AID News, Tuesday February 21st, 2006

Tue Feb 21 11:38:49 PST 2006

Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening Folks,

Today's Headlines

                1) February in AID
		2) In Other News
		3) Reaching the Real India

Today's News

1) February in AID

February in AID is now available online for your perusal.

February 2006 in AID

http://publications.aidindia.org/content/view/207/1/

In this issue

Deconstructing poverty

http://publications.aidindia.org/content/view/208/103/

Balaji Sampath describes AID Chennai's approach to dealing with poverty in
his acceptance speech of the MIT Global Technovators Award.

Students campaign for Bhopal survivors

http://publications.aidindia.org/content/view/209/103/

AID Austin is a joint author of a successful resolution adopted by the
Student Government at UT Austin against Dow Chemicals for their corporate
crimes in Bhopal.

AID Delhi responds to cold wave

http://publications.aidindia.org/content/view/210/103/

Volunteers of AID Delhi organized a blanket distribution drive in response
to the cold wave in Delhi

Putting schools to the test

http://publications.aidindia.org/content/view/211/103/

Results of the Annual Survey of Education Report

Announcing AID Berkeley

http://publications.aidindia.org/content/view/212/103/

Dosti - Friends in the making

http://publications.aidindia.org/content/view/215/103/

Indians and Pakistanis get together in Houston.

Recently approved projects

http://publications.aidindia.org/content/view/216/103/

AID in the News

http://publications.aidindia.org/content/view/213/103/

February 2006 TMIA printable pdf

http://publications.aidindia.org/component/option,com_docman/task,doc_download/gid,91/

Editor: Anu Mandavilli

Read all previous newsletters at http://publications.aidindia.org

Please send your feedback to publications_at_aidindia_dot_org

Contributed by Arun Sripati

d) Waste to wealth: ITC's success story

Anyone who has stayed at the swanky, 16-acre spread of the ITC Sonar
Bangla in Kolkata will tell you that the energy requirements of the
luxury hotel must be staggeringly high.

Even so, when it opened on introductory tariffs and low occupancies,
only to be served up a whopping electricity bill of Rs 7 crore (Rs 70
million) in the first year, the management knew it would have to look
for alternative solutions.

Immediately, consultants were hired on the simple mandate: reduce
energy consumption. But that would have meant changing and revamping
ducting and fittings while guests were staying at the hotel.

Instead, the pumps were retrofitted; the electric heaters were
replaced by solar heaters; power-guzzling boilers were removed and
condensed steam used to generate hot water; and variable frequency
valves were used in the fans (needed for the air-conditioning), so
that speeds could be adjusted, thereby eliminating energy wastage.

http://us.rediff.com/money/2006/feb/11spec.htm?q=tp&file=.htm

Contributed by Radhika Rammohan

2) In Other News

a) The need to mix religion and politics...progressively

Quotes by US evangelical writer Jim Wallis, whose most recent book is
titled God's Politics: Why the American Right Gets It Wrong and the Left
Doesn't Get It:

"We need a moral discourse in public life, and it is wrong for the left to
leave it to the political right to define the issues," he said. "The left
lacks respect and is too often disdainful and condescending in listening to
people of faith."

"People should not be apologetic for having a religious faith, and the left
needs to remember there is a long history of progressive religion. Where
would we be if Martin Luther King or Desmond Tutu had kept their faith to
themselves? Clearly, there are examples of bad religion - American
television evangelists and Muslim suicide bombers - but the answer is not
no religion, but better religion."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,1710985,00.html

Contributed by Uma Asher

b) Bottled Water

A thought provoking article on bottled water reflecting the
contrasting picture of reaching the UN millennium goals in reducing
the halving the proportion of people lacking sustainable access to
safe drinking water by 2015 which demands 15 billion dollars to 100
billion  global water bottling industry. All dimensions(
environmental, economy, energy,  community resource, health etc) in
regards to bottled water has been explained with good statistics,
which would make you think before going for a bottled water.

http://www.earth-policy.org/Updates/2006/Update51.htm

Contributed by Anand Chandolu

c) Padmvibhushan for Mahashweta Devy

Last month, Jnanpith and Magsayay award winner Mahashweta Devy was awarded
the Padmvibhushan. We in AID are fortunate to be associated with her via
Bhasha Tribal Academy. She was the founding chaiperson of the Academy. In
2004, Ganesh Devy wrote an article titled "Tha Adivasi Mahashweta" in the
Seminar magazine:

http://www.india-seminar.com/2004/540/540%20ganesh%20n.%20devy.htm

"Mahashweta brought to those poor and harassed people a boundless
compassion, which they instantly understood though could they neither
speak her language nor she theirs. She has a strange ability to
communicate with the silenced, her best speech reserved for those to
whom no one has spoken.... all of a sudden she exclaims, 'Ganesh -
land, land is the root cause of it all. Give them land and everything
will be  "halright". Oh, this wretched "hestablishment".' ... she
remarks in utmost pain, 'This woman's body is a curse!' Then she turns
to me and remarks,  'You will not know, because you are not
political.' ... Is she an adivasi taken to literature, or a writer
drawn to the adivasis?"

Contributed by Om Damani

3) Reaching the Real India

Exposure Program for College Students During Summer Vacation

Are you excited about spending your vacation meaningfully.......
Are you interested to learn about social movements.......
You want to see an India beyond the Shining minority.......

When:  During the Summer vacation April - May 2006 (3 - 4 weeks)
Where:
       Lok Mitra, Surendranagar, Gujarat
       (Lok Mitra is a rural development center.
       They run a non-formal school, Killol.)

       Gram Swaraj Sangh, Kutch, Gujarat
       (Works on a range of educational and cultural activities
       along the Sarvodaya principles of non-violence)

       Rajpipala Social Service Society, Gujarat
       (working for the empowerment of the tribals of Gujarat)

       Rashtriya Yuva Sangathan, Umariya, M. P.
       (RYS is a youth organisation and works on various public issues)

       Peace Institute, Kasturbagram, Indore, M.P.
       (focusses on Women's development, through various initiatives)

       Narmada Bachao Andolan, Maharashtra
       (Working against the social and environmental damage due
       to large dams)

       SEARCH, Gadhchiroli, Maharashtra
       (works for realisation of 'Aarogya-Swaraj', i.e. people's
       health in people's hands)

       Nadi Ghati Morcha, Chattisgarh
       (Struggles against the privatisation of river Sheonath)

       Jansangharsh Samiti, Kala Dera, Rajasthan
       (Water starved people struggle against the exploitation of
       their water resources by Coca Cola)

       Lok Samiti, Varanasi, U.P.
       (Working on the issues of Child Labour and peoples right over
       village resources)

       Asha Parivar, Hardoi, U.P.
       (Working on the issues of Right to Information and Right to
       Work)

How to apply: Send in your details in the prescribed form.

Download the application form from

http://initiativeindia.tripod.com

or, write /call us.

Travel expenses will be taken care of, and you can earn a scholarship.
This program is open only for students from Mumbai & Thane.

Last date: February 28, 2006

INITIATIVE
B-103, Shyam Sagar Apts, S.J. Marg,
Lower Parel (W), Mumbai - 400013
Phone: 2493 1241.
Email: initiative_at_riseup_dot_net

That's All Folks and May the fun be with you.

with regards
Arvind R.

Just Another Quote

	Those who condemn politics to be the last resort of a scoundrel are
	bound to be ruled by scoundrels
	- Plato

P.S.

Disclaimers

The views expressed in AID News, including disclaimers, are not
necessarily those of AID.

Chapter, BoD or EB decisions are sometimes conveyed in AID News.

The views of the editor do not necessarily reflect those of AID and the
views expressed by others do not necessarily reflect those of the editor.