Ciampino (Rome) Dear Indian friends of Jharkhand Forum, It is since a couple of months that I receive your messages, I read them with great interest. The topics that you are passionately debating are very important and are worth discussing them.
I am an Italian hydrogeologist, a former UN Project Manager. I worked in many developing countries of four continents for international organization dealing with water development projects. I decided, twenty years ago, at the age of 63, after a heart operation with 4 by-pass heart operation, to dedicate the remaining years of my life to help the Adivasi. I started my Tribal Village Water Program in Pune district 1989. Since then I helped more than 500 selected villages supplying safe water. The water wells were drilled in villages and hamlets where the only water sources were rudimentary pits dug in depressions and nala beds and people where suffering for water-born diseases. Preference was given to villages and places where and the government had done little or nothing to help the striking water crisis. In 1994, following an epidemic of cholera in the northern talukas of Thane District (Maharashtra), with the death of 1500 children, I moved the program in the affected area. Subsequently, I created a small organization called Dr. Tino Faillace’s Friends of Adivasis Trust. Funds derived from family savings( now nearly exhausted) and from my International short term consultancies. For each successful well, we construct a small mandir where we install a statue of Lord Ganesh, considered to be the remover of obstacles (the Adivasi people , on request, selected Lord Ganesh to be installed into the small mandir). People participate supplying local material: sand, gravel, stones, bricks, if available, and labour while constructing the platform for the hand-pump. At the end of the common work, we perform Pooja, chanting Bhajans. Following the example of Mother Theresa, we never tried to influence people to become Christians! Our program is not aiming at changing the culture and religions of people, we defend their human rights and try our best to up-lift them to become self-sufficient. We help who is poor, independently from caste, religions, politics or any believe. Also my wife is fully involved as social worker in India, since nearly 12 years. She is in charge of an education program, with the main goal to discourage child labour and encourage education, which is the only powerful tool for human resources development. We spend 50%of our time in India (November to end of April) and six months in Italy as during the monsoon time there is no shortage of water, (we have just returned to Italy). My wife’s assistance program is for helping widows with children at school age. Needy families receive directly from their sponsor a yearly bonus in the bank account of each child with the mother as the only person that can withdraw money monthly (we do not handle people’s money). More than 500 children receive such benefit; they are very poor, amongst them we have also a few poor Brahmins. It is not a charity program, we believe that charity makes people depended while our program is aiming at the up-liftment of school boys and school girls through education. For our committed social works activities we received several awards from India and other countries.. After all this introduction about myself and my wife, I would like to suggest that more that going on discussing on conversion, all of you should start a discussion on the roots and reasons of the striking poverty of the Adivasi people and what you suggest (getting involved also personally, not just talking) to solve this very important problem that already now, specially in your region, is having a tremendous impact on peace and security. You may find out that there are many cultural aspects at the roots of the Adivasi poverty, such as the caste system, the karma, the inferiority complex, the limited access to education, the isolation, and many other factors that are contributing to create this very unequal social conditions. This dramatic reality is still occurring, in spite of your modern Constitution with its good government laws affirming equality for everybody since independence. Dr. Ambhekar, your great constitutionalist, respected and honoured by all Indian people, encouraged Buddhism as a reaction to these inequalities in the Indian society. Inequality, this is a good starting point to be discussed in your blog. Your could and should contribute to spread the message of peace, tolerance, equality, human rights and love and not so much on the influence of religions: All religions have good, universal basic principles, there are so many religions. People should be free to follow the religion that most satisfy them, they should be able to choose their own religion, and this can be possible only if teaching and learning about religion is completely free. After all, religions teach about spirituality and love for good. Good is for everybody. Spirituality should be the essence of religions. I am a Christian because I was born in Italy, but when I enter in a church, in an Indus temple, in a mosque or in a Synagogue and I kneel, my thoughts are directed to god who is everywhere. While kneeling I pronounce the following mandra: God Help me to Help the Poor! We have to understand that when suffering people, like the Adivasi, feel do not be properly protected by the society, then they search help from other sources, from other religions! If people are well off, they are less keen to search for a change! On the first of February I had the opportunity to meet your Prime Minister in an International Conference in Pune, organized by Maharashtra Institute of Technology (MIT) by my good friend Prof. V. Karad. Listening to his speech, I was impressed to learn about the great potential of your country, which, in the time, should bring a lot of expected benefits, if peace will prevail. And this may depend a lot from you and all of the younger generations of your generous land! For all of you, my Indian brothers and sisters, my best greetings and my love, Costantino Faillace, (known in India as Dr. Tino) P.S. You can find more information about my activity in India (including my publications) searching in Google: Costantino Faillace To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: Thu, 1 May 2008 07:18:05 +0100Subject: RE: RE: [ =>> Jharkhand <<= ] Conversion law violation is a criminal offence conversion is a protest, though misgided, against the religious irrationality.vikash singh <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Try converting a Muslim, The next day your dead bodywill be found.Hindoos are good people that people trying to convertare still alive. They should thank Jesus that theydeal with Hindus.Anyway Jesus couldn't help himself, what the hell hewill help the poor christians...Vikash S.--- Sachi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:> As for my personal opinion any humans living in this> world should be given> right to practice any> religion they want. It has been happening throught> the world : Convertions > What's wrong in Convertions, be it to Hinduism, to> Chistianity , to Islam,> to Buddhism.> Anyone want to have debate on why conversions should> not be allowed in a> secular country like India? > > Bye,> Sachi> > > From: [email protected]> [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On> Behalf Of WILLIAM KISKU> Sent: Sunday, April 27, 2008 1:04 AM> To: [email protected]> Subject: Re: RE: [ =>> Jharkhand <<= ] Conversion> law violation is a> criminal offence> > > > Well I am not a politician: I hate politicians.> > From my basic general knowledge the Indian> constitution is based on British constitution, which> is a western/christian based constitution, therefore> contrarary to Hindutvas constitution.> > As far as my understanding goes, it is NOT> illegal/criminal to convert christians back to> Hindutva, but criminal to convert adivasis/tribals/> into Christianity. > > Advocate Ashutoshjee... Can you throw some light on> this and educate the forum on the right of an> individual to practice a religion based on the human> right issue?> > William Kisku> > --- Gladson Dungdung <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> <mailto:nfindia%40rediffmail.com> > wrote:> > > Hello, > > > > It's not the matter of Gladson or Venki. The real> > matter is the state is becoming the violator human> > rights in the name of freedom of religion and so> on.> > How can the State dictate which religion I should> > follow, profess or decline? > > > > Father of the Nationa, Mahatma Gandhi had very> clear> > idies about it. He said that I'm a sanatan Hindu> and> > it's my personal matter therefore the state should> > not dictate my religion. We have the right to> > freedom of religion as the fundamental rights> > guaranted by the Constitution of India under> Article> > 25 and the state is duty bound to ensure these> > rights. If the state decides about whom I should> > believe, what I should wear and so on then where> my> > freedom is? > > > > When a tribal or dalit becomes Christian, Muslim> or> > Budhist peole of the so-called main streem of the> > society lose their sleep but why people do not> raise> > any question when a Sharma, Verma, Mishra and list> > goes on accept/change their religion. > > > > Another thing is when a tribal becomes Christian,> > Muslim or Budhist so-called people call it> > "conversion" but when the same fellow becomes> > 'Hundu' then they call it 'Ghar Vapsi'. what a> > wonderful defination of conversion we have. > > > > This is nothing than the power politics. The major> > reason is that the Tribals and Dalits are> > challenging the statu quo as a result the Brahmins> > have already lost their control in the politics> and> > now they are also going to lose their social> > control, which they are not able to digest> therefore> > they blam in many ways to stop the social change> > process. But nothing is going to work we will> bring> > about change in the society at any cost. I know> that> > many people feel uncomfortable in these issues> > therefore it must be stopped but sometimes I> > surprise that inspite of many request why do peole> > put these matterials in the group. I don't have> any> > problem if people want to discuss let's discuss> it,> > otherwise I would requet to the Moderater please> > don't pass any matter like this, which is> > meaningless to discuss in the forum. > > > > rgds> > Gladson> > > > > > > > On Sat, 26 Apr 2008 BARBARA ali wrote :> > >Hi,> > >> > >Its as simple as this, each one mind your own> > business and let Venki and Gladson go hand in hand> > and stand where ever they have to if they want to> do> > what ever they wish with their own lives.> > >> > >Bye> > >> > >BARBARA ALI> > >SHARJAH> > >UAE> > >PO BOX 38485> > >Mobile No: 0097150-6914668> > >URL:> >>Http://angloindianheritagecentre.googlepages.com/anglo-indianbiographies> > >> > >> > >> > >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]> <mailto:Jharkhand%40yahoogroups.co.inFrom> :> > [EMAIL PROTECTED]> <mailto:prabirkc%40yahoo.comDate> : Sat, 26 Apr> 2008 08:01:51> > -0700Subject: Re: [ =>> Jharkhand <<= ] Conversion> > law violation is a criminal offence> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >Hope somebody prevents the Dalai Lama, Rajneesh> and> > Mahesh Yogi's followers from entering Gujarat!> > >Now what will we do if Venki converts Gladson to> > Jainism? Will they arrest Gladson or Venki?> > >And> > >Prabir--- On Sat, 4/26/08, ven> > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> <mailto:ahvenkitesh%40gmail.com> > wrote:> > >> > >> > >> > >I believe such a law such be enacted in Jharkhand> > as soon as possible since the state is plagued by> > unethical conversions of the poor.Conversion law> > violation is a criminal offencehttp://timesofindia> > .indiatimes. com/Ahmedabad/ Conversion_> > law_violation_ is_a_criminal_ offence/articles> > how/2984048. cms26 Apr 2008, 0332 hrs IST,Rajiv> > Shah,TNNGANDHINAGAR: From now on, anyone wishing> to> > convert will have to tell the government why they> > were doing it and for how long they had been> > following the religion which they were renouncing,> > failing which, they will be declared offenders and> > prosecuted under criminal laws. Forced conversion> > could land those responsible a three-year jail> term.> > This clause is contained in the rules of the> > anti-conversion law which came into effect on> April> > 1. The new law is called Gujarat Freedom of> Religion> > Act, 2003, and took five years to be implemented> > because of the failure of the state government to> > come up with rules on the kind of information to> be> > provided when applying for permission to convert> to> > any religion. The Bill confirms that Jainism and> > Buddhism are not sub-sects of Hinduism. The rules> > have been published in the Gujarat government> > gazette. The rules make it obligatory for a priest> > seeking to convert someone from one religion to> > another to take prior permission of the district> > magistrate in order to avoid police action.> > >.> === message truncated === Jharkhand.org.in/forum _________________________________________________________________ News, entertainment and everything you care about at Live.com. Get it now! http://www.live.com/getstarted.aspx
