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Newsletter Jan 2006
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Thursday, Feb 18, 2010
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From Narain V. Hingorani, AIS President
At the outset let me, on behalf of everybody in AIS; wish you all a very happy and healthy holiday and a prosperous and peaceful New Year.
During the last month or so many of you had to endure the inconvenience and frustration while visiting our new website, for which we sincerely apologize. The change was contemplated with good intentions to improve the design and color of the home page and make the site more user-friendly and easier to maintain and manage. But sometimes even well conceived schemes do get unexpected severe delivery pains undergo teething troubles during their execution. In order to avoid further discontent and disruptions, we decided to revert to the old web site until the new site is recommenced after undergoing reevaluation, revisions and reconstruction.
BOOK DISTRIBUTION
In our August newsletter we wrote about AIS communication with Penguin Canada to make ‘Return of the Aryans’ available in USA/Canada and that the book would be available for sale and distribution in North America before end of the year. In this respect we also provided contact information which is reproduced below:
Penguin Group (Canada)
90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700
Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3
Phone: 416-925-2249
Fax: 416-925-0068
Email: [email protected]
Penguin confirmed the availability of the book in October and suggested AIS to contact Lorraine Kelly, Special Markets & Corporate Sales Manager for the price of the book and bulk discount. She confirmed that the books in stock, quoted a base price of 24 Canadian Dollars and provided " Penguin Group (Canada) Special Markets Discount Schedule." The schedule shows varying discounts of 20% to 55% for quantities exceeding 10 up to 5000. For quantities above the discount is negotiable. Contact information of Lorraine Kelly is given below, if any of our readers wish to contact her directly:
Lorraine Kelly
Penguin Group (Canada)
Special Markets & Corporate Sales Manager
90 Eglinton Avenue, East
Suite #700
Toronto, Ontario
M4P 2Y3
Phone: 416-925-2249 ext. 477
Email: [email protected]
LIBRARY PROJECT
AIS will send a short letter to over 4000 libraries to which we had previously already addressed a detailed letter to purchase the book from their resources. The letter will reiterate in nutshell the important significance of the book along with detailed information about its availability.
In spring we will resume sending letters to remaining about 2000 public libraries recommending them to purchase "Return of the Aryans" from their own resources. Besides giving the details about its availability we will also include a brief review of the book and a short profile of its author Bhagwan Gidwani.
SCHOOLS PROGRAM
As already detailed in our August New Letter AIS commenced its school program this year in Illinois with letters to the Chairman of School Board, Governor, Senators and congress men with request to include Sindhu/Saraswati civilization in the school curricula. AIS received response from Chairman School Board and a Congresswoman. We will now follow up and meeting the concerned officials. Those, who did not respond, will be contacted on phone in their respective offices to bring the matter to their attention. AIS will continue its efforts to enlist their support.
The recent controversy about the flawed and erroneous information about India and its ancient heritage and culture in California State school textbooks should serve as a wake up call for Indians and all people seeking the truth about all ancient cultures. As a result of powerful and effective representation of many organization of American Indians California State Board has accepted the revisions in the textbooks recommend by them.
Unfortunately a Harvard professor, claiming to be spokesman for 46 other so called scholars and academicians has written a long letter to California School Board against these revisions; prejudicially labeling them as global Hindu conspiracy and seeking to thwart the genuine efforts by concerned Indians to redress the wrongful representation of our civilization. AIS plans to write a powerful and convincing letter in support of suggested textbook revisions exposing the false and frivolous Aryan Invasion Theory with relevant information and extracts from "Return of the Aryans".
We propose to send letters books other relevant material to the School Boards and various concerned officials and lawmakers in all the States. AIS will then solicit the support of you all to make follow up calls to and make contacts with legislators and authorities in your areas.
MISCELLANEOUS
Ulhasnagar Demolition
Following its earlier ruling, in response to PILs filed by two citizens, on November 23 Bombay High Court directed Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation to raze 855 so-called illegal structures affecting over 100,000 Sindhis displaced from their homes in1947 during partition of India , when entire province of Sindh became part of Pakistan .
Ulhasnagar was used as a refugee camp for people migrating from Sindh and its development and building structures were not required to strictly follow the normal building codes applicable to organized urban construction. After decades of peaceful citizenship and contributing to economic and social fabric of the area, people were ordered to leave their homes without enough notice and adequate compensation for alternate accommodation. All of a sudden hundreds of families with children were under the dreadful specter of living on the sidewalk and nowhere to turn for help.
American Institute of Sindhulogy jointly with Bharatiya Sindhi Global Alliance (BSGA), Sindhi Internet Resources and Sindhishaan sent a persuasive letter with a well reasoned memorandum on the subject prepared by Bhagwan Gidwani to the President and the Prime Minister of India, Chief Minister of Maharashtra Vilasrao Deshmukh and Ram Jethmalani.
The Founding President of AIS (Dial Gidwani) has been in constant touch with Mr. Ram Jethmalani in India who is spearheading almost single-handedly the various initiatives - legal, judicial, constitutional & political - to save Sindhis in Ulhasnagar from this terrible situation.
**POST SCRIPT ** **NEWS BREAK** - GOOD NEWS,
AT LAST!
Finally, there is some good news.
Ram Jethmalani had informed Dial Gidwani of the ordinance drafted by him for issue by the Government of Maharashtra. Ram Jethmalani had also meetings with Shri Sharad Pawar, President NCP, Shri Vilasrao Deshmukh, CM of Maharashtra and Shri S M Krishna, Governor of Maharashtra,
AIS has now learnt that the Government of Maharashtra in a late night cabinet meeting on December 27, 2005 decided to issue an ordinance to regularize buildings constructed up to January1, 2005, with the exception of those that obstruct the roads and drainage systems. The ordinance is likely to be issued in the next few days, giving a respite to most of the residents and the Sindhi community.
AIS would like to take this opportunity to thank Sindhis and non-Sindhis all over the world who supported the stand of AIS, Sindhi Internet Resource, Sindhishaan and BSGA. In particular we would like to thank Ram Jethmalani who has been the sole architect of this Sindhi success.
Purchase of "Return of Aryans"
In view recent backlash on Indian culture in California school system and elsewhere, AIS intends to purchase 500 copies of the book with specific purpose of making them available to media, opinion makers and lawmakers like governors, senators, congressmen. AIS believes that education of these influential people along with promoting awareness of public via availability of the book through the libraries will be the most effective preventive procedure to protect the social and cultural interest of American Indians. As already stated AIS would need groups of our readers in each state to actively follow up our efforts in their respective areas.
AIS have negotiated discounted airfreight from India with Air Canada and discounted book price for books with Penguin India. The landed cost is expected not to exceed US$12. We are hopeful of finding donors for purchase of the books.
Overseas Chapters
AIS have been approached time and again from our supporters in many parts of the world especially from India to start AIS chapters in their countries. Vijay Kewalramani, an energetic social worker in Mumbai, is enthusiastic about AIS mission and has shown keen interest to open AIS India Chapter. His name is well known to many of our readers and his many emails show his intelligence and passion for Sindhu culture and heritage. AIS board has agreed to accept Vijay in our fold as Director-in-charge AIS ( India ). Dial Gidwani and Narain Hingorani will meet him in Mumbai next month to discuss formation of the chapter. Presently he is our liaison man on Ulhasnagar issue with Ram Jethmalani.
We look forward to involvement of young Indian in AIS mission and programs. All those interested in supporting and strengthening the activities of AIS India are requested to contact us at [email protected].
Wall of Tolerance
Your institution congratulates our Founding President Dial V. Gidwani for the award of certificate from National Campaign of Tolerance, placing his name on the Wall of Tolerance by their Founding Chairman late Rosa Park and National Chairman Morris Dees. This honor recognizes his pioneering work of establishing and nurturing the American Institute of Sindhulogy to promote awareness of Indus/Saraswati civilization, an epitome of peace and tolerance and vanguard of other world civilization.
The Campaign will build a wall of Tolerance near the historic Civil Rights Memorial, just a few blocks from where Mrs. Park boarded the fateful bus. They have also developed a web site www.tolerance.org as a source of helpful information for individuals and institutions.
CONCLUSION
We thank you all for your continued support and encouragement which provide us with life force to continue our mission and activities to uphold our ancient heritage and promote widely the awareness about unique culture and glorious contributions of Indus/Saraswati Civilization.
In one year of 2005, there have been successful conclusions of four very important and far reaching issues viz. retaining SINDH in the Indian National Anthem, Sindhu river against Singhe river in Indus Yatra, continuing study of Sindhi language in Gujerat and now imminent ordinance by Maharashtra government, regularizing most of controversial buildings in Ulhasnagar. All these matters, in which AIS has been in the vanguard, have shown the power of united voice and the inner strength of Sindhuputras
We enter into the New Year with renewed faith and confidence and look ahead enthusiastically for new ideas and endeavors to infuse energy in the activities of our institution.
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