International Convention on Crimes against Humanity
Bengal Basin and Beyond: Reaffirming a Humane, Plural Society
Reflections and analyses
Saturday, Jule 1, 2002
100 GPB Building (Genetics and Plant Biology Building)
University of California at Berkeley
Morning Session
11:00 - 1:00
INTRODUCTION:: Inaugural song:Susmita Ghosh
Inauguration
Charles Townes,Nobel Laureate Physicist, Advisor of IIBB and Convenor of the Convention
Introductory Remarks:Genesis and Background of the Convention
Rashbihari Ghosh, founder-chairman, International Institute of Bengal Basin and joint convenor of the Convention.
Abdullah Abu Sayeed, noted educator from Bangladesh
Dilip K. Sinha, noted educator from West Bengal
Keynote Speech
Charles Townes
BANGLADESH: CHALLENGE TO A PLURAL SOCIETY
On the Brink
Dhiman Chowdhury, president, Human Rights Commission for Bangladesh Minorities
A Perennial Legacy of the British Imposed Partition of India
Sunil Kumar Pal,Forum for Minority Rights in Bangladesh
BANGLADESH: THE HUMAN TENDENCY
Promoting a Bengali cultural ethos: THe role of Chhayanaut
Khairul Anam, secretary, Chhayanaut cultural oganization, Bangladesh
Post election communal violence in Bangladesh and expatriate response:The role of Drishtipat
Ashfaque Swapan, reporter
Afternoon Session
2:00 - 5:00
BEYOND STRIFE: OTHER CHALLENGES TO HUMAN RIGHTS
Moderator: Derek Whitworth
Humanity Rights at Stake: Revisiting Rabindranath Tagore's Works
Dilip K. Sinha,former Vice Chancellor, Santiniketan
Health of Mothers and Children in Bangladesh
Julia A. Walsh, adjunct professor, Maternal & Child Health School of Public Health, University of California at Berkreley
Peace, Human Rights, Environmental Issues: Bengal Basin to the World
David Seaborg, wildlife biologist, environmentalist and human rights activist
Aid and Human Rights in Bangladesh
Claudia Carr, associate professor, Policy and Management Department of Environment Science, University of California at Berkeley
Comments
Hari Chowdhury, Peter Demount, Rina Pal
BENGAL: THE BROADER CONTEXT
The Spectre of Fundamentalism (In Bengali)
Sunil Gangopadhyay, author (He cannot attend due to illness. A video message will be broadcast.)
Hindu Muslim Relations in Bengal: A Historian's Perspective
Professor Dilip K. Basu, historian, University of California at Santa Cruz
Perennial Legacy of the British imposed partition in India
Sunil Kumar Pal, Forum for Minority Rights in Bangladesh
The Joint Hindu-Muslim heritage of Kathak
Chitresh Das, founder of Chhandam School of Kathak Dance and Chitresh Das Dance Company
BEYOND BENGAL
Building Bridges Between Pakistanis and Indians in the Bay Area
Akhila Raman, Friends of South Asia
The Gujarat Crises: Expatriate Response in the Bay Area
Raka Ray, Coalition Against Communalism
COUNCLUDING SESSION
Closing Remarks
Charles Townes and Rashbihari Ghosh
Documentation in Charge: Rosalie Y.Say
Rapporteur: Miyuki Saito
EVENING CULTURAL SESSION (In Bengali)
6:00 - 8:00
Songs of Kazi Nazural Islam
Performed by Khairul Anam and Dr. Anup Ghoshal
Kazi Nazural Islam, national poet of Bangladesh, epitomizes a Bengali cultural ethos that transcends the religious divede. This values of humanism and tolerance are particularly relevant in today's troubled times. Mr.Khairul Anam is one of the leading exponent of Nazrul songs in Bangladesh and . Dr. Anup Ghoshal is in West Bengal. Dr. Nikhil Mazumder of San Jose, member of IIBB. who sponsored Dr. Ghoshal for his Los Angeles trip to perform at the Human rights convention. Dr. Rash B. Ghosh of IIBB and University of California, Berkeley hosted the convention Nobel laureate Charles Townes chief adviser of IIBB was the Convenor of the Convention presented key note speech, Rosalie Say, Miyuki Saito, Asfaque Swapan, Khairul Anam, Deaprasad Karchowdhury, Biplob Ghose and others worked very hard to make this program successful.
