Fwd: [ReachIndia] "Save Brinjal" - National day of Fast - Jan 30, 2010: Join the growing movement!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Kirankumar Vissa <kiranvissa@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Jan 26, 2010 at 1:54 AM
Subject: [ReachIndia] "Save Brinjal" - National day of Fast - Jan 30, 2010: Join the growing movement!
To: ReachIndia@lists.aidindia.org

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Please forward it to your friends and circulate widely in all lists.

Sign up for fast or to light a candle   | Why Save Brinjal  | Why the National Day of Fast? | brinjal.org  |  Locations for Jan 30 Fast

 

Dear friends,

 

Thousands of people all over India and the world are joining the National Day of Fast on Jan 30th - Gandhiji's anniversary. From Kerala to Delhi and Bengal to Gujarat in Inda, and Baton Rouge to Boston in the US (see list of events/locations below), they are opposing the introduction of genetically modified (GM) Bt Brinjal into the Indian markets. GM foods like Bt brinjal pose a large threat to health, agriculture and environment, and they need to be strongly opposed in order to preserve farmers' self-reliance and control over seeds and agriculture, and protect the consumers' access to safe healthy food.

 

You can take part in the National Day of Fast from wherever you are, from home or office or street! Please click on http://brinjal.org/ to sign up for the fast or lighting a candle.

 

More than 500 people have already joined online, in addition to the thousands who cannot access the web but plan to join on the street. Consumers, scientists, medical community, public servants, and even government agencies are joning at this historic juncture. It is your turn to join the effort to protect all our food.

 

Bt Brinjal is made by inserting a toxin-producing gene from the Bt bacteria into the brinjal plant. India is the first country where the seed companies are trying to introduce Bt brinjal, and indeed the first time a directly consumed vegetable is being modified. Animals grazing in Bt cotton fields have died or faced serious illnesses, and introducing this technology into our own food is very risky for health, bio-safety and environment.

 

Groups organizing fasts and candle light vigils to Stop Bt Brinjal in various towns and cities have sent us their locations that are appended below.  If you plan to organize a gathering on jan 30 please send an email to aidsite@gmail .com to be listed on the brinjal.org site with the rest of the locations. 

 

The brinjal.org site is carrying daily updates of the evolving response to BT Brinjal through National Consultations and actions prior to Jan 30 as well. Several state governments representing the bulk of the brinjal growing states have already decided to say no to Bt Brinjal.

 

- Kiran Vissa

 

Sign up for fast or to light a candle     | Why Save Brinjal  | Why the National Day of Fast?

 

Locations for Jan 30 Fast

Last updated on Jan 25, 2010, 5:30 PM IST

[We have received interest in solidarity fast/vigil actions from International locations; we highly encourage the same and request all International locations to send details about their vigils].

Gujarat:

Fast in public places in following cities -- VADODARA, AHMEDABAD, RAJKOT, BHAVANAGAR AND BHUJ
CONTACT Kapil Shah at Jatan Trust   Phone: 0091-265-2371429  E-MAIL: jatantrust@gmail.com

Andhra Pradesh:

• Farmers and pastoralists who are members of the Mahila Brathukuderuvu Sangham and Mekala-Gorrela Pempakadharlu Sangham of Medak District - will be fasting on 30th Jan 2010- at Narsapur and Narayankhed Taluka. (They will join the ongoing relay-hunger strike in Telangana region with the additional issue of saying "We do not want Bt Brinjal" in Telangana, and the rest of the country).
• Farmers and Pastoralists will be fasting on 30th Jan 2010 at Kalahasthi, Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh.
• Adivasi Aikya VEdika- a platform for Adivasi Peoples organisations in Telangana and Andhra regions- will be fasting on 30th Jan 2010 at the following regions: Adilabad,  Khammam, East Godavari,  Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam  

Contact for above:  Sagari R Ramdas E-mail:  anthra.hyd@gmail.com

• Run against BT Brinjal on Jan 30 at NTR Gardens and Necklace Rd in Hyderabad. 
  Contact: <menon.niveditha@gmail.com>

Orissa:

12 districts will observe the National day of Fast:  Baripada, Sundargarh, Malkangiri, Phulbani, Koraput, Nayagarh, Nuapada, Bargad, Jagatsinghpur, Ganjam, Sambalpur, and Kendrapada.   Dr Damodar Rout, State Agriculture Minister,  has  agreed to join in the fast in Bhubaneswar. The organizers  of the  two day National Convention on Peace , Non Violence and Communal Harmony on the 30th and 31st January at BBSR are seriously thinking to give a call their delegates to participate in this fast .

Contact: Jagannath at  livingfarms@gmail.com  Phone:  0674-2430176

Delhi:

Jantar Mantar/Raj Ghat 

Contact: Selva 9891358457  Arun Raj: 099-109-08774.

E-mail: aid.selva@gmail.com

Maharashtra, the fast will include a very significant place:

Bapu Kuti, Sewagram, Wardha - the contact person is Nitin Mate - 093-721-56005

Madhya Pradesh:

Polytechnic Chowk, Near Gandhi Bhavan (Syamala Hills), Bhopal.

The contact persons would be Garima Verma: 099-813-04669 and Nilesh Desai: 094-253-29222

Bihar, the fast venues are:

Patna: Near Gandhi statue, Gandhi maidan,Patna

Muzaffarpur: Shahid Khudi Ram Bose smarak Campus,Company Bagh,Muzaffarpur

Contact person: Pankaj Bhushan - 094-702-30999

Kerala:

At Sulthan Battery, Wayanad and in Thrissur

Also at Trivandrum, where environmentalist and farmers organisations, and people from all sector will join for the fast. In solidarity there will be fasts in other districts as well.

To know more, please contact Sridhar R - 09995358205, Usha S - 09447022775 /
mail:  mail.thanal@gmail.com

 

Uttar Pradesh:

Fast is going to be organized in 5 districts , Lucknow, Sidhharth nagar, Gorakhpur, Fateh Pur and Jalaun with  Hamara Beej Abhiyan.To know more, please contact

Utkarsh Kumar Sinha - CSR/ INSAF, I nd floor, /205,Vivek Khand Gomti Nagar, Lucknow 226010
+91 99357 36877 - utkarshks@gmail.com

 

Bangalore:

Venue to be decided yet. Please contact

Krishna Prasad - prasadgk12@gmail.com (Sahaja Samrudha)

Jason (09980056315) - jason.jacob@greenpeace.org 

 

West Bengal:

At the Kolkata Book Fair, Hall Number 1, Stall No. 20 (The Earthcare Books Stall). The Kolkata Book Fair (Boi Mela) will be at the Milan Mela ground opposite Science City in Kolkata. Contact: bharatmansata@yahoo.com

Tamilnadu:

In Thiruvaroor, Farmers, expectedly about 2000 mainly from the districts of Tanjavur, Thiruvaroor and Nagapattinam, would join on a Fast led by Dr Nammalvar. There would also be a call given to all families in the district to undertake a solidarity fast, wherever they are.
Contact : R Jayaraman, CREATE :09443320954

Sheelu Francis of TN Women's Collective and FEDCOT (federation of consumers organisations) are together organising the hunger fast in the following districts: Chennai, Kancheepuram, Vellore, Thiruvannamalai, Salem, Madurai, Theni / Dindhugal, Tutucorin, Thirunelveli, Kanyakumari. Apart from joining these events, SFA is organising a relay rally across Chennai city.  (The current plan is to carry brinjals on push carts / bamboo baskets / cycles (with signs) in the rally from several points across the city all ending at the beach where we plan to have some kind of a culminating event. The plan is still evolving and we wil post more information when plans  firm up.)
Contact:  Sangeetha   sriram.sangeetha@gmail.com 

If you or your group is organizing a fast please inform aidsite@gmail.com to be listed here. 

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