Activities in 2002

ACTIVITIES IN 2002

1 January 2002 Safdar Memorial: Jung Jungon ke Falsafe ke Khilaf	31 January 2002 Press conference on saffronization of NCERT syllabi/books, addressed by Arjun Dev, Suraj Bhan, Irfan Habib	February 2002 NCERT Director’s allegations against Sahmat	6 February 2002 Press conference addressed by K.N. Panikkar, Sumit Sarkar, regarding non-publication of ‘Towards Freedom’ volumes
19 February 2002 Attempt to evict Sahmat from 8 Vithalbhai Patel House, Rafi Marg, New Delhi	26 February 2002 Stop VHP congregation in Ayodhya	27 February 2002 Appeal to Supreme Court of India for suo moto action in Ayodhya	3 March 2002 The situation in Gujarat
3 March 2002 Press conference on communal holocaust in Gujarat, addressed by Prabhat Patnaik, Teesta Setalvad, Parthiv Shah	5 March 2002 Letter sent out to artists to donate paintings for relief of victims of Gujarat carnage	6 March 2002 Supreme Court judgment on Arundhati Roy	10–11 March 2002 Sahmat Fact-Finding Team goes to Gujarat Members of the team
19 March 2002 Release of preliminary report of Gujarat Fact-Finding Team: Ethnic Cleansing in Gujarat	20–22 March 2002 Display and sale of artworks at Arpana Caur’s Gallery for Gujarat relief	23 March 2002 Gujarat Relief	12 April 2002 National Street Theatre Day. Poster released
12 April 2002 Crimes against the common heritage of humanity	26–27 April 2002 Listen to the Survivors: Genocide in Gujarat 2002	28 April 2002 A delegation including Gujarat victims meets the President of India	30 April 2002 Statements by BJP’s Uma Bharati and Vijay Kumar Malhotra on Gujarat
6 May 2002 Screening of documentary on Gujarat genocide: Evil Stalks the Land by Gauhar Raza	10 May 2002 Tribute to Kaifi Azmi	23 May 2002 Police action in Goa against screening of films promoting communal harmony	10 July 2002 Reject call for early elections in Gujarat
12 July 2002 Unlawful detention of social activists in Delhi	14 July 2002 Convention on the present situation in Gujarat	23 July 2002 Police stop screening of video films in Mumbai	25 July 2002 Memorandum submitted to the Election Commission of India: Situation in Gujarat not conducive to a free and fair election
July 2002 Letter sent out to Friends of Sahmat for fund collection for children in Gujarat	23 July 2002 Press conference on survey conducted by Sahmat and Prashant in Panchmahal and Dahod	25 July 2002 Memorandum submitted to the Election Commission of India: Situation in Gujarat not conducive to a free and fair election	14 September 2002 Press conference on Gujarat by Sadbhawana Mission (an NRI group)
25 September 2002 Attack on Swaminarayan temple in Gandhinagar	4 October 2002 Press conference on new NCERT textbooks	23 October 2002 Prejudice masquerading as knowledge	December 2002–January 2003 Ways of Resistance: a month-long programme to mark 10 years of the demolition of Babri Masjid
4 December Plays: Khade Hain Lathi Taane, Main Sachha DeshbhaktNahin	5 December Book release: Saffronised and Substandard: A Critique of the New NCERT Textbooks	12 December Symposium at Ramjas College, Delhi University Speakers	16 December Film screening: Fiza, directed by Khalid Mohammad
19 December Film screening: Zakham, directed by Mahesh Bhatt; followed by discussion	21 December 2002 Film screening: Naseem, directed by Saeed Mirza	23 December–4 January 2003 Ways of Resistance exhibition at Rabindra Bhavan New Delhi	26 December Play: Chokkas Ahin Nagar Vasatun Hatun (Gujarati), directed by Saumya Joshi
27 December Play: Tum Sa’adat Hasan Manto Ho, directed by M.K. Raina	28 December Book release: Das Baras, a collection of poems, edited by Asad Zaidi. Book release	30 December Book release: Communalism, Civil Society and the State, edited by K.N. Panikkar and Sukumar Muralidharan	31 December Book release: Looking Back: 6 December 1992, edited by Anand Sahai