Pune anti-war marchers joined global protest against the US invasion of Iraq on March 17, 2007

On the 4th year of the occupation of Iraq by the US and other imperialist forces, relay anti-war protests were held in major cities all over the world. In Pune, the protest rally was organized by the Anti-Imperialist Action Committee Pune. The march started at 4.30 pm and the marchers walked from Shaniwarwada to Pune Camp. Nearly 200 young and old, students, peace activists, women and workers participated.

Exactly four years ago, the US imperialists invaded and occupied Iraq. All the reasons given by the US to invade and occupy Iraq have been proven to be false. The US has violated the UN charter and all international laws. Since 2003, US military aircraft have mercilessly bombed Iraqi infrastructure. All essential services like water supply and electricity have collapsed. Entire cities, from Fallujah to Samarra, have been razed to the ground.

The US is attempting to wipe out Iraqi people. It has used depleted uranium in these bombs. This emits radioactive rays. The consequences have been horrifying – deformed births, babies born with no eyes or no brain, sharp rise in the incidence of cancer.

The 1.5 lakh US troops in Iraq have made life hell for Iraqi people. They routinely invade houses; shoot people. Tens of thousands of Iraqi youth are in jails, where they've been brutally tortured.

More than 6,50,000 Iraqis have been killed since the occupation began in March 2003 …

The real reason for the invasion
· The real reason for the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 is to take control of Iraqi oil. Iraq's oil resources are the second biggest in the world and also very cheap to extract. With the global oil crisis deepening, the US, having weakened Iraq through sanctions, now decided to invade and occupy Iraq and seize control of these oil reserves.
· The other aim was to establish permanent military bases in Iraq . This would help US dominate not just the Middle East , but Central Asia too, which also has enormous reserves of oil and natural gas.
Speakers at the march condemned aggression and plunder of Iraq by US imperialists and its allies!! They called USA is the world's biggest terrorist state! The US has been the world's biggest user of chemical and biological weapons. It is also only nation ever to use the biggest weapon of mass destruction, the atomic bomb.



Demands at the rally were:
· US and its allies must unconditionally and immediately withdraw all forces from Iraq.
· US must pay full compensation to Iraq for damages done to life and property, not just since 2003 but since 1991.
· Bush should be tried in the International Court of Justice as a War Criminal, and punished.
· Ownership of all of Iraq's nationalized resources, including oil, banks and factories, should remain with the Iraqi people.

Delia Maria, Amiri and Sheela walked in the march carrying banners asking “no more war, no more violence, no more nuke deals, we want peace!”

Pune Women stage Dharna on Intl. Womens Day 2007

International Women's Day, celebrated internationally on 8 March every year for over thirty years now, this year focused on the theme "Ending Impunity for Violence against Women." The Day highlighted the fact that securing peace and social progress and the full enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms require the active participation, equality and development of women; and to acknowledge the contribution of women to the strengthening of international peace and security.

This year fifteen left and progressive womens groups in Pune district staged a five hour Dharna at the Pune Collectorate near the Pune Railway Station. The issues they discussed were: the Khairlanji killings, violence against women including domestic violence, sexual abuse at work place, dowry, unorganised women workers and uniform issue of Nurses among others. Young women from Daund taluka staged a street play and other womens groups sang revolutionary songs.

Delia Maria, Maria aunty and Sheila participated in the 8th March dharna and held banners supporting our Muslim sisters in the middle east facing years of imperialist war. “War murders women” were one of the slogans FOGM’s banner read. Mr. Amiri from NAMIR also attended with his Iranian comrades and distributed handbills giving details of how Iranian women are suffering under the Islamic regime in their country.

In Indiranagar slum on Airport Road, over 30 women had an annual day celebration to commemorate womens day and to congratulate ten neo-literate women of their vasti who had undergone a year’s literacy class programme sponsored and co-ordinated by the FOGM. Delia Maria, Thangamma, and Maria Aunty were the volunteers in the programme. Nirmala was the regular adult educator.

FAS peace education seminar in Pune

The Foundation for Advancement of Science, Bhopal, organized a Seminar titled “Fostering Intellectual and Spiritual Growth” in Pune. The seminar called attention to the need for the spiritual and intellectual aspects of learning to work together harmoniously in approaches to education that seek to equip young people to build a more peaceful society. The seminar, held at the Poona Club on February 24th, was attended by 35 participants representing 14 different schools and educational organizations, and featured four speakers addressing a range of topics.


A central concern of the seminar was peace education in all its aspects. Peace education has been promoted internationally for years by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Steps are being taken to develop and strengthen it on the regional, national, and local levels. One example is the recent effects of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) in India. The National Curriculum Framework (NCF) has stated that “Education for peace seeks to nurture ethical development with values, attitudes and skills required for living in harmony within oneself and with others including nature.”


Speakers at the seminar addressed the concerns of peace education from a variety of angles: Mr. Deepak Dalal, environmentalist and author of the popular children’s books Lakshadweep Adventure, Ladakh Adventure, Ranthambhor Adventure and Snow Leopard Adventure, spoke about creating awareness in urban young people of the rich natural diversity of India. Accompanying his presentation with a breathtaking array of photos of natural wonders in every corner of India, he drew attention to the importance of teaching our young people about their environment. Appreciation for the beauty of the natural environment is a pivotal part of education for conservation.


Mr. Payam Shoghi, Director of Foundation for Advancement of Science-Bhopal, reviewed some of the aspects of the current, content-based educational system, and presented elements of a new approach to education that equips young people to become conscious subjects of their own growth, and active participants in social transformation. He outlined Foundation for Advancement of Science’s efforts toward this end, including in-service teacher trainings in cooperative learning and cooperative games, conflict resolution, communication, and new approaches to classroom discipline which promote student self-discipline both in and outside the school. Mr. Shoghi also explained the Junior Youth Empowerment Program, which addresses the special needs of youth aged 12-15, who are in a transitional phase in their lives.

Dr. H.T.D. Rost, of New Era Foundation, Panchgani, and author of numerous books and textbooks, shared insights from his many decades of work as an educationist in the U.S., Kenya, Uganda and India. Dr. Rost’s conviction is that peace education is most effective when not only the content of the textbook delves into the concept of peace, but the classroom structure also gives children the opportunity to practice cooperation, conflict resolution, and empathy during the lesson. His newly released textbooks for standards I-V, The Foundation of Peace, published by FAS, employ methods of training young children to be peaceful and active "peacemakers" using cooperative learning and cooperative games.


Dr. Vasudevan Nair, Principal of Riverdale International School, Pune, discussed the way science and spirituality can work together harmoniously in approaches to education that seek to cultivate the limitless potentialities of the human being.

Delia Maria from FOGM who has written a manual titled “Teaching Communal Harmony in the classroom” attended the seminar. She is trying to network with the other participants she met there to hold a FAS workshop for Pune teachers in July.

For peace education literature or to organize a teacher training workshop write to FAS, 174, Sector-2, Shakti Nagar , Bhopal–462 024, Madhya Pradesh (India), Tel: 755 4274110; Email: director@fasindia.org; payam@sancharnet.in; Website: www.fasindia.org