March 2012 - RH

Vol. 75

No 12

MARCH 2012

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THE RADICAL HUMANIST (Since April 1949) Formerly : Independent India (April 1937- March 1949)

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His 125th Birth Anniversary begins

THE RADICAL HUMANIST

The Radical Humanist

MARCH 2012 Download and read the journal at www.theradicalhumanist.com

Vol. 75 Number 12 March 2012

- Contents -

Monthly journal of the Indian Renaissance Institute

1. From the Editor’s Desk: Elections: Political Parties’ Fiestas —Rekha Saraswat 1 2. From the Writings of Laxmanshastri Joshi: Spiritual Materialism: A case for Atheism 2 3. Guests’ Section: On Visions and Resurrections —Gary J. Whittenberger 7 Spread of Edu.in Muslim & Dalit Children: A New Initiative —Miratun Nahar 14 Land Acq. Act, 1894 And Land Acq.& Rehab. & Resettlement Bill 2011: An Overview —Apurba Dasgupta 16 4. Current Affairs’ Section: Age of the Marshal; Political Trends in Burma; Disturbances in Maldives; Cancellation of Licences in a Group; Three Festivals —N.K. Acharya 21 5. IRI / IRHA Members’ Section: Durgashankarbhai: a True Humanist —Gautam Thakar 24 Loose Cannons —Ajit Bhattacharyya 25 6. Teacher’s & Research Scholar’s Section: K.S. Duggal: Grand Auteur of Punjabi Literature —Ashok K. Chaudhury 26 7. Book Review Section: M.N. Roy –The Man Who Looked Ahead —Innaiah Narisetti 30 Putting Pieces of World Peace Together —Dipavali Sen 32 8. Humanist News Section 34

Devoted to the development of the Renaissance Movement; and for promotion of human rights, scientific-temper, rational thinking and a humanist view of life.

Founder Editor: M.N. Roy Editor: Dr. Rekha Saraswat Contributory Editors: Prof. A.F. Salahuddin Ahmed, Dr. R.M. Pal, Professor Rama Kundu Publisher: Mr. N.D. Pancholi Printer: Mr. N.D. Pancholi Send articles to: Dr. Rekha Saraswat, C-8, Defence Colony, Meerut, 250001, U.P., India, Ph. 91-121-2620690, 09719333011, E-mail articles at: rheditor@gmail.com Send Subscription / Donation Cheques in favour of ‘The Radical Humanist’to: Mr. Narottam Vyas (Advocate), Chamber Number 111 (Near Post Office), Supreme Court of India, New Delhi, 110001, India n.vyas@snr.net.in Ph. 91-11-22712434, 91-11-23782836, 09811944600

Please Note: Authors will bear sole accountability for corroborating the facts that they give in their write-ups. Neither IRI / the Publisher nor the Editor of this journal will be responsible for testing the validity and authenticity of statements & information cited by the authors. Also, sometimes some articles published in this journal may carry opinions not similar to the Radical Humanist philosophy; but they would be entertained here if the need is felt to debate and discuss upon them.

—Rekha Saraswat

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From The Editor’s Desk:

Elections: Political Parties’ Fiestas Rekha Saraswat

I had mustered courage Intomyclaimlastthateditorial the ideal of democracy is not an impractical proposition.

I had also proposed to the readers that if they go through the twenty two principles of Radical Humanism they will come to realize that democracy can really be achieved in its true form if we evolve a system of participatory democracy.

If we go by the definition of participatory democracy it says, “Individual participation by citizens in political decisions and policies that affect their lives, especially directly rather than through elected representatives.”

Participatory democracy was not a new concept originated by Roy. It was being practiced in 7th and 8th centuries in Ancient Greece, in 600 BC by the Athenian leader Solon, a century later by Cleisthenes, in the later middle ages in the Swiss Cantons, from 1936-1938 by the anarchists. It was promoted by the philosophers, Simone Weil, James Friskin and George Orwell and by the American Leftists. In the early 21st Century participatory democracy was experimented in parts of South and North America and European Union.

But Roy’s originality was that he envisaged a democratic set-up for India keeping in mind its social, cultural, educational, economic and religious background.

He had suggested the formation of people’s committees at the base and a parliament formed by these committees at the apex. He wanted to locate and involve genuine, educated, politically aware and socially responsible Indian citizens (with no

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desire of contesting elections for themselves) to develop into a network of dedicated informers and guides for the common men around them. Such people were expected to continuously update, educate, enlighten and caution the masses about the functioning and malfunctioning of the governments. They were to train them to take charge of their own welfare policies and to become confident and capable enough to run their local governments themselves.

He expected to develop a strong chain of educators to work for the common men and women without any hidden self-interest in the bargain. In a way, he also foresaw the need of a labyrinth of mediators who would form a hierarchy of power-wielders from the root to the apex.

That is to say, he also felt the need of people’s representatives to work for them to speak for them to represent them but not inside the bodies of power. He wanted these representatives to help the people to learn to help themselves and to gradually develop into power-handlers becoming members of local, district, state and central governments.

He envisaged two types of representatives; those who would be self-appointed to work for the enlightenment of the people, i.e. the educators of the masses. And second, those enlightened members of the masses who would be trained to form their own governments at their local level.

In these circumstances political parties would automatically, become superfluous because the government representatives would not to be elected. They would be selected out of all the small trained groups in their localities who would meet on a daily basis to solve their local problems regularly.

This would eliminate the pseudo-sympathizers of people from the scene, may they be the goons or the mafias, the businessmen or the crass politicians.

The fooling of the masses through ceaseless slogan mongering and the enormous expenditures in the fiestas of elections would become redundant on its own.

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Continued from the last issue.........

Utilitarian Objects: God, Heaven, Hell and Life Hereafter Some people say that concepts of god, immortality of the soul and the philosophy of karma have definite value in human life. One must assume the validity of these concepts whether an omniscient, omnipotent, perfect God with all virtues and summumbonum can be proved or not by reason, or Laxman S. Joshi whether the logically refined intellect can provide a convincing proof of immortality of the soul or a body of evidence can be established for Spiritual Materialism – A case whether the belief that an individual will experience for for Atheism sure, the reward or punishment for his deeds good Translated by —Arundhati Khandkar or bad! Without taking for granted the existence of the above concepts, man cannot perform his [The book Spiritual Materialism – A case for activities in relation to social well-being.

Atheism, A New Interpretation of the Therefore, one must have faith in these concepts.

Philosophy of Materialism written by These concepts which are beyond the reach of Tarkateertha Laxmanshastri Joshi has been human intellect offers man a sense of translated by his daughter, Arundhati accomplishment in deeds and desired goals of life.

Khandkar, who was formerly Professor of Herein lies the value of these concepts. For the Philosophy at S.I.E.S. College, University of purposes of order and well-being in a society, Mumbai, India. He passed away many decades concepts of relations to god, heaven, hell, soul and ago but his contribution in building up the life in the other world are a necessity. philosophical base of Radical Humanism has Utility of Divinity: A Triply Flawed Concept been no less. Roy acknowledged it in his life time The concept of utility of theism has three flaws. We and the followers of the philosophy continue to do consider all the three one by one. so. I had requested Ms. Khandkar to translate her 1) The first flaw is as follows. Secular values of life father’s major works from to Marathi to English here on earth are quite different from for the benefit of the contemporary readers of RH. transcendental and otherworldly values such as And to our pleasant surprise she informed that faith in god and belief in immortality. They are the there is already the above mentioned book in basis for the great events of history. There exists a English done by her. It is being serialised in The power in the secular values, within the reach of the Radical Humanist June 2010 onwards. She has human intellect that promotes the virtues of man also promised to send us in English, gradually, such as artistic creativity, knowledge, sacrifice, more of his Marathi literature. bravery, and heroism. The heroic lives of the Laxmanshastri wrote this essay with the title people that produced the French Revolution had Materialism or Atheism in 1941. How mainly the backing of social secular values such as meaningful and necessary it is, even now, 70 liberty, democracy, People’s Republic and years later, can be understood by the following fraternity. Americans, in their War of paragraph given on the cover page of the book. Independence, fought for the establishment of a government inspired by the ideals of democracy —Rekha Saraswat

From The Writings of Laxmanshastri Joshi:

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and the fundamental rights of man. International heroes inspired by the ideals of people’s power, human rights, destruction of economic slavery and socialism died on the battlefields of Spain in the last Civil War which ended in a counter revolution.

Individuals like Bhagat Singh in India who was sentenced to death, offered his own self, inspired only by the ideals of national independence. Where life or death is the only test, even there without a touch of faith in immortality or divine power, common citizens undertake heroic acts. There is considerable agreement on this subject among social psychologists. Many scientists work hard day and night, in the field of physical sciences.

Researchers with deep love for knowledge, business people with love for business and citizens inspired by love for society engage themselves in courageous activities putting their own lives at risk.

A mother suffers for a child with neither heaven no god in mind. Her life is totally dedicated to the cause of her children. The good of her child is her only concern.

There exist very few social beings who only think in terms of their own personal future. Social activities take place only with the larger interests of ego. Human ego in society is comprehensive or restricted depending on the social stage at a certain time. The extent of that self-feeling depends on certain historical circumstances. From the very beginning of the human society, there have been people who have struggled ceaselessly for the sake of their families; they would still strive the same way. Even primitive society strictly followed tribal laws without any concern for life after death.

Religious Individuals A person, who strives for religious goals, is actually more concerned about his own sanctity and transcendental life. His morality is motivated by this alone. But this is a very selfish attitude which is not healthy because it is based on illusory concepts.

Progressive social attitudes, nationalism, social prosperity and humanity are secular ideals that can be easily comprehended by reason. They are grounded in society and are not individualistic.

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Since they are not centered around individual interests they are of lesser importance. Wider social groups imply better prospects for present and future generations, social stability and social will-being.

Secularism, the advocate of secular social values is more truthful and beneficial than spiritualism.

Spiritualism imposes personal goals and advocates values, imaginary and other worldly. The rationale for secularism is that it relates to the well-being of all.

2) The second flaw in the value of religious beliefs is as follows. Religiosity assigns permanent of immutable value to the ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’, to attitudes, customs, thoughts and institutions prevalent in a specific period and country. It moreover, creates the feeling that these are divinely ordained or are the revelations of the great seers.

Consequently, the thoughts and customs important only in a specific country or at a given time and in a specific environment, deteriorate or become a severe liability. Religious values obstruct the path of progress. Belief in god, divine guidelines and the doctrine of karma obstruct for sure, social transformation and become the enemy of progress.

The same eternal religious beliefs open the doors to human degradation. Institutions, specific ideals, beliefs, and customs that incorporate the values of religiosity and life hereafter, are certainly the chains that restrict social advancement. Ironically god and religion are created and protected by man.

They have enslaved him. Therefore, from now on we should have ideals and values based on reason.

3) The third flaw in the value of religious beliefs is as follows. People in power dominate religious institutions and they use religious ideology to enslave the masses and keep them in ignorance.

Theism, immortality, karma belief in consequences of good and bad deeds have been used by powerful social classes for preservation of their own social status, authority, and material gains. This is what we learn from the history of religions. Laws of inequality relating to the caste-system and the institution of untouchability in Hinduism have been kept alive for thousands of years because of these

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very religious values. Religious mysticism has served materialistic selfishness.

Moral Content of Materialism and Mystical Spiritualism In popular thinking: ‘Materialism is immoral and mystical spiritualism is moral!’ This is truly erroneous. Mystical spiritualism hides crude and disgusting materialism and theoretical materialism treasures in its bosom, spiritualism of a very high order! Intellectual and psychological development of a human being in this life makes for only genuine spiritualism. Without providing for the regular livelihood of all the members of society, without opening the doors of knowledge fully to all, without making the means of progress available to everyone, which means essentially without reorganising society for these purposes, it is true that supreme spiritualism will never appear in society! Development of the soul means the growth of human powers. It is the true spiritualism in the life of a person. Providing for such a development with the help of sciences and arts through the deployment of all the forces of nature is truly theoretical materialism. Struggle for the attainment of these highest social goals is quintessential materialism. (*37) Religious Experience The seventh proof: Now yet one more i.e. the seventh proof for the existence of god is examined. It is comparable to the argument that religion as an institution in human society since antiquity is the true evidence for the existence of god. There is presently, not a single human society or a settlement in which there is no religious institution. Religious institutions are everywhere, from the primitive to the most advanced society. This means that just as man experiences the universe continuously with his sense organs internal and external, so does he experience the transcendental reality of god. It is true that some human beings are not religious, meaning that some do not possess religious faith just like some people who are born blind do not

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sense light or colours. Similarly, atheists do not understand the meaning of the power of god.

However one usually finds, countless people who do possess religious faith. This means that there does exist a feeling for the transcendent divine power in one form or another, though not to the same degree. This feeling admittedly, does not take the same form among all of them. There is a vast difference between the religious concepts of primitive people living in the woods and the religious concepts of the philosopher saints living in civilized societies. There does, however, remain a common factor between the two with regard to the awareness of the presence of a transcendent power.

In that awareness, there exists an admixture of older and the refined religious ideas. The stages of social development explain the apparent differences among the religious concepts of various societies. Religious experience of the uncivilized people living in a primitive society is muddier and fuzzier while that of the saints in a highly civilized society is purer and clearer. Shared by the public everywhere, such a religious experience itself, is the primary proof for the existence of god.

Divine Experience Rebutted The above argument can be refuted. The awareness mentioned above as religious experience is a feeling that does not fall in the category of Direct Experience of Reality. If that feeling were in the nature of direct experience then no one would have any alternative but to accept its validity. Direct experience of reality is the true basis of human rationalism! The core of religious feeling is faith.

Belief or faith is not the same as direct experience.

There are various different causes which give rise to belief or faith. The kind of ideas elders instill in the minds of the youngsters from childhood are the ones that take root and later develop into a firm belief. The history of human faith presents a litany of blind beliefs created by a great many false or illusory concepts of mankind held dear to the heart from antiquity. Blind faith deeply held nevertheless, gives rise to multifarious fantasies which appear real and bewilder people.

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Rebuttal continued: Institutions of Religion The instruments used by individuals to deepen religious faith, do not create perceptually the direct experience of god, similar to the experience of the things in reality. drumming religious concepts into the minds of people through religious discourses, mythological tales, epic stories, religious festivals, remembrance of dead relatives, worship, singing devotional songs, chanting god’s name, and so on, is what institutions of religion do. Such religious institutions go through extra-ordinary efforts deepen religious faith. These ideas are not actual experience. They resemble poetic imagery in that they arouse feelings of love, hate and so on. Deep in our mind, subconscious or conscious, while experiencing poetic thoughts, we are certain that the objects of poetic imagery do not exist in reality.

Such a feeling of certainty does not exist when we go through a religious experience. On the contrary, a religious man is absolutely sure that religious objects are real. Therefore, religion is far more powerful in creating such feelings.

The strength of religious ideas owing to religious practices and membership of religious organisations, grows to such an extent that the real world appears to be unreal and of less significance, imaginary world is taken to be real and of paramount importance. As time passes, we continue to deepen and strengthen our religious obligations. As a result, the non-existent religious universe or the false world of religion remains not only the object of our imagination, but becomes the object of direct experience as well. This kind of experience is not only an illusion created by man himself through great efforts, but it is at the same time, a great burden of his own creation. This religious universe created by man is full of objects such as gods, live souls, residing in etheral bodies, snhrld, deities, heaven, the seven mystical worlds and the rest. These objects are imaginery and therefore false. These are however thought to be real by religious minded weak people or highly sensitive people who are indoctrinated into such thinking; also people with an extremely emotional 5

temperament. Such an experience for sure, is a result of previous impression, continued obsession and emotional amplification. It is only a play of imagination. It is artificial. It is not the vision of reality!

Words of a Rishi The eighth proof takes a form in the following manner. The argument here runs this way. The divine and the other worldly experience of an ascetic or a rishi, is an important evidence or proof for the existence of god. Religious people hold that the ascetics come to experience the presence of God. Ordinary individuals who are such experiences, doubt the existence of God. Religious authorities say that such an experience of divinity is far superior and different from any sensory experiences. That is why, the inspired experience of the ascetics, must be accepted by others. Just those who could not visit lake Manasa in the Himalayas still accept the word of those who have visited it or just as we accept the word of our mother who tells us that we were born to her, similarly we must accept we must the words of a saint!

An Inescapable Result In response to this proof for god by Word this needs to be stated. The various experiences of rishis about god, do not have anything in common. If mutually inconsistent perceptions of an object are received, we are required to determine the truth of these one by one, using the rules of logic. It is incorrect to say that all those experiences are true. From the scriptural texts of different religions, one gathers that different saints tell different and conflicting experiences of god. Some remark that the universe and god are different. Some state that god exists only in the form of the universe. Others declare that the universe itself is false and god alone is true.

Some also maintain that god is nonqualifiable that is without any attributes. Some others assert that god is qualifiable with certain attributes.

Experiences of other saints of India, such as Kapila, Buddha, Mahaveera and Charvaka who founded

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specific religious philosophies of Dualism, Buddhism, Jainism and Atheism respectively, have something different to say. They think that there is no god. If we take into account such conflicting and contrary reports of experience of saints there is need to resolve the issue with the use of the rules of logic. It is necessary to evaluate and determine the validity of this proof. Only one of them has to be true and the others have to be false. Since the existence of god cannot be proven logically in the circumstance of such a conflict, we are compelled to accept the experience of the atheists. As logical proof for the existence of god cannot be obtained, we have to accept the atheistic experience of saints such as Kapila, Buddha, Mahaveera and Charvaka.

Actually, saints who feel that they experience god, do so on the strength of other emotions or their continuous longing for god. Such experience is not forced upon them either by the object called god on their contact with god.

I experience heat or cold irrespective of my desire and even in the absence of any vehement action of those objects hot or cold in spite of prior experience of those sensations. I see a mango tree with my eyes because of the contact through light between the eyes and the tree. I discover a hidden thief when I search for him. I see the railway engine, only because it has been manufactured. None of these experiences is similar to the experience of god. We see god only by the strength of our emotions. He is not known to any body serendipitously. The power of the objective reality is such that man experiences it serendipitously or unexpectedly, without the use of any human emotions. God is not such an object of experience. Therefore, we are required to say that god does not exist at all.

Science and God

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There are a few scientists in the West, the physicians of the twentieth century, who are increasingly inclined towards proving the existence of objects such as god or the Vital Force (e’lan vital), sentience, or an independent intellect (Intellect Agens, Gaea or even a god particle). This is being interpreted by the literati among the naïve believers as the disintegration of the old materialist foundation of the modern physical sciences and the beginning of their run towards spiritualism. They feel that sciences are caught up in a philosophical dilema and they have no way left except to seek refuge in religious principles such as theism, spiritualism and so on. Not only this, but A) The scientists in the field of physics and evolution have begun accepting the existence or the dominion of god. B) One cannot succeed in botany and biology without postulating the existence of the principle of independent, self-sustaining vital force, the e’lan vital. Moreover, C) Modern psychology has already discovered, the secret mind as separate from the body.

We will end this discussion after conducting a review of the above opinions. There is great misunderstanding in the perception of the theists that modern physical sciences are providing support to the concepts of the existence of god, independent soul and vital force. In this manner, what one must take into account is that, not a single science whatsoever has proved with definitive evidence the existence of god or the independent vital force. Not a single branch of science can conclusively say that the evidence necessary for proving anything in this matter or the kind of substantive evidence scientifically necessary for proof in this matter has been obtained.

Continued in the next issue........................

Dear Radical Humanists, We hope you will organise meetings & lectures or informal get-togethers wherever you are, in India or abroad, to acknowledge M.N. Roy’s contribution to modern Political Philosophy and participate in the celebrations of his 125th Birth Anniversary Year. Please send us the reports and pictures of the programs so that we may publish and post them in the RH & its Web Portal.

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Guests’ Section:

On Visions and Resurrections —by Gary J. Whittenberger [Text taken from eSkeptic which introduces it as follows. In this week’s eSkeptic, Gary J. Whittenberger applies the hallucination hypothesis to the alleged post-crucifixion appearance of Jesus summarized in three Gospel stories. Based on careful examination of the Gospels and our current knowledge of the human mind, is the hallucination hypothesis far superior to a resurrection hypothesis in accounting for the “facts” of the post-crucifixion story?

Gary Whittenberger, Ph.D., is a retired psychologist and freelance writer from Tallahassee, Florida. He worked as a clinical psychologist and program administrator in prisons for 23 years, but now devotes his time to studying philosophical and religious problems.

He has published articles in Skeptic, Skeptical Inquirer, CSER Review, and American Atheistmagazines, and he serves on the steering committee of the Center for Inquiry—Tallahassee Community.]

Can Hallucination Account for the Post-Crucifixion Appearances of Jesus?

In response to advances in higher biblical criticism, science, philosophy, and skepticism, over the past half century many Christian thinkers have retreated from biblical literalism, arguments from authority, and blind faith in scripture. Instead they have begun to rely more on arguments such as “inference to the best explanation” to defend some of their basic beliefs, including and especially the central dogma that Jesus rose from the dead. According to many modern Christian apologists, there are five “facts” surrounding the death of Jesus which must be explained: 1) Jesus was crucified by the Romans in Jerusalem in 30–33 CE.

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2) It was believed at the time that Jesus had died on the cross.

3) Jesus was placed in a tomb on a Friday afternoon.

4) The tomb was found to be empty by one or more women on the following Sunday morning.

5) It was believed that Jesus met with his followers on several occasions after the tomb was found to be empty.

Most modern Christian apologists not only think that the resurrection hypothesis explains these five “facts” better than any other hypothesis, but they believe it is true beyond a reasonable doubt.

The resurrection story became the cornerstone of the Christian faith early when Paul said “And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain” (I Corinthians 15:14). By contrast, secularists think that other hypotheses explain the “facts” much better, that the resurrection hypothesis is extremely improbable, and that, at this stage in our knowledge, no rational person should believe it.

There are many explantations for the origin of the idea of the Christian resurrection, most notably the idea that it developed from the many earlier pagan traditions of dying and rising gods. But I will focus here on a hypothesis that has recently been the target of renewed Christian attack that can account for the “facts” mentioned at the outset. This hypothesis may be simply stated: After Jesus died from crucifixion and was placed in the tomb, his corpse was removed from the tomb by unknown persons who placed it in an unknown location.

Furthermore, after the women discovered the tomb to be empty, one or more of the intimate disciples of Jesus had an auditory-visual vision or hallucination of Jesus, which he or they interpreted as the “risen Jesus,” which became the basis of the Gospel stories and the spreading resurrection belief.

The purpose of this essay is to demonstrate that the hallucination hypothesis is a plausible explanation of the post-crucifixion “appearances” of Jesus, and

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to defend it against some of the current criticisms of Christian apologists.

In the Gospels there are eight stories about appearances of Jesus to his followers after his crucifixion. These appear near the ends of three of the Gospels—Matthew, Luke, and John. It is now acknowledged by most New Testament scholars that in the original Gospel of Mark there were no stories of Jesus’ post-crucifixion appearances. In this essay, for the sake of simplicity, I will address only three of the eight appearance stories —the ones in which Jesus appears to a group of most of the disciples, either 10 or 11 of them. These three stories in three different Gospels appear to refer to the same event. The other five stories are not replicated across all three Gospels.

In Matthew 28:16–20, it is said that Jesus met with 11 of his disciples (apparently excluding Judas) on a mountain in Galilee to which he had directed them. Even though some of the disciples had doubts about what was happening (unspecified in the text), Jesus supposedly instructed the disciples to go out into the world to preach and baptize. It is significant that in this account Jesus mentions the three persons who later came to be called the “Trinity.”

According to the second story (much more complex than the first), taken from Luke 24:36–53, Jesus met with an unspecified number of disciples in Jerusalem and nearby Bethany. He supposedly opened by saying “Peace be unto you.” Then, apparently to confirm his identity, Jesus drew attention to his hands and feet and urged the disciples to touch him. The story does not say whether they took him up on the offer. Then, apparently to confirm his corporeality, Jesus asked for food, received it, and ate it. Jesus told them that what had happened to him was a fulfillment of scripture that a special one should suffer, die, and be raised from the dead on the third day. Finally, he urged them to carry his message to the world, starting in Jerusalem, and then he ascended into the sky.

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In the third story found in John 20:19–23, Jesus met with 10 of the disciples (apparently excluding Judas and Thomas) in a closed room somewhere near Jerusalem supposedly on the same day that the women had found the empty tomb. In this account Jesus also started by saying “Peace be unto you,” and he said this a second time during the meeting.

He drew attention to his hands and side (not his feet). He urged the disciples to go into the world and preach, he assigned them the authority to remit sins, and he breathed on them the “Holy Ghost.” I am assuming that all three of these stories are referring to the same event, whether that event was an actual meeting of the risen Jesus with the disciples, the core of a vision, or the product of fabrication. This assumption is justified because all three of the stories share three elements: 1) Jesus meets with a large group of disciples (10 or 11); they see and hear him.

2) Jesus instructs the group to go out into the world and preach.

3) The meeting occurs post-crucifixion.

Only one such meeting is mentioned in Matthew and Luke, but two similar meetings are mentioned in John, only the first of which is considered here.

Any reasonable hallucination hypothesis must provide an adequate account of this basic narrative in which Jesus meets with the large group of disciples. A careful analysis shows that there are only two other elements that are common to two of the three stories (Luke and John)—Jesus says “Peace be unto you,” and he draws attention to his hands. All other elements are unique to the three individual stories.

Given that Jesus’ disciples lived with him for two or three years, loved him deeply, and were greatly bereaved upon learning of his crucifixion, it is highly likely that one or more of them had something like a “grief hallucination” shortly after his assumed death. Christian apologist Michael Licona, who dismisses any hallucination hypothesis, nevertheless provides some current data that supports this idea. He writes: “About 15

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percent of the population experience one or more hallucinations during their lifetime” and “senior adults who are in the midst of bereaving the loss of a loved one belong to a group that experiences one of the highest percentages of hallucinations: a whopping 50 percent!”1 In a study from 1971, William Rees tallied different types of hallucinations within a bereaved sample, finding that 39% of his sample “felt the presence” of the deceased, 14% saw him/her, 13% heard him/her, and even 2% felt the touch of the dead loved one.2 In a more recent study from 1993, A. Grimby found that 50% of her grieving sample “felt the presence” of the deceased, 26% saw him/her, and 30% heard him/her.3 Given the conditions in which the disciples found themselves, it would be surprising if one or two of the 10 or 11 (9–20%) did not experience a hallucination of Jesus. This one hallucination (or two) probably formed the basis of the single appearance story discussed earlier.

Perhaps the most common objection to the hallucination hypothesis is that it is impossible or improbable that 10 or 11 disciples would have had the same hallucination of Jesus at the same time.

For example, Licona says “Moreover, it must likewise be proposed that when these hallucinations occurred, they just happened to do so simultaneously.”4 Elsewhere he and Gary Habermas note “we know that hallucinations are private occurrences, which occur in the mind of an individual. They are not collective experiences. In a group, all of the people may be in the frame of mind to hallucinate, but each experiences hallucinations on an individual basis. Nor will they experience the same hallucination.”5 To support his position, Licona cites psychologist Gary A. Sibcy, who writes: “I…have yet to find a single documented case of a group hallucination, that is, an event for which more than one person purportedly shared in a visual or other sensory perception where there was clearly no external referent.”6 Apparently, Sibcy did not find the documented cases discovered by investigative journalist and paranormal researcher Joe Nickell: Eugene 9

Barbadette, his brother Joseph, and others saw the Virgin Mary at Pontmain, France, on January 17, 1971.7 Lucia de Jesus dos Santos and her two cousins saw the Blessed Mary several times, including the sighting on July 13, 1817, in Fatima, Portugal.8 More recently, Maria Cruz Gonzalez and her three companions also saw the mother of Jesus in the little village of San Sebastian de Garabandal, Spain, on July 2, 1961.9 The reports of these three cases resemble our target story about Jesus’ meeting with the disciples in the sense that more than one person “saw and heard” another person, a religious figure, assumed to have been dead. In the three cases cited by Nickel, it can be assumed that there was “no external referent” since there were other persons present at the time who neither saw nor heard the Blessed Mary. Although a “conspiracy of deception” hypothesis might be a plausible alternative to the “shared hallucination” hypothesis for these cases, this is also true for the Jesus story. Suffice it to say, it is possible for more than one person in a group to have a hallucination with similar content.

Let us suppose for a moment that only one disciple had a grief hallucination of Jesus. Could this account for our target story? Yes, it could. Here’s how: While by himself, one disciple might have had an auditory/visual hallucination not only of Jesus but of his fellow disciples within the same perceptual frame. A report of this experience could be easily transformed into the story “The disciples met with the risen Jesus.” Another plausible alternative is that while in the presence of the other disciples, one disciple might have had the hallucination of Jesus only, but this was combined in the same perceptual frame with a sensing of the other disciples actually present. And still, the rumor which was passed around could have been “The disciples met with the risen Jesus.”

Now let’s deal with the possibility that two disciples in a group had the same hallucination of Jesus at the same time. Could this happen? Even Habermas and Licona admit, “In a group, all of the people may be in the frame of mind to

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hallucinate.”10 Different people in a group can hallucinate at the same time! This is more likely if the people share a common psychological context than if they do not. Surely, if the disciples were meeting together and grieving the death of their beloved Jesus, they would be sharing a common psychological context, and it would not be particularly surprising if more than one of them hallucinated Jesus within the same short period of time. But would their hallucinations be identical?

Of course not! But might they be similar? Yes, they might. Two disciples might have had simultaneous hallucinations of Jesus which, if the reports of these experiences had been carefully compared in some kind of debriefing, they would likely show variation in details such as what Jesus was wearing, how injured he looked, what gestures he used, and what he said and did. The two disciples might have simply agreed afterwards that they saw/heard Jesus, but never compared their individual experiences in any detail. Any rumor that subsequently led to our targeted Gospel story might have been based on only a single report from one of the two simultaneously hallucinating disciples or on a melding of two reports.

Particularly striking is the alleged statement of Jesus “Peace be unto you” which appears once in the Luke version and twice in the John version of the post-crucifixion story. Because it is short and pithy and it is the type of thing that Jesus might have said to his disciples over and over again when he was alive—as a greeting or as a good-bye—it is a good candidate for inclusion in a grief hallucination. My hypothesis is that during the week after the crucifixion of Jesus one influential disciple (perhaps two) had an auditory-visual grief hallucination of Jesus who said “Peace be unto you.” This hallucination either included the other disciples in the perceptual frame or was experienced in their presence. I suspect that a report of this hallucination formed the core of our target story and that the other details of the three Gospel versions of the story are embellishments, primarily designed for theological, pedagogical, or

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apologetic purposes. My hypothesis accounts for the “facts” of our case and is far more likely to be true than the hypothesis that Jesus died, came back to life, met with his disciples, and ascended into the sky.

In their critique of the hallucination hypotheses, Habermas and Licona contend “hallucinations do not account for the empty tomb.”11 Well, of course they don’t! They aren’t supposed to. The empty tomb is explained by a different hypothesis— unknown persons removed the corpse from the tomb and placed it in an unknown location.

Habermas and Licona fail to connect the right hypothesis to the right “fact” to be explained. On the other hand, there are good reasons to believe that grief hallucinations about Jesus would be more likely to occur if the tomb were found to be empty than if it were found to still contain the body of Jesus. The knowledge of the empty tomb would set the stage for one part of the mind of a bereaved disciple to subconsciously create a hallucination of Jesus and interpret it as support for the “risen Jesus” idea.

On this matter, the prominent Christian apologist William Lane Craig has commented: “The disciples were not psychologically disposed to produce hallucinations. Visions require either a special state of mind or artificial stimulus through medicines in order to occur. But the disciples after Jesus’ crucifixion were utterly crushed and in no frame of mind to hallucinate.”12 In point of fact, in the grief hallucination hypothesis, it is because the disciples were “utterly crushed” they were in a “special state of mind” which made them highly “disposed to produce hallucinations.” Setting aside cases of extreme mental illness and substance intoxication, profound grief may be the special state of mind most often associated with the experience of hallucinations.

Craig has asserted that a hallucination hypothesis cannot account for several facts, but he appears to be mistaken in all respects. He writes, for example, “it cannot explain how in so short a time

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hallucinatory experiences could be completely transformed into the gospel appearance stories.”13 First, the experiences would not have been completely transformed into the gospel narratives, but would have formed the core of the narratives and been embellished. Second, the actual time gap between hallucination and gospel narrative would not have been “so short a time,” but would have been 40–70 years! As well, Craig asserts that the hallucination hypothesis cannot explain “why the eyewitnesses to those experiences should have had absolutely no control on the development of the accounts of what had really happened.”13 In this case we must assume that the “eyewitnesses to those experiences” are identical to the hallucinating persons. However, Craig presents no evidence to support his assumption that they “had absolutely no control on the development.” They probably had some control, especially if they repeated the report of their hallucinatory experience. Further, there would be a very good reason why they might have lost control over their initial reports— they were probably dead by the time the Gospel narratives were written! A disciple only 20 years old in 30 CE—roughly when Jesus was crucified—would have to have been between 60 and 90 years old when the three Gospels were written. According to a life expectancy table presented by historian Richard Carrier, the probability that a person would have been this old in the first century would have been less than .02.14 But even if they were alive, the disciples were probably too far removed in terms of geographical distance and competence in the Greek language from the actual Gospel writers to have significant influence after rumors had spread.

Finally, Craig proclaims, “The theory cannot account for the early believers’ distinguishing precisely between a mere vision and an actual appearance of Jesus.”15 Surely some who experience grief hallucinations conclude afterwards that they were hallucinating, but some do not—they sincerely believe that their loved one was present. There probably was a mixture of opinion about the appearance of Jesus among the 11

disciples, and this conclusion is supported by the words in Matthew “but some doubted,” which will be discussed in greater detail below.

Craig, the most prolific of the hallucination critics, has noted, “Hallucinations would never have led to the conclusion that Jesus had been raised from the dead…in a hallucination, a person experiences nothing new. That is because the hallucination cannot exceed the content of the person’s mind. But as we shall see, the resurrection of Jesus involved ideas utterly foreign to the disciples’ minds.”16 In a hallucination, as well as in a dream, a person can experience something new in the sense that he/she may creatively combine snippets of past perceptions into a unique combination. In this process the hallucination does not “exceed the content of the person’s mind.” However, given the content of a hallucination in which Jesus is seen and heard to say to his assembled disciples “Peace be unto you,” there is nothing new or “utterly foreign” here to the disciples’ minds. Craig seems to be confusing the raw hallucination experience “That is my Lord standing there!” with the conclusion “Jesus must have come back to life.” The two are not the same, even though they are related. If a disciple believed that Jesus had died during the crucifixion, knew that the tomb was empty, and then “saw and heard” Jesus in a grief hallucination which he thought was “real,” then it would be easy or natural for him to conclude that Jesus had come back to life.

Craig thinks that because the disciples were Jews they would never have come to this conclusion because their religion required them to believe that no resurrections would occur before all persons were raised from the dead at the end of times.17 However, on close examination, this makes little sense. The disciples already believed in the possibility—or even the reality—of individual resurrections. Didn’t they know that some Jews thought that Jesus was John the Baptist raised from the dead (Mark 6:14)? Didn’t they have the example of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1–46)? Didn’t they hear the stories of

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individual resurrections described in their scriptures? Didn’t Jesus repeatedly tell them that he would come back to life in roughly three days (Mark 8:31, 10:34; Matthew 12:40, 16:21, 17:23, 20:19; Luke 9:22, 18:33; John 2:19)? Another possibility is that the disciples might have believed that Jesus was the first to be resurrected at the end of times about to commence. Adding these familiar ideas of individual and final-days’ resurrections to their knowledge of the crucifixion and the empty tomb, and to an intense grief hallucination taken as “real,” it is probable that at least one or two of the disciples would have concluded that Jesus had been raised from the dead. Had these disciples been leaders, such as Peter or John, most of the others would have gone along with them. Heightened emotion, pressures to conform, group loyalty, and wishful thinking would have facilitated the adoption of the resurrection belief by most of the group.

If a risen Jesus actually met with his disciples, it is not likely that we would see the differences in major details that we actually see in the three versions of the story from the different Gospels. In Matthew, Jesus allegedly meets with the disciples in Galilee, but in Luke and John, he supposedly meets with them in or near Jerusalem. In Matthew, Jesus specifically mentions the three components of the Trinity, but not in Luke and John. In Luke, Jesus draws attention to his hands and feet, in John he focuses on his hands and side, but in Matthew he mentions none of these. Jesus ate food in Luke’s account, but not in Matthew’s and John’s. Jesus discusses the fulfillment of scripture in Luke, but not in the other two versions. In John, Jesus gives his disciples the authority to forgive sins and breathes the Holy Spirit onto them, but this does not happen in the other two versions. These differences are not about piddling details; they are about major points! If a risen Jesus had actually met with his disciples, we would expect that the Gospel writers would have done careful research and gotten the major details correct, yielding a more consistent story from Gospel to Gospel. The different details

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point to competing theologies, attempts to fill in gaps, and/or to efforts to answer or silence critics.

Unfortunately, the Gospel stories about the post-crucifixion appearances of Jesus constitute poor evidence for approaching a confirmation or a disconfirmation of either the hallucination hypothesis or the resurrection hypothesis. Why? These stories were written 40–70 years after the crucifixion. The authors clearly identify neither themselves nor any sources they might have used.

The stories are written in the third-person rather than in the first-person, which would have been the likely reporting mode of an actual eyewitness or hallucinating subject. The specification of places, dates, and times is unreliable. There are no good reasons to conclude that these stories were written by any of the disciples or actual contemporaries of Jesus. If all 10 or 11 disciples had written (or even dictated) clear and comprehensive independent first-hand reports about their experience of, or connection to, the alleged appearance of Jesus, then we’d have some good evidence to work with. If we had this kind of evidence, then we’d be able to compare the reports and come much closer to the truth. What we can firmly conclude with the evidence we have is that the hallucination hypothesis cannot be ruled out, and it certainly has a much greater a priori probability than does the resurrection hypothesis.

A detail cited earlier tips the balance of evidence in favor of the hallucination hypothesis and against the resurrection hypothesis. Referring to our same target story, Matthew 28:17 states “And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.”

This means that at the same time in which the disciples saw and worshiped Jesus, some in the group doubted! But how many doubted and who were they? What did they doubt? Did they doubt that Jesus was actually present? Did they not have a hallucination that others had? Did they have a hallucination that others had but concluded that it did not represent the real presence of Jesus? Did they think that a man in front of them was not actually Jesus but somebody else? We can’t answer

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these questions. However, if the resurrection hypothesis were true and Jesus was really standing among his disciples, it is very unlikely that some would doubt. On the other hand, if one or two disciples experienced a hallucination of Jesus and the others did not, then it is very likely that some would doubt.

Christian apologists often say that most of the disciples were eventually killed because they refused to recant their belief in the resurrection of Jesus and that this would not have occurred if they knew their belief had come from their own or someone else’s fabrication.18 It is not clear from the record that all those disciples who were executed were killed specifically because of their belief in the resurrection, but let’s suppose that some of them were. Although it does seem unlikely that they would die for a lie, it seems plausible or even likely that they would die because of a hallucination which they were unable to distinguish from reality. It is not uncommon for people to be willing to become martyrs on account of their sincerely held religious beliefs. The 9-11 terrorist attacks are ample evidence of this.

The hallucination hypothesis was applied here to only one alleged post-crucifixion appearance of Jesus summarized in three Gospel stories. It may or may not apply to the other five appearance stories.

Secular or naturalistic hypotheses must be, or have already been, developed to account for them. For the most part, attacks on hallucination hypotheses

by Christian apologists have been ill conceived and uninformed by modern psychology. Based on careful examination of the Gospels and our current knowledge of the human mind, it appears that a hallucination hypothesis is far superior to a resurrection hypothesis in accounting for the “facts” of the post-crucifixion story. Secular or naturalistic hypotheses easily account for the data we have, the resurrection hypothesis is “superimprobable,”19 and thus at this state of our knowledge we should be skeptical of it.

References:

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Licona, Michael R. 2010. “Were the Resurrection Appearances of Jesus Hallucinations?” Evidence for God: 50 Arguments for Faith from the Bible, History, Philosophy, and Science. William Dembski and Michael R. Licona (Eds.). Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 177.

Rees, W. D. 1971. “The Hallucinations of Widowhood.” British Medical Journal 4.37: 37–41.

Grimby, A.1993. “Bereavement Among Elderly People: Grief Reactions, Post-bereavement Hallucinations and Quality of Life.” Acta Psychiatrica Scandanavica 87.1: 72–80. Cited in Archer, John. 1999, The Nature of Grief: The Evolution and Psychology of Reactions to Loss.

New York: Brunner-Routledge, 79.

Licona. 177.

Habermas, Gary R., and Michael R. Licona. 2004.

The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 106.

Licona. 178.

Nickell, Joe. 1998. Looking for a Miracle: Weeping Icons, Relics, Stigmata, Visions & Healing Cures.

Amherst, New York: Prometheus, 174.

Nickell. 176–177.

Nickell. 181–182.

Habermas and Licona. 106.

Habermas and Licona. 107.

Craig, William Lane. 2000. The Son Rises: The Historical Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus.

Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock, 120.

Craig. 119.

Carrier, Richard C. 2004. “Reply to McFall on Jesus as a Philosopher.” Accessed September 7, 2011. http://www.richardcarrier.info/McFallRebuttal1.ht ml#s9 Craig. 120.; Craig. 121.; Craig. 129.; Habermas and Licona. 59.; Whittenberger, Gary J. 2010. God Wants You to be an Atheist: The Startling Conclusion from a Rational Analysis. Denver: Outskirts Press, 98.

Skeptical perspectives on Jesus and the Bible…

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Miratun Nahar [Dr. Miratun Nahar taught Philosophy in a Kalkata girl"s college. She was a member of the West Bengal Women’s Commission. She is associated with the editorial board of the quarterly journal Jingasa founded by late Prof.

Sibnarayan Ray. She delivered this lecture in the Murshidabad IRI/ IRHA, West Bengal unit, Conference]

Spread Of Education Among Muslim And Dalit Children And Youth: A New Initiative beings having social life Human necessarily have to think of social justioe.But one of the most fundamental obstacles that lay in the path for realization of social justice in our country is the various forms of discrimination which are rooted in our social system such as Hindu-Muslim, lower-upper caste, men-wemen,rural-urban. rich-poor, educated-uneducated, intellectual-manual labour as well as language and religion based discriminations.

It is important to mention here the distinction between the two terms ‘difference’ and ‘discrimination’ as we generally take these two words as co-terminius and hence commit a serious mistake.The difference between two things refers to the difference in terms of their nature which does not have any harmful implication. On the other hand, discrimonation, unlike difference, is entirely

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man-made and it is harmful as the discrimination between two things creates a sense of inequality between the two and hence ranks them as higher and lower, one being essentially protrayed as lesser than the other. This process of discrimination is extreemly undesirable but evereffective aspect of Indian social life. People belonging to Muslim and Dalit community, in India, are serious victims of this process of discrimination. The outcome of this is that 85% of the people in our country suffer tremendously and accept the sufferings as their fate. The rest 15% enjoy all the wealth of our country and believe it to be their right.

Muslims from 13.43% (2001 census) of the total population of India which is a multiethnic, multireligious, multicultural and multilinguistc country like all the other countries of South Asia.

But India has done very little to remove the root cause of religious and other forms of discriminations and violations prepetrated against Muslim commonities. They are deprived of their equal rights in various ways as a consequence of whioh they constitute a weakest part of the whole country. It is, then, needed that special measures to be taken to ensure that they benifit from the same rights on a basis of equality with the rest of the population.

Untouchables of traditional India are now known as ‘Dalits’ in modern India. The term 'Dalit' means ground down, drowntrodden, oppressed. In India dalits are Hindus within communities who belong to those castes, which Hindu religion considers to be poluting by virtue of hereditary occupation.

Caste alone determines who is a dalit, not class or religion. Bauri, Bagdi, Lohar, Kaora, Tiyor and others belonging to this group of Indian people are the worst sufferers of caste discrimination. The creuelities and inhuman atrocities committed on them by Brahmins surpass even the British domination over Indian masses. ‘Dalits’ now-a-days,involve all the sections of those oppressed, exploited, and marginalised by the processes of caste exploitation, including adivasis and other backward caste, peasants,women and

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oppressed nationalities. The saddest part of the dalit lives is that although they are the original inhabitants of India the Brahmins, the barbarian conquerers, subjugated them and perpetrated a vile tyrany over them The Republic of India aims to secure, to all its citizens, justice, liberty, equality andfraternity but it failed to develop a healthy single cultural flow among the varied peoples with varied cultures.

India has become free from British domination but not its people. A majority section of its population are suffering from discriminatory policies adopted by its own people,even by the State itself. Of them Muslims are trying to improve their condition by spreading education among themselves.They have now engaged themselves in building schools and colleges, in villages, for their children and youths.

They are also raising their voices in demanding reservation for them in education, services etc. The dalit protest movement against age-old discrimination also generated social consciousness among dalits and made them confident enough to gear up their struggles against oppression in Indian Society.

Consequently they succeeded to convince the goverment to accpt their demands of human rights.

Unfortunately, however, the reservation policy for them has proved to be benificial only to a limited section of dalits, the middle class among dalits. As a consequence underprivileged dalits have obtained awareness to bring about some improvement in their educational and economic

status and their literary rate increased from 10.2 % (1961 ) to 37.41 % ( 1991 ) Despite their improvement Muslim and Dalits lay far behind other groups in Indian Society. Paradox lies in the fact that although Muslim and Dalits form majority in number they are oppressed by the privileged population of the country who are to be treated as minorities. But any sort of curb on the human mind, either in the form of discriminations based on religious belief or on caste system, must be treated as abominable and in- human. A human being can realise his natural self only in a free society which cannot be established unless education is spreaded samong the deprived classes, specially Muslims and Dalits.Only education can eradicate all sorts of discrimination committed by the people of a country to their own countrymen and hence spreading education is essential.

Spreading education means spreading enligtenment and conciousness of human dignity and self confidence among the people of India which can make an India in which all countrymen shall leave in perfect harmony. Therfore, if we want a better life for the grown up people of tomorrow we must today develop, by means of education, in children and youth which is best in them and help them learn to live in harmony with other countrymen.So to make Muslims and Dalits free from their oppressed condition, the Indian Constitution announces, “The State shall promote with special care the educational... intererts of the weaker sections of the people... and shall protect them from social injustice and all forms of exploitation.”

PLEASE DO NOT SEND ARTICLES BEYOND 1500-2000 WORDS. Dear Friends, Also, inform me whether they have been published elsewhere. And, please try to email them at rheditor@gmail.com instead of sending them by post. You may post them (only if email is not possible) at C-8 Defence Colony, Meerut, 250001, U.P., India. Do also email your passport size photographs as separate attachments (in JPG format) as well as your small introduction, if you are contributing for the first time. Please feel free to contact me at 91-9719333011 for any other querry. —Rekha Saraswat

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Land Acquisition Act, 1894 And Land Acquisition & Rehabilitation & Resettlement Bill 2011: an over view —by Apurba Dasgupta dasgupta.apurba@yahoo.com he introduction of ‘eminent domain’ for the purpose of acquisition of land can be traced back in the British era. To facilitate the movement of goods and people for the purpose of construction of roads, digging of canals, later on laying railway tracks, works related with mines and irrigation schemes requires enormous pieces of lands. To usurp land, the colonial ruler used ‘eminent domain’, right of sovereign state to snatch private property without obtaining any consent from the owner, mainly for two reasons: A) to get the needed land in a cheaper price. B) To get it quickly by avoiding protracted negotiations with numerous small land owners.

In the year 1824, the British Government introduced Regulation I of the Land Acquisition Act. After several amendments, finally in the year 1894 a completely self contained act namely Land Acquisition Act, 1894 (LAA) came into existence.

It was introduced from 1st March 1894 throughout India, except Jammu and Kashmir. The protest was raised against this act since the British period. At current, from the last part of 70s, common people, particularly the peasantry, the intellectuals, various human rights group raised their voice and organized mass movement against this “draconian act”. India also witnessed a series of political turmoil revolving this issue in various parts of the country. Singur, Nandigram, Kalinganagar, Jaitapur, Bhattaparsaul became the hot spots of socio political conflict. On the basis of Operation Barga and land reforms, the Left Front Government built a long standing hegemony in West Bengal but ultimately has been brought to its knees after an attempt to acquire 1000 acres of lands for a car factory.

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For the convenience of our discussion, at the very outset, we need to talk about some of the salient articles of this LAA act, 1894. This act is neither too complex nor very extensive. Putting some of the articles of this law under scanner, its very nature could be revealed.

According to article 4(1) whenever it appears to the Government that land in any locality is needed for any public purpose or for a company, a notification to that effect shall be published in the official gadget and in two daily newspaper circulating in the locality of which at least one shall be in the regional language and the collector shall cause public notice of the substance of such notification to be given at convenient places at the said locality.

If such procedure is completed, it shall be lawful for any officer to enter upon and survey to dig or bore into the subsoil and to set out the boundaries etc.

[A close scrutiny of this article reveals that acquisition of a particular land is absolutely dependent on the will of Government. The owner of the land, including the person interested over the land, are absolutely helpless. It is lawful to acquire the land without discussing with them] According to article 5A(1), any person interested in any land which has been notified under section 4(1) may within 30 days from the date of notification object to the acquisition of the land.

[Although this article gives the right to object, the very next article seized the same.]

Thus Article 5A (2) goes on, every objection shall be made to the collector in writing, and the collector shall give the objector an opportunity of being heard and shall after hearing make a report to the Government. The decision of the Government on the objection shall be final.

[There is no scope of challenging this “final decision” in any court of law] Under article 6 declarations is made. Declaration shall be published in the official gadget and in two daily newspapers circulating in the locality in which the land is situated, of which one shall be in a

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regional language, and the collectors shall cause public notice of the substance of such declaration to be given at convenient places in the said locality.

According to 6(3) the said declaration shall be conclusive evidence that the land is needed for a public purpose or for a company as the case may be; and, after making such declaration the Government may acquire the land.

[In the case of declaration the opinion of owner of the land and other persons interested over the land is not taken under consideration.]

Among the fourth coming articles, the significant one is declaration of awards.

Under article 11(A), the collector shall make an award under section 11 within a period of two years from the date of the publication of the declaration and if no award is made within that period, the entire proceedings for the acquisition of the land shall lapse.

Next, according to article 16, when the collector has made an award under section 11, he may take possession of the land, which shall thereupon vest absolutely in the government, free from all encumbrances.

[From this point, the owner of the land turned into ‘claimant’. Thereafter, they are not able to move to the court against administrative actions related with land acquisition proceedings] We had mentioned earlier that India had witnessed uprisings against land acquisition since the colonial period. One of the most significant movements against land acquisition took place in the year 1921 at Mulsi Peta in Maharashtra, when attempt had been made to acquire huge chunk of land in connection with the hydro electric project of the Tata Company. Mahatma Gandhi, himself supported the movement organized under the leadership of Senapati Bapte. In support of the agitations he uttered, “My heart goes out to those poor people. I wish the great house of Tatas, instead of standing on their legal rights, will reason with the people themselves, and do whatever they wish in consultation with them……I know that the 17

people disposed never got the exact equivalent.

What is the value of all booms that the Tata scheme claims to confer upon India, if it is to be at the unwilling expenses of even one poor man?”

The last sentence uttered by Mahatma is one of the most challenging questions voiced against market oriented development which is still relevant. In the post independent period, especially during first six decades, the conflict over land acquisition took place due to mindless acquisition of land by government sectors causing huge displacement, without providing proper rehabilitation and paying meager compensation. Dams and irrigation schemes have contributed by far the largest quantities of acquisition and displacement.

Transportation, environment, power and defense are the other major categories that have caused significant displacement.

However, the recent turmoil over land acquisition is mainly against reckless acts of state for acquisition of land for private companies in the name of public purpose.

Post 1991, after introduction of liberalization, an uneven competition has been initiated among the Indian states to invite investment from both indigenous and foreign private companies. Terms like ‘industrialistion’, ‘development’, ‘employment generation’ etc (and of course all of these in connection with Land acquisition) have reentered in our lexicon as poignant metaphors of social conflict. While the conflict gained momentum with the private companies joined the bandwagon of land-grabbing with afresh energy, we witnessed political as well as social upheavals in Singur and Nandigram in WB, Kalinganagar in Orissa, Raigar in Maharashtra etc. This is pertinent to mention here that in all the aforesaid cases two things appeared common.

1) Huge quantum of agricultural land was under the scheme of acquisition.

2) The protest was against displacement, especially against estrangement from the main source of livelihood.

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As per provision of Land acquisition Act 1894, land can be acquired for two purposes. A) For public purpose. b) For companies. Procedure of acquisition is separately laid down in the Act respectively in chapter II and chapter VII. In the year 1984 LAA has been amended and the definition of ‘public purpose’ underwent changes.

Now all the government companies/cooperatives have been defined as corporation and thereby gained special status. Secondly, it has now become lawful to acquire land for public purpose in favour of corporations under respective government. By virtue of this amendment it becomes easy for the government to acquire land for private companies in the name of corporations.

Let us try to summarise the reasons behind grievances against land acquisition proceedings which are being undergo today as per provisions of LAA 1894.

Previously land acquisition has been taken place for definite public purpose. Now public purpose means whatever matters decided by the executive as ‘public purpose.’

Compensation is made for the land owners.

However, there exist many people who don’t have any legally valid papers in support of their claim as land owner.

The Displaced people are alienated from the production and benefit of the newly emerged industry replacing the agricultural land.

State’s negligence toward the displaced person is not unknown to the people. We may cite example of project affected people of Bhakra Nangal in Punjab and Hirakud in Orissa.

Complain against procedure of computing and quantity of compensation is age-old. Since 80s a new question is being raised whether displaced people could maintain their earlier economic and social status after displacement. What is he future of this uprooted people?

There is a dearth of proper government statistics as regards displacement. Instead of government research scholars provide us with the following

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statistics. Due to developmental activity started from 1947 down to 2000, 60 million people have been displaced, out of which one third managed to get so called rehabilitation. Apart from this dismal picture, existing law established in India do not recognize common property right. People traditionally enjoying common property are not entitled to get compensation. Sometimes some people may not be uprooted from their dwelling place but forced to oust from their profession.

People living outside forest area may loose their livelihood when forest is declared as sanctuary, although in this case people may not be ousted from their dwelling house.

A pertinent point is to be mentioned in this connection that as per report of census conducted in the year 1991, 8.08% of the population in India belongs to tribal people and then, among the total displaced population 40% are from tribe’s.

The post liberalized environment encouraged incredible appetite for pace to meet the demands of industrialization, infrastructure building, urban expansion etc. On the other hand, project affected people in various states of the country fought tooth and nail against usurping of land in the name of lawful acquisition through LAA 1894.All these protests have illustrated how land issues have a seismic potential in our political landscape. To solve this vexing problem policy makers have initiated Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation and Resettlement bill. In the concluding part of our discussion we will concentrate upon various aspects of this newly introduced bill. Let us start with the preamble of the bill. It reads as: ‘To ensure a humane, participatory, informed, consultative and transparent process for land acquisition for industrialization, development of essential infrastructural facilities and urbanization with the least disturbance to the owner’s of the land and other affected families…..for ensuring that the cumulative outcome of compulsory acquisition should be that affected persons become partner’.

From the very preamble it is clearly discerned that

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there is no bar to take away agricultural land for the purpose of industrialization.

The term ‘participatory’, ‘consultative’, ‘least disturbance’, ‘transparent’ and ‘partner’ are very much praiseworthy, although when one go through between the lines of the bill, it will be revealed that these laudable terms are not supported in any way by the necessary supplementary clauses.

Some of the positive features of the bill are: The recorded land owners will be paid much more in comparison to what they used to get as compensation as per previous LAA. Now Compensation will be four times of the market price in the rural areas and twice the price in the urban areas.

Approval of 80% of land owners is required when the private sector is involved in projects larger than 100 acres. Thus, this time the bill has a referendum mechanism.

The project affected landless population will be compensated with income for 20 years plus other immediate benefits and have to be included in the R&R package.

Any acquisition of 100 acre or more will automatically require an R & R package. (50 acre if the acquisition is by private company in urban areas) As enshrined in the new bill land could be acquired:For the purpose of Government project: For the purpose of private project if it is meant for ‘public purpose’ Let us perceive what public purpose stands for in the new bill. Obviously, in the first instance it stands for government projects, then it includes public-private partnership projects and ultimately it brings in under clause (VII) ‘provision of land in the public interest for private companies for the production of goods for public or provision of public services’.

The aforesaid provision clearly indicates inclusion of entire manufacturing sector. Anything under the

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sun can be included under this definition. The framers of the bill may take the opportunity to redress the long standing grievance by amending omnipotent character of public purpose. Instead of doing so they further enhanced the scope of the definition.

The proposal for consent of 80% population may be proved meaningless for many private companies often engaged intermediaries to negotiate and buy agricultural lands at distress prices on benami and later on transfer those lands to the private companies. Even the government agencies are no exception. The state industrial infrastructure corporations often take initiative for acquisition of private lands for an undefined public purpose and later transfer those lands to private companies. In this connection it needs to be mentioned that under the new law the need for obtaining the consent of 80% of the affected families does not seem to apply to the lands acquired by the government for its own use. This is ridiculous.

The new bill failed to introduce anything new in the realm of price setting process. ‘Market price’ remains the basic principles. As per provision of the new bill, compensation will be four times in rural areas and twice in urban areas. This compelled the land owners to become compliant sellers. We should keep in mind that it is not so easy to ascertain market price in rural areas. Land transactions in rural areas are few. A significant proportion of land transaction is distress sales.

Again transactions which take place in the rural India are often improperly recorded in order to underpay stamp duties. In some areas state has preemptively set the stamp duty. If the price set by government became the determining factor then question of market price does not arise.

The LLa, 1894 offered an opportunity to seek reference to the district court, if an affected person is dissatisfied with compensation fixed by district collector. The new bill altogether deleted this judicial scrutiny on the arbitrary fixation of compensation by district authority.

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References: 1. The Land Acquisition Act, 1894.

2. The West Bengal Land Acquisition Manual, 1991 3. Bhumibarta, (Sigur number) a Bengali magazine published by Land and Land Reforms Officers’ Association 4. Smarak Pustika, published in the occasion of 30th

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anniversary of W.B. Land 7 Land Reforms Officers’ Association.

5. Micheal M Cernea, Can Compensation Prevent Impoverishment.

6. Economic and Political Economy Oct 8-14 vol.

XVI no.41, article by Sanjoy Chakrovorty 7. ibid, article by EAS Sarma [This Lecture was delivered at the Murshidabad IRI Study Camp in West Bengal.]

BOOKS BY M.N. ROY PUBLISHED by RENAISSANCE PUBLISHERS, INDIAN RENAISSANCE INSTITUTE, OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS and OTHERS 1. POLITICS POWER AND PARTIES 2. SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY

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3. BEYOND COMMUNISM

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4. THE HISTORICAL ROLE OF ISLAM

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5. MEN I MET

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6. INDIA’S MESSAGE

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7.MATERIALISM

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8.REVOLUTION AND COUNTER REVOLUTION IN CHINA Rs.250.00 9.REASON, ROMANTICISM AND REVOLUTION

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Rs.45.00

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altogether omitted whether it be in the Constitution or it be in any other law or the rule.

Current Affairs’ Section:

N.K. Acharya

[Sri N.K. Acharya is an advocate, columnist and author of several books on law. He was formerly Secretary of Indian Rationalist Association and had edited the Indian Rationalist, then published from Hyderabad on behalf of the Association prior to its transfer to Madras.]

I Age of the Marshal: Supreme Court did well in reprimanding the Army Chief Marshal, V.P. Singh on the need to keep his word. Supreme Court warned that it is better for a man of high status to stick to his earlier declarations confirming that the year of his date of birth was 1950 and not 1951. Accordingly, the Supreme Court refused to enter into the controversy.

Instances where Supreme Court issued similar directions were when the Supreme Court called on Heads of the Government Departments interse and of the States and Central Governments were asked not to rise disputes between them and begin to litigate the issues in Court. The Supreme Court felt that it is below the status of such institutions to litigate. The Supreme Court in such instances advised the parties to find an acceptable solution for themselves. In the case of high functionaries as the Judges of the Superior Courts, the Constitution provided an independent mechanism to solve the disputes about the age. It is suggested that age is a matter of inconsequential issue. It should be settled at the time of the appointment itself and it is better if the procedures for correction of age are

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II Political trends in Burma: Recent events in Burma appear to suggest that the political parties and the military are in a mood to bring out a change in the country political structure.

The controversy in Burma is about the military rule. People want democracy. Aung Sen Suki, the leader of the Democratic Movement has agreed to participate in an election and the military which is functioning as Chief Executive is willing to share power with the elected representatives. It may happen as soon as the leader of a democratic movement is elected. The conditions of the compromise between the Army Command and the Leader of the Democratic Movement are not disclosed. However, a step in the direction of political reconciliation is welcome. Fortunately, the rule of the military has earned a reputation of restoring piece in Burma particularly in border areas where tribal communities were always at logger heads with the Government of Burma. This is a feature which distinguishes the Army Rule coming to power in several other countries. In Burma, the Army, if it assumes civilian characteristics, reconciliation is possible.

III Disturbances in Maldives: Here, the people are divided between two political parties and the Army is non-committal. Some people support the President who resigned and others support the incumbent. It is on record the President in power resigned and incumbent President who by profession is a journalist, has taken over. After the change, the President who went out of office began protesting that he was forced to resign. He contests the notion that his designation was voluntary. This ignited street demonstrations and also international interference, India and United Nations are keeping a watch on

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the developments in Maldives. China also declared that she is interested in the stability of Maldives. If the new incumbent manages the affairs exhibiting his statesmanship, the disturbances in Maldives may subside.

Maldives is a vanishing country. It consists of more than hundred islands which are sinking under the high-tides of Indian Ocean. Already several people have been migrating to neighboring countries such as Ceylon and India. The population of Maldives professes Islam. Therefore, some of the people may migrate to distant countries such as Arabia and Indonesia.

IV Cancellation of Licenses in a Group: Past experience shows that a group action in cancellation of permits, licenses and selections is impermissible. When allotment of houses to Government servants is cancelled wholesale, the Supreme Court recalled its order and held enquiries in each of the cases. Similarly, when allotment of petrol pumps was cancelled wholesale, the Supreme Court appointed subsequently a Commission to enquire into each of the allotment.

There is one more case in which the selection examination held by the Service Commission was cancelled. Here also, the Supreme Court recalled the order and held a detailed enquiry in each person selected through a Commission. Thus, it is clear that no order can be passed on proof of some general irregularities when such order affects adversely several peoples. Notwithstanding the same, the Supreme Court repeated its action in 2G Spectrum case and directed cancellation of 122 Spectrum Licenses. It is now possible that at the instance of the persons affected the Supreme Court may recall its order and direct a fresh enquiry into the cases of licensees individually which may pave the way for reconsideration of the whole 2G Spectrum issue.

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V Three Festivals: Recently, three festivals were organized in India.

The first one was an international festival. The second one was a national festival and the third one was a limited festival to South-India. Jaipur literary festival was the third festival in series. Two earlier festivals were held successively in 2009-2010. The Hyderabad festival was a poetry festival held at Hyderabad. The Thyagaraja Festival at Thiruvayur was held on the banks of Kaveri River.

To take the last one first, it was an annual festival devoted to the worship of saint musician. More than thousand devotees will congregate every year and sing Thyagaraja’s five well- known compositions.

The participants include instrumentalists also. Earlier, several attempts were made to translate the songs of Thyagaraja from their original language Telugu. Such attempts were given up on the ground that it would be doing an offence to the poet’s memory, if the songs are translated. The attempts to translate Telugu songs were confined to translate them to Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam.

The Hyderabad Festival was in fact a festival of Telugu poets but all the poets of National reputation in several North-Indian languages participated. They are of the unanimous view that the poetry rendered in several Indian languages should be translated into other Indian languages.

They referred to the works of Rabindranath Tagore which when translated into several languages created a heritage of national importance.

The first festival in Jaipur dealt with prose and poetry of persons having international reputation.

Their participation and free exchange of views on the lawns of Jaipur with others particularly the enthusiastic public has made the conference a unique event. There is however, an unhappy event.

That was about Salman Rushdie who is expected to participate in the festival but finally failed to turn up. The reason is that his two books, “midnight children” and “Satanic Verses” have become

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controversial. Even though, it was very old matter the fundamentalists among Muslims who questioned the contents of Satanic Verses have threatened demonstrations against the author.

When demands for cancellation of his Visa were made, the Government of India explained that there was no need for the London based Salman Rushdie who is a British citizen of Indian origin. Since, he

holds an open card of Indian origin, he is entitled to visit India at any time of his choice and there was no need for him to obtain any Visa. Salman Rushdie has become popular because of the several international awards he has won for his books and he became a centre of controversy on account of the Irani President, Ayatullah Khomeni issuing a fatwa condemning him to death for having insulted The Prophet Mohammad in “Satanic Verses�.

Dear friends, Here are 8 more books of M.N. Roy on the following RH Web portal now for you to download and read directly on your Computers: (www.theradicalhumanist.com) They are: 'Revolution and Counter-Revolution in China', 'Science and Philosophy', 'Memoirs', 'India's Message: Fragments of a Prisoner's Diary', 'Materialism', ' 'M.N. Roy: Philosopher Revolutionary', 'Reason, Romanticism and Revolution' Volume I & II You may also download the following earlier uploaded books of Roy from this website: 'New Orientation', 'New Humanism', The Russian Revolution and the Tragedy of Communism', 'Politics, Power & Parties' 'Men I Met' 'Historical Role of Islam' and 'From the Communist Manifesto to Radical Humanism'.

You will be able to read the entire collection of Roy's books on the RH Portal soon.

It is gradually being uploaded there.

Happy reading of the above mentioned books till then!!!

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IRI/IRHA Members’ Section:

Durgashankarbhai: a True Humanist —By Gautam Thakar [Mr. Gautam Thaker is General Secretary,

PUCL & IRHA, Gujarat. 4, Sanmitra Society, Jivraj Park, Opp. Malav Talav, Ahmedabad – 380051. Ph. (079) 26641353, (M) 9825382556] n our country, people in power are applauded, worshipped and are celebrated.

We are living in such a slave mentality that we believe that only those who are in power shall be able to resolve all our problems and with this belief we have been worshipping them. Even when such a hope is not fulfilled, we are still unable to become free from that slave mentality. At this point of time, when birth Centenary of Durgashankar Trivedi of Sarkhej (Ahmedabad) who had always distanced himself from the fame and power, adopted for himself human values, devoutly preached and practiced in his own life in letter and spirit, is being celebrated, it indeed is an important event in the public life of Gujarat.

There are different aspects of Durgashankar’s life.

Among these, one aspect is of honesty and truthfulness in his convictions. After matriculating in the year 1930, he participated in the ‘Satyagraha’ movement and delivered rousing speeches in the meetings. He was possessed with fervent patriotism. As a reporter, he attained much fame and successfully handled the work of composing, expanding and circulating pamphlets even while he remained underground.

Before some 50 years, Durgashankarbhai came into contact with Thakorprasad Pandya and from that day onwards, he started reading and actualizing in his life the writings of humanist philosopher Manavendranath Roy. He was so much impressed by the writings of Shri Roy that he thought it worthwhile to go to Dehradun in the year 1940 to participate in the study circle being run by Shri Roy. Since that time, he watched Shri Roy closely,

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listened to him and got attracted to the Radical Humanist philosophy developed by Shri Roy based on the experience gained from the entire humankind and different branches and faculties of science. Thereafter, he also became President of Gujarat Radical Humanist Association which goes to prove his keen allegiance to that philosophy.

He firmly believed that personal freedom alone is panacea for all ills. To get rid of miseries and evils, it is necessary to allow freedom to a human being.

He believed that liberal western philosophy or the communist system which destroys a person’s individuality will neither bring about independence nor will perpetuate it.

Durgashankarbhai believed that an individual is born before a society comes into existence.

Institution of a society has been evolved for sustaining an individual’s existence and to attain his personal progress and develop one’s potential powers. Hence, there is a need to reform not the individual but the society which stifles him or puts obstacles in the path of his progress and growth. As regards democracy, Durgashankarbhai did not believe in the counting of heads but gave importance to what is there inside the individual’s head. He believed that every individual, to whichever minority he may be belonging to, might be endowed with truth in his beliefs or thoughts.

Hence, even persons with widely differing attitudes have been his personal friends and are able to work along with him. He advocated that as long as there will be spread of human values and so long as people will follow the same and imbibe them, the democracy shall become stronger to that extent and we shall be able to march forward to the independence.

Durgashankarbhai did buy the printing press not with the motive of earning personal profit but made its greater use in the wider spread of human values.

He had also mortgaged out wife’s ornaments for preserving the values dear to him. Had he not extended co-operation in publication of Swatantra Bhrarat (Daily), the Vaishwik Manavvad &

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Manavsamaj (Monthly) brought out under the guidance of Chandrakant Daru and Dashrathlal Thaker, the same would not have even taken birth.

In whatsoever poor economic condition, he has not complained on any day. On the contrary, he enjoyed the work and felt proud of the same. In the course of agitation spearheaded by Jayprakash Narayan and during emergency, he gave best of his co-operation to the co-workers.

During 1956, he worked for a long stint in the Shri Manavendranath Roy Archives situated at Dehradun, and had read and summarized about 11,000 letters of Roy, typed them and prepared a file for research work to be sent to Stanford University (U.S.A.) He worked as a Village Head (Sarpanch) of Sarkhej for over 17 years. He successfully established water works and open drainage system.

When communal riots took place in Ahmedabad in the year 1969, he took active interest in maintaining communal harmony in Sarkhej. Under his leadership, it became successfully possible to make

available facilities of the present A.M.T.S. (Citybus Service) buses as an alternative to inadequate transport services offered by the S.T. Corporation. He also worked as a President of Sarkhej Passengers Association.

In spite of dismal atmosphere all around, Durgashankarbhai never gave up faith for the future and he always remained optimist for the youngsters. He believed that although an individual may have been a victim of present-day entanglements, he will learn from the experiences and shall return to his original place. With this faith and for this work, he kept himself busy for over seven decades of his life with such an enthusiasm as would put to blush the youngsters and thus provided the best example.

To-day I am reminded of one sentence told by Manavendranath Roy that “In the society, it is good to have better persons than the bigger persons”.

Durgashankarbhai had truly lived up to this lofty ideal all through his life. On the occasion of his birth Centenary, let us pay our tributes by fondly remembering him.

Loose Cannons?

We are witnessing a paradox of history-‘bad men’ fighting ‘worse people’. At least Anna Hazare and two of his most vocal lieutenants do not score full marks in terms of moral values. Anna may have ben absolved juridically, but he did not stop his aides to celebrate his birth day in pomp and grandeur. This is not gandhigiri.

The Anna Team is arrogant and uncivil. His anti-corruption movement is also not of his own make or spontaneous. When charged with sudden inclusion of the Bhusan duo, Swami Agnivesh disclosed that the two were involved from the very beginning of the preparation undertaken eight months before its launch from the Jantar Mantar.

It may be a battle started by not so good men, but they, and they only attracted for the first time the attention of the entire nation to this malignant canker of governmental corruption. They also succeeded in creating panic nervousness for the first time in the entire law making corporate. What’s wrong if “bad men” combine to fight the “worse clique”? History does not wait for the worthies to take over.

8. 12 2011 —Ajit Bhattacharyya bhattacharyyaajit@yahoo.com

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Teachers’ & Research Scholar’s Section:

Kartar Singh Duggal Grand Auteur of Punjabi Literature (1917-2012) Ashok K.Chaudhury

Theof theveryyearfirst2012month has

not been a good beginning for the corpus of Indian vernacular literature as it lost two of its great icons. Kartar Singh Duggal, a pioneer in the world of Punjabi literature, passed away on 27th January, barely three days after the death of Sukumar Azikode. An eminent Malayalam critic, orator, academic, journalist, probably the most influential Gandhian, who dominated Kerala’s cultural scene as an intellectual giant, Sukumar Azikode passed away on 24 January.

And then, Duggal left us at a ripe age, a few weeks before his 95th birthday, after having enjoyed the affection of both critics and readers during his long literary career. Readers have always identified themselves with his works and personality. He was acclaimed as a household name in Punjab. With 26 volumes of short stories, 13 novels, 15 plays, 8 volumes of poetry, 2 autobiographies, 9 volumes of criticism, 7 volumes of general writing in Punjabi; 15 volumes of short stories, 12 novels, 6 plays, 3 one-act plays in Hindi; 3 volumes of short stories, 2 plays, 4 novels in Urdu; and 8 volumes of short stories, 2 novels, 1 biography, 41 volumes including Sikh history and culture, besides some edited works in English, Kartar Singh Duggal can rightly be considered as the best known and most talked about writer of Indian literature. The endless statistics about Duggal’s is only meant to point towards his creative versatility that springs up in a genius true to his natural ability. For a writer of such vast literary embrace, how can we fail to quote him: “Writing is my first love. Writing is my creed.

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I go to it with the humanity of a devotee”.

As a towering figure he inspired all writers, emphasized all that was good in them, and had no harsh word for any. I myself owe a lot to him for his affection and modest elderly blessings and presence. I remember, in July 2007 I got a message that Duggalji was keen to talk to me. I could not believe it. Immediately I called him up. Very sweetly he invited me to his house. When his domestic help informed him of my arrival he personally came out of the house, his wife Ayeshaji also with him. He very warm heartedly welcomed me and requested his equally good natured wife to prepare some snacks for an almost unknown man like me. That was quite a way of life for them that I would prefer to call it Duggalan. Why he invited me was that an article of mine on him had appeared in Creative Mind. Like a child he asked me how you wrote such a huge article on me. Where did you collect so many rare photographs? I had read him after Sahitya Akademi elevated him to “immortals of Indian literature” in May 2007. Duggal was one among many writers who took pen to protest the tide of blood and hatred, and to uphold the banner of humanity and peace due to the tremendous impact of whole Partition of the country, responding to the challenge of the massacre and suffering, and degradation of all human values.

While dealing with this theme he seems to have been carried away so much by what he had witnessed. His Abducted Not Other Stories of Partition Holocaust (2007), the translation in English, published by UBSPD, New Delhi, narrates the echoes and re-echoes smeared with human blood. The stories throw light on ashes still left smoldering in his haunting memories of the Partition, but are not mere stories about political or geographical partition. The stories are about siblings separated from siblings, children separated from parents, friends separated from friends.

He was acclaimed as a ‘trend-setter’ both in style and technique, and the choice of the subject and theme. As a short story writer he was recognized as an “Usherer of modern sensibility in Punjabi

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literature”. From his preoccupation with Freudian psychology, which was the chief motive of the Punjabi short story at the time when Duggal started writing, he came to a more human understanding of the problems of his characters. His tone is restrained and urbane and his portrayals of the north Indian upper-middle class families, especially those of Muslim descent, are deft as well as authentic. Following the naturalist trend, both ‘empirical humanism’ and ‘psychological realism’ are the notable characteristics of his literary expression. Duggal initiated the trend of stream-of-consciousness in Punjabi fiction as also that of character sketching with minute details and analysis. Sincere love, co-operation, sacrifice, and co-existence are the pre-dominant values that he tried to preach through his characters. He was a progressive writer, followed the tendency which bears a close resemblance to socialistic realism, and got inspiration and guidance from Gandhism. He was the first writer who took up the issues with almost the same zeal as Urdu writers Saadad Hasan Manto and Ismat Chugtai had manifested. Duggal was influenced by the Freudian short story writer of the West: D. H. Lawrence and Maupassant. Duggal was more of Freud than Marx in him. In fact he was too non-conformist to allow his individuality to be subsumed under a Freud or a Marx. His humanistic meta-physique, which placed the focal point in man, helped him in endowing his fictional characters with rich existential individualities of their own. His favorite character is the unsophisticated country simpleton, living in the primitive world of magic and superstitions and leading an instinctive animal life. Duggal was deeply attached to his birth-place, the hilly north-west Punjab called Pothohar, the dialect of which area he often used in his short stories to provide local colour and also as a means of individualizing his fictional characters.

In his works several strands are marked by a consummate artistry and psychological insights.

He was well acquainted with life in rural Punjab, particularly before Partition, which left 27

ever-oozing scars on the psyche of the brave and hard working people of the Punjab. After Partition, Duggal lived in large cities holding prominent positions in the government and, therefore, well equipped to paint in detail the urban life and its changing scenario. To quote Ajeet Cour, the renowned Punjabi critic and writer, “Duggal is unique in Punjabi literature for having fictionalized important events in the contemporary history of India. The way he has interwoven personal relationships of the unforgettable characters with historical events shows his superb literary craftsmanship”. A linguist in his own right, he was well conversant with as many as four modern Indian languages: Hindi, Urdu, English and Punjabi. He wrote with equal felicity in all of them.

He was also familiar with Persian. There is hardly a genre of literary form in which he was not excelled himself. The multi-faceted writer was born on 1 March 1917 in Dhamial; a village situated five miles off Rawalpindi, the famous Pothohari region, now in Pakistan, to Jiwan Singh Duggal and Satwant Kaur. Duggal received his early education at village school and passed Matriculation from Mission School, Rawalpindi, in 1934. Completing his graduation in Punjabi Honours from Punjab University, Lahore, he received his M.A. in English literature at Forman Christian College, Lahore, in 1940. Like his contemporary eminent literary figures: Amrita Pritam, B.S. Anand, Iqbal Singh, and Surjit Singh Sethi; Duggal joined AIR, but after doing research in Punjabi folklore for some time. He had a long innings with AIR, which he joined in 1942 in Lahore, and retired in 1966 as Station Director of the Delhi station. During his tenure, he organized and executed a plethora of programmes reflecting the life and culture of Punjab. His years in the AIR were, no doubt, been equally creative as his literary life. About those pre-Partition days, he said, “It was an essentially secular and non-communal service I had opted for in India, the country which suffered from communal virus eating at its sinews”.

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He was associated with National Book Trust, India, during the period 1966-73, first as its Secretary and later as its Director. Duggal was also Advisor (Information) to the Planning Commission of India during the period 1973-76. Also he was appointed Member of the Advisory Committee of Government of India, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, in recognition of his expertise in the field of broadcasting. Duggal’s literary career, however, began at the tender age of twelve as a poet. He won many prizes in school and college, including one at the All India Kavi Darbar held at Punjab Sahib. He turned to story writing during his college days and his first short story appeared in a leading Punjabi journal Likari in 1937, though it was written in 1934, at the age of seventeen. But he made his debut with a collection of short stories entitled Saver Sar (At the Dawn, 1941). Since then he never looked back and wrote short stories one after another. His first phase of short stories Saver Sar, Pipal Pattian (Leaves of the Pipal, 1942), Kudi Kahani Kardi Gai (She Continued her Tale, 1943) followed one after the other soon after he graduated. These three collections portray vivid and realistic picture of the society, especially the rural life of Pothohar. Saver Sar, however, is a detailed description of the morning atmosphere when life gets active after rest for the whole night.

Writing this story, Duggal overcame the dearth of atmospheric stories in Punjabi literature, a kind of story very difficult to handle successfully.

He provided variety to his Punjabi readers. Duggal occasionally overemphasized the ugliness of his characters as well as of the situations. In Dunger (The Animal, 1947) he described so much details of the ugliness of his characters and situations, that the reader starts hating him creating that ugliness instead of the ugliness itself. Similarly, his famous short story, Nawan Ghar (The New House, 1950) brings into bold relief his faith in the intrinsic capacity of man and of life as a redeeming force.

This sort of humanism runs counter to the tenets of Progressivism according to which the social system is the root cause of all ills and evils

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afflicting man, even when his sensibility got completely soaked in social awareness, particularly after 1947. Nawan Admi (New Man, 1952) shows Duggal’s deep insight into the mind of man and the moods of animals. He showed the maturity of his art through Phul Torna Manah Hai (Plucking of Flowers is Prohibited, 1952), Pare Maire (In Wonder Fields, 1961), and Ik Chhit Chanan Di (A Sprinkling of Light, 1963). Duggal influenced Punjabi short stories, considerably through Ik Chhit Chanan Di, which won him the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1965, containing 25 short stories, out of which 11 stories deal with Freudian concept of sexual relations. Two of the stories deal with Partition, while rest of the stories portrays the sufferings and joys, particularly of the middleclass.

He was upholding the warmth of human relationship, highlighting eternal values. His main narrative mode is psychological realism. To quote him, “I knew society needs reforms, but I am interested deeply in psychological problems”. All the stories are well knit and well structured and a balance between the narration and texture. “Ik... reveals a mature mind looking at life steadily and comprehensively. For their deep psychological insights, their vigour and narration and the excellence of short story technique, the work has been hailed as an outstanding contribution to contemporary Punjabi literature”, says Akademi.

He was an expert in creating dramatic situations in his stories. Duggal was at his best in the stories in conception and art like Chanani Raat Da Ik Dukhaat (A Tragedy of Moonlight), Sat Din Svarag Wich (7 Days in Heaven), and Khata Mitha Swadem(Sour and Sweet Taste). His psychological grasp of the characters produced some of the finest stories. Manjeet Singh says, “In Ik… Duggal’s main intention is to portray the sufferings and pleasures of human life, particularly among the middleclass. On the whole, the stories included in this collection are fascinating and delightful.

Besides their immense cognitive and artistic values, these stories have their wide range of appeal”.

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In the later phase of his short story writing consists of Majah Nahin Moya (Majah is not Dead, 1970), Sonar Bangla (Beautiful Bengal, 1972), Dhoya Hoya Buha (1976), Ikraram Wali Raat (1979), Tarkalen Vele (1983), Hamma Admi (1986), Pare Maire, Sabe Sanjhiwal Sadayan. In Sabe Sanjhiwal Sadayan, Duggal maintained his dominant position. He continually extended his thematic range to embrace the realities of the urban civilization. One of the stories, a study in boredom, expresses the aberrant behaviour of an urban middleclass bored woman. By fashioning some of the stories in this collection on the atomistic conception of time he raised the Punjabi short story to a higher level. Duggal was, however, known for imparting aesthetic pleasure through his short stories. Of all the Punjabi writers, he was, perhaps, the most conscious learner. Addressing as chief guest at the anniversary celebration of Katha, an Odia short story journal, at Bhubaneswar in 1990, he said, “Having been the author of 500 short stories, originally in Punjabi, the short story seems to be the closest to my heart. But I started my career as a poet. As a literary genre the short story is almost the same as I am. I must have read not less than 1000 short stories from all over the world before I took to writing short stories seriously”.

The thematic range of Duggal is wider than that of any other contemporary Punjabi writer. He is the best example of craftsmanship and technical skills.

His stories generally follow the accepted patterns, and are always well constructed and immaculately written. He was not an experimentalist and did not take liberty with technique. Being non-committed, he was in a sense, free to concentrate on the problems of form and to do technical experimentation. In his monograph My Art of Short Story, he wrote that he made certain structural experiments.

Uninhibited by any dogma-determined choice, he has touched almost all the problems of contemporary significance: sex taboos, hollowness of the feudal values, the degenerating effect of the foreign rule and of the big money, the Partition-bloodshed, five-year 29

plans, bhoodan, etc. Under the influence of the ‘naturalist movements’, he painted the most ugly and dirtiest aspect of life in his earlier narratives.

But later, he explored the dark side of animal lust and suppressed sex instincts in men and women.

Even his animal characters present sex-cardoon.

Duggal was the first Punjabi writer who threw to the winds all inhibitions in the selection of his subjects. His characters are generally sex starved abnormal souls. He portrayed his feminine characters vividly but delicately, delving deep into the very dark recesses of their minds. Like Manto and Lawrence, breaking all the barriers, he portrays women in their period, pregnancy, and hitherto untalked of naked absurdities of their being. He was criticized for this and charged of having introduced ‘pornography’ by presenting sex as a factor in human motivation on different levels of consciousness. But his locale is Punjab. With Pothohari dialect he gave it unrivalled local colouring. With repetition of small sentences, sprinkling of Pothor expressions and poetic touches, he was able to weave a fascinating environment.

Though acknowledged as a short story writer, Duggal’s contribution to the genre of novel is no less. Every chapter of his novel tends to become a complete short story in itself. And his novels are a hefty blend of form and content. His first novel Andran (1948), created around his life in Pothor, in which his making the landlord’s natural son raise against him and oblige him to distribute his land, is rather romantic. The topographical novel was hailed for its Pothohari dialect, may be because it brought nostalgic memories to the refugees from that part of subcontinent on account of the Partition.

Contd. In the next issue....................

[Dr. Ashok K. Choudhury, a postdoctoral scholar & literary critic, is with Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi.]

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Book Review Section:

Innaiah Narisetti

[BOOK: M.N. Roy –The Man Who Looked Ahead by A.K. Hindi,A copy in Hindi translation available in U.S. Congress Library only] M.N. Roy - The Man Who Looked Ahead by A.K. Hindi may not be a very attractive book today. But it created history in 1938 when it was published by the Modern Publishing House, Ahmedabad. The main reason was that Roy was a mystery to many, especially when he newly entered Congress politics with Gandhi cap and Khadi dress. The Faizpur Congress session was about to commence and just on the eve of the session A.K. Hindi came out with this sensational book. Hindi was a pseudonym of Tayab Shaik. Those days were full of British Secret Services surrounding the followers of M.N. Roy. Tayab was a close associate of M.N. Roy in

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Germany in the late 1929. He was sent to India to prepare ground for Roy’s entry. Tayab did that job ably. Only few people like J.B.H. Wadia, V.B. Karnik knew him.

Tayab was an engineer and a very intelligent person who helped Roy. J.P. Haithcox mentioned his role in his Oxford Publication: Nationalism and Communism in India. Tayab was an orator and a good organizer. He helped Roy to build up a radical wing within Congress and later on the Radical Democratic Party.

Gradually importance began to be given to V.B. Karnik in the Roy group and this annoyed Tayab.

This may have been one of the reasons for him to leave the movement and to go back to the UK. He could not be traced ever later. This book of A.K. Hindi covers the life of Roy until he returns to India in 1930. Earlier life was narrated by Hindi in a racy style. I understand that much of it came from the first hand information from Roy to Tayab. Much of it appeared later in the memoirs of Roy. That is why no mention was made about the first wife of Roy and her role in Mexico, Europe, as well as in Russia. That, I feel, was a great defect in the memoirs, of course.

A.K. Hindi wanted to publish a second volume on Roy but he never wrote it.

This first volume is a 1/8 crown size book of 242 pages. It is priced at one rupee and eight annas.

Dasarathlal Thakar was the publisher. Champaklal Bhati was co-publisher. This small book was published in three printing presses. This might have been due to urgency and also may be they wished to maintain secrecy about it. The book has 22 small chapters. Second volume was proposed to consist of 17 chapters.

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M.N. Roy’s picture with Gandhi cap and Khadi dress was published.

A slight error of information carried in this book is that Subhash Chandra Bose came from the village where Roy was born. Bose was actually born, according to facts, in Cuttack, Orissa.

Those days, the atmosphere, in India, was very antagonistic to the Royists and none of the nationalist dailies and journals published their news or articles.

Yet they attracted the attention of the world and the Left forces in India.

What happened to Tayab Shaik alias A.K. Hindi is yet to be traced. Persons like Sibnarayan Ray made vain attempts in U.K to trace his post-India history.

Anyhow the book has great historical value.

This book of A.K. Hindi is in the Library of Congress in its Hindi version which means it was published in Marathi from Sholarpur in 1938.

Posted on RH Website: www.theradicalhumanist.com

by Administrator on Friday, 10. February 2012 URL: http://www.theradicalhumanist.com/index.php ?option=com_radical&controller=article&Item id=56&cid=469&task=single

E-book: Collected Works of Late Justice RA Jahagirdar (Retd.)

Dear friends, I am attaching e-book version of Collected Works of Justice RA Jahagirdar (Retd.)

The book includes almost all his written and manuscript material.

Rationalist Foundation is of the opinion that instead of printing in hard copy version the electronic version has better chances to reach the readers keeping the present and future trend.

The PDF contains the bookmarks for every article included for easy scrolling and easy accessibility.

The book contains 8 parts viz. Rationalism, Secularism, Judiciary, Religion, Politics etc.

These separate version are also available on the site http://arvindguptatoys.com> books>English for downloading.

You may kindly circulate the attachment among your rationalist friends and organizations.

Hope you may like it.

If you find any typographical error, please send the details so that amended copy can be sent to all concerned.

Thanking you, Prabhakar Nanavati pkn.ans@gmail.com

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Dipavali Sen [Ms. Dipavali Sen has been a student of Delhi School of Economics and Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (Pune). She has taught at Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan, and various colleges of Delhi University. She is, at present, teaching at Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce, Delhi University. She is a prolific writer and has written creative pieces and articles for children as well as adults, both in English and Bengali. Dipavali@gmail.com]

Putting Pieces of World Peace Together [BOOK: Peace Story, published by Lee Kye-young, NamiBooks, Korea, 2010; edited

by Slobhan Parkinson & Valerie Coghlan; written by martin Auer, Jennifer Beck et al; illustrated by Rosario Moyano Aguirre, Mohammad Amous et al: designed by Lee Ji-hye & King Jung-mi; supported by Nami Island; cover illustrated by Kang Woo-hyon; pp 148; price US$ 20, with all royalties gong to The International Board of books for Young People (IBBY).] collection of twenty-two stories from Avarious parts of the world, this book was published on the occasion of an international seminar on books for children held in the Nami Islands, Korea, South Korea, in 2010.

In the Foreword, Kang Woo-hyon says, peace is

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“perhaps the hardest of things to achieve” because it is something we achieve “only by cooperation”, and so involves others as well as our own individual selves. Among individuals, families, communities, regions and nations, conflict and cooperation exist side by side. When conflicts blow up, we have war, terrorism and other explosive situations which have an especially traumatic effect upon children and young adults. Literary pieces that highlight this aspect have been presented in this book, PeaceStory.

The countries represented are Australia, Austria, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Denmark, Germany, Greece, India, Iran, Lithuania, Malayasia, Moldova, New Zealand, Pakistan, Palestine, Sudan, Turkey, Uganda, and USA. ‘When the Soldiers Came’ by Martin Auer, Austria begins as follows: “When the soldiers came we were hiding in a cave in the desert. We had a goatskin full of water, some loaves of water, some loaves of bread and some figs. That was all. Our two goats we had left behind.

I was sad because grandfather said we could never see them again, the soldiers would kill them and eat them. Mother was weeping silently but she let the baby suck her breast all the time so he would not cry and give away out hiding place. I knew I must not cry because I was already a big girl ….”

In hiding, the girl in the story asks why the soldiers were coming. Her grandfather explains that two kings Babak and Ubuk were defending their honour, which was a prerogative of kings.

The girl is told: “We peasants do not fight for our honour. When the priest calls me a lazy swine because I do not bring enough corn to the storehouse. I cannot defend my honour the priests would have me flogged to death. But with kings it is different …”

At some later point in the conversation the girl asks, “But what if all the peasants in the world would agree not to feed the kings and their soldiers any more?”

“It is not possible”, answers the grandfather. “Who

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would send the messengers to all of them?”

The girl writes on: “When the soldiers had gone, the village was empty. All the animals had been killed or taken, all the grains in the storehouses burned. Even our hoes and sickles were gone.

Grandfather showed us how to fish in the river and how to cook some wild plants. And somehow we got through the dry season. Some corn grew in the fields from seed that had fallen to the ground at harvest- time but we did not bake a single loaf but kept it all to sow again. Little by little we brought the fields back to life.

“Mother died, then grandfather, and my little brother married a girl from the neighboring village and they had a child.”

On the next page there is a full page illustration of green and yellow fields and trees and a girl with a baby slung on her back. The page has just one line of print across it.

“And one day the soldiers came.”

Another story that captures the impact of violence on children is by Gaby Vallejo Canedo from Bolivia. Six-year-old Amancaya sees her father badly beaten up on the doorstep of their house. Her mother stays with her father , asking Amancaya to run through the dark, unkempt fields to call a neighbour. Amancaya is scared, but at the thought of her bleeding father, keeps on running. Once her father has recovered, her mother performs a ritual to exorcise evil spirits believed to stay in the corners of the room – she blows smoke into those corners. As Ammancay grows up, she learns about the sufferings of war, hunger and racial discrimination. She wishes that she could, with the help of other children, “blow peace” into the four corners of the world.

‘My Brother Amit’ by Divya Jain from India, describes the reaction of a kid who is exposed to a terrorist attack in a crowded market place and loses

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his classmate in it. Fears, anger, desire for revenge are the primary emotions. But later, prayers of peace replace them.

Franz Hohler, Germany, writes in ‘The Dove’: “A dove flew over the battlefield and was torn to shreds by the blades of a helicopter.

“Once of its lovely feathers fluttered into the garden of a house, and was picked up by a child.

“Shortly afterwards, the child, its mother and its grandparents had to flee. “‘We’ll take only what is absolutely necessary’, said the mother, stuffing some clothes, her papers and some money and jewellery into a suitcase.

“The grandfather filled two bottles with water.

“The grandmother packed the last of the bread, a few apples and a bar of chocolate.

“The child took the feather.”

The collection which is colourfully yet delicately illustrated!

Adults as well as children should find it an absorbing, moving, poignant and powerful collection. It is a wonderfully well-produced product as well.

But there hangs a question-mark over its availability in the Indian market. However, the process of Globalization will surely take care of that. Children all across the globe have the same reaction to war and violence, hunger and pain. For their sake, the global book market should make this book widely accessible, and available in several languages. The generations of the future may then see the human face of the modern world.

Posted on 19.2.12 on the RH Web portal on the following URL: http://www.theradicalhumanist.com/index.php ?option=com_radical&controller=article&Item id=56&cid=473&task=single

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II

Humanist News Section: I

Venkatadri Ravipudi

Humanist Mr. Venkatadri Ravipudi, turns 90 on 9th February 2012 Humanist friends are celebrating the event at Humanist Center at Inkole, near Chirala, Andhra Pradesh on 8, 9 feb 2012. He is known as Ingersoll of Andhra Pradesh who published books, articles in Telugu on humanism and rationalism. His writings are compiled and brought out into several volumes.

He toured USA once. He is the earliest associate of M.N. Roy. He worked in Radical Democratic Party since 1940, contested as candidate during 1946 elections on behalf of the party. Cheers to his inspiring humanist living!

To greet him and send SMS or message: the mobile nos. are: 9849935117, 9866681927 and emails may be sent to: Attention Mr. Veeranna at: Gummaveeranna@yahoo.co.in

Mr Venkatadri, in the middle, releasing a book —News sent by Innaiah Narisetti

Black Nonbelievers Are Speaking Out African Americans for Humanism (AAH) has launched an advertising campaign highlighting the rise in religious skepticism among African Americans. Coinciding with Black History Month, this national multimedia effort showcases religious skepticism in the African American community and features prominent African American humanists from history along with contemporary activists and organizers.

“African Americans who question religion often feel rejected by religious family and friends, and by the greater black community," said Debbie Goddard, director of AAH. “But there is a rich heritage of religious skepticism and humanism in black history.

By featuring the historical faces as well as the modern in our ad campaign, we show people that questioning religion is not new and that there are many of us here.”

The ads began appearing January 30 and January 31 in New York City; Washington, DC; Chicago; Atlanta; and Durham, North Carolina. This week, the campaign is being launched in Dallas and Los Angeles. Advertisements will be found on roadside billboards and in public transit sites. The Stiefel Freethought Foundation provided substantial creative and financial support for the campaign.

AAH hopes that the campaign will bring attention to the presence of and increase in religious skepticism within the black community, encourage those who have doubts about religion to share their concerns and join other freethinkers in their local communities, and educate many about the history of black freethought.

All of the ads display the same message: “Doubts about religion? You’re one of many.” In the ads,

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images of writer-anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston, poet-activist Langston Hughes, and social reformer-publisher Frederick Douglass are paired with contemporary freethinkers. Representing their respective hometowns are activists leading the way for African American nonbelievers, including Mark D. Hatcher of the Secular Students at Howard University, Mandisa L. Thomas of Black Nonbelievers, Inc. (Atlanta), Kimberly Veal of Black Nonbelievers of Chicago, Jamila Bey of African Americans for Humanism–Washington, DC, Veronique Matthews of the Triangle Freethought Society, Leighann Lord of the Center for Inquiry–Harlem, Alix Jules of the Dallas–Ft. Worth Coalition of Reason, and Sikivu Hutchinson of Black Skeptics Los Angeles.

For more information, including ad images, information about historical African American freethinkers, photos, and videos, please visit We Are AAH. AAH supports skeptics, doubters, humanists, and atheists in the African American community, provides forums for communication and education, and facilitates coordinated action to achieve shared objectives.

In an irrational world, those who stand for reason must stand together.

Please stand with us by making your most generous tax-deductible contribution to African Americans for Humanism today.

III Copy of Letter to Hon. Chief Justice of India sent by Prabudh Nagrik Shakti Manch, Ahmedabad on February 6, 2012 Address: 6,7, Rangoli Complex, Opp. V.S. Hospital, Ellisbridge, Ahmedabad – 380 006.

(Gujarat) – Email – prabudhnagrik@gmail.com

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To, Justice S.H. Kapadia Hon. Chief Justice of India Supreme Court of India New Delhi Respected Sir, Subject: Gujarat’s people protest against the closure of Zakia Jafri / CJP Case by SIT in Gujarat.

It is going to be 10 years of Gujarat Riot. Due to the absence of rule of law the justice is eluded the riot victims. Thanks to the steps taken by SC to reopen the cases. The appointment of Mr. Raghavan in SIT followed by the appointment of Mr. Raju Ramchandran as the Amicus Curiae, raised hope that justice will finally prevail in Gujarat But the way SIT is functioning and probing the cases has made us apprehensive about it’s genuine interest to book the culprit. From the media we have come to know that the SIT is going to close the files of certain cases , particularly of Zakia Jafri.

Being concerned we the citizens are drawing your attention We have come to know that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) is planning to file a closure report. It appears that the SIT is performing a pre-determined task rather than working with a diligent and open mind. The failure of the SIT to identify the Perpetrators in the face of clinching evidence will send a dangerous signal——that despite the highest level interventions, the Indian system allows the guilty to go unpunished. This will signal the end of hope. The SIT has first and foremost inexplicably delayed the filing of a charge sheet as directed by the Honorable Supreme Court in September 2011. (12.9.2011). SIT was reprimanded by the apex court in March 2011 for “ignoring inferences in the evidence “and when even after this reprimand, the SIT failed to measure up, the by an order dated 5.5.2011 was given a free hand to meet witnesses including policemen, bypassing the SIT. This meant that the SC asked for

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an independent assessment of the available evidence.

Now reliable sources as reported in the media say, that despite voluminous evidence and Recommendations by Amicus Curiae of the Supreme Court ( Shri Raju Ramachandran) to prosecute the Chief Minister Modi and his collaborators (politicians and policemen) for the anti minority carnage 2002, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) is planning to file a closure report.

If despite the recommendations of the Amicus Curiae, the SIT today files a closure report, this would be first and foremost a blow to the mass indignity suffered by victims and would signal a grave threat to faith in the rule of law, democracy the relationships between communities. Faith in our system will be deeply eroded.

It is needless to mention here that A former Chief Justice who headed the National Human Rights Commission, Justice Verma, in 2002 had found the government complicit and recommended that critical cases be handed over to the CBI. A Citizens Tribunal (Crimes Against Humanity) headed by two former judges of the Supreme Court, Justices Krishna Iyer and PB Sawant found the state government and its head responsible for criminal complicity. Two Judges P.B. Sawant and Hosbet Suresh have even recorded their statements before the SIT. So as citizens committed to the rule of law we need to raise the following issues: Why the over four month delay in filing the charge sheet as directed by the SC on 12.9.11?

Why the reluctance by the SIT to thoroughly probe the issue of destruction and reappearance of critical documentary evidence by senior policemen including police control room records, station diary entries, mobile phone records? (These records have been analysed by complainants/petitioners and placed before the SIT and the Court and are available in the public domain) Why the reluctance of the SIT, to bring on record

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the statements of available witnesses on meetings that reportedly took place at the chief minister’s residence?

Finally when the Amicus Curaie Raju Ramachandran has reportedly recommended the prosecution of the CM and his senior officers, where does the SIT find the impunity to exonerate criminals?

Let us not forget that the offences concerned include grave crimes against innocent citizens, in which policemen, administrators and politicians in positions of Constitutional posts, have not only violated their oath but callously allowed lives to be brutally taken, dignity denied. The failure of the SIT to identify the Perpetrators in the face of clinching evidence will send a dangerous signal that despite the highest level interventions, the Indian system allows the guilty to go unpunished.

This will signal the end of hope.

As citizens of Gujarat we write to you concerned that a historic investigation under the supervision of the Supreme Court since 2008 is being subverted by vested interests inimical to the rule of law. This could prove disastrous for lasting and sustainable justice that has to be the prerequisite for peace and harmony.

Yours Faithfully Chunibhai Vaidhya – Veteran Gandhian – President, Gujarat Lok Samiti Suresh Mehta – Former – Chief Minister of Gujarat Illaben Pathak – President, Ahmedabad Women’s Action Group (AWAG) Father Cedric Prakash – Prashant – A Centre for Human Rights, Justice and Peace Prakash N. Shah – Senior Journalist - Editor Nirikshak Dr. Vidhyut Joshi – Former – Vice Chancellor – Bhavnagar University Gautam Thaker – General Secretary – PUCL (Gujarat) Dwarikanath Rath – Convener – Movement for Secular Democracy

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Swaroop Dhruv – Samvedan Sanskrutik Manch Dr. Meherunissa Desai - President - Ahmedabad Muslim’s Women’s Association (AMWA) Minakshi Joshi – All India Mahila Sanskrutik Sangathan Shankarbhai Patel – President – Parents Association Valjibhai Patel – Council for Social Justice Dilip Chandulal – Convener – Lok Andolan Gujarat

IV

Obama names Amartya Sen for US Humanities medal Washington: India’s Nobel Prize-winning economist Amartya Sen is among nine scholars named by President Obama for the US National Humanities Medal, the White House announced on Friday.

Sen, who retains his Indian citizenship, is the first Indian to be honored with the medal that is typically awarded to US nationals through its 16-year history. The White House citation describes him as an economist and a philosopher while recognizing him “for his insights into the causes of poverty, famine, and injustice.”

“By applying philosophical thinking to questions of policy, he has changed how standards of living are measured and increased our understanding of how to fight hunger,” the White House citation 37

said. Sen helped create the United Nations Human Development Index.

The National Humanities Medal, bestowed on 133 individuals since it came into existence in 1996, “honors individuals or groups whose work has deepened the nation’s understanding of the humanities, broadened our citizens’ engagement with the humanities, or helped preserve and expand Americans’ access to important resources in the humanities,” the White House said.

While Indian scholars and experts of Indian-origin have previously won White House recognition in science and engineering in the form of National Medals, this is a first in humanities.

Sen, who won the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1998, is currently the Thomas W. Lamont University Professor and Professor of Economics and Philosophy at Harvard University, and divides his time between US and India. He is a close friend and adviser to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was his contemporary in Oxford and Cambridge, while President Obama is a late-80s alumnus of Harvard Law School.

Sen is among four (an unusually high number) foreign-born luminaries in a distinguished list this year that includes the American poet John Ashbery; historians Robert Darnton and Cuba-born Teofilo Ruiz; Ghanian-British-American philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah; music scholar Charles Rosen; literary scholars Andrew Delbanco and Ramon Saldivar; and the educational program National History Day. Previous awardees include Nobel Prize winners Toni Morrison and Elie Wiesel, historians and biographers such as William Manchester and Arthur Schlesinger, and even entertainers such as Quincy Jones and Stephen Spielberg, besides many sociologists and anthropologists.

The medals ceremony will be webcast live at 1.45 pm on Monday, February 13, from the White House East Room where President Obama will honor the recipients.

Source URL:

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2012

http://www.indiatimmes.com/international/oba ma-names-amartya-sen-for-us-humanities-med 21st Anniversary Celebrations of Radical al-12321.html Humanist Center, Inkollu Published in: The Times of India 21st anniversary celebrations of the Radical posted ON 11 Feb 2012 AT 16:48:36 Humanist Center, Inkollu, Prakasham District, INTERNATIONAL Andhra Pradesh were held on 9th and 10th of URL: timesofindia.indiatimes.com February, 2012. In this connection a study camp was conducted for two days on different subjects V including Religious Fundamentalism, Cosmology, Theory of Evolution, Rationalism and Humanism Book on M N Roy's life and theory by K. under the supervision and guidance of Sri Ravipudi Radhakrishna Murthy Venkatadri, a veteran radical humanist. On 9th morning session Gumma Veeranna and Vutla Mr. Koganti Radhakrishna Murthy, a veteran Ranganayakulu, the president and the general radical Humanist from Tenali, Andhra Pradesh secretary of Andhra Pradesh Rationalist the danger of wrote an excellent book on life and theory of M N Association explained about religious fundamentalism in India. Kurra Roy and published in 1978. It is now available on Hanumantha Rao, chairman, Rationalist line for down loading.

Association of India presided over the function.

Link: http://ia600506.us.archive.org/2/items/mnraoji Sri Ravipudi Venkatadri, president, Rationalist vithamsid021460mbp/mnraojivithamsid021460 mbp.pdf Mr Radhakrishna Murthy Koganti (late) was veteran radical who contested in 1946 elections on behalf of Radical Democratic Party. He established Nalanda Publications and brought several original and translations of Humanist literature. He also edited Sameeksha, Radical Humanist Telugu journal from Tenali.

Mr. C. Bhaskararao made this on line arrangement. 窶年ews sent by Innaiah Narisetti http://www.theradicalhumanist.com/index.php ?option=com_radical&controller=news&Itemi d=54&cid=487&task=single

Association of India and author of nearly 80 books in Telugu has been felicitated by the organizers of the RHC and APRA on the occasion his 91st birthday.

Posted by Administrator on RH Website on The birthday greetings sent by Dr. N. Innaiah, from Monday, on 13. February 2012 USA, Jayanti Patel, Prabhakar Nanavaty and J.L. Reddy were conveyed to R.Venkatadri.

VI Two Volumes [vol.16 and 17] on rationalism 38

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Veeranna was released and appreciated by Kurra Hanumantharao.

In this connection elocution and essay writing competitions were conducted for school and college students by RHC Inkollu. Prizes and certificates were distributed to the successful students in the RHC conference which was held in the evening. V Narayanaraju, president, RHC Inkollu was presided over the function.

Nearly 80 members attended the study camp.

Rationalist and Humanist literature was sold at 50 percent concession rates. Free boarding and and humanism written by Venkatadri were lodging facilities were provided to all the released and appreciated

by Ravela participants by R H C Inkollu. The conference and Sambasivarao, Ex-registrar and by Prof. N. the study camp was concluded with the vote of Anjaiah, Nagarjuna University respectively. thanks by Kaki Rajasekhar.

In the afternoon session Kari Hari Babu, General secretary, Hema Foundation spoke on cosmology Inkollu and Meduri Satyanarayana, General secretary, RAI Report: Gumma Veeranna spoke on the theory of evolution.The meeting was Photos: cbrao presided over by G Veeranna. E.C. meeting of APRA was held in the evening in which a decision VII was taken to conduct the conference of APRA and RAI on 9th and 10th of June, 2012 at Hyderabad.

On 10th morning session K, Hanumantharao, Ch. Seshaiah, Ex-president APRA, Shaik Babu, Asst. secretary, RHC, delivered lectures on rationalism and humanism. M. Satyanarayana presided over the meeting.

A book titled “Rationalism - Misconceptions and Misunderstandings� written by Gumma

Dear Rekhajee, One of our senior most friends Rameshbai Korde aged about 84, living in Ahmedabad Gujarat, has published a book named Towards 21st Century Renaissance. It is a collection of well selected articles some from The R.H. weekly also. Writers of these articles were well versed not only in the philosophical aspects of Renaissance but were also 39

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actively and physically involved in the Renaissance Movement in their countries during their lifetimes.

Their names are Bertrand Russell, Julian Huxley, Eric From and Paul Kurtz from the western Countries and M.N. Roy, Sibnarayan Ray, L.S. Joshi and V. M. Tarkunde form India. The number of collected articles is 24. They cover all the aspects of Renaissance Movements like the secular origin of life, materialism, about rhythm of cosmos, ethics, man’s place in nature, the faith of a rationalist and about human nature etc.

According to my firsthand impression of the book is “It is a book which covers all aspects of Renaissance Movement.” Actually it will serve as a handy guide on such a difficult subject in one small book for the students of our movement. It is a

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thought provoking book really needed in the present times by us. The author of the book has put tremendous labor in selecting and collecting the articles in its 330 pages. Another surprising thing regarding the book is that there is no mention of the price of the book. It is left to us to contribute for his cause according to our choice.

It is a book worth reading for our intellectual enhancement.

Mr. R. Korde’s efforts are really praiseworthy. I am sure this book will have lasting effect upon our movement.

Sincere thanks to him!

Bipin Shroff

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THE RADICAL HUMANIST

MARCH 2012 —SUBSCRIPTION RATES—

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