Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1998 19:23:53 -0500
From: Meg Henson Scales <dharlem-AT-pipeline.com>
Subject: Re: Collective Letter for Accountability of Self-Promotional


Dear All-
I AM eager to sign a letter regarding the non-event--   where is it?
meg

At 07:15 PM 11/19/98 -0800, you wrote:
>Just to clarify...I was being sarcastic re:  "VHP conference" -- it just
>*looks* that way with a lot of academic support for the BJP presenters. 
>Since I don't "hear" any response from women on this list, I doubt a
>*collective* letter will go to Dr. Witzel?
>
>Lizzy?  Rinita?  Others?
>
>-Manjusree
>
>
>Partha Banerjee wrote:
>> 
>> >What is the consensus among women on this list interested in writing a
>> >letter to the organizers of the VHP conference at Harvard?  Are
>> >collective signatures forthcoming?
>> >
>> >Please let me know.
>> >
>> >Best,
>> >
>> >-Manjusree
>> _______________
>> 
>> Friends,
>> 
>> I wouldn't call this a VHP conference though. It is a conference that was
>> almost a "non-event" for the past two years (at Harvard) because of its
>> organizers' denial and/or apathy to discuss "dirty" Indian politics and
>> their failure to gather women's groups around this issue. My own
>> correspondence with South Asian women's groups has been futile as they
>> showed little interest for this "no-show."
>> 
>> What is happening this year though is that the chief financial patron of
>> the conference is leaning heavily toward the
>> fundamentalist/supremacist/fascist BJP government of India (a party that
>> has recently been cited in many American newspapers to be responsible for
>> fomenting hatred against the church and missionaries in India -- several
>> nuns have been killed; previously, they killed many Muslims and
>> "untouchable" Hindus not to say anything about the killed women). It seems
>> that now a desperate attempt is being made to get support from the same
>> government and the ruling party in India that is historically known for its
>> anti-woman, anti-environment, ultraconservative views and acts. And that
>> government is responding positively because they desperately want
>> credibility on women's issues. I wouldn't be surprised if they shower this
>> "conference" with future blessings.
>> 
>> The elite academia of Harvard (at least them who are involved with this
>> "no-show") and London, etc. are not taking an active role to dissuade this
>> patronage by and for the fanatics. For example, they have done little to
>> dissuade the financial patron from inviting leaders and ministers from the
>> fundamentalist parties and government of India.
>> 
>> But I still wouldn't call this a VHP (Viswa Hindu Parishad) conference. And
>> Dr. Mike Witzel, the "other" organizer, is anything but a right-wing person
>> himself. So is Dr. Julia Leslie of London.
>> 
>> A collective campaign however would be good, really.
>> 
>> -Partha
>