Anthem for Activists

I have principle and no power
You have power and no principle
You being you
And I being I
Compromise is out of the question
So let the battle begin ...

I have truth and no force
You have force and no truth
You being you
And I being I
Compromise is out of the question
So let the battle begin ...

You may club my skull
I will fight
You may crush my bones
I will fight
You may bury me alive
I will fight
With truth running through me
I will fight
With every ounce of my strength
I will fight
With my last dying breath
I will fight ...
I will fight till the
Castle that you built with your lies
Comes tumbling down
Till the devil you worshipped with your lies
Kneels down before my angel of truth.

By Bhuchung Sonam,
an alumnus of M.S.University, Baroda.

Feasting After Fasting!! Best Haleem and Biryani Joints in Hyderabad- Times of India Contest!!!

Eid Mubarak! Feasting After Fasting!! Best Haleem and Biryani Joints in Hyderabad- Times of India Contest!!!

A Very Happy Eid to All

Not long ago Ramazan was a month for Rozas (fasting), Tarawi (recitation of the Quran), all night prayers and all round piety.  

Of late, Ramazan in Hyderabad seems to have acquired an additional hue: of Feasting, especially on Haleem! Mega Iftar Parties (for breaking the fast in the evening) and all night shopping!!!

A friend who is not very familiar with the Muslim religious practices last year asked me very innocently as to when the month of feasting will come as he was dying for Haleem (a delicacy that is available in every nook and corner of the city during the month of Ramadan but difficult to get in the other months).He could not believe when I informed him that Ramadan is actually a month for Fasting!   

But Hyderabadis with a history of Ganga Jamuni Tahzeeb (tradition of synthesizing diverse cultures) have succeeded in beautifully blending the Rozas with Haleem and Fasting with Feasting!!! Now in Hyderabad, Ramazan is as much about Rozas as about Haleem!!

No wonder Times of India is  organising Biryani and Haleem Contest for the past few years during Ramadan to adjudge the best joints in Hyderabad for Haleem and Biryani(another Hyderabadi delicacy). This year the contest was organised on 27th October 2011. To know winners for the Best Haleem and the Best Biryani in Hyderabad, please read on......

A MEMORABLE MEHFIL Giving an all new meaning to the adage Music be the food for love,the grand finale of the Times Biryani and Haleem Contest was one that saw prominent Hyderabadis relish yummy fare and Sufi music.The guestlist included tinseltown stars,top cops,bureaucrats,dignitaries and socialites.Guests bonded over the mouth-watering delicacies and conversations revolved on whose biryani and haleem was the best.Actress Soumya,Jayesh and Rucha Ranjan,Akun Sabharwal,Soumya Mishra,Mohammed Ali Baig,Sherry Jhaveri and son Aleem, Mazher Hussain, Hasnain Saberi, Raunaq Yar Khan,Gita and Uma Karan,Prasoona Reddy,Aanchal,Manjula Narsa,Bani Ahuja,Aamer Javeed,Mehjabeen, Shweta Keerti graced the do and cheered on the qawwali singers Sabri Brothers who crooned tracks like Maula re, Dama Dam Mast Kalandar etc. And the Winners!! Best Haleem: Shah Ghouse- 1st Runner Up: Pista House- 2nd Runner Up: Sarvi Best Biryani: Jewel of Nizam (Hotel Golconda)- 1st Runner Up:Paradise- 2nd Runner Up: Four Seasons A Raje and Deeksha Marur

Mazher Hussain's Interview; Times of India

Times of India

30^th August 2011

Mazher Hussain

Divisive Politics Won’t Work in Old City 

Bushra Baseerat TNN 

 Hyderabad: It was soon after Hyderabads worst riots in 1991 that left 150 dead and hundreds others injured, Mazher Hussain got himself involved in the relief works in the Old City for the first time. Now, two decades later, as the director of Confederation of Voluntary Associations (Cova), an NGO based in the Old City, Hussain says the asal city is in need of an image makeover.
Having worked at the grassroot level for 14 years, he says that Old City has been a victim of political agendas. Political parties bank on communal grounds and not on development. The issue of lack of civic amenities here is glaring considering the big difference between the amount of funds allocated for carrying out development works here and other parts of the city.
Hussain, 50, maintains that the image of the Old City has taken a severe beating over a period of time. If the bias in government and political circles against it is not enough, residents here lack the assertiveness needed to bring about any change. He adds that the general perception that only Muslims stay in Old City is incorrect, as a considerable 30 per cent of the population here is represented by all other communities. And today, Old City, which earlier extended up to Barkas, has expanded further and become more composite.

Insisting that the government policy makers need to change their mindset, he says: Old City is treated as an unnecessary appendage. There is not much investment, be it on development, human resources or infrastructure. This software businessman turned-social worker says that efforts are on to get people into governance and bring about a change in the system. People isolate Old City and look at it as a different world altogether, which is not correct, he adds.

And illiteracy still prevails. Over a lakh children are forced to work. This figure is often misrepresented as girl child labour is invisible child labour, he says adding that several families are living in pathetic conditions in this part of the city.

On the positive side, Hussain says that there has been a silent but decisive socio-economic revolution taking place here in the last few years, courtesy the economic boom and funds flowing from the Middle East. According to him, there is more emphasis on education as youngsters are trying to do their graduation in more numbers, which was not the case so far. Most importantly, he says that communities have come to a general understanding that fighting has no kind of positive outcome and Hyderabad has experienced a period of relative peace. Sooner or later, politicians are bound to realize that divisive politics is not going to work, he concludes.

INDIANS EXPRESS SHOCK OVER ABDUCTION OF SHAHBAZ TASEER

PRESS RELEASE

We express deep shock and concern over the kidnapping of Shahbaz Taseer, son of Salman Taseer, late Governor of Punjab (Pakistan), who was assassinated on January 4th 2011 for his views on the controversial Blasphemy Law. Shahbaz and his family had been receiving threats from the Taliban and other militant groups since they belonged to the Taseer Family. He was abducted today in daylight from Lahore, while driving, from a street adjacent to his office at M M Alam Road. Abductors intercepted his car and took him away at gunpoint.

It must be pointed out that last week the cleric who conducted the funeral prayers for Salman Taseer has been forced to flee the country, following threats.

We appeal to the Pakistan Government to leave no stone unturned to rescue Shahbaz Taseer. At this juncture, we all express our solidarity not only with the Taseer family but also with all Pakistani citizens fighting for a liberal democratic society.

Thanking you,

1. Kuldip Nayar             Journalist                                                Delhi
2. Mahesh Bhatt            Film Maker                                             Mumbai
3. Jatin Desai                Journalist                                                 Mumbai
4. Kamla Bhasin           SANGAT                                               Delhi
5. Seema Mustafa        Journalist                                                  Delhi
6. Vrinda Grover           South Asians for Human Rights (SAHR)  Delhi
7. Varsha Berry             Focus on theGlobal South                        Mumbai
8. Ritu Dewan               Professor                                                  Mumbai
9. Mazher Hussain       COVA                                                     Hyderabad
10. Ramesh Yadav         Folklore Society                                       Amritsar
11. Sukla Sen                  Ekta                                                       Mumbai
12. Asad Bin Saif            BUILD                                                   Mumbai

VIGIL Against Terrorism- For Productive Talks By the People of India and Pakistan On 27th July 2011

Organise the Event

VIGIL

Against Terrorism- For Productive Talks

By the People of India and Pakistan

In your City / Town

On 27^th July 2011

And let the Foreign Ministers of India and Pakistan know that

The People of the Sub Continent Demand that their Talks must

Resolve all the Outstanding Issues  

The terror attack in Mumbai in November 2008 was carried out about two weeks before the scheduled meeting of the foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan in mid December 2008 leading to cancellation of the talks and disruption of the peace process for nearly two years. Inadvertently, we had walked into the trap set by the terror groups and fulfilled their objective of disruption of talks and the peace process.

The decision by both India and Pakistan to go ahead with the Foreign Ministers Talks scheduled on 27-29 July 2011 despite the serial bomb blasts in Mumbai on 13^th July is most welcome, highly commendable and demonstrates statesmanship. The announcement of proceeding with the talks is a fitting reply to the inhuman and heinous conspiracy of the terror groups who were perhaps hoping to disrupt the talks and derail the peace process once again by engineering these dastardly bomb blasts killing and injuring innocents.

On the other hand, despite so many talks between India and Pakistan, there seems to be very little progress on all the outstanding issues like Kashmir, Siachin, Sir Creek, water disputes, easing of visa restrictions, removal of trades barriers, cooperation on tackling terrorism etc and the relations between the two countries continue to remain strained and highly vulnerable to the evil designs of disruptive forces and terror groups. 

Though everyone swears by the need for talks and dialogue, neither civil society organisations nor people at large try to pressurize both the governments, when they are engaging in talks, to show some concrete results and progress. Even when talks fail or they come out with meaningless platitudes, there is hardly any show of concern or condemnation by any one.

It is time we ACT.

Before Talks, During Talks and After Talks

To Show that We Care, We are Concerned and We are Watching

 On 27^th July 2011 from 10 am onwards, the first day of the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of India and Pakistan, events could be organised in different cities and towns of India and Pakistan under the common banner of

VIGIL

Against Terrorism- For Productive Talks

 By the People of India and Pakistan

1.      People could stand on Vigil holding placards against terrorism and for friendship and also addressing the Foreign Ministers demanding specific outputs from the meeting. The VIGILs could start from 10 am on 27^th July 2011 in different cities and towns of India Pakistan. 10 cities in India and 5 cities in Pakistan have already started planning the VIGILs. Many more are expected to join.

2.       Sample of placards that could be prepared and the demands is appended below. More demands and slogans could be added.

3.      A joint letter addressed to both the Foreign Ministers expressing our expectations and listing our demands is being prepared and could be signed by all. This would also be uploaded on the petiotionsonline.com to get more signatures. The document would be faxed to the Foreign Ministers of India and Pakistan and released to the media a day before the proposed meeting

4.      Cultural events etc could also be planned and organised during the VIGILs.

5.      A list of all cities where the VIGILs will be organised along with the locations and contact details of the organisers will be circulated and shared with the media.

6.      Organisations coordinating the VIGILs  in different cities / towns and those endorsing  and participating will be listed alphabetically in all material and communications.    

All those willing to organise the VIGILs in their cities / towns or want to participate / endorse are requested to send the details to covanetwork@gmail.com

COVA                                                            Pakistan Peace Coalition

______________________________________________________________________________

The Placards could be as follows;

Vigil

By the People of India and Pakistan

Against Terrorism- For Friendship

-------------------------

Foreign Ministers

Now that You Are Meeting

Resolve

SIACHIN

We are Watching - History is Watching

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vigil

By the People of India and Pakistan

Against Terrorism- For Friendship

-------------------------

Foreign Ministers

Now that You Are Meeting

Resolve

Sir Creek

We are Watching - History is Watching

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vigil

By the People of India and Pakistan

Against Terrorism- For Friendship

-------------------------

Foreign Ministers

Now that You Are Meeting

Resolve

KASHMIR

We are Watching - History is Watching

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vigil

By the People of India and Pakistan

Against Terrorism- For Friendship

-------------------------

Foreign Ministers

Now that You Are Meeting

Announce

VISA ON ARRIVAL

We are Watching - History is Watching

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vigil

By the People of India and Pakistan

Against Terrorism- For Friendship

-------------------------

Foreign Ministers

Now that You Are Meeting

Announce

FREE TRADE

We are Watching - History is Watching

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vigil

By the People of India and Pakistan

Against Terrorism- For Friendship

-------------------------

Foreign Ministers

Now that You Are Meeting

Resolve

WATER DISPUTES

We are Watching - History is Watching

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vigil

By the People of India and Pakistan

Against Terrorism- For Friendship

-------------------------

Foreign Ministers

Now that You Are Meeting

Announce

FREE TRADE

We are Watching - History is Watching

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vigil

By the People of India and Pakistan

Against Terrorism- For Friendship

-------------------------

Foreign Ministers

Now that You Are Meeting

Resolve

FISHERFOLK’S ISSUES

We are Watching - History is Watching

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vigil

By the People of India and Pakistan

Against Terrorism- For Friendship

-------------------------

Foreign Ministers

Now that You Are Meeting

Sign

NO WAR PACT

We are Watching – History is Watching

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vigil

By the People of India and Pakistan

Against Terrorism- For Friendship

-------------------------

Foreign Ministers

Now that You Are Meeting

Agree to

DEMILITARISE

We are Watching - History is Watching

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vigil

By the People of India and Pakistan

Against Terrorism- For Friendship

-------------------------

Foreign Ministers

Now that You Are Meeting

Agree to

DENUCLEARISE

We are Watching - History is Watching

And many more such slogans that could be created

Please suggest modifications to the matter for placards and your participation / endorsement for campaign.

Regards

Mazher