Organisers of an event where a Chennai-based Pastor is expected to address a Christian gathering has come under pressure from local Hindu groups like the VHP, forcing representatives from a local Church to clarify that the event scheduled to be held on Thursday and Friday is not meant for “religious conversions”. The representatives said the event will be just a gathering of the local Christian community keen to offer prayers including for those killed in the “Kerala floods.”
[ . . . ]
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/christian-event-ahmedabad-protest-from-hindu-outfits-vhp-5437001/
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Showing posts with label Ahmedabad. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ahmedabad. Show all posts
November 07, 2018
September 12, 2018
India: Inside Ahmedabad's Juhapura Ghetto | Christophe Jaffrelot and Sharik Laliwala
If ghettoes promote orthodoxy, sectarianism and self-help, the rise of
Hindutva has also prompted efforts to reach out to wider civil society.
[ . . . ]
https://thewire.in/communalism/juhapura-ahmedabad-ghetto-muslims
[ . . . ]
https://thewire.in/communalism/juhapura-ahmedabad-ghetto-muslims
April 17, 2015
Divided colours of Ahmedabad: Saffron uniform for Hindu kids, green for Muslim
http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/saffron-green-ahmedabad-municipal-body-schools-colours-apart/
Divided colours of Ahmedabad: Saffron uniform for Hindu kids, green for Muslim
Written by Ritu Sharma | Ahmedabad | Updated: April 14, 2015 3:36 am
Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s Shahpur Public School and Dani Limda Public School are unique for being its only English-medium schools. They also have another distinction.
While the uniform at Shahpur school where most of the students are Hindus is saffron-coloured, the Dani Limda school where almost all the students are Muslims has a green uniform.
The other 454 schools run by AMC, all non-English-medium, have the same blue-and-white uniform.
“The selection of green (as uniform for the Dani Limda school) was a random decision and has nothing to do with any community. We had other options, of pink and blue, too but, keeping in mind the suitability to children, green was finalised,” AMC School Board Chairman Jagdish Bhavsar said.
He termed the selection of saffron for the Shahpur school as a “non-partisan decision” too, taken without any “prejudice or preference” towards a community or organisation.
Dani Limda Public School in Ahmedabad. (Source: IE photo by Javed Raja) Dani Limda Public School in Ahmedabad. (Source: IE photo by Javed Raja)
Asked if the colour choices had anything to do with the religion of the students, Bhavsar said, “There is no such thing about communities and colours associated with them.”
More than 98 per cent of the students at Dani Limda Public School, located in the middle of the Muslim-majority Kanubhai ni chali slum in Dani Limda village, are Muslims. At Shahpur Public School, more than 95 per cent students are Hindus.
AMC introduced the English-medium schools with the hope of containing declining enrolment in municipal schools. Both the Shahpur school, opened in June 2013, and Dani Limda, opened last year, were till Class I initially, with classes added every subsequent year. Beginning this academic year, the Dani Limda school is till Class II and the Shahpur one till Class III.
The Shahpur school uniform, comprising a saffron shirt and shorts, incidentally is sponsored by a “social organistation” called the Shahpur Seva Sangh, of which Bhavsar himself is a member. Its president is a former BJP corporator of Shahpur ward, Atul Bhavsar.
“This sangh works for education and social causes. Rotary Club and Sharda Trust have also donated uniforms for schools and this time we have requested the Swaminarayan sect to do so too,” said Jagdish Bhavsar.
In case of Dani Limda Public School, money for uniforms has been collected from local donors. It had no uniform till six months after its start, and the decision to have a green uniform was taken in December 2014.
On Republic Day this year, the AMC School Board started distributing the new uniforms, comprising a green T-shirt and black shorts. Recently, the final lot of uniforms was distributed, barring one student of Class I who is expected to receive it soon.
“A factory owner in Narol area, a businessman known to us and involved in charity work, and a few parents sponsored 10 uniforms each. Two Muslim teachers of a Gujarati-medium school running in the morning shift on the same premises gave Rs 2,000 each,” said Principal Kalpana Jadav.
A school teacher and administrator Vaishali Parmar at the Dani Limda school said they were dependent on donations for uniforms as the school does not have a District Information System for Education (DISE) code that is mandatory to get scholarships or grants.
Shah Bano Javed Pathan, both of whose children are enrolled in Dani Limda Public School, says she has no problem with the colour of the uniform. “As the school is different from the remaining municipal schools, the uniform stands out,” she said.
Shahpur Public School, inaugurated by Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama on June 6, 2013, has had a saffron uniform since the beginning. The school building is called ‘Prahlad Patel Shikshan Sankool’ after the BJP leader who fought elections from Shahpur in 1980 and who taught at Ahmedabad’s M N Shukla College of Education.
Said Shahpur Public School Principal Rekha Desai, “At present, the school strength is 233. Out of this, more than 95 per cent are Hindus from lower middle class while less than 5 per cent are from other communities such as Muslims, Jains and Marwaris.”
Divided colours of Ahmedabad: Saffron uniform for Hindu kids, green for Muslim
Written by Ritu Sharma | Ahmedabad | Updated: April 14, 2015 3:36 am
Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s Shahpur Public School and Dani Limda Public School are unique for being its only English-medium schools. They also have another distinction.
While the uniform at Shahpur school where most of the students are Hindus is saffron-coloured, the Dani Limda school where almost all the students are Muslims has a green uniform.
The other 454 schools run by AMC, all non-English-medium, have the same blue-and-white uniform.
“The selection of green (as uniform for the Dani Limda school) was a random decision and has nothing to do with any community. We had other options, of pink and blue, too but, keeping in mind the suitability to children, green was finalised,” AMC School Board Chairman Jagdish Bhavsar said.
He termed the selection of saffron for the Shahpur school as a “non-partisan decision” too, taken without any “prejudice or preference” towards a community or organisation.
Dani Limda Public School in Ahmedabad. (Source: IE photo by Javed Raja) Dani Limda Public School in Ahmedabad. (Source: IE photo by Javed Raja)
Asked if the colour choices had anything to do with the religion of the students, Bhavsar said, “There is no such thing about communities and colours associated with them.”
More than 98 per cent of the students at Dani Limda Public School, located in the middle of the Muslim-majority Kanubhai ni chali slum in Dani Limda village, are Muslims. At Shahpur Public School, more than 95 per cent students are Hindus.
AMC introduced the English-medium schools with the hope of containing declining enrolment in municipal schools. Both the Shahpur school, opened in June 2013, and Dani Limda, opened last year, were till Class I initially, with classes added every subsequent year. Beginning this academic year, the Dani Limda school is till Class II and the Shahpur one till Class III.
The Shahpur school uniform, comprising a saffron shirt and shorts, incidentally is sponsored by a “social organistation” called the Shahpur Seva Sangh, of which Bhavsar himself is a member. Its president is a former BJP corporator of Shahpur ward, Atul Bhavsar.
“This sangh works for education and social causes. Rotary Club and Sharda Trust have also donated uniforms for schools and this time we have requested the Swaminarayan sect to do so too,” said Jagdish Bhavsar.
In case of Dani Limda Public School, money for uniforms has been collected from local donors. It had no uniform till six months after its start, and the decision to have a green uniform was taken in December 2014.
On Republic Day this year, the AMC School Board started distributing the new uniforms, comprising a green T-shirt and black shorts. Recently, the final lot of uniforms was distributed, barring one student of Class I who is expected to receive it soon.
“A factory owner in Narol area, a businessman known to us and involved in charity work, and a few parents sponsored 10 uniforms each. Two Muslim teachers of a Gujarati-medium school running in the morning shift on the same premises gave Rs 2,000 each,” said Principal Kalpana Jadav.
A school teacher and administrator Vaishali Parmar at the Dani Limda school said they were dependent on donations for uniforms as the school does not have a District Information System for Education (DISE) code that is mandatory to get scholarships or grants.
Shah Bano Javed Pathan, both of whose children are enrolled in Dani Limda Public School, says she has no problem with the colour of the uniform. “As the school is different from the remaining municipal schools, the uniform stands out,” she said.
Shahpur Public School, inaugurated by Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama on June 6, 2013, has had a saffron uniform since the beginning. The school building is called ‘Prahlad Patel Shikshan Sankool’ after the BJP leader who fought elections from Shahpur in 1980 and who taught at Ahmedabad’s M N Shukla College of Education.
Said Shahpur Public School Principal Rekha Desai, “At present, the school strength is 233. Out of this, more than 95 per cent are Hindus from lower middle class while less than 5 per cent are from other communities such as Muslims, Jains and Marwaris.”
January 24, 2015
India: Ahmedabad Urdu medium schools in a fix over Saraswati puja circular
The Hindu Jan 23, 2015
Ahmedabad Urdu medium schools in a fix over Saraswati puja circular
By Rahi Gaikwad
Many felt it is incompatible with their faith
A circular directing municipal schools to perform Saraswati puja for Vasant Panchami festival, which falls on Saturday, has left Urdu medium schools in Ahmedabad in a quandary.
LD Desai, officer of the school board, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, issued the circular on January 19, which states, “All municipal schools are hereby informed that the festival of ‘Mahusud Pancham’ or ‘Vasant Panchmi’ is celebrated in worship of goddess Saraswati – the goddess of knowledge and learning. Life is nothing without education. With a view to instil the importance of learning among students, schools should perform ‘Saraswati puja’ and ‘Saraswati Vandana’ (incantation) during the prayer session. Information on how ‘Vasant Panchami’ is celebrated in different States should also be given.”
A few of the 60 Urdu medium schools in the city, attended chiefly by Muslim children, and their parents have raised concerns about the diktat for being incongruous with their faith, while some others have taken it with a pinch of salt.
“No puja is conducted here. We follow our religion [Islam]. We can only inform the children that such a puja is performed on this day among the Hindus, but we cannot actually perform the ritual. If we do that there will be a backlash from the parents. We won’t be abiding by the circular and if we are questioned by the school management committee, we will explain our reasons. We know that goddess Saraswati is deity of knowledge and we can only inform the students about it,” the head teacher of an Urdu medium school in a Muslim-dominated locality of Ahmedabad told The Hindu.
The head teacher also said that this was the first time such a circular related to religion was issued to Urdu schools.
Principals of many schools were not ready to comment even on the condition of anonymity.
A principal of another Urdu school decided against informing the parents about the circular, preferring to let the day pass without occasion.
“Yes, the circular has been issued to all schools and requires to be followed, but it is not some kind of a decree,” he remarked.
“As Muslims, we do not offer puja and if there is one at school, we will see what’s to be done about it,” said GG Sheikh, grandfather of two girls studying in an Urdu school.
Not everyone seemed as perturbed. “There is no way that we will do the puja as our religion does not allow it. But if there is a regulation, it is not such a big issue. You can just remain present as a mark of respect,” said the mother of a class eight Urdu school student.
The AMC said such circulars were issued every year. “Our aim is very clear. We wanted to send a message about the importance of education,” AMC school board chairman Jagdish Bhavsar told The Hindu. Asked if it was mandatory to adhere to the circular, he said, “Schools should take steps based on the AMC circular.”
Ahmedabad Urdu medium schools in a fix over Saraswati puja circular
By Rahi Gaikwad
Many felt it is incompatible with their faith
A circular directing municipal schools to perform Saraswati puja for Vasant Panchami festival, which falls on Saturday, has left Urdu medium schools in Ahmedabad in a quandary.
LD Desai, officer of the school board, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, issued the circular on January 19, which states, “All municipal schools are hereby informed that the festival of ‘Mahusud Pancham’ or ‘Vasant Panchmi’ is celebrated in worship of goddess Saraswati – the goddess of knowledge and learning. Life is nothing without education. With a view to instil the importance of learning among students, schools should perform ‘Saraswati puja’ and ‘Saraswati Vandana’ (incantation) during the prayer session. Information on how ‘Vasant Panchami’ is celebrated in different States should also be given.”
A few of the 60 Urdu medium schools in the city, attended chiefly by Muslim children, and their parents have raised concerns about the diktat for being incongruous with their faith, while some others have taken it with a pinch of salt.
“No puja is conducted here. We follow our religion [Islam]. We can only inform the children that such a puja is performed on this day among the Hindus, but we cannot actually perform the ritual. If we do that there will be a backlash from the parents. We won’t be abiding by the circular and if we are questioned by the school management committee, we will explain our reasons. We know that goddess Saraswati is deity of knowledge and we can only inform the students about it,” the head teacher of an Urdu medium school in a Muslim-dominated locality of Ahmedabad told The Hindu.
The head teacher also said that this was the first time such a circular related to religion was issued to Urdu schools.
Principals of many schools were not ready to comment even on the condition of anonymity.
A principal of another Urdu school decided against informing the parents about the circular, preferring to let the day pass without occasion.
“Yes, the circular has been issued to all schools and requires to be followed, but it is not some kind of a decree,” he remarked.
“As Muslims, we do not offer puja and if there is one at school, we will see what’s to be done about it,” said GG Sheikh, grandfather of two girls studying in an Urdu school.
Not everyone seemed as perturbed. “There is no way that we will do the puja as our religion does not allow it. But if there is a regulation, it is not such a big issue. You can just remain present as a mark of respect,” said the mother of a class eight Urdu school student.
The AMC said such circulars were issued every year. “Our aim is very clear. We wanted to send a message about the importance of education,” AMC school board chairman Jagdish Bhavsar told The Hindu. Asked if it was mandatory to adhere to the circular, he said, “Schools should take steps based on the AMC circular.”
November 19, 2014
September 04, 2014
India - Gujarat 2002 riots: Court acquits all 44 accused in Gomtipur case
A sessions court on Tuesday acquitted all 44 persons, including a former BJP MLA, in one of the post-Godhra riots cases in 2002 in Gomtipur area in Ahmedabad. This was one of the few cases which were not probed by the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation (SIT). The accused belonged to both the communities – Hindu and Muslim. - See more at:
http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/2002-riots-court-acquits-all-44-accused-in-gomtipur-case/
http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/2002-riots-court-acquits-all-44-accused-in-gomtipur-case/
June 04, 2014
India: It's Batra again: Book on sexual violence in Ahmedabad riots is 'set aside' by publisher
Indian Express, 3 June 2014
by Seema Chishti
A letter written by Dina Nath Batra, whose civil suit led to the pulping of Wendy Doniger's book on Hinduism, has now led to the "setting aside" of a publication on violence against women in communal riots in Ahmedabad. Publisher Orient Blackswan, which recently released Communalism and Sexual Violence: Ahmedabad Since 1969 and put it up for sale on its website in April 2014, has written to author Dr Megha Kumar saying the book needs "comprehensive assessment" and should be set aside "for the present".
In the letter dated May 16, Orient Blackswan told Kumar, an Oxford-based Rhodes scholar, that Batra's lawyer had written to them in April complaining that another book published by them and in print for more than 10 years, the popular textbook Plassey to Partition: A History of Modern India by Sekhar Bandopadhyay, was defamatory and derogatory to the RSS. In the light of that notice, Orient Blackswan wrote, a "pre-release assessment of books that might attract similar reactions" was being undertaken, suggesting that Kumar's book had not been released so far. The publisher cited worries of legal proceedings and also of exposing "staff and families" of authors and publishers to "the risk of violence, endangering their life and safety".
Kumar contests Orient's claim of its decision being a "pre-release" move, noting that the book has been on sale since April 15. The 33-year-old also points out that the book "has been printed following thorough peer review and systematic copyediting between June 2013, when the first draft of the manuscript was submitted, and March 14, when the book went to press". Kumar has asked Orient Blackswan to clarify "the precise nature and scope of what you have termed comprehensive assessment" and asked the publisher to revert to her about what witholding the book for "the present" means.
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/its-batra-again-book-on-sexual-violence-in-ahmedabad-riots-is-set-aside-by-publisher/99/
by Seema Chishti
A letter written by Dina Nath Batra, whose civil suit led to the pulping of Wendy Doniger's book on Hinduism, has now led to the "setting aside" of a publication on violence against women in communal riots in Ahmedabad. Publisher Orient Blackswan, which recently released Communalism and Sexual Violence: Ahmedabad Since 1969 and put it up for sale on its website in April 2014, has written to author Dr Megha Kumar saying the book needs "comprehensive assessment" and should be set aside "for the present".
In the letter dated May 16, Orient Blackswan told Kumar, an Oxford-based Rhodes scholar, that Batra's lawyer had written to them in April complaining that another book published by them and in print for more than 10 years, the popular textbook Plassey to Partition: A History of Modern India by Sekhar Bandopadhyay, was defamatory and derogatory to the RSS. In the light of that notice, Orient Blackswan wrote, a "pre-release assessment of books that might attract similar reactions" was being undertaken, suggesting that Kumar's book had not been released so far. The publisher cited worries of legal proceedings and also of exposing "staff and families" of authors and publishers to "the risk of violence, endangering their life and safety".
Kumar contests Orient's claim of its decision being a "pre-release" move, noting that the book has been on sale since April 15. The 33-year-old also points out that the book "has been printed following thorough peer review and systematic copyediting between June 2013, when the first draft of the manuscript was submitted, and March 14, when the book went to press". Kumar has asked Orient Blackswan to clarify "the precise nature and scope of what you have termed comprehensive assessment" and asked the publisher to revert to her about what witholding the book for "the present" means.
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/its-batra-again-book-on-sexual-violence-in-ahmedabad-riots-is-set-aside-by-publisher/99/
February 28, 2014
India: Insaaf ki Dagar Par: Homage to victims of communal violence at the Right to food National Convention in Ahmedabad (1-3 march 2014)
The Right to Food Campaign , Darshan and Aman Biradari and the invite you for an evening of remembrance of the 12 years gone by since the communal violence in Gujarat at:
the 5th National Convention: National Food Security Act (NFSA) and Beyond: Right to Food, Democracy and Social Justice,
1 - 3 March 2014, Gujarat
Venue: Dalit Shakti Kendra, Nani Devti Sanand
Ahmedabad
1. The first session is a homage to the struggles :
Ic to Muzaffarnagar
4 :30- 5: 30 pm , 1st March, Saturday
Chaired by Harsh Mander, Aman Biradari with the survivors and others
Sangharsh ki Yaddein (Remembering Struggles): single women to speak about their struggles to rebuild their lives
Insaaf ke Dagar Par (Pathways to Justice): People who fought their legal cases despite great odds, and understand why justice was so important to them
Insaniyat ke Yaddein (Remembering Compassion): Group of people who saved lives and those whose lives were saved
Muzaffarnagar situation
2. On Sunday 2nd March at 2 30 pm we also invite you for a parallel workshop on
SURVIVORS OF COMMUNAL VIOLENCE AND FOOD SECURITY AND BEYOND
looking at Food security, communal violence and internally displaced people
- Experiences of the urban poor affected by Communal Violence by DARSHAN,
- Presentations from different communal violence affected areas and experiences :
1. Muzaffarnagar,
2. Bhagalpur,
3. Assam,
4. Gujarat and others
and discussions ahead.
and on 3rd March 2014 , monday, 2.30 onwards Public Meeting in Ahmedabad on ‘Development in Gujarat: Claims and Reality and Ahmedabad Declaration on RTF, Democracy and Social Justice
Hope to see some of you there
Warm Regards
Prita and Jeevika
the 5th National Convention: National Food Security Act (NFSA) and Beyond: Right to Food, Democracy and Social Justice,
1 - 3 March 2014, Gujarat
Venue: Dalit Shakti Kendra, Nani Devti Sanand
Ahmedabad
1. The first session is a homage to the struggles :
Ic to Muzaffarnagar
4 :30- 5: 30 pm , 1st March, Saturday
Chaired by Harsh Mander, Aman Biradari with the survivors and others
Sangharsh ki Yaddein (Remembering Struggles): single women to speak about their struggles to rebuild their lives
Insaaf ke Dagar Par (Pathways to Justice): People who fought their legal cases despite great odds, and understand why justice was so important to them
Insaniyat ke Yaddein (Remembering Compassion): Group of people who saved lives and those whose lives were saved
Muzaffarnagar situation
2. On Sunday 2nd March at 2 30 pm we also invite you for a parallel workshop on
SURVIVORS OF COMMUNAL VIOLENCE AND FOOD SECURITY AND BEYOND
looking at Food security, communal violence and internally displaced people
- Experiences of the urban poor affected by Communal Violence by DARSHAN,
- Presentations from different communal violence affected areas and experiences :
1. Muzaffarnagar,
2. Bhagalpur,
3. Assam,
4. Gujarat and others
and discussions ahead.
and on 3rd March 2014 , monday, 2.30 onwards Public Meeting in Ahmedabad on ‘Development in Gujarat: Claims and Reality and Ahmedabad Declaration on RTF, Democracy and Social Justice
Hope to see some of you there
Warm Regards
Prita and Jeevika
December 10, 2013
India: Women’s Voices Go Unheard Within Walls of Ahmedabad Ghetto | Raksha Kumar / India Ink - The New York Times
December 10, 2013
Women’s Voices Go Unheard Within Walls of Ahmedabad Ghetto
By RAKSHA KUMAR
AHMEDABAD, Gujarat — On a hot October morning, an intense discussion was waging between three women in a nondescript beauty salon in the Juhapura locality of Ahmedabad, the city’s largest Muslim ghetto.
While the most common topics of discussion in a beauty salon are fashion, cosmetics and men, here the women were discussing national politics, particularly the prospects of Gujarat’s chief minister, Narendra Modi of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, or B.J.P.
http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/12/10/womens-voices-go-unheard-within-walls-of-ahmedabad-ghetto/?ref=asia&_r=0
Women’s Voices Go Unheard Within Walls of Ahmedabad Ghetto
By RAKSHA KUMAR
AHMEDABAD, Gujarat — On a hot October morning, an intense discussion was waging between three women in a nondescript beauty salon in the Juhapura locality of Ahmedabad, the city’s largest Muslim ghetto.
While the most common topics of discussion in a beauty salon are fashion, cosmetics and men, here the women were discussing national politics, particularly the prospects of Gujarat’s chief minister, Narendra Modi of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, or B.J.P.
http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/12/10/womens-voices-go-unheard-within-walls-of-ahmedabad-ghetto/?ref=asia&_r=0
December 09, 2013
On Ahmedabad’s Segregation | Rupa Subramanya
India RealTime / WSJ blog
Some Hindu property developers in Ahmedabad, the commercial hub of
the Indian state of Gujarat, are looking to expand to a customer base
they have typically avoided: Muslims.
Many Indian cities are segregated, but Ahmedabad is more so than most.
There are about 900,000 Muslims in the city, making up 12%-13% of its population. Some live in enclaves in so-called mixed areas like Navrangpura and Paldi on the western bank of the Sabarmati River. A few live in buildings predominantly occupied by Hindus. They are often married to a Hindu or have purchased or rented under a company name.
But the majority of Muslims live in a few well-defined Muslims enclaves, in particular the old walled city and Shah-e-Alam, and more recently Juhapura, a sprawling area known locally as a ghetto. Official figures put the population of Juhapura at 300,000; residents say it’s closer to 500,000.
In his book “Ahmedabad: Shock City of Twentieth-Century India,” Howard Spodek, a history professor at Temple University who has spent his career studying Gujarat, says the city’s housing segregation is among the “most extreme” in India. The same goes for its history of communal violence, he and other scholars say.
D. Thara, chief executive of the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority, said the pattern of segregation in housing reflects the choice of residents rather than a policy of exclusion.
“Human beings want known parameters. They want to live with people who are similar,” she said.
Since Ahmedabad’s founding in 1411 by Sultan Ahmed Shah, residents have lived in communities tightly defined not just by religion but also occupation, caste, sub-caste and origin.
One Hindu property developer of an upscale new apartment block said he turned away a group of 40-50 potential buyers last year because they were Muslim. The buyers were willing to pay upfront and offered a premium over his normal asking price of about $45,000 for a two-bedroom apartment, he said.
“A Muslim resident would not feel comfortable in this building and so I tell a would-be Muslim buyer that you’d be unhappy if you bought in this building,” he said.
There was also a more directly commercial reason why he wouldn’t sell: “If they came to know that I sold units to Muslims, many of my Hindu buyers would pull out and my development would be in trouble.”
Two years ago, Juhapura resident Alihusain Momin realized that a property fair pitched to Muslim buyers could attract a lot of interest because they’re shut out of the larger mainstream market.
His first fair in October attracted about 20,000 people over three days. Almost all visitors were Muslims, though the fair was open to all communities, said Mr. Momin, who is a Muslim. But there were some Hindu developers among the 25 or so businesses that set up kiosks at the fair, he said.
One was Deep Builders, which erected a luxury apartment building in an area called Makarba, right next to Juhapura. Kamil Memon, a 29-year-old who handles sales for the developer, said it had sold about 50% of the units and the response from the Muslim community has been encouraging.
Mr. Momin is now planning the 2013 show. The 30-year-old said he expects an increase in the number of non-Muslim developers, adding that there’s a bright future for “Islamic branding,” or products directed at Muslim consumers.
“If Hindu businesses sell to Muslim consumers and come to learn about them, this will eventually break down prejudices and fear that have built up over the years,” he said.
“As Mahatma Gandhi taught, even if someone else doesn’t allow you to enter their community, you shouldn’t do the same thing. By being open to them, they’ll eventually learn you’re no different from them,” he added.
Segregation in Ahmedabad’s commercial property market is less rigid.
Rizwan Kadri, a 43-year-old Muslim, is a director of Associated Architects, a firm he founded in 1991 with four Hindus. The five architects studied together at M.S. University in Vadodara, roughly 75 miles southeast of Ahmedabad.
“We lived in the same hostel, so there was good bonding among all of us. We’ve been in business together for 22 years,” he said.
Associated Architects has an office in Bodakdev, an almost entirely Hindu area in west Ahmedabad featuring tony boutiques and upscale restaurants.
“It would be tough for a Muslim business to rent office space in a Hindu area unless they went the route of getting a Hindu partner who would be the public face of the business,” Mr. Kadri said.
“The exception would be the case where a Muslim business person has a strong previous friendly relationship with the Hindu builder or landlord he wants to rent or buy from,” he added.
Several builders from both communities said they had silent partners from the other community. As one Hindu builder put it, “Money has no religion.”
Rupa Subramanya writes Economics Journal for India Real Time and is co-author of “Indianomix: Making Sense of Modern India,” published by Random House India. You can follow her on Twitter @RupaSubramanya.
Source: http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2013/05/06/a-new-twist-on-ahmedabads-segregation/
May 6, 2013, 9:00 AM
By Rupa Subramanya
A New Twist on Ahmedabad’s Segregation
- Sam Panthaky/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
- The Anjuman-E-Islam school building in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, March 30, 2011.
Many Indian cities are segregated, but Ahmedabad is more so than most.
There are about 900,000 Muslims in the city, making up 12%-13% of its population. Some live in enclaves in so-called mixed areas like Navrangpura and Paldi on the western bank of the Sabarmati River. A few live in buildings predominantly occupied by Hindus. They are often married to a Hindu or have purchased or rented under a company name.
But the majority of Muslims live in a few well-defined Muslims enclaves, in particular the old walled city and Shah-e-Alam, and more recently Juhapura, a sprawling area known locally as a ghetto. Official figures put the population of Juhapura at 300,000; residents say it’s closer to 500,000.
In his book “Ahmedabad: Shock City of Twentieth-Century India,” Howard Spodek, a history professor at Temple University who has spent his career studying Gujarat, says the city’s housing segregation is among the “most extreme” in India. The same goes for its history of communal violence, he and other scholars say.
D. Thara, chief executive of the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority, said the pattern of segregation in housing reflects the choice of residents rather than a policy of exclusion.
“Human beings want known parameters. They want to live with people who are similar,” she said.
Since Ahmedabad’s founding in 1411 by Sultan Ahmed Shah, residents have lived in communities tightly defined not just by religion but also occupation, caste, sub-caste and origin.
One Hindu property developer of an upscale new apartment block said he turned away a group of 40-50 potential buyers last year because they were Muslim. The buyers were willing to pay upfront and offered a premium over his normal asking price of about $45,000 for a two-bedroom apartment, he said.
“A Muslim resident would not feel comfortable in this building and so I tell a would-be Muslim buyer that you’d be unhappy if you bought in this building,” he said.
There was also a more directly commercial reason why he wouldn’t sell: “If they came to know that I sold units to Muslims, many of my Hindu buyers would pull out and my development would be in trouble.”
Two years ago, Juhapura resident Alihusain Momin realized that a property fair pitched to Muslim buyers could attract a lot of interest because they’re shut out of the larger mainstream market.
His first fair in October attracted about 20,000 people over three days. Almost all visitors were Muslims, though the fair was open to all communities, said Mr. Momin, who is a Muslim. But there were some Hindu developers among the 25 or so businesses that set up kiosks at the fair, he said.
One was Deep Builders, which erected a luxury apartment building in an area called Makarba, right next to Juhapura. Kamil Memon, a 29-year-old who handles sales for the developer, said it had sold about 50% of the units and the response from the Muslim community has been encouraging.
Mr. Momin is now planning the 2013 show. The 30-year-old said he expects an increase in the number of non-Muslim developers, adding that there’s a bright future for “Islamic branding,” or products directed at Muslim consumers.
“If Hindu businesses sell to Muslim consumers and come to learn about them, this will eventually break down prejudices and fear that have built up over the years,” he said.
“As Mahatma Gandhi taught, even if someone else doesn’t allow you to enter their community, you shouldn’t do the same thing. By being open to them, they’ll eventually learn you’re no different from them,” he added.
Segregation in Ahmedabad’s commercial property market is less rigid.
Rizwan Kadri, a 43-year-old Muslim, is a director of Associated Architects, a firm he founded in 1991 with four Hindus. The five architects studied together at M.S. University in Vadodara, roughly 75 miles southeast of Ahmedabad.
“We lived in the same hostel, so there was good bonding among all of us. We’ve been in business together for 22 years,” he said.
Associated Architects has an office in Bodakdev, an almost entirely Hindu area in west Ahmedabad featuring tony boutiques and upscale restaurants.
“It would be tough for a Muslim business to rent office space in a Hindu area unless they went the route of getting a Hindu partner who would be the public face of the business,” Mr. Kadri said.
“The exception would be the case where a Muslim business person has a strong previous friendly relationship with the Hindu builder or landlord he wants to rent or buy from,” he added.
Several builders from both communities said they had silent partners from the other community. As one Hindu builder put it, “Money has no religion.”
Rupa Subramanya writes Economics Journal for India Real Time and is co-author of “Indianomix: Making Sense of Modern India,” published by Random House India. You can follow her on Twitter @RupaSubramanya.
Source: http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2013/05/06/a-new-twist-on-ahmedabads-segregation/
November 21, 2013
India: Hindu Far Right Organisations Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal Oppose Concert by Pakistani Singer - set fire to posters in Ahmedabad
Indian Express
VHP members stir against Pak singer’s concert, detained
Express News Service : Ahmedabad, Thu Nov 21 2013
Ten members of Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal, who were protesting against Pakistani pop singer Atif Aslam's concert scheduled on November 23 in Ahmedabad, were detained on Wednesday. The Saffron activists torched posters of the the singer to protest against the concert.
The accused included VHP city co-ordinator Raju Patel, Bajrang Dal city co-ordinator Bachu Ladva, Bajrang Dal member Jwalit Mehta and seven others. The accused were detained at the Sardar Patel stadium for three to four hours and let off late evening.
Raju Patel, city coordinator of VHP, said, "We are against the concert of a Pakistani singer in Ahmedabad. Pakistani soldiers are beheading Indian soldiers. The tension in Kashmir is only growing by each passing day due to Pakistan's infiltration. In such an environment, Pakistani singer has no right to perform at Karnavati (Ahmedabad)."
VHP members stir against Pak singer’s concert, detained
Express News Service : Ahmedabad, Thu Nov 21 2013
Ten members of Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal, who were protesting against Pakistani pop singer Atif Aslam's concert scheduled on November 23 in Ahmedabad, were detained on Wednesday. The Saffron activists torched posters of the the singer to protest against the concert.
The accused included VHP city co-ordinator Raju Patel, Bajrang Dal city co-ordinator Bachu Ladva, Bajrang Dal member Jwalit Mehta and seven others. The accused were detained at the Sardar Patel stadium for three to four hours and let off late evening.
Raju Patel, city coordinator of VHP, said, "We are against the concert of a Pakistani singer in Ahmedabad. Pakistani soldiers are beheading Indian soldiers. The tension in Kashmir is only growing by each passing day due to Pakistan's infiltration. In such an environment, Pakistani singer has no right to perform at Karnavati (Ahmedabad)."
October 29, 2013
India - Gujarat: Ahmedabad's Hindu neighbourhoods and Muslim ghettos
The Hindu, October 28, 2013
Worlds apart in a divided city
Darshan Desai
ACROSS THE ROAD: In contrast to their Hindu neighbourhoods, an increasing number of Muslim ghettos are stories that portray grave neglect and discrimination. Photo: Rajvi Desai
Muslims, who used to live across Ahmedabad, are now increasingly flocking to ghettos, mostly along the city’s fringes
Sajid Row Houses in the Maqdoomnagar locality of eastern Ahmedabad’s Vatwa suburb is an unauthorised colony that has existed for nearly 15 years. And so does Dharmabhoomi Society, divided by a wall nearly 10 metres away. But the similarity ends there.
This is one of the very few mixed neighbourhoods left in communally divided Ahmedabad, with more ghettos coming up over the last decade. Muslims from many areas who used to be scattered across the city are now flocking together in ghettos like Vatwa, a disorganised, industrial suburb.
No isolated instance
And a staggering four lakh-plus of them from all walks of life have moved into Juhapura, considered to be the biggest Muslim ghetto in Asia. Before the 2002 communal riots, Juhapura had an estimated 2.5 lakh people.
Most ghettos have come up on the fringes of the city, away from the Hindu mainstream and lacking in basic amenities.
Sajid Row Houses, that has 150 houses, and Qutb-e-alamnagar with around 500 — in Maqdoomnagar — present a picture of filth, slush and puddles of dirty water. They swarm with flies and mosquitoes. There are no sewerage lines. A foul smell permeates the air. There is no water supply, and whatever is drawn is not always potable. The garbage van from the Bharatiya Janata Party-controlled Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) is erratic.
In contrast, if you are perched on the top floor of any house in the Sajid Row Houses and look over the wall on the other side, Dharmabhoomi Society looks quite different. It has almost all the facilities that this neighbourhood lacks.
This is not an isolated instance, and is the same story in other places too. “What more can explain the reality than the fact that ours is a Muslim colony and theirs is not?” quips Subedar Shaikh, a retired railway employee living in Sajid Row Houses.
Unauthorised
They came to live here in 1998, “but out of the blue the AMC declared this reserved land for public purposes in 2004, and so our colony has now become unauthorised,” he says. The AMC would not even include the society under its impact fee scheme that envisages regularising unauthorised constructions for a fee, points out Shabbir Shaikh.
“We are ready with all legal procedures completed but they would just not listen to us.”
Wasim Ansari, a local BJP leader for the last 15 years, counters this. “This problem is not restricted to Maqdoomnagar. It exists in all illegal Muslim colonies in Ahmedabad because of the nexus between the Muslim builder mafia and Congress councillors.
“They set up illegal societies without providing any facilities and later leave the residents to fend for themselves. Look at the Hindu builders and the colonies they build. They are so well laid-out with all facilities. It is not right to blame the ruling party and give a communal angle to this,” he argues.
What Mr. Ansari says, however, is only the partial truth, what with illegal constructions having proliferated across the city over the years irrespective of which community built them. Senior Congress leader J.V. Momin points out: “By the AMC’s own admission, there are as many as five lakh unauthorised constructions in Ahmedabad alone and most are in so-called posh Hindu areas. Regularising many of them is easier than doing so with those in Muslim areas.”
“Illegal buildings cannot come up overnight without the connivance of officials and rulers of the AMC. What were they doing? And now this discrimination,” he says.
Come to Alifnagar in Vatwa, where people veritably live in the middle of garbage, slush and potholes full of turbid water.
“Forget gutter lines, water supply or garbage clearance. The AMC does not even conduct any fumigation in the area,” says Afsana Bano, who runs a small shop here. You need to perform some acrobatics to avoid stepping on the dirt to reach her shop. With no support from either the AMC or the small-time builder who set up the colony, people in the 54 houses in Nazar Park recently pooled small sums of money to lay an illegal drainage line.
Neglect & development
Cut to Juhapura on the western tip of Ahmedabad, which throws up not only all the woes that the smaller ghettos like Vatwa and others face, but also a worrying reality. This is that, if you are a Muslim in Gujarat you have no option but to head for a ghetto, irrespective of your economic and professional status.
This explains the emergence of two Juhapuras in the area. One that has economically well-off professionals living in plush apartment buildings and bungalows, not by choice but by force — for nobody would give them a house in Ahmedabad’s mainstream upmarket Hindu areas.
Tucked away behind these buildings on the main road that leads to a highway towards the Saurashtra region is the other Juhapura, where every colony resembles a huge slum. The civic infrastructure here — or the lack of it — has remained the same through the years, while the population has doubled because of an influx of riot victims and those scattered in other parts of the city.
The contrast between Muslim Juhapura and Hindu Vejalpur, neighbourhoods on either side of a road that is popularly known as Border, is as striking as it is between Sajid Row Houses and Dharmabhoomi Society in Vatwa. One is a story of neglect, another is one of development — split by just a road.
darshan.desai@thehindu.co.in
Worlds apart in a divided city
Darshan Desai
ACROSS THE ROAD: In contrast to their Hindu neighbourhoods, an increasing number of Muslim ghettos are stories that portray grave neglect and discrimination. Photo: Rajvi Desai
Muslims, who used to live across Ahmedabad, are now increasingly flocking to ghettos, mostly along the city’s fringes
Sajid Row Houses in the Maqdoomnagar locality of eastern Ahmedabad’s Vatwa suburb is an unauthorised colony that has existed for nearly 15 years. And so does Dharmabhoomi Society, divided by a wall nearly 10 metres away. But the similarity ends there.
This is one of the very few mixed neighbourhoods left in communally divided Ahmedabad, with more ghettos coming up over the last decade. Muslims from many areas who used to be scattered across the city are now flocking together in ghettos like Vatwa, a disorganised, industrial suburb.
No isolated instance
And a staggering four lakh-plus of them from all walks of life have moved into Juhapura, considered to be the biggest Muslim ghetto in Asia. Before the 2002 communal riots, Juhapura had an estimated 2.5 lakh people.
Most ghettos have come up on the fringes of the city, away from the Hindu mainstream and lacking in basic amenities.
Sajid Row Houses, that has 150 houses, and Qutb-e-alamnagar with around 500 — in Maqdoomnagar — present a picture of filth, slush and puddles of dirty water. They swarm with flies and mosquitoes. There are no sewerage lines. A foul smell permeates the air. There is no water supply, and whatever is drawn is not always potable. The garbage van from the Bharatiya Janata Party-controlled Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) is erratic.
In contrast, if you are perched on the top floor of any house in the Sajid Row Houses and look over the wall on the other side, Dharmabhoomi Society looks quite different. It has almost all the facilities that this neighbourhood lacks.
This is not an isolated instance, and is the same story in other places too. “What more can explain the reality than the fact that ours is a Muslim colony and theirs is not?” quips Subedar Shaikh, a retired railway employee living in Sajid Row Houses.
Unauthorised
They came to live here in 1998, “but out of the blue the AMC declared this reserved land for public purposes in 2004, and so our colony has now become unauthorised,” he says. The AMC would not even include the society under its impact fee scheme that envisages regularising unauthorised constructions for a fee, points out Shabbir Shaikh.
“We are ready with all legal procedures completed but they would just not listen to us.”
Wasim Ansari, a local BJP leader for the last 15 years, counters this. “This problem is not restricted to Maqdoomnagar. It exists in all illegal Muslim colonies in Ahmedabad because of the nexus between the Muslim builder mafia and Congress councillors.
“They set up illegal societies without providing any facilities and later leave the residents to fend for themselves. Look at the Hindu builders and the colonies they build. They are so well laid-out with all facilities. It is not right to blame the ruling party and give a communal angle to this,” he argues.
What Mr. Ansari says, however, is only the partial truth, what with illegal constructions having proliferated across the city over the years irrespective of which community built them. Senior Congress leader J.V. Momin points out: “By the AMC’s own admission, there are as many as five lakh unauthorised constructions in Ahmedabad alone and most are in so-called posh Hindu areas. Regularising many of them is easier than doing so with those in Muslim areas.”
“Illegal buildings cannot come up overnight without the connivance of officials and rulers of the AMC. What were they doing? And now this discrimination,” he says.
Come to Alifnagar in Vatwa, where people veritably live in the middle of garbage, slush and potholes full of turbid water.
“Forget gutter lines, water supply or garbage clearance. The AMC does not even conduct any fumigation in the area,” says Afsana Bano, who runs a small shop here. You need to perform some acrobatics to avoid stepping on the dirt to reach her shop. With no support from either the AMC or the small-time builder who set up the colony, people in the 54 houses in Nazar Park recently pooled small sums of money to lay an illegal drainage line.
Neglect & development
Cut to Juhapura on the western tip of Ahmedabad, which throws up not only all the woes that the smaller ghettos like Vatwa and others face, but also a worrying reality. This is that, if you are a Muslim in Gujarat you have no option but to head for a ghetto, irrespective of your economic and professional status.
This explains the emergence of two Juhapuras in the area. One that has economically well-off professionals living in plush apartment buildings and bungalows, not by choice but by force — for nobody would give them a house in Ahmedabad’s mainstream upmarket Hindu areas.
Tucked away behind these buildings on the main road that leads to a highway towards the Saurashtra region is the other Juhapura, where every colony resembles a huge slum. The civic infrastructure here — or the lack of it — has remained the same through the years, while the population has doubled because of an influx of riot victims and those scattered in other parts of the city.
The contrast between Muslim Juhapura and Hindu Vejalpur, neighbourhoods on either side of a road that is popularly known as Border, is as striking as it is between Sajid Row Houses and Dharmabhoomi Society in Vatwa. One is a story of neglect, another is one of development — split by just a road.
darshan.desai@thehindu.co.in
October 15, 2013
How Modi Sanitises Untouchability !
by Subhash Gatade
Not very many people would have read about a study by an American scholar Stephanie Tam of the Roberta Buffett Center for International and Comparative Studies, Northwestern University, about the status of sewerage system in Ahmedabad. Titled "Coprology and Caste : : The Status of Sewerage in Ahmedabad, India”, it brings home a stark point that Ahmedabad may be one of the earliest pioneers of sewerage system in the 19th century but it has not only failed to solve manual scavenging; rather manual scavenging has been given a new form. (http://counterview.org/2013/09/18/american-scholar-narrates-how-ahmedabads-sweeper-caste-was-morphed-into-sewer-caste-over-the-decades/)
In fact the absence of change in the lifeworlds of the people engaged in scavenging can be had by comparing two reports. The report brought out by Scavenger's Living Conditions Enquiry Committee (1955) reveals that Bhangis in the region had no latrines, and lived next to dumping grounds and open drains whereas a 2006 state-wide study, tells us that 45.4 per cent of Bhangis still had no toilets and no bathrooms, their unsanitary living conditions being used to justify their polluted status.
It is important to look into details of the matter as the chief minister of the state is engaged in telling people outside the state that they have 'solved' the problem successfully.
Look at the “A Road Map for Zero Waste Ahmedabad City – A Visionary Document to Guide Ahmedabad towards Becoming a Resource Efficient and Zero Waste City by 2031”, which was recently released as an official document. Analysing it Jitendra Rathod ( Senior activist with Janvikas, Ahmedabad) tells us how it provides “visionary” insights into how to make Ahmedabad a zero waste city in less than two decades but surprisingly, the document is silent on the plight of the manual scavengers: The document has been financed and commissioned jointly by the AMC and the United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD). The document addresses several concerns of waste and waste management – except the safety and better health of the sweepers!
The title page of the document is sufficient to prove the casteist mindset of the AMC administration. The document claims to be “visionary”, but the sweepers will continue to collect the garbage, dust, filth of the city by unclean way.
The so-called visionary document mentions that almost 1,10,667 metric tonnes (MT) of solid waste is generated in the city on a monthly basis. Out of this, most of it, 1,08,454 MT, is collected manually by sweepers. The document itself accepts that these wastes are collected by sweepers in an unclean way to keep the city neat, clean and a better place to live in.
(http://counterview.org/2013/10/14/ahmedabad-rulers-want-to-ensure-city-becomes-zero-waste-by-2031-but-they-are-crucially-silent-on-the-plight-of-sweepers/)
II
Undoubtedly, Narendra Modi, would not have imagined that his exhortation that 'toilets first, temples later' at a Delhi conclave would not only generate a debate within the saffron fraternity but would also bring back focus on the pathetic situation of sanitation in his home state itself. And the ensuing discussion would also transcend to his controversial ideas about untouchability - the social-religious practice based on the logic of purity and pollution which has marginalised, terrorised and relegated a section of Indian society to a life marked by humiliation and indignity.
Coming to the figures about sanitation in the state. If the 2001 census had shown rural sanitation coverage meaning three basic facilities — drinking water, electricity and sanitation - merely at a low 21%, the 2012-13 India Rural Development Report tells us that it has reached merely 25 % of the state's population. The situation is not very encouraging in urban areas as well.
In fact, a recent survey by 'Manav Garima', a community-based organization, fighting for the rights of the scavenging community, Valmikis, in Ahmedabad, has found that there are 126 spots where manual scavenging is practiced under the aegis of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) itself. The survey suggests, 188 dry latrines still continue to operate in the city. (http://www.truthofgujarat.com/though-prohibited-law-manual-scavenging-manual-removal-excreta-still-prevalent-ahmedabad/)
If one goes outside Ahmedabad situation seems worse. Issues related with manual scavenging in smaller towns of Gujarat were recently highlighted in a survey carried out by Navsarjan Trust which shows that despite the law against manual scavenging, which was made more stringent by Indian Parliament recently, Gujarat’s smaller towns are some of the worst victims of the despicable age-old practice of manually removing excreta, imposed upon the valimiki community for generations. Dholka town, situated around 50 kilometres from Ahmedabad, is a classic example where despite repeated reminders by NGOs fighting against manual scavenging, the state officialdom has failed come out its slumber, the practice continues till date. The whole thing came to light when a petition was filed by Navsarjan Trust, before the National Human Rights Commission (HHRC) in January 2013.
Interestingly, there is a great hiatus between what the government admits and the actual situation on the ground. When a petition was filed by the same organisation with the National Human Rights Commission in this regard in the year 2010, the Gujarat government had no qualms in replying that there were no manual scavengers in the whole state and it is serious in effective implementation of the 1993 act (Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993,) which stipulates punishment to those employing manual scavengers or those who order construction of dry (non-flush) latrines.
Whether this silence vis-a-vis manual scavenging is because of Modi feels that it is a 'spiritual experience' need to be looked into. As is evident, his retrograde thinking which rather sanitises the humiliation of a community has not received the attention it deserved.
III
It was the year 2007 when collection of Narendra Modi's speeches to IAS officials at various points of time were compiled in a book form named 'Karmyog' and were published by the Gujarat government. Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation, a top ranking PSU was roped in to fund 5,000 copies of the book. Thanks to a veteran journalist, Rajiv Shah, without whose incisive report, the world would not have known l'affaire 'Karmyog'. (http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/true-lies/entry/modi-s-spiritual-potion-to-woo-karmayogis)
Pages 48-49 of the said book give an inkling of Modi's ideas. He writes :
"I do not believe that they have been doing this job just to sustain their livelihood. Had this been so, they would not have continued with this type of job generation after generation….At some point of time, somebody must have got the enlightenment that it is their (Valmikis') duty to work for the happiness of the entire society and the Gods; that they have to do this job bestowed upon them by Gods; and that this job of cleaning up should continue as an internal spiritual activity for centuries. This should have continued generation after generation. It is impossible to believe that their ancestors did not have the choice of adopting any other work or business."
Later Modi's remark got published in the Times of India in mid-November 2007, which were translated and republished in few Tamil newspapers. There was a massive reaction of Dalits in Tamil Nadu for calling their menial job "spiritual experience". Modi's effigies were burnt in different parts of the state. Sensing trouble Modi immediately withdrew 5,000 copies of the book, but still sticked to his opinion. Two years later, addressing 9,000-odd safai karmacharis, (cleanliness workers) he likened the safai karmacharis’ job of cleaning up others dirt' to that of a temple priest. He told them,
“A priest cleans a temple every day before prayers, you also clean the city like a temple. You and the temple priest work alike.”
One was reminded of these ideas of Modi, when news came in sometime back that the budget for this financial year passed by the Gujarat state assembly, had allocated a sum of Rs 22.5 lakhs for giving training in Karmkand (rituals) to Safai Kamdars themselves. The idea was to train them in scriptures so that they could perform pujas (organise worships). It is clear that the 'new scheme' as it was presented before the people was just a revised version of its earlier scheme wherein members of the scheduled communities were given training to become 'Gurubrahmins' so that they could also perform pujas. It could be asked if Modi values safai karmacharis so highly, why is it that he has begun outsourcing all the menial jobs for a very low pay, between Rs 3,000 and Rs 3,500 per month per worker. Why they are not being employed on a permanent basis? (http://kafila.org/2013/03/04/modis-social-engineering/)
With custodians of the state themselves having such regressive understanding it is not difficult to understand why untouchability is widely prevalent in Gujarat. Study by Navsarjan, a voluntary organisation, of 1,589 villages (2010) tells us that of these 98 per cent of the villages still practise untouchability. While the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, mandates a special court and a special public prosecutor to deal with atrocity cases, but the state government says that it does not have any money for this.
And the latest 'proof' which reflects the mindset of the Gujarat government and its 'able administrator' could be had from a state sponsored report 'Impact of Caste Discrimination and Distinctions on Equal Opportunities : A Study of Gujarat' (May 2013) wherein it calls caste discrimination a matter of "perceptions". (http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/true-lies/entry/untouchability-and-modi-s-babus). Period.
- Subhash Gatade, H 4 Pusa Apts, Rohini, Sector 15m Delhi 110089 Mob : 09868940920 / 011-27876523
------------
SEE ALSO:
Not very many people would have read about a study by an American scholar Stephanie Tam of the Roberta Buffett Center for International and Comparative Studies, Northwestern University, about the status of sewerage system in Ahmedabad. Titled "Coprology and Caste : : The Status of Sewerage in Ahmedabad, India”, it brings home a stark point that Ahmedabad may be one of the earliest pioneers of sewerage system in the 19th century but it has not only failed to solve manual scavenging; rather manual scavenging has been given a new form. (http://counterview.org/2013/09/18/american-scholar-narrates-how-ahmedabads-sweeper-caste-was-morphed-into-sewer-caste-over-the-decades/)
In fact the absence of change in the lifeworlds of the people engaged in scavenging can be had by comparing two reports. The report brought out by Scavenger's Living Conditions Enquiry Committee (1955) reveals that Bhangis in the region had no latrines, and lived next to dumping grounds and open drains whereas a 2006 state-wide study, tells us that 45.4 per cent of Bhangis still had no toilets and no bathrooms, their unsanitary living conditions being used to justify their polluted status.
It is important to look into details of the matter as the chief minister of the state is engaged in telling people outside the state that they have 'solved' the problem successfully.
Look at the “A Road Map for Zero Waste Ahmedabad City – A Visionary Document to Guide Ahmedabad towards Becoming a Resource Efficient and Zero Waste City by 2031”, which was recently released as an official document. Analysing it Jitendra Rathod ( Senior activist with Janvikas, Ahmedabad) tells us how it provides “visionary” insights into how to make Ahmedabad a zero waste city in less than two decades but surprisingly, the document is silent on the plight of the manual scavengers: The document has been financed and commissioned jointly by the AMC and the United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD). The document addresses several concerns of waste and waste management – except the safety and better health of the sweepers!
The title page of the document is sufficient to prove the casteist mindset of the AMC administration. The document claims to be “visionary”, but the sweepers will continue to collect the garbage, dust, filth of the city by unclean way.
The so-called visionary document mentions that almost 1,10,667 metric tonnes (MT) of solid waste is generated in the city on a monthly basis. Out of this, most of it, 1,08,454 MT, is collected manually by sweepers. The document itself accepts that these wastes are collected by sweepers in an unclean way to keep the city neat, clean and a better place to live in.
(http://counterview.org/2013/10/14/ahmedabad-rulers-want-to-ensure-city-becomes-zero-waste-by-2031-but-they-are-crucially-silent-on-the-plight-of-sweepers/)
II
Undoubtedly, Narendra Modi, would not have imagined that his exhortation that 'toilets first, temples later' at a Delhi conclave would not only generate a debate within the saffron fraternity but would also bring back focus on the pathetic situation of sanitation in his home state itself. And the ensuing discussion would also transcend to his controversial ideas about untouchability - the social-religious practice based on the logic of purity and pollution which has marginalised, terrorised and relegated a section of Indian society to a life marked by humiliation and indignity.
Coming to the figures about sanitation in the state. If the 2001 census had shown rural sanitation coverage meaning three basic facilities — drinking water, electricity and sanitation - merely at a low 21%, the 2012-13 India Rural Development Report tells us that it has reached merely 25 % of the state's population. The situation is not very encouraging in urban areas as well.
In fact, a recent survey by 'Manav Garima', a community-based organization, fighting for the rights of the scavenging community, Valmikis, in Ahmedabad, has found that there are 126 spots where manual scavenging is practiced under the aegis of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) itself. The survey suggests, 188 dry latrines still continue to operate in the city. (http://www.truthofgujarat.com/though-prohibited-law-manual-scavenging-manual-removal-excreta-still-prevalent-ahmedabad/)
If one goes outside Ahmedabad situation seems worse. Issues related with manual scavenging in smaller towns of Gujarat were recently highlighted in a survey carried out by Navsarjan Trust which shows that despite the law against manual scavenging, which was made more stringent by Indian Parliament recently, Gujarat’s smaller towns are some of the worst victims of the despicable age-old practice of manually removing excreta, imposed upon the valimiki community for generations. Dholka town, situated around 50 kilometres from Ahmedabad, is a classic example where despite repeated reminders by NGOs fighting against manual scavenging, the state officialdom has failed come out its slumber, the practice continues till date. The whole thing came to light when a petition was filed by Navsarjan Trust, before the National Human Rights Commission (HHRC) in January 2013.
Interestingly, there is a great hiatus between what the government admits and the actual situation on the ground. When a petition was filed by the same organisation with the National Human Rights Commission in this regard in the year 2010, the Gujarat government had no qualms in replying that there were no manual scavengers in the whole state and it is serious in effective implementation of the 1993 act (Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993,) which stipulates punishment to those employing manual scavengers or those who order construction of dry (non-flush) latrines.
Whether this silence vis-a-vis manual scavenging is because of Modi feels that it is a 'spiritual experience' need to be looked into. As is evident, his retrograde thinking which rather sanitises the humiliation of a community has not received the attention it deserved.
III
It was the year 2007 when collection of Narendra Modi's speeches to IAS officials at various points of time were compiled in a book form named 'Karmyog' and were published by the Gujarat government. Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation, a top ranking PSU was roped in to fund 5,000 copies of the book. Thanks to a veteran journalist, Rajiv Shah, without whose incisive report, the world would not have known l'affaire 'Karmyog'. (http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/true-lies/entry/modi-s-spiritual-potion-to-woo-karmayogis)
Pages 48-49 of the said book give an inkling of Modi's ideas. He writes :
"I do not believe that they have been doing this job just to sustain their livelihood. Had this been so, they would not have continued with this type of job generation after generation….At some point of time, somebody must have got the enlightenment that it is their (Valmikis') duty to work for the happiness of the entire society and the Gods; that they have to do this job bestowed upon them by Gods; and that this job of cleaning up should continue as an internal spiritual activity for centuries. This should have continued generation after generation. It is impossible to believe that their ancestors did not have the choice of adopting any other work or business."
Later Modi's remark got published in the Times of India in mid-November 2007, which were translated and republished in few Tamil newspapers. There was a massive reaction of Dalits in Tamil Nadu for calling their menial job "spiritual experience". Modi's effigies were burnt in different parts of the state. Sensing trouble Modi immediately withdrew 5,000 copies of the book, but still sticked to his opinion. Two years later, addressing 9,000-odd safai karmacharis, (cleanliness workers) he likened the safai karmacharis’ job of cleaning up others dirt' to that of a temple priest. He told them,
“A priest cleans a temple every day before prayers, you also clean the city like a temple. You and the temple priest work alike.”
One was reminded of these ideas of Modi, when news came in sometime back that the budget for this financial year passed by the Gujarat state assembly, had allocated a sum of Rs 22.5 lakhs for giving training in Karmkand (rituals) to Safai Kamdars themselves. The idea was to train them in scriptures so that they could perform pujas (organise worships). It is clear that the 'new scheme' as it was presented before the people was just a revised version of its earlier scheme wherein members of the scheduled communities were given training to become 'Gurubrahmins' so that they could also perform pujas. It could be asked if Modi values safai karmacharis so highly, why is it that he has begun outsourcing all the menial jobs for a very low pay, between Rs 3,000 and Rs 3,500 per month per worker. Why they are not being employed on a permanent basis? (http://kafila.org/2013/03/04/modis-social-engineering/)
With custodians of the state themselves having such regressive understanding it is not difficult to understand why untouchability is widely prevalent in Gujarat. Study by Navsarjan, a voluntary organisation, of 1,589 villages (2010) tells us that of these 98 per cent of the villages still practise untouchability. While the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, mandates a special court and a special public prosecutor to deal with atrocity cases, but the state government says that it does not have any money for this.
And the latest 'proof' which reflects the mindset of the Gujarat government and its 'able administrator' could be had from a state sponsored report 'Impact of Caste Discrimination and Distinctions on Equal Opportunities : A Study of Gujarat' (May 2013) wherein it calls caste discrimination a matter of "perceptions". (http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/true-lies/entry/untouchability-and-modi-s-babus). Period.
- Subhash Gatade, H 4 Pusa Apts, Rohini, Sector 15m Delhi 110089 Mob : 09868940920 / 011-27876523
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SEE ALSO:
August 17, 2013
India: Mob of Hindutwa Right Wing Activists Vandalises Ahmedabad Pakistani artists’ paintings exhibit, Tears Down Paintings
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/mob-vandalises-ahmedabad-art-exhibition-tears-down-paintings/1156449/
Mob vandalises Ahmedabad art exhibition, tears down paintings
Express news service : Ahmedabad, Sat Aug 17 2013
A group of 20 persons vandalised an art exhibition at Amdavad ni Gufa in Ahmedabad on Friday afternoon. The group tore down more than two dozen paintings belonging to celebrated artists hailing from both India and Pakistan.
It is being alleged that a group of "right wing" activists was behind the act. However, no organisation has so far claimed responsibilities. The art gallery was designed by well-known painter M F Hussain and the city's noted architect B V Doshi.
The exhibition was organised by Mumbai-based International Creative Art Centre (ICAC). Gallery in-charge Vipul Prajapati said, "About 15 to 20 men, shouting slogans of 'Jai Shree Ram', entered the gallery and started damaging the paintings. I have no idea who these people were, but they targeted the whole gallery, damaging paintings, glass panes, as well as furniture."
The exhibition, inaugurated on Tuesday, was scheduled to conclude this weekend. While interacting with mediapersons, Ravindra Maradia, who is associated with ICAC, said the organisers recieved no warnings in this connection.
"I think that due to the recent incidents between India and Pakistan on the Line of Control, some people could have targeted the exhibition. The same exhibition was held in Mumbai a year ago, but there was no problem at all," he added.
No police complaint was lodged till late in the evening, while Gujarat University Police Inspector V M Selar said that organizers have not asked for any sort of protection.
Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone-1, Virendra Singh Yadav, however, said that police are looking into the incident.
o o o
http://www.firstpost.com/india/ahmedabad-alleged-vhp-supporters-vandalise-pak-artists-paintings-in-art-gallery-1039523.html
Mob vandalises Ahmedabad art exhibition, tears down paintings
Express news service : Ahmedabad, Sat Aug 17 2013
A group of 20 persons vandalised an art exhibition at Amdavad ni Gufa in Ahmedabad on Friday afternoon. The group tore down more than two dozen paintings belonging to celebrated artists hailing from both India and Pakistan.
It is being alleged that a group of "right wing" activists was behind the act. However, no organisation has so far claimed responsibilities. The art gallery was designed by well-known painter M F Hussain and the city's noted architect B V Doshi.
The exhibition was organised by Mumbai-based International Creative Art Centre (ICAC). Gallery in-charge Vipul Prajapati said, "About 15 to 20 men, shouting slogans of 'Jai Shree Ram', entered the gallery and started damaging the paintings. I have no idea who these people were, but they targeted the whole gallery, damaging paintings, glass panes, as well as furniture."
The exhibition, inaugurated on Tuesday, was scheduled to conclude this weekend. While interacting with mediapersons, Ravindra Maradia, who is associated with ICAC, said the organisers recieved no warnings in this connection.
"I think that due to the recent incidents between India and Pakistan on the Line of Control, some people could have targeted the exhibition. The same exhibition was held in Mumbai a year ago, but there was no problem at all," he added.
No police complaint was lodged till late in the evening, while Gujarat University Police Inspector V M Selar said that organizers have not asked for any sort of protection.
Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone-1, Virendra Singh Yadav, however, said that police are looking into the incident.
o o o
http://www.firstpost.com/india/ahmedabad-alleged-vhp-supporters-vandalise-pak-artists-paintings-in-art-gallery-1039523.html
Ahmedabad: Alleged VHP supporters vandalise Pak artists’ paintings in art gallery
Aug 16, 2013 Ahmedabad: An art gallery exhibiting works by Pakistani artists was vandalised today by alleged VHP activists, who tore all the paintings and ransacked furniture.
Around 20 people were involved in the vandalism at Amdavad-ni-Gufa, witnesses said.
“How can paintings of Pakistani artists be allowed to be on display here when that country is beheading and killing our soldiers, waging a proxy war,” VHP Gujarat unit general secretary Ranchhod Bharvad told PTI.
Evading a question on whether VHP activists had ransacked the gallery and torn paintings, he said, “Our workers went there and registered a strong protest.”
Exhibition organiser Raveendra Maradia said, “Some people came and vandalised the exhibition. They even tore paintings by Indian artists. I don’t know if they were from VHP or Bajrang Dal, but I am sure that they were anti-social elements.”
Amdavad-ni-Gufa is an art gallery established jointly by the late M F Husain and noted architect B V
Doshi. Seventeen paintings were on display since August 13, including 11 by Pakistani artists.
“The purpose of this exhibition was to showcase the development in art and artists of both countries for more than 60 years,” Maradia said.
A complaint was registered at the Gujarat University police station, he said.
PTI
Around 20 people were involved in the vandalism at Amdavad-ni-Gufa, witnesses said.
“How can paintings of Pakistani artists be allowed to be on display here when that country is beheading and killing our soldiers, waging a proxy war,” VHP Gujarat unit general secretary Ranchhod Bharvad told PTI.
VHP supporters allegedly targetted an art exhibition in Ahmedabad. The image of an eralier VHP protest is used for representational purposes only. AFP.
Exhibition organiser Raveendra Maradia said, “Some people came and vandalised the exhibition. They even tore paintings by Indian artists. I don’t know if they were from VHP or Bajrang Dal, but I am sure that they were anti-social elements.”
Amdavad-ni-Gufa is an art gallery established jointly by the late M F Husain and noted architect B V
Doshi. Seventeen paintings were on display since August 13, including 11 by Pakistani artists.
“The purpose of this exhibition was to showcase the development in art and artists of both countries for more than 60 years,” Maradia said.
A complaint was registered at the Gujarat University police station, he said.
PTI
April 22, 2013
Announcement: 27 April Ahmedabad seminar on India's Descent into Fascism
Source: http://tinyurl.com/bstu97t
India’s Descent Into Fascism: Can We Stop It? (27 April Seminar in Ahmadabad)
Monday 22 April 2013, by anhad e-admin
India’s Descent Into Fascism: Can We Stop It?
ŕŞારતમાં ફાશીવાદના મૂળઃ શું આપણે રોકી શકીશુ?
A Day Long Seminar
April 27, 2013 10Am To 5Pm
Mehdi Nawaj Jung Hall Paldi, Ahmadabad
Speakers:
Anil Choudhry, Fr Cedric Prakash, Gautam Thakker, Ghanshyam Shah, Kabir Thakore, Mahesh Pandya, Mallika Sarabhai, Mehul Makwana, Neha Shah, Paresh Vyas, Prakash Shah, Raju Solanki, Sofiya Khan, Uttam Parmar, Waqar Qazi, Zakia Soman
Film Screening: Zulmaton Ke Daur Main
ORGANISED BY:
ANHAD, ARAVALLI ADIVASI VIKAS TRUST, BMMA, BSC, JANVIKAS, JANPATH, PARYAVARAN MITRA, PUCL, SAFAR
India’s Descent Into Fascism: Can We Stop It? (27 April Seminar in Ahmadabad)
Monday 22 April 2013, by anhad e-admin
India’s Descent Into Fascism: Can We Stop It?
ŕŞારતમાં ફાશીવાદના મૂળઃ શું આપણે રોકી શકીશુ?
A Day Long Seminar
April 27, 2013 10Am To 5Pm
Mehdi Nawaj Jung Hall Paldi, Ahmadabad
Speakers:
Anil Choudhry, Fr Cedric Prakash, Gautam Thakker, Ghanshyam Shah, Kabir Thakore, Mahesh Pandya, Mallika Sarabhai, Mehul Makwana, Neha Shah, Paresh Vyas, Prakash Shah, Raju Solanki, Sofiya Khan, Uttam Parmar, Waqar Qazi, Zakia Soman
Film Screening: Zulmaton Ke Daur Main
ORGANISED BY:
ANHAD, ARAVALLI ADIVASI VIKAS TRUST, BMMA, BSC, JANVIKAS, JANPATH, PARYAVARAN MITRA, PUCL, SAFAR
February 18, 2013
Nida Yamin the face of those who will not accept living in a ghetto as a fact of life in urban India
From: Indian Express
Pride of place
Seema Chishti : New Delhi, Mon Feb 18 2013, 02:47 hrs
You could call Nida Yamin the face of those who will not accept living in a ghetto as a fact of life in urban India.
When Nida, now 26, stepped out of her home in Delhi for a physiotherapy course — she would go on to become the first girl in the family to graduate — she thought the battle with reluctant relatives would remain the toughest she would ever fight. But her journey from Delhi to Ahmedabad — she now lives in Patna with her groom — pitted Nida against the deep biases still prevailing in urban India about who one's neighbour should be.
Against all family advice again, she had decided to take up work at IIM Ahmedabad last November as a research associate. She soon discovered that she could not choose her accommodation in a city that, while claiming to be urban India's promise, also has among the most tightly separated ghettos in independent India. "I was shocked at the kind of discrimination I saw there," she says.
Denied the flat she wanted in upscale Vastrapur along with her roommate Shwetambara — from Bihar, from where Nida's family too originally hails — Nida says what shocked her was that "I was told straight to my face by the landlady, after she had agreed to give us the flat, that she wouldn't as I was a Muslim. When I asked her how she could say that to my face, she told me casually that it was because of my father's face; he wore a cap and a beard."
Nida steeled herself. "As I was a development practitioner, I decided I would speak out," said Nida, who had enrolled at IIM to work on a rural sanitation project in Bihar.
She found support from Shwetambara, who too refused to stay in that flat and continued to hunt for another with Nida. A local daily published a report of her experience, after which she got "lots of calls with numbers of Muslim agents, for living in Muslim colonies".
Meanwhile, Zahir Janmohamed, 25, a US-based third-generation Gujarati expatriate who had witnessed the 2002 riots by chance, and who was now living in the Juhapura ghetto for a project on Muslims in such ghettos, contacted Nida and offered to help her find a roof over her head.
"I was struck by the brave and sensible girl," he says. "She told me she was a practising Muslim by faith and not accommodation, and would proudly tell people who she was and that she did not live in the ghetto but a city, as she did in South Delhi. She refused all offers."
Nida and Shwetambara did manage to find a place in Vastrapur eventually, but she was told she must not tell anyone she was Muslim. "I didn't want to give up my fight for maintaining my identity and self-respect, so I struggled for a month to find an apartment in the same locality, and found one," Nida says. "But my last encounter with discrimination did make me feel insecure this time, living in an unfamiliar locality. It made me cautious about speaking to neighbours this time. It made me maintain a distance from everyone in the locality."
As it turned out, Nida stayed there a month before marrying her fiance. "Fate has it that I will not go back to Ahmedabad," says Nida, who hasmoved to Patna with her husband.
Says Janmohamed, who was at her wedding, "I was struck by her matter-of-factness when she attacked deep-rooted discrimination which people accept and try and move on. She even refused to go by her nickname which is not indicative of her beliefs. When I congratulated her father at the wedding for her bravery, he did not even know about it."
While battling it out in Ahmedabad, Nida had keep it from her family for fear that the fuss would discourage Muslim families from sending girls out to work away from home. She says her family, especially her pious and supportive mother, had "stood by me when I decided not to take up an MBBS but instead to be a development practitioner, a field I chose because of its uniqueness; it went beyond the boundaries of one's profession. It gave me the freedom to become a bridge for the inequalities existing in society."
Though her roommate had bolstered her spirits by standing by her, Nida was disappointed with fellow IIM students who, she says, had felt it was odd of her not to be realistic and accept the discrimination as it was "the real world". "The shock of my life came after I discussed this issue on a broader platform during a class," she says. "There were about 60 final-year postgraduate students. When I raised this question of discrimination, 40 out of 60 kept quiet and 10 tried to explain to me that it happens and it's a normal situation in society. A major disappointment was the views of girls in the class."
Though she has left Ahmedabad, she says, "my fight against discrimination has just begun... I have travelled a lot around the country, and I have never hidden who I was and openly declared that I am a believer. We have always respected others who believe and have celebrated all festivals. I expect others to do the same."
Pride of place
Seema Chishti : New Delhi, Mon Feb 18 2013, 02:47 hrs
You could call Nida Yamin the face of those who will not accept living in a ghetto as a fact of life in urban India.
When Nida, now 26, stepped out of her home in Delhi for a physiotherapy course — she would go on to become the first girl in the family to graduate — she thought the battle with reluctant relatives would remain the toughest she would ever fight. But her journey from Delhi to Ahmedabad — she now lives in Patna with her groom — pitted Nida against the deep biases still prevailing in urban India about who one's neighbour should be.
Against all family advice again, she had decided to take up work at IIM Ahmedabad last November as a research associate. She soon discovered that she could not choose her accommodation in a city that, while claiming to be urban India's promise, also has among the most tightly separated ghettos in independent India. "I was shocked at the kind of discrimination I saw there," she says.
Denied the flat she wanted in upscale Vastrapur along with her roommate Shwetambara — from Bihar, from where Nida's family too originally hails — Nida says what shocked her was that "I was told straight to my face by the landlady, after she had agreed to give us the flat, that she wouldn't as I was a Muslim. When I asked her how she could say that to my face, she told me casually that it was because of my father's face; he wore a cap and a beard."
Nida steeled herself. "As I was a development practitioner, I decided I would speak out," said Nida, who had enrolled at IIM to work on a rural sanitation project in Bihar.
She found support from Shwetambara, who too refused to stay in that flat and continued to hunt for another with Nida. A local daily published a report of her experience, after which she got "lots of calls with numbers of Muslim agents, for living in Muslim colonies".
Meanwhile, Zahir Janmohamed, 25, a US-based third-generation Gujarati expatriate who had witnessed the 2002 riots by chance, and who was now living in the Juhapura ghetto for a project on Muslims in such ghettos, contacted Nida and offered to help her find a roof over her head.
"I was struck by the brave and sensible girl," he says. "She told me she was a practising Muslim by faith and not accommodation, and would proudly tell people who she was and that she did not live in the ghetto but a city, as she did in South Delhi. She refused all offers."
Nida and Shwetambara did manage to find a place in Vastrapur eventually, but she was told she must not tell anyone she was Muslim. "I didn't want to give up my fight for maintaining my identity and self-respect, so I struggled for a month to find an apartment in the same locality, and found one," Nida says. "But my last encounter with discrimination did make me feel insecure this time, living in an unfamiliar locality. It made me cautious about speaking to neighbours this time. It made me maintain a distance from everyone in the locality."
As it turned out, Nida stayed there a month before marrying her fiance. "Fate has it that I will not go back to Ahmedabad," says Nida, who hasmoved to Patna with her husband.
Says Janmohamed, who was at her wedding, "I was struck by her matter-of-factness when she attacked deep-rooted discrimination which people accept and try and move on. She even refused to go by her nickname which is not indicative of her beliefs. When I congratulated her father at the wedding for her bravery, he did not even know about it."
While battling it out in Ahmedabad, Nida had keep it from her family for fear that the fuss would discourage Muslim families from sending girls out to work away from home. She says her family, especially her pious and supportive mother, had "stood by me when I decided not to take up an MBBS but instead to be a development practitioner, a field I chose because of its uniqueness; it went beyond the boundaries of one's profession. It gave me the freedom to become a bridge for the inequalities existing in society."
Though her roommate had bolstered her spirits by standing by her, Nida was disappointed with fellow IIM students who, she says, had felt it was odd of her not to be realistic and accept the discrimination as it was "the real world". "The shock of my life came after I discussed this issue on a broader platform during a class," she says. "There were about 60 final-year postgraduate students. When I raised this question of discrimination, 40 out of 60 kept quiet and 10 tried to explain to me that it happens and it's a normal situation in society. A major disappointment was the views of girls in the class."
Though she has left Ahmedabad, she says, "my fight against discrimination has just begun... I have travelled a lot around the country, and I have never hidden who I was and openly declared that I am a believer. We have always respected others who believe and have celebrated all festivals. I expect others to do the same."
October 31, 2012
India: Billboard of “Hitler” men’s wear store in Ahmedabad taken down [possibly because Modi wants appear sensitive to international image]
From: Indian Express
AMC team brings down HITLER in a surprise raid
Express news service : Ahmedabad, Wed Oct 31 2012, 04:20 hrs
Ahmedabad
In an unusual move, the municipal staff on Tuesday suddenly turned up at the “Hitler” men’s wear store in the city’s Vastrapur area and tore down fonts from its billboard even as onlookers watched on.
Municipal Commissioner Guruprasad Mohapatra admitted he had ordered his staff to remove the name which was in “extremely bad taste”. “We have no legal basis for today’s action, but the store’s name was in extremely bad taste. The Israeli Consul-General wrote me a letter complaining about it. I also received hundreds of emails from different people.”
Taken aback since they had not received any notice, the store’s owners along with their lawyer rushed to lodge an FIR with the local police station. When that was disallowed, they submitted a complaint against “unidentified persons of AMC” at the Police Commissioner’s office for destruction of property and forcibly changing their store’s name.
On Tuesday noon, a team of municipal staff arrived at the Advait shopping complex, where the store is located, and ordered the board removed.
“It happened so fast that we did not have time to register a complaint with the police,” said Rajesh Shah, one of the owners who was forced by the AMC staff to climb up a ladder and pull down the white fonts from the black board.
Within half-an-hour, the white H-I-T-L-E-R letters had been yanked off, but the swastika that dotted the “i” and tiny, almost imperceptible cursive letters “I’m not”, stuck in front of the Nazi dictator’s surname after widespread protests last month, remained.
Soon afterward, civic officials left and Manish Chandani, also one of the owners, zoomed off on his motorcycle to lodge an FIR with the local police station.
“They should have sent us a legal notice. They cannot suddenly come and destroy private property like this. We have registered the trademark with the central government and the registration of the store’s name is pending with the civic authorities,” Shah said, adding that officials in the shops and establishment department of the AMC had asked him to rename the store.
Mohapatra, however, said: “I have no idea if they were asked to change the name at the time of applying for a licence. The sign board is removed and they will apply with a new name,” he said.
The civic chief added that authorities had earlier tried to dissuade them from using the name when they applied for the licence to use it.
Ever since it opened over two months ago, the store had received media attention both nationwide and internationally after a group of local Jews visited the store to ask the name be changed.
An official from the Chief Minister’s Office is even said to have accompanied civic officials to try and persuade Shah and Chandani to change the name on September 4.
Israeli Consul-General Orna Sagiv, who was in Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad for a trade fair of Israeli technology, had even told journalists she highlighted the issue when she met CM Narendra Modi.
After the pressure mounted, the owners had relented and announced they would change the name. The New York Times even issued a call for suggestions for the store’s new name.
Shah and Chandani, however, backtracked later, saying those who wanted the name changed must pay for a new signboard and foot expenses for a new registration.
Stray protests continued. Shah said two local “Jewish” men came to the store a few weeks ago enquiring about the price of some t-shirts but eventually asking why the name was not changed as announced.
“I knew they were not really interested in those t-shirts,” said Shah.
AMC team brings down HITLER in a surprise raid
Express news service : Ahmedabad, Wed Oct 31 2012, 04:20 hrs
Ahmedabad
In an unusual move, the municipal staff on Tuesday suddenly turned up at the “Hitler” men’s wear store in the city’s Vastrapur area and tore down fonts from its billboard even as onlookers watched on.
Municipal Commissioner Guruprasad Mohapatra admitted he had ordered his staff to remove the name which was in “extremely bad taste”. “We have no legal basis for today’s action, but the store’s name was in extremely bad taste. The Israeli Consul-General wrote me a letter complaining about it. I also received hundreds of emails from different people.”
Taken aback since they had not received any notice, the store’s owners along with their lawyer rushed to lodge an FIR with the local police station. When that was disallowed, they submitted a complaint against “unidentified persons of AMC” at the Police Commissioner’s office for destruction of property and forcibly changing their store’s name.
On Tuesday noon, a team of municipal staff arrived at the Advait shopping complex, where the store is located, and ordered the board removed.
“It happened so fast that we did not have time to register a complaint with the police,” said Rajesh Shah, one of the owners who was forced by the AMC staff to climb up a ladder and pull down the white fonts from the black board.
Within half-an-hour, the white H-I-T-L-E-R letters had been yanked off, but the swastika that dotted the “i” and tiny, almost imperceptible cursive letters “I’m not”, stuck in front of the Nazi dictator’s surname after widespread protests last month, remained.
Soon afterward, civic officials left and Manish Chandani, also one of the owners, zoomed off on his motorcycle to lodge an FIR with the local police station.
“They should have sent us a legal notice. They cannot suddenly come and destroy private property like this. We have registered the trademark with the central government and the registration of the store’s name is pending with the civic authorities,” Shah said, adding that officials in the shops and establishment department of the AMC had asked him to rename the store.
Mohapatra, however, said: “I have no idea if they were asked to change the name at the time of applying for a licence. The sign board is removed and they will apply with a new name,” he said.
The civic chief added that authorities had earlier tried to dissuade them from using the name when they applied for the licence to use it.
Ever since it opened over two months ago, the store had received media attention both nationwide and internationally after a group of local Jews visited the store to ask the name be changed.
An official from the Chief Minister’s Office is even said to have accompanied civic officials to try and persuade Shah and Chandani to change the name on September 4.
Israeli Consul-General Orna Sagiv, who was in Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad for a trade fair of Israeli technology, had even told journalists she highlighted the issue when she met CM Narendra Modi.
After the pressure mounted, the owners had relented and announced they would change the name. The New York Times even issued a call for suggestions for the store’s new name.
Shah and Chandani, however, backtracked later, saying those who wanted the name changed must pay for a new signboard and foot expenses for a new registration.
Stray protests continued. Shah said two local “Jewish” men came to the store a few weeks ago enquiring about the price of some t-shirts but eventually asking why the name was not changed as announced.
“I knew they were not really interested in those t-shirts,” said Shah.
October 04, 2012
India: Joint statement against violence perpetrated by miscreants in old Ahmedabad
[4 October 2012]
PRESS STATEMENT
We are shocked at yesterday’s incidents in the old city and we strongly condemn the violence perpetrated by miscreants during yesterday’s protest rally. Attacking and burning of vehicles, police personnel and the only women police station in the old city is highly condemnable and unaccepted behaviour. While every citizen has a right to protest peacefully indulging in violence is a criminal act and it only helps the divisive forces.
The Muslim community has struggled for ten years peacefully against the atrocities which were perpetrated against them in 2002 and it is an insult to the peaceful struggle of the of the ordinary people who have fought within the norms of the law and Indian constitution without ever resorting to violence.
Coming on the next day of Gandhi Jayanti, when everyone is celebrating Mahatma’s message of non-violence, it could have been done by only those who do not believe in the teachings of the Mahatma.
While there have been protests across the globe against the film in question, they all happened earlier in the year, when a 15 minute clip was released on you tube in June 2012 made by amateurs in 5 days in a studio in California.
Senior members of various sects from the Muslim community had appealed against the bandh and procession. The community does not have a history of defying the appeals from senior religious leaders.
It is very clear that the protest yesterday was instigated by certain people with vested interests, with the help of certain miscreant elements from the Muslim community, who have been wooed over the past year.
We have a hunch that with elections already announced and no other way of creating trouble probably this is a route which has been taken by those who want to polarise the voters.
We demand a magisterial enquiry into the whole incident and a stern action against those who participated in the violence and all those who are responsible for it .
Common people everywhere in Gujarat want peace and harmony and they dream of a society where interests of the marginalised are kept in mind as enshrined in the Indian constitution. We appeal to all communities across Gujarat to remain vigil against the vested interests so that similar situation is not created anywhere else in the coming months.
Released on behalf of:
Dev Desai- Anhad Yuva Manch
Fr. Cedric Prakash- Prashant
Gagan Sethi- Centre for Social Justice
Gautam Thakker-PUCL
Hanif Lakdawala- Sanchetna
Indu Kumar Jani –Naya Marg
Mallika Sarabhai- Darpana
Manan Trivedi -Anhad
Manish Dhakad-Anhad
Manisha Trivedi- Anhad Mahila Manch
Nafisa Barot-Utthan
Prakash N Shah- Nirikshak
Shabnam Hashmi - Anhad
Sheba George –SAHRWARU, NAWO
Sofiya Khan-Safar
Zakia Soman –BMMA
PRESS STATEMENT
We are shocked at yesterday’s incidents in the old city and we strongly condemn the violence perpetrated by miscreants during yesterday’s protest rally. Attacking and burning of vehicles, police personnel and the only women police station in the old city is highly condemnable and unaccepted behaviour. While every citizen has a right to protest peacefully indulging in violence is a criminal act and it only helps the divisive forces.
The Muslim community has struggled for ten years peacefully against the atrocities which were perpetrated against them in 2002 and it is an insult to the peaceful struggle of the of the ordinary people who have fought within the norms of the law and Indian constitution without ever resorting to violence.
Coming on the next day of Gandhi Jayanti, when everyone is celebrating Mahatma’s message of non-violence, it could have been done by only those who do not believe in the teachings of the Mahatma.
While there have been protests across the globe against the film in question, they all happened earlier in the year, when a 15 minute clip was released on you tube in June 2012 made by amateurs in 5 days in a studio in California.
Senior members of various sects from the Muslim community had appealed against the bandh and procession. The community does not have a history of defying the appeals from senior religious leaders.
It is very clear that the protest yesterday was instigated by certain people with vested interests, with the help of certain miscreant elements from the Muslim community, who have been wooed over the past year.
We have a hunch that with elections already announced and no other way of creating trouble probably this is a route which has been taken by those who want to polarise the voters.
We demand a magisterial enquiry into the whole incident and a stern action against those who participated in the violence and all those who are responsible for it .
Common people everywhere in Gujarat want peace and harmony and they dream of a society where interests of the marginalised are kept in mind as enshrined in the Indian constitution. We appeal to all communities across Gujarat to remain vigil against the vested interests so that similar situation is not created anywhere else in the coming months.
Released on behalf of:
Dev Desai- Anhad Yuva Manch
Fr. Cedric Prakash- Prashant
Gagan Sethi- Centre for Social Justice
Gautam Thakker-PUCL
Hanif Lakdawala- Sanchetna
Indu Kumar Jani –Naya Marg
Mallika Sarabhai- Darpana
Manan Trivedi -Anhad
Manish Dhakad-Anhad
Manisha Trivedi- Anhad Mahila Manch
Nafisa Barot-Utthan
Prakash N Shah- Nirikshak
Shabnam Hashmi - Anhad
Sheba George –SAHRWARU, NAWO
Sofiya Khan-Safar
Zakia Soman –BMMA
Secular groups condemn violence by miscreants in Old Ahmedabad
Thursday 4 October 2012
PRESS STATEMENT
We are shocked at yesterday’s [3 October 2012] incidents in the old city [Ahmedabad] and we strongly condemn the violence perpetrated by miscreants during yesterday’s protest rally. Attacking and burning of vehicles, police personnel and the only women police station in the old city is highly condemnable and unaccepted behaviour. While every citizen has a right to protest peacefully indulging in violence is a criminal act and it only helps the divisive forces.
The Muslim community has struggled for ten years peacefully against the atrocities which were perpetrated against them in 2002 and it is an insult to the peaceful struggle of the of the ordinary people who have fought within the norms of the law and Indian constitution without ever resorting to violence.
Coming on the next day of Gandhi Jayanti, when everyone is celebrating Mahatma’s message of non-violence, it could have been done by only those who do not believe in the teachings of the Mahatma.
While there have been protests across the globe against the film in question, they all happened earlier in the year, when a 15 minute clip was released on you tube in June 2012 made by amateurs in 5 days in a studio in California.
Senior members of various sects from the Muslim community had appealed against the bandh and procession. The community does not have a history of defying the appeals from senior religious leaders.
It is very clear that the protest yesterday was instigated by certain people with vested interests, with the help of certain miscreant elements from the Muslim community, who have been wooed over the past year.
We have a hunch that with elections already announced and no other way of creating trouble probably this is a route which has been taken by those who want to polarise the voters.
We demand a magisterial enquiry into the whole incident and a stern action against those who participated in the violence and all those who are responsible for it .
Common people everywhere in Gujarat want peace and harmony and they dream of a society where interests of the marginalised are kept in mind as enshrined in the Indian constitution. We appeal to all communities across Gujarat to remain vigil against the vested interests so that similar situation is not created anywhere else in the coming months.
Released on behalf of:
Dev Desai - Anhad Yuva Manch
Fr. Cedric Prakash - Prashant
Gagan Sethi - Centre for Social Justice
Gautam Thakker - PUCL
Hanif Lakdawala - Sanchetna
Indu Kumar Jani – Naya Marg
Mallika Sarabhai - Darpana
Manan Trivedi - Anhad
Manish Dhakad - Anhad
Manisha Trivedi - Anhad
Mahila Manch Nafisa Barot - Utthan
Prakash N Shah - Nirikshak
Shabnam Hashmi - Anhad
Sheba George – SAHRWARU, NAWO
Sofiya Khan - Safar
Zakia Soman – BMMA
PRESS STATEMENT
We are shocked at yesterday’s [3 October 2012] incidents in the old city [Ahmedabad] and we strongly condemn the violence perpetrated by miscreants during yesterday’s protest rally. Attacking and burning of vehicles, police personnel and the only women police station in the old city is highly condemnable and unaccepted behaviour. While every citizen has a right to protest peacefully indulging in violence is a criminal act and it only helps the divisive forces.
The Muslim community has struggled for ten years peacefully against the atrocities which were perpetrated against them in 2002 and it is an insult to the peaceful struggle of the of the ordinary people who have fought within the norms of the law and Indian constitution without ever resorting to violence.
Coming on the next day of Gandhi Jayanti, when everyone is celebrating Mahatma’s message of non-violence, it could have been done by only those who do not believe in the teachings of the Mahatma.
While there have been protests across the globe against the film in question, they all happened earlier in the year, when a 15 minute clip was released on you tube in June 2012 made by amateurs in 5 days in a studio in California.
Senior members of various sects from the Muslim community had appealed against the bandh and procession. The community does not have a history of defying the appeals from senior religious leaders.
It is very clear that the protest yesterday was instigated by certain people with vested interests, with the help of certain miscreant elements from the Muslim community, who have been wooed over the past year.
We have a hunch that with elections already announced and no other way of creating trouble probably this is a route which has been taken by those who want to polarise the voters.
We demand a magisterial enquiry into the whole incident and a stern action against those who participated in the violence and all those who are responsible for it .
Common people everywhere in Gujarat want peace and harmony and they dream of a society where interests of the marginalised are kept in mind as enshrined in the Indian constitution. We appeal to all communities across Gujarat to remain vigil against the vested interests so that similar situation is not created anywhere else in the coming months.
Released on behalf of:
Dev Desai - Anhad Yuva Manch
Fr. Cedric Prakash - Prashant
Gagan Sethi - Centre for Social Justice
Gautam Thakker - PUCL
Hanif Lakdawala - Sanchetna
Indu Kumar Jani – Naya Marg
Mallika Sarabhai - Darpana
Manan Trivedi - Anhad
Manish Dhakad - Anhad
Manisha Trivedi - Anhad
Mahila Manch Nafisa Barot - Utthan
Prakash N Shah - Nirikshak
Shabnam Hashmi - Anhad
Sheba George – SAHRWARU, NAWO
Sofiya Khan - Safar
Zakia Soman – BMMA
May 09, 2012
Hindutva's 'Ram dhun' campaign to sabotage Muslim realty deals in Gujarat
Source: The Times of India
BJP joins VHP to stop Muslim realty deals
Vijaysinh Parmar, TNN | May 9, 2012, 06.24AM IST
BHAVNAGAR:The rift between chief minister Narendra Modi and VHP leader Pravin Togadia may have left the party-sangh ties soured. But, when it comes to ousting Muslims from Hindu-dominated areas, BJP has supported VHP, notwithstanding Modi's new-found Sadbhavana towards Muslims.
BJP leaders in the city have joined the saffron brigade's 'Ram dhun' campaign to sabotage Muslim realty deals in the Hindu areas. And, they have no qualms about it.
Suresh Dhandhaliya, senior BJP leader and Bhavnagar mayor, along with his predecessor Parul Trivedi joined the drive to halt a deal. Trivedi, who is also a member of state BJP women's wing's executive committee, was in fact one of the organizers of Ram Darbar, a programme to prevent Hindus from selling properties to Muslims. "Muslims buying properties in Hindu areas is a major concern and we want all such deals to be called off," Dhandhaliya told TOI. The party's support comes at a time when BJP is gearing up for assembly polls later this year and Modi chanting the "sadbhavana" mantra to woo Muslims.
"Muslims have been slowly increasing their presence in Hindu-dominated areas. This will create tension in future," she said.
BJP joins VHP to stop Muslim realty deals
Vijaysinh Parmar, TNN | May 9, 2012, 06.24AM IST
BHAVNAGAR:The rift between chief minister Narendra Modi and VHP leader Pravin Togadia may have left the party-sangh ties soured. But, when it comes to ousting Muslims from Hindu-dominated areas, BJP has supported VHP, notwithstanding Modi's new-found Sadbhavana towards Muslims.
BJP leaders in the city have joined the saffron brigade's 'Ram dhun' campaign to sabotage Muslim realty deals in the Hindu areas. And, they have no qualms about it.
Suresh Dhandhaliya, senior BJP leader and Bhavnagar mayor, along with his predecessor Parul Trivedi joined the drive to halt a deal. Trivedi, who is also a member of state BJP women's wing's executive committee, was in fact one of the organizers of Ram Darbar, a programme to prevent Hindus from selling properties to Muslims. "Muslims buying properties in Hindu areas is a major concern and we want all such deals to be called off," Dhandhaliya told TOI. The party's support comes at a time when BJP is gearing up for assembly polls later this year and Modi chanting the "sadbhavana" mantra to woo Muslims.
"Muslims have been slowly increasing their presence in Hindu-dominated areas. This will create tension in future," she said.
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