[Announcements] Call For Action on 2 Nov2006: 6 years of Hunger Strike against AFSPA
Via: "Anivar Aravind"
discussion on stealing culture? : IPR & the copyleft movement
Via: Lokesh
*Debating Politics Series*
*3rd meeting *
**Youth and Stud** **ents Foru*m*
*and*
The St. Stephens College History Society
Invites you for a talk on
*/Stealing Culture?:/*
*/Intellectual Property Rights/*
*/And/*
*/The Copyleft Movement./*
//
/speakers/
Ravi Sundaram and Ravikant (Sarai, CSDS)
Time:1.30 pm
venue: Seminar room
*Debating Politics Series*
*3rd meeting *
**Youth and Stud** **ents Foru*m*
*and*
The St. Stephens College History Society
Invites you for a talk on
*/Stealing Culture?:/*
*/Intellectual Property Rights/*
*/And/*
*/The Copyleft Movement./*
//
/speakers/
Ravi Sundaram and Ravikant (Sarai, CSDS)
Time:1.30 pm
venue: Seminar room
POSITIVELY NEGLECTED
Via: PREETU NAIR
POSITIVELY NEGLECTED
PREETU NAIR
preetu_nair@gomantaktimes.com
(This article appeared on GT Weekender, Panjim
edition, October 29, 2006)
Women in commercial sex work are seen as agents of HIV
and their clients unwitting victims. But in the
absence of any economic rehabilitation or community
based services, the HIV positive trafficked victim,
the marginalized section of the society, continues to
be commercially sexually exploited. PREETU NAIR goes
behind the obvious and discovers that if HIV/AIDS is
an epidemic of bad choices then it is also an epidemic
of the choiceless and voiceless.
Rehana has just resumed her night job at Vasco after a
brief illness. If luck is smiles she will earn
anything between Rs 100 and 500, from what she calls
the only work she
has.
And because she and her family must survive, she fails
to insist that the customer to use condom though she
is HIV positive and aware that using condom decreases
the risk of HIV transmission. "Most often we are not
in a position to negotiate safer sex she said.
When Rehana (one of her many names) was 15, she caught
a morning bus to Goa from Karnataka, along with her
lover. By evening she was sold to a brothel keeper in
the unofficial red light area of Baina for Rs 10,000.
At the age of 23, she tested HIV positive.
Rehana, who till then wanted to live a normal life and
get rid of the world of drinks, diseases, beatings and
neglect in utter disbelief started drinking heavily.
I began drinking heavily because I knew I was dying.
Besides, I drink to reduce the pain I undergo while
having sex with a customer".
She knows that she can still live well and long, if
she gives up her addiction to alcohol, gutka and
beedis coupled with a careless attitude to medication
and failure to adopt lifestyle changes. But what's
killing her more than the virus is the lack of hope,
the
absence of family and community support, tension and
their poor socio-economic condition.
"I am aware of the community care services for HIV
positive persons, but dont want to avail them as of
now I dont want to leave Baina, my home, where I am
not stigmatized and treated differently," she
admitted.
Rehana is not alone. There are many like her who want
to leave commercial sex work (CSW) and live a healthy
life but are unable to as there is no alternative.
However, she added, "If these services are made
available to me at home along with economic
rehabilitation then I would definitely leave CSW and
live a healthy and less painful life".
Living with HIV is not easy. And for a HIV positive
trafficked victim it is a bigger struggle. Despite
their suffering they are rarely able to express
themselves. To survive, majority of
them hide their HIV status.
What is really alarming is that though there is
awareness about risks, use of condoms is low, both
with non-paying and paying partners, thereby
increasing the risk of transmitting the virus. A
Behavioural Surveillance Survey 2003-04 at Baina
showed that only 69 percent used condoms regularly.
Goa State AIDS Control Society (GSACS) sentinel
surveillance estimates that in 2003, around 30.14
percent sex workers in the state were HIV positive.
However, the real figure would be probably much higher
now.
The United Nations recently reported that that India
with 5.7 million infections has become the HIV/AIDS
capital of the world surpassing South Africas 5.5
million. Though there is dispute regarding the number
of infections, no one denies that despite various
attempts the spread of the virus shows no sign of
slowing down.
Talking to GT/Weekender, Dr Prakash Kanekar, Project
Director, Goa State AIDS Control Society (GSACS)
admits that they can't afford to be complacent and
need greater commitment to reverse HIV/AIDS epidemic
as the task has become more difficult after Baina
demolition. "It is now extremely difficult to identify
a commercial sex worker
Even Arun Pandey from Arz, an NGO working with
trafficked victims in Goa, candidly admits that HIV
positive trafficked victims continue to be victimized
due to lack of community based services and failure of
the state and even NGOs to protect them. Instead of
making them independent we make them dependent. We not
only put their life at risk but also fail to control
the spread of the virus. Arun added.
Interestingly, majority of targeted interventions
undertaken by NGO's through GSACS among CSWs are
focused on free condom distribution and creating
awareness through peer educators. Besides, GSACS also
funds two community care centres with 10 beds each
Freedom Foundation in the North and Aasro in the
South but they are short stay home providing
services required in between a home and hospital.
However, Ninoshka Norton, Project Coordinator, Freedom
Foundation, admitted
that they have often observed that HIV positive
trafficked victims put on DOTS or ART don't continue
treatment once they leave the home. "Once out of the
home, they go back to their normal routine and start
drinking and smoking. This deteriorates their health
further," she added.
No easy choices
Though it is difficult to describe the predicaments
and circumstances women
in CSW face, GT/ Weekender tries to comprehend a few
of them to better understand their lives and
situations under which they live
ALL ROADS LEAD TO
The eldest daughter of the family, Surekha was
dedicated to Goddess Yellama as soon as she gained
puberty and brought to Baina by a brothel keeper for
CSW. Three years back she was tested HIV positive and
was also found to be suffering from TB. I wanted to
leave CSW but there was no alternative. Besides there
is no one to take care of me,"
she said.
Though her CD4 count is low, doctors can't put her on
ART, because she is taking treatment for TB. However,
her TB can't be cured because she doesn't regularly
take medicines.
NO DATE WITH MEDICINES
Madhumita is just back from a date in Mysore. Date
means going out of the state for CSW. She is fully
educated about the pros and cons of HIV, yet hardly
practices what she has been preached.
Two years back when she tested positive, she expected
support from her mard (lover). He was at first
sympathetic but when he needed money, she was back on
the streets. She protested but he threatened. "I
started to go on date, 15 days after I was detected
positive. I was feeling week but then got tired of the
abuses hurled at me by my mard.
When I work, he is happy and there is peace at home",
she reveals. However, what she reveals later after is
much shocking, "whenever I go on a date, I stop DOTS
treatment,"
she admitted
HOME IS WHERE YOUR HEART IS
In a police raid at Baina recently, a HIV positive
trafficked victim was rescued and sent to the State
Protective Home. At that time she was taking DOTS
treatment, but stopped it when sent to the home. Her
condition deteriorated and she started vomiting blood
at the Protective Home. Thus forcing D.C. Kundalkar,
In - charge, Protective Home to write to the Mormugao
Deputy Collector Levinson Martins, "it is not possible
to take care of her and medically treat her in the
Protective Home."
As the medical tests confirmed that she was HIV
positive and suffering from TB, Martins shifted her to
Assro and meanwhile tried to make arrangements to send
her back to her home in Karnataka. But she escaped
from there within a few days and returned to her home
in Baina.
*(Names of HIV positive trafficked victims have been
changed in order to protect their identity)
** (This story was made possible by a financial grant
from The EU-India
Media Initiative on HIV/AIDS implemented by The
Thomson Foundation)
POSITIVELY NEGLECTED
PREETU NAIR
preetu_nair@gomantaktimes.com
(This article appeared on GT Weekender, Panjim
edition, October 29, 2006)
Women in commercial sex work are seen as agents of HIV
and their clients unwitting victims. But in the
absence of any economic rehabilitation or community
based services, the HIV positive trafficked victim,
the marginalized section of the society, continues to
be commercially sexually exploited. PREETU NAIR goes
behind the obvious and discovers that if HIV/AIDS is
an epidemic of bad choices then it is also an epidemic
of the choiceless and voiceless.
Rehana has just resumed her night job at Vasco after a
brief illness. If luck is smiles she will earn
anything between Rs 100 and 500, from what she calls
the only work she
has.
And because she and her family must survive, she fails
to insist that the customer to use condom though she
is HIV positive and aware that using condom decreases
the risk of HIV transmission. "Most often we are not
in a position to negotiate safer sex she said.
When Rehana (one of her many names) was 15, she caught
a morning bus to Goa from Karnataka, along with her
lover. By evening she was sold to a brothel keeper in
the unofficial red light area of Baina for Rs 10,000.
At the age of 23, she tested HIV positive.
Rehana, who till then wanted to live a normal life and
get rid of the world of drinks, diseases, beatings and
neglect in utter disbelief started drinking heavily.
I began drinking heavily because I knew I was dying.
Besides, I drink to reduce the pain I undergo while
having sex with a customer".
She knows that she can still live well and long, if
she gives up her addiction to alcohol, gutka and
beedis coupled with a careless attitude to medication
and failure to adopt lifestyle changes. But what's
killing her more than the virus is the lack of hope,
the
absence of family and community support, tension and
their poor socio-economic condition.
"I am aware of the community care services for HIV
positive persons, but dont want to avail them as of
now I dont want to leave Baina, my home, where I am
not stigmatized and treated differently," she
admitted.
Rehana is not alone. There are many like her who want
to leave commercial sex work (CSW) and live a healthy
life but are unable to as there is no alternative.
However, she added, "If these services are made
available to me at home along with economic
rehabilitation then I would definitely leave CSW and
live a healthy and less painful life".
Living with HIV is not easy. And for a HIV positive
trafficked victim it is a bigger struggle. Despite
their suffering they are rarely able to express
themselves. To survive, majority of
them hide their HIV status.
What is really alarming is that though there is
awareness about risks, use of condoms is low, both
with non-paying and paying partners, thereby
increasing the risk of transmitting the virus. A
Behavioural Surveillance Survey 2003-04 at Baina
showed that only 69 percent used condoms regularly.
Goa State AIDS Control Society (GSACS) sentinel
surveillance estimates that in 2003, around 30.14
percent sex workers in the state were HIV positive.
However, the real figure would be probably much higher
now.
The United Nations recently reported that that India
with 5.7 million infections has become the HIV/AIDS
capital of the world surpassing South Africas 5.5
million. Though there is dispute regarding the number
of infections, no one denies that despite various
attempts the spread of the virus shows no sign of
slowing down.
Talking to GT/Weekender, Dr Prakash Kanekar, Project
Director, Goa State AIDS Control Society (GSACS)
admits that they can't afford to be complacent and
need greater commitment to reverse HIV/AIDS epidemic
as the task has become more difficult after Baina
demolition. "It is now extremely difficult to identify
a commercial sex worker
Even Arun Pandey from Arz, an NGO working with
trafficked victims in Goa, candidly admits that HIV
positive trafficked victims continue to be victimized
due to lack of community based services and failure of
the state and even NGOs to protect them. Instead of
making them independent we make them dependent. We not
only put their life at risk but also fail to control
the spread of the virus. Arun added.
Interestingly, majority of targeted interventions
undertaken by NGO's through GSACS among CSWs are
focused on free condom distribution and creating
awareness through peer educators. Besides, GSACS also
funds two community care centres with 10 beds each
Freedom Foundation in the North and Aasro in the
South but they are short stay home providing
services required in between a home and hospital.
However, Ninoshka Norton, Project Coordinator, Freedom
Foundation, admitted
that they have often observed that HIV positive
trafficked victims put on DOTS or ART don't continue
treatment once they leave the home. "Once out of the
home, they go back to their normal routine and start
drinking and smoking. This deteriorates their health
further," she added.
No easy choices
Though it is difficult to describe the predicaments
and circumstances women
in CSW face, GT/ Weekender tries to comprehend a few
of them to better understand their lives and
situations under which they live
ALL ROADS LEAD TO
The eldest daughter of the family, Surekha was
dedicated to Goddess Yellama as soon as she gained
puberty and brought to Baina by a brothel keeper for
CSW. Three years back she was tested HIV positive and
was also found to be suffering from TB. I wanted to
leave CSW but there was no alternative. Besides there
is no one to take care of me,"
she said.
Though her CD4 count is low, doctors can't put her on
ART, because she is taking treatment for TB. However,
her TB can't be cured because she doesn't regularly
take medicines.
NO DATE WITH MEDICINES
Madhumita is just back from a date in Mysore. Date
means going out of the state for CSW. She is fully
educated about the pros and cons of HIV, yet hardly
practices what she has been preached.
Two years back when she tested positive, she expected
support from her mard (lover). He was at first
sympathetic but when he needed money, she was back on
the streets. She protested but he threatened. "I
started to go on date, 15 days after I was detected
positive. I was feeling week but then got tired of the
abuses hurled at me by my mard.
When I work, he is happy and there is peace at home",
she reveals. However, what she reveals later after is
much shocking, "whenever I go on a date, I stop DOTS
treatment,"
she admitted
HOME IS WHERE YOUR HEART IS
In a police raid at Baina recently, a HIV positive
trafficked victim was rescued and sent to the State
Protective Home. At that time she was taking DOTS
treatment, but stopped it when sent to the home. Her
condition deteriorated and she started vomiting blood
at the Protective Home. Thus forcing D.C. Kundalkar,
In - charge, Protective Home to write to the Mormugao
Deputy Collector Levinson Martins, "it is not possible
to take care of her and medically treat her in the
Protective Home."
As the medical tests confirmed that she was HIV
positive and suffering from TB, Martins shifted her to
Assro and meanwhile tried to make arrangements to send
her back to her home in Karnataka. But she escaped
from there within a few days and returned to her home
in Baina.
*(Names of HIV positive trafficked victims have been
changed in order to protect their identity)
** (This story was made possible by a financial grant
from The EU-India
Media Initiative on HIV/AIDS implemented by The
Thomson Foundation)
Skycatcher: An art project of Luna Maurer
Via: Eric Kluitenberg
dear members of the Reader-list,
I wasn't entirely sure if a simple announcement would be appropriate
for this list. However, next Sunday (16.00 CET) we will launch a new
fascinating internet-project by artist Luna Maurer in Amsterdam,
called Skycatcher, which consists of a camera that takes a snapshot
of the sky every 5 minutes and stores them in an on-line accessible
database.
The opportunity to look at the sky in Amsterdam across such a vast
geographical distance and within very different climates from the
rather specific Dutch sea-climate, however, makes me to assume there
might be more than a casual interest in this project amongst list
members.
The site will be available from the launch onwards.
Kind regards,
Eric
dear members of the Reader-list,
I wasn't entirely sure if a simple announcement would be appropriate
for this list. However, next Sunday (16.00 CET) we will launch a new
fascinating internet-project by artist Luna Maurer in Amsterdam,
called Skycatcher, which consists of a camera that takes a snapshot
of the sky every 5 minutes and stores them in an on-line accessible
database.
The opportunity to look at the sky in Amsterdam across such a vast
geographical distance and within very different climates from the
rather specific Dutch sea-climate, however, makes me to assume there
might be more than a casual interest in this project amongst list
members.
The site will be available from the launch onwards.
Kind regards,
Eric
Summit of the Powerless
Via: "Shivam Vij"
Tehelka is organising a Summit of the Powerless on 20 and 21 November
2006 at teh kamia Milia Islamia University in Delhi. Should you wish
to attend, please register at
http://www.summitofthepowerless.net/summit_registration.asp
For details visit www.summitofthepowerless.net. Given below is an
introductory note and the tentative schedule.
o o o o o
Summit of the Powerless
India is going through a period of great change and great upheaval. At
such a time, it has become crucial to ensure that voices across the
country are heard, and people are given a chance to participate in the
future being newly moulded for them -- people whose lives are impacted
daily by the decisions the powerful make.
To give voice to this silent majority, to find creative responses to
some of the most difficult questions of our time, on November 20 –21
this year, Tehelka is hosting a visionary new forum: The Summit of the
Powerless.
The core idea of the Summit is to bring together the three key
stakeholders of a free society on to the same platform: money, power,
and people.
Political and business leaders wield enormous power and influence over
the lives of the poor. But in most forums, the converted talk to the
converted: the powerful to the rich; the powerless to the powerless.
The unique idea of the Summit is to create an environment where the
powerful will lend their ear to the powerless. The Summit seeks to
bring the powerful into a new context. A context visually,
emotionally, and conceptually constructed to be empathetic to the
powerless.
The agenda? Not just to air differences, but hunt for common ground.
The broad theme for this year's Summit is Two Indias, One Future.
Under this matrix, the Summit will discuss some of the most pressing
issues of our time: the role of the State; the farmer crisis; the gap
between rural and urban India; reservations; naxals; Kashmir; the
Northeast; land usage; and a vision for more equitable cities.
Every panel in the Summit will have two or more speakers each from the
grassroot, political, and corporate sectors. There will also be AVs
and personal narratives in every panel. More than 50 key human rights
activists, peoples' movement leaders, political, and corporate heads
have already confirmed participation. Recognising the importance of
such a forum, the President of India too has agreed to participate in
the Summit.
Apart from the panel discussions, many important conversations,
arguments, and linkages will be made possible by the Summit. It has
immense potential and provides an immense opportunity. (An agenda is
attached with this letter.)
Tehelka is inviting everybody working to create a more equitable and
humane world to attend the Summit. Do come and empower the Summit with
your presence.
If you can come, please register at www.summitofthepowerless.net
If you have any queries, please write to summit@tehelka.com
And do pass the word around.
Best wishes,
The Tehelka Team
DAY 1
Tarun Tejpal, Editor-in-Chief, Tehelka welcome address.
Outlines summit agenda
Keynote Address by the President of India
OPENING SESSION: Two Indias, One Future
Confirmed Speakers
Aruna Roy
Anna Hazare
Kamal Nath
Sitaram Yechury
LK Advani
Arun Maira
SESSION 1 a
Farmer Suicides: Urban India vs Rural India
Confirmed Speakers
Ajit Singh
Sachin Pilot
Rajiv Bakshi
Vandana Shiva
Mihir Shah
Kishore Tiwari
Sharad Pawar
Amrinder Singh
Devegowda
SESSION 1 b (simultaneous)
The Positive Model: Stories of Rural Success
Confirmed Speakers
Father Thomas Kocherry
Rajinder Singh
Prakash Amte
SESSION 2 a
Reservations: Inclusive Progress or the Death of Merit?
Confirmed Speakers
Yogendra Yadav
Kani Mozhi
Udit Raj
Arjun Singh
Arun Shourie
SESSION 2 b (simultaneous)
Equal Education: Excellence or Prejudice?
Confirmed Speakers
Anil Sadgopal
Ashok Aggarwal
Mushirul Hasan
Krishna Kumar
Parth J Shah
MUSICAL EVENING
Shubha Mudgal
Kailash Kher
Indian Ocean
Zahroor Sahin
DAY 2
Opening Session
The Indian State: Protector or Alienator?
Confirmed Speakers
Kapil Sibal
Ram Jethmalani
Praful Patel
Medha Patkar
Dipankar CPIML
SESSION 3 a
Naxals: Backlash of the Fourth World?
Confirmed Speakers
Sumanto Banerjee
Dilip Simeon
Dr Vara Vara Rao
Janak Lal Thakur
Manendra Karma
KPS Gill
SESSION 3 b (simultaneous)
Kashmir: External Hand or Internal Haemorrhage?
Confirmed Speakers
Wajahat Habibullah
Pervez Imroze
Omar Abdullah
Mehbooba Mufti
SESSION 4 a
The City and the Powerless
Confirmed Speakers
Charles Correa
KT Ravindran
Madhu Kishwar
A Jockin
Jaipal Reddy
Milind Deora
Vijaypat Singhania
Cyrus Gazdar
Rajeev Chandrashekhar
B S Nagesh
SESSION 4 b (simultaneous)
North East: On the Map, Off the Mind?
Confirmed Speakers
Wasbir Hussain
Patricia Mukhim
Lachit Bordoloi
SESSION 5 (Final)
Bollywood: Can cinema bridge the divide?
Prasoon Joshi
Sudhir Mishra
Rakeysh Mehra
Raveena Tandon
Anupam Kher
Tehelka is organising a Summit of the Powerless on 20 and 21 November
2006 at teh kamia Milia Islamia University in Delhi. Should you wish
to attend, please register at
http://www.summitofthepowerless.net/summit_registration.asp
For details visit www.summitofthepowerless.net. Given below is an
introductory note and the tentative schedule.
o o o o o
Summit of the Powerless
India is going through a period of great change and great upheaval. At
such a time, it has become crucial to ensure that voices across the
country are heard, and people are given a chance to participate in the
future being newly moulded for them -- people whose lives are impacted
daily by the decisions the powerful make.
To give voice to this silent majority, to find creative responses to
some of the most difficult questions of our time, on November 20 –21
this year, Tehelka is hosting a visionary new forum: The Summit of the
Powerless.
The core idea of the Summit is to bring together the three key
stakeholders of a free society on to the same platform: money, power,
and people.
Political and business leaders wield enormous power and influence over
the lives of the poor. But in most forums, the converted talk to the
converted: the powerful to the rich; the powerless to the powerless.
The unique idea of the Summit is to create an environment where the
powerful will lend their ear to the powerless. The Summit seeks to
bring the powerful into a new context. A context visually,
emotionally, and conceptually constructed to be empathetic to the
powerless.
The agenda? Not just to air differences, but hunt for common ground.
The broad theme for this year's Summit is Two Indias, One Future.
Under this matrix, the Summit will discuss some of the most pressing
issues of our time: the role of the State; the farmer crisis; the gap
between rural and urban India; reservations; naxals; Kashmir; the
Northeast; land usage; and a vision for more equitable cities.
Every panel in the Summit will have two or more speakers each from the
grassroot, political, and corporate sectors. There will also be AVs
and personal narratives in every panel. More than 50 key human rights
activists, peoples' movement leaders, political, and corporate heads
have already confirmed participation. Recognising the importance of
such a forum, the President of India too has agreed to participate in
the Summit.
Apart from the panel discussions, many important conversations,
arguments, and linkages will be made possible by the Summit. It has
immense potential and provides an immense opportunity. (An agenda is
attached with this letter.)
Tehelka is inviting everybody working to create a more equitable and
humane world to attend the Summit. Do come and empower the Summit with
your presence.
If you can come, please register at www.summitofthepowerless.net
If you have any queries, please write to summit@tehelka.com
And do pass the word around.
Best wishes,
The Tehelka Team
DAY 1
Tarun Tejpal, Editor-in-Chief, Tehelka welcome address.
Outlines summit agenda
Keynote Address by the President of India
OPENING SESSION: Two Indias, One Future
Confirmed Speakers
Aruna Roy
Anna Hazare
Kamal Nath
Sitaram Yechury
LK Advani
Arun Maira
SESSION 1 a
Farmer Suicides: Urban India vs Rural India
Confirmed Speakers
Ajit Singh
Sachin Pilot
Rajiv Bakshi
Vandana Shiva
Mihir Shah
Kishore Tiwari
Sharad Pawar
Amrinder Singh
Devegowda
SESSION 1 b (simultaneous)
The Positive Model: Stories of Rural Success
Confirmed Speakers
Father Thomas Kocherry
Rajinder Singh
Prakash Amte
SESSION 2 a
Reservations: Inclusive Progress or the Death of Merit?
Confirmed Speakers
Yogendra Yadav
Kani Mozhi
Udit Raj
Arjun Singh
Arun Shourie
SESSION 2 b (simultaneous)
Equal Education: Excellence or Prejudice?
Confirmed Speakers
Anil Sadgopal
Ashok Aggarwal
Mushirul Hasan
Krishna Kumar
Parth J Shah
MUSICAL EVENING
Shubha Mudgal
Kailash Kher
Indian Ocean
Zahroor Sahin
DAY 2
Opening Session
The Indian State: Protector or Alienator?
Confirmed Speakers
Kapil Sibal
Ram Jethmalani
Praful Patel
Medha Patkar
Dipankar CPIML
SESSION 3 a
Naxals: Backlash of the Fourth World?
Confirmed Speakers
Sumanto Banerjee
Dilip Simeon
Dr Vara Vara Rao
Janak Lal Thakur
Manendra Karma
KPS Gill
SESSION 3 b (simultaneous)
Kashmir: External Hand or Internal Haemorrhage?
Confirmed Speakers
Wajahat Habibullah
Pervez Imroze
Omar Abdullah
Mehbooba Mufti
SESSION 4 a
The City and the Powerless
Confirmed Speakers
Charles Correa
KT Ravindran
Madhu Kishwar
A Jockin
Jaipal Reddy
Milind Deora
Vijaypat Singhania
Cyrus Gazdar
Rajeev Chandrashekhar
B S Nagesh
SESSION 4 b (simultaneous)
North East: On the Map, Off the Mind?
Confirmed Speakers
Wasbir Hussain
Patricia Mukhim
Lachit Bordoloi
SESSION 5 (Final)
Bollywood: Can cinema bridge the divide?
Prasoon Joshi
Sudhir Mishra
Rakeysh Mehra
Raveena Tandon
Anupam Kher
[Announcements] Call: re:place 2007 Conference (Berlin, November 2007)
Via: Gunalan Nadarajan
> re:place 2007
>
> The Second International Conference on the Histories of Media, Art,
> Science and Technology
>
> Berlin, 15 - 18 November 2007
>
>
> CALL FOR PROPOSALS
>
> Introduction
>
> re:place 2007, the Second International Conference on the Histories
> of Media, Art, Science and Technology, will take place in Berlin
> from 15 - 18 November 2007 as a project of Kulturprojekte Berlin
> GmbH in cooperation with Haus der Kulturen der Welt. This
> conference is a sequel to 'Refresh!', the first in this series,
> chaired by Oliver Grau and produced by the Database of Virtual Art,
> Leonardo, and Banff New Media Institute, and held at the Banff
> Center in Canada in September 2005, which brought together several
> hundred artists, scientists, researchers, curators and
> theoreticians of different disciplines.
>
> re:place 2007 will be an international forum for the presentation
> and the discussion of exemplary approaches to the rapport between
> art, media, science and technology. With the title, 're:place', we
> propose a thematic focus on locatedness and the migration of
> knowledge and knowledge production in the interdisciplinary
> contexts of art, historiography, science and technology.
>
> The re:place 2007 conference will be devoted to examining the
> manifold connections between art, science and technology,
> connections which have come into view more sharply through the
> growing attention to media art and its histories over the past
> years. It will address historical contexts and artistic
> explorations of new technologies as well as the historical and
> contemporary research into the mutual influences between artistic
> work, scientific research and technological developments. This
> research concerns such diverse fields as cybernetics, artificial
> intelligence, robotics, nano-technology, and bio-technology, as
> well as investigations in the humanities including art history,
> visual culture, musicology, comparative literature, media
> archaeology, media theory, science studies, and sociology.
>
> Conference Programme
>
> The conference programme will include competitively selected, peer-
> reviewed individual papers, panel presentations, poster sessions,
> as well as a small number of invited speakers. Several Keynote
> Lectures, by internationally renowned, outstanding theoreticians
> and artists, will deliberate on the central themes of the conference.
>
> The conference will also include dedicated forum sessions for
> participants to engage in more open-ended discussion and debate on
> relevant issues and questions.
>
>
> CALL FOR PROPOSALS
>
> re:place 2007 welcomes contributions from established as well as
> from emerging researchers in diverse fields. The conference will be
> of interest to those working in, but not limited to, the following
> areas: art history and theory, literary studies, cultural studies,
> film and media studies, theatre, dance and performance studies,
> philosophy, history, gender studies, human-computer interaction,
> contemporary art, musicology, sound studies, anthropology,
> sociology, geography, science, technology and society studies,
> history of science, and history of technology.
>
> We are especially keen on empirical, conceptual, and historical
> contributions that exemplify and expand the diverse methodological
> and thematic concerns of this extended interdisciplinary area.
> These might include contributions to:
>
> - institutional histories of centers, sites, or events that have
> helped to concretize and engender the intersections between media,
> art, science and technology. Some broad areas could be:
> experimental arts spaces, collaborative research labs, significant
> exhibitions, etc.
> - 'place studies' that highlight significant locations or
> situations where such interdisciplinary intersections or
> significant historical episodes have occurred. A few examples might
> be: 'Tesla in Budapest', 'Flusser in Brazil', USSR in the 1920s,
> 'Japan between 1950s-1970s,' etc.
> - historiographical issues, methods, and debates that pose critical
> questions in the formulation of the histories of the 'media arts'.
> These might include: archaeology, genealogy or variantology as
> methodological tools, bridging the divide between art and media
> history, sociologies of interactivity, etc.
> - theoretical frameworks from various philosophical and
> disciplinary positions. Topics might include the exemplary role of
> film studies or musicology for the study of media arts, or the
> significance of cultural specificities and location in media and
> technologies, etc.
> - the migration of knowledges and practices from different
> contexts, whether disciplinary, institutional, geographical or
> cultural. Topics might include: the role of migrant artists in the
> development of new discourses and practices; the movement and
> adoption of disciplinary ideas from science into art contexts or
> vice versa, etc.
>
>
> SUBMISSIONS
>
> A dedicated website and online paper submission system will be
> ready for submissions from 1st December 2006. Abstracts of
> proposals, panel presentations and posters will have to be
> submitted in either Text, RTF, Word or PDF formats.
>
> The DEADLINE for submissions will be 15 January 2007.
>
> INFORMATION about the submission process and general information
> can be found at: http://tamtam.mi2.hr/replace
>
>
> replace 2007 is a project of Kulturprojekte Berlin GmbH in
> cooperation with Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin. Funded by
> Hauptstadtkulturfonds, Berlin.
>
> Conference partners include Leonardo, Database of Virtual Art at
> Danube University Krems' Center for Image Science, Ludwig Boltzmann
> Institute Media.Art.Research, Forum Goethe Institut, and others.
>
> Conference chairs: Andreas Broeckmann (D), Gunalan Nadarajan (SG/USA)
>
> re:place 2007
>
> The Second International Conference on the Histories of Media, Art,
> Science and Technology
>
> Berlin, 15 - 18 November 2007
>
>
> CALL FOR PROPOSALS
>
> Introduction
>
> re:place 2007, the Second International Conference on the Histories
> of Media, Art, Science and Technology, will take place in Berlin
> from 15 - 18 November 2007 as a project of Kulturprojekte Berlin
> GmbH in cooperation with Haus der Kulturen der Welt. This
> conference is a sequel to 'Refresh!', the first in this series,
> chaired by Oliver Grau and produced by the Database of Virtual Art,
> Leonardo, and Banff New Media Institute, and held at the Banff
> Center in Canada in September 2005, which brought together several
> hundred artists, scientists, researchers, curators and
> theoreticians of different disciplines.
>
> re:place 2007 will be an international forum for the presentation
> and the discussion of exemplary approaches to the rapport between
> art, media, science and technology. With the title, 're:place', we
> propose a thematic focus on locatedness and the migration of
> knowledge and knowledge production in the interdisciplinary
> contexts of art, historiography, science and technology.
>
> The re:place 2007 conference will be devoted to examining the
> manifold connections between art, science and technology,
> connections which have come into view more sharply through the
> growing attention to media art and its histories over the past
> years. It will address historical contexts and artistic
> explorations of new technologies as well as the historical and
> contemporary research into the mutual influences between artistic
> work, scientific research and technological developments. This
> research concerns such diverse fields as cybernetics, artificial
> intelligence, robotics, nano-technology, and bio-technology, as
> well as investigations in the humanities including art history,
> visual culture, musicology, comparative literature, media
> archaeology, media theory, science studies, and sociology.
>
> Conference Programme
>
> The conference programme will include competitively selected, peer-
> reviewed individual papers, panel presentations, poster sessions,
> as well as a small number of invited speakers. Several Keynote
> Lectures, by internationally renowned, outstanding theoreticians
> and artists, will deliberate on the central themes of the conference.
>
> The conference will also include dedicated forum sessions for
> participants to engage in more open-ended discussion and debate on
> relevant issues and questions.
>
>
> CALL FOR PROPOSALS
>
> re:place 2007 welcomes contributions from established as well as
> from emerging researchers in diverse fields. The conference will be
> of interest to those working in, but not limited to, the following
> areas: art history and theory, literary studies, cultural studies,
> film and media studies, theatre, dance and performance studies,
> philosophy, history, gender studies, human-computer interaction,
> contemporary art, musicology, sound studies, anthropology,
> sociology, geography, science, technology and society studies,
> history of science, and history of technology.
>
> We are especially keen on empirical, conceptual, and historical
> contributions that exemplify and expand the diverse methodological
> and thematic concerns of this extended interdisciplinary area.
> These might include contributions to:
>
> - institutional histories of centers, sites, or events that have
> helped to concretize and engender the intersections between media,
> art, science and technology. Some broad areas could be:
> experimental arts spaces, collaborative research labs, significant
> exhibitions, etc.
> - 'place studies' that highlight significant locations or
> situations where such interdisciplinary intersections or
> significant historical episodes have occurred. A few examples might
> be: 'Tesla in Budapest', 'Flusser in Brazil', USSR in the 1920s,
> 'Japan between 1950s-1970s,' etc.
> - historiographical issues, methods, and debates that pose critical
> questions in the formulation of the histories of the 'media arts'.
> These might include: archaeology, genealogy or variantology as
> methodological tools, bridging the divide between art and media
> history, sociologies of interactivity, etc.
> - theoretical frameworks from various philosophical and
> disciplinary positions. Topics might include the exemplary role of
> film studies or musicology for the study of media arts, or the
> significance of cultural specificities and location in media and
> technologies, etc.
> - the migration of knowledges and practices from different
> contexts, whether disciplinary, institutional, geographical or
> cultural. Topics might include: the role of migrant artists in the
> development of new discourses and practices; the movement and
> adoption of disciplinary ideas from science into art contexts or
> vice versa, etc.
>
>
> SUBMISSIONS
>
> A dedicated website and online paper submission system will be
> ready for submissions from 1st December 2006. Abstracts of
> proposals, panel presentations and posters will have to be
> submitted in either Text, RTF, Word or PDF formats.
>
> The DEADLINE for submissions will be 15 January 2007.
>
> INFORMATION about the submission process and general information
> can be found at: http://tamtam.mi2.hr/replace
>
>
> replace 2007 is a project of Kulturprojekte Berlin GmbH in
> cooperation with Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin. Funded by
> Hauptstadtkulturfonds, Berlin.
>
> Conference partners include Leonardo, Database of Virtual Art at
> Danube University Krems' Center for Image Science, Ludwig Boltzmann
> Institute Media.Art.Research, Forum Goethe Institut, and others.
>
> Conference chairs: Andreas Broeckmann (D), Gunalan Nadarajan (SG/USA)
>
Call for entries: Creative Writing awards for writers under 30
Via: Vivek Narayanan
*Please note: the entries for the TFA award has been extended to
November 8!*
CALL FOR ENTRIES
CREATIVE WRITING AWARDS
TOTO FUNDS THE ARTS (TFA) invites entries for its second annual awards
for young Indian fiction writers in English. Two cash awards of Rs.
25,000 each will be given in January, 2007.
BUT: If you are older than 30 on January 1, 2007, or live outside India,
read no further!
ALSO: The spirit of the Toto Awards is to identify promise and encourage
young talent. Therefore, do not submit an entry if you are already
commercially successful.
TFA is looking for entries in a variety of genres -- the novel, short
stories, plays, scripts and poetry.
The submissions should ideally not be more than 10,000 words. Pieces of
short fiction; an extract from a novel, play or script; or between five
and ten poems are recommended norms. Sensible combinations of the above
are acceptable within the word limit.
Entries should reach TOTO FUNDS THE ARTS (TFA) before November 8, 2006.
TOTO FUNDS THE ARTS (TFA)
H 301 Adarsh Gardens
8th Block, 47th Cross
Jayanagar
Bangalore 560 082
Phone: 080-26548139
Entries should be sent in soft e-mail copy to totofundsthearts@yahoo.com
as well in hard copy form to the above address.
THE FINE PRINT:
Entries must be accompanied by a signed statement confirming the
applicant’s date of birth, whether the applicant’s work has been
published in print (give details), and also affirming that the submitted
work is original.
Submitted material will not be returned.
The decision of the TFA jury is final and cannot be contested in any forum.
TOTO FUNDS THE ARTS (TFA) is a not-for-profit public trust set up in
memory of Angirus ‘Toto’ Vellani, who was intensely passionate about
music, literature and films.
Toto Funds the Arts
Toto Funds the Arts (TFA) was established as a trust in Bangalore on
September 15, 2004. It was set up in memory of Angirus ‘Toto’ Vellani,
who passed away in a tragic accident in Goa on May 24, 2004. Toto was
known for his poetry, music and film criticism and other writings among
various youth communities in the arts.
TFA is mandated to give awards, fellowships and grants to young artists
and writers who demonstrate flair and promise of the kind that Toto
displayed at a very young age. It supports talent that is yet to test
its full potential.
Its main focus is on the art of urban youth, which is least applauded
and encouraged in our country. Much of urban youth art is neither
classical nor folk, nor national or regional: its form is hybrid, of
mixed origins, influenced as much by the local as the international. It
is art that presages India’s future. TFA, which has been set up by those
who loved and admired Toto, strives to work with the same passion that
he brought to the arts.
TFA announced its first award on Toto’s 21st birthday: January 19, 2005.
The award was in the field of music because that was Toto’s first love.
In addition to the award for music, this year saw the introduction of
awards for creative writing. TFA is now inviting applications for its
2007 awards in both these fields. By 2008, the trust expects also to
have a Toto award for young filmmakers.
Beyond awards, TFA hosts readings and workshops to nurture new voices
and emerging talent in the arts. A three-day theatre workshop conducted
by Jaimini Pathak (Creating Theatre) was held in Bangalore in August
2006, followed by second one (Getting into Character) this month. These
were the first two of a series of workshops (covering theatre, music,
writing and design) that TFA plans to hold in the current financial
year. The trust is also planning to host readings by young writers in
Kannada. Hopefully, we will be able to make our first award in this
field in 2008.
We would welcome hearing from you if you have thoughts on how TFA could
further its mandate or are interested in supporting our work in other ways.
*Please note: the entries for the TFA award has been extended to
November 8!*
CALL FOR ENTRIES
CREATIVE WRITING AWARDS
TOTO FUNDS THE ARTS (TFA) invites entries for its second annual awards
for young Indian fiction writers in English. Two cash awards of Rs.
25,000 each will be given in January, 2007.
BUT: If you are older than 30 on January 1, 2007, or live outside India,
read no further!
ALSO: The spirit of the Toto Awards is to identify promise and encourage
young talent. Therefore, do not submit an entry if you are already
commercially successful.
TFA is looking for entries in a variety of genres -- the novel, short
stories, plays, scripts and poetry.
The submissions should ideally not be more than 10,000 words. Pieces of
short fiction; an extract from a novel, play or script; or between five
and ten poems are recommended norms. Sensible combinations of the above
are acceptable within the word limit.
Entries should reach TOTO FUNDS THE ARTS (TFA) before November 8, 2006.
TOTO FUNDS THE ARTS (TFA)
H 301 Adarsh Gardens
8th Block, 47th Cross
Jayanagar
Bangalore 560 082
Phone: 080-26548139
Entries should be sent in soft e-mail copy to totofundsthearts@yahoo.com
as well in hard copy form to the above address.
THE FINE PRINT:
Entries must be accompanied by a signed statement confirming the
applicant’s date of birth, whether the applicant’s work has been
published in print (give details), and also affirming that the submitted
work is original.
Submitted material will not be returned.
The decision of the TFA jury is final and cannot be contested in any forum.
TOTO FUNDS THE ARTS (TFA) is a not-for-profit public trust set up in
memory of Angirus ‘Toto’ Vellani, who was intensely passionate about
music, literature and films.
Toto Funds the Arts
Toto Funds the Arts (TFA) was established as a trust in Bangalore on
September 15, 2004. It was set up in memory of Angirus ‘Toto’ Vellani,
who passed away in a tragic accident in Goa on May 24, 2004. Toto was
known for his poetry, music and film criticism and other writings among
various youth communities in the arts.
TFA is mandated to give awards, fellowships and grants to young artists
and writers who demonstrate flair and promise of the kind that Toto
displayed at a very young age. It supports talent that is yet to test
its full potential.
Its main focus is on the art of urban youth, which is least applauded
and encouraged in our country. Much of urban youth art is neither
classical nor folk, nor national or regional: its form is hybrid, of
mixed origins, influenced as much by the local as the international. It
is art that presages India’s future. TFA, which has been set up by those
who loved and admired Toto, strives to work with the same passion that
he brought to the arts.
TFA announced its first award on Toto’s 21st birthday: January 19, 2005.
The award was in the field of music because that was Toto’s first love.
In addition to the award for music, this year saw the introduction of
awards for creative writing. TFA is now inviting applications for its
2007 awards in both these fields. By 2008, the trust expects also to
have a Toto award for young filmmakers.
Beyond awards, TFA hosts readings and workshops to nurture new voices
and emerging talent in the arts. A three-day theatre workshop conducted
by Jaimini Pathak (Creating Theatre) was held in Bangalore in August
2006, followed by second one (Getting into Character) this month. These
were the first two of a series of workshops (covering theatre, music,
writing and design) that TFA plans to hold in the current financial
year. The trust is also planning to host readings by young writers in
Kannada. Hopefully, we will be able to make our first award in this
field in 2008.
We would welcome hearing from you if you have thoughts on how TFA could
further its mandate or are interested in supporting our work in other ways.
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