Friday, December 7, 2007
Anti POSCO movement gathers more support
It is reported that a number of political parties and people’s organizations in Orissa held a daylong convention to express their support to those opposing the POSCO’s steel project in the state.
Political leaders said that the agitation by people in the POSCO project site was not against the company but for protection of people’s land and livelihood sources. They underlined the need for coming together of various organizations opposing different mineral based industrial projects at Kalinga Nagar, Keonjhar and Retagged districts and the farmers of western Orissa who were opposing diversion of water from Hirakud reservoir to industry to oppose the mindless and anti people industrialization.
The political parties and organizations which participated in the convention include
1. CPI (ML)
2.CPI (ML Liberation)
3. CPI (ML New democracy)
4. Samajwadi Jana Parishad,
5. Visthapan Virodhi Janamanch
6. POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti
7. Paschim Odisha Krushak Sangathan Samanwaya Samiti
8. Jatadhari Banchao Andolan, Loka Shakti Abhijan (Orissa)
9. Lok Mukti Sangathan
10. Basti Suraksha Manch
11. Jeeban Jibika Surakhya Samiti and Lok Pakhya
12. Prakrutika Sampad Surakhya Parishad
13. Mittal Visthapan Virodhi Manch.
The poet poverty-stricken Komna is pround of
Dec 7,2007
Komna, a remote village in Nuapada district of western Orissa, is often in news for wrong reasons: child labour and deadly epidemics. But another fact for which this village should justifiably be proud of is that it has given the State a great Oriya poet, late Gadadhar Mishra Sharma.
Born on November 7, 1906 in a conservative Brahmin family, the 54-year-old had to receive his primary education in a Hindi medium school as his birthplace at that time was part of Madhya Pradesh. He learnt Oriya language on his own efforts and started writing his feelings and experiences in poetic form, following the path of Oriya poets Radhanath Roy and Gangadhar Meher. He wrote many poems in Oriya language like Bibidhabarna, Rasamanjula, Kusumamala and Sarada Gamana, which established his poetic credentials. He composed eleven volumes of Khanda Kabya, which are compilations of many well-known poems like Mahandi, Jautuka, Premayana, Sura Sauvadra, Ramakatharu and Ramarajya and many other lesser known ones.
Mishra Sharma's writings brought about a great revolutionary change in the minds of Oriyas residing in western Orissa, and gradually he became popular among the Oriyas residing in different parts of the State. His poem Sarada Gamana was included in a book called Kabita Prabsesha, which was included as a part of the curriculum by the Board of Secondary Education, Orissa, for matriculation students.
Mahanadi is one of the great literary contributions of Mishra Sharma. In this poem, he has described the beauty of nature, the birds and the animals visiting the bank of the Mahandi and other rivers. The skillful use of Sanskrit words, Oriya words and dialects of western Orissa in his writings need to be studied carefully by the linguists and researchers of Oriya language to fully understand the impact of his contribution to the Oriya literary traditions.
India successfully tests new interceptor missile
As a part of an Advanced Air Defence (AAD) exercise, a Prithvi missile modified to "mimic" a hostile ballistic missile was fired from Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur-on-sea in Orissa, some 230 km from State capital Bhubaneswar , about 11 a.m.
The new missile was fired from Wheeler Island a little over two minutes later and successfully intercepted the incoming target, destroying it over the Bay of Bengal , the sources said.
The AAD tested Thursday was a new missile and not a derivative or an update of any existing missile, the sources added.
It was specially designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for this role.
In performance, the AAD is said to be slightly superior to the US PAC-3 (Patriot Advanced Capability) in interception, altitude and range against incoming ballistic missiles, the sources said.
On Sunday, defence scientists had conducted a mock trial of the AAD system by using an electronic target fired from the ITR.
On Nov 27 last year, defence scientists had successfully conducted a similar Prithvi air defence exercise over the Bay of Bengal by using a modified version of Prithvi to destroy an incoming missile.
Bhopal : A 14-year old struggle against mining giants got a shot in the arm Wednesday after Mukta Jhodia, a tribal woman fighting them in Orissa, won the first Chingari Award meant for women fighting corporate crime.
The award is an initiative of two woman survivors of the Bhopal gas tragedy.The tragedy occurred Dec 2-3, 1984, when tonnes of lethal methyl isocyanate gas leaked from the now defunct Union Carbide's pesticide plant here, killing more than 3,000 people instantly and maiming several thousand others for life.
Champa Devi and Rashida Bee - who fought relentlessly for justice in one of the longest running battles against corporate crime - have set up the award from the $1,25,000 Goldman Environment Prize they received in 2004.
"This is an award out of an award, and it would be presented every year to a woman taking on corporate giants," said Rashida Bee two days after the 23rd anniversary of the Union Carbide gas disaster.
They handed over a trophy and a citation while writer Jyotsna Kamal presented a Rs.50,000 cheque to Jhodia, who has been opposing Hindalco-led Utkal Alumina's bauxite mining and processing project in Kashipur, Orissa.
"The Chingari Award is particularly relevant at this juncture, when the government has made its intentions of submitting to corporate-led globalisation extremely clear. The coming years will see some of the world's most powerful corporations pitted against some of the most marginalised people - adivasis, dalits and peasants - with the police playing hit men for the investors," said Jhodia.
"Jhodia has been awarded when communities in her home state are threatened with eviction to make way for a range of mining and mining-related industries. A resident of Sriguda Goudaguda village in Orissa's Rayagada district, the 45-year old Mukta has locked horns with a Birla-led mining consortium and has mobilised her community successfully to stave off plans to mine the bauxite-rich plateaus in her motherland", Champa Devi told IANS.
"The mother of a married son and a daughter, Mukta has been a key source of inspiration and awareness among Kashipur's tribal communities. A fiery speaker, she has tirelessly travelled to tribal villages around Rayagada, often on a bicycle with her husband or son, informing them about Birla's plans to exploit their 'bheeta mati' (home and hearth)," Champa Devi said.
A six-person jury, led by Mahashweta Devi, screened 10 nominations from rural areas around the country, and short-listed four women.
Other jury members included Ajitha George from Jharkhand, S. Usha from Kerala, Sujata Gothoskar and Mira Sadgopal from Maharashtra, and Pamela Philipose from New Delhi.
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