Kashmiri Pandits in Cyber Space - Get
Connected
Lalit Wanchoo, Sunil Fotedar, and
Subodh Atal* - USA
*Lalit Wanchoo, President - Kashmiri Overseas Association (KOA)
Sunil Fotedar, KOA Internet Activity Coordinator
Subodh Atal, Kashniir Inforniation Network (KIN) Coordinator
The purpose of this article is to let our
community know about the information super-highway activity bv the Kashmiri
Pandit Community in the United States. As we recognize that information is
the strength of any argument, using it properly can be very effective in
achieving one's goal. We also understand that with our limited resources,
we have to use a mechanism that is cost-effective and makes use of available
tools for the dissemination of information worldwide. The Internet and the
World Wide Web provide one such avenue that can put people together in a matter
of minutes over cyberspace to share their views and opinions.
We chose this activity because in last five years Internet has become so
popular and important that one has a hard time visualizing life without it.
It is offering a single global platform as a complete community environment in
the Cyberspace. This may threaten those who are not connected, i.e., those
not living in this Cyberspace. Also, as our children grow up with this
electronic media for the communication, use of the Internet will become an
integral and important part of everyone's life. One would question : What
is this Cyberspace ? The cyberspace term was originated in 1984 by author
William Gibson in his science fiction novel "Neuromancer". In an
interview, Gibson referred it to as a metaphor that allows us to grasp this
place where since about the time of the Second World War we have increasingly
done so many things that we think of as civilization. Cyberspace is
currently used to describe the whole range of information resources available
through computer networks which include E-mail, Internet to various people.
The Internet is the vast collection of inter-connected networks that use a
standard protocol in transferring information. While as the World Wide Web
(WWW), commonly referred to as Web, is the collection of information in various
forms, such as text, graphics, audio, video, movies, and combination of these
forms using various standard formats. The Internet is used to access the
web servers.
Many companies are using the Internet for marketing their products and
services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Growth in the Cyberspace has been
phenomenal. It has been reported that in 1996 there were 40 million people
connected to Internet through 60,000 independent networks hosting over 29
million websites. It is expected that by the end of the century there will
be over 300 million people worldwide accessing about 100 million websites.
This reflects on the amount of information that is going to flow through the
Internet, which is measured, in terms of bits-per-second. For reference, a
full page of text is about 16,000 bits and with the current available technology
it will take under a second for its transfer from one computer to another.
Keeping this thing in mind, a few dedicated young KPs in the USA volunteered
to pursue Internet activity. In 1995, with the help of a few members,
Internet activity was launched and now four years later many KPs worldwide are
helping in this activity. The sociocultural aspect of Kashmiri Pandits
are'being addressed by the Kashmiri Overseas Association (KOA), while as the
political information is. being tackled by the Kashmir Information Network
(KIN), part of the Indo-American Kashmir Forum (IAKF).
The Kashmiri Overseas Association (KOA) of USA, a non-profit, cultural
organization of the Kashmiri Pandits (KP) settled in the USA, has been actively
involved in the Internet and World Wide Web for creating repository and the
dissemination of information related to Kashmiri Pandit culture, history,
religion, and tourism. This web site also carries paintings by KP artists,
Kashmiri songs and Bhajans, several video documentaries, Chat, announcements,
appeals, tributes, and information about KOA gatherings in USA. KOA also
offers free on-line matrimonial services since August 1998. So far over
150 matrimonials were carried on this web site and according to our estimates,
about 10 percent have established relationships. Our expectation is that
this will be the resource used by our community worldwide.
In addition, KOA offers a private e-mail based information exchange for
Kashmiri Pandits, KPnet, as an open forum to share news and views on social,
religious, cultural and political issues with other KP subscribers. Each
subscriber is encouraged to provide personal views / comments about any relevant
KP issue, comment on the public actions of our community leaders, and
participate in discussion of any issue that touches our community. The
purpose of the KPnet is to provide a healthy and encouraging environment for
timely exchange of information, views, and opinions. This is a free email
service to any KP worldwide but one has to register with the KOA's KPnet
Administrator for this service. People have used this service to seek
information, locate friends, express opinions, share news and exchange
greetings. This service is also offered through the Web under KP mail.
We plan to link all KP organizations together using the Internet to minimize
the physical distances. We offer our free services to any KP organization
to get on the Web and be connected through Internet. Our appeal to all the
organizations is to get an e-mail account and get connected through KPnet for
news and views. We want to create our own KPcyberspace where we may share
information, provide support system and walk together holding hands.
On the political front, Pro-Pakistani and fundamentalist Kashmiri Muslims
seeking separation from India have used the Internet and the Web for
misinformation and disinformation on the Kashmir issue. In order to
counter this campaign launched against the minuscule KP community, a team of
dedicated KP individuals, grouped under Kashmir Information Network (KIN) in the
USA, has created another Web site. The KIN Web site carries information
about the on-going struggle of the KPs as refugees in their own country, the
conditions that prevailed in the valley before their exodus, their history of
survival through centuries of persecution at the hands of cruel Muslim rulers in
the valley, the detailed case analyses of various Kp individuals killed by the
Pakistan-sponsored militants, and several massacres of the KPs that have taken
place after their exodus. This Web site is also a repository describing
the ethnic cleansing of KPs from the valley of Kashmir. KIN is recognized
internationally as the top Web site representing Kashmiri Hindu political
viewpoints, and is ranked at or near the top among all Kashmir-related Web sites
by several Web "search engines". A portion of KIN, Kashmir
Terrorism Index, has been referenced among the top counter-terrorism sites in
the world.
The KIN Website includes the following key sections:
1) Kashmir Terrorism Bulletin - lists latest day-today details about
Pakistan-supported terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir,
2) Kashmir Terrorism Index - a comprehensive and unique Web portal detailing
terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan's deadly role.
3) Between Kashmir And Islamic Fanaticism - The Real Heroes - profiles
of brave Indian soldiers who put their lives on the line to prevent the fall of
Kashmir to Islamic Fanaticism.
4) The Continuing Civilian Toll of Terrorism in Kashmir - tracks number of
non-combatant civilian deaths due to terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, including
cumulative monthly totals, and
5) On-line Videos - provides an audio-visual account of the human tragedy
facing Kashmiri Pandits ethnically cleansed from their ancestral homeland.
6) Ethnic Cleansing Glimpses - provides detailed glimpes into ethnic
cleansing of nearly 300,000 Kashmiri Pandits from their ancestral homeland.
In addition, the KIN has launched a monthly electronic newsletter, Kashmir
Chronicle, that carries current news and reviews of terror and tragedy in Jammu
and Kashmir. The Kashmir Chronicle is e'mailed to over 750 e-mail
addresses of US Congressmen, US Senators, Policymakers, Thinktanks, US and
Indian newspapers, and Canadian Parliamentarians, and well wishers, We plan to
add European and Indian elected officials and other newspapers. The past
issues of this E-newsletter are available from KIN's website.
For information or questions regarding KOA, please send an e-mail to
wanchoo@koausa.org and for information or questions regarding KIN, please
send an e-mail to: kin@kashmir-information.com
The website addresses of interest are
1 - Kashmiri Overseas Association of USA (KOAUSA):
http:/ /www.koausa.org
2. KPmail - KPnet mail on the Web (need to register for a password)
http:/ /www.koausa.org/KPmail
3. To subscribe to KPnet mail, send an e-mail to: koausa@koausa.org
4. KPmatrimonial - Web based matrimonial service
http:/ /www.koausa.org/Matrimonial
5. Kashmir Information Network (KIN): http://www.kashmir-information.com
6. Kashmir Chronicle - Monthly E-newsletter
http: / /www.kashmir-information.com/KashmirChronicle
7. Kashmir Terrorism Index
http://www.kashmir-information-com/Terrorism
8. To subscribe to Kashmir Chronicle, send an e-mail to:
kin@kashmir-information.com
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