From: Tatiana Deogirikar <tanya@stanford.edu>
Date: 2010/8/9
Subject: August 14 in SF: Joint Celebration of India and Pakistan's Independence days
To: Center for South Asia <southasia@lists.stanford.edu>
On the 64th Anniversary of Pakistan and India's Independence
Friends of South Asia and Global Fund for Women
invite you to
We Refuse to Be Enemies:A panel discussion on the peace process between India and Pakistan
with:
Nosheen Ali, Samar Minallah, Lalita Ramdas & Admiral L.Ramdas
moderated by Anu Mandavilli and Anasuya Sengupta
on Saturday, August 14, at 12 Noon
at
Global Fund for Women
222 Sutter Street Suite 500
San Francisco CA 94108
(5 min. walk from Montgomery BART station)
The event is free and open to the public
Seats are limited so please RSVP by Thursday, August 12 to: lthomsonlevin@ globalfundforwom en.org
About the Event
14th and 15th August, 2010 mark the 64th anniversary of Pakistan and India's independence from British rule, and the creation of these two South Asian states. The decades since have seen wars and heated political battles between the two countries, but also attempts to engender peace, including through increased people-to-people contacts.
Citizens on both sides of the border have worked to observe and celebrate the region's shared histories and cultures, and to manifest hopes for a just and lasting peace. We are privileged to have with us in San Francisco at this time, four distinguished panelists from the two countries, who will provide for us an overview of the current status of 'official' peace talks, but also the possibilities for a renewed people's peace process. The discussion will include commentary about the relationship of the two countries with the U.S. and with Afghanistan, given the ramifications of these relationships for the geo-politics of the region at large.
Panelist Bios
Nosheen Ali is a social anthropologist, journalist, and activist from Pakistan, and currently a postdoctoral visiting scholar at Stanford University. She has researched extensively on state-building and citizenship struggles in Gilgit-Baltistan -- internationally considered as part of Pakistani Kashmir -- and is currently writing a book on this topic. Nosheen is a founding member of the international network GRASP (Group for Research in the Anthropology, Sociology, and Politics of Pakistan) and serves on the editorial board of the South Asian journal, SAMAJ. She is also the founder of Zamana.org, an upcoming online community for progressive analysis and action on Pakistan.
Samar Minallah is a documentary filmmaker, freelance journalist, human rights activist and an anthropologist from Pakistan. She founded Ethnomedia, a non-governmental organization working to enable gender sensitivity and consciousness in Pakistani media. She has made various documentaries on social and cultural issues, and is on the board of PEMRA (Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority). Samar has been documenting various aspects of Pukhtun culture through print and electronic media. She won the "Perdita Human Rights Activist Award" for her work in advocating against the custom of 'Swara' (where girls are given as compensation to end old disputes).
Lalita Ramdas is a noted educator, writer, and an advocate for gender justice and peace, as well as a prominent spokesperson for nuclear disarmament. She was one of the "1000 Peace Women" nominated collectively for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005. She has led many peace initiatives with students from both India and Pakistan, and with the anti-nuclear and peace movement in India. In 2006, she served as a Judge on the People's Tribunal on Poverty and Debt held at the International People's Forum at Bataam, Indonesia. Lalita is a founding member of the Board of Greenpeace India, and is Chair of the Greenpeace International Board.
Admiral L. Ramdas is the former Chief of the Indian Naval Staff (1990-1993). Soon after his retirement, the Admiral began to advocate demilitarization and peaceful resolution of Indo-Pak problems. He was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Peace and International Understanding in 2004 for "reaching across a hostile border to nurture a citizen-based consensus for peace between Pakistan and India." He is the chairperson of the Pakistan India People's Forum for Peace and Democracy, and continues to work for people-to-people dialogue, and to reduce or eliminate nuclear arsenals.
note: the photo of the young woman above with the "We refuse to be enemies" poster was taken at a peace vigil in San Francisco that was attended by many Indians and Pakistanis. The vigil was organized in the immediate aftermath of the attacks in Mumbai in November 2008.Director, Center for South Asia, Stanford University. www.stanford.edu/~dossani1Senior Research Scholar, Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center. 650-725-4237.
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4 comments:
Lalita Ramdas is the wife of Admiral L Ramdas. It is their daughter, Kavita Ramdas who is married to a Pakistani.
Where is 'South Asia' btw, can't find it on the map. Tried google earth too:-)
Ms. Lalita Ramdas married to Ret. Adm. L. Ramdas. Their daughter (Kavita Ramdas) married to a Pakistani. I am not sure whether she converted to Islam or not, but her daughter's name is a typical Muslim name.
Anyway, Ms. Lalita Ramdas's brother married to a Muslim woman. May be you should go through this article.
www.rmaf.org.ph/Awardees/Biography/pdfbio/RamdasLax.pdf
This Ramdas family is a disgrace to Hindu community and India.
b.t.w the crowd at these South Asian events is sparce. There is more crown at family gatherings in Bay Area. South Asian tag is just for SAJA type folks, not for highly qualified and high achieving Desis.
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