RMF Summary: Week of September 26 - October 2, 2011

September 26

Communal violence and Target Bill. Sri. Ram Jethmalani on the divisive Communal violence and Target Bill. http://expressbuzz.com/opinion/op-ed/a-divisive-communal-bill/317543.html Hari Om K P...

September 26

Whats cooking in Tamil Nadu Aravindan Neelakandan posts: A lot of things are happening in Tamil Nadu. Its like being in the eye of a storm and seeing every one take it as a breeze even as they are getting destroyed by it. 1. Church could organize coastal people; launch an agitation and stop a nuclear power project in South Tamil Nadu. It is not the pros and cons of Nuclear power that I am talking about but the clout of the Church in organizing people's protest and making government bow down in such a vital matter. 2. Police firing on an agitating Dalit crowd which killed six Dalits. My Dalit friend said that the police behaved in a high-handed manner and that the entire event was video-graphed by Madurai Theological Seminary (mentioned in 'Breaking India') The Dalits were agitating for the release of their arrested leader. His name? John Pandiyan. Like the proverbial frog in the cauldron enjoying the warming water we are discussing abstract things regarding Varna and Jati and Kula. But the ground reality is a veritable exploding volcano. We have little time left - if left at all. May we not end up as museum pieces or worse refugees in World Vision camps."

A. Neelakandan responds to a followup:
"//without discussing abstract things like true perspective of Varna, Jati and Kula, it is not possible to eradicate caste distinctions. Practical follows theory//

I fully agree with your statement. In fact Arya Samaj has been at the forefront of fighting for harmonizing / eliminating these divisive faultlines. In fact they were the first to use the word 'Dalit' with the sense of emancipating and empowering the suppressed sections of the society in an environment highly
negative. Researching the histories of most of the neglected Dalit leaders in Tamil Nadu I was surprised to find that at least two of them were directly influenced by Arya Samaj. Lessons need to be learned how this vibrant movement was dissipated after independence.

Atrocities on Dalits are a fact. And the surprising truth is many of those who really fight for Dalit empowerment are deeply Hindu minded. But invariably those who come out in media light as Dalit saviors are missionary projected-manipulated leaders. But no worthwhile effort has been made by Hindu organizations to talk with these ground level Hindu Dalit leaders - share their experiences and challenges; understand their perspectives and evolve a bottoms-up Indic vision social justice rooted in Vedanta. A Vedantic vision for
the liberation of Dalits as well as a Vedantic mission for the validation of broken native cultures all over the globe (broken by Abrahamic theological imperialism) is the need of the hour. The crucial importance of 'Being Different' comes here as a major theoretical tool for this task"

ShreeVinekar adds:
".. I was stunned to hear a program by an Oklahoma based musicologist on NPR. The program is ostensibly about music but definitely by open admission a "liberation" movement for the Dalits in Tamil Nadu who are depicted as not being allowed to play their music (drums) for the religious ceremonies of the "upper caste" and thus depriving them of income. The program "This is Music" is touting a documentary film about the atrocities the Dalits in India are facing in Tamil Nadu. The spokesperson boldly announces that the word or the epithet "dalit" was invented and first used by no one other than "Babasaheb Ambedkar." This program is heard by millions of Americans who are urged to  donate for this cause of political activism on behalf of the Dalits in Tamilnadu. No Indian who is social justice promoter has started asking for donations to liberate the Native Americans from their reservations or liberate the African Americans from their ghettos in America..."


September 26

Dharma as Protective Umbrella validating theo-diversity Aravindan Neelakandan posts: " Seeing dharma as an umbrella against theo-imperialism tribes in Borneo actually teach us a valuable lesson: the real significant role Dharma can play in protecting theo-diversity September 26 Dalit = Black trade fair in Mumbai... Karigar posts:  " See last line of below news item. The tacit equation of Dalit =  Black being reinforced... Ratan Tata to attend first dalit trade fair NEW DELHI: In a first, the three-day trade fair to be organized by dalit entrepreneurs and businessmen in December will be attended by Ratan Tata. "We had sent an invitation to Ratan Tata and he has confirmed that he will attend our conclave and exhibition," said Milind Kamble, chairman of Dalit India Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The event, beginning December 16, will be held at Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai. DICCI, whose mission statement calls for "fighting caste with capital", will showcase about half-a-dozen dalits who started as small entrepreneurs but now are running companies with multinational operations. ... The event will host more than 200 dalit companies involved in hardcore manufacturing, construction, trading, health, hospitality and the knowledge industry. "Our friends in the US are also trying to get Robert Johnson, the first black billionaire, to visit the fair as the guest of honour," Kamble said. " September 27 Church promises 10,000 rs. to Catholic couples in Kerala on birth of Check: St Vincent De Paul Forane Church in Kalpetta has promised 10000/- to Catholic couples on the birth of their fifth child. This novel initiative by the... September 28 Houston Seminar on "Breaking India" - Video Uploaded http://www.breakingindia.com/houston-video-1/ The Houston program a couple of weeks ago was a great success....

RMF Summary: Week of May 30 - June 5, 2011

May 30 
Fw: correction
'The Absent Hero in Lord Meghnad Desai's Narrative' Dr. Vijaya Rajiva (Haindava Keralam,29/05/2011) Two recent books, one by an historian of modern India and...

May 30

Western self-analysis always excuses itself.... Karigar posted this: Western self-analysis almost always excuses itself even while it (the US in this case) is busy breaking countries via a variety if interventions. Here's a review of a book [Liberal Leviathan: The Origins, Crisis, and Transformation of the American World Order . ISBN-10: 9780691125589] by G John Ikenberry (Princeton Professor of politics & Int' affairs)  ... Non-westerners (like most in the Indian intellectual class) are being extremely naive in taking this benign self-image of the West at face value. Per review (at http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/ME28Dj01.html ): [Reviewer uses some Leftist categories to analyse, but still makes key critical points] ... May 30 DICCI - Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industries Yesterday I came across DICCI - 'Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industries '. The About Us page provides below info about the organization- "Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI) was established in the year 2005 to instil the spirit of entrepreneurship among dalit youth and to empower them ... This appears to be a genuine group. More learned members may please comment on it. Just curious if Rajivji has included this somewhere in Breaking India... May 30 Church of South India Bishops meet CM of TN, Jayalalitha Interestingly it is a John Malhotra reporting for Christian today website. Church has made deep penetrations in Punjab in recent years. CSI Bishops greet TN... May 30 This is a very important thread and a real success story where intellectual activism by dedicated Hindus forced a change in the terribly biased discourse, and allowed readers to see both sides of the story.  Thanks to you: Backtracking by Outlook magazine Rajiv Malhotra: In an unprecedented move (especially when it comes to dharma), Outlook magazine has printed excerpts from 19 critics of its review. After that these, also printed in a box a portion of my letter to them. This shows clearly the importance of intellectual activism, and not letting injustice continue unchallenged. To those who wrote to me in a defeatist way asking that I should simply ignore the horrible review, to those who said things like why give our opponents undue importance, and to those gave excuses for not wanting to write, I hope this example will serve to inspire future action by them. To those who wrote to Outlook, whether their letter was selected to be printed or not, I send my sincere thanks for the support. May 31 This is another must-read thread. Sandeep Balakrishna, the firebrand Indic scholar, historian, and writer who also manages the very popular "Rediscovery of India" blog, interviews Rajiv Malhotra. My Interview with Sri Rajiv Malhotra Sandeep: Hello all, This is my first post here. Last week, I had the fortune to do an email interview of Sri Rajiv Malhotra about Breaking India, ... You can also read the entire interview on Sandeepweb. June 2 Facebook discussion on Breaking India Dear Friends I came across this site on facebook discussin Breaking India book. Are there others in facebook, orkut etc. Rare Book Society of India's Photos -... June 2 New York Times - Op Ed articles by Kristof Neeshabda posts: Op-Ed Columnist Nicholas D. Kristof "She is 10 and May Be Sold to a Brothel"  Slavery still exists, as reflected in the story of a 10-year-old Indian girl who wants to be a doctor but may be headed for a brothel. This is the second article in two weeks. The first one identified the 'International Justice Mission' as the group that asked Kristof to go with them. If you goggle the IJM, you will see that they are a Washington DC based christian mission. The IJM and the use of 'slavery' are the two key words that Rajiv Malhotra has been talking about. I had written a letter to NYTIMES after the first article appeared. Not only my letter did not get published, this second in the series is out in print today. In the last article the girls were identified by their Hindu names, this time it's only an initial... June 2 Demanding libraries buy the Book Karthi has a great suggestion on how you can help: One way to ensure this book is available for reading is to ensure the pubic and academic library buy them. In most western nations a request could be made and is usually procured. I would not advise "donating the book" as this looses its value and the book has greater chances reaching the shelf if a purchase request/demand is made. I have made a request in 1 Academic library and 2 local libraries and an order has already been placed... June 5 Christianizing Bharatanatayam - Excerpt from "Breaking India" ...We have permission from the authors to cull small exerpts from the book periodically and release it to the Internet... June 5 This is an important post by Rajiv Malhotra that talks about scientific results that further solidify the thesis of 'Breaking India', while exposing the agenda of vested interests. Genetics report on the origin of Indians "The story of our origins" Open Magazine, May 28, 2011. EXCERPTS FROM THE CONCLUSION: "The first thing that the evidence suggests is that the origins of Hartosh's R1a1 haplogroup lie in India. Thus, a large part of Central Asia, Southern Russia, Ukraine onwards to the Czech Republic may well be populated by a 15,000-year-old migration from India. Given the timeframe of the origins of the R1a1 haplogroup in India, it is important to note that this does not rule out a subsequent re-entry of people from Central Asia bearing this marker into India at a much later date. As further sub-lineages of Hartosh's R1a1 are studied, it may well be possible to answer even this question. The second part of their conclusions rests on the fact that the proportion of R1a1 in some Brahmin groups such as those of West Bengal is as high as 72 per cent. This indicates that the origins of Brahmins as a caste may well lie in the R1a1 haplogroup. But since the antiquity of the Ra1a haplogroup in tribals such as Central India's Sahariyas is older than it is among Brahmins, it is reasonable to believe that Brahmins may not be entrants from outside but may have originated as a caste from the tribal population of this country." Another article that discusses this report is here. June 5 Seva Bharathis new news Finally, There seems to be a nationalistic news website opened now by Seva bharathi