Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
VOLUME 28 ISSUE 15
MUMBAI
ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION
Rs. 100
Contents
Editorial
More Than
Just Tree-Planting!
Speak out in order to give
a voice to the voiceless
Enable them
to begin a new life
Should we follow
this mad man?
Reprioritize allocation
to reflect womens interests
4
L to R: Rev. Sam N. Joshua, Mr. Anson Thomas, Rev. Oommen George, Rt. Rev. Thomas K. Oommen,
Rev. Sabu K. Cherian and Mrs. Susan Thomas
A highly challenging mission effort has been initiated jointly by the Church of
St. Mary, the Virgin (Malayalam Congregation), Parel, St. James Church, Borivali
Contd. Page 3 Col. 1 ..>>>
A 24-hour Indian
Be sensitive to the people
with special needs
PAGE 2
Modern Goliath
surrenders to David!
July 20, 2015, the day when the Cuban flag was unfurled
at the US State Department, ought to have been celebrated
as an event more significant than the fall of the Berlin wall in
1989. It was on that historic day, the US re-established
formally the diplomatic relations with that tiny nation, after
five decades, and the embassies were opened by the two
countries.
The fall of the Berlin wall was celebrated with great
jubilation across the world and with unparalleled wide media
coverage. But the historic significance of the re-opening of
embassies by the US and Cuba, after 56 years was rather
ignored by the media. For more than five decades, the US,
the economic and military super power of the present world,
along with her powerful Western allies, has been unleashing
all kinds of covert and overt operations - blockade,
intimidations, espionage, media war- to wipe out
independent Cuba from the world of nations. Who was
fighting against whom? The super power US, the fourth
largest country covering 38 million sq. miles and with 318.9
million people against Cuba, a tiny Island nation in the Atlantic
with 42,474 sq .miles (106th in size) and 11 million people.
It is true until 1989, Cuba received full support from the Soviet
Union. But, with the fall of the Soviet Union, people all over
the world thought that Cuba would be crushed by the US,
within a short time.
Amazingly Cuba bravely withstood, all these years, even
after the collapse of the Soviet Union. In fact, it can be
described as a 56-year war from 1959 to 2015 by the US
and her allies against Cuba. It is a shameful fact that even
the UN did not do anything to save Cuba and her people
from the unethical and cruel economic blockade. Except the
countries in the Soviet block, no country had the courage
and conviction, to question the justifiability of the US. The
US, a country which boasts of its democratic roots, was
unwilling to let the people of Cuba to decide their own destiny.
The US propagated that a free Cuba was a threat to the US
and democracy in the entire world! And sadly, no democratic
country questioned the ridiculous arguments in support of
the decades-long war against that tiny country.
Finally, the US had to concede its defeat in her 56-year
war against Cuba. The opening of Embassies in July by
both countries reminds us of the fall of Goliath before David.
No doubt, the astounding will and the unchallengeable
commitment of the leadership and the people of Cuba,
despite untold suffering for such a long period, strengthened
Cuba in facing the might of the league of powerful nations.
For a long time the US administration must have been
thinking that her strategy against Cuba was a failure. But it is
President Obama who showed the courage to change the
policy. President Obamas willingness and the negotiations
initiated by Pope Francis and Canada, led to the historic
hopeful decisions.
This historic event, a historic victory of the tiny Cuba, was
down-played by the corporate media. And the peace-loving
nations did not come forward to celebrate it!
The change in the policy of the US on this issue cannot
be ruled out as a strategic surrender with the concealed
agenda of defeating Cuba through co-option. We have to
wait and see whether Cuba will be co-opted by the US, in
future.
More Than
Just TTree-Planting!
ree-Planting!
Cedric Prakash
The truth is that relegating or equating the Popes Encyclical to tree-planting is very unfortunate:
either one does not have the courage to read the Encyclical
nor the openness to be able to accept
what the Pope is saying very directly and unequivocally.
In the opening chapter of the Encyclical,
the Pope invites every single citizen to listen to the groanings of creation;
to become painfully aware, to dare to turn
what is happening to the world into our own personal suffering
and thus to discover what each of us can do about it.
At a recent meeting, the
Popes latest Encyclical
Laudato Si on the care of our
common home was being
discussed by a group. A senior
and well-intentioned member
suddenly suggested that in the
context of the Encyclical, we
should encourage the children
in our schools to plant trees.
Some certainly applauded the
suggestion; others retorted we
have been doing so, for the last
several years and at least one
rather strongly said that the
Popes Encyclical is not about
tree-planting!
Tree-planting as such is not
such a bad idea at all; one can
learn plenty: sensitivity to nature
and how to nurture a tender
sapling from the very beginning.
So when one talks about the
Popes Encyclical and about treeplanting in the same breath, one
is surely going to warm the
cockles of the heart of many
across the board: of the rich and
the famous; of the powerful and
other vested interests; of
Governments and those in
authority; of those who plunder
and destroy this earth because
of their rapacious greed and
selfishness. Wow, they would
say, the Pope in Laudato Si is
speaking about tree-planting; we
have nothing to fear! After all, one
cannot deny that some of the
most luscious gardens, wellmanicured lawns and even
personal forests belong to these
very groups that are responsible
for global warming, climate
change and for profiteering after
ruining the fragile eco-systems,
which belong to all of us.
The truth is that relegating or
equating the Popes Encyclical to
tree-planting is very unfortunate:
Laudato Si focuses on
human rights violations and
injustices. Pope Francis does
not mince words when he says
injustices abound and growing
numbers of people are deprived
of basic human rights and
considered
expendable,
committing oneself to the
common good means to make
choices in solidarity based on a
preferential option for the poorest
of our brothers and sisters.
Laudato
Publilus Syrus
is
Si
indeed path-breaking,
PAGE 3
principle of communication
being prophetic is at stake. How
do we fulfil our mission of
promoting communication rights
in todays world? How do we
achieve communication for all
in such circumstances? This is
a real challenge.
In this respect, we are
fortunate that many opportunities
are knocking at the door of WACC
to partner with civil society
organizations and others in the
ecumenical movement in ways
that raise the profile of WACC as
a promoter of communication
rights within the UN system and
other international bodies. I am
confident that with the new Board
of Directors, the Officers and the
General Secretariat WACC will
move maintain its critical and
and mission.
I am honoured to have been
elected as the President of this
prestigious association to
continue the task of advancing
WACCs cause, knowing fully
well the challenges and
opportunities I need to address.
However, with everyones support
both locally, regionally and
globally, together we can achieve
WACCs
purpose
and
strengthen
ongoing
relationships and partnerships
and discover new opportunities
for promoting communication for
all.
It is my fervent prayer that
all WACCs members and
partners worldwide will
consciously
and
conscientiously speak out in
order to restore a voice to the
voiceless and help preserve the
dignity of all through
communication.
Enable them
to begin a new life
The Shalom Mission is
taking up the great task of
reaching out to these hapless,
abused and orphaned sisters
and freeing them form the
chains of the brothers and to
enable them to begin a new life
and would be protected so that
they would not have to go back
to their former life situations.
Sisters saved from, or still exploited sexually in, the Red Light Area,
with the leaders and facilitators of
Shalom Mumbai Mission ,
at the CSI Retreat Centre, Kottayam
The Two Os in
the BOOK
are great
openings to the
wide world of
knowledge
PAGE 4
Mission of God
Introduction
Urbanisation often goes
hand in hand with a rise in urban
violence and crime that
manifests in terms of street
harassment of women and girls,
stalking, sexual violence,
blackmailing and extortion
rackets. Children and women are
seen as soft spots who can be
victimized by predators. One such
incident in the city is enough and
the feeling of insecurity is spread
like wild fire. It not only frightens
girls and women, it controls every
act they consider doing then
onwards.
Smart cities
have to be safe cities:
Town planners, policy makers
and budget experts need to do
gender budgeting incorporating
facets such as women-friendly
civic infrastructure- water,
sanitation, health care, safe
transport, public toilets, helplines,
Vibhuti Patel
Vibhuti
Town planners, policy makers
and budgetPatel
experts need to do gender budgeting
incorporating facets such as women-friendly civic infrastructurewater, sanitation, health care, safe transport, public toilets, helplines,
skill development for crisis management and, safety at work place.
While making budgets for social defense services,
consideration must be given to safety of girls and women in schools and colleges
skill development for crisis
management and, safety at work
place. While making budgets for
social
defense
services,
consideration must be given to
safety of girls and women in
schools and colleges in terms
of prevention of child sexual
abuse through public education
and counselling facilities,
separate toilets for girls and boys
in schools, legal literacy on
POCSO Act, 2012 and Prevention
of
Sexual
Harassment
Workplace Act, 2013, special
cells in the police department to
take action against display of
pornographic images, SMS
messages, cybercrimes that
victimize young girls at public
places, in public transportbuses, local trains, rickshaws
and taxis. Installation of panic
buttons for customers in
rickshaws and taxis need to be
Urban Infrastructure
and Safety of Women
From the point of view of
macro-economic policy, gender
friendly infrastructure plays
pivotal role in creating gender
friendly cities. City planners need
to make budgetary provision for
safe housing and night shelter
for homeless women, half way
homes for elderly women,
information desk for women and
children at railway stations/
buses.
Road widening for 4 wheelers
and heavy vehicles have taken
toll of pavements. Mass of
women who have to walk on the
streets get harassed by men in
moving two-wheelers, three
Contd. Page 5 Col. 1 ..>>>
PAGE 5
Mobilize
network
Resist and reverse dangers posed to food sovereignty and nutrition by commercialization
of malnutrition through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) and multi-stakeholder initiatives.
Defend the primacy of human rights over the current global model of development, trade,
investment and taxation;
members and friends to
strengthen human rights
accountability and the application
of the human rights based
frameworks from the local to the
global level;
3.
End the impunity of
abusers and violators of the
human rights to adequate food
and nutrition and related rights;
4.
Proactively promote full
and meaningful participation of
most affected communities in
decision making processes at all
levels, from local to global;
5.
Promote the inter dependence and indivisibility of
all human rights;
6.
Call for an end to all
forms of discrimination and
violence against women and
recognize the critical role that
women play in food systems;
7.
Develop analyses and
advocacy instruments to
publicize the networks concerns
and specific struggles against
human rights violations;
8.
Enact
a
binding
international human rights
Advantages of the
safety for women
Feeling safe is to feel
Poor women have suffered the most due to drastic budgetary cuts
in PDS and public health, safe public transport & child care facilities,
food security, drinking water and sanitation.
There is no gender mainstreaming
with respect to safety of women in the budgets of ULBs.
protected. It is a feeling of wellbeing which can envelop a family,
a community, a neighbourhood
and a city. Its composition is hard
to decipher, but it is an all encompassing feeling of calm
which is often as invisible as
clean unpolluted air and,
inversely, when fear and anxiety
take its place, that feeling is as
palpable as though it was a
physical reality. Safe cities
ensure more freedom, less
confinement & control and
enhance womens opportunities
to travel, to attain education-jobcareer.
Gender Budgeting in
Urban Local SelfGovernment Bodies
(ULBs)
With this perspective in mind,
Urban Local Self Government
Bodies have to work for gender
Municipal Budgets
1.
State
&
Central
governments Allocation, State
and Centrally sponsored
schemes.
2. Revenues obtained
through local taxes-water,
electricity, road, etc.
3. Funds obtained from the
Finance Commissions.
Gender Concerns
Macro-economic Policies
and Gender Audit of
Municipal Budgets
Trend analysis of allocation
to social sector in the pre (before
1991) and post (after 1991)
structural
Adjustment
Programme (SAP) phase has
revealed that poor women have
suffered the most due to drastic
budgetary cuts in PDS and public
health, safe public transport &
Contd. Page 7 Col. 1 ..>>>
PAGE 6
Narmada Struggle
Mollah,
environmentalist
Soumuya Dutta, senior socialist
leader Dr. Sunilam and reservoir
expert Dr. Raj Kachroo, who
shared their findings and
feelings after their visit to the
valley and mentioned highlights
from their Fact-Finding Report.
They stated that the decision to
raise the dam has serious
implications on the lives of
thousands of people, while on
the ground rehabilitation with
land and livelihood is far from
over. The recent issue of
throwing 16,000 families out of
submergence on the basis of
wrong back-water calculations
was decried and a review was
called for as also the
rehabilitation of all these
oustees.
Activists from Gujarat
including Rohit Prajapati,
Lakhan Musafir, Sagar Rabari
and Krishnakant exposed the
hoax of development by SSP in
Gujarat and questioned the fact
that when less than 15%
reservoir water is utilized, less
than 30% canals have been built,
why is there an urgency, on the
basis of illegality to push the dam
ahead? It is only for companies
Mission of God
Strengthening the Powerless
God of Liberation came down and stood with the powerless people
and challenged the covetous
and told the people of Israel not to covet but follow the policy and principles of justice
where the Land belongs to people,
and is not of the kings and rulers.
God of the Bible and ancient Israel asked for distributive justice
and a heart for listening to the cries of the poor.
as estimated by those above the
Lotus Water Line, no one of these
migrant persons is below poverty
line! No person with conscience
will say that these poor have
crossed the poverty line! Unable
to get good house for fair rent,
they commute kilometres to sub
urban-fringe places to get a
sleep where house rents are
less costly. They run from station
to station to catch next trains,
connecting trains. Seeing them
in tears would pain any one. The
wage they get is daily Rs.300.
Poverty is not a natural
phenomenon. It is a state which
men create unnaturally. It means
PAGE 7
To be a disciple of Jesus 2
Should we follow
this mad man?
307
Mammen Varkey
And he went up on the mountain, and called to him
those whom he desired, and they came to him. And he
appointed twelve, to be with him, and to be sent out to
preach, and have authority to cast out demons:..
Then Jesus went home. Again, such a large crowd
gathered that Jesus and his disciples had no time to eat.
When his family heard about it, they set out to take charge
of him, because people were saying, Hes gone mad!
Mark 3: 20, 21. (TEV)
The very first major
experience the twelve had,
in their life of discipleship,
was that they had to hear
their Master being branded
mad, and members of his
own family coming to take
charge of him! Who were
these twelve? They were
persons who came down
with the power for, the
excitement and thrill of the
possibility of, even casting
out demons! That branding
implied that they were the
A matter
of critical significance
A profound reflection, a deep
delving into the branding,
accusation is of foundational
Heated exchanges,
opposing views and
finally a joint declaration
Certainly, they must been
terribly disturbed pained. They
went into a deep, agonizing
deliberation. It is only reasonable
to make a guess that there must
have been very heated
exchanges. The nature of the
persons like Judas, Peter, even
john and Jacob, revealed to us
by the Gospels, should come to
our mind. The different
questions and responses
Reprioritize allocation
to reflect women
s interests
womens
>>> Contd. from Page 5 Col. 5
child care facilities, food security,
drinking water and sanitation.
There
is
no
gender
mainstreaming with respect to
safety of women in the budgets
of ULBs.
Gender sensitive budget
demands re-prioratisation of
financial allocations by municipal
bodies in favour of
Working womens hostels,
crches, cheap eating facilities,
public toilets
Women friendly and SAFE
public transport- local trains,
Metro, buses
Housing- subsidized for
single/ deserted/ divorced/
widowed women
Nutrition- strengthening
PDS, mid-day meals
Health- Abolition of user
fees for BPL population, one stop
crisis centre in public hospital for
women/girls survivors of violence
linked with shelter homes
Proper electrification in
the communities
M u l t i p u r p o s e
Community centres, half way
homes for elderly and mentally
disturbed women
Method
of
Revenue
Generation: Sevaral state
governments have sent GR
regarding allocation of 5% of the
total revenues for women and
children. This should be
increased to 10%. Kerala has
done this. Moreover, urban local
self-government (LSGs) bodies
can raise revenues by heavy
taxes on Tobacco, alcohol, private
vehicles and entertainment
industry. Portion of fine, collected
for causing damage to
environment (introduction of
Green Tax), high speed driving,
wrong parking and breaking
rules, can be used for welfare of
women and children.
Surcharge,
earmarked
charge for specific purpose such
as Education Cess-2 % of salary,
Meetings with
the stake-holders
Urban LSGs should organize
discussion on needs identified
by EWRs with GOs, NGOs and
SHGs. They should be made
aware of the Socio-economic
Profile of the Municipality. The
ward officers should ensure
scrutiny of needs and perceived
problems by impartial experts
who can also suggest methods
to fulfil needs (Labour, land,
services). Financial aspects of
programmes and projects
should be discussed in a
transparent manner.
Tasks of
Citizens Association
Civil society groups must be
allowed to give their opinions on
Our WORK
will decide
whether we love
W or K
win the World
or Kick against
the pricks!
PAGE 8
Rose Kennedy
A Tribute
A 24-hour Indian
The views expressed in this paper are not necessarily those of the editors.
LIFE Isnt
A matter of
Milestones,
But of Moments