🚀 go-pugleaf

India Interest Group Digest Tue, 15 Mar 94       Volume 2: Issue 491

Today's Topics:

Economics/Development
      Info .. To get started (Again..!!?)
      ISO-900* certification
      ISO 900*
      ISO 900* and such
      Reg. ISO 9000 certification article by Mr Murli

FYI::
      A.Word.A.Day
      Conference on Wind Engineering
      Internet access ...

Immigration::
      GC info wanted
      H4 in New Delhi
      Important visa questions!
      Visa question

Info. Wanted::
      Indian films of significant educational value
      More survey participants needed
      Videos on India

Politics::
      Dar-ul-harb
      New york times said this ????
      Pakistani mind and its ambitions, Part 2/2
      Pentagon lobbying to sell F16s to Pak (Part 1/2)
      Reg. Pakistan's come down in the Human Rights Commission
      Vande mataram

Spiritual/Religion::
      The uniqueness of the Bible

Sports::
      Cricket: Sahchin Tendulakar's last over

___________________________________________________________________________
 To subscribe:
   Bitnet users:   send a mail message to LISTSERV@UTARLVM1
   Internet users: send a mail message to LISTSERV@UTARLVM1.UTA.EDU
  In the mail msg, leave the subject line blank. The first line of the mail
  msg should be:            { Here, Personal name should be a 2-part name }
   SUBSCRIBE INDIA-D Personal Name  { To subscribe to Discussion and News }
   SUBSCRIBE INDIA-L Personal Name  { To subscribe to News Digest alone }

 To unsubscribe:
  Follow the above procedure, but the first line of the mail msg should be:
   SIGNOFF INDIA-D (GLOBAL
   SIGNOFF INDIA-L (GLOBAL

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 Discussion Digest contributions     :  editor@andy.bgsu.edu
 News Digest contributions           :  india-news@andy.bgsu.edu
 Looking for requests                :  looking@andy.bgsu.edu
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 India-D is an OPEN and FREE forum for discussion of issues related to
 India and the Indian community. Dr K V Rao is the co-ordinator of the
 Network. Editors: for the Discussion & News Digests, Ms U Ramamurthy;
                   for the News Headlines, Mr M G Balakrishna Rao.

 (1) No personal attacks and insults will be allowed on the Digest.
 (2) Please include your full name in the header or as a signature.
 (3) Postings should be kept to a max. of 40 lines. Articles longer than
     this limit will be sent back to be condensed. Longer articles may be
     submitted in no more than 2 parts.
 (4) No more than one posting per person will be accepted in a 24-hr period.

 Editors/Owner of India-D are not responsible for any copyright violations
 by members who send copyrighted-material to India-D. No article(s) or
 portion(s) of article(s) from India-D may be reproduced without the written
 consent of the original author(s).
___________________________________________________________________________
----------------------------------------------------------------------

                                Economics/Development
                                =====================

Date: Tue, 15 Mar 1994 13:33:24 -0500 (EST)
From: "Ramesh M." <KQ8W@MARISTB.MARIST.EDU>
Subject: Info .. To get started (Again..!!?)

Hello dear netters!!
This is to thank all those who responded to my posting two weeks ago,
requesting info regarding starting an industry in India.

And, thank you Mr.Narayana I Bhat, for your suggestion.

While I am very pleased to know that here are so many fellow countrymen
sharing a similar idea, I am equally sad to say I have not received any
information yet, excepting Mr.Bhat's note.

I am aware the information I am seeking is of little interest,if at all,
to a vast majority of the netters. But, those long lists of contributors
and those informative, thought provoking articles in Economy/Development
section of the digest give me a reason to strongly believe there are
some serious netters who could definitely help me. (and many like me!!.)

I once again request, in all earnest, all those who have any information
on starting an industry, please share. I repeat, even a tiny little
bit of info regarding procedures/ formalities and financial institutions
will be helpful.

Your time and effort can make a world of difference. PLEASE do not
neglect posting your response immediately.

Thank you...
Ramesh Maddukuri.

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

Date: Tue, 15 Mar 1994 08:41:04 -0600
From: kkchan@oscar.monsanto.com (K.CHANDRASHEKAR)
Subject: ISO-900* certification

        I am not an authority on ISO certification nor have I been directly
involved in the certification process. So, some of the material I present
may not be completely accurate. However, since I work closely with Process
Units that are already ISO-900* certified or in the process of working
towards certification, I can offer some comments:-

        Very simply stated, ISO certification requires that the Process have
a complete written description(of how to run and maintain) of the process and
the people who run the process adhere to the written description. (as you can
see it does not imply that the process is perfect).

        The work towards achieving such certification requires that the
company (or specific units of the company) document their Standard Operating
Procedures, Maintenance Procedures, Quality Control/verification Procedures
etc. The next part is to train their people to adhere to the documentation
while they operate and maintain the process. Any changes made to the standard
procedures should be updated on the documentation and people be trained on
the changes. Once a unit is ready for ISO certification, a Third Party (usually
an Inspection agency approved by ISO) will come and go through the documenta
-tion and test the people for their level of awareness and how closely they
adhere to the documented procedure. If they are satisfied, they recommend to
ISO that the unit be certified.

        One thing to keep in mind is that this is an "ongoing" process requir
-ing the process to "continually" adhere to the written procedure.

        The theme is :    we do what we say we do

        Having said all this, I cannot make any specific comment on Indian
Industries as to how they get their certification. The rate at which Indian
Industries are competing in the global market successfully, only says that
they are putting in lots of efforts to stay competitive and make progress in
the quality of products and services.  I have also worked for a public sector
undertaking in India for 6 years and I share slightly different opinion. Each
industry is different and some of the old timer sleepy elephants may have
really woken up to reality.

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

Date: Mon, 14 Mar 1994 21:18:40 -0600 (CST)
From: bbsc@cs.uregina.ca (Christian, Burt Berel S.)
Subject: ISO 900*

>Date: 14 Mar 94 08:40:16 LCL
>From: $CMSS47@hpccmvs1.corp.hp.com
>Subject: ISO 900* certificates - Available in plenty
>
>I was told that the certification is based on the adherence
>of the PROCESSES used in the industry under review to specified quality
>standards. I just wonder whether there is a check on whether the processes
>(which are perfect per-se) are being put to use and reflect on the actual
>product / services delivered to the market and also its stand with the rest
>of the competitors in the same field.

To obtain ISO 9000 certification, the vendor provides the specifications
of his products. ISO does not certify the quality of the vendor's goods or
services.

A vendor who wants ISO 9000 certification, provides the specifications
to which he gaurantees his goods or services will adhere. A buyer looks
at these specifications and decides to buy from the vendor and if the
vendor cannot meet the specifications he specified he is defaulting on
his ISO 9000 certification.

This is the reason why it is easy to get ISO 9000 certification.

>Also, the period of study to award this
>certificate is extremely shady ( 7 days in case of Infosys technologies ).

In a lighter vein - that sounds like a dig against Infosys !?

Burt.

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

Date: Tue, 15 Mar 1994 11:54:31 -0500 (EST)
From: cr57dvn@ctcdbs.cummins.com (D V Nishar)
Subject: ISO 900* and such

Hi,
Somebody mentioned about the ISO 900* certifications being given to
companies which have processes in place.
Actually, even the Malcolm Balridge award given to companies with "great"
quality stuff is based along similar thought patterns. Also, the Malcolm
Balridge award can also be awarded to particular divisions within a
company. Thus, Chevrolet has obtained this award in the 80s (I believe).
Well, I wouldn't buy one of their cars for quality reasons!!  Maybe they
have all the "right" processes in place, but ultimately processes don't
give you products, right implementation of those processes does that.

Talking about fixing up the place for the certification committeedoes
sound highly feasible for a short time frame. In fact, isn't this
something akin to hardwiring certain functions in computer chips just
because these functions form a part of certain benchmarking standards??

To me the ultimate judge of quality is the marketplace - the end user.
We don't need certifications to tell us that a certain product is good
or bad.

Just my 0.02$ worth,
Deep

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

Date: Tue, 15 Mar 1994 12:47:03 +0900
From: JAYANT KUMAR <jayantkumar@hgovc.enet.dec.com>
Subject: Reg. ISO 9000 certification article by Mr Murli

Hi all,
       Mr Murli is as unclear as many are about ISO 9000 and the certification
process. I do not profess to be an expert in this area but I have attended a few
relevant courses and keep up by reading appropriate material. I have professio-
nal friends who have been involved in the ISO 9000 arena and some of my
knowledge and insight has been rewarding.

       Worldwide, organisations need ISO 9000 certification so as to be
'eligible' to sell in ECU ( Europe ) from 1997(?) and later in US ( by 2000 or
so ).

       Yes, ISO 9000 certification is awarded based on 'proven' processes and
not on the 'quality' of the end product. The latter has more to do with QA/QC.
The processes are audited, counter checked with the people who actually 'use'
the processes, repeatability is checked and yes..the most important thing..
the inspectors revisit  the certified organisation in surprise / scheduled
visits. The usage of the processes over a fairly long time frame is stressed.
The existence of documentation, as proof, at every stage is verified. And so
on.....

       Basically, if an organisation has a set of processes which it
'religiously' follows....quality of the end product is NOT of any concern for
the ISO 9000 inspector..and it can convince the inspector that it follows it
regularly, one can get a ISO 900* certificate. The time it takes to get a
certificate varies - 5-10 days on an average, depending on size/complexity of
the organisation - but one cannot "buy" the inspectors!

        The inspecting organisation can be anybody. However, if they are "MOUed"
[ MOU = Memorandum of understanding ] with reputed national / international
firms who specialise in ISO 9000 certification, the recipient orgn's ISO 9000
reputation is better!! Also remember, one can lose one's certification INSTANTLY
if it is found they have blundered even on one process! ISO 9000 certification
is definitely NOT a hoax!!

        Further discussion / practical experiences welcome!!

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

                                FYI
                                ===

Date: Tue, 15 Mar 1994 09:56:50 -0500
From: anu@viper.ELP.CWRU.Edu (Anu Garg)
Subject: A.Word.A.Day

Greetings.

I have created a wordserver which will mail out a vocabulary
word and its definition to the subscribers, every day. If you'd
like to subscribe to A.Word.A.Day, send a message to:
         wordsmith@viper.elp.cwru.edu
   with the subject line:
        subscribe <your full name here>
   and leave the body of the message blank.

   This procedure will enroll you as a subscriber to the wordserver.
   That's all you have to do. After that everyday, you'll receive
   a word and its definition in mail.

Anu

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

Date: Tue, 15 Mar 1994 04:43:29 -0500 (EST)
From: AKHLESH LAKHTAKIA <A1L@eclx.psu.edu>
Subject: Conference on Wind Engineering

NINTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON WIND ENGINEERING

The 9th International Conference on Wind Engineering will
be held at New Delhi,India from January 9-13, 1995 to discuss subjects
related to the research and practice of Wind Engineering.
This conference is to be held for the first time in
South East Asia [sic], a region frequently lashed by
strong cyclones, and is being organized by the Indian Society
of Wind Engineering (ICWE) under the auspices of the
International Association for Wind Engineering (IAWE).
The conference is sponsored by the University of Roorkee...

Contact:

Dr. P. N. Godbole,
Organizing Secretary - 9ICWE,
Wind Engineering Centre,
Department of Civil Engineering,
University of Roorkee,
Roorkee (UP) 247 667,
INDIA.

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

Date: Mon, 14 Mar 1994 19:22:25 -0800 (PST)
From: sanjivp@netcom.com (sanjiv prabhakaran)
Subject: Internet access ...

Hi Friends:

I saw an "Info wanted ..." notice about access to Internet.  Here is some
info that I can share.  You can have access to Internet via the following
sources:

        1. COMPUSERVE
                Cost: $8.95 / month for basic services
                Info: 800-848-8990

                No connect charges with the basic subscription.  Includes
                limited E-mail facilities.  Other extended services are
                charged at $8.00/hour (2400 baud).

        2. NETCOM
                Cost: $17 / month
                Info: 408-554-8649

                FULL access to Internet.  Unlimited usage.  Provides ftp,
                gopher, archie, etc.

        3. DELPHI
                Cost: ???
                Info: 800-695-4005

                Similar to NETCOM.  I have seen ads in San Jose Mercury News
                for FREE 30-day trial.

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

                                Immigration
                                ===========

Date: Tue, 15 Mar 1994 12:00:45 -0500 (EST)
From: mylarasw@ecn.purdue.edu (Dinkar Mylaraswamy)
Subject: GC info wanted

HI,
One of my friend is getting married to a Canadian citizen. He is currently
a Green card holder. He wants to know about the details of the procedure
to get a green card for his wife, esp., how long it takes Etc ..

        Thanks
        dinkar(mylarasw@cn.ecn.purdue.edu)

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

Date: Tue, 15 Mar 94 10:44:58 GMT-0600
From: aga@minuet.siue.edu
Subject: H4 in New Delhi

Dear netters:
Am going to India in April to get married  (take the plunge!).  Will
be applying for a H4 visa for my wife. Try to bring her back with me.
Anybody who has had  recent experience with applying for the H4 visa
at the New Delhi consulate please send me information.  Any
other crucial info. is also welcome.

Contact :  E-mail  aga@minuet.siue.edu
Phone  Daytime  314-432-2040   Evenings  314-453-9321

Thanks
Gurbux Ajwani

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

Date: Tue, 15 Mar 1994 10:58:57 -0500 (EST)
From: chandra@gdc.COM (Praveen M. Chandra)
Subject: Important visa questions!

Hello Fellas:
I just heard from my sister that she has been rejected for a dependant (F-2)
visa for the second time in 4 months.  She went to the Madras consulate.  Her
husband is at Western Michigan finishing his MS. When he appeared for his inter
-view in March 1993 he was not sure when would get married although he was eng-
aged to my sis.  So he told the interviewer that he is not sure about when he
is getting married. He even went as far as telling them that he would probably
get married after finishing his MS. The above statements somehow got into their
records on him and when my sister appeared for her interview (1st time) in
oct. 93 she was promptly told that the marriage could not have been arranged so
quickly (within 15 days after his getting a visa), though that is exactly what
happened.  They would not budge even though she defended herself strongly about
the marriage date (she had documents to prove that).  They stuck to the fact
that he (the husband) had said that he would probably get married after
finishing his MS.  So she got rejected the first time.  She got affidavits from
everyone and made sure that she had documents to prove anything and everything
about the marriage when she went to the consulate for the second time.  This
time she was asked about how they would manage with $700 that he gets as a
scholarship.  Even after some firm defence the outcome was a denial.  She has
been asked not to apply for a visa for 2 years.  The husband still has about
5-6 months to go before he finishes his MS.  The questions that I have are...

1. when she has been told not to apply for 2 years... does that mean she still
   cannot apply for a visa assuming the husband finds a job and manages to get
   a H-1?

2. is there any rule these days against giving dependant visas which were easy
   to get only a few days ago??

3. could she have been held back on some nonsensical technicality just because
   she is a dentist??

I do not have a semblance of a clue as to what could be the real reason.  If
anyone can shed some light on this case in terms of experience, ideas, opinions,
ways that we could try ... they will be warmly appreciated! Replies can be
sent to chandra@gdc.com .  Thank you for your time and consideration!

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

Date: Mon, 14 Mar 1994 22:23:29 -0800
From: athreya@math.washington.edu
Subject: Visa question

hi,
a friend of mine whose email address is below would like to have info
on the following :

Is there a two year residency requirement for a change of visa status? In
which cases of status - change is this rule applied?

It would be really nice if any of you could give info on this .
Thank you
Email: ajitk@u.washington.edu
Ajit Krishnaswamy

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

                                Info. Wanted
                                ============

Date: Tue, 15 Mar 1994 09:08:02 -0800 (PST)
From: Anthony D'Costa <dcosta@u.washington.edu>
Subject: Indian films of significant educational value

As part of many courses I teach here at the University of Washington and
as the President of the Tacoma Film Society I would to first compile a
list of Indian films that have significant educational value
(pseudointellectualism if you will:)) and then attempt to locate them so
that should the society decide to have an Indian (or Third World) Film
Festival we could screen them.

If anyone of you could send a list of such films with a brief description
I would be much obliged.  Basic characteristics:  must be subtitled in
English, feature length in any regional language, must be of educational
value as opposed to the usual Bollyhood fare (which could be educational
in some other context--but certainly not for my purpose).

Anthony D'Costa

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

Date: Tue, 15 Mar 1994 11:53:19 -0500 (EST)
From: sengupta@kirk.geog.scarolina.edu
Subject: More survey participants  needed

Hi,
I am an Indian graduate student in the Department of Geography at the
University of South Carolina, Columbia. Currently I am working on my
master's thesis. As a part of my thesis I need to conduct a survey among
Indian graduate and undergraduate students in the United States. The purpose
of my survey is to obtain data on career plans, aspirations and profile
of the current Indian students in the United States. The questionnaire
will be a multiple choice type and strict confidentiality will be maintained.
In fact the respondents name will not be asked in the questionnaire.I
would greatly appreciate if those of you who are interested in participating
in the survey, could send me the following information at my e-mail address:
1. an e-mail address where I could send the questionnaire in a couple of weeks,
2. your sex,
3. and your field of study.
You could send me the completed questionnaire by e-mail or by regular postal
system as you prefer.
Office address: Dept. of Geography
                University of S. Carolina
                Columbia, SC 29208.
Also please pass this onto your Indian colleauges and friends at your
school or anywhere in the United States.
Thank you in advance for your co-operation.
Sincerely yours,
Bhaswati Sengupta.

PS: This is the second time I am posting on India D since I did not get
a fair response in my first one. I would appreciate if more Indians could
cooperate with me. Thanks again.

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

Date: Tue, 15 Mar 1994 18:58:14 -1000 (GMT-10:00)
From: Rahul Sharma <s1226@kowande.Bond.edu.au>
Subject: Videos on India

Dear netters,
            I'm interested in knowing whether there are any new video
documentarys(post 1991) on India in relation to its economic environment and
cultural and social norms. I need it for the subject of International
Management.
If anybody knows of such a film or films  and their whereabouts could you
please get in touch with me. Thanx in advance.
Cheers,
Rahul

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

                                Politics
                                ========

Date: Tue, 15 Mar 1994 17:27:00 +0100
From: Akshay.Bakhai@CTRL.bbl-test.rtt.be
Subject: Dar-ul-harb

Dinesh Agrawal's posting on Pakistani ambitions (1/2), quotes
Dr B. R. Ambedkar and says that Islam preaches that the world is split
into 2, Dar-ul-Islam, and Dar-ul-Harb.  The definition of the latter
term was an eye-opener in the sense that it explains why the Muslims all
over the world are hell-bent on spreading violence.  It is preached by
their religion to spread war in the lands which are not ruled by Muslims

And to re-phrase some Tarik Jan's statement that Muslims are natural
rulers, I think looking at history and current politics it would be more
appropriate to say that Muslims are natural dictators and oppressors and
male chauvinists.

Of course this statement of mine would ignite Muslims and psecs to
vehemently point out the likes of Akbar, Jehangir etc.  But a closer
study of history would reveal how violent even they all were, that for
power they have killed their own blood brothers and parents and god
knows who else.

Thank god I am an Indian and a Hindu.
Vande mataram !!!

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

Date: Tue, 15 Mar 1994 12:45:15 -0500
From: venkatesh nagarajan <vnaga00@mik.uky.edu>
Subject: New york times said this ????

In "INN Digest - Mar 15":
=>           The Clinton administration hopes to stem the proliferation of
=>nuclear weapons in South Asia, where India and Pakistan have gone
=>to war three times since India gained independence in 1947.
=>Pakistan was originally part of India, but gained its independence
=>later that year.

        I am shocked. Did NY times really say that Pakistan was part of India.

        Just curious.

        Venkatesh

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

Date: Sun, 13 Mar 1994 20:26 -0500 (EST)
From: Dinesh Agarwal <DXA4@PSUVM.PSU.EDU>
Subject: Pakistani mind and its ambitions, Part 2/2

   "There is another injunction of Muslim canon law called jehad (crusade) by
which it becomes incumbent on a Muslim ruler to extend the rule of Islam until
the whole world shall have been brought under its sway" (page 288).
   "Placed side by side with frantic efforts made by Gandhi to bring about
Hindu-Muslim relationship from 1920-40 makes most painful and heart-rending
a reading. It would not be much exaggeration to say that it is a record of
twenty years of civil war between the Hindus and the Muslims in India interrup-
ed by brief intervals of armed peace (page 175)."
   "The consequences of which ... must be terrible for the Hindus... Yet the
Hindus continue to cherish the illusion that notwithstanding this past experie-
nce there is still left sufficient stock of broad and real community of the
sentiments and policy to enable the Hindus and Muslims to come together... One
wonders what has made Hindu intellect so weak and dull" (page 350).
   Not that Partition has solved this problem of the "ruler syndrome" because
of the decreased percentage of Muslims in the country.
   The Deoband school of Islam has declared in volume 12 of Fatawi Dar-ul-Islam
"The fatwa declaring Hindustan to be Dar-ul-Harb was first issued by Hazrat
Shah Abdul Aziz Muhaddas Dehlvi and it has been reiterated periodically
since then. They then held as follows: In August 1947 the country became
independent but the cruelties perpetrated on Mussalmans, and the kind of
murders and bloodshed that followed independence has no parallel in history.
For this very reason, the Shiekh-ul-Islam, Maulani Madani, even after indepen-
dence, called this country, on account of its state of affairs, Dar-ul-Harb.
And some others termed it Dar-ul-Aman, a variant of Dar-ul-Harb."
   Mr Tarik Jan has negated Mr Malkani's arguments in a very simplistic way.
He recounts racial superiority of Pakistanis by describing them as more fair
and beautiful. Nobody in his senses can say that Pakistani Punjabi Hindus and
Sikhs are not from the same racial stock. And the same applies to Sindhis and
Kashmiris on both sides. Interestingly, he forgot to mention crores of Mohajirs
of Pakistan who are not that fair and beautiful. But then he, too, might have
considered them as "azlaf" and not "ashraf".
   It is historical fantasy that Britishers took power from Muslims and, there-
fore, they should have legally returned it to them. For, in 1857, Mughal rule
did not exist even in one tenth of India. The so-called 1000-year Muslim rule
varied from ruler to ruler and suzeranity in most parts was just token. The
history of this period was one of continuous struggle. At the same time, Hindu
civilizational forces, on an assimilative campaign marched from success to
success. Though the cost was heavy, the achievements were not mean...
    The "ruler syndrome", deeply ingrained in Islam, does not have a response
to democracy , secularism and nationalism....

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

Date: Tue, 15 Mar 1994 08:39:33 -0600 (CST)
From: ramr@cyrix.com (Ramesh Ramamritham)
Subject: Pentagon lobbying to sell F16s to Pak (Part 1/2)

>From:   IN%"prakash@netcom.com" 14-MAR-1994 04:18:36.46
>To: IN%"prakash@netcom.com"
>Subj:   Pentagon lobbying to sell F16s to Pak
March 13, 1994
Dear Friends:
You may have already heard from press and media reports about a Pentagon
proposal to make a one-time exception tothe Pressler amendment permitting
the sale of US F-16aircraft to Pakistan.  'Prakash' has learnt that this
proposal is to come up before the  House/Senate Conference Committee within
the next 7 to 10 days.

As you know, the F-16 aircraft, capable of delivering nuclear weapons, will
definitely alter the conventional military advantage in favor of Pakistan.
India, will end-up diverting billions of dollars to acquire weapons to
counter this threat.  This money could otherwise be used for development
programs.  Sensing the seriousness of this issue, Sen. Larry Pressler himself
has urged the Indian-American community to voice their opposition to this move.
The danger of the anti-India Pakistani lobby seriously affecting Indo-US
relations is real; unless we act on this quickly and immediately.  I urge
you to do all or one of the following:

--Support the enclosed draft letter by sending in an e-mail
  with the subject "F-16."  The body of your letter should
  have the following:
       your full name
       mailing address
       telephone number
       e-mail address
       occupation
--Call the senators listed in the document "Pentagon.F16-  Senators"
  available through anonymous ftp at netcom.com in "pub/prakash," to express
  your opposition to this proposal.  If you do not have ftp access, please
  send us  a mail with the subject ^SF16 -- Senators^T and we will  send you
  the information.
--Send a fax of the enclosed letter to the senators
  (details available in the aforementioned document).

We cannot emphasize enough the importance of your support in defeating this
proposal.  Please feel free to distribute this information to all your friends,
relatives, and peers.               Regards, Aravind Sitaraman for Prakash

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

Date: Tue, 15 Mar 1994 11:38:42 -0500 (EST)
From: Rajender Razdan <razdan@ntd.comsat.com>
Subject: Reg. Pakistan's come down in the Human Rights Commission

In a previous posting on India-D Mr. Neptune Srimal writes:
>It is also heartening to note that leading the diplomatic battle for India
>were muslim leaders like Salman Khurseed and Farooq Abdullah. It is time
>we stop tarring all the Muslims with the same brush.

While agreeing with Mr. Srimal that all muslims should not be painted
with the same brush, I take exception to his complementing Farooq Abdullah
as a champion of sorts. Farroq's flamboyant replies to intemperate Pakistani
charges of human rights abuses have, no doubt, gladdened patriotic hearts.
Yet, the fact remains that Mr. Farooq Abdullah is an opportunist using
his exceptional position to extract more concessions from the Indian
government. How else con one explain Mr. Farooq Abdullah's self-serving
demand for reverting to Jammu and Kashmir's pre-1953 status. In all this
hoopla over India's UNHRC success, one must not loose sight of the fact
that it was under Mr. Farooq Abdullah's corrupt leadership that the whole
government of Jammu and Kashmir was infiltrated by Pakistani spies. If
I were to pick out one single person responsible for the woes of the
Kashmiri people, both Hindus and Muslims, it would be Dr. Farooq Abdullah.
                                                        Rajender Razdan

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

Date: Tue, 15 Mar 1994 11:19:13 -0500
From: Arghya Deb <deb@soil.Princeton.EDU>
Subject: Vande mataram

I believe that there are three categories of people. Those who have read
Ananda Math, those who have not, and finally, the not inconsiderable few
who have compensated for their lack of acquaintance with Bankim Chandra's
novel by a thorough perusal of the hand-bills obtained from the local
party office in Calcutta.
The article by Ms. Nipa Majumdar is full of the hackneyed jargon the Communists
of Bengal regularly spew when talking of Bankim Chandra/Ananda Math; albiet
updated and revised with a smattering of the latest American patois  of
`victimology'. Notice the `blatantly racist', `exclusionist', the simulated
passion, the righteous indignation - Ms. Majumdar goes the whole hog, she
leaves nothing to the imagination. As regards the novel itself, could
she kindly post, for the edification of my humble self and other such
poor souls, the relevant 'blatantly racist' of the text - those which
would make any self-respecting Muslim seethe in anger?
For those who have not read Ananda Math, it is a novel based on the Sannyasi
rebellion during the famine of 1770. Millions died, while the rulers stood by
and watched. British rule had not yet taken firm root - the nit and
grit of the administration were still in the hands of the Nawab Nazim in
Murshidabad - whose diwan Md. Reza Khan was a thorough rogue and unmitigated
scoundrel. His revenue-collection practices exacerbated the suffering -
throughout the countryside, men died like ants.
It is sometime since I read the novel, but if memory serves me right,the events
are as follows: the rebellion has failed. Satyananda, one of its prime-movers,
is talking to Mahendra, the protagonist. He starts singing `Vande Mataram'. He
consoles Mahendra, he tells him that though the rebellion has failed, it is
just the darkening before dawn. For it also signals the end of decadent Mughal
rule and the beginning of a new era; the Motherland though saddled
with a new master, has thrown off a far worser one, and who knows what
good can come of it still?
Bankim Chandra saw British Rule as a necessary precursor to India finding
her own moorings, awakening to her true self. While he was harsh in his
criticism of the anglicized gentry and other blind admirers of the British,
he himself regarded the English as a necessary evil, invaluable in freeing
India from the grip of mediaeval tyrants. That is something the Communists
simply can't stand!
In a subsequent article, I intend to post some moderate Muslim perspectives
on Bankim. I would invite readers of India-D to compare them with Ms.
Majumdar's opinions, and draw their own conclusions.

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

                                Spiritual/Religion
                                ==================

Date: Mon, 14 Mar 1994 22:00:42 -0500 (EST)
From: Rejeev G Varghese <varghese@student.msu.edu>
Subject: The uniqueness of the Bible

The first thot when you hear the word "Bible" is that it is for Christians.
Give a 2nd thot...Is it a Christian book ?  It is the general opinion.  Just
like people think Jesus Christ is the God of Christians.  Hmm..Very strange.

What does the word "Bible" mean ?  Bible mean "The Book" getting its root from
the greek word biblios.  What does the Bible has to prove its uniqueness ?  The
Bible is infact a library of books writen over a period of 1600 years by 40
men who came from different backgrounds.  There are fishermen, aristrocratic
men, doctors, kings, lawyers, priests and so on.  Well, you may think that
there is nothing unique in that.  Here's the catch.  Though it is written by
many authors over the ages, when you read it, you will know that one author is
behind it.  Coz the whole matter blends together so well to be a complete
story.  The story of Mankind's creation, his downfall and the way for him to
get back with the creator.  So who could be the sole author ?  The answer is
perfectly laid down by the 1st century theologian, Paul.  He writes - "Men
inspired by the Holy Spirit to pen down His very words, thots and plans for
mankind".  Its amazing that throughout the ages, starting from King Nero till
today, the Bible has stood the test.  Once forbidden in the Former USSR, now
people are craving to get a copy to find peace.  The Bible is a compass for
the lost, a light for direction, a fire for warmth, a comforting whisper, a
sword for justice etc.  Above all, it shows the condition of man's heart.

Go thru the pages of this book.  The most sold book, a best seller in itself,
not counting the books which are based on this "Book".  See for yourself, what
you can experience.  You will find THE WAY!

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

                                Sports
                                ======

Date: Mon, 14 Mar 1994 21:58:12 -0500 (EST)
From: kumarr@eng2.uconn.edu (Rishi Kumar)
Subject: Cricket: Sahchin Tendulakars last over

Was watching the India Windies HERO cup finals.

The commentators (Gavvy included) kep t harping about
Sachin's one over that 'has ginven him so much confidence'.

Would somebody care to enlighten me about that semi final
game?

Rishi

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

End of India Interest Group Digest
**********************************