CONVERSATION WITH MUKUL SINHA, HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER AND TRADE UNION LEADER | Group Violence and the Rule of Law in India: Jan Sangharsh Manch's Experiences in Gujarat | Friday, May 7th 3:30 - 5:00 pmEncina Hall West, Room 208
Co-sponsored by Friends of South Asia, Center for South Asia, Stanford University
Dr. Mukul Sinha will share experiences of the past eight years of Jan Sangharsh Manch,
a civil liberties organization in India consisting of social and trade
union activists and lawyers. This talk will discuss the premise that
during the turbulent times of mass violence, minorities have very
few options for justice. |
Advocate Mukul Sinha is one of the founding members of the Jan Sangharsh Manch,
a civil rights body that has several successful Public Interest Litigations to
its credit in the Gujarat High Court. He unearthed crucial facts about the
Godhra carnage and post-Godhra riots in the course of his cross examinations of
witnesses.
Mukul Sinha is a scientist turned lawyer, holding degrees in MSc (Physics)
from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur; and a PhD (Physics) from
Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad. Realizing the struggles of industrial
workers in Gujarat, he was instrumental in the formation of the Gujarat
Federation of Trade Unions. While fighting for the rights of the working class,
he ventured to study law and obtained the degree of LLB in 1988. Combining his science and law expertise he presented a research report in the
Gujarat High Court which garnered international recognition, titled “Kutch Quake
Profile”, seeking orders from the court for incorporating quake resistant design
code in the building regulations after the 2001 Gujarat earthquake. Mukul
Sinha has also participated in the Nanavati Commission inquiring into
the Gujarat violence of 2002. Most recently he has been conducting the
“fake encounter” cases of Sohrabuddin, Ishrat Jahan, Javed and Sadik
Jamal. Delhi-based legal bimonthly, “Combat Law,” nominated him as its
“Human Rights Lawyer of the Year” in 2005. |
Another Bay Area Event with Dr. Mukul Sinha If you miss the Friday event at Stanford, you can still hear Dr. Mukul Sinha at this event in Newark, CA | What | Advocacy for Justice in World’s Largest Democracy
A Legal study of the Gujarat Genocide
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Pervez Ahmed
Guest Speaker: Dr. Mukul Sinha | | Where | Chandni Restaurant, 5748 Mowry School Road, Newark, CA 94560 | | When | Sunday May 9, 2010; at 12 noon • Lunch will be served | | RSVP | 1-800-839-7270 or email: info@imc-usa.org |
|
Additional Resources - Dr. Mukul Sinha also a founding member of a political formation called the New Socialist Movement (NSM). This website - http://nsm.org.in/
contains information about the NSM, the JSM and the Gujarat Federation
of Trade Unions which Mr. Sinha was instrumental in building.
- In this online interview with Yogi Sikand, Mukul Sinha addresses the failure of organized labor to take on Hindutva.
- Mr Sinha is currently in the U.S. to attend a workshop about India at
MIT titled "Group Violence, Terrorism, and Impunity- Challenges to
Secularism and Rule of Law in India".
|
EMPIRES OF THE INDUS: The Story of a River
Book Reading & Discussion with ALICE ALBINIA |  | One
of the longest rivers in the world, the Indus rises in Tibet, flows
west across India, and south through Pakistan. For millennia it has
been worshiped as a god; for centuries used as a tool of imperial
expansion. Today it is the glue of Pakistan’s fractious union. Empires
of the Indus follows the river upstream and back in time, on a voyage
through two thousand miles of geography and five millennia of history,
through a landscape where the past still resonates today.
Alice Albinia read English Literature at Cambridge University. After
graduating, she moved to Delhi, where she worked for the next two a
half years as a journalist and editor for the Centre for Science &
Environment, Biblio: A Review of Books, Outlook Traveller, and several
other Indian newspapers and magazines. It was during this time, as she
traveled around the country writing articles and features, that she had
the idea to write a history of the River Indus. In 2002, she moved back
to London to take an MA in South Asian history at the School of
Oriental and African Studies, where she researched the religious and
political history of the Indus region.
|
Empires of the Indus is
Alice Albinia's first book, for which she won a Royal Society of
Literature / Jerwood Foundation Special Prize for non-fiction work in
progress, a Somerset Maugham Award and the Dolman Travel Prize. When: Monday, May 3rd, 5-7 p.m.
Where: University of California, Berkeley Campus
Stephen's Hall, 10 (CSAS Conference Room) | When: Sunday, May 2nd, 4-7 p.m.
Where: San Jose Justice and Peace Center
48 South 7th St., San Jose |
Sponsors:FREE EVENTS!!
Talks includes book sale and book signing.
Please contact Ijaz Syed (408.838.0952) or Rehman Kakepoto (916.968.4991) for more details.
Two Bay Area events to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the Bhopal Gas Disaster |
Twenty
five years after the world's worst industrial disaster, the movement
for justice continues. Your help is needed in sustaining the
international campaign led by the
Bhopalis to bring Union Carbide/Dow Chemical to justice; to secure
clean water for their community; and to seek a toxic-free future
worldwide. Learn more and consider making a financial contribution to
the campaign, at http://www.bhopal.net. |
| TAKE ACTION FOR JUSTICE IN BHOPAL!25th Anniversary of the Bhopal Gas Disaster - Dec 3, 2009
Mass Die-In at Union Square, San Francisco (12.05pm)
Candlelight Vigil at UC Berkeley (6 pm - Sproul Plaza)
Tomorrow, December 3, marks the 25th Anniversary of the Bhopal Disaster. Well over 150 direct actions will be taking place on the 25th Anniversary worldwide – for Bhopal, and for a toxic-free future everywhere.
Join
us for actions in the Bay Area or take action on your own - including
call-in and email actions, promote the cause via your social networks,
and have conversations with friends and family. Visit http://www.studentsforbhopal.org/bhopal25 to find out how you can help. On Dec 3, 1984, the world's worst industrial disaster was unleashed on Bhopal, India, which claimed the lives of over 25,000 people. Generations of survivors have
since been fighting for the clean up of the site and for Dow Chemical and it subsidiary Union Carbide to finally face charges and pay for the damage done.
This 25th anniversary will be a day of remembrance, as well as an
International Day of Action. Bhopal survivors involved with the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal
(ICJB) have called on all international supporters to organize actions
on December 3rd to pressure Dow Chemical to finally send Union Carbide
to face criminal charges in India. For Bhopal, and for a toxic-free
future everywhere, it’s time for Dow to pay for the clean up and to
compensate the survivors. The people of Bhopal need us to speak up for justice.
|
| 6th Annual LITERARY EVENING: The Language of Food
Saturday August 29, 2009. 1 PM - 5 PM. San Francisco
Glen Park Library, 2825 Diamond St, SF
In
a joint celebration of the Independence Days of Pakistan and India, we
at Friends of South Asia organized our sixth annual literary evening on
August 29, in San Francisco. The
theme of this year's literary evening was The Language of Food.
An enthusiastic bunch of over 40 people gathered to celebrate,
hear original stories, poems and narratives, and share their own
thoughts. See a report of the event
The
South Asian melting pot has simmered through the ages, creating
exquisite flavors. Culinary influences and food accents brought in by
different communities have been embraced over the centuries and the
fusion of new and old has resulted in the unique South Asian
cuisine--Biryani, Paratha, Idli, Puri, Seekh Kebabs, Dhansak,
Kheer--now popular around the world. Join us in an exploration of
the language of food, its vocabulary and evolution, its relationship
with history and geography and its personal and societal associations.Writers,
poets, and other artists will present their original works: stories,
essays, poems, slide shows or skits in South Asian languages including
English. We will invite the audience to participate by presenting their
own narratives and stories about South Asia and the language of food.
For more details, see event homepage
Also see Media Advisory dated Aug 14, 2009
|
FREE BINAYAK SEN!
50 international groups organize support in the USA for the Raipur Satyagraha in India
Simultaneous protests held in 3 cities, including San Francisco, on March 27 It has been nearly two years since Dr. Binayak Sen,
the well-known public health and human rights activist was imprisoned
by the Chhattisgarh government on false charges of abetting activities
of an outlawed organization. International and national groups and individuals, including Twenty Two Nobel Laureates, have consistently demanded the release of Dr. Binayak Sen.On March 16, a Satyagraha in the tradition
of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was launched in Raipur,
Chhattisgarh, where batches of 50-100 people are courting arrest every week,
demanding that Dr. Binayak Sen be released.
On
Friday, March 27 groups in the United States organized solidarity
actions in front of the Indian Consulates in San Francisco and New
York, as well as the Indian Embassy in Washington D.C., demanding the
immediate release of Dr. Binayak Sen, an end to the repressive
Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act (CSPSA) and disbanding of the
state-sponsored militia, Salwa Judum. See a detailed report of these solidarity actions
You
can express your solidarity with the ongoing actions to demand justice
for Dr. Binayak Sen, by signing the following petition, which will be
delivered to the Indian Government as well as the Government of
Chhattisgarh:
http://petitions.aidindia.org/binayaksen09/ |
INDIA-PAKISTAN PEACE VIGIL FOR MUMBAISaturday, Dec 6, 3 PM. San Francisco City Hall
"Indians and Pakistanis hold vigil in San Francisco to mourn Mumbai, call for countries to work together. " Post Event Press Release Dated Dec 8, 2008
San Francisco, CA. Dec 6, 2008:
On a cool, windy Saturday afternoon, about 80 bay-area residents,
including South Asian Americans of Indian and Pakistani descent, as
well as other members of the community gathered on the steps of San
Francisco's City Hall to express their grief and commemorate the
victims of the terror attack in Mumbai. They also mourned the victims
of recent ethnic violence, terrorism and war in the South Asian cities
and regions of Peshawar, Karachi, New Delhi, Guwahati, Orissa,
Islamabad and Bajaur (read more...)
Endorsed by Friends of South Asia, Alliance of South Asians Taking Action, Association of South Asian Political Activists (UC Berkeley), South Asian Bar Association of Northern California, Jewish Voice for Peace (San Franciso/East Bay and South Bay
chapters), Pakistan American Cultural Center, Pakistan Science and Engineering Foundation, Pakistani Tehreek-i-Insaf, Asian American Network against Abuse, Indian Muslim Relief and Charities, South Asia Disaster Relief Coordinators, ASHA for Education (San Francisco chapter), South Bay Mobilization and San Jose Peace and Justice Center.
"South Asian Americans organize India-Pakistan Peace Vigil, In support of Peace, Harmony, Justice and Prosperity". Press Release Dated Dec 3, 2008. See event flyerFind the event on facebook |
|
RECENT
EVENTS
Imagining the City: Two Films on Bombay
by Anjali
Monteiro and K.P. Jayashankar
Apr 26, Stanford
(more
info)
Still Playing With Fire?
Reflections on NGOs,
Empowerment, and Activism through a journey of Sangatins
Apr 19, Berkeley
Apr 20, Stanford
(more
info)
India's Nuclear Ambitions: Who Pays the Price?
Conversation
with JOAR (Jharkhandi Organization Against Radiation) Activists
Dec 7, Stanford
Dec 8, Berkeley
Dec 10, Santa Cruz
(more
info)
Our Histories Bind Us: A Panel Discussion
South
Asian-Arab Solidarity Against Israeli Aparthied
Nov 16, Stanford
(more
info)
Arvind Kejriwal
Right to
Information
Mon, Oct 16
Milpitas Library
(more
info)
Ali Abunimah
One Country
Sat, Oct 14,
San Jose
(more info)
Neoliberal Destructions
P. Sainath
and Alexander Cockburn
Mon, Oct 2,
Berkeley
(more
info)
Songs of Struggle
with
Subhendu Ghosh
Sat, Sep 23,
Milpitas Library
(more info)
Eyewitness
from Lebanon
The Recent US-Israeli War - A talk by Zeina Zaatari
Fri, Sep 22, San Jose
(more
info)
Third Annual Literary Evening
Asymmetric
Wars - Asymmetic Worlds
Sat, Aug 19
Milpitas Library
(more
info)
The
People's Science Revolution: A
Talk by Prof A.P. Shukla
Thu, Jul 6, 7pm
Milpitas
Library
(more
info)
A Conversation
with
BIJU MATHEW
(Labor
organizer, Anti-war activist)
Sat, May 13 - Stanford
(more info)
Kala
Pul- The Black Bridge
(a
dramatic
reading)
Fri,
May 5 - Newark
Sat, May 6 - SF
(more info)
BEYOND
BORDERS
A
Benefit for Survivors
of the South Asian Earthquake
Berkeley,
Nov 19
(more info)
FILMS
BY STALIN K.
a
community media activist with
Drishti
Media Collective
Stanford, Nov 17
Berkeley, Nov 18
(more
info)
ANSWER Coalition:
National March in San Francisco
STOP
THE WAR IN
IRAQ!
San
Francisco, Sept 24
(more info)
SELF DETERMINATION IN SOUTH
ASIA:
South Asia's Struggle Against US-led Imperialism
A panel discussion
Sat Sept 10,
5.30pm
San Francisco
(more
info)
A Concert by
ANTARIKSH
India-Pakistan
Joint
Independence Day Celebration
Sun, Aug 28, 5pm
Berkeley
(more
info)
INDO-PAK
PEACE SOLIDARITY MARCH
Showing
solidarity
with the peace movement in India and Pakistan
Sun, May
15, 1pm
San Francisco
(more
details)
SECOND
ANNUAL LITERARY EVENING
South
Asian writings on War and Terrorism
Sat, Apr 16,
Stanford
(more
details)
SUPPRESSED
VOICES
An
evening of live theater, music, song and dance
Sat,
Dec 18, Newark, CA
(more
details)
BHOPAL:
The Search For
Justice
Film
screening +
discussion
Sat,
Dec 4, San Francisco
Sun
Dec 5, Stanford
(more
details)
Crossing
the Lines:
Kashmir,
Pakistan, India
A
documentary by Pervez Hoodbhoy and Zia Mian
Saturday,
Aug 7, Stanford
Sunday
Aug 8, Berkeley
(more
details)
| SOUTH ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS FILM FESTIVAL
to observe the 61st Anniversary of India and Pakistan's Independence
WHERE: San Jose Peace and Justice Center, 48 S 7th St., SAN JOSEUPDATE: Harsh Mander to speak at Film Fest on Sat, Aug 23 (details) FESTIVAL WEEKEND: Sat Aug 23 and Sun Aug 24, 3pm - 7pmpresented by Association for India's Development and Friends of South Asiafeaturing films that
depict people's struggles against forces of economic imperialism,
corporate globalization, and state's imposition of neo-liberal models
of economic development.
Saturday Lineup:
3 PM: Development Flows from the Barrel of the Gun [55 min, 2003]
4 PM: The Bitter Drink [26 min, 2003]
4.30 PM: Harsh Mander on Human Rights in India
Sunday Lineup:
3 PM: The Other Side of the Boom [22 min, 2008]
3.30PM: New State, Old Problems [10 min, 2008]
3.45 PM: Anjam (The Consequence) [20 min, 2008]
5.00 PM: Tales from the Margins [23 min, 2006]
For details of films at the festival, including showtimes, click hereSee e-flyer
FESTIVAL PREMIERE: Friday Aug 15, 7pmpresented by Friends of South Asia featuring screening of documentary - MISSING IN PAKISTANfollowed by conversation with Dr. SAFDAR SARKI
See event flyer for more details! |
Pakistan's Judicial Crisis and Remembering Karachi's May 12 Carnage: A Discussion
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Tayyab Mahmud
Sunday May 11, 3pm, MILPITAS
The crisis in the Pakistani
judiciary that began over a year ago, with Pervez Musharraf sacking the
Chief Justice on March 9 2007, still continues. In its wake, it has
mobilized lawyers, students and social activists in unprecedented
numbers, challenged the dictatorial and military rule of General
Musharraf, and continues to haunt the political leaders at the helm
today.
A year ago, on May 12, as
the deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry tried to make his way in to
Karachi, the city burnt. Supporters of the defiant Chaudhry clashed
with the pro-Musharraf Army and local political parties, leaving over
40 people dead, hundreds injured and a city of over 12 million engulfed
in unprecedented violence. This event is to mark one year of that
carnage, and explore different contexts of the judicial crisis.
The
event will feature a discussion led by Dr. Tayyab Mahmud, Professor and
Associate Dean at Seattle University School of Law, and local panelists
Javed Ellahie, Ijaz Syed and Dabbir Tirmizi. The event will be held at 372 Turquoise Rd, Milpitas, and is co-sponsored by Friends of South Asia, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf, and Pakistan American Congress.
For more details visit http://www.friendsofsouthasia.org/judiciary
|
Protest Dr. Binayak Sen's Unjust Detention
Noted Human Rights Activist Completes 1 year in Prison on May 14
On May 13th/14th,
2008 Dr. Binayak Sen, an activist with a lifelong commitment to the
issues of community health and human rights, will complete his first
year of unjust imprisonment at the Raipur Central jail in
Chhattisgarh, India. Organizations across the globe will be holding rallis, candlelight vigils, lectures and similar events
on the evening of May 13th, 2008 to mark one year of his
imprisonment and call for his release. For more details CLICK HERE.
|
Turmoil in the Tribal Belt
Insurgency, Counter-Insurgency, and Women's Rights in PAKISTAN's Tribal Areas
A talk and documentary screening by KHAWAR MEHDI RIZVI
Sunday April 13, 4pm, MILPITAS
Khawar
Mehdi Rizvi is a freelance journalist and filmmaker from Pakistan. He
has reported extensively on the rise of Islamic militancy in Pakistan's
tribal areas as an aftermath of the Afghan Mujahdeen's armed struggle
to expel Soviet Union from Afghanistan--a struggle that was funded and
organized by US and its allies including Pakistan. Khawar will talk
about the rise of radical Islam in the tribal areas bordering
Afghanistan & Pakistan, on the transformation of Pashtun society
and comeback of Al Qaeda in the tribal belt.
"Silent Revolt" is a 26 minute documentary produced by Khawar
Mehdi which attempts to highlight the struggle of Pashtun women
against the socio-economic discrimination and oppression of women in
Pashtun society both in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The event will be held at Pakistani American Cultural Center, 372 Turquoise St, Milpitas.
For more information, visit
http://www.friendsofsouthasia.org/rizvi
|
SHABNAM HASHMI, Indian Human Rights Activist
Wednesday Mar 12, STANFORD
Thursday Mar 13, BERKELEY
Friday Mar 14, SAN FRANCISCO
Noted
Indian Human Rights Activist, Shabnam Hashmi will be visiting the San
Francisco Bay Area in March 2008. She is the Managing Trustee and
Executive Secretary of Act Now for Harmony
and Democracy (ANHAD), and amongst the foremost figures in the
political battles
around secularism and religious fundamentalis in India today.
Founded in
2003 in the wake of the Gujarat carnage, ANHAD
aims to intervene in the defense of democracy, secularism and justice.
Hashmi first became involved in activism in 1981 while working on
projects for adult literacy. For over 15 years she served as the
Secretary of SAHMAT (Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust), which was formed in 1989 as
a platform for creative action by artists and scholars in defence of democratic
and secular traditions in India .
She is currently also a member of the National Integration Council of the
Ministry of Home Affairs in India
and is also a Council Member of the National Literacy Mission.
For more details see event homepage |
AYESHA SIDDIQA AGHA in the SF Bay Area
Thursday Feb 21, 7pm, STANFORD
Saturday Feb 23, 3pm, UNION CITY
Ayesha Siddiqa Agha, a well known Pakistani researcher and writer, will be visiting the San Francisco Bay Area in February. She is the author of "Military Inc.", a
groundbreaking work on the far-reaching economic interests
of the Pakistan army. She will be participating in two events in the
Bay Area - a talk at Stanford University, titled "America's Pakistan
vs. Pakistan's Pakistan: Searching for Options", hosted by the Center
for South Asia; and at a panel titled "Pakistan: What Now?" with Dr.
Ahmad Faruqui and Ijaz Syed, at Union City Library.
For more details visit the event homepage
|
Why Did Arun Gandhi Have To Resign? Oppose Censorship and Intimidation
Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and founder and President of the M.K. Gandhi Institute of Non Violence at the University of Rochester, who was forced to resign from the Institute after a write-up in a Washington Post blog (On Faith). Gandhi came under immense pressure from groups such as the American Jewish Committee, ADL, as well as right-wing Indian American groups such as Hindu American Foundation.
It is disturbing to observe such blatant censorship of a well respected
public figure who has over the years done commendable work in the areas
of non-violence, inter-faith understanding, racism and prejudice.
Please sign a statement condemning this blatant censorship and intimidation. See here for details.
|
Dayamani Barla - Indigenous Journalist and Activist
Fri, Nov 30 - SAN FRANCISCO
Sat, Dec 1 - SAN JOSE
Wed, Dec 5 - BERKELEY
Award-winning indigenous journalist Dayamani Barla will visit the San
Francisco Bay Area in December 2007. Dayamani Barla, a tribal woman
from the Jharkhand region of India, has written about the displacement
of tribal peoples from their native lands by developers. Her work is constantly
guided by her concern for the plight of the weakest and the most
exploited sections of the Indian society.
Her Bay Area visit is co-sponsored by Friends of South Asia and the SF Bay Area Chapter of AID.
For more details visit the Dayamani Barla Bay Area Visit Home page.
|
SAY NO TO MARTIAL LAW IN PAKISTAN
Stop US Support of Military Rule
Protest at San Francisco City Hall, Sat, Nov 10, 2pm
(more details here)
On Nov 3, 2007, the military dictator of Pakistan, Gen. Pervez
Musharraf, imposed a state of emergency in Pakistan, aborting
the long-awaited return to democracy. With the Provisional
Constitutional Order (PCO), Mr. Musharraf has authorized himself to
rule by decree, suspended fundamental rights in Pakistan, and granted
himself unlimited powers. Independent news media has been suspended,
and human rights activists, lawyers and other civilians have been
arrested.
FOSA strongly condemns this declaration of emergency rule in Pakistan.
FOSA joins with all citizens of Pakistan in demanding the release of
all the people arrested under the
emergency rules and the restoration of the constitution and the rule of law. [Read more of FOSA's statement]
We urge everyone to join in condemning this atrocity; providing
soldarity and support to the Pakistani Civil Society, and to pressurize
the US government to end it's tacit support of Gen. Musharraf.
Related Links
Pakistan.wikia.com page on the Emergency, including links to news articles, actions and other resources.
South Asia Citizens' Web page on the Pakistan Emergency featuring statements from various community groups.
For updates, see:
Friends of South Asia Wiki Page on the Emergency
|
Urge Indian Govt to stop supporting Burmese Military Junta
Sign the Petition
The past few weeks have seen the Burmese government subjugate
and repress a popular and non-violent movement for democratic rights
within Myanmar (Burma). In this context we have observed with growing
dismay the reluctance of the Indian govt to issue any condemnation of
this brutal and indiscriminate crackdown by the ruling Burmese military
junta. On the contrary, the Indian govt has engaged in selling military
equipment and signing natural gas contracts.
Please sign this petition urging the Indian government to take action.
The petition has been endorsed by ASATA (Alliance of South Asians Taking Action) and BADA-SF (Burmese American Democratic Alliance)
Rally at the Indian Consulate in San Francisco
Fri 10/12, 2-5pm
540 Arguello Blvd., San Francisco (map)
Oct 12, 2007: Amid persistent downpour, 40 activists with the Burmese American Democratic Alliance and Friends of South Asia
staged a rally in front of the Indian consulate in support of the
Burmese pro-democracy movement, and to protest the Government of
India’s growing ties with the military junta in Burma. South
Asian activists also submitted two petitions to the Indian Consul of
Community Affairs, Mr. Prabhat Kumar Singh, urging the Indian
government to immediately end its ties with the military regime in
Burma and to use its authority in the region to demand that the Burmese
military cease its repressive crackdown on protestors and monks in
Burma. [ Read more... ]
Questions? Please email mail [at] friendsofsouthasia.org
|
PAKISTAN - A Wide-Angle View of a Troubled Ally
A talk by Ayesha Siddiqa
UPDATE, Sep 27: Talks cancelled due to unavoidable circumstances
Friday Sep 28, 6.30pm - STANFORD (Event Change - See Below)
Monday Oct 1, 5.00pm - BERKELEY (CANCELLED)
We
regret to inform you that Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa has fallen seriously ill
in New York and will NOT be coming to the Bay Area to give talks at
Stanford (Sep 28) and Berkeley (Oct 1)
Whereas the Berkeley event has been completely called off, FOSA plans on meeting at the Stanford venue on Friday Sep 28, 6.30pm, and read excerpts from Military, Inc., Ayesha Siddiqa's book. We also plan to show a video interview of Ayesha Siddiqa.
Visit the event homepage |
Fourth Annual Literary Evening
& Joint Celebration of Indian and Pakistani Independence Days
Revisiting
Changing Homelands
Saturday, August 25, 2007, 4:30
p.m.
Milpitas Library Community Hall,
Milpitas Library
40 N Milpitas Blvd
Milpitas, CA 95035
Join local
writers and
poets in exploring themes that mark the times we are living through. For
details on the theme, visit
the Literary
Evening mainpage
|
People's Movements for Health and Water Rights in
Western India: A Talk by Dr.
Anant Phadke
Tuesday,
June 12, 6.30pm, San Jose
[San Jose
Peace Center, 48 S Seventh St.]
Learn
how grassroots movements in India's state of Maharashtra have defended
people's rights to healthcare and the rights of farmers displaced by
dams and drought.
Dr.
Anant Phadke is a leader in the People's Health
Movement in
Maharashtra and is active with Shramik
Mukti Dal movement particularly with respect
to water rights (with Bharat Patankar and others).
He is a co-founder of a discussion group called "Samuhik Khoj"
(Collective Search)
The event is co-sponsored by South Asians for Collective
Action, Friends
of South Asia, India
Relief and Education Fund, San Jose Peace Center,
Our
Developing World, and Women's
International League for Peace and Freedom, San Jose.
For more details, see event
homepage
|
Voices of
Iraqi Workers: 2007 Solidarity Tour
Hashmeya
Mohsen al Hussein, Iraqi
Electrical Utility Workers Union
Faleh
Abood Umara, Iraqi
Federation of Oil Unions
Sunday,
June 10, 2-4pm, San Jose
Laborer's
Hall, 509 Emory St. (at Coleman Ave.)
Hashmeya Mohsen al Hussein
is the first woman to head a national union in Iraq. She was born in
Basra in 1955. Following high school, she went to work at the Southern
Company for Electricity. She is now the President of the Iraqi
Electrical Utility bWorkers Union.
Faleh Abood Umara
is a founding member of the oil workers union and has worked for the
Southern Oil Company in Basra for 28 years. He is now the General
Secretary of the Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions.
This event is a rare opportunity
for people in the US to dialogue directly with Iraqi workers and labor
leaders about current attempts to control Iraq’s oil, women's
issues under the occupation, and the role of unions in creating a
non-sectarian, progressive Iraq. These courageous leaders struggled for
years against Saddam Hussein’s repression. Now they have
stepped forward to organize workers seeking to improve conditions at
their workplaces and in their lives under the difficult conditions of
occupation, sectarian division, and violence. They are fighting not
only for basic labor rights for all workers but also for
women’s equality and against privatization of their national
resources.
The San Jose event is co-sponsored by South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council,
Building & Construction Trades Council, Communications Workers
of
America Local 9423, Plumbers & Fitters Local 393, Laborers
Local
270, California Nurses Association, South Bay Mobilization, San Jose
Peace Center, Women’s International League for Peace and
Freedom,
Friends of South Asia, Veterans for Peace, Labor Party, Green Party of
Santa Clara County, Arab-American Cultural Center, Our Developing
World, and Students for Justice-SJSU. Endorsed by Peninsula Peace and
Justice Center.
More information about the San Jose event can be found here
For more details, including background information and a schedule of
the entire nationwide solidarity tour, visit http://www.UsLaborAgainstWar.org
|
Narika's Fifteenth Anniversary
Gala
15
Years of Sharing Aspirations, Creating New Visions
Saturday,
May 19, 6-10pm
St
Mary's Cathedral, 1111 Gough St., San Francisco
With Keynote Speaker: Raka Ray,
Chair, Center for South Asian Studies at U.C. Berkeley, Live
Performance by Alam Khan of the Ali Akbar College of
Music
Narika is a
SF Bay Area based domestic violence helpline for South Asian women. Narika's first galaevent
on Saturday, May 19 is a celebration of Narika's 15 years serving the
South Asian community. Come for a night of great food, entertainment, a
fabulous
silent auction, and a night of inspiration. We at
Friends of South Asia are proud to be Narika's
networking partner for this celebration.
Narika's mission is to promote the empowerment of women in our
community to confront and overcome the cycles of domestic violence and
exploitation. Narika works to build a movement to end violence against
women
and to actively support women's rights as human rights.
For more information, visit Narika's
gala event page
|
Report
Links Campus Student Organization to the
Sangh
Parivar
The Campaign to Stop
Funding Hate
has released a new report titled "Lying
Religiously: The Hindu Students Council and the Politics of Deception" (April
15, 2007). This report lays out the deep connections
between the Hindu
Students Council (HSC) and the Nazi-inspired Sangh Parivar, the
violent, extremist, Hindu chauvinist network of organizations spawned
by the RSS in India . The Sangh Parivar has a long history of carrying
out violent activities in India , including the assassination of
Mahatma Gandhi and the pogroms in Gujarat in 2002 in which more than
two thousand innocent India citizens were murdered.
While laying
out in
detail the close and multi-dimensional relationships between HSC and
the Sangh Parivar, the report also points out how HSC has been
deceptive in its efforts to recruit Indian-American students by hiding
these relationships. "Most of the young desi Americans who join the HSC
have no clue as to the connections between the HSC and the militant and
violent Hindu right wing in India " says Samip Mallick, one of the
campaign coordinators for CSFH. "We fully support the creation and
existence of Hindu student organizations on college campuses, but we
are unable to condone the Hindu Student Council's continued misleading
of college students regarding its ties to the Sangh Parivar," he
continued.
The
"Lying
Religiously" report is available at http://hsctruthout.stopfundinghate.org/
A radio interview with Samip Mallick, a former
HSC member and one of the authors of "Lying Religiously" is available here.
|
The
Kashmir Issue
60 Years Later:
Rethinking The Kashmir Conflict
A
conversation with Beena Sarwar and Huma Dar
Tuesday, May 8, 7pm
Room 030,
Bldg 200, Stanford University
Kashmir
has been an ideological and physical battleground for Pakistan and
India since independence in 1947. What is the place of Kashmir in South
Asia, and in the world? What are the social implications of this
conflict? Join us for a discussion with Pakistani journalist Beena Sarwar,
currently at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard
University, and Huma Dar,
a South Asian Studies scholar at UC Berkeley.
Event co-sponsored by Pakistanis
at Stanford, Center for South
Asia (Stanford), Sanskriti,
and Friends
of South Asia.
For more information visit the event
homepage |
Imagining
the City: Two Films on Bombay
Saacha (The Loom) and Naata (The Bond)
Directed
by Anjali
Monteiro & K.P. Jayashankar
Thursday,
Apr 26, 6.30pm, STANFORD
Saacha
weaves together poetry, paintings and memories of the city to explore
the modes and politics of representation, the relevance of art in the
contemporary social milieu, and the decline of the urban working class
in an age of structural adjustment, the dilemmas of the left and the
trade union movement and the changing face of a huge metropolis.
Naata
is about Bhau Korde and Waqar Khan who work with neighborhood peace
committees in Dharavi, Mumbai, to promote conflict resolution through
the collective production and use of visual media. When the deadly
riots of 1992-93 tore the city and their community apart, Korde and
Khan were moved to act, working to change both the negative perception
of Dharavi and erase religious and ethnic divisions.
Anjali Monteiro is
Professor, and K.P. Jayasankar is Professor and Chair at the Centre for
Media and Cultural Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.
Jointly they have won thirteen national and international awards for
their films.
This
event is free and open to all.
For further details see event
home page.
|
Still Playing With Fire?
Reflections
on NGOs, Empowerment and Activism Through a Journey of
Sangtins
Thursday, Apr 19, 6pm, BERKELEY
Friday, Apr
20, 6.30pm, STANFORD
A
conversation with Richa Singh, Surbala Vaish and Richa Nagar, three of
the nine authors of Playing
with Fire.
Playing With Fire
emerged from close dialogue among eight NGO activists in Uttar Pradesh,
India, and a professor and writer based primarily in the US. PWF
interweaves stories about the
lives of seven village-level NGO activists, beginning with their
collective analysis of poverty, casteism, and communal untouchability
in childhood; the abuses that frequently accompanied their marriages;
to their triumphs as NGO workers; to a critique of this NGO and, more
generally, of donor-driven empowerment. The book was first published as
"Sangtin Yatra" in Hindi in India in 2004, and has subsequently spawned
a social movement in the Sitapur District of Uttar Pradesh.
This
event is free and open to all.
For
further details see event
home page.
|
India's Nuclear Ambitions: Who
Pays the Price?
Screening
of film "Buddha Weeps in
Jadugoda"
Discussion
with activists from JOAR (Jharkhandi Organization Against Radiation)
Thursday,
Dec 7, 7pm, STANFORD (flyer - html, pdf)
Friday, Dec 8, 4pm, UC BERKELEY (flyer)
Sunday Dec 10, 4pm, SANTA CRUZ (flyer)
India's
emergence in the nuclear energy and nuclear weapons arena comes at a
colossal human cost. Jadugoda, a tribal town in a mineral-rich belt in
Jharkhand, is the only source of Uranium in India, and the indigenous
people of Jadugoda have been paying with their lives - seeing their
community's health destroyed, their environment devastated. To resist the
occupation and devastation of their land by the
uranium mining, the people of Jadugoda have organized themselves
as JOAR--the Jharkhandi Organization Against Radiation,
and their demands range from better safety measures against
radiation,
to protection of their environment, to opposition of planned
open-cast uranium mines.
In this event, we will get to watch a ground-breaking documentary that
describes the devastation wrought by decades of uranium mining on this
entire community
We will also get to speak with/hear from Ghanshyam Birulee
and Dumku Murma,
grassroots activists from JOAR, who have been at the forefront of this
decades-long struggle for justice and basic human rights, as well as Shriprakash, the
filmmaker of the above mentioned documentary.
For details, visit event
homepage
|
Our
Histories Bind Us
South
Asian-Arab Solidarity Against Israeli Apartheid
Thursday, Nov 16, 7.30pm
Oak Room
East, Tressider Union, Stanford University
Featured Panelists:
Zulfiqar Ahmad (Senior Associate, National Institute)
Khalil Barhoum (Coordinator, Middle Eastern and African Languages and
Literature) Shalini Gera (Friends of South Asia)
Marwan Hanania (Ph.D Candidate, Dept. of History)
Sunaina Maira (Professor of Asian American Studies, UC Davis)
Magid Shihade (Visiting Scholar, Middle East/South Asian Studies, UC
Davis)
Moderated By
Veena Dubal (J.D./Ph.D Student, Boalt School of Law, UC Berkeley)
This
diverse panel will speak about the historical connections between India
and Israel, their relationship to the Indian-Pakistani conflict and the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the dangerous alliance between two
religious nationalisms - Zionism and Hindutva, and the need for South Asian-Arab
solidarity against Israeli apartheid in the struggle for
justice.
Don't
miss what promises to be a fresh look at the broader implications of
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict!
For more details, view the event flyer
Presented by Sanskriti -
Stanford University, and co-sponsored by South Asians for the
Liberation of Falastin,
Friends of South Asia, South
Bay Mobilization, Coalition
for Justice in the Middle East (CJME), OASIS
(Organization of Arab Students in Stanford), Pakistanis at
Stanford, Students Confronting Apartheid in Israel, Muslim Student Awareness
Network, Stanford (MSAN).
|
Right to
Information (RTI)
A talk
by Magasaysay Award Winner
Arvind Kejriwal
Monday, October 16, 7pm
Milpitas
Public Library Community Room
Arvind
Kejriwal is an Indian social activist and founder of Parivartan, a New
Delhi based citizen's movement working to ensure a just, transparent
and accountable governance. He won the 2006 Ramon Magasaysay Award for
Emergent Leadership, for his role in India's Right to
Information movement,
a campaign aimed to empower its poorest citizens to fight for justice
and against corruption by holding the government answerable to its
people.
Co-sponsored by AID (Association
for India's Development), and Friends of South Asia.
For more details, visit event
homepage
|
Ali
Abunimah - One Country
A bold proposal to end the Israeli-Palestinian
Impasse
book-reading/discussion
Saturday, October 14, 2pm
St. Paul's Methodist Church
405 S. Tenth St., San Jose
Clear-eyed,
sharply reasoned, and compassionate, One Country
proposes a radical alternative: to revive an old and neglected idea of
one state shared by two peoples. Ali
Abunimah is a prominent Palestinian author, media voice,
and frequent commentator on KPFA.
He is the founder of Electronic Intifada, electronicintifada.net,
an internet gateway about Palestine and the Palestine –
Israeli conflict.
Co-sponsored by South
Bay Mobilization, Friends of South
Asia, South Asians for Liberation of Falastin, and Alliance of South Asians Taking
Action.
For
details, visit event homepage
|
Neoliberal
Destructions
A
Talk by P. Sainath and Alexander Cockburn
Monday, October 2, 6pm
370
Dwinelle Hall,
University
of California, Berkeley
P. Sainath
is Asia's leading development journalist, writing frequently about
issues such as poverty and the effects of neo-liberalism on
India.
Through his work on the livelihoods of India's rural
poor, Sainath
has changed the nature of the development debate in his own country and
across the world. Alexander Cockburn
is the co-editor of CounterPunch,
a nationally syndicated
author, and is considered one of the foremost reporters and
commentators on the left.
For
details visit event homepage
|
Eyewitness
from Lebanon
The Recent US Israeli War
- A talk by Zeina Zaatari
Friday,
September 22, 7pm
First
Unitarian Church
160
N. Third St., San Jose
Co-sponsored
by Friends
of South Asia, South
Bay Mobilization, Global
Justice Action Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Church, National Council of
Arab Americans, Coalition
for Justice in the Middle East - Stanford, Peninsula Peace and
Justice Center, South Asians for the Liberation of Falastin, Jewish Voice for
Peace and International
Solidarity Movement (Northern California Support Group).
For
details visit event homepage
|
Songs
of Struggle
A
Talk and Multimedia Presentation by Subhendu
Ghosh
25
Years of Pratidhwani - Music and Drama in the service of people's
movements in India
Saturday,
September 23, 3pm
Peacock
Room, India Community Center, Milpitas, CA
Subhendu
Ghosh is a Hindustani Classical vocalist, dramatist, music director,
cultural and social activist. Join us in celebrating 25 years of
Pratidhwani - music and drama in the service of people's movements in
India.
For
details, visit the event homepage
|
Third
Annual Literary Evening
&
Joint Celebration of Indian and Pakistani Independence Days
South
Asian Writings on "Asymmetric Wars : Asymmetric Worlds"
Saturday
Aug 19,
2006, 5pm
Milpitas Library Community Hall,
Milpitas, CA
Join local
writers and
poets in exploring themes that mark the times we are living through. For
details on the theme, visit
the Literary
Evening mainpage
View
"Call for Submissions" Mailer
|
Stop the
US-Israeli War in Lebanon and Gaza!
Join
the National Emergency March on Aug 12
11
am, Civic Center, San Francisco
The arrogance with which the Israeli State
can
hold so many millions of lives hostage and take upon itself the task of
"turning back the clock on Lebanon by 20 years" is astounding. The
unstinting support of Israel by the US government, which is egging it
on in its efforts, arming it to the
hilt with new and massive weaponry, and scuttling all efforts towards a
ceasefire, is outrageous.
Join
FOSA, South Bay Mobilization, and other community organizations at the
National Emergency March in San Francisco on August 12, organized by
the ANSWER
Coalition. Rallies are to be held simultaneously in several major
cities across the country, including Washington D.C., New York City,
Chicago, San Franciso, Seattle and Los Angeles.
For more info
about the Aug 12 rally, visit http://www.actionsf.org
Download flyers in English and Spanish, and get info about
transportation from San Jose to San Francisco - visit
the South Bay Mobilization homepage
For more information on news, information, resources, and events and
actions in the SF Bay Area, visit the FOSA
messageboard on Lebanon
|
Protest
FIA and GANA's invitations to Narendra Modi and Ashok Bhatt
(more
info)
We
at Friends of South Asia are alarmed at reports that FIA (Federation of
Indian Associations) and GANA (Gujarati Associations of North America)
have extended invitations to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and
Gujarat's Health Minister Ashok Bhatt, to attend the GANA convention on
July 7-9, 2006.
Please join us and an array of other organizations and individuals who
believe in a secular, democratic and pluralistic South Asia, in
registering your protest at these invitations.
For more details, go here.
|
The
People's Science Revolution:
A talk by Prof A.P. Shukla (more info)
Labor
Activist, Writer, and Founder of Jan Vigyan Samiti
Thursday July 6, 7pm, Milpitas Library Community Room
Prof.
Shukla is a leading figure in India's People's Science Movement (PSM).
A former professor of Physics at IIT Kanpur, Prof. Shukla has made
significant contributions to the philosophy of People's Science and has
been active in labor movements and alternative development in India.
The talk is organized jointly by Friends of South Asia and South Asians
for Collective Action. For more information, visit the event homepage. |
Reservation
Policy in India for Socially and Economically Backward Communities
(OBCs)
June 9,
2006 - Press
Release
We
believe that affirmative action policies such as reservations play a
key role in the empowerment of historically marginalized communities. Hence we
are disappointed
and saddened by the recent spate of protests by students of elite
institutions and urban professionals in India against the Indian
federal government's proposed policy to provide reservations for an
array of socially and economically disadvantaged communities,
officially designated as Other Backward Classes (OBCs). We call
upon members of the Indian/Indian American community to reject
positions that
seek to further upper-caste privilege at the expense of true social
justice, and seek solutions that truly benefit ALL of Indian society.
Visit FOSA's main webpage on reservations here.
|
A
Conversation with BIJU MATHEW
Labor Organizer, Anti-War
Activist
author of Taxi! Cabs and Capitalism in New
York City (more info)
SAT, MAY 13, 6-8 PM @ STANFORD
A
Panel Discussion and Q & A session on Taxi Driver
Organizing featuring
Biju Mathew &
Seyoum
Asrat and Kirpal Bajwa (taxi organizers in San Jose).
Biju
Mathew is a Professor at Rider University in New Jersey, a member of
the Organizing Committee of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance and
co-founder of the Forum of Inquilabi Leftists and Youth Solidarity
Summer. He
has written extensively,
spoken and organized around issues such as communalism, immigration,
labor issues, and against the war. He
is the author of "Taxi! Cabs
and Capitalism in New York City". The different
events will feature book readings from Taxi!,
as well as discussion on a wide array of topics including immigrant
labor organizing, the anti-war movement, globalization, and sectarian
politics. For more information about each of the different
events, visit http://www.friendsofsouthasia.org/bijumathew |
- Kala Pul - The Black Bridge
(a
dramatic reading)
FRI, MAY 5, 7.30 PM @ Mehran Restaurant, NEWARK
SAT, MAY 6, 8 PM @ Cellspace, SAN FRANCISCO
Friends of
South Asia is co-sponsoring staged readings of the play, Kala Pul - The Black Bridge,
a creation of San Francisco based playwright, Saqib Mausoof. Kala Pul
chronicles the cultural, political, and religious conflicts of
fictional characters in 21st century Karachi - a teeming metropolis of
15 million in Pakistan, which is a frontline state in the so-called
"war on terrorism". The play is a kaleidoscope on the vibrant cultures
of Karachi, described as one of the most violent cities of the world.
The title, Kala Pul, is based on a bridge in the city which connects
the affluent parts of the city to the lower income area. Arsalan (the
protagonist) grew up under the shadows of the Kala Pul, caught between
the two worlds of haves and have nots, one world of MTV inspired
'burgers' and other of the left behind fodder for the Kalashinikov
culture.
For more details, play synopsis, cast & crew info, and tickets,
please visit http://www.kalapul.info |
Victory
over Hindu nationalists in California textbooks rewrite
For details + background info, visit the CA
Textbooks Issue Home Page
UPDATE, Apr 30, 2006 - Press
Release by FOSA and CAC, Court transcipt.
- A recently-released transcript
from the Superior Court of California reveals that the Hindu American
Foundation (HAF) and its allies have misled the media and public about
the proceedings during the court hearing on April 21, 2006. At that
hearing, the Superior Court of California in Sacramento denied the
Hindu American Foundation (HAF)'s demand for a preliminary injunction
against the publication of new sixth-grade textbooks.
Apr 24, 2006 - Press
Release by FOSA and CAC - The Superior
Court of California in Sacramento has rejected the Hindu
American
Foundation (HAF)'s demand for a preliminary injunction against
publication of new sixth-grade textbooks. Several community groups
applauded this decision calling it a victory for secularism and
pluralism, and a victory for the children of California.
Mar 8, 2006 - Press Release
by FOSA and CAC - Representatives
of women’s groups and gender studies faculty held a press
conference
this afternoon at the State Board of Education (SBE) to commemorate
International Women’s Day and to urge the Board to adopt
textbooks that
accurately depict the history of women’s struggle against
oppression.
Feb 28, 2006
- Press Release
by FOSA and CAC - The
intense struggle over the
content of Indian history in California textbooks ended yesterday
afternoon at 2 p.m. with the special committee of the California
State Board of Education [SBE] voting unanimously to overturn a
majority of contentious changes proposed by Hindu right-wing groups
to California school textbooks. |
Conversations with Biju Mathew
Labor
organizer, anti-war activist, author (more info)
**NEW
EVENT**: SAT,
MAY 13, 6-8 PM @ STANFORD
WEDS, APR 5, 7PM @ BERKELEY,
FRI, APR 7, 7PM @ SAN FRANCISCO
SAT APR 8, 3PM @ STANFORD
Biju
Mathew is a Professor at Rider University in New Jersey, a member of
the Organizing Committee of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance and
co-founder of the Forum of Inquilabi Leftists and Youth Solidarity
Summer. He
has written extensively,
spoken and organized around issues such as communalism, immigration,
labor issues, and against the war. He
is the author of "Taxi! Cabs
and Capitalism in New York City". The different
events will feature book readings from Taxi!,
as well as discussion on a wide array of topics including immigrant
labor organizing, the anti-war movement, globalization, and sectarian
politics. For more information about each of the different
events, visit http://www.friendsofsouthasia.org/bijumathew
|
Please
Help Stop the Military Operation and Massacre in Balochistan
Support Rallies to be held in US and Canada to Condemn the Actions of
the Pakistani Government
We are deeply concerned by the deteroriating situation and gross human
rights violations in Balochistan where the Pakistani Army has started
a military operation against innocent civilians. Nearly
one-hundred people have been killed, many of them women and children.
We implore that military operations be stopped immediately in
order to prevent civilian casualties, and that media and human
rights officials be allowed to visit the area in order to develop a
free and objective assessment of the situation.
A series of rallies are being organized across the US and Canada over
the next few weeks. For more details click
here.
|
FOSA
Condemns Varanasi Bomb Blasts
Mar
7, 2006 - We
at Friends of South Asia very strongly condemn the serial bomb
blasts that occured on March 7 in Varanasi, India. As members
of
South Asian community in Bay Area, we offer our deepest condolences to
the
families and friends of those who have lost their lives in this
senseless act of violence. We urge the Government of
India to take necessary actions to bring justice to the victims of this
tragedy. (news
story from the BBC) |
South
Asian Earthquake, Oct 2005: Please Support Relief and
Rehabilitation Efforts
We at Friends of South Asia are shocked and appalled by the magnitude
of the tragedy unleashed by the earthquake that hit the Kashmir region
on Saturday October 8th. Tens of thousands are dead, with the count
still rising, and the lives of millions of people in South Asia
(spanning Pakistan, Afghanistan and India/Pakistan-administered
Kashmir) have been devastated. In this hour of need we urge you to
support the work of hundreds of numerous grassroots organizations and
NGOs that are stepping up to provide relief and
rehabilitation.
Read FOSA's
statement urging support for relief and rehabilitation efforts.
Also, here's information on how
YOU CAN contribute to these efforts. |
BEYOND BORDERS
A Benefit
for
Survivors of the South Asian Earthquake
Saturday
November 19, 7pm. Wheeler Auditorium, Berkeley
Ekta and
Friends
of South Asia, along with a wide array of organizations in the SF Bay
Area, including many groups of the South Asian Diaspora, have come
together in order to show solidarity and work toward
this important cause. By
purchasing tickets to this benefit event, you get to attend a
great concert featuring artists of varied styles and following -
including Indian/Pakistani classical (vocal and instrumental), spoken
word, dance, and much more. But more importantly, every dollar you
contribute by way of ticket purchase or donation, will go directly
towards earthquake relief .
Read Press Release (Nov 8, 2005) here.
For more info, visit http://ektaonline.org/beyondborders
|
Community
Media and
Social Justice
Film
Screening and Discussion with Stalin K., Drishti Media
Collective (more
info)
Thursday Nov
17, 6pm @Stanford
Friday Nov
18, 6pm @Berkeley
Stalin
K. is a community media activist, one of the founders of the Drishti
Media Collective and a key spokesperson for the movement to
democratize India’s
airwaves. Stalin K. will screen his films “Gujarat-
A
Work in Progress” and “Lesser
Humans /
Venth Chetha” and
speak about his work as an activist in the areas of literacy,
mass popular education and women's empowerment. He will also discuss
his work with "Video Volunteers" and the role of community media
in empowering people to be partners in the development process and in
the struggle for social justice.
FOSA invites you to participate in
this important discussion about the advocacy work of community media,
particularly in a media landscape that has been colonized by
corporate interests. |
National
March in
San Francisco
STOP the War in IRAQ!
Saturday,
Sept
24, 11am - San Francisco (more info)
Friends
of South Asia is participating in the National March in San Francisco
organized by the ANSWER Coalition - which ties into coordinated
mass-mobilization events all over the world to say NO to the War in
Iraq and imperialist wars and occupation all over the world. FOSA will
be
participating as part of the APICAW (Asian and Pacific Islander
Coalition Against War) "Strength in Unity" contingent,
which is a
coalition of Asian, Pacific Islander and South Asian individuals and
organizations in the SF Bay Area.To join us, come to the march and look
for the "South Asians against the War" banner. Details are still under
development. Watch this space for more info or contact us via email at mail<at>friendsofsouthasia<dot>org.
|
Self
Determination in
South Asia
A
panel discussion
Saturday
September 10, 5.30pm, San Francisco
Join
us for a panel discussion featuring Vijay
Prashad, Angana
Chatterji, Abdul Nayyar and Snehal Shingavi,
who will talk about South Asia's struggle against US-led imperialism,
specifically against pro-imperialist Indian elites, the implications of
the latest nuclear arms trade agreement between India and the US on the
people of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the rest of South Asia,
especially women, the role of South Asia in US imperialist ambitions,
and the other opportunities this presents to build Indian communism and
fight the agenda of the global ruling class. (more
info) |
Celebrate
Peace
India -
Pakistan Joint Independence Day Celebration
Sunday August 28, 5-8pm, Berkeley
Featuring
a concert by the desi
Pop/Rock band - ANTARIKSH (more
info)
Join
us for a Concert
for
Peace
that hopes to start and deepen conversations within South
Asian
communities of the SF Bay Area on the subject of peace and justice in
South Asia. The event is being organized by a coalition of bay area
organizations dedicated to the promotion
of South Asian unity, including - Friends of South
Asia, EKTA,
Association
for India's Development (SF BayArea chapter), Alliance of
South Asians Taking Action (ASATA), and International House at UC
Berkeley. For more details visit http://www.friendsofsouthasia.org/independenceday |
War
and Peace / Jang Aur Aman
A film by Anand Patwardhan
Wednesday, June 8, 7pm, San
Francisco
Filmed over three
tumultuous years in India, Pakistan, Japan and the
USA following nuclear tests in the sub-continent, War and Peace is a
documentary journey of peace activism in the face of global militarism
and war. More info at http://www.ektaonline.org/events/patwardhan/locus/
|
Indo-Pak Peace
Solidarity March
San Francisco, Sunday May 15,
1pm
Join
us for a ~3 mile
march starting at Mission St/16th St BART [map]
and ending at Gadar Memorial Hall in Japantown [map].
Join
the South Asian community in the SF Bay Area and show your solidarity
to the marchers
in India and Pakistan, who are threading across the subcontinent on a
6-week mission of establishing people-to-people contact,
negating
the tendencies of distrust, hatred and enmity, and spreading the
message of peace and harmony. More details at the
Indo-Pak
peace march mainpage.
|
|
Indo
- Pak People's Peace March, 2005
New Delhi to Multan - Mar 23
thru May 11
Through six weeks, Indians and Pakistanis from all walks of life will
march together for peace, starting at New Delhi, India and ending in
Multan, Pakistan. The march hopes to provide a unique opportunity for
people-to-people contact, for people to inter-mingle, reflect on, and
negate the destructive
tendencies of distrust, hatred, and enmity, and spread the message of
peace and harmony. The march is a grass-roots initiative for peace and
friendship, coordinated by the Indian and Pakistani chapters of the
Pakistan-India People's Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD), in
association with a broad array of supporting organizations. A core
marching team of about 100 Pakistanis and Indians will lead the march,
to be joined by thousands of people at different villages, towns and
cities enroute.
We at Friends of South Asia stand in solidarity with the
peace march,
and share the renewed hope for lasting peace in the region. FOSA is
considering various ways to build momentum around the march, and hopes
to mobilize the South Asian diaspora in the SF Bay Area for solidarity
events in parallel with the march. Visit our
Indo-Pak Peace March main-page
for more information.
Related
Links:
Read FOSA's
goodwill
statement to the march, here.
You
can
find press releases and continuous updates from the
march at http://www.thesouthasian.org/indo_pak_peace.html
Info about
the march
and related solidarity efforts can also be found at
http://peace.aidindia.org/ |
Second
Annual Literary Evening
Local
writers and
poets explored themes that marked the times we are living through.
(details)
What:
South
Asian Writings on War
and Terrorism
When: Saturday
April 16,
2005, 5pm
Where:
Room 104, Gates Bldg., Stanford
University
For
details on the theme and works featured,
visit
the Literary
Evening main-page.
|
Coalition
Against Genocide
Support
the coalition's demand for revocation of invitation to Indian
Politician accused of responsibility in the Gujarat Pogroms of 2002
Narendra
Modi' s visa revoked!
The efforts
of various
organizations and individuals that had come together to demand
accountability and justice came to a sort of fruition, when the US
embassy denied a diplomatic visa to Narendra Modi, as well as
revoking his tourist and business visa with immediate effect. The
reason given by the US was "serious violation of religious freedom". (details)
The
Asian
American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) has invited Narendra Modi as
Chief Guest at its annual convention on March 24, 2005. As Chief
Minister of Gujarat, Modi's complicity in the 2002 Gujarat pogroms is
well known. The Coalition Against Genocide is an effort to protest this
attempt to clean up Modi's 'public image' by AAHOA and its allied
organizations. Please visit the coalition's website at http://coalitionagainstgenocide.org
for details and sign its online petition at http://www.coalitionagainstgenocide.org/petition.php
|
The basic mission
of the "Friends of South Asia" is
to achieve a peaceful, prosperous, and hate-free South Asia. The group
works towards a demilitarized, nuclear-free South Asia; bringing
together people with roots in various parts of South Asia, as well as
other well-wishers of the region.
FOSA promotes respect for and celebrates the diversity and
plurality of
South Asia, promoting amity between countries and communities and
working towards a South Asia where the rights of all minorities are
respected and protected; regardless of religious, ethnic, sexual or
other differences.
FOSA stands in solidarity with other like-minded
organizations working
on the ground in South Asia; amongst the South Asian diaspora around
the world; as well as organizations that share our aspirations for a
peaceful world--a world in which every human being can live a full and
fruitful life without fear or hindrance.
FOSA aspires to work through people-to-people contacts,
dialog, and
other non-violent, non-exclusionary means. |
|
