UK Charity Commission: HSS and SEWA do good charity work

February 8th

Why is there no huge fuss in the media now that the UK Charitable Commission has totally absolved Sewa International and HSS on the charges of terrorism leveled against them very loudly by a group called Awaaz? The proper treatment for shoot-and-scoot con artists like Awaaz (as seen below, they are blood brothers of the motley crew that attacked IDRF as well) would be to sue their pants off for libel like the Jewish Anti Defamation League does.

Thanks to a friend.

http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/investigations/inquiryreports/hss.asp

Quote:
Charity Commission for England and Wales

Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh

Registered Charity No. 267309

Introduction

1. This report is a statement of the results of an Inquiry conducted under Section 8 of the Charities Act 1993.

2. Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh ('the Charity') was registered as a charity on 29 April 1974. The object of the Charity is to advance the Hindu religion and to educate the public in the Hindu ideals and way of life. The Charity is based in Leicester.

3. Income for the Charity for the financial year ending 31 March 2002 was £1,267,570. This includes £909,112 received by Sewa International.

Background

4. The Charity had set up a project arm in 1991 known as Sewa International (UK). The purpose of the project arm was to help aged, sick, poor and distressed persons.

5. On 26 January 2001 a devastating earthquake struck the state of Gujarat, India resulting in many thousands of people being killed and millions being made homeless.

6. Within a few days the Charity had launched the Gujarat Earthquake Appeal Fund (\'the appeal\') through Sewa International to help those suffering and to aid the rebuilding of the villages. A number of prominent people became patrons of the appeal.

Issues

7. Following concerns expressed over the administration and expenditure of the appeal, an Inquiry was opened on 4 October 2002. The purpose of the Inquiry was to establish whether the funds raised had been properly applied in accordance with the terms of the appeal.

8. During the course of the Inquiry it was also alleged that the Charity had not been clearly identified on some of the appeal literature. It was suggested that the identity of the charity was important because of the alleged links between the Charity and the Hindu Nationalist Organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (\'RSS\').

Findings

9. Sewa International launched the appeal in January 2001 following the earthquake in Gujarat. Primary accounting records supplied by the Charity show that £2,330,000 was banked in the name of the appeal.

10. The Charity produced evidence that all the funds raised as a result of the appeal had been sent to an established Indian non-governmental organisation known as Sewa Bharati. This organisation would utilise the funds towards the rebuilding of six villages in Gujarat.

11. The Charity produced a detailed breakdown of the application of funds by Sewa International (UK) in India. The funds were utilised towards the following projects:

* £1,062,000 for the reconstruction of six villages
* £123,352 for schools project 1
* £1,282,352 for schools project 2
* £118,887 for other projects

These amounts show that Sewa International (UK) contributed 74% of the total project costs of £3,507,914.

12. The Commission is satisfied that the trustees have taken sufficient steps to ensure funds have been applied in accordance with the appeal. In January 2004, Sewa International (UK) arranged for a delegation of 30 people from major donors to visit Gujarat to view the completed rehabilitation projects. The delegates produced a report which confirms they were satisfied that the funds had been spent in accordance with the Gujarat appeal.

13. Formal audited Accounts for the total income and expenditure of Sewa Bharati were not received.

(comment : er.... how about for AWAAZ or ActionAID? )

14. The Charity advised the Commission in 1991 that Sewa International had been set up as a project arm of the Charity and the Commission agreed that the trustees of the Charity had the power to do this. Some of the appeal literature and the Sewa International (UK) website did not clearly identify the link with the Charity. On some items the Charity\'s registered number was quoted, but the name was not.

15. During the Inquiry, we have been asked to consider the alleged links between the Charity and RSS. The trustees stated that the Charity has no formal organisational links with RSS and that there is only an ideological commonality between the two organisations. Therefore, owing to the Commission being satisfied that the funds have been properly expended it was not necessary to consider any alleged links during this Inquiry.

Outcome of the Inquiry

16. The Commission was unable to establish for itself how the funds were utilised as its request for visas to visit India to undertake an inspection visit were refused by the Indian government.

17. The Charity has been advised that if they wish to use the name Sewa International, all promotional material must state clearly that Sewa International (UK) is a project arm of the Charity.

Wider Lessons

18. Charities working internationally, like all charities, must keep accounting records that show and explain all transactions and are sufficient to ensure that statutory Accounts can be prepared. In particular the accounting records must provide a record of assets and liabilities and details of the nature of all receipts and payments. For further information on charities working internationally see: www.charitycommission.gov.uk/supportingcharities/cwi.asp

19. Where a charity applies funds internationally it is under a duty to take sufficient steps to ensure the funds are applied in accordance with the appeal. Ideally a charity should require the organisation undertaking the charitable relief work to supply a copy of its audited Accounts.
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Last updated:3 February 2005
********************************************************************
From xxxxxxx
To: Rebecca.Drake@charitycommission.gsi.gov.uk, sarah.digby@charitycommission.gsi.gov.uk,rubika.shah@charitycommission.gsi.gov.uk,sush.amar@charitycommission.gsi.gov.uk,antony.robbins@charitycommission.gsi.gov.uk
Cc: xxxxxxx
Subject: From someone who investigated another terror attack by the Comrades of AWAAZ
Date: Sun, 6 Feb 2005

February 6, 2005

Ms. Rebecca Drake
Charity Commission for England and Wales
Rebecca.Drake@charitycommission.gsi.gov.uk

Re: The Commission’s Report on the Hindu Swayam Sevak Sangh
http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/inves...reports/hss.asp

Dear Ms. Drake:

I read the subject report with interest, being guided there by the latest propaganda – a Press Release dated February 3 from “AWAAZ - South Asia Watch”, the gang that launched the hate campaign against HSS and Sewa International.

I thank the Commission for seeing the obvious: that the charges are utterly baseless. I am distressed, however, that the Commission did not convey the real Wider Lesson to the public. They failed to convey that dishonest noise-making and propaganda from Communist Comrades and terrorists, does not reflect badly on the victims of their attacks.

If AWAAZ were to publish tomorrow another of their notorious “Meticulously Researched Reports” declaring that Ms. Drake and the Lords of the Charity Commission for England and Wales are all child-molesters and serial killers, I don’t think it is enough to say, 2 years later: “The UK didn’t give us a visa to go stir up trouble in Brixton. Ms. Drake and the Commission should publish lists of all their friends and activities”. The right conclusion is: “The AWAAZ Report was utterly baseless, malicious, and its authors are shown to be knaves of the most contemptible sort, because they took money from enemies of democracy to attack orphans, leprosy patients, and others in dire need, while targeting honest people who are going about their work”.

I note that the Commission’s work started in October 2002. Coincidence? In November 2002, I was part of a citizen team who investigated very similar charges in another of these “Meticulously Researched Reports” by the same general gang against the US-based India Development and Relief Fund (IDRF). In the US, this gang called themselves The Campaign to Stop Funding Hate (TCTSFH), now mutated into “CSFH”. In the UK they are more honest in naming themselves “AWAAZ” which means “noise” in Hindi. Very apt indeed.

Our investigation went much deeper, and I personally spent many, many hours on the internet doing minute searches of all activities of the 185-plus grassroots organizations which had received IDRF funds. Our team did not seek to physically travel to India for the purpose either. We exercised due diligence using the internet, telephone, newspapers, and all other media, by talking at length to the parties involved, and through several open internet discussions. I ran up over $500 in personal telephone bills. We published our report on the internet, and as a book. You can read all about it, and download our reports, through this site:

For your convenience, I attach the Synopsis of our book below, and the Executive Summary of our report to this email message.

Incidentally, I am not “HSS”, “RSS”, or anything else, nor do I have even
“ideological affinity” with these or any other organization. I just happen to have donated as much money as we could spare, through IDRF to help educate children of Indian soldiers and policemen who have died trying to keep the terrorists from overrunning our democracies. I continue to do so today. I do detest liars, and that may explain why I spend a Sunday morning writing this to refute the vicious propaganda from Communist terrorists.

I do hope that the UK Charities Commission in future does not allow itself to be used as a wet rag by the terrorists to beat up on honest organizations that help the most desperately needy people. If you spend any time browsing “Organizations Funded by IDRF - Sabrang/FOIL claims vs. Reality” http://www.geocities.com/charcha_2000/essays/foilies/
you will see what I mean.

Best regards

****** **********
Co-author, "A Factual Response to the Hate Attack on IDRF" March 2003.
http://www.geocities.com/charcha_2000/essa...port/index.html

Attachments:

1. Letter with synopsis of the book "A Factual Response to the Hate Attack on the India Development and Relief Fund".
2. Executive summary, Friends of India Report

AID: charity or terrorist front?

February 8th

There have been a lot of allegations about AID (the Association for India's Development) that it is a Marxist fellow-traveler that only sponsors Marxist-blessed charitable activities. Here is disturbing information that suggests it is potentially pursuing more risky activities.

This is a sad commentary on what happens to a lot of gullible Indians: I have mentioned a case before where a vague and woolly-headed person was converted into a traitor by deft handlers. Here is what I said:

"He is a perfect example of the kind of person who becomes a 'secular' 'progressive' 'intellectual' in India. Someone with touching but half- baked ideas of being a do-gooder, who is brainwashed first by the Macaulayite/JNU-ite education system, and then by some handler who recognises him as a perfect recruit: an innocent whose head can be filled with dubious ideas and who fails to realize that he's being turned into an anti-national."

Alas, it looks like some of the genuinely decent people who have been working for AID fit the same symptoms.

Thanks to reader Vedapriyan. Download pdf from the link provided.

Marxist-Police nexus in Kerala supports killing of Hindus

February 8th

Thanks to the blog vivekajyoti.blogspot.com

Kerala courts find Marxist-police nexus in annihilating BJP leaders

By Jayapradeep V., February 06, 05

THE pre-planned cold-blooded unusual brutality by the hardcore Marxist goons against the BJP leaders in Kerala has been vindicated by two court judgments. What is more frightening is that the police have been providing a protective shield to the culprits of such heinous acts.

In the case of Jayakrishnan, vice-president of Janata Yuva Morcha, Kerala, in 1999, who was butchered with axe, sword and knife by the Marxist activists at East UP School, Mokeri in northern Kerala on December 1, the learned district judge Shri K.K. Chandradas in his 122-page judgment said: “The venue for murder was preplanned and pre-designed and selected as in the classroom—a sacred place.”

The judgment further says: “The crime committed was not only shocking and heart-breaking but also jeopardized the society and the social order... On considering the exercising judicially the submission made by the learned public prosecutor and the learned defense counsel I find that the convicted persons are menace to the society and they are unfit to live as members in the society. The murder committed here in most cruel manner and in an aggravating circumstances, which was heinous and dastardly, extremely brutal, grotesque, diabolical manner so as to arouse intense and extreme indignation of the community and the offenders are so hardened and blood thirsty, they really created traumatic threat to the survival of the social order and they become the deserving candidates of death sentence and by these special reasons it comes under the category of the rarest of the rare cases requiring the maximum penalty under law—and in this circumstances of the case, a death sentence is warranted for the offence of murder and there is no alternative but to award death sentence in this case and I do so.”

While delivering the sentence, mentioning about the ‘big comrades’ who masterminded the whole episode, the Judge declared: “…I am constrained to opine that the entire process of investigation carried out in this case do not bear any ring of bona fides and fairness.”

He adds: “The every act and attempt of the investigating officer was to render help for the prepared and preplanned defense set-up in this case. I find complete dissatisfaction with such an investigation agency and for the purpose of discussion I find that some unidentified miscreants are responsible for the alleged act against PWS.”

The learned Thalassery Sessions Judge, after finding the real hand in glove with the then ruling CPM-led government and the culprits, says, “...about the investigation, the copy of the judgment has to be forwarded to the Chief Secretary to the Government of Kerala through the Registrar, Hon’ble High Court of Kerala, for proper and stringent action against investigation officers PW29, the then Circle Inspector of Police, Panoor, Shri V. Devarajan, PW30, the Investigation Officer, the then Asst. Commissioner of Police, City Traffic, Kozhikode, Shri T. Rama Raj, the then Superintendent of Police CB CID SIG-III, Kozhikode, Shri M.P. Somasundaran and the concerned higher police officials who had supervised and controlled such an illegal, defective, shabby, unfair, tainted and biased investigation in the case and also for the gross negligence and dereliction of their official act and duties.”

In the case of another political murder, in which the then BJP district secretary Shri Panniyannur Chandran was murdered by the Marxist activists again using the sword, axe and knife at the same place under the same police station—Panoor Police Station—on May 25, 1996, the learned District Judge Thomas P. Joseph vividly observed the following findings in his judgment:

The Judge declared: “…I am constrained to opine that the entire process of investigation carried out in this case do not bear any ring of bona fides and fairness.”

“1. The murder was the result of the deep conspiracy, pre-planned and executed.

2. The decision to kill the deceased, who is a functionary of a political party (BJP) at the district level, was taken by his political adversaries much before and it was even publicly announced, even in the Peace Committee Meetings as revealed from the evidence.

3. Congenial circumstances were arranged in advance to execute the decision to murder the deceased.

4. The convicted accused ignored whatever security the district police had arranged to save the life of the deceased and dared to select the place for the execution of murder under the nose of the police picket and within short distance from the policemen on beat duty which revealed the brute power of the convicted accused and the conspirators and their determination to commit murder, even challenging the rule of law and the law and order maintenance system. This indicated the utter disregard of these convicted accused for human life, values and even the rule of law. The murder was committed with intend to create tremor in the community.”

Rapping on the knuckle of the local police, the judgment said: “...while discussing the evidence of PWs 16 (Circle Inspector of Police) and 17 (Crime Branch Detective Inspector) that the investigation conducted by them was not proper. I also stated about the commissions and omissions on the part of PW17, the Detective Inspector of the Crime Branch and that his attempt was to save the conspirators behind the heinous crime. While going through the evidence, I found shocking information, which is required to be mentioned. The public prosecutor submitted that the pre-planned murder was carried out within a week of LDF Ministry coming to power in Kerala (Notification No. 39150/POL.2/95 GAD dt. 20-5-1996, which I take judicial notice, is that the Ministry headed by the late Shri E.K. Nayanar assumed office in the A.N. of 20.5.1996). It is revealed from the evidence that on 20-5-1996, CI Panoor went on long, medical leave, the SI Panoor was transferred on 21-5-1996 and since 21.5.1996 onwards, ASI Shri Balan (whom, even PW16 described as the blue-eyed man of CPI(M) leaders and related closely to a CPI(M) leader of Kuthuparamba) assumed charge of Panoor Police Station. The village beat duty being continuously provided near the house of the deceased from 3-5-1996 onwards was withdrawn on 24-5-1996 and 25-5-1996 and the incident occurred on 25-5-1996. There was no proper explanation why that security measure was withdrawn. The incident happened under the nose of the police picket post providing/giving security to the deceased. Ext. D10 (general diary entry of the police) revealed that attempt was made by the ASI Shri Balan to manipulate the entries to cast doubt on police constable No. 3641 producing Exts. P1 and P9 to P11 in court in the morning of 26-5-1996.”

“It was worth investigating how the accused and the conspirators behind, learnt about the withdrawal of the village beat duty on 24-5-1996 and 25-5-1996… The nexus between the conspirators and some of the police officials is to be investigated. Even the circumstance under which the case was transferred to the Crime Branch, Kannur, is suspicious,” the judgment said.

The above judgments should have been proved to be an eye-opening judicial blow to those in governance, but the state Congress government turned a deaf ear to both the verdicts and has taken no action upon the recommendations of the courts till now. Here it is worth mentioning that in the first case the verdict was delivered on August 26, 2003, and in the second case on the 10th day of 2004.

But a ray of hope arose when Vigil Human Rights Movements, a cultural organization, approached the High Court of Kerala to direct the state government to implement the directions and observations in the above two judgments. Shri P.S. Sreedharan Pillai, a notable lawyer in the High Court of Kerala and state BJP president, brought the matter before the Court. On the date of admission itself, the High Court admitted the matter and issued notice to the state of Kerala and the police.

(The writer is an Advocate, High Court of Kerala.)

Claude Arpi: Nepal: the Chinese squeeze

February 8th

Claude is one of India's foremost Tibetologists and Sinologists. What he says about China needs to be considered with utmost care. His recent book on Tibet "Born in Sin: The Panchsheel Agreement" is a spell-binding read, as he clearly lays out how India was hoodwinked by China. India's politicians were fooled into colluding with a tremendous land-grab and destruction of a civilization in Tibet, which is now a totally Han Chinese colony. We are watching 1950-redux in Nepal, as it is slowly being taken over by a Chinese fifth column. Nehru and pals let that happen then; the Dynasty and pals are letting this happen now.

Here is what Claude has to say:

A couple of hours after having written this article, the news of the royal coup in Nepal flashed on web sites and television channels.

I had started by lamenting "What is going on in Nepal?"

This is all the more true now.

The coup renders a complex situation even thornier. The question touched upon here will certainly be one of the most urgent to be dealt with by the king. It will be an immediate test to judge his new government's sincerity.

While a few children were kidnapped in Bihar, on the other side of the India-Nepal border, the Maoists struck harder than their Bihari comrades. Last week, they kidnapped about 1,000 children along with their teachers from two schools in eastern Nepal.

After getting a 'briefing' on the benefits of the Maoist revolution, the students were released.

....

Nair-Ezhava unity in Kerala: an idea whose time has come

February 7th

thanks to dr. kalyanaraman, but i do believe this saju person from the indian express is a jerk for he insults both ezhavas and nairs below.

===================

Here is a recipe for a policy formulation, for forging political
networks based on hindu ideology. Hindu polity: Nair-Ezhava model of
unity just forged in Kerala; it is breath-taking. It has to succeed.

It is natural for a commie to call this a disguised attempt to stoke
hindu fascism. I say this is a model which should be replicated all
over Bharat to achieve hindu unity to reach the goal of hindu rashtra.

I am appending two reports: one from Deccan Herald of 12 January which
announced the sensational move to unite Nair Service Society (NSS) and
Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP Yogam) of the Ezhavas.

This is comparable to the oncoming LJS-BSP-BJP-VHP union of hindu
parties. That will be a great day when Mayawati, Paswan, Uma Bharati
and Ashok Singhal jointly pray in front of Ayodhya Sri Rama Mandiram,
just as SNDP Yogam general secraty Vellappali Natesn and his NSS
counterpart PK Narayana Panicker did with their hands folded and in
front of a hindu temple. (See the photograph on page IV, Focus
Section of New Indian Express, Sunday, Feb. 6, 2005; this is a photo
to be treasured as the model for achieving hindu polity.)

This is Narayana Guru's vision at work even now. This has to be Adi
S'ankara's vision of a united hindu samaj.

Hindu fascism? Call it what you want, comrade, you are becoming
irrelevant in a hindu nation. You can invent as many -isms as you
want, call yourselves fascism with a human face and yearn for a dead
comintern now being led only by a military dictatorship in China. You
can't even talk a hindu language and hark back to Engels, Marx and
Lenin. Proletariat is dead. Long live the civilization.

It has to be a hindu social formation to take on the frauds called the
commies and sycophants called the congresspersons -- forged on the
footsteps of hindu mandirams, with folded hands in prayer to the
paramaatman. Bring on the harijans. Let them lead the hindu charge.

Dhanyavaadah.

Kalyanaraman

Communities\' unity move creates stir in Kerala

THIRUVANATHAPURAM, DHNS:

So what is all the brouhaha about the unity moves by the forward
community Nairs\' and the powerful Ezhavas\' in Kerala, which have been
creating media headlines even alongside the tsunami disaster? They
arise from an ideological agreement reached recently between top
leaders of the Nair Service Society and the Ezhava outfit Sree
Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam which threatens to overturn
the contours of power politics in the State.

Ezhavas\', the socially and educationally advanced among the backward
communities, constitute close to 40 per cent of Hindus in Kerala.
Nairs\' are closely behind and together they account for over 70 per
cent of Hindus. "Minorities in the country are cornering all benefits
in the name of secularism guaranteed by Constitution. These organised
lots are forcing political leadership and governments to fall in
line," says Mr Vellapalli Natesan, the Yogam general secretary.

Echoing similar feelings, NSS general secretary P K Narayana Panikker
felt that the differences between the two communities on various
issues including reservation were narrowing down. "The economic
criterion for reservation has been accepted by the Union Government.
Now what is needed is a Constitutional amendment," he said. Mr
Panikker also urged the State Government to inquire into the foreign
funds received by minority communities and alleged that illegal assets
were being amassed by minorities by misusing the constitutional
provisions on minority protection.

Meanwhile, minority outfits in the State have expressed apprehensions.
The Kerala region Latin Catholic Council has decided to chalk out
strategies to overcome the situation arising out of the proposed unity
moves of the majority communities.

Though both the NSS and SNDP have resolved to dissociate from the BJP
which they see as a party interested only in consolidating Hindu
votes, Muslim organisations have dismissed the unity move as a
disguised attempt to stoke Hindu fascism.

http://67.18.142.206/deccanherald/jan122005/n26.asp


Nair-Ezhava bhai-bhai?
Friday February 4 2005 12:57 IST

M T Saju

SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellappalli Natesan (left) and his NSS
counterpart P K Narayana Panicker

In Kerala, two major communities recently decided to unite and work
for the welfare of the society. One is the Nair Service Society (NSS),
the upper caste Nair organisation and the other, the Sree Narayana
Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP Yogam) of the Ezhavas — the OBC. When
looked at from a distance, it seems a welcome step. But as you look at
it closely, you can see layers of vested interests behind this
Nair-Ezhava axis.

The Nairs constitute one of the dominant 'upper castes' in the Hindu
hierarchy of Kerala. The Ezhavas, on the other hand, are the most
influential caste group. Both have different agendas, especially when
it comes to issues like reservation. But will things change with the
two joining hands? For example, will the NSS allow a Nair boy to marry
an Ezhava or a Dalit girl? The answer's an emphatic no.

So, it is very clear that caste still plays a major role in Kerala's
society. So what was the urgency for the unity without settling
differences between the castes? "The minority communities are becoming
dominant in the state and are swallowing the majority communities, who
today feel they have to either convert or commit suicide. To survive
they have to unite. The Nair-Ezhava unity is the first step. But the
idea is to unite all the Hindus, from Namboodiris to the adivasis,"
says Vellappalli Natesan, general secretary of the SNDP Yogam.

NSS general secretary Narayana Panicker, however, blames the different
governments in Kerala for the majority communities being sidelined.
We are suffering because of the irresponsible attitude of the UDF and
LDF governments. The Christians and Muslims have their representatives
in the government but when it comes to Hindus, there is no one to
speak for us. So we have to come together," he says.

The NSS was formed as a community service organisation by Mannathu
Padmanabhan, a social reformer. It did bring about many reforms among
the Nairs. The Nair Regulation Act of 1926 (initiated by the NSS)
sought to end the decadent system of matriarchy and the outdated joint
family institution. Many educational and medical institutions were
also established by the NSS throughout Kerala.

In the case of Ezhavas, it was the inspiration provided by Sree
Narayana Guru, the revolutionary social reformer of Kerala which
prompted Dr Palpu and other associates to establish the SNDP Yogam, an
organisation to work for the abolition of discrimination in the name
of caste, in 1903. In the early 1950s, Ezhava political leader R
Shankar entered into an alliance with the Nair leader Mannathu
Padmanabhan to start a campaign for the "unity of Hindus." They called
it "Hindu Maha Mandalam." This unity didn\'t last and the differences
between the two castes only widened.

The NSS and the SNDP Yogam no longer follow the high ideals of their
visionary founders. Corruption has become deep rooted in both the
organisations. "If the unity happens in the right spirit, it must be
welcomed. But here, the issue is different. (SNDP Yogam general
secretary) Vellappalli Natesan has illegally acquired huge wealth from
the SNDP trust. Enquiry is going on in many cases. The unity drive is
only a trick to divert the attention of the public," says Vidyasagar,
the SNDP Yogam president, who does not get along with his general
secretary, Natesan.

"The upper caste hegemony still dominates the Hindus. If you are going
to keep the Brahmins and adivasis in a single platform, you have to
We are suffering because of the irresponsible attitude of the UDF and
LDF governments. The Christians and Muslims have their representatives
in the government but when it comes to Hindus, there is no one to
speak for us. So we have to come together," he says.

The NSS was formed as a community service organisation by Mannathu
Padmanabhan, a social reformer. It did bring about many reforms among
the Nairs. The Nair Regulation Act of 1926 (initiated by the NSS)
sought to end the decadent system of matriarchy and the outdated joint
family institution. Many educational and medical institutions were
also established by the NSS throughout Kerala.

In the case of Ezhavas, it was the inspiration provided by Sree
Narayana Guru, the revolutionary social reformer of Kerala which
prompted Dr Palpu and other associates to establish the SNDP Yogam, an
organisation to work for the abolition of discrimination in the name
of caste, in 1903. In the early 1950s, Ezhava political leader R
Shankar entered into an alliance with the Nair leader Mannathu
Padmanabhan to start a campaign for the "unity of Hindus." They called
it "Hindu Maha Mandalam." This unity didn't last and the differences
between the two castes only widened.

The NSS and the SNDP Yogam no longer follow the high ideals of their
visionary founders. Corruption has become deep rooted in both the
organisations. "If the unity happens in the right spirit, it must be
welcomed. But here, the issue is different. (SNDP Yogam general
secretary) Vellappalli Natesan has illegally acquired huge wealth from
the SNDP trust. Enquiry is going on in many cases. The unity drive is
only a trick to divert the attention of the public," says Vidyasagar,
the SNDP Yogam president, who does not get along with his general
secretary, Natesan.

"The upper caste hegemony still dominates the Hindus. If you are going
to keep the Brahmins and adivasis in a single platform, you have to
first mentally prepare them for that. The revolution should happen
from the grassroots. But what Vellppalli and Panicker are doing is to
protect their vested interests. By targeting the minorities, they are
trying to communalise things. This will affect the social fabric of
Kerala, where the minority communities, mainly the Christians and
Muslims, form about 45 percent of the total population. If they think
Muslims and Christians are getting more wealthy, it is because of
their progressive mindset. Young Christian women took up the nursing
profession way back in the 70s and were prepared to go abroad. Today
many of them are senior nurses who are getting paid better than the
doctors," he says.

Is any communal force behind this proposed Nair-Ezhava unity? "No way.
If the CPM can join hands with the Congress, why can\'t we? We are not
going to build a temple in Ayodhya, or dream of a Ram Rajya. Our
agenda is different. And it is the need of the hour to unite and
protect all the Hindu communities. We (the Nairs and the Ezhavas) are
Siamese twins, and no one can stop us from coming together," says
Natesan.

Does the NSS have a clear view in this issue? "We have discussed that
matter in the beginning and there won\'t be any political involvement.
We will try to unite in the issues we can. I can\'t tell you more about
this now. We will decide everything in detail in our next meeting
later this month,"says Narayana Panicker.

The Leftists, however, see this as a conspiracy of the saffron forces.
"They are playing communal politics but all such attempts have failed
so far. Nairs or Ezhavas do not cast their votes listening to their
leaders. They vote politically, Left or Right, or whatever. These
people can never set a political agenda for Kerala," says M N Vijayan,
a Leftist commentator.


http://newindpress.com/Sunday/sundayitems.asp?id=SEV20050204033124&eTitle=Focus&rLink=0" target="_blank">http://newindpress.com/Sunday/sundayitems.asp?id=SEV20050204033124&eTitle=Focus&rLink=0

McKinsey: Managing next-generation IT architecture

In recent years, companies have worked hard to reduce the cost of the IT infrastructure—the data centers, networks, databases, and software tools that support businesses. These efforts to consolidate, standardize, and streamline assets, technologies, and processes have delivered major savings. Yet even the most effective cost-cutting program eventually hits a wall: the complexity of the infrastructure itself.

The root cause of this complexity is the build-to-order mind-set traditional in most IT organizations. The typical infrastructure may seem to be high tech but actually resembles an old-fashioned automobile: handmade by an expert craftsperson and customized to the specifications of an individual customer. Today an application developer typically specifies the exact server configuration for each application and the infrastructure group fulfills that request. The result: thousands of application silos, each with its own custom-configured hardware, and a jumble of often incompatible assets that greatly limit a company's flexibility and time to market. Since each server may be configured to meet an application's peak demand, which is rarely attained, vast amounts of expensive capacity sit unused across the infrastructure at any given time. Moreover, applications are tightly linked to individual servers and storage devices, so the excess capacity can't be shared...

CI Issac: For Hindus in Kerala, it's now or never

February 6th

truly alarming data. kerala's hindus will soon be like kashmir's pundits, seeking refuge elsewhere.

thanks to reader t raman

excerpt:

The education scenario is one of the major sectors where the organised strength of the minorities is used in a covert manner. In this sector the majority community as well as the government altogether controls only 11.11 per cent, on the other hand the church controls 55.55 per cent and Muslim religious organisations 33.33 percent of the total institutions. At present the professional education sector of Kerala is somewhat under the full control of the minorities. About 12,000 engineering seats and 300 medicine seats are in the minority institutions and they are fully controlling the admissions. At present 60 per cent of the seats of the paramedical courses are controlled by the organised minority religious leadership. The minority managements deny the organisational freedom of teachers and students. Behind this undemocratic exercise, is there anything other than organised minority leadership's haughtiness? In this situation here, the successive governments are functioning as meagre onlookers.