AID News for Apr 23 2004
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AID News for Fri Apr 23 2004
AID News for Fri Apr 23, 2004
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AID News for Fri Apr 23, 2004
Today's Headlines
1) First-hand account of Goldman Award ceremony
2) Your voice counts: Send webfax to World Bank executive directors
3) Impact of pesticides on child development
4) Articles of interest
Today's News
1) First-hand account of Goldman award ceremony
[Bhopal survivors Rashida Bee and Champa Devi were
awarded the Goldman award, considered to be the ``Nobel Prize for the environment. Prashant Jawalikar
was there, and he sent us a first hand account of the ceremony. - Ed]
This is first time I attended it so it sure was a very impressing and inspiring experience for
me. It felt so great to be a part of 3000 full auditorium who gave a standing ovation to all
the winners (2 men and 4 women) for 5 minutes. The function was in the War Memorial Opera
House, right across the city center in San Francisco. The ceremony was pretty simple. It
started with a theme music and a video made up of clips of videos on the work of each winner.
Mr.Goldman read a letter he wrote to president Bush describing the tradition of the past
presidents, including his father, in terms of taking leadership in protecting environment. He
urged Bush to do all he can to protect the environment so that he can tell his grandchildren
that he did all he could to make the earth a better place for them.
After this there was a short speech by Jane Goodall (the famous chimpanzee researcher). She
said that things are getting worse but expressed her hope in better future as humanity has
accepted that they have screwed the environment, that the knowledge of how to make it better
is available and more and more people are trying/fighting for the issue and mainly the
children and youth are active in taking part in these efforts (she was referring to 500 odd
children/youth present in the audience who take part in environment protection thru various
activities in SF)
Then there was a music performance from an artist. He presented a song on spirituality of
connecting to each other and nature..I did not understand a single word of the song (which was
in English) but it was pretty interesting to see and listen.
The prize ceremony was simple. Before each candidate was called they showed a video of his/her
work. Then the candidate come on stage and deliver a speech for 5 minutes or so. All the
people were so inspiring. Some of the things that impressed upon me were:
a. Margie, the winner from Chemical ally sang two lines that said praise god for all
things he gave us.
b. The winner from Ghana who works on water said that everytime we waste water remember
that people from afrika are dying for it. He also said that we need free water and not free
trade.
c. The person from Georgia said that we don^Òt know when will we win or even if we will
win, but the communities now know how to fight.
d. Rashida Bee said that we, the women of Bhopal, are not flowers to be offered, we are
the Chingarees. They plan to set up a trust with the money to support the children who are
born with deformities, to do employment generation and a prize to be given to people who fight
corporate crime in India.
The party was great and we met so many people. Among them were Dr.Ramana Dhara, Parin Shah
from San Fransico who was instrumental in getting the SF city council resolution on Bhopal.
Also connecting with the known activists again was a very great experience. On our way from
the City center party to other location we sang Isiliye and Sathyu and Nity along with
clapping from @50 people sang Hille Re Jagjor Duniya while walking on Van Ness avenue it was
so amazing. Srividhya tells me that it was named as Vijay Yatra. We also presented some
flowers to the RB! /SD from AID. I wrote some cool message for them but I am unable to
recollect it it started with Inqalab Zindabad and mentioned that ..to you and all your comreds
from Bhopal who have fought tenuously thus far, we from AID congratulate you and will walk
with you in your struggle something like that..
Ladenge, Jeetenge is the feeling that we came out of the ceremony. We dropped Rashida Bee and
Champa Devi back to the Pan Pacific Hotel. I must say that they really do think us among there
family. They wished us all well and we parted with a big hug and the message that The struggle
should go on, with more energy now. Thanks to AID that ordinary volunteers like us get to
experience such inspiring and touching moments.
-- Contributed by Prashant Jawalikar
2) Send webfax to World Bank executive directors
International activists are initiating a 3-day fast to coincide with the World Bank’s spring
meetings to call attention to the legacy of impoverishment associated with the forced
displacement of peoples by World Bank funded large scale infrastructure projects such as mines
and dams. They demand that the Bank make policy changes to ensure the rights of people
adversely affected by the Bank’s lending practices. A letter to the Bank with a list of
demands will be presented at the press.
Please support their actions by fasting in solidarity, or even simply sending a web fax - you
can send a fax to World Bank EDs by just clicking a button.
Please read the letter and sign on at: http://www.aidindia.org/wbfast/webfax.htm
More information: http://www.aidindia.org/wbfast/
Related item of interest: International Rivers Network has come out with a new report on
Bank's renewed interest in big dams in India. It might have critical impact on many
communities in India and our partner organizations in India. http://www.irn.org
-- Contributed by Kirankumar Vissa
3) Impact of pesticides on child development: A message
Greenpeace India had released findings from its national study called Arrested
Development on the impact of pesticides on the developmental abilities
of children.
The study has shocking findings of lowered mental development within the children of
pesticides-impacted communities this includes analytical abilities, motor abilities, memory
and concentration, tactile perception abilities and so on. For the first time, connections
were sought to be made between the actual health impacts of pesticides, with rural children^Òs
development as the focus group the effects are invisible and insidious and all the more scary
for that reason. The compromise that the farming communities are forced to make is affecting
the very future generations for whom they seem to be toiling hard.
I provide below links to further information on the study, including media links, with several
requests to you all:
1. If you are working with farmers or children, we would be grateful if
you can disseminate these findings to the communities you work with,
urging them to switch to non-pesticidal alternatives, and to put
pressure on the government for more support for ecological
agriculture.
2. If you have any communication media like websites or newsletters for
further dissemination, would you please post details of the study and
its findings onto these channels.
3. If any of you are from the media, and would like to cover the story
and its findings, and need further information, do write back. If you
need something written up as an article for your journal, once again,
do let us know.
4. If you are already fighting legal cases against pesticides, do use
the report to further the cause.
5. If any of you need further information or have any queries, would you
please get back to me or Greenpeace India [at drag...@dialb.greenpeace.org ]
My contact email ids are : kavitha_...@yahoo.com,
kavitha....@indiatimes.com .
I also take the opportunity to thank many of you who had helped shape this study in different
ways. Thanks and hoping that you will share the findings with the communities that you work
with, and urge them to give up pesticides.
Kavitha Kuruganti
Principal Investigator for the study
The links for the reports and the study findings are:
1. www.greenpeaceindia.org
2. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/567741.cms
3. http://www.hindu.com/2004/04/08/stories/2004040807590400.htm
4. http://www.hindu.com/2004/04/08/stories/2004040800932200.htm
-- Contributed by Pervin and Aravinda
4) Articles of interest
E-wasting away in India
MUMBAI - With 1,150 information technology (IT) companies near
Bangalore alone generating 6,000 tonnes of lethal electronic waste annually, India's silicon
dream is unleashing an unforeseen nightmare. Non-governmental organizations such as the New
Delhi-based Toxics Links are ringing the warning bells about India becoming the world's
biggest electronic junkyard, with e-waste being illegally sneaked in from the United States,
Singapore, Malaysia, Belgium and the Middle East.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/FD06Df02.html
-- Contributed by Mokshay Madiman
Indians start voting next week to choose a new government. Its first priority should be AIDS. ONE
subject not being discussed in India's current election campaign is AIDS. Yet, on the most
conservative of estimates, 600,000 Indians already have the disease and 4.58m are infected with HIV,
the virus that causes it.
http://www.economist.com/opinion/displayStory.cfm?story_id=2603788
-- Contributed by Hema
Articles from India together
The merit of reservations : Despite constitutional and legal prohibitions,
caste remains the overriding indicator of social and economic status for
hundreds of millions of Indians. Until that is no longer true, affirmative
action to privilege some at the expense of others is necessary.
http://www.indiatogether.org/2004/apr/edt-reserve.htm
Driven to bondage and starvation : A good part of the infrastructure for
the new economy is built by migrant labourers, a large number of them
adivasis. But the disaggregated nature of the market for such work, and an
unresponsive regulatory framework have left them vulnerable to exploitation
by unscrupulous employers.
http://www.indiatogether.org/combatlaw/vol2/issue5/bondage.htm
Peace - more important than Cricket? : There's no denying the number and
complexity of the issues between Pakistan and India. Yet, the outpouring of
feeling between the countries in recent weeks only underlines the need for
more meetings between ordinary citizens, asserts Dilip D'Souza.
http://www.indiatogether.org/2004/apr/ddz-cricket.htm
----
That's all folks,
Regards
Arun Sripati
Just another quote:
I would not sit waiting for some vague tomorrow, nor for something to happen. One could wait a
lifetime, and find nothing at the end of the waiting. I would begin here, I would make
something happen.
-- Louis L'Amour
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others do not necessarily reflect those of the editor.
P.S. The AID News archives are available at AID News website
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P.P.S. Please visit the AID News site for more details on addition,
subtraction from the list and also to send in comments or if you
prefer email, the editor's email id is
aid...@aidindia.org
P.P.P.S. Access articles quoted in AID News: AID News Links Page
http://www.aidindia.org/links/
P.P.P.P.S. Disclaimers - The views expressed in AID News, including
disclaimers, are not necessarily those of AID. Chapter, BoD or EB
decisions are sometimes conveyed in AID News. The views of the
editor do not necessarily reflect those of AID and the views
expressed by others do not necessarily reflect those of the editor.
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