ACHA PEACE BULLETIN

 

http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/ACHAPeaceBulletin

A publication of Association for Communal Harmony in Asia (ACHA) www.asiapeace.org

 

Editors:

David Campion, PhD           campion@lclark.edu

Pritam K. Rohila, PhD          pritam@open.org

 

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Volume VII, No. 11, November 15, 2004, Next Issue, December 15, 2004

 

CONTENTS

 

EDITORIAL

  • “Breaking New Ground for Peace in India” – Pritam K. Rohila, PhD

 

PEACE & HARMONY NEWS FROM & ABOUT SOUTH ASIA

South Asia

  • Seeds of Peace camp fosters friendships across enemy lines; teens from Pakistan, Afghanistan, India take message of peace home

India

  • India to reduce its troop strength in Kashmir
  • Patil to submit report on Kashmir to Manmohan
  • Music can Bring Peace: Ghulam Ali advocates Indo-Pak friendship

Nepal

  • Think about Tihar truce: CSPS to Govt

Pakistan-India

  • Warm Welcome for Pak Pilgrims
  • India and Pakistan's road to détente
  • Kashmir logs on to IT boom

Sri Lanka

  • New bid to revive Sri Lanka talks

Sri Lanka- India

  • India's credibility rests on Lankan peace

 

PEACE & HARMONY ORGANIZATIONS

  • The Institute for Multi-Track Diplomacy (IMTD)
  • Seeds of Peace
  • United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP)
  • Indian NGOs: Communal Harmony Related News

 

FEATURE

  • “On Our Side” by Pavan Nair

 

REPORTS & ANALYSES

  • International Religious Freedom Report 2004 – US Department of State

 

BOOKS AND REVIEWS

  • Review: “Can Pakistan Work? A Country in Search of Itself” by Pervez Hoodbhoy
  • Speaking Peace: Women's Voices from Kashmir, edited by Urvashi Butalia
  • Kashmir: Roots of Conflict, Paths to Peace, by Sumantra Bose
  • Fragments of Grace: My Search for Meaning in the Strife of South Asia, by Pamela Constable
  • Pakistan: Eye of the Storm, by Owen Bennett
  • Creating Peace in Sri Lanka: Civil War and Reconciliation, edited by Robert I. Rotberg

 

CONFERENCES

  • The Second Annual Promise of India Conference: “Making Peace with Diversity and Development.”  Mumbai, Jan 10, 2005.

 

DOCUMENTARIES & FILMS

  • Mistaken Identity (2004), produced by Vinanti Sarkar
  • In this World (2002), directed by Michael Winterbottom

 

EDUCATION & TRAINING

  • Documents and news articles relating to Kashmir

 

PEACE EVENTS

  • Third Annual ACHA-PSU Civic Dialogue on Kashmir-India-Pakistan; Weds, Nov 17, 6PM, Portland State University, Smith Hall, Rm. 338

 

 

EDITORIAL

 

Breaking New Ground for Peace in India

 Pritam K. Rohila, PhD

 

In June, the Congress-led government allowed the Andhra Pradesh government to announce ceasefire with the People’s War Group, the Maoist Communist Center and Janashakti. Even though the rebel groups declared that armed struggle had been necessary to achieve their objectives, and refused to stop carrying weapons in villages during the ceasefire, the state government was permitted to open talks with their representatives. The talks ended October 19 with a promise to meet again.

 

In a similar vein, Assam has invited the rebels of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and the National Democratic Front of Bodoland for peace talks. State authorities offered safe passage to their leaders so that could emerge from hiding to formalize a ceasefire agreement. Consequently, the rebels have agreed on a ceasefire in Assam starting October 15.

 

Leaders of IM faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim, another separatist group from the northeastern state of Nagaland, have accepted Indian government’s invitation for peace talks. The talks will be hosted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. 

 

Recently, the Government of India announced its willingness to hold unconditional talks with Kashmir’s separatist groups, including Hurriyat. Also Prime Minister Manmohan Singh plans to visit Kashmir on November 17.

 

It is gratifying that the Congress-led government in New Delhi has taken these new initiatives for peace. Hopefully, all sides have rejected the diplomacy of gun, and have realized that the dialog is the best way to resolve political disagreement and conflicts. We congratulate all sides for these efforts.

 

 

PEACE & HARMONY NEWS FROM & ABOUT SOUTH ASIA

 

*South Asia

 

Seeds of Peace Camp Fosters Friendships across Enemy Lines; Teens from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India take message of peace home

By Erin Block, Washington File Writer, US State Department

Teenagers from Pakistan, India and Afghanistan have lived together, shared meals, shared feelings and become friends at the Seeds of Peace International Camp in rural Maine during the past three weeks.  For some of the teens, it took traveling to the other side of the world to sit at the same table with their neighbors.  Seeds of Peace is an organization working to dissolve animosity between nations in conflict by bringing together young people from both sides. The organization builds peace through people-to-people contact at a camp where they absorb the message of "coexistence."  "Back at home I was told that Seeds of Peace was just an imaginary world where two enemies unite and it's just a dream. But I came to camp and realized that this is not a dream. It is a reality working to exist," said   Divya Moorjaney, a member of the India delegation.   "We are the young Seeds, and we are growing into the trees of peace," said Moorjaney, while addressing fellow "Seeds" and State Department officials on July 13 in Washington.

Full Story: http://usinfo.state.gov/mena/Archive/2004/Jul/16-373003.html

 

* India

 

India to reduce its troop strength in Kashmir

By Amy Waldeman, New York Times, New Delhi, November 12.

 

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced Thursday that India would reduce the number of its troops in the disputed territory of Kashmir, a significant gesture that comes less than a week before Mr. Singh is scheduled to visit there.  It may be the first time that an Indian government has ordered a reduction in troops in Kashmir since an anti-Indian insurgency began there in 1989. Kashmiri political leaders reacted positively to the announcement in interviews broadcast on Indian television channels, as did Pakistani officials.

Full Story: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/12/international/asia/12india.html?ex=1101276210&ei=1&en=033a0e9b28da5b5a

 

Patil to submit report on Kashmir to Manmohan Singh

By Our Special Correspondent, The Hindu, New Delhi, November 9.

After his three-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir, the Union Home Minister, Shivraj Patil, today held a series of meetings with his junior ministers and top officials to prepare a comprehensive report on his visit and submit it to the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh.   “The report, containing the issues and points which came up during the visit and their solutions, both long-term and short-term, will be prepared within a week or so,” Mr. Patil told reporters here.

Full Story: http://www.hindu.com/2004/11/10/stories/2004111002741100.htm

 

Music can Bring Peace: Ghulam Ali advocates Indo-Pakistani friendship

Press Trust of India, Hindustan Times, Jhansi, November 3

Renowned ghazal singer Ghulam Ali said that people of India and Pakistan were keen to have friendly ties with each other and accused countries like the US and Britain of creating hurdles in the way.  “Though the people of both the countries are very keen to have friendly and brotherly relations, hurdles are being created at the highest level as countries like the United States and Britain do not want peaceful atmosphere among the two neighbours,” Ali said in Jhansi.

Full Story: http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1089430,00110005.htm

 

*Nepal

 

Think about Tihar truce: CSPS to Government
The Himalayan News Service, Kathmandu, November 9
Representatives of the Civil Society Peace Secretariat (CSPS) has urged the government today to think over a possible announcement of a unilateral ceasefire in the run up to Tihar, the festival of lights. A letter urging the truce was submitted to the High-Level Peace Committee by the CSPS chief and former judge of the Supreme Court Krishna Jung Rayamajhi. A meeting between representatives of the civil society and members of the high-level team was held in the wake of the intense pressure on the government to declare a ceasefire during the festival.

Full Story: http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullstory.asp?filename=aNPata0skqzpda4Va7sa.axamal&folder=aNPataiaoanaaal&Name=National&dtSiteDate=20041110&sImageFileName=

 

 

*Pakistan-India

 

Warm welcome for Pak pilgrims

 AP, India West, November 5

JAMMU: They came to Kashmir to visit Muslim shrines, but a small group of Pakistani pilgrims found themselves with a surprise welcome – an informal parade, beating drums and friendly crowds who turned out to see them.

The group of 12 pilgrims, all of them Kashmiris, now living in Pakistan, received a noisy welcome at the railway station in Jammu, Indian-controlled Kashmir’s winter capital, where local residents greeted them with pounding drums and garlands of flowers.  Over the next two hours, they were taken in a large procession to six places of worship in Jammu, including a Sikh temple, and a Christian church.  “I simply overwhelmed. I don’t know whether the pilgrimage is important or the visit to the land of loving people, said Javed Ahmad, one of the Pakistani visitors.

                The group, which flew into New Delhi on October 25 and traveled by train to Jammu, was to visit a number of Muslim holy sites in Kashmir.  After decades of travel restrictions, people on both sides are now getting to meet each other more often as the countries pursue a peace process.  Naseem Khan, one of the Indians in the crowd, was waiting to welcome the leader of the visiting group, his uncle, a Pakistani citizen Sardar Alam Khan, who was born in Srinagar.  “My mother died missing him three years ago. I want to see glimpses of my mother in him, said Naseem Khan. “These visitors have brought back to me memories of my mother, who lies buried.”

 

India and Pakistan's road to détente

By Ahmed Rashid, BBC South Asia, in Islamabad and Delhi, November 9

The upcoming peace talks between India and Pakistan in December will be significant for one big reason: it will feature the first detailed discussion on the composite dialogue on resolving the Kashmir issue.

Full Story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/3995007.stm

 

Kashmir logs on to IT boom

By Altaf Hussain, BBC South Asia, Srinagar, 12 August

In a quiet corner of a software technology park in India more than 16 engineers are developing some software for American users.  It will be used by construction companies in the United States who are outsourcing the work to cut production costs. But these engineers are not based in India's Silicon Valley, Bangalore, or its hi-tech competitor Hyderabad. They work out of Indian-administered, Kashmir, an area known more for daily clashes between armed separatists and Indian security forces.

Full Story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/3554914.stm

 

*Sri Lanka

 

New bid to revive Sri Lanka talks

BBC South Asia, Colombo, November 10

Norway's foreign minister has arrived in Colombo to launch a fresh attempt to revive the peace process in Sri Lanka.  Jan Petersen will meet President Chandrika Kumaratunga and also the Tamil Tigers' reclusive leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran.   Peace talks between the rebels and the government broke down last year and an uneasy truce prevails.   More than 60,000 people have been killed in two decades of fighting between rebels and government forces.

Full Story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3995553.stm

 

*Sri Lanka- India

 

India's credibility rests on Lankan peace

By P.K. Balachanddran, Hindustan Times, Colombo, November 1

The credibility of India’s notion or ambition of being the regional power will depend critically on the success or failure of its bid to bring peace and stability to Sri Lanka without directly intervening in the ethnic conflict there, says the Indian historian, Avtar Singh Bhasin.

Full Story: http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1084326,00410008.htm

 

 

PEACE & HARMONY ORGANIZATIONS

 

The Institute for Multi-Track Diplomacy

Director: Ambassador John W. McDonald

 

IMTD is attempting to draw international attention to the plight suffered by the refugee populations who are affected by the conflict in Kashmir. The story of the Kashmiri refugees who live along the Line of Control separating Pakistan Kashmir from Indian Kashmir has long been muted on the world stage. By drawing attention to the plight of these Kashmiris' experiences, IMTD hopes to mobilize international efforts to deliver assistance to these displaced peoples.

 

In August 2004, IMTD organized and facilitated the Kashmir conflict transformation workshop, which was held in Kathmandu, Nepal, and brought together ten grassroots leaders from India-administered Kashmir and ten grassroots leaders from Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

 

Through a week-long workshop, IMTD sought to launch an ongoing process of inter-communal communications and strategic planning rooted in community needs. The activities were intended to support official (Track I) negotiations by contributing to a comprehensive approach to peace-building that is citizen-oriented. Workshop participants represented various spokes of the multi-track wheel, including mid-level and grassroots leaders that provide guidance to their communities and also exert influence on political leaders.

http://www.imtd.org/initiatives-kashmir.htm

 

Seeds of Peace

Empowering leaders of the next generation

 

Founded in 1993, Seeds of Peace is dedicated to empowering young leaders from regions of conflict with the leadership skills required to advance reconciliation and coexistence.  Over the last decade, Seeds of Peace has intensified its impact, dramatically increasing the number of participants, represented nations and programs.

 

The Seeds of Peace internationally recognized program model begins at the International Camp in Maine and continues through follow-up programming at the Seeds of Peace Center for Coexistence in Jerusalem, international youth conferences, regional workshops, educational and professional opportunities, and an adult educator program.  This comprehensive system allows participants to develop empathy, respect, and confidence as well as leadership, communication and negotiation skills -- all critical components that will facilitate peaceful coexistence for the next generation.

 

In 2001, Seeds of Peace began its South Asia program with Indian and Pakistani youth and in 2002, Seeds of Peace expanded welcoming an Afghan delegation to the Seeds of Peace International Camp. 

 

http://www.seedsofpeace.org/site/PageServer

 

United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP)

Major-General Guido Palmieri appointed chief military observer of UNMOGIP

 

Secretary-General Kofi Annan has announced the appointment of Major-General Guido Palmieri of Italy as Chief Military Observer in the United Nations Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP). Major-General Palmieri was born in 1944 and has served in the Italian armed forces since 1967.  He attended Artillery Officers School and Command and Staff Colleges in Quetta, Pakistan and is a graduate in Strategic Science from the University of Torino.  He also served as Assistant Military Attaché in New Delhi.  He has held staff and command appointments up to the regiment level.  Since 1994, he has worked with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), where he was Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations in 1999 and Deputy Assistant Director of the Cooperation and Regional Security Division from 1999-2002.  General Palmieri has been decorated with the Medal of an Officer of the Order for Merit of the Italian Republic, the Mauritanian Medal for Merit with 10 lustres of Military Service, the Silver Medal for Merit of the Italian Red Cross, the Long Service of Command Medal and the Extended Service Gold Cross.

 

Press Release: SG/A/889 BIO/3595: http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2004/sga889.doc.htm

 

Indian NGOs: Communal Harmony Related News

IndianNGOs.com was started in January 1999. It was converted into a Private Limited Company with Mahindra.  IndianNGOs.com has a database of 12 000 NGOs classified issuewise and statewise. This database is collated from primary and secondary sources

http://www.indianngos.com/issue/communal/news.htm

 

 

FEATURE

 

On Our Side

By Pavan Nair

We are not amused Mr. President.  On our side, we believe in doing things in a proper manner.  Protocol must be observed.  Diplomacy is paramount.  How could you therefore announce a grandiose solution without taking us into confidence?  General Saab, this is not done.  And that too at an Iftar party.  On our side, only politicians use Iftar parties as a platform.  And that too in a pronounced Punjabi accent.  On our side, Punjabi accents are rather unfashionable.  We prefer clipped Oxonian accents, even if faked.  They sound better on BBC.  And how, Sir, could you refer to the five districts on our side?  Even I had to check the atlas to confirm.  Geography is not our strong point.  Ask any Indian which four languages are spoken in which state in the South, then you will understand.  Anyway, let me respond to your rather naïve offer. You will understand that in public, our response has to be rather chilly since diplomatic channels have not been followed.  I mean these are the tricks of our trade.  That’s how we babus on our side and you generals on your side have been calling the shots all these years.  Right?  Let me be very honest.  On our side, we do not like the word “demilitarization”.  What on earth will we do with our army if we pull them out of from Kashmir?  We don’t want them with nothing on their hands.  Good Lord, No.  As it is, we are having a problem with all the surplus ammunition after the ceasefire.  Now we can’t stop manufacturing it, can we? We don’t want to put people on the street.  No Sir.  No demilitarization, please, whether in the Valley or in Siachen.  In any case, the boys are getting some good training to handle insurgency in other regions too. And they are doing the job they are paid for.  Why disturb them.  Did you say something about the Kashmiris?  Come, come, you cannot really be concerned about a few locals can you?  Our boys are getting killed too.  You said something about a UN mandate.  Surely you can’t be serious.  After the initial blunder of going to the UN, we have learnt our lesson.  Never ever again, Kofi!  Seriously, what is the hurry?  I mean fifty seven years have gone.  Things are moving along smoothly.  On our side governments come and go but we go on forever.  You are well entrenched in your own brand of democracy.  Why disturb things. We can keep the dialogue going for another few decades.  The lunches are excellent and free.  And what will peace activists do if we resolve issues between us?  At least they are winning awards now.  Mr. President, do consider our positions before any further announcements.  Sir, is it possible to schedule the next round of talks in what my late father referred to as “my blovd Lhore”?  I was only a baby then.

 

 

REPORTS & ANALYSES

 

International Religious Freedom Report 2004 – US Department of State
Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor

 

 

BOOKS AND REVIEWS

 

Can Pakistan Work? A Country in Search of Itself
By Pervez Hoodbhoy

An essay and commentary, commissioned by Foreign Affairs on The Idea of Pakistan, by Stephen Philip Cohen, Washington: Brookings Institution Press, 2004, 367 pp. $32.95.

When he founded Pakistan in 1947, Muhammad Ali Jinnah – an impeccably dressed Westernized Muslim with Victorian manners and a secular outlook – promised the subcontinent's Muslims that they would finally be able to fulfill their cultural and civilizational destiny.  Although the new nation arose from a bloodbath of ethnic cleansing and sectarian violence, and its fundamental premise was that Hindus and Muslims could never live together, its early years nevertheless held some promise of a liberal, relatively secular polity.  But with time, Jinnah’s Pakistan has grown weaker, more authoritarian, and increasingly theocratic. Now set to become the world’s fourth most populous nation, it is all of several things: a client state of the United States yet deeply resent­ful of it; a breeding ground for jihad and al Qaeda as well as a key  US ally in the fight against international terrorism; an economy and society run for the benefit of Pakistan’s warrior class, yet with a relatively free and feisty press; a country where education and science refuse to flourish but which is nevertheless a declared nuclear power; and an inward ­looking society that is manifestly intolerant of minorities but that has never seen anything like the state ­organized pogroms of India, Afghanistan, Iran, or China.

In The Idea of Pakistan, Stephen Philip Cohen sets out to understand this enigma of modern history.  Cohen is the United States’ leading analyst of South Asia, and this authoritative work of broad scope and meticulous research will surely become required reading on Pakistan.  It also pro­vides a view from the heart of the American empire, an analysis of how Washington can best advance its interests in South Asia. Cohen’s facts are indisputable, his logic cold and clear, and his omissions deliberate and meaningful.

Ominous declarations of imminent chaos in Pakistan abound in the United States. Cohen aims both to raise warnings and to soothe fears.  Although he acknowl­edges that profound problems plague both the idea and the reality of Pakistan, he distances himself from apocalyptic “failed state” scenarios.  Catastrophic failure of this nuclear-­armed state is surely a possi­bility.  But Pakistan’s fate will ultimately depend on whether its leaders can find an answer to the fundamental question that has plagued their fellow citizens for more than half a century: “How can we make the idea of Pakistan actually work?”

 

Speaking Peace: Women's Voices from Kashmir
Urvashi Butalia (Editor), Zed Books; (2002) ISBN: 1842772082

This book reflects the range of women's experiences in the Kashmir conflict, which, for some years, has been a key issue on the Indian political map. It draws on important questions such as: how has the conflict affected women and how have they learned to live with continuing violence? What strategies have they used to cope, to find a space, or to share or express what they are going through? The contributions in this book explore these issues through interviews with Kashmiri women, personal and reflective writings, and extracts from various reports and books. Together they draw attention to a vital aspect of the conflict that has been all but forgotten.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1842772082/qid=1100049935/sr=8-2/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i2_xgl14/002-3330633-0842412?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

 

Kashmir: Roots of Conflict, Paths to Peace
Sumantra Bose, Harvard University Press (2003), ISBN: 0674011732

Jammu and Kashmir have been punished by a complicated terrorist war for the past decade. Bose, a professor of politics, compares the area to Northern Ireland because both regions' inhabitants are exasperated with militancy and yearn for peace. Their unhappy dilemma is that their lives are embroiled in the competing nationalisms of Pakistan and India, each locked into an adamantine narrative of accusation against the perfidious opponent. Though Bose summarizes how Kashmir became a bone of contention in the blood-wracked partition of British India in 1947-48, he restrains himself from adjudicating the grievances in favor of exploring an exit from the impasse. His basic idea, as in Northern Ireland, is to put into abeyance the parties' most radical demands in the hope they will ameliorate under the influence of newly created negotiating institutions.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0674011732/ref=pd_sim_b_4/002-3330633-0842412?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance

 

Fragments of Grace: My Search for Meaning in the Strife of South Asia
Pamela Constable, Brassey’s Inc (2004), ISBN: 1574886185

Pamela Constable has been covering South Asia for the Washington Post since 1999, spending four years as the region’s bureau chief.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1574886185/qid=1100049935/sr=8-11/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i11_xgl14/002-3330633-0842412?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

 

Pakistan: The Eye of the Storm
by Owen Bennett Jones, Yale Univ. Press (2002) ISBN: 0300101473

From Amazon reviews: This book is without a doubt the best ever book one can find on Pakistani politics. It covers every aspect in detail from the 1999 Coup, the Kashmir Crisis-Kargil, Democracy in Pakistan as well as other internal issues.  The author obviously through his decade long experience has got a great deal of insight knowledge from his experiences for reporting for the BBC for which he made the wise choice for publishing his thoughts in this book.   If you're a student or even a curious reader liking books on Asian or especially Pakistani related politics, then look no further than this book as it is the best one out there.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0300097603/ref=sib_rdr_dp/002-3330633-0842412

 

Creating Peace in Sri Lanka: Civil War and Reconciliation
Robert I. Rotberg (Editor), Brookings Institution Press (1999), ISBN: 0815775784

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0815775784/qid=1100052340/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/002-3330633-0842412?v=glance&s=books

 

 

CONFERENCES

 

The Second Annual Promise of India Conference: “Making Peace with Diversity and Development”

Monday, January 10, 2005, 9 AM to 4 PM

Patkar Hall, SNDT University, Churchgate (Following the Third Pravasi Bharatiya Divas)

[Free Admission by Prior Registration]

 

If you are planning to be in Mumbai in January 2005, please do not miss this unique opportunity for NRIs/PIOs to interact with local community leaders and to participate in a public symposium on the two critical issues that dominated the recent historic elections in India:

 

  1. Impact of globalization on rural India
  2. The ascendancy of communalism in electoral politics. Please see details below and register today! And please pardon the duplication if you have already seen this notice.


A Debate with Expert Panelists and Audience Participation:

Panel 1: GDP Growth or Livelihoods?

  • “Globalization with a Human Face”: Rhetoric or Reality?
  • Rural Development: The Bumpy Road from Budgets to Panchayats.
  • ”The Bottom of the Pyramid”: Communities in Distress or Markets for "Fair & Lovely"?

Panel 2: Secularism: Elusive Ideal or Ground Reality?

  • Past Wrongs, Future Rights: What Agitates the Fence Sitters?
  • Re-Re-Writing History: Quick Fix or Opportunity to De-Politicize Education?
  • Curbing Hate Speech: More Laws and Censorship, or Public Education and Action?

 

Also introducing: grassroots workers from Gujarat working for justice and communal harmony and a joint NRI/NRP peace delegation to Pakistan and India.

 

Please log on to https://www.promiseofindia.org/Conference.cfm to pre-register today (seats are limited). The list of panelists will be finalized soon and will be posted on the website.   Also, please log on to https://www.promiseofindia.org/Appeal.cfm to sign the Promise of India Appeal.

 

Raju Rajagopal for Promise of India

 

DOCUMENTARIES & FILMS

 

Mistaken Identity
Filmmaker: Vinanti Sarkar, 2004
Mistaken Identity (by New York filmmaker Vinanti Sarkar) is about one ethnic community while promoting the identity of over 500,000 British Sikhs. It is the first film (six part series) produced by two non-Sikh women, who have been producing dramatic culturally diversified films to inform and educate North Americans.

The film demystifies the enigma of Sikhs and shares the hopes and desires of people from all walks of life who seek to close ranks against bigotry and hate, and take a united stand against terrorism which results from fear and ignorance. It focuses directly on the concerns of multicultural diversity and tries to educate people about immigrants - and asks for tolerance, respect and understanding of next door neighbours.

Six months after its release the film has won Golden Lion Award for best documentary, the Remi Statuette award for creative excellence and the NYIIFV Festival's debut director award for documentary at American Film Festivals.

The film's screenings are scheduled across the USA, Canada, UK and France. Following this screenings will be held in Holland, Belgium, Germany, Africa, India to Australia and New Zealand through 2005. In the UK major screenings were held in London, Huddersfield, Bedford and Coventry, coinciding with the celebrations of 400 years of Guru Granth Sahib.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/2004/Nov/08/5983_1091815,00430005.htm

 

In This World

Director: Michael Winterbottom, 2002, Sundance Films
This extraordinary docu-drama recreates the harrowing journey of two young Afghan men, Jamal and Enayat, who are smuggled, step-by-step, from their refugee camp in Peshawar, Pakistan through Iran, Turkey, and Europe to their final destination in London. The film draws attention to the desperate plight of refugees and illegal immigrants in general, but especially of Afghans displaced in Pakistan after a generation of violence.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00018D3V4/002-3330633-0842412?v=glance

 

 

EDUCATION & TRAINING

 

Documents and news articles relating to Kashmir

http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/sasia.htm

 

 

PEACE EVENTS

 

Kashmir-India-Pakistan: Civic Dialogue 2004

 

Aimed to promote better understanding and to facilitate resolution of one of the world’s longest conflict, the Association for Communal Harmony in Asia and Portland State University’s Institute for Asian Studies have scheduled their Third Annual Civic Dialogue on Kashmir-India-Pakistan at 6:00 p.m., on Wednesday, November 17, in Portland State University’s Smith Memorial Hall, Room No. 338, SW Broadway & SW Harrison.

 

The program will feature Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy’s new documentary entitled “Crossing the Lines: Kashmir, Pakistan, India.”  Using interviews of key figures and ordinary people from every side, and rare archival footage the film chronicles the wars, the failed efforts at peace and the daily toll Kashmir problem exacts from those caught in this tragic struggle.

 

Rejecting the national ambitions of Kashmiris, Pakistanis and Indians alike, the film challenges us to look at Kashmir with new eyes and new hope for a way forward. It offers a vision of a shared future for all of South Asia built on a common humanity.  The documentary was made in Pakistan, by Pervez Hoodbhoy and Zia Mian, for the Eqbal Ahmad Foundation.

 

Dr. David Savage, a retired professor of history at Lewis & Clark College will moderate the discussion, following the film.

 

The program is open to public and admission is free.  More info from Dr. Pritam Rohila  pritamr@open.org or 503-393-6944.