[Assam] ULFA, take control of the DICE; a switch is being engineered.
Delhi hatching conspiracy ahead of talks: ULFA http://www.navhindtimes.com/stories.php?part=newsStory_ID=020317 IANS Guwahati, Feb 2: The outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) on Thursday accused New Delhi of hatching a conspiracy by inviting a select group of peoples representatives for the February 7 peace talks. This is a big conspiracy by the Indian government to have secretly invited only a select group of the Peoples Consultative Group (PCG) for the talks. There is nothing to be secretive as this is a formal meeting that needs to be transparent, the ULFA said in its mouthpiece, Swadhinata (Freedom). The second round of peace talks between the ULFA-designated PCG, an 11-member team of civil society leaders, and government peace negotiators led by National Security adviser, Mr M K Narayanan is to be held in New Delhi next week on Tuesday. The ULFA wants the entire 11 member PCG team to be invited for the negotiations next week. There is no independent confirmation from the government as to how many PCG members were invited for the talks. The ULFA chosen PCG is working towards preparing the ground for a bilateral ceasefire and direct talks between the rebel leadership and the government at a later stage. The first round of talks with the PCG and the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh was held in New Delhi on October 26. Dr Singh later said he was ready to discuss all issues relating to the ULFA. We are ready for direct talks with the Indian government in the presence of international community members and UN representatives, the rebel statement said. Our guns would fall silent automatically if there is a political solution to our problem. Just having a ceasefire would not help things. The ULFA is a rebel group fighting for an independent Assamese homeland since 1979. Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger Download today it's FREE! ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] From Tehelka
Title: Re: [Assam] From Tehelka --- Congress leaders are supposed to be abovecaste differences, as compared toother parties (aren't they the champions of secularity and the minorities?):-). *** Have you been smoking the wrong stuff again :-)? At 8:09 PM -0800 2/2/06, Dilip/Dil Deka wrote: Umesh, OBSERVATIONS: 1. Is Banta same as Bant? 2. Is everyone a Sikh is Punjab as you suggested? Sikhism does not recognize social stratification as I know. 3. I didn't know there were Dalits in Punjab. 4.Could it be economic differences and social stratification due to it have more to do with it than caste etc.? 5. critically injured Bant Singh was left for 36 hours in the Mansa Civil Hospital, while the hospital authorities, influenced by Congress leaders refused him treatment --- Congress leaders are supposed to be abovecaste differences, as compared toother parties (aren't they the champions of secularity and the minorities?):-). You mean they also fell into the trap? 6. He is still fighting for his life, but says, I have my voice, they can't stop my songs. -- I applaud his strength and spirit. Dilip Deka umesh sharma [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Good work by Banta Singh. I did not know that there was still casteism in Punjab. Maybe even after becoming Sikhs those who came from dalit families have continued to face ill treatment from those who came from landholding - uppercastes. Even Bihari laborers in farms suffer there. Umesh Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Dalit Singer Dalit Dignity: Bant Singh after the amputation of his hands and a leg in PGI, Chandigarh Bant Singh is a revolutionary Dalit singer from Mansa, Punjab. He is a supporter of the CPI (ML-Liberation), an overground Naxalite organisation. He became active in 2000 wh! en his minor daughter was raped: therein begun the protracted struggle of the dalits for self dignity and human rights against Jat landlords, in this case, backed by the ruling Congress regime in the state. Punjab's huge dalit population has been fighting a running battle for land, wages and fundamental rights against the landlords, who control land and political power. The rapists were given life sentence in 2002. On January 5, 2006, Sarpanch Jaswant Singh and former Sarpanch Niranjan Singh of Jhabbar village allegedly conspired a brutal attack on Bant Singh as revenge, according to the CPI(ML). The party has alleged that a critically injured Bant Singh was left for 36 hours in the Mansa Civil Hospital, while the hospital authorities, influenced by Congress leaders, refused him treatment. Eventually, he was taken to the PGI in Chandigarh, where both his arms and one leg had to be amputated because gangrene had set in. He is ! still fighting for his life, but says, I have my voice, they can't stop my songs. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org Umesh Sharma 5121 Lackawanna ST College Park, MD 20740 1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone] Ed.M. - International Education Policy Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Class of 2005 Yahoo! Messenger NEW - crystal clear PC to PC calling worldwide with voicemail ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] NYTimes.com: State of Delusion
Title: E-Mail This This page was sent to you by: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message from sender: Some Straight Talk from NYT OPINION | February 3, 2006 Op-Ed Columnist: State of Delusion By PAUL KRUGMAN The Bush administration knows how to attain power, but has no idea how to govern. This article is only accessible to subscribers of TimesSelect. 1. David Pogue: Pixel Counting Joins Film in Obsolete Bin 2. Editorial: Seducing the Medical Profession 3. Being a Patient: When Trust in Doctors Erodes, Other Treatments Fill the Void 4. A Taste of Ghana 5. Chinas Bold Swan, Ready for Export Go to Complete List Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company | Privacy Policy ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] NYTimes.com: State of Delusion
Title: Re: [Assam] NYTimes.com: State of Delusion Sorry folks, didn't realize it could not be accessed by everyone. But here is the text: By PAUL KRUGMAN Published: February 3, 2006 So President Bush's plan to reduce imports of Middle East oil turns out to be no more substantial than his plan - floated two years ago, then flushed down the memory hole - to send humans to Mars. But what did you expect? After five years in power, the Bush administration is still - perhaps more than ever - run by Mayberry Machiavellis, who don't take the business of governing seriously. Here's the story on oil: In the State of the Union address Mr. Bush suggested that cutting-edge methods of producing ethanol and other technologies would allow us to replace more than 75 percent of our oil imports from the Middle East. But the next day, officials explained that he didn't really mean what he said. This was purely an example, said Samuel Bodman, the energy secretary. And the administration has actually been scaling back the very research that Mr. Bush hyped Tuesday night: the National Renewable Energy Laboratory is about to lay off staff because of budget cuts. A veteran researcher, reports The New York Times, said the staff had been told that the cuts would be concentrated among researchers in wind and biomass, which includes ethanol. Why announce impressive sounding goals when you have no plan to achieve them? The best guess is that the energy plan was hastily thrown together to give Mr. Bush something positive to say. For weeks administration sources told reporters that the State of the Union address would focus on health care. But at the last minute the White House might have realized that its health care proposals, based on the idea that Americans have too much insurance, would suffer the same political fate as its attempt to privatize Social Security. (Congress, Mr. Bush said, did not act last year on my proposal to save Social Security. Democrats responded with a standing ovation.) So Mr. Bush's speechwriters were told to replace the health care proposals with fine words about energy independence, words not backed by any actual policy. What about the rest of the speech? The State of the Union is normally an occasion for boasting about an administration's achievements. But what's a speechwriter to do when there are no achievements? One answer is to pretend that the bad stuff never happened. The Medicare drug benefit is Mr. Bush's largest domestic initiative to date. It's also a disaster: at enormous cost, the administration has managed to make millions of elderly Americans worse off. So drugs went unmentioned in the State of the Union. Another answer is to rely on evasive language. In Iraq, said Mr. Bush, we've changed our approach to reconstruction. In fact, reconstruction has failed. Almost three years after the war began, oil production is well below prewar levels, Baghdad is getting only an average of 3.2 hours of electricity a day, and more than 60 percent of water and sanitation projects have been canceled. So now, having squandered billions in Iraqi oil revenue as well as U.S. taxpayer dollars, we've told the Iraqis that from now on it's their problem. America's would-be Marshall Plan in Iraq, reports The Los Angeles Times, is drawing to a close this year with much of its promise unmet and no plans to extend its funding. I guess you can call that a change in approach. There's a common theme underlying the botched reconstruction of Iraq, the botched response to Katrina (which Mr. Bush never mentioned), the botched drug program, and the nonexistent energy program. John DiIulio, the former White House head of faith-based policy, explained it more than three years ago. He told the reporter Ron Suskind how this administration operates: There is no precedent in any modern White House for what is going on in this one: a complete lack of a policy apparatus. ... I heard many, many staff discussions but not three meaningful, substantive policy discussions. There were no actual policy white papers on domestic issues. In other words, this administration is all politics and no policy. It knows how to attain power, but has no idea how to govern. That's why the administration was caught unaware when Katrina hit, and why it was totally unprepared for the predictable problems with its drug plan. It's why Mr. Bush announced an energy plan with no substance behind it. And it's why the state of the union - the thing itself, not the speech - is so grim. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Egyptian ferry sinks in Red Sea with 1400 pax
Egyptian ferry sinks in Red Sea http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4676916.stm The al-Salam Boccaccio '98 has a capacity of more than 1,400. Photo: Yvan Perchoc/www.faktaomfartyg.com A ferry carrying about 1,400 people, most of them Egyptians, has sunk in the Red Sea. Fourteen bodies and about 100 survivors have so far been pulled from the water, Egyptian officials said. The al-Salam Boccaccio '98 went down about 80km (50 miles) off the Egyptian coast during an overnight journey from Duba in Saudi Arabia to Safaga. Rescue boats and helicopters are searching the area, but are being hampered by poor weather. The cause of the sinking is not known, but there were high winds when it left Duba. The ship was carrying 1,310 passengers and 96 Egyptian crew, Jan Maher, a spokesman for the ship's Egyptian company, el-Salam Maritime Transport, told the BBC. Most of the passengers were Egyptians working in Saudi Arabia, but some were said to be pilgrims returning from Mecca. There were about 100 people from other countries, including Saudis and Sudanese, Capt Maher said. We don't know how many casualties there are or how the ship sank, he said. The head of administration at el-Salam Maritime Transport, Adel Shukri, said he was not aware of any SOS from the crew. The 35-year-old ship had been due to arrive at Safaga at about 0300 local time (0100 GMT). Why? Four Egyptian frigates were looking for survivors, said Egyptian Transport Minister Mohammed Lutfy Mansour. SHIPPING DISASTERS 2002: Joola, Senegal, more than 1,800 1996: Bukoba, Tanzania, more than 500 1994: Estonia, Estonia, 852 1991: Salem Express, Egypt, 464 1987: Dona Paz, Philippines, 4,375 1954: Toya Maru, Japan, 1,172 1948: Kiangya, China, 3,920 1912: Titanic, UK, 1,503 killed Britain has sent the warship HMS Bulwark to help and it will arrive in a day-and-a-half, the Royal Navy said. A spokesman for the Egyptian embassy in London, Ayman al-Kaffas, said there was a vast area of water for the rescue operation to cover. Asked about the delay in the disappearance being reported, he said the rescue operation had started just after midnight, within an hour or an hour-and-a-half of the ship going missing. AL-SALAM 98 Capacity: 1,487 Built: Italy 1970 Length: 118m (388ft) Gross tonnage: 11,779t Owner: El-Salam Maritime The general manager of the Saudi branch of maritime insurance company Lloyds said the ship had met all safety requirements. The vessel was well equipped with all lifeboats and all her certificates were valid, Nizam Siddiqui said. He ruled out the possibility of a collision with another ship, saying the other vessel would have reported the incident. Shipping expert Paul Beaver told the BBC that overloading should not have been a problem. There was a possibility one or more of the vehicles the ship was transporting could have moved, particularly in bad weather, he said. A sister ship of the al-Salam '98 sank in the Red Sea in October after a collision. Two people were killed and 40 injured. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] AASU v ULFA - Sentinel News
AASU advisor Samujjal Bhattacharyya said that the student body would go ahead with its war against the government—from Dispur to Delhi — till a secured future is guaranteed. "There is a solution to every problem within the geographical territory of India," he said. "Unlike the AASU, the ULFA has resorted to arms struggle and is demanding sovereignty," Bhattacharyya said, adding that the objectives of the student body and its ways to achieve them were quite different from those of the rebel group. It is good to see the AASU seeing things clearly. We all acknowledge problems Assam faces vis-a-vis Delhi, BUT finding solutions within the Indian Constitution. Further AASU also makes it very clear that they are against 'arms struggle'. --Ram AASU warns ULFA on frivolous statements'Why silent on ISI, influx?' By a Staff Reporter GUWAHATI, Feb 3: Taking a stern note of the accusations made against it by the ULFA, the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) today turned counter-offensive and questioned as to why the outfit was silent on the alarming infiltration from Bangladeshi into the State. On Sunday, in its mouthpiece Swadhinata, the ULFA had alleged that the AASU was playing into the hands of 'Indian intelligence agencies' and thereby opposing the outfit's demand for sovereignty.Warning the banned outfit of making any such 'frivolous' statements in future, AASU president Sankar Prasad Rai said in a press conference here that the student body had always struggled for the cause of the indigenous people, and he asserted that the ULFA had made the allegations "to hush up its own shortcomings". Rai said that the AASU would continue to oppose the sovereignty demand and there would be no second thought on it.AASU advisor Samujjal Bhattacharyya said that the student body would go ahead with its war against the government—from Dispur to Delhi — till a secured future is guaranteed. "There is a solution to every problem within the geographical territory of India," he said. "Unlike the AASU, the ULFA has resorted to arms struggle and is demanding sovereignty," Bhattacharyya said, adding that the objectives of the student body and its ways to achieve them were quite different from those of the rebel group. At a time when a positive development is in sight with the peace initiatives progressing and the AASU supporting the move, Bhattacharyya said: "the ULFA should not have made such a comment."He said: "It is the question of upholding the Constitution. Whatever demands whoever has, that should be within the purview of the Constitution." Questioning as to why the ULFA was silent on the ISI and fundamentalist groups being active in the State and illegal Bangladeshis living in Assam, AASU general secretary Tapan Gogoi, whom the ULFA had personally attacked, said: "Let there be discussions on the sovereignty issue and the solution has to be found out through talks." Reacting to the outfit's allegations, Gogoi said that he did not require any 'certificate' from the ULFA. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] part 1--Harvard IEP Grads - Bios; what to do and how?-- Imported knowledge
Some may like to know what the graduates of the program I attended at Harvard do. I hit upon this link while googling "early headstart" - for a position in DC working under this US govt program auspices.The details are below but it confirms two things - first - there are negligible number of Indians who attended this program (even Pak did better). Second, those who did have chosen to merely 'sponge up' the existing knowledge about Education practices and use them to improve Indian edu - esp in rich elite schools like Doon School, Modern School. http://www.idiscoveri.com/people_say.htmNot that its bad - trickle down theory would say that it is also a good idea. But it would have been even better if they had learnt to fish (do own research on edu. best practices in India) rather than take the fish (current research knowledge at Harvard etc) from a Good Samartian on a continuous basis. Piracy -- innovationThis trend is very much the way Indians do they hi-tech piracy/adoption. Everything is imported from West- from fashion designs to movie scripts amd music lyrics to auto tech. But now that recently hi-tech research has started even in India with leading global companies turining to India for support -- it would be fitting that Indians started doing research in Education. Currently it is limited to data crunching and some on socio-logical issues. However, just like Indian techies first stormed the bastions of Western research instutions before helping build capacity in India for continuosly hi-tech globally competitive research.Similarly in school education also Indians should engage in developing awareness and skills in research and teaching practices in the West - and storm their research institutions. Later, only one can think of building capacity in India. Down below are details of graduates of IEP. I was lucky that I was abe to view this before I applied to the program in 2003. It had then just been put up on the Harvard website (no longer there) and gave me an idea about what to highlight in my essay (and what to hide) about myself. Many things may seem complex - just like opening a bookon Quantum Physics while being just grade 8 pass.Umesh PS: Mariali -mentioned at the end of this page married a guy who later became a friend and classmate of mine. [Frgraduates-list] The IEP Alumni Directory is here!!! Barbara Perlo perloba at gse.harvard.edu Thu Oct 2 12:06:38 EDT 2003 Next message: [Frgraduates-list] Updates for IE Alumni Directory Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ] Many, many thanks to Leanna Marr for her diligence in creating the attached IEP Directory. Be sure to point "missing" alum to Leanna so that our Directory remains accurate and bountiful! We are a tremendous resource to one another so stay in touch!!-Barbara Perlo IEP CoordinatorInternational Education Alumni DirectoryUpdated August 2003 Class of 1991 Barbara Gaerlan Completed Summer 2003 Survey: YES Ed.M. APSP 1991 Current Position: Assistant Director, UCLA Center for Southeast Asian Studies657 S. Cochran Ave. #401 Los Angeles, CA 90036 USAE-mail: bgaerlan at international.ucla.edu Nationality: USA Countries where I have lived and worked: Philippines JapanBio: Barbara taught at the college level and took graduate courses in the Philippines in the 1970s. After HGSE, she completed a Ph.D. in Education at UCLA in 1998 writing a dissertation on the history of the University of the Philippines from the point of view of language of instruction. She received a post-doctoral fellowship in Osaka, Japan and since 1999 has been the Assistant Director of the UCLA Center for Southeast Asian Studies. The Center's website is www.international.ucla.edu/cseas/. In 2001 Barbara was the founding Director of the University of California Education Abroad Program in the Philippines. Class of 1992 Roy Guyton Completed Summer 2003 Survey: YES Ed.M. International TIE 1992 Current Position: Academic Computing Coordinator Harvard Graduate School of Education20 Tufts Street, Apartment 201 Arlington, MA 02474 USAE-mail: roy at post.harvard.edu Nationality: USA Countries where I have lived and worked: Spain, Costa Rica and ColumbiaBio: Roy Guyton was born in Oregon City, Oregon and is a fifth generation Oregonian. He graduated from Willamette University in Salem OR in 1983 with a BA and double major; Modern Spanish Literature International Studies. From 1983 to ýý88 he worked and lived in Washington DC, working for USPIRG and Research Triangle Instituteýýs DC office supporting epidemiological studies. In 1988 he became a Peace Corps Volunteer in Costa Rica. He served from 1988 to ýý91, and worked on revamping the testing process for first and second cycle adult education exams. He was a USAID representative reviewing and approving grants for school refurbishment and construction
[Assam] part 2--Harvard IEP Grads - Bios; what to do and how?-- Imported knowledge
I copied the details again of IEP grads (all my seniors) since it was not coming properly earlier. - Class of 1991Barbara Gaerlan Completed Summer 2003 Survey: YESEd.M. APSP 1991Current Position: Assistant Director, UCLA Center for Southeast Asian Studies657 S. Cochran Ave. #401Los Angeles, CA 90036USAE-mail: bgaerlan at international.ucla.eduNationality: USACountries where I have lived and worked: Philippines JapanBio: Barbara taught at the college level and took graduate courses in the Philippines in the 1970s. After HGSE, she completed a Ph.D. in Education at UCLA in 1998 writing a dissertation on the history of the University of the Philippines from the point of view of language of instruction. She received a post-doctoral fellowship in Osaka, Japan and since 1999 has been the Assistant Director of the UCLA Center for Southeast Asian Studies. The Center's website is www.international.ucla.edu/cseas/. In 2001 Barbara was the founding Director of the University of California Education Abroad Program in the Philippines.Class of 1992Roy Guyton Completed Summer 2003 Survey: YESEd.M. International TIE 1992Current Position: Academic Computing Coordinator Harvard Graduate School of Education20 Tufts Street, Apartment 201Arlington, MA 02474USAE-mail: roy at post.harvard.eduNationality: USACountries where I have lived and worked: Spain, Costa Rica and ColumbiaBio: Roy Guyton was born in Oregon City, Oregon and is a fifth generation Oregonian. He graduated from Willamette University in Salem OR in 1983 with a BA and double major; Modern Spanish Literature International Studies. From 1983 to ýý88 he worked and lived in Washington DC, working for USPIRG and Research Triangle Instituteýýs DC office supporting epidemiological studies. In 1988 he became a Peace Corps Volunteer in Costa Rica. He served from 1988 to ýý91, and worked on revamping the testing process for first and second cycle adult education exams. He was a USAID representative reviewing and approving grants for school refurbishment and construction projects, a tutor for the national computer education program administered by Ministry of Education (MEP) and the Omar Dengo Foundation (FOD) and was a member of the traveling Peace Corps Basketball team. In 1991 he came to GSE and graduated with an Ed.M in TIE in 1992. From 1992 to 1993 Roy worked in Cambridge Public Schools. Starting in 1993 he started his employment at GSE. From 1993 to present he has been an active participant in discussion and urban community technology projects in Boston. Since 1995 he has been one of the Teaching Assistants for a Harvard Extension School course that teaches individuals how to properly use the basic computer applications. Roy has been reviewing grants for the US Department of Education for the past two years. He enjoys practicing karate and running. In 1998 he married his wife in China whom he met while a student at GSE. Roy has traveled extensively in Europe, Central South America, and China. He continues to take courses at Harvard Universityýýs Extension School and is working towards his Certificate of Advance Study in Technology. Class of 1993Francis Bediako Completed Summer 2003 Survey: YESEd.M. IE 1993Current Position: SELF-EMPLOYED87 MAIN STREETHOLDEN, MA 01520USAE-mail: oyokobediako at yahoo.comNationality: USACountries where I have lived and worked: GHANA, SOUTH AFRICA, GERMANYJohn Carfora Completed Summer 2003 Survey: YESEd.M. APSP 1993Current Position: Director, Office for Sponsored Programs, Boston CollegeP.O. Box 959Brookline, MA 02446USAE-mail: carfora at bc.eduNationality: US CitizenCountries where I have lived and worked: England, The Netherlands (Holland), Russia, France, Italy, Germany, Hungary, Czech Republic, SwitzeAnn Lazerson Completed Summer 2003 Survey: YESEd.M. IE 1993Current Position: CEO of small suburban household!20 Marshall TerraceWayland, MA 01778USAE-mail: anneandenrique at comcast.netNationality: USACountries where I have lived and worked: Brazil, Venezuela, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Panama, NicaraguaStephen Tournas Completed Summer 2003 Survey: YESEd.M. 1993Current Position: Computer-Assisted Learning Specialist U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)1335 Wallach Pl NWWashington, DC 20009-4450USAE-mail: stournas at usaid.govNationality: USACountries where I have lived and worked: Bosnia, Botswana, Egypt, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Mali, Morocco, Namibia, Rwanda, South AfricaBio: Stephen Tournas designs and manages technology-mediated learning projects for USAID's economic Growth, Agriculture Trade Bureau. Specializing in computer-assisted learning, he came to USAID with extensive teaching experience as a Peace Corps volunteer in Sub-Saharan Africa.Class of 1994Alice Gail Bier Completed Summer 2003 Survey: YESEd.M. APSP 1994Current Position: Executive Director, Center for International Studies, Tulane UniversityCenter for International
Re: [Assam] From Tehelka
Dilip-da,1. My mistake about misspelling Mr Bant Singh 2. Santa and Banta are common names among Sikhs so most likely he is a Sikh. 3.Though it is true that Sikhs do not recognize casteism but there are subtle issues - ainly becos of economic status. Many Bedi surnamedSikhs are proud of having a "Brahmin anscestory" -as is revealed by those who are really rustic , from villages in Punjab and working in Delhi etc. Perhaps for thsi reason they also are grantedcaste-based reservation by Indian govt. 4. Various Sikh surnames have different stereotypes. A Sikh friend said that "Bhopa" Sikhs are known to be shrewd and cunning businessmen.Umesh Dilip/Dil Deka [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Umesh,OBSERVATIONS:1. Is Banta same as Bant? 2. Is everyone a Sikh is Punjab as you suggested? Sikhism does not recognize social stratification as I know. 3. I didn't know there were Dalits in Punjab. 4.Could it be economic differences and social stratification due to it have more to do with it than caste etc.? 5. "critically injured Bant Singh was left for 36 hours in the Mansa Civil Hospital, while the hospital authorities, influenced by Congress leaders refused him treatment" --- Congress leaders are supposed to be abovecaste differences, as compared toother parties (aren't they the champions of secularity and the minorities?):-). You mean they also fell into the trap? 6. "He is still fighting for his life, but says, "I have my voice, they can't stop my songs." -- I applaud his strength and spirit. Dilip Deka umesh sharma [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:Good work by Banta Singh. I did not know that there was still casteism in Punjab. Maybe even after becoming Sikhs those who came from dalit families have continued to face ill treatment from those who came from landholding - uppercastes. Even Bihari laborers in farms suffer there.UmeshChan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Dalit SingerDalit Dignity: Bant Singh after the amputation of his hands and a leg in PGI, ChandigarhBant Singh is a revolutionary Dalit singer from Mansa, Punjab. He is a supporter of the CPI (ML-Liberation), an overground Naxalite organisation. He became active in 2000 whe n his minor daughter was raped: therein begun the protracted struggle of the dalits for self dignity and human rights against Jat landlords, in this case, backed by the ruling Congress regime in the state. Punjab's huge dalit population has been fighting a running battle for land, wages and fundamental rights against the landlords, who control land and political power. The rapists were given life sentence in 2002. On January 5, 2006, Sarpanch Jaswant Singh and former Sarpanch Niranjan Singh of Jhabbar village allegedly conspired a brutal attack on Bant Singh as revenge, according to the CPI(ML). The party has alleged that a critically injured Bant Singh was left for 36 hours in the Mansa Civil Hospital, while the hospital authorities, influenced by Congress leaders, refused him treatment. Eventually, he was taken to the PGI in Chandigarh, where both his arms and one leg had to be amputated because gangrene had set in. He is s till fighting for his life, but says, "I have my voice, they can't stop my songs."___assam mailing listassam@assamnet.orghttp://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.orgUmesh Sharma5121 Lackawanna STCollege Park, MD 207401-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]Ed.M. - International Education PolicyHarvard Graduate School of Education,Harvard University,Class of 2005 Yahoo! Messenger NEW - crystal clear PC to PC calling worldwide with voicemail ___assam mailing listassam@assamnet.orghttp://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.orgUmesh Sharma5121 Lackawanna STCollege Park, MD 20740 1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]Ed.M. - International Education PolicyHarvard Graduate School of Education,Harvard University,Class of 2005 Yahoo! Messenger NEW - crystal clear PC to PC calling worldwide with voicemail ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] video weblink: Edu. For All seminar at Harvard
http://forum.wgbh.org/wgbh/forum.php?lecture_id=1679Umesh Sharma5121 Lackawanna STCollege Park, MD 20740 1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]Ed.M. - International Education PolicyHarvard Graduate School of Education,Harvard University,Class of 2005 To help you stay safe and secure online, we've developed the all new Yahoo! Security Centre.___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] MAYONNAISE JAR AND 2 CUPS OF COFFEE
C-da,Good to hear that you have been thru this and succeeded.UmeshChan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I did buy a nearly new, Korea made, colorful Hawaiin shirt there for $1.5 ( the cashier gave an immediate discount from 3 to 1.5 USD - on looking at my condition)*** Many of us have gone thru that experience Umesh. Don't use the experience for self-pity. It is wonderful that there are places like the Thrift Stores where one can buy good stuff, albeit 'pre-owned' ( or worn), for a very reasonable ( don't call it 'cheap') price. My first purchases in the US were at the Thrift Store in Pasadena, California. That neighborhood, also once known as skid-row, is gone now. It is one of the most popular hangout spots of metro LA now, called Old Town Pasadena. Just been there, terrific place to be.c-daRajen-da,Very wonderful advice. Reminds me of physics lab where grade 11 students use screw gauge to measure diameter of steel balls etc.Today, I saw a cartoon in the free Express magazine of Wash. post showing even in jails of US inmates play golf. Maybe becos they have so much land here.Anyhow I saw golf clubs being sold cheap at a Salvataion Army thrift store. It seems even the poor play golf here, as you say. I did buy a nearly new, Korea made, colorful Hawaiin shirt there for $1.5 ( the cashier gave an immediate discount from 3 to 1.5 USD - on looking at my condition)I did play golf on video games - though generally I was beaten by my landlord's then 6 year old son at Bhopal. I haven't played marbles for ages. Anyhow it is good idea. I think in India we play marbles outside the house.Now the May! onanaise jar - my NRI kid roommate does have one. He hardly eats food here so I would have to wait till it is empty and so then I can do the experiment. Maybe I should finish off the mayonnaise myself. I haven't seen him angry so far, that would add to the experience.Thanks for the info.UmeshUmesh Sharma5121 Lackawanna STCollege Park, MD 20740 1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]Ed.M. - International Education PolicyHarvard Graduate School of Education,Harvard University,Class of 2005 Yahoo! Cars NEW - sell your car and browse thousands of new and used cars online search now ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] AT: Grammy nominee Lama - Harvard schol is not useful for me!!
from the article: Lama Tashi has dedicated his life to Buddhist teachings and propagating peace and compassion. He has been asked several times by friends to settle in the US. He refused. He even declined a scholarship to study at Harvard. I asked myself whether a Harvard degree would fit into my life." Guwahati, Friday, February 3, 2006Lama Tashi chants away to fameBy A Staff ReporterGUWAHATI, Feb 2 I am from the edge of the world, said Geshe Ngawang Tashi Bapu, or Lama Tashi as the world knows him, from Arunachal Pradesh here today. It has indeed been a long journey for the globetrotting monk, born in a remote village called Thembang in West Kameng district. His village is the last human habitation along the Indo-China border in the district. Though his name was, till a few weeks ago, unfamiliar to the people of India, Tashi is already a known figure in the West. His Buddhist chants had endeared him to Western singers and musicians for close to 15 years and his album, Tibetan Master Chants, has taken him to the Top Ten charts in several countries.Today, Tashi (38) left for Los Angeles (California) to attend the Grammy Awards 2005 function. His Tibetan Master Chants has been nominated in the Best Traditional World Music Album category. It is a first for a person from the North East. Only a handful of persons from India have ever been nominated for the Grammys. He was The Guest of the Month at the Guwahati Press Club this morning.It is an honour that has come quite unexpected for Tashi. The Tibetan Master Chants is itself a chance creation, thanks to his musician friend Jonathan Goldman of Spirit Music who goaded the monk to casually record his mystical chants in his newly acquired recording equipment at his basement studio in his home in the US. That was in the mid-1990s. A decade after that, the recording has evolved into the Tibetan Master Chants. It has taken the West by storm after its 2005 release. It was Goldmans son who suggested the name for the album.Acclaim is nothing new for the Lama though. His chanting of Buddhist hymns in his deep baritone has been heard, and appreciated, for years in the West. For those who do not know, his chants have also featured in the background score of Hollywood blockbuster Seven Years in Tibet, starring heartthrob Brad Pitt.Born in 1968, Tashi heads the Government of India funded Central Institute of Himalayan Culture Studies at Dahung in West Kameng. Earlier, he was the principal chant master at the Drepung Loseling monastery in Karnataka, one of the largest Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in the world with over 3,000 monks and dubbed the Second Nalanda. He embraced monastic life in 1983 when he entered the Gontse Gaden Rabgeyling monastery in Bomdila. Later that year he went to the Karnataka monastery to study Buddhist philosophy. It is here that Tashi also mastered the monastic sacred dance and the sacred chants known as Tibetan Deep Voice, a multi-phonic singing technique employed in prayers. It is a vibrating sound that comes out from the vocal chords and I was initially reluctant to join the chanting group knowing that it would be a challenge, he explained. Some 16 years later, he became the principal chant master. In between, he served his monastary in various capacities. Tashis mastery over his vocal chords impressed his teachers so much that he was chosen to be part of the group touring the world spreading Buddhist teachings and performing chants and sacred dances. While on tour, Tashi performed before the Dalai Lama in Brazil and in Pasadena (California). He had an 80,000-strong audience in New York. Between such tours, Lama Tashi has also performed alongside singers and musicians like Philip Glass, Natalie Merchant, Michael Stipe of R.E.M., Patti Smith, Ben Harper, Billi Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins and Sheryl Crow. In the West people started looking at me as a singer and artiste, even a pop star, Tashi said.Tibetan Master Chants was a totally amateur effort. It was more like play and there was nothing professional about its recording, Tashi admitted. What I chanted was very common. There was nothing sacred or profound in it. The chants are ones that are commonly recited in our society. Thus, it came as a surprise when the Lama was informed about his nomination for the Grammys. I couldnt believe it initially, he confessed. Lama Tashi has dedicated his life to Buddhist teachings and propagating peace and compassion. He has been asked several times by friends to settle in the US. He refused. He even declined a scholarship to study at Harvard. I asked myself whether a Harvard degree would fit into my life. Tashi is currently working with several musicians. His next album is likely to be a fusion of Buddhist chants and Western classical music. I am aiming more for the listeners to practice the chants, he said.Umesh Sharma5121 Lackawanna STCollege Park, MD 20740 1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]Ed.M. - International
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