Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Join Hands to Serve Humanity


DO FORWARD TO OTHERS FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION FOR KASHMIRI REFUGEES

Dear Friends,

You might know that some thousands of Kashmiris people form district Anantnag are in Delhi since many months,due several reasons like landslides, terrorism, explosion in military camp.They are near Shashtri Park Metro Station, Usmanpur Road, near water pipeline. They are 2000 in numbers (including children and women). They are living in tents in bad situation. Govt. and some agencies support them before and now they are going back to home within 5-6 days according to Govt. suggestion.

SO THEY NEED FOOD FOR THESE DAYS. MAINLY RICE AND DAL. Please support on name of humanity.

Contact person is Mr. Ramesh Bhatt- 9910836135 (he is secretary of the camp). I am just informing you the pain of 2000 Kashmiris.

सांस्कृतिक अस्मिता का संकट

अक्सर बस से सफर करते हुए तिब्बती कालोनी, मजनूं का टीला से गुजरते हुए बाल अपराध सुधार गृह रिफ्यूजी कालोनी के पास एक होर्डिंग देखा करती थी, उस पर एक बच्चे की तस्वीर है , पर उस होर्डिंग को कभी ढंग से पढ़ नही पाई। पंचेन लामा के बारे में छिटपुट सुना था, पर तिब्बत में हालिया चीनी दमन नीति के मद्देनज़र अधिकारिक वेबसाइट पर विसिट किया तो दुनिया के सबसे कम उम्र के सियासती कैदी 11वें पंचेन lama के बारे में जानकारी मिली, जिसे आपके साथ बाँट रही हूँ।
His Holiness the 11th PANCHEN LAMA

The 11th Panchen Lama, Gedun Choekyi Nyima, son of Kunchok Phuntsok and Dechen Choedon, was born on April 25, 1989 and was officially proclaimed as the true reincarnate of the 10th Panchen Lama, who died unexpectedly after delivering an historic anti-Chinese government speech. The young Panchen Lama is presently the youngest political prisoner in the world and we appeal to the international community, non governmental organizations and every individual to demand the Chinese authorities release and ensure the safety and well-being of H.H. the Panchen Lama, Gedun Choekyi Nyima.
Whereabouts of the 11th Panchen Lama

Why is Beijing so worked up over this issue? China seeks to legitimize its rule in Tibet by claiming it plays a crucial role in the identification of Tibet's two most important spiritual leaders, the Dalai Lama and in this case the Panchen Lama.

In May 1995 Gedun Choekyi Nyima, the six-year-old boy identified by His Holiness the Dalai Lama as the 11th Panchen Lama, disappeared। Suspicions that he had been kidnapped were confirmed in May 1996 when the Chinese leadership admitted to holding him and his family in "protective custody." After repeated attempts to gain access to the boy, no international agencies or human rights organizations (including the United Nations) have been allowed to visit Gedun Choekyi Nyima or his family, and their condition remains uncertain.

In an attempt to establish their authority over all "internal affairs" of China (political or otherwise) the Chinese leadership nominated and selected their own 11th Panchen Lama in November 1995। Their selection, a six-year-old boy named Gyaltsen Norbu, is another young victim in China's plan to undermine and control the Tibetan people, their religion, and their nation.

Appeal help

We request the immediate and unconditional release of Gedun Choekyi Nyima and his family। He must be allowed to return to Tashi Lhunpo Monastery to be installed as the rightful holder of the Panchen Lama lineage and given the proper monastic education। We also request the immediate and unconditional release of all other religious prisoners of conscience.

Monday, March 24, 2008

No God or Know God?

The below-written interesting conversation was forwarded by some friend, perhaps obtatined from funlok.com.Read and enjoyed it...

*****
An atheist professor of philosophy speaks to his class on the problem Science has with God, The Almighty.
He asks one of his new students to stand and.....
Prof: So you believe in God?
Student: Absolutely, sir.
Prof: Is God good?
Student: Sure.
Prof: Is God all-powerful?
Student: Yes.
Prof: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to God to heal him.
Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But God didn't. How is this God good then? Hmm? (Student is silent.)

Prof: You can't answer, can you? Let's start again, young fellow. Is God good?
Student: Yes.
Prof: Is Satan good ?
Student: No.
Prof: Where does Satan come from?
Student: From...God.. .
Prof: That's right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?
Student: Yes.
Prof: Evil is everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything. Correct?
Student: Yes.
Prof: So who created evil?
(Student does not answer. )
Prof: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the world, don't they?
Student: Yes, sir.
Prof: So, who created them?
( Student has no answer .)
Prof: Science says you have 5 senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Tell me, son...Have you ever seen God?
Student: No, sir.
Prof: Tell us if you have ever heard your God?
Student: No, sir.
Prof: Have you ever felt your God, tasted your God, smelt your God? Have you ever had any sensory perception of God for that matter?
Student: No, sir. I'm afraid I haven't.
Prof: Yet you still believe in Him ?
Student: Yes.
Prof: According to empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your GOD doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?
Student: Nothing. I only have my faith.
Prof: Yes. Faith. And that is the problem science has.
Student: Professor, is there such a thing as heat?
Prof: Yes.
Student: And is there such a thing as cold?
Prof: Yes.
Student: No sir. There isn't.
(The lecture theatre becomes very quiet with this turn of events .)
Student: Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don't have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat,
But we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold.
Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.
(There is pin-drop silence in the lecture theatre .)
Student: What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?
Prof: Yes. What is night if there isn't darkness?
Student: You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light....But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and its called darkness, isn't it? In reality, darkness isn't.
If it were you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?
Prof: So what is the point you are making, young man?
Student: Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.
Prof: Flawed? Can you explain how?
Student: Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure.
Sir, science can't even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one.
To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it. Now tell me, Professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?
Prof: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.
Student: Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?
(The Professor shakes his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument is going.)
Student: Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavour, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher?
(The class is in uproar .)
Student: Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor's brain?
(The class breaks out into laughter.)
Student: Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor's brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, sir.


With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?
(The room is silent . The professor stares at the student, his face unfathomable. )
Prof: I guess you'll have to take them on faith, son.
Student: That is it sir... The link between man & god is FAITH .
That is all that keeps things moving & alive..................
*****

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Report of “Swapathgami Filmmaking Workshop”

Shikshantar: The Peoples' Institute for Rethinking Education and Development, an NGO mainly working for education, had organized “Swapathgami Filmmaking Workshop” on 8th /17th August, 2007 at Udaipur, Rajasthan.

There was some sessions based on “learning while doing” philosophy such as making a team film, reviewing various kinds of films, participating in learning exchanges, bettering our interviewing techniques, making a sound story and an image story. A few different independent / swapathgami filmmakers was there to support and facilitate the programme.

The four-member delegation from SAFAR (Social Action For Advocacy & Research) had attended the workshop and went through the various filmmaking activities as follows:

1.0 Visualization: Visualization is the first requirement of any visual medium, in which we have to develop our concept/idea of the film by writing on paper in pictorial manner.

2.0 One Shot: After visualizing the concept, one-shot was taken. From switching on to the turning off the camera is known as one-shot. Between two shot a cut exists.

3.0 Audio shoot: Carpenter shop was selected to shoot the audio. Apart from the existing sound, creating own sound to support the visual story was also learnt. Sound of nails from near by puncture shop was recorded

4.0 Picture Project (Individual Assignment): A pile of magazines was given to cut the pictures. After taking minimum 10 pictures, which worked as 10 shots, we had created a story in the form voice-over. After shooting the each picture as per one shot and recording the voice-over, it was taken to the editing table where adobe premier software was used to edit the story based on non-linear method. I christened my picture project as “Sarhad”.

5.0 How to make (Group Assignment): Under this segment, the five-member team named, “Tatkar” chosen the location of timber mill, where a raw wood was transformed into the pod of the table-top. First of all we went to the desired location and prepared our story-board for the shots. A story-board shows, which kind of shot would be taken with its type and angle, keeping the object of the location in the shot. Then we started shooting according to our story-board. From cutting the designer block to rubbing, and smoothing the block; all the steps were shown in the film. We also came to know, how producing contrast in sound track could help lot to reflect the message very well. We put the chirping of birds over the shots machines of timber mill and did vise-versa in the shots of green forest, keeping the sounds of machines, emerging as hazardous to the greenery. The film was named as “Kasak”.

6.0 Film appreciation: Each of the days of the workshop, a film was shown. After watching the movie, we have to discuss the good and bad point of the movie at scale of shot, editing perspective with its entertainment quotient and the communicability of the message. We have to give the reason behind the assessment of the movie.

Learning the aspects of filmmaking is not merely technical-hand practice; additionally it is a procedure to understand the sensitivity of the surroundings as well. Getting closer to the nature and its flora and fauna with the relation of mankind is also subjective to the filmmaking. Participation in the filmmaking workshop not only brings lot of experiences of diversified world but also strengthens our senses to alert each and every response for the impressive visuals.

मीडिया निगम संस्कृति का नमूना


इस छवि को पीडीऍफ़ संस्करण में देखने के नीचे दिए गए लिंक पर क्लिक्क करें :
http://www.newint.org/issue333/Images/ni333-media.pdf
मीडिया के जरिये सूचना के लोकवादी चरित के पैरोंकारों के लिए पेश किए चित्र से मीडिया मुगलों की सियासत का पता चलता है। इस छवि में स्रोतों का भी बाकायदा उल्लेख है .