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Monday, January 28, 2013

Who stand to defend this hate campaign against social change, equity and justice?

Who stand to defend this hate campaign against social change, equity  and justice?
Indian Holocaust My Father`s Life and Time, Chapter: Nine Hundred Fifty Two
Palash Biswas

Mobile: 919903717833

Skype ID: palash.biswas44

Thank! Many many thanks! Sociologist Ashish Nandy! For he has exposed the truth rather better than us and expectedly it is heard.We have been writing and talking about scientific Brahaminical rule in Bengal. We have also been saying that the progressive left rule in Bengal was nothing but governance by and for Brahamin Front.Ashish Nandy in his much debated controversial statement in the corporate literary festival to showcase hegemony dominated shining sensex India, has said that Bengal is least inflicted by virus corruption as OBC,SC and ST communities have not been empowered in Bengal for hundred years! Before defending the sociologist for his freedom of speech which remains the monopolistic domain of the ruling class only as the majority stand always deaf and dumb, the intelligentsia must acknowledge Mr Nandy`s reading ie absence of empowerment of the depressed, deprived classes ie OBC, SC and ST communities! It means that the empowerment of these communities which consist eighty five percent population ejected out of the economy, is the source of corruption. It implies that India is not corrupt for free flow of foreign capital or the recycling of black money as the said communities have no representation in corporate India! Thus, this very statement of the well known sociologist do not contradict at all the corporate governance or genocide culture or biometric digital citizenship and the ongoing militarisation of the state and the declaration of war against aborigin indigenous majority communities. It is clear cut clean chit for corporate governance and the ruling manusmriti hegemony!

The corporate media as well as social media  justify publishing the controversy highlighted by the Politicians only.The opposition of the sociologist and the defence of the speech as freedom of expression get the space only. The masses from the sc, st and OBC communities have no voice at all despite the inclusive development and the trickling economy. We, the people who are engaged in the empowerment movement, have not to be published at all.


I have been writing that the civil society movement is sponsored by the corporate India and MNCs which happens to be relaunched anti reservation movement in disguise. The outbirst of civil society against Delhi gangrape incident helped the corporate governance to abort the reservation bill even after the minority government succeeded to get passed all the financial bills to push for reforms and ethnic cleansing. Mind you, the anti reservation lobby stands united as rock solid to defend Mr Ashish Nandy who systematically made the literary dias an anti reservation, anti empowerment forum involving journalist like Mr Tarun Tejpal. At the same time, accusing the empowerment of the majority communities and population, he succeeded to wash out the corporate corruption. Mind you, the co opted political leaders of OBC, SC and ST communities have nothing to do with the materialistic empowerment of these communities They are engaged to empower themselves in matter.Even keeping this in mind, in comparison to the corporate corruption and capitalist black money , not to mention the high caste corruption on higher places , the corruption of empowered leaders of these communities  always remain as the tip of the iceberg.

Moreover, Nandy did forget that all the three interim governments in Bengal before partition were led by Muslim ousting the caste Hindu leadership and the dalit muslim unity in Bengal made the ground of the social change that we witness today. It was bengal which elected Dr BR Ambedkar to compose the constitution of India. Even before the start of Ambedkarite movement, untouchability abolishment law had been enacted in bengal just because of Chandal Movement.Harichand Thakur k]led the anti Brahaminism Matua movement before two hundred years. Until 12th century the land of Asuras saw no Brahamin at all. Only Ballal sen introduced brahaminism in Bengal. The cultural identity of Bengalies as well as the Indians began with Charya Padas which were composed by untouchables only.The Buddhist Bengal did represent equity, nonviolence, freedom, fraternity and social justice. Who killed this? Mr Nandy, a known sociologist also should answer why in the land of untouchables, where the fisher woman Rani rasmani Ruled  and all the rulers in Eastern, north east, west and central India belonged to SC, ST and OBC communities, have the reduced population of SC and ST respectively seventeen percent and seven percent only!

Jamia Teachers' Solidarity Association


                                                                                                                     Dated: January 27, 2013


                    In Defence of Ashis Nandy : for academic and intellectual freedom

On 26 January, 2013, at the Jaipur Literature Festival, Ashis Nandy, an eminent scholar and intellectual was attacked for his alleged "offensive" remarks against the backward communities – OBCs, SCs and STs – of India. He has been accused by a section of the media and political class of holding the backward communities responsible for the widespread corruption that ails the country. Those who are familiar with Nandy's work and his impeccable credentials would know that the accusation is farthest from the truth. Not only has he been grossly misunderstood but the accusation is an affront to his decades long deeply sensitive scholarship including that on the backward communities.
A section of the media, IBN group senior journalist Ashutosh in particular, in the garb of safeguarding the dignity of the underprivileged has not only harmed that further but has also disgraced the eminent intellectual by forcing an apology out of him. It is interesting to note that those in the political class and media who now claim to stand for the rights of the backward communities vis-a-vis Nandy have been active participants in the violent anti-Mandal agitation that rocked Delhi and other parts of India two decades ago. This hypocritical attitude and type of media sensationalism has eroded the culture of free ideas and speech in India; it is unfortunate that all complex and nuanced arguments are being sacrificed at the altar of hunger for TRPs and two minutes of sensationalism.
It is against this intolerant culture that voices should be raised so that ideas and opinions remain unthrottled and free, and individuals are not forced to publicly apologise and face police action, as Nandy does, for crimes they have not committed. We, in solidarity with Ashis Nandy, stand against such kind of media violence and culture of intolerance.

Signatories:

Manisha Sethi
Ahmad Sohaib
Arshad Alam
Tanweer Fazal
Azra Razzack
Sanghamitra Misra
Farha Farooqi
Ghazi Shahnawaz
Ambarien Al Qadar
Anwar Alam
M S Bhatt
Manoj Jena
Adnan Farooqui
Sucharita Sengupta
Abhijit Kundu,University of Delhi
Nabanipa Bhattacharjee,University of Delhi
<a href="http://hastakshep.com/?p=28914">In Defence of Ashis Nandy : for academic and intellectual freedom</a>
http://hastakshep.com/?p=28914

দলিত দুর্নীতি নিয়ে মন্তব্য করে বিতর্কে আশিস নন্দী
গৌতম চক্রবর্তী • জয়পুর
ছাড়ালে না ছাড়ে কী করিব তারে, সেই পুরাতন বিতর্ক!
শুরু থেকেই জিত থায়িল-এর পুরস্কার পাওয়া থেকে শুরু করে পাকিস্তানি লেখকদের আসা নিয়ে হরেক বিতর্ক তাড়া করছিল সাহিত্য উৎসবকে। শেষ দিকে তা এগিয়ে গেল আরও দূর! দলিতদের বিরুদ্ধে জাতিবিদ্বেষ ও ঘৃণা ছড়ানোর দায়ে প্রজাতন্ত্র দিবসের বিকেলে জয়পুরের আদর্শনগর থানায় সমাজবিজ্ঞানী আশিস নন্দীর বিরুদ্ধে এফআইআর দায়ের করেছেন রাজস্থানের 'ন্যাশনাল ইউনিয়ন অফ ব্যাকওয়ার্ড ক্লাসেস, এসসি, এসটি অ্যান্ড মাইনরিটিজ'-এর সভাপতি রাজপাল মীনা। উৎসবের প্রযোজক সঞ্জয় রায়ের নামেও এফআইআর হয়েছে। পুলিশের অতিরিক্ত কমিশনার গিররাজ মীনা জানাচ্ছেন, অনুষ্ঠানটির ভিডিও ফুটেজ চেয়ে পাঠানো হচ্ছে।
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জয়পুরের আলোচনা
সভায়। —নিজস্ব চিত্র

রাজনীতির কারবারিরা যথারীতি উত্তেজিত। দিল্লিতে মায়াবতী বলেছেন, আশিস নন্দীকে অবিলম্বে গ্রেফতার করা উচিত। লোকজনশক্তি দলের নেতা রামবিলাস পাসোয়ান বলেছেন, অবিলম্বে ওই সমাজবিজ্ঞানীর বিরুদ্ধে ব্যবস্থা না নিলে আন্দোলনে নামবেন। রাজস্থানের মুখ্যমন্ত্রী অশোক গহলৌত বলেছেন, ''আশিস যা বলেছেন, মানসিক ভারসাম্য না খোয়ালে কেউ তা বলবে না।''
আশিস শনিবার রাতেই জয়পুর ছেড়েছেন। রবিবার সকালে দিল্লি থেকে ফোনে দুঃখ করলেন, ''ক্ষমতাহীনদের হয়েই কথা বলে গেলাম। তার পরও এই?'' ঘটনার সূত্রপাত প্রজাতন্ত্র দিবসের সকালে 'রিপাবলিক অফ আইডিয়াজ' নামে এক অধিবেশনে। তরুণ তেজপালের প্রশ্নের উত্তরে আশিস বলেন, দুর্নীতি এমন একটি শক্তি, যা জাতিধর্মবর্ণ নির্বিশেষে সকলকে সমান করে দেয়। তফসিলি জাতি, উপজাতিরা এতটাই বঞ্চিত যে সুযোগ পেলে দুর্নীতির সুযোগ তাঁরা নেবেনই! মধু কোড়া তাই উপজাতি নেতা হয়েও কয়েকশো কোটির সম্পত্তি বানিয়ে ফেলেন। বাংলার কথাও টানেন তিনি, ''গত একশো বছরে কোনও তফসিলি জাতি, উপজাতি বা পিছড়ে বর্গের নেতা ক্ষমতা পাননি। পশ্চিমবঙ্গে তাই দুর্নীতি সবচেয়ে কম।''
এর পরই গন্ডগোল শুরু। গায়ে চাদর ও মাথায় হনুমান টুপি পরে প্রায় দেড়শো সমর্থক নিয়ে ডিগ্গি প্রাসাদে হাজির হয়ে গিয়েছেন দোসা অঞ্চলের নির্দল সাংসদ কিরোরী লাল মীনা। দুই মহিলা-পুলিশ তাঁকে চিনতে না পেরে আইডেন্টিটি কার্ড দেখতে চান। সঙ্গে সঙ্গে চিৎকার, কথা-কাটাকাটি। "এখানে মেয়েরা বসে মদ খায়। আর আমি সাধারণ পোশাকে এসেছি বলে বাধা দেওয়া হচ্ছে?" পুলিশ ও সাংবাদিকদের সামনেই হুঙ্কার দিতে থাকেন সাংসদ, "গত বার সলমন রুশদিকে আসতে দেওয়া হয়নি। এ বার আশিস নন্দী আমাদের বিরুদ্ধে উস্কানি দিচ্ছেন। এ সব বরদাস্ত করা হবে না।" রাস্তায় তত ক্ষণে জড়ো হয়ে গিয়েছে মীনা সম্প্রদায়ের একশো মানুষ, 'আশিস নন্দী মুর্দাবাদ' বলে স্লোগান দিচ্ছে তারা।
আশিস বিবৃতি দিয়ে জানিয়েছেন, তাঁর কথায় কেউ আহত হয়ে থাকলে তিনি দুঃখিত। "তরুণ তেজপালের প্রশ্নের উত্তরে আমি শুধু বলেছিলাম, পিছড়ে বর্গের দুর্নীতিটাই আমাদের চোখে বড় হয়। আমি যদি রিচার্ড সোরাবজির ছেলেকে হার্ভার্ডে আর রিচার্ড আমার মেয়েকে অক্সফোর্ডে পাঠায়, কেউ দুর্নীতি বলবে না। বলবে মেধার জয়। কিন্তু পিছড়ে বর্গ করলেই বলা হবে দুর্নীতি।'' ক্ষমা চাইছেন তা হলে? ''একেবারেই নয়। দুর্নীতি এখন ভারতীয় গণতন্ত্রে ইকুয়ালাইজিং ফোর্স। কিন্তু কথাটা বিকৃত করে বলা হল, আমি দলিতদের দুর্নীতিবাজ, ঘুষখোর বলেছি!'' রাগ পড়ছে না তাঁর।
রূপ কানওয়ার সতী হওয়ার পর আশিস লিখেছিলেন, সতীদাহ কোনও দিনই প্রথা ছিল না। উনিশ শতকে কলকাতা ও শহরাঞ্চলে তার প্রকোপ বেড়েছিল। আশিস সতীদাহের সমর্থক বলে রটিয়ে সে বারও হইচই হয়েছিল। "গুজরাতে হিন্দুত্ব-রাজনীতির বিরুদ্ধে কথা বলার জন্য নরেন্দ্র মোদী মামলা করেছিলেন, সেই মামলা এখনও সুপ্রিম কোর্টে। এ বার দলিত রাজনীতিও একই ভঙ্গিতে ব্যবহার করল আমাকে," বললেন আশিস।
এই বছরের শেষে রাজস্থানে বিধানসভা ভোট। পিছড়ে বর্গের মীনা সম্প্রদায়ের নেতা কিরোরীলাল একদা বসুন্ধরা রাজে-র মন্ত্রিসভায় খাদ্যমন্ত্রী ছিলেন। তার পর বিজেপি ছেড়ে নির্দল। কিরোরীলালের স্ত্রী গোলমা দেবীও নির্দল হিসেবে জিতেছিলেন। খাদি ও গ্রামোদ্যোগ দফতরের প্রতিমন্ত্রী ছিলেন। তিনিও গত বছর পদত্যাগ করেন। আপাতত মায়াবতীর প্রেরণায় কিরোরীলাল এখন সস্ত্রীক রাজস্থানে কংগ্রেস ও বিজেপি-বিরোধী তৃতীয় ফ্রন্ট শুরুর চেষ্টায়। নিম্নবর্গের রাজনীতি তা হলে উচ্চবর্গের ভাষাতেই কথা বলে? "সবাই নয়। নিজেকে নিম্নবর্গের নেতা হিসাবে দাবি করে ক্ষমতা পেতে চান যাঁরা, এ সব তাঁদের কীর্তি," জানালেন 'রিটার্ন ফ্রম এগজাইল'-এর লেখক।

http://www.anandabazar.com/28desh2.html


Opinion : A remark not expected from a scholar like Ashis Nandy


"Is Ashis Nandy related to Pritish Nandy?" The question had no connection to the controversy the political psychologist had landed himself into but when a friend posed this query, I knew what she was thinking about. She was trying to trace the roots of Ashis Nandy's " skewed perspective" to his background, the same way the academic had linked corruption to being a malaise of the underdogs.

Correlating past conditions to present stigma is a common practice in India. If a girl elopes with a boy, the father is blamed for poor upbringing, if a son turns out to be a criminal, the society ostracises the family for not grooming him well. We almost always try to denounce the present by invading the past. Ashis Nandy did the same, he connected oppression to corruption when he called the " Other Backward Classes, the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes most corrupt". He showed he is as ordinary as those Indians who cannot rise above caste barriers and class differences.

But such people are not called scholars and they are not feted internationally. Such people assert their views among likeminded people in cosy " elite" gatherings and not on public platforms.

Nandy chose a gathering as erudite as the Jaipur Literature Festival to air his feudal views. His justification of his irresponsible comment was even more bizarre than the original idea. To quote him he said - " as long as this corruption exists among backwards, tribals, OBCs, our Indian republic still has some hope". Was he trying to justify corruption as a means of development of the underdogs or did he see it as the primary reason for the success of people from underprivileged sections? Whatever Mr Nandy was trying to say is lost in the furore that his statement has triggered. He may call his detractors " myopic", but being a sociologist he should have foreseen the reactions and legal actions his opinion would invite.


Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/jaipur-literature-fest-2013-ashish-nandy-dalit-remark-controversy/1/247944.html


Most corrupt people come from OBC, SC and ST communities, says sociologist Ashis Nandy at Jaipur Lit Fest


TheJaipur Literature Festivalon Saturday witnessed fireworks after Sociologist and political psychologist Ashis Nandy made a controversial comment on corruption and people belonging to OBC, SC and ST communities which drew a strong response from the audience.

At a panel discussion at theFestival, Nandy said, "Most corrupt people come from OBC, SC and ST communities".

Journalist Ashutosh, who was among the panelists, and most members from the audience took strong exception to the statement.

"This is the most bizarre statement I have heard. The Brahmins and the upper cast can do away with all the corruption but when a low caste person emulates the same thing it becomes so wrong. Such statement is not right," he said.

"Most of the people who are doing corruption are people from OBC, SC and ST communities and as long as it remains Indian republic will survive," Nandy said. His comments were met with boos from the audience.

However, Nandy later clarified that what he meant was that most of the people getting caught are people from OBC, SC and ST communities as they don't have the means to save themselves unlike people from upper castes.

"You catch a poor person selling a black ticket forRs.20 and say corruption but rich people with corruption of millions get away," he said.

Speaking at the first session here, on 'Republic of Ideas' which discussed the idea of Indian Republic, author-journalist Tarun Tejpal said corruption is a class equaliser.

"Many people who came from wrong side of society subvert the rules and move ahead using loopholes. That is the only way they have as we made such class barriers," he said.

However, a member from the audience said that "corruption is the most abusive power. We cant agree to what you said".

Indian Constitution, the panelists observed has tried to do very well to safeguard the freedom of speech by compromising on certain aspects.

Richard Sorabji, an author with around 120 books to his credit said, "Compromise is very important for a Constitution.

Indian Constitution tried to do very well with safeguarding of freedom of speech. People should be free to say what they want to say against religion but not with deliberate malice. This is a compromise missing in us".

"America will do well to adopt India's idea of free speech," he added.

Patrick French, whose latest book focuses on India, said that the problems India is facing today are not the creation of Constitution but by problem of bureaucracy.

Talking on the idea of India, he said, which neighbouring country you look upto and say you want to live in it. That's the idea of India. The fact that you can't read does not stop you from voting. It was a great idea of Indian Constitution".


Read more at:http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/jaipur-literature-festival-2013-corrupt-people-obc-sc-st-sociologist-ashis-nandy/1/247729.html

Ashis Nandy clarifies, says he was misinterpreted: Full Statement

NDTV.com | Updated: January 27, 2013 13:42 IST
Jaipur: Renowned sociologist Ashis Nandy's comments on corruption among Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes kicked up a major controversy at the Jaipur Literature Festival.

However Mr Nandy clarified that his statements were misunderstood and apologised for the hurt caused.

This is his full statement:

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This is not what I meant or what I wanted to say. This is what I actually transpired.

I endorsed the statement of Tarun Tejpal, Editor of Tehelka, that corruption in India is an equalising force. I do believe that a zero corruption society in India will be a despotic society.

I also said that if people like me or Richard Sorabjee want to be corrupt, I shall possibly send his son to Harvard giving him a fellowship and he can send my daughter to Oxford. No one will think it to be corruption. Indeed, it will look like supporting talent.

But when Dalits, tribals and the OBCs are corrupt, it looks very corrupt indeed.

However, this second corruption equalizes. It gives them access to their entitlements. And so, as long as this equation persists, I have hope for the Republic.

I hope this will be the end of the matter. I am sorry if some have misunderstood me. Though there was no reason to do so. As should be clear from this statement, there was neither any intention nor any attempt to hurt any community. If anyone is genuinely hurt, even if through misunderstanding, I am sorry about that, too.

Ashis Nandy
http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/ashis-nandy-clarifies-says-he-was-misinterpreted-full-statement-322708




Rocked by controversies, but not of the scale touched last year, the Jaipur Literature Festival today came to a close with the organisers giving an undertaking not to leave the city in the wake of a case registered on Ashish Nandy's comments on corruption.

Additional Commissioner of Police Biju George Joseph said the organisers were asked to remain in the city as a probe is going on against sociologist Nandy for his comments that people belonging to OBCs, SCs and STs were the most corrupt, remarks over which he has expressed regrets.

Festival Producer Roy said, "I have signed the papers on behalf of the JLF team to comply with the orders."

An FIR was lodged against Nandy and Roy last Saturday by Rajpal Meena, Chairperson of the SC/ST Rajasthan Manch, after Nandy stoked a controversy with his comments.

However, Nandy got some backing from various quarters. Interestingly Dalit author Kancha Ilaiah, said it was "a bad statement with good intentions".

"Prof Ashis Nandy made a bad statement with good intentions, however, as far as I know he was never against reservation. The controversy should end here," Ilaiah said in a statement here.

He said he would fight Nandy if he did not speak against corruption by the upper castes.

Directors of the event Namita Gokhale and William Dalrymple appealed to the people to defend the freedom of speech and expression while vowing to keep the festival going.

"I really hope people will rally around to defend the festival," said Dalrymple. "We will fight to keep it open. We will fight to make sure this forum remains...we are terribly proud of what we have done," he added.

The five-day festival had run into controversies last year first over the visit of author Salman Rushdie, which eventually did not materialize and then due to reading from his banned book "Satanic Verses" by few authors, including Jeet Thayil.

Even before the festival began, there were protests against the inclusion of Thayil, who went on to bag the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature and thus earn the ire of some organisations. However, no untoward incident happened.

Then there were the right-wingers who demanded the exclusion of authors from Pakistan who were scheduled to attend the festival. This after the straining of bilateral ties between the two neighbours when two Indian soldiers were killed in the first week of January at the LOC.

Though Pakistani author Mohammad Hanif could not make it to the festival due to personal reasons, other authors like Jamil Ahmad and M A Farooqui did mark their presence.

Battling controversies as well as a 1.5 crore shortfall in the budget, the festival managed to attract record crowds, with the footfall going from 120,000 last year to nearly 200,000 this year.

Packing in 175 sessions in five days, addressed by over 275 speakers from across the globe, the Jaipur Literature Festival had several high points to its credit in the 2013 edition.

"We are proud of what we have achieved. This year we had almost 200,000 footfall in the five days. Also, we had amazing sessions with brilliant authors discussing a range of topics which held the audience in rapt attention," said festival co-director, William Dalrymple.

On the very first day, Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama almost recreated last year's Oprah moment when he addressed a full house at the front lawns of Diggi Palace, the venue of the festival, which celebrated the theme of Buddhism in Literature this year.

"India is our guru and the source of all the knowledge we have has come from here," the Dalai Lama said to a cheering crowd.

The keynote speaker Mahashweta Devi led the list of literary luminaries including Commonwealth Prize winner Aminatta Forna from Sierra Leone, Booker Prize winner Howard Jacobson, two Orange Prize winners Linda Grant and Madeline Miller, Ahdaf Soueif, Tahar Ben Jalloun, Sebastian Faulks, Deborah Moggach, Zoe Heller, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak and Abraham Verghese.

The festival played host to subjects as diverse as the history of miniature painting and war reporting, Sharia Law and gay and lesbian literature, the Jewish novel, the 18th century sexual revolution, detective fiction and the literature of 9/11.

It focused on new writing from Latin America and Iran; examined the economic prospects of India and looked at the mixed legacy of the British Empire, the decline of America and the rise of China.

Bollywood and cricket, the two major obsessions in India also made their presence marked here. The "Wall of Indian cricket" Rahul Dravid bowled over the crowd, which poured in to listen to him. The film industry was represented by Javed Akhtar, Prasoon Joshi, Shabana Azmi and Jaideep Sahni among others attracting major crowds.


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