Month: November 2022
Shyamala Sanyal, Jan 13, 2022
Jan 13: Day 1 of my fast, day 689 of our chain.
I’m fasting against authoritarian elected representatives .
We must inculcate the idea of justice and democratic values in young people .
Teach citizenship from a young age
Our culture prizes obedience
Value the rebel , the dissenter .
I’m also fasting to reduce inequality in our country. The rich live lives of ease and comfort . And unfeeling thoughtlessness .
The poor are stoic and resigned to their fate
Minimum Support Prices for agricultural produce , living wages for our domestic help , shop girls , receptionists etc . I see so many poorly paid and overworked people all around .
It’s unfair , unjust and criminal.
I run a small industry . I try to do the fair thing by our employees .
But I see so many employers not even paying minimum wages , leave alone other benefits
We must improve the lot of people around us.
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Christian Frankenberg, Jan 10 – Jan 12, 2022
Jan 10: Day 1 of my fast, day 686 of our chain.
Fasting against hate speech. It can slowly creep into societies, disenfranchising and dehumanizing targeted minorities.
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Jan 11: Day 2 of my fast, day 687 of our chain.
Today in the morning was harder than expected, bad sleep combined with hunger. My brain was foggy and I couldn’t think straight. Fasting is a good reminder that you have to walk in someone’s shoes to truly understand situations and hardships you would otherwise not empathize with. And every fast is different, just like situations in life.
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Jan 12: Day 3 of my fast, day 688 of our chain.
This is the last day of my fast and happens to be the 12th death anniversary of my dearest friend Kai Buchholz, who worked for the UN in Haiti when the earthquake struck and collapsed the HQ building. He is the person I most looked up to, with genuine solid principles, wit and charisma. He would have made it far. I wonder what he would do now if he was still alive. I am sure he would be upset (and fighting against) the autocratic tendencies that are spreading across the world. Rest In Peace my friend, we will fight for you and keep your spirit alive.
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Protected: Kowsar Jahan Shaik, Jan 5 – Jan 9, 2022
Suniti Sanghavi, Dec 31, 2021 – Jan 4, 2022
Dec 31: Day 1 of my fast, day 676 of our chain.
The comments made by Yati Narasimhanand and others at the inglorious “Dharma Sansad” in Haridwar reminded me of conversations with Sanghi relatives in India, one of whom was indeed rabid enough to openly bay for blood…
These conversations are always marked by ridiculous and unapologetic prejudices, unhinged accusations that never stand up to scrutiny, and – when all else fails – lamenting how victimized the poor Hindus are.
The conversations are tediously logic-defying to say the least and deeply offensive to those who keep being willfully reduced to maliciously crafted caricatures of their true selves. And now there’s the added menace of open threats of violence.
I don’t know how to offer solace or comfort to Muslim citizens of India today. I feel so raw and spent myself, I can hardly imagine how it must be to be the direct target of so much openly expressed bile.
I could ask for forgiveness. And promise to spend every free moment I find resisting this incessant injection of hate. But I know I am small and insignificant – a little David fighting a terrible Goliath. This New Year’s Eve, roughly at the halftime point of Modi’s second term, let us resolve to come together, dear fellow Davids, to make our presence felt, our voices heard, and to finally defeat the soul-sucking Goliath that is Hindutva! Aazaadi 2024!!
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Jan 1, 2022: Day 2 of my fast, day 677 of our chain.
Today I’d like to draw attention to Uttar Pradesh, ranked by the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) as the best State in the country in June 2021.
This ranking was based on the percentage of smart city projects completed in the state. Okay! I guess the point of smart cities is to attract people who will want to work and live in those cities. So how can it be that UP retains one of the highest unemployment levels in the country?
Yogi Adityanath had promised 70 lakh jobs for the youth of UP in the 2017-2022 timeframe. How is it, then, that unemployment has nearly doubled among the youth from 8.8% to 15.9%? With overall joblessness increasing from 23.1% to 31.5%?
All this while legitimate jobs lie vacant, with 69000 vacancies in just teaching jobs. Why? Because the Yogi government wants to deny constitutionally guaranteed reservations to nearly 15000-20000 students from the OBC and SC communities, whose seats were transferred to general category candidates.
Not surprising, when the CM and the PM belong to an ideology that worships the abominable Manusmriti and wants to dismantle the constitution of India in favor of it.
Please reach out to AISA leaders Adarsh Shahi, Ayush Shrivastava, and Ayush Jatav if you are able to offer support or are looking for more information.
I will continue on this subject tomorrow.
(Sources: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/uttar-pradesh-ranked-best-state-under-smart-cities-mission/article34977287.ece
http://www.firstpost.com/india/yogi-adityanath-govt-to-provide-70-lakh-jobs-in-five-years-with-youth-skill-development-education-3818075.html
https://dailyindia.net/teacher-recruitment-the-decision-of-the-yogi-government-was-rejected-by-the-youth-agitating-for-teacher-recruitment/65232/
https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/uttar-pradesh-jobs-india-unemployment-explainspeaking-7658103/
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/employment-rate-falls-to-37-3-in-october/articleshow/87512470.cms)
Aazaadi 2024!!
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Jan 2: Day 3 of my fast, day 678 of our chain.
Continuing the conversation I began yesterday on Uttar Pradesh, its unemployment and its caste biases, I come back to the issue of denying OBC/SC candidates their constitutional rights to employment. In the recent scam involving job assignments for primary teachers’, the Yogi government allowed only ~6000 out of ~18000 reserved seats to be allotted to their rightful beneficiaries, allowing general category candidates to avail of the rest.
This is understandably traumatic for impoverished, first-generation students who overcome unfathomable (for most caste privileged people) odds to attain the qualifications required for these jobs. To them, it is not merely a matter of employment, but a critical step towards ensuring a dignified life for themselves and for their progeny. Denying them these jobs amounts to intentionally keeping them “in their place” as prescribed by the abominable Manusmriti.
The attack is multi-pronged – another front faced by the children of OBC/SC communities is examination paper leakages. Adarsh Shahi informs me that around 16 out of 24-25 exam papers were leaked within 4.5 years of the Yogi government. The casual amusement I used to feel at such news transformed into horror and shame as I finally recognized the caste calculus that hides behind such leaks: they not only make merit and hard work immaterial to success, but they ensure that those who can afford to pay for the papers have unrestricted access to lucrative careers, while those who cannot – disproportionately more likely to be the caste oppressed – are kept our regardless of their abilities.
We are failing our youth in the sickest way possible… destroying impoverished lives, ripping apart our social fabric, and miring everyone in vicious cycles that only bring despair and desperation.
Please reach out to AISA leaders Adarsh Shahi, Ayush Shrivastava, and Ayush Jatav if you are able to offer support or are looking for more information.
Aazaadi 2024!!
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Jan 3: Day 4 of my fast, day 679 of our chain.
How can India grow if there is no space for young idealists to make their mistakes, learn from them and grow?
How can a respectable political party thrive and win trust if its followers have become zealots who insist on quashing all competition?
Can mood-driven, cannibalistic witch-hunts really symbolize a mature, evolved democracy?
Aazaadi 2024!!
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Jan 4: Day 5 of my fast, day 680 of our chain.
Today, as on all 5 days of my fast, I have felt the slow burn of the Dharm Sansad in Haridwar, Sulli deals, Bulli bai (replete with the fake use of Sikh user names by Hindutva zealots to incite Sikh-Muslim animosity), and how closely they align with unguarded conversations in middle class Hindu families these days.
I couldn’t say it better than Deepa Khadar, who writes:
“ 21-year-old Vishal Jha.
18-year-old Shweta Singh.
Products of an ecosystem that worships the likes of Modi, Shah & Yogi. What else did you think those Muslim-hating uncles & aunts in your family WhatsApp groups would create?”
Aazaadi 2024!!
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Amit Dhawan, Dec 26 – Dec 30, 2021
Dec 26: Day 1 of my fast, day 671 of our chain.
अंबाला में जिस चर्च में ईसा मसीह की मूर्ति तोड़ी गई गयी वो 173 साल पुराना है। 😔😔 शर्मनाक😔
173 साल से किसी को कोई खतरा महसूस नहीं हुआ। लेकिन 7 साल में पागलों की फौज तैयार कर दी जिन्हें 24 घण्टे हिन्दू खतरे में दिखता है…?
हमारे धर्म और मुल्क का क्या हाल कर दिया…!!! 😔😔
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Dec 27: Day 2 of my fast, day 672 of our chain.
अब मुलाक़ात में वो गर्मजोशी न रही,,
लगते वक़्त गले वो ख़ामोशी न रही,,
मतलबी रिश्तों ने छीन ली इंसानियत,,
आज के दौर में वो मोहब्बत न रही,,
यूँ तो हर दौर में होते है राम
बस आज राम के साथ वनवास पर निकलने वाली सीता न रही,,
आपाधापी की दौड़ तो अब भी ज़ारी हैं
थक कर सो जाए वो माँ की अब गोद न रही,,
भगवानो की रक्षा के लिए
अब हो जाते है क़त्ल यहाँ पर
इंसानियत को बचाने वाली अब वो भगवत्ता नहीं रही,,
बच गई है 5 इंच की खिड़की में झांखती निगाहे
आकाश की तरफ़ उठने वाली अब निगाह न रही। ~✍️ Shashank Sakha
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Dec 28: Day 3 of my fast, day 673 of our chain.
एक बार जरूर पढ़ें यह कहानी
एक बार दो बहुमंजिली इमारतों के बीच बंधी हुई एक तार पर लंबा सा बाँस पकड़े एक नट चल रहा था,
उसने अपने कन्धे पर अपना बेटा
बैठा रखा था।
सैंकड़ों, हज़ारों लोग दम साधे देख
रहे थे।
सधे कदमों से, तेज हवा से जूझते हुए अपनी और अपने बेटे की ज़िंदगी दाँव पर लगा उस कलाकार ने दूरी पूरी कर ली
भीड़ आह्लाद से उछल पड़ी, तालियाँ, सीटियाँ बजने लगी ।
लोग उस कलाकार की फोटो खींच रहे थे, उसके साथ सेल्फी ले रहे थे। उससे हाथ मिला रहे थे
और वो कलाकार माइक पर आया, भीड़ को बोला,
क्या आपको विश्वास है कि मैं यह दोबारा भी कर सकता हूँ l
भीड़ चिल्लाई हाँ हाँ, तुम कर सकते हो।
उसने पूछा, क्या आपको विश्वास है, भीड़ चिल्लाई हाँ पूरा विश्वास है,
हम तो शर्त भी लगा सकते हैं कि तुम सफलतापूर्वक इसे दोहरा भी सकते हो।
कलाकार बोला, पूरा पूरा विश्वास है ना l
भीड़ बोली, हाँ l
कलाकार बोला, ठीक है, कोई मुझे अपना बच्चा दे दे, मैं उसे अपने कंधे पर बैठा कर रस्सी पर चलूँगा।
खामोशी, शांति, चुप्पी फैल गयी l
कलाकार बोला, डर गए, अभी तो आपको विश्वास था कि मैं कर सकता हूँ।
इसी तरह दंगे करवाने वाले कभी अपने बच्चों को दंगो में नही भेजते,,
आपको उकसाते है, आपके बच्चों को मरने भेजते हैं।
सोचिए, उनके जोशीले नारो में आकर मरने मत जाइए।
जियो और जीने दो ।।
🙏💐🌹🙏🌹💐🙏
कश्मीरा शाह चतुर्वेदी
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Dec 29: Day 4 of my fast, day 674 of our chain.
🙏🙏🙏
गधे ने बाघ से कहा, ‘घास नीली है।’ बाघ ने कहा, ‘घास हरी है।’
फिर दोनों के बीच चर्चा तेज हो गई। दोनों ही अपने-अपने शब्दों में दृढ़ हैं। इस विवाद को समाप्त करने के लिए, दोनों जंगल के राजा शेर के पास गए।
पशु साम्राज्य के बीच में, सिंहासन पर बैठा एक शेर था। बाघ के कुछ कहने से पहले ही गधा चिल्लाने लगा। “महाराज, घास नीला है ना?” शेर ने कहा, ‘हाँ! घास नीली है। ‘
गधा, ‘ये बाघ नहीं मान रहा। उसे ठीक से सजा दी जाए। ‘राजा ने घोषणा की,’ बाघ को एक साल की जेल होगी। राजा का फैसला गधे ने सुना और वह पूरे जंगल में खुशी से झूम रहा था। बाघ को एक साल की जेल की सजा सुनाई गई। ‘
बाघ शेर के पास गया और पूछा, ‘क्यों महाराज! घास हरी है, क्या यह सही नहीं है? ‘शेर ने कहा,’ हाँ! घास हरी है। ‘बाघ ने कहा,’ … तो मुझे जेल की सजा क्यों दी गई है? ‘
सिंह ने कहा, “आपको घास नीले या हरे रंग के लिए सजा नहीं मिली। आपको उस मूर्ख गधे के साथ बहस करने के लिए दंडित किया गया है। आप जैसे बहादुर और बुद्धिमान जीव ने गधे से बहस की और निर्णय लेने के लिए मेरे पास आये।”
कहानी का सार …. ….
2022 में अपना वोट सर्वश्रेष्ठ उम्मीदवार को दें …. बस गधों से बहस न करें अन्यथा आपको अगले 5 साल तक की सजा हो जाएगी।
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Dec 30: TBA
Protected: Afsar Jahan, Dec 21 – Dec 25, 2021
Christian Frankenberg, Dec 20, 2021
Dec 20, 2021:
Today, day 1 of his fast, day 665 of our chain, Christian Frankenberg posts:
Day 1 of my fast, day 665 of our chain.
A reminder for those who don’t understand what the purpose of this chain is:
“With some notable exceptions, books about Modi and his government have tended toward hagiography. Jaffrelot, a noted scholar of contemporary Indian politics, departs from these accounts. In the process, he argues that unless current trends are checked, India may become an ethnic democracy—a majoritarian state with scant regard for the rights of religious minorities, especially Muslims.”
The book discussed in Foreign Policy:
Modi’s India: Hindu Nationalism and the Rise of Ethnic Democracy, Christophe Jaffrelot, Princeton University Press, August 2021.
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Protected: Srishtaa Aparna Pallavi, Dec 19, 2021
Kiran Tandon, Dec 18, 2021
Dec 18: Day 1 of my fast, day 663 of our chain.
Read an interesting post today referring to the 1971 battle and saying that the names of the army officers clearly showed how inclusive we have, as Indians, been of all communities and all faiths.
As the daughter of an army officer (long gone) one never really registered names as descriptors of religion … as far as a child (which I was then) could see, the army was a large collective family. And the sense prevailed, as I grew up, through all the annual army reunions I attended with my mother.
Inclusivity is, I believe, an article of faith we hold as Indians. It makes us, uniquely, who we are. And to this we shall return, come what may.
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Chain Fasting For Peace 