DEVELOP EMPOWER SYNERGIZE INDIA - RTP CHAPTER

Rivers Forever : A talk by Dr. S. Kalyanraman

2005-09-17T10:56:00.000-04:00

Develop Empower and Synergize India (DESI)
Proudly Presents

"Rivers Forever"
A Talk by
Dr. Srinivasan Kalyanraman

2:00 - 4:00 PM
Sunday, September 25
Brown Room, Talley Student Center
NC State University

Directions: http://www.ncsu.edu/student_center/driving_directions.html

Synopsis

Civilizations have evolved and been nurtured along coastlines and on river banks. With the discovery of 2,000 out of 2,600 archaeological sites on the banks of River Sarasvati and the confirmation of the riverine, maritime civilization with scientific evidences, the river has truly come alive as the very fountain of Indian civilization and culture. Three astonishing events have occurred within the last few years:

1. Discovery of the entire 1600 km. long course of the mighty Vedic River Sarasvati from Mt. Kailas (Mansarovar glacier) to Somnath (Prabhas Patan)

2. Rebirth of this river in north-west Bharat

3. Impetus for a National Water Grid and a National Coastal Development Authority as nucleii for achieving Developed India Vision 2020

These facets covering 5000 years of civilizational history and developmental imperative will be presented as a powerpoint presentation with over 50 colourful slides.

About the Speaker

Dr. Kalyanaraman was a senior executive in the Asian Development Bank for 18 years until 1995. He was responsible for disbursing a portfolio of $60 Billion for over 650 development projects in 29 countries. He took voluntary retirement from the Bank and returned to Bharat, to devote himself to his life-activity of researches on River Sarasvati and Bharatiya Civilization. He has done research on the discovery of the courses of Vedic River Sarasvati and the possibility of this river flowing again aspart of a national network of rivers. He has been involved in promoting the National Water Grid to ensure water for everyone for several generations to come and to take the nation to a developed country status by the year 2020.

Links

1. "The Hindu" carried an article on Dr. Kalyanraman which has been archived here
2. Dr. Kalyanraman's site on Saraswati

Talk by Dr. S. Kalyanraman

2005-09-08T17:40:00.000-04:00

DESI RTP is planning to organize a talk by Dr. S. Kalyanraman on the 25^th of September.
Details will be provided soon.

Kashmir exhibition a success in Houston

2005-09-03T10:40:00.000-04:00

Kashmir exhibition a success in Houston

http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?id=319500
SEEMA HAKHU KACHRU HOUSTON, AUG 28 (PTI)

The heart rending pictures depicting the tragic plight of the Kashmiri Pandits, their selective killings, mass cremations, exodus and refugee life since 1990 due to terrorism in Kashmir drew thousands of people at an exhibition here.

The exhibition titled "A glimpse of a tragedy without an end" and designed by journalist and author Francois Gautier, covered the killings and hardships the community has undergone.

Hosted by the Foundation Against Continuing Terrorism (FACT), a non-profit organisation, for raising awareness about terrorism and its affects on the people in India and South Asia, it was on display at the George R Brown Convention Center on August 20 and August 27 and drew over 15,000 people.

The exhibits, according to organisers, had been displayed in various other countries and was brought for the first time to the United States to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the exodus of 400,000 Pandits from their roots in Kashmir.

The pictures, showcased the rich heritage of Kashmiri Hindus, and the violence they have faced due to terrorism.

Many who saw the exhibition, were appalled at the sufferings of the community.

"It is beyond my imagination, how a community can survive and hold on to their culture, especially when barely 8,000 Kashmiri Hindus are left in valley after exodus, said Ashwin Patel, a visitor.

"The scale of the Kashmir exodus was larger than in Kosovo, yet the world remained silent," FACT director Rahul Pandit told PTI. "And, in this whole conflict there is not single mention of the sufferings that these Kashmiri Pandits have faced after leaving their home and hearths back in valley," he added.

Special guests to the exhibit included Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat-Texas), Nick Lampson, who is the Candidate for Congress, District 22, and Houston City Council members M J Khan and Gordon Quan.

Earlier, the exhibit had received approval by the House Ethics Committee in Congress prior to its premiere in the Rayburn Congressional Office Building in Washington, DC on July 11.

2005-08-01T19:04:00.000-04:00

Kashmir Exhibition covered in Washington Weekly

2005-07-23T16:34:00.000-04:00

Pictures from Talk and Exhibition

2005-07-23T09:21:00.000-04:00

DESI RTP PRESS RELEASE

Friday, July 22, 2005
Triangle, NC

For Immediate Release
Re: Kashmir Exhibition and Francois Gautier’s Talk

“A Glimpse of a Tragedy Without an End” - Kashmir Exhibition
&
Francois Gautier’s Talk

On Wednesday, July 20th and Thursday, July 21st, hundreds of residents of the Triangle, NC area took advantage of an opportunity to view a unique exhibition on Kashmir titled “A Glimpse of a Tragedy Without an End,” and hear a talk by award-winning and world-renowned journalist and author, Francois Gautier. The exhibition and talk were held at the Hindu Bhavan Cultural Hall on Wednesday, July 20th and at the Duke University’s Freeman Center on Thursday, July 21st. Both events were organized by Foundation Against Continuing Terrorism (FACT) – an organization founded by Gautier – and Develop Empower and Synergize India (DESI).

The Kashmir exhibition is an attempt to highlight the impact of terrorism on the Hindu minority in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. It depicts the plight of the 350,000 Kashmiri Hindus who were tortured, raped, killed, and ultimately ethnically-cleansed from the Kashmir Valley in 1989-1990 by Islamic terrorists. These Kashmiri Hindus have been turned into refugees in their own country and currently languish in refugee camps in Jammu and New Delhi. A highly-educated, secular and tolerant community with an ancient and distinct culture, the Kashmiri Hindus have found little support from the Indian government, human rights organizations or the international community.

Francois Gautier’s talks focused on the history and uniquely tolerant culture of the Hindus. He shared his own personal experiences, as a foreign journalist working in India, explaining how the peaceful, all-inclusive Hindu culture has influenced him. He urged Hindus living in America to take up the cause of human rights of persecuted Hindus in the Indian subcontinent and elsewhere, by highlighting the issue in mainstream American media, talking to their representatives in the Congress and Senate, and participating in non-violent protests and demonstrations. Mr. Gautier was born and raised in France, but has lived in India for the past 33 years, is married to an Indian, and works for Ouest-France, the largest circulated daily in France, and LCI, France’s 24-hour TV news channel. In addition, he writes “The French Connection” column in The Pioneer, and Indian daily, and contributes regularly to rediff.com.

FACT-USA, a registered non-profit organization in the US, is an initiative to raise awareness about the impact of terrorism on innocent people through exhibitions, conferences and other methods. DESI is a new organization in the Triangle, NC area which seeks to highlight issues related to Indian history, culture, society, economy, security and contemporary politics.

For more information about FACT and the Kashmir exhibition, please visit www.factusa.org. To learn more about Francois Gautier and his work, please visit www.francoisgautier.com. For information about DESI, please visit rtpdesi.blogspot.com, or email us at

2005-07-14T12:27:00.000-04:00

A Glimpse of a Tragedy Without an End - An exhibition

and

A talk by Francois Gautier

Wednesday, July 20th
Exhibition Opens at 5 pm, Talk Starts at 7 pm
Hindu Bhavan Cultural Hall
309 Aviation Parkway
Morrisville, NC 27560

Thursday, July 21st
Exhibition Opens at 6 pm, Talk Starts at 7 pm
Freeman Center, Duke University
1415 Faber Street
Durham, NC 27708

DESCRIPTION

Terrorism must be dealt with before it affects the lives of innocent people. Kashmir (India) is an example of what terrorism can do to human life. There are 350,000 Kashmiri Hindus living in camps as refugees in their own country.The Foundation Against Continuing Terrorism (FACT) has built an exhibition showing the tragedy of Kashmiri Hindus titled "A Glimpse of a Tragedy Without an End". The exhibition had a sucessful run at Washington where it received bipartisan support from Congressional leaders and was attended by concerned citizens and leaders of various communities and organizations. This was the first opportunity for most Americans to see an exhibition on the plight of Kashmiri Hindus. Representatives Frank Pallone, Joseph Crowley, Joe Wilson, and Jim McDermott each addressed the audience after viewing the exhibit in detail. Ambassador R. S. Jassal, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of India, was also present.

Develop Empower and Synergize India (DESI) is bringing the exhibition to the triangle, we invite all to the exhibition to show support to the victims to terrorism in Kashmir.

CONTACT

Directions To Venue

Hindu Bhavan

From Raleigh,Cary
Take exit 285 on I-40 West. Turn left onto Aviation Parkway. Keep going straight till you see the Hindu Bhavan to your right.

From Durham,Chapel Hill
Take exit 285 on I-40 East. Turn right onto Aviation Parkway. Keep going straight till you see the Hindu Bhavan to your right.

If you come across the railroad tracks, you have gone too far.

Freeman Center

From Raleigh,Cary
Take I-40 West. Exit onto the Durham Freeway (NC 147) North. Exit at 14 onto Swift Avenue. Make a left onto Swift, continue about 150-200 yards to Faber St. Make a left onto Faber and you will see FCJL on the right. Park in the big lot out front.

From Durham,Chapel Hill
Take 15-501 Bypass North, marked "Duke Univ/Med Ctr." Do NOT take 15/501 Business. Exit at 108B onto the Durham Freeway (NC 147) South. Exit at 14 onto Swift Avenue. Make a right onto Swift, continue about 100-150 yards to Faber St. Make a left onto Faber and you will see FCJL on the right. Park in the big lot out front.

LINKS

RESOURCES

DEVELOP EMPOWER SYNERGIZE INDIA - RTP CHAPTER

Rivers Forever : A talk by Dr. S. Kalyanraman

Talk by Dr. S. Kalyanraman

Kashmir exhibition a success in Houston

Kashmir exhibition a success in Houston

Kashmir Exhibition covered in Washington Weekly

A Glimpse of a Tragedy Without an End - An exhibitionandA talk by Francois Gautier

A Glimpse of a Tragedy Without an End - An exhibition

and

A talk by Francois Gautier