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Subject: [Announcements] [infosouth]
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Mushahars: Starvation deaths in UdayapuraThe Chairman, National Human Rights Commission, Faridkot House, New Delhi February 9, 2006 Re: Starvation issue in Udayapura village, Pathardeva block, Deoria district Dear Sir, This is to bring to your notice that the two Mushahar families of Mushaharbustee in the Udayapura village of Pathardeva block are facing hunger and malnutrition. The families are on the verge of death if action is not taken. The families of Ram Sharif and Saudagar are struggling to survive. Both the families are landless and have no work. Ram Sharif's mother is blind and is also waiting for death. Both of them have turned partially blind. Their eyes look terrible and face look much older than their age. Ram Sharif, aged 40-45, has four children, three sons and one daughter, while Saudagar has 4 daughters and two sons. They sleep outside their huts even in these cold days, as their one-room huts cannot accommodate the entire family. For many days they have been surviving on some rice given by neighbors as well as by boiling river food. Matelu and Rudal are younger brothers of Ram Sharif and have left with their respective families for the Kusumbe forest of Gorakhpur. Sham Devi, 50, is the widow of Naresh and a leprosy patient for the last four years. She dose not have food to eat. Most of the families here suffer from severe malnutrition and starvation. No child in this village goes to the nearby school. Parents say that their children never get scholarship. Ghevna Devi used to clean the school utensils used for the purpose of cooking mid-day meals, but she was thrown away from the school run by the upper caste Brahmins. She and others working there were not given any salary. Today, there is a Gond woman cleaning utensils there, and Brahmin cooks at the schools. The school teachers blame Mushhar boys for not coming to the school, while the villagers say that the Mushar boys are not given enough food to eat. They return home empty stomach. The cooking has actually been granted for over 110 students though we did not find even 50 students that day. The families in the village said their children are not allowed to mix with upper caste boys. The teacher beat them up and there is separate seating during the meal. The cook gives them less food than the upper-caste classmates. The villagers also claim that the cook takes a large part of the food home and gives it to his animals. We would like to add here that Mushhars are one of the most marginalised Dalit communities in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, whose traditional occupation was catching rats and eating them. The community was declared denitrified during the British regime and tortured for every theft. Most of the hunger and starvation cases in the Eastern Part of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are happen amongst the Mushhar community, which has almost no political representation. It is very difficult to find any educated member from this community. Both civil society and government have failed to bring the plight of this community to the notice of the mainstream. Millions of rupees have been spend by 'civil society' organizations for the 'development' of Mushahars and yet the results are disappointing. It is important for the National Human Rights Commission to take action on this and ask the Uttar-Pradesh government, particularly the District Magistrate of Deoria to initiate immediate action on the same. We suggest the following: * Immediate relief to Mushhar families in the Mushahar bustee of village Udayapura in Pathardeva block, Deoria. * Provide land entitlement so that people could work on their land. * Provide Indira Awas so that the Mushhar community could live * Start Sarv Shiksha Abhiayan and other educational programme according to the need of the community. There will always be discrimination when such marginalized community children go outside their village to study. I hope that NHRC will take appropriate action in this regard and keep me updated on this. With regards, Yours Sincerely, Vidya Bhushan Rawat Director, Social Development Foundation, Email: vbrawat@xxxxxxxx | Website: www.thesdf.org
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[Announcements] Screening of Ali Kazimi's film 'Continuous Journey'Screening of Continuous Journey A film by Ali Kazimi Dear Friends Ali Kazimi is showing his latest film on Wed 22 Feb 2006 at 6.30 pm at the India International Centre (Main Auditorium) Lodi Road, New Delhi. He will be present at the screening. Only last week the film won the top prize at the Mumbai International Film Festival 2006. Details and a synopsis of the film are below : -------------------------------- Continuous Journey A film by Ali Kazimi 87 minutes 2004, Canada Short Synopsis In 1914, the Komagata Maru, a vessel with 376 immigrants from British India, became the first ship carrying migrants to be turned away by Canada. The consequences were felt throughout the British Empire. More than a history film, Continuous Journey, is a provocative, moving and multilayered film essay that interweaves photographs, newsreels, home movies and official documents to unravel a complex and little-known story. Winner, of the First Prize at the Mumbai International Film Festival. 2006 and Second Place- Audience Award and Honourable Mention for Best Director, Hot Docs 2004 Credits Producer, Director & Writer: Ali Kazimi Editors: Graeme Ball & Ali Kazimi Sound: Sunil Khanna & David Adkin Music Director & & Sound Designer: Phil Strong Music: Shahid Ali Khan, Kiran Ahluwalia, Phil Strong, Ravi Naimpally Brent Grossman & Mark Korven Produced in association with TV Ontario with the generous support of The South Asian Heritage Foundation and with financial assistance from: The Canada Council for the Arts The Ontario Arts Council The Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund The Toronto Arts Council Continuous Journey is a complex and moving tale of hope, despair, treachery and tragedy. In 1914, Gurdit Singh, a Sikh entrepreneur based in Singapore, chartered a Japanese ship, the Komagata Maru, to carry 376 Indian immigrants to Canada. On May 23, 1914, the ship arrived in Vancouver Harbour. Many of the men on-board were veterans of the British Indian Army and believed that it was their right as British subjects to settle anywhere in the Empire they had fought to defend and expand. They were wrong... Only a half-mile from shore, the Komagata Maru was surrounded by immigration boats and the passengers were held virtual prisoners on the ship. Thus began a dramatic stand-off which would escalate over the course of two months. The Komagata Maru¹s voyage and its aftermath exposed the Empire¹s myths of equality, fair-play and British justice, and became a turning point in the freedom struggle in India. Continuous Journey challenges us to reflect on contemporary events, and raises critical questions about how the past shapes the present. Using limited visual resources and digital manipulation Ali Kazimi has created a visually rich and powerful film. _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements@xxxxxxxxx https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements
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Mushahars: Starvation deaths in UdayapuraThe Chairman, National Human Rights Commission, Faridkot House, New Delhi February 9, 2006 Re: Starvation issue in Udayapura village, Pathardeva block, Deoria district Dear Sir, This is to bring to your notice that the two Mushahar families of Mushaharbustee in the Udayapura village of Pathardeva block are facing hunger and malnutrition. The families are on the verge of death if action is not taken. The families of Ram Sharif and Saudagar are struggling to survive. Both the families are landless and have no work. Ram Sharif's mother is blind and is also waiting for death. Both of them have turned partially blind. Their eyes look terrible and face look much older than their age. Ram Sharif, aged 40-45, has four children, three sons and one daughter, while Saudagar has 4 daughters and two sons. They sleep outside their huts even in these cold days, as their one-room huts cannot accommodate the entire family. For many days they have been surviving on some rice given by neighbors as well as by boiling river food. Matelu and Rudal are younger brothers of Ram Sharif and have left with their respective families for the Kusumbe forest of Gorakhpur. Sham Devi, 50, is the widow of Naresh and a leprosy patient for the last four years. She dose not have food to eat. Most of the families here suffer from severe malnutrition and starvation. No child in this village goes to the nearby school. Parents say that their children never get scholarship. Ghevna Devi used to clean the school utensils used for the purpose of cooking mid-day meals, but she was thrown away from the school run by the upper caste Brahmins. She and others working there were not given any salary. Today, there is a Gond woman cleaning utensils there, and Brahmin cooks at the schools. The school teachers blame Mushhar boys for not coming to the school, while the villagers say that the Mushar boys are not given enough food to eat. They return home empty stomach. The cooking has actually been granted for over 110 students though we did not find even 50 students that day. The families in the village said their children are not allowed to mix with upper caste boys. The teacher beat them up and there is separate seating during the meal. The cook gives them less food than the upper-caste classmates. The villagers also claim that the cook takes a large part of the food home and gives it to his animals. We would like to add here that Mushhars are one of the most marginalised Dalit communities in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, whose traditional occupation was catching rats and eating them. The community was declared denitrified during the British regime and tortured for every theft. Most of the hunger and starvation cases in the Eastern Part of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are happen amongst the Mushhar community, which has almost no political representation. It is very difficult to find any educated member from this community. Both civil society and government have failed to bring the plight of this community to the notice of the mainstream. Millions of rupees have been spend by 'civil society' organizations for the 'development' of Mushahars and yet the results are disappointing. It is important for the National Human Rights Commission to take action on this and ask the Uttar-Pradesh government, particularly the District Magistrate of Deoria to initiate immediate action on the same. We suggest the following: * Immediate relief to Mushhar families in the Mushahar bustee of village Udayapura in Pathardeva block, Deoria. * Provide land entitlement so that people could work on their land. * Provide Indira Awas so that the Mushhar community could live * Start Sarv Shiksha Abhiayan and other educational programme according to the need of the community. There will always be discrimination when such marginalized community children go outside their village to study. I hope that NHRC will take appropriate action in this regard and keep me updated on this. With regards, Yours Sincerely, Vidya Bhushan Rawat Director, Social Development Foundation, Email: vbrawat@xxxxxxxx | Website: www.thesdf.org
Next Message by Thread:
[Announcements] Screening of Ali Kazimi's film 'Continuous Journey'Screening of Continuous Journey A film by Ali Kazimi Dear Friends Ali Kazimi is showing his latest film on Wed 22 Feb 2006 at 6.30 pm at the India International Centre (Main Auditorium) Lodi Road, New Delhi. He will be present at the screening. Only last week the film won the top prize at the Mumbai International Film Festival 2006. Details and a synopsis of the film are below : -------------------------------- Continuous Journey A film by Ali Kazimi 87 minutes 2004, Canada Short Synopsis In 1914, the Komagata Maru, a vessel with 376 immigrants from British India, became the first ship carrying migrants to be turned away by Canada. The consequences were felt throughout the British Empire. More than a history film, Continuous Journey, is a provocative, moving and multilayered film essay that interweaves photographs, newsreels, home movies and official documents to unravel a complex and little-known story. Winner, of the First Prize at the Mumbai International Film Festival. 2006 and Second Place- Audience Award and Honourable Mention for Best Director, Hot Docs 2004 Credits Producer, Director & Writer: Ali Kazimi Editors: Graeme Ball & Ali Kazimi Sound: Sunil Khanna & David Adkin Music Director & & Sound Designer: Phil Strong Music: Shahid Ali Khan, Kiran Ahluwalia, Phil Strong, Ravi Naimpally Brent Grossman & Mark Korven Produced in association with TV Ontario with the generous support of The South Asian Heritage Foundation and with financial assistance from: The Canada Council for the Arts The Ontario Arts Council The Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund The Toronto Arts Council Continuous Journey is a complex and moving tale of hope, despair, treachery and tragedy. In 1914, Gurdit Singh, a Sikh entrepreneur based in Singapore, chartered a Japanese ship, the Komagata Maru, to carry 376 Indian immigrants to Canada. On May 23, 1914, the ship arrived in Vancouver Harbour. Many of the men on-board were veterans of the British Indian Army and believed that it was their right as British subjects to settle anywhere in the Empire they had fought to defend and expand. They were wrong... Only a half-mile from shore, the Komagata Maru was surrounded by immigration boats and the passengers were held virtual prisoners on the ship. Thus began a dramatic stand-off which would escalate over the course of two months. The Komagata Maru¹s voyage and its aftermath exposed the Empire¹s myths of equality, fair-play and British justice, and became a turning point in the freedom struggle in India. Continuous Journey challenges us to reflect on contemporary events, and raises critical questions about how the past shapes the present. Using limited visual resources and digital manipulation Ali Kazimi has created a visually rich and powerful film. _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements@xxxxxxxxx https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements
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