recognizes
that, how so ever high one may be, he is under law and the
Constitution. All the constitutional functionaries must,
therefore, function within the constitutional limits
The matter is serious. Public have right to expect that Government here
functions in accordance with Constitution, otherwise the last resort will
have to be Supreme Court of India. We hope you will act in accordance
with Constitution and ensure rule here is in accordance with recent
Supreme Court judgment.
N.Nandhivarman
General Secretary
128
TSUNAMI SCAM:
COMPLAINT TO PARLIAMENT
The Chairman on the Sub Committee of Tsunami Relief under
Parliamentary Standing Committee of Ministry of Home
Affairs, Government of India, Mr.V.Narayanaswamy
" During your visit here in your official duty exercising the
representative character of the highest and supreme law
enacting body of India, which is also the custodian of Indian
people, namely the Indian Parliament, we the political party
which plays the responsible role of Opposition here, are
presenting our complaint against the Chief Minister of
Puducherry N.Rangaswamy who had also subverted the powers
of his office to create a Princely state of Thathanchavady. It is
an underground movement launched by the Chief Minister with
the connivance of former Chief Secretary Khairwal, who might
become the Diwan of the Princely state once it declares the
unilateral declaration of independence seceding from the Union
Territory of Puducherry.”
1.In media you and the Leader of the PMK group in Parliament
Professor M.Ramdass have been cautioning against the path of
129
bankruptcy in which Puducherry government had been slipping
down, but your voices have been unheard, where it must have
evoked due response. The Comptroller ad Audit General of
India, deputes his regional commanders to audit the accounts
of this union territory and they have been doing their work not
to the satisfaction of the general public. Though we wont say
they failed miserably we must point out that there is an urgent
need to depute a high level audit committee drawn from central
pool to audit the already audited accounts of the Union
Territory of Puducherry since 2001 till date coinciding with the
tenure of current Chief Minister N.Rangaswamy.
The extract from the Audit Report of Puducherry for the year
2005-06
130
the Rastrapathi and Prime Minister of India and to all Cabinet
Ministers of the Union Cabinet, faxed and mailed to all of them
in one go to open the eyes of the Union Government over the
various commissions and omissions of the Chief Minister
N.Rangaswamy.
131
colluding with the Chief Minister to float all established norms
of good governance. The nexus between then Chief Minister
and Chief Secretary who finds place in CVC archives, made the
subordinate bureaucrats to behave as yes men and to go scot-
free and violating all procedures in files and proposals.
132
of rice. The suppliers are close associates of CM and involve
huge kick back.
Port Scandal: Having wasted crores and crores for the so-called
Port development, the Government of Puducherry had given it
on a platter to a Private Hotel.
133
of the Union Government to shadow one night the Chief
Minister on his weekly travels to pleasure destinations and to
report truth to the Union Cabinet to form the basis of suitable
action apart from the charges listed above.
134
Few days ago a meeting to Review Tsunami Relief was
conducted in the Secretariat of the Pondicherry, wherein almost
all Members of the Legislature, in stage-managed operation
tutored by the Chief Minister had demanded cash payments to
be made through them to whomsoever they identify as tsunami
victim. This is gross violation. This is daylight robbery. This is
open swindle of public money. This is to openly defy the Union
Home Minister's directions that only for specific purpose and
that too only for projects and schemes moneys should be spent.
This is using public money to buy the silence of all the
legislative members, and to deny the people of respective
constituencies their legitimate right to be heard through their
representatives. This is seducing all parties and making them
corrupt. This is bypassing the administration and to establish
parallel administration. This is prelude to convert Puducherry
into a princely state, where the King can dispose moneys as he
wishes, without having any due respect to the Comptroller and
Auditor General of India. This is to run Puducherry as feudal
state and not as a union territory accountable to Center.
135
secret? Mr.Nallusamy, the senior citizen of the Consumer
Forum is tirelessly knocking the doors after one after one office,
till about Karaikal region everything remains shrouded in
secrecy.
136
the hands, heart and mind of the Indian Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh is clean. At the same time we have exposed
how the Puducherry Governments web sites are suppressing
facts and hiding details.
137
looting all the way in the process reminds me of what Late Rajiv
Gandhi had said on government expenditure. In every rupee
marked for the people only 15 paise reaches them, Rajiv Gandhi
had lamented. Here how much went and where it went cannot
be a matter of statements by parties like us and Chief Minister's
rebuttals. Center has agencies like CPWD, which can assess,
and no one is more fit than the subcommittee of Rajyasabha to
order for a probe by CPWD on Tsunami Houses in Union
Territory of Puducherry.
8. More than 500 people lost their lives in Karaikal and Karaikal
was hit by Tsunami in worst ever form. Yet the immediate relief
went to the constituency of AIADMK legislator A.Anbazhagan,
and thereto instead of coastal affected areas, the safe less
affected inland places walked away with the relief. Our Cheap
Minister, sorry Chief Minister who had become cheap in public
esteem thrives by keeping opposition in good humor, and
amidst bravado in day time, the AIADMK leader will always be
seen in Chief Minter's company, acting as his spokesperson
targeting against inner party enemies of the Chief Minister.
May be AIADMK Supremo must have give exemption to this
legislator to openly defend ruling party, whereas AIADMK in
Tamilnadu is proving every day to be an opposition here. By
manipulation here opposition leader of media hype will be
midnight accomplice of Wrong Asaamy in Tamil, Wrong
Swamy N.Rangaswamy. In recent websites the list of
immediate beneficiaries who got 5000 each is provided running
into more than 100 pages after our party criticized the web sites
in our pamphlet attached. There it must be pointed out why on
large sums disposed there is silence, and why government is
138
seeking more funds even while it cannot explain the 1600 crore's
expenditure.
N.Nandhivarman
139
PUDUCHERRY NEW CM
MUST ORDER PROBE
Disasters are broadly of two types namely avoidable and unavoidable.
There has been global level awareness on Natural Disasters. United
Nations Organization had designated the nineties as International
Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction, International Programme
Forum, The Geneva Mandate on Disaster Reduction, Geneva 1999.
Over 150 member states of United Nations had signed the IDNDR
Resolution calling for all nations to develop programmes to reduce
loss of life, economic impact and human suffering by natural disaster
through declaration, legislation, policy decisions, and actions at the
highest level. The United Nations Environment Programme has
identified India as one of the countries most vulnerable to sea level
rise.
The post tsunami phase too many scholars have debated, offered
suggestions and media had thrown more light. I had written articles in
New Indian Express on saving our coast and post tsunami measures.
140
prone area can neither join into either operationalizing these plans or
in holding authorities accountable for failing to do so. Moreover
though governments usually allocate funds for emergencies these
remain unutilized for disaster preparation and prevention, with held
from use until a disaster actually strikes.
141
Reconstruction Project. Village Committee has been constituted for
each hamlet with the Collector as Chairman and prominent 5 villagers
including local M.L.A as member vide G.O. Ms.89 dated 25.07.2005
of the Department of Revenue and Disaster Management for
selection of beneficiaries in allotment of house sites. YOU ALL
MUST BE CONFUSED BY NOW. Everyone knows how tiny
Puducherry union territory is and for 33 villages affected by tsunami,
so many agencies, committees were created but none to watch the
previous Chief Minister’s actions.
142
especially the vulnerable and empowering civil society initiatives for
transparency in decision making, the right to information and the
dissemination of this information to the affected communities.
143
furnished details for the column disbursement to some departments
but had provided both information for some departments.
144
The Additional Secretary Revenue G.Thevaneethi Dhass replies to
Joint Secretary Central Information Commission marking copy on
28.02.2008
From the replies made by PMO the Funds Released during 2006-
2007 under various schemes to States/UTs and Unspent Balance as
on 31.12.2006 is as follows. Funds released during 2006-2007 till
20.01.2007 is Rs 6182.09 crore. The Unspent balance as on
145
31.12.2006 is Rs 10,640.78 crores. Puducherry got funds to the tune
of Rs 1149.00 crores but it had UNSPENT BALANCE on
31.12.2006 for Rs 1212.23 crores.Puducherry Administration had
unspent money to the tune of Rs 1212.23 crores yet it did not
construct houses , hence this writ petition.
To the question from all sources till date how much amount received
from all heads, private and public for Tsunami relief the reply is
105.91 crores out of which as per Puducherry Government reply the
amount spent is Rs 17.89 crores. Tsunami struck in 2004 but in 2007
the Government says out of 105.91 crores we have only spent 17.89
crores.
146
Chapter 4 The Magnitude of Disaster at a Glance states Houses
affected in Puducherry numbers 3,901 and houses numbered in
Karaikal 6,160, thereby total number of houses 10,061.
Malai Malar dated 8.03.2008 reports from New Delhi that delegation
of Joint Action Committee of Puducherry Fishermen Organizations
had met Hon’ble Prime Minister and given a memorandum stating
out of 10,000 houses lost Puducherry Government had not
constructed SINGLE HOUSE in funds provided by Union
Government.
147
The journal Karai Union Pradesam publishes a news story on
september1-15 dated 2007 issue.
PRAYER:
148
storage in each new house and create a cleaner environment in their
habitats, should be given priority over foreign tourism.
149
people died, one Desikabanu daughter of Kalaiarasan is missing from
Kanagasettikulam village and the Government had given Rs 1 lakh
only, her family too should get the Rs 10 lakh we demand.]
12. We pray that in view of the laudable work done by Central Bureau
of Investigation in another Puducherry related case connected with
infrastructure that the Tsunami loot and where it was lost midway
without reaching the targeted victims and villages be probed by CBI,
and hope present Chief Minister Thiru.V.Vaithialingam will rise
above petty politics or party affinity and order a probe into the
tsunami scam of the previous Chief Minister N.Rangasamy.
150
ANTI-NUCLEAR CAMPAIGNS
All those who love humanity will oppose the nuclear designs,
ambitions and craziness of the countries of the earth, or to be precise,
the madness of their political masters. The French Governments
decision to resume nuclear testing at Mururora Atoll was condemned
by a team of eminent men/women from Pondicherry.
Atleast 14 vessels are under way or preparing to cast off for Mururoa
to protest the proposed series of French nuclear tests slated to begin
on the South Pacific atoll in September. Several television networks,
including U.S.based Cable News Network, plan live coverage from
the flotilla of ships and boats that will gather at the atoll, 1300
kilometers southeast of Papeete. The unarmed New Zealand navy
research ship Tui, which will depart from Auckland on Saturday, will
serve as the fleet's aloof watchdog. The battle scarred Green peace
ship Rainbow Warrior II rammed by the French navy at Mururoa last
month, has completed repairs and is scheduled to leave Fiji on
Sunday. Greenpeace, another of the protest group's vessels, will pass
through Panama on Sunday. The Vega, which 20 years ago was the
first Greenpeace boat to visit Mururoa, is set to leave Papeete on
Sunday. Other vessels en route for Mururoa include the Manutea
from San Francisco and four yachts from New Zealand. A ship
chartered by Australian politicians, the German flagged yachts
Colonial Heritage and Tara, now in Rarotonga in the Cook Islands.
And the Lady Sephora and Stardust 48 out of Papeete and Maiuhia
out of Tonga are also scheduled to leave for Mururoa. Other ships
may join the flotilla.
“They are naughty boys after that" said Mr. Campbell. "They are law
breakers and I want nothing to do with them to jeopardize my
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government role". Radio contact with Greenpeace was also forbidden
during the mission, as was communication with any vessels that
breached the exclusion zone.
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French flags burnt
MUSHROOMING PROTESTS
It was almost like a sequel to a movie. Ten years ago in the day, the
RAINBOW WARRIOR, a coveted British trawler that had become
the flagship of the environmental group, Greenpeace, was blown up
in the Auckland harbour in New Zealand by French secret service
agents. A Greenpeace photographer was killed. Greenpeace, a
consistent critic of France's nuclear testing programme, had become a
menace and the French Government had decided to hit back. Two
secret service agents responsible for the explosion were however
caught, and France's dubious methods of dealing with the nuclear
protesters were clearly exposed. The incident marked a low point
between France and countries of the South Pacific, and perhaps
contributed in some measure to the moratorium on testing that the
then President Mr. Francois Mitterand announced in 1992.
The incident made headlines the world over, and further infuriated
opinion in the region. Australia and New Zealand had done little to
conceal their anger the moment the testing programme was
announced. New Zealand's outspoken Prime Minister, Mr Jim Bolger
denounced the decision as an arrogant action of a foreign colonial
power, while the Foreign minister Mr.Don Mckinnon went a step
further and accused Mr.Chirac of "Gaulist-Nepoleanic arrogance".
The Australian Prime Minister Mr. Paul Keating, recalled the
Australian ambassador in Paris, and announced that all defense
cooperation between France and Australia would remain suspended
as long as these tests continued. These governmental protests were
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backed by popular boycott of French goods and mass demonstrations
in front of French embassies. Within the French Pacific territories,
the resumption of testing has given a boost to groups demanding
independence from France.
It was not only in South Pacific that the French decision set off
protests. Closer to home, France's European neighbors made no
effort to hide their irritation. At a recent meeting of European Union
Foreign Ministers, seven of the 15 members of the EU publicly
expressed their dissatisfaction at the French decision. The European
Parliamentarians accorded a cold welcome to Mr. Chirac when he
came to address them.
The extent of the protest must have come as a surprise to Mr. Chirac,
but it is not in any way going to change his decision. Mr. Chirac is
convinced that this series of tests are essential if France is to continue
to have a viable, independent and nuclear deterrent, a view that is
based on the recommendations of the French defense and nuclear
establishments. The timing of the tests has been determined by the
possibility of a test ban treaty being ready by the end of next year.
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Before the treaty, France wants to develop the techniques of
simulating nuclear weapons explosions on computer, a technique
which the U.S is already well advanced in. Once France reaches this
stage, it will no longer need to conduct nuclear tests in order to be
able to develop new generations of nuclear weapons, but will be able
to do this through laboratory work. But to reach this stage France still
requires to conduct more tests. France, since 1991, has been working
on a project to simulate nuclear tests known as the PALEN
programme.
The French decision to resume testing only goes to show that all the
concern for non proliferation shown by the nuclear weapon powers is
not intended to curb their own weapons programmes, but is only
intended to reinforce the current divisions between the nuclear haves
and have-nots.
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The memorandum signed by ten members of the Academy also said
the great country France that gave the world three cardinal principles
of equality, liberty and fraternity and the nation that placed the
individual as the center of all political endeavour could take the liberty
to infringe on the human rights of Tahitians and 28 million peoples
of the Pacific region and demolish the foundation of freedom, justice
and peace. France should prove to humanity that it would live up to
its tradition and culture. On-proliferation talks and treaties continue
as never ending exercises in futility. Nuclear weapon free zones had
also been earmarked but the day for the total universe free of nuclear
arsenals was still elusive, the memorandum said and hastened to add
that it would also become out of reach if countries like France
wedded to humanism continued the planned eight nuclear tests
within the vicinity of Mururoa atoll.
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KARAIKAL STRUGGLE GROUP
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The justification for separate Union Territory status for Karaikal
With just 700 residents and 109 acres, the Vatican may be the only
state in the world with a diplomatic corps larger than its resident
population. In such a world scenario, there is nothing wrong in
Karaikal Struggle group demanding a separate Union Territory status
for Karaikal. The Caribbean area has a number of small states, the
majority islands. According to our adjusted World Bank figures there
are 14 states and 15 territories in this class in the Caribbean region,
ranging in size from Montserrat (pop. 6,400) to Trinidad and Tobago
(pop. 1,300,000). Belize (pop. 236,000), Suriname (pop. 431,000),
French Guiana (pop. 168,000) and Guyana (pop. 705,000) are all
located on the mainland. Some of the better-known islands include
Aruba (pop. 80,000), Barbados (pop. 257,000), the Bahamas (pop.
284,000), Martinique (pop. 412, 00), and Grenada (pop. 94,500). The
Netherlands Antilles (pop. 208,000) is home of George Soros' famous
Quantum hedge fund, while Bermuda (pop. 63,000) has recently
become an important center for the global insurance industry. The
tiny British self-governing territory of Cayman Islands (pop. 23,000)
has risen to special prominence in recent decades.
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The Pacific Ocean region has two dozen island SSTs, ranging in size
from Fiji (pop. 773,000) to tiny Tokelau, an atoll with just 1,700
residents. Some of the territories embrace hundreds of islands
scattered over more than a thousand miles of ocean. The Indian
Ocean is site of four large island groups, including the Maldives (pop.
245,000) and the Seychelles (pop. 79,000), as well as a number of
other territories including the French island of Reunion (pop.
718,000). Among the smallest Pacific SSTs, Nauru (pop. 10,000) and
Niue (2,100) have specialized in offshore finance, a field where
newcomers can have an advantage. Africa, too, has a number of
SSTs – 12 states according to the World Bank count, including the
islands of Cape Verde (pop. 416,000) and Sao Tome and Principe
(pop.142, 000), coastal Djibouti (pop. 636,000) and continental
Swaziland (pop. 969,000), as well as a number of territorial remnants
of colonialism, like Ceuta (pop. 69,000) and Melilla (pop. 60,000),
Spanish territories on Morocco’s Mediterranean coast. Asia, by
contrast, has relatively few SSTs, many of which are quite prosperous.
The island of Bahrain (pop. 629,000), peninsular Qatar (pop.
724,000), and coastal Brunei (pop. 323,000) are all petroleum-rich
monarchies.
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We are only arguing that if countries with lesser population
comparable to Karaikal are small sovereign states, there is nothing
harm in Karaikal becoming a separate Union Territory within Indian
Union, liberated from the rule of the impartial and unjust rulers
nourishing only one constituency and neglecting Karaikal.
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mi (32 sq km). Britain gained sovereignty over it in the 18th century
and assumed direct administration in 1908. It passed to India in 1947
and became the nation's smallest union territory in 1956. So for
granting Union territory status to Karaikal the arguments advanced
against that the population is less cannot be cited, since Lakshadeep
with lesser population is already a Union Territory. The argument
that all enclaves of French should be one Union Territory too is
ridiculous, since Portuguese colony Goa became separate and Daman
and Diu are union territories in our country. There is no hard fast rule
that all 4 enclaves of Puducherry U.T. should remain under same
administrative umbrella. Separate Union Territory status is not an
unreasonable demand.
Dadra and Nagar Haveli too is a Union territory (pop., 2001 prelim.:
220,451), western India. Located between Gujarat and Maharastra
states and consisting of the entities of Dadra and Nagar Havali, it has
a total area of 190 sq mi (491 sq km); its capital is Silvassa
Union Territories Act shielded and shields all these tiny territories
and with more and more Union Territories becoming full-fledged
states, the number of Union Territories is dwindling.
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employment goal practiced by the current government, created a
wave of discontent in Karaikal enclave. As a result out of 6 assembly
constituencies, all the 4 Congress legislators, including two former
Ministers’s lost their seats. The remaining two from DMK scrapped
through in slender margin.Karaikal Struggle Group did not contest
elections, and if it had all the 6 constituencies would have voted as if
it is a referendum. Even now, Karaikal Struggle Group urges your
government to take the electoral verdict as a referendum in favour of
a separate Union Territory and grant Karaikal separate Union
Territory status.
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breathe the air of freedom by becoming separate Union Territory,
and our demands like uniform job policy are only steps to resolve
issues in the period of transition from a District to separate union
territory. Thanking you yours sincerely N.Nandhivarman [Founder:
Karaikal Struggle Group & General Secretary Dravida Peravai]
A.S.T.Ansari Babu [Founder Member: Karaikal Struggle Group]
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DETHRONING A TRI-GAMY MINISTER
APPEAL TO INDIAN UNION MINISTER RENUKACHOWDHRY
Mrs.Renuka Choudhry
Respected Madam.
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under your ministry, I think I am not unduly trying to recall past
memory.
The Chief Minister had not forced the Minister to step down nor did
he care for the scandal hitting national headlines. Let me quote what
law says about the Hon’ble Chief Minister, who from day one had
tried to hush up the matter by using all money and other power in his
command and had not lived up to the oath of office he had taken
that he will uphold the sanctity of law without favoring anyone. The
offences committed by the Chief Minister are punishable.
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108["Offence" in this section includes any act committed at any place
out of 109[India], which, if committed in 109[India], would be
punishable under any of the following sections, namely, 302, 304,
382, 392, 393, 394, 395, 396, 397, 398, 399, 402, 435, 436, 449, 450,
457, 458, 459 and 460; and every such act shall, for the purposes of
this section, be deemed to be punishable as if the accused person had
been guilty of it in 3[India].]
With Regards
Yours fraternally
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LEMURIA IS NOT TAMILS HOMELAND”: A
BOOK SPITS VENOM ON TAMILS
The author of the book Fabulous Geographies catastrophic
Histories: The Lost Land of Lemuria, Ms Sumathi Ramasamy had
questioned the existence of Kumarrikkantam and argues there is no
evidence to show it was the homeland of Tamils. Her hit list of
scholars includes all British and Western scholars,
Dr.Caldwell,Navalar Somasundara Bharathiar,Maraimalai Adigal and
Tamil Nadu Government led by M.G.Ramachandran for teaching
false history. All Tamils who quote the Tamil literary sources and
three Tamil sangams lost in the seas are idiots who have no scientific
knowledge to construct Tamil history that is what she wants to prove
to the world. She is an academician. The book had been published by
Permanent Black, D-28 Oxford Apartments, 11, I.P.Extension, Delhi
110092. It is being distributed by Orient Longman Private Limited.
Copyright @2004 by the Regents of the University of California. First
Edition appeared in 2005.
I will only quote the passage which I will use for awakening Tamil
Nadu Government from slumber.
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pedagogical circulation of Lemuria in schools and colleges, Sclater's
lost continent has been officially installed in Tamil collective memory
at the heart of the catastrophic narrative about the loss of the
prelapsarian Tamil past and self"
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THE DA VINCI CODE AND FEMINISM
India the current debate on the film “The Da Vinci Code” is hot.
Dravida Peravai is bound to express its opinion. Of particular interest
to us is a film review in The Times of India dated 28 th May 2006 by
Nikhat Kazmi. We would like to reproduce a paragraph of that
review “Dan Brown told a story in print and Ron Howard retells it on
celluloid. It was never meant to be a theological treatise and should
never have been treated as one. And only the people who should
have actually raised their voices were the feminists, for the book/film
propounds the idea of the Sacred Feminine in its reinterpretation of
the Mary Magdalene myth. The feminists should have found a new
cause to decry the centuries old male domination, this time by the
Orthodox Church, which tried to suppress the fact that Jesus left his
legacy to a woman, rather than a man.
This paragraph gave Dravida Peravai a fresh insight into the status of
women in Christianity. We as followers of Periyar EVR welcome this
fresh fact and hope further research will prove that Jesus left his
legacy to a woman.
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Within three days of the dismissal I started to write fiery poems and
articles in Murasoli, Thamizh Mani, official organ of the DMK Nam
Nadu weekly and Kazhaga Kural. In fact many of my articles escaped
censors who thought I wrote about past history and literature but in
reality I was hitting at emergency in hidden meanings. So no one
from Dravidian movement must speak in terms of curtailing freedom
of speech, unfortunately the company he keeps has blinded the vision
of Vaiko.
“The worship of Christian Mother Mary was copied from the cult of
Egyptian Isis. In order to fight the cult of Isis, Christians found it
necessary to establish the cult of a female deity. Hence the cult of
Mother Mary in Christianity, absolutely unprecedented in the ancient
Jewish religion and in Christianity itself until the 4 th century.
Apocryphic life histories began to appear about the Virgin Mary.”
Says Sergoi Takarov.
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Later added comment: Dravida Peravai condemns the Tamil Nadu
Government ban on Da Vinci Code.
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