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<!--StartFragment--> <div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">From New Delhi, Tuesday, March 24, 2009</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"> <o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Dear friends everywhere</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"> <o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>This is just to post some very sad news from Delhi… Smitu Kothari, who many of you might have known or known of, passed away yesterday morning, very suddenly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"> <o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Apologies for the small delay in my reaching you this news, and also, of course, for cross-posting.</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"> <o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>In Smitu’s memory, and thinking today of his father Rajni, partner Bindya, daughter Emma, brothers Miloon and Ashish, and all his many friends and near and extended family -</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"> <o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Jai</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"> <o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">fwd</span></div> <!--EndFragment--> <div><br><div>Begin forwarded message:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" color="#000000" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>From: </b></font><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Delhi Forum <<a href="mailto:delhiforum@delhiforum.net">delhiforum@delhiforum.net</a>></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" color="#000000" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>Date:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b></font><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> March 23 2009 11:04:41 AM GMT+05:30</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" color="#000000" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>Subject: </b></font><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b>Smitu Kothari passes away</b></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div> <div class="gmail_quote"><div class="gmail_quote"><div><b>Friends,<br><br>Noted scholar, author and activist Smitu Kothari passed away today early morning (India time 23rd March 6 a.m.). He died of a cardiac attack after having undergone a heart surgery yesterday at AIIMS in Delhi. The cremation will be held at Lodi Road electric Crematorium in South Delhi at 4pm on the 23rd March. </b></div> <div><b></b> </div> <div><b>Smithu was attending a Delhi Solidarity Group meeting with Himalaya Niti Abhiyan friends and others to discuss strategies and support for the people's struggles in Himachal Pradesh against displacement, mining and environmental destruction on the 20th afternoon, when he had a cardiac attack. From Indian Social Institute, he was rushed to All India Institute of Medical Sciences. He was discharged the same day as his ECG was found to be normal. However, on 21st, doctors did detail investigations, where it was found out that he had already developed a serious rupture in his main artery and an immediate surgery was undertaken on the 22nd. However, that also could not help him as he collapsed during post-operative care to a cardiac arrest today early morning. </b></div> <div> </div> <div>Smitu Kothari was one of the founders of Lokayan ("Dialogue of the People"), and Intercultural Resources, two centres in Delhi, India promoting exchange between non-party political formations and concerned scholars and other citizens from India and the rest of the world. Trained in physics, communications, and sociology, he was involved in ecological, cultural and human rights issues striving to collectively forge a national and global alternative that is socially just and ecologically sane. He had been a visiting Professor at Cornell and Princeton Universities. He was, at the time of his death, President of the International Group for Grassroots Initiatives and a Contributing Editor of The Ecologist and of Development. He published extensively on critiques of contemporary economic and cultural development, the relationship of nature, culture and democracy, developmental displacement, people’s governance, and social movements. Smitu was always a source of inspiration and support to not just people's movements and struggles in India, but also to voices of dissent and alternatives across the globe.</div> <div><br>Among the books he edited are: Voices of Struggle : Social Movements in Asia (2006); Voices of Sanity : In Search of Democratic Space (2002); A Watershed in Global Governance ? An Independent Assessment of the World Commission on Dams; The Value of Nature : Ecological Politics in India (2003); Out of the Nuclear Shadow (with Zia Mian, 2001); Rethinking Human Rights : Challenges for Theory and Action (1991); and, The Non-Party Political Process : Uncertain Alternatives (with Harsh Sethi, 1988); He was currently working on a new book, Ecological Justice : Nature, Culture, and Democracy.<br clear="all"> </div> </div><font color="#888888"><br><br></font></div>In Solidarity,<br><br>Delhi Forum<br>F-10/12, Malviya Nagar<br>New Delhi - 110017. INDIA<br>Ph: + 91-11-26680883 / 26680914<br>Fax: +91-11-26687724<br>Email: <a href="mailto:delhiforum@gmail.com">delhiforum@gmail.com</a> / <a href="mailto:delhiforum@delhiforum.net">delhiforum@delhiforum.net</a> / <a href="mailto:dforum@bol.net.in">dforum@bol.net.in</a><br> <br></blockquote></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>On Mar 23 09, at 3:28 PM, <a href="mailto:medha@narmada.org">medha@narmada.org</a> wrote:</div><blockquote type="cite"><div>NARMADA BACHAO ANDOLAN</div><div><br></div><div>· 62 M.G Marg, Badwani, Madhya Pradesh - 451551</div><div>Telefax: 07290-222464; E-mail: <a href="mailto:nba.medha@gmail.com">nba.medha@gmail.com</a> </div><div>·Maitri Niwas, Tembewadi, Behind Kakawadi, Dhadgav, Dist. Nandurbar,</div><div>Maharashtra - 425414 – Telefax: 02595-220620 </div><div>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div><b>NBA salutes the life-long contribution of </b></div><div><b>Smitu Kothari to people's movements </b></div><div><br></div><div>Resolves to carry forward his vision for a just and pro-poor development </div><div><br></div><div>Narmada Bachao Andolan joins other people's movements in expressing its shock</div><div>and grief at the most untimely demise of Smitu Kothari, one of the most active,</div><div>progressive and consistent voices against the neo-liberal anti-poor agenda of</div><div>privatization, globalization and liberalization in recent times. A widely</div><div>respected scholar, visiting academic at the Cornell and Princeton Universities,</div><div>author of several publications on contemporary socio-political and economic</div><div>discourses and above all an indomitable activist, Smitu Kothari, 59 passed away</div><div>today early morning at 6 a.m owing to a cardiac attack after having undergone a</div><div>heart surgery yesterday at AIIMS in Delhi. The cremation will be held at Lodi</div><div>Road electric Crematorium in South Delhi at 4pm on the 23rd March. </div><div><br></div><div>The most unexpected stroke came when Smitu was at a meeting of the Delhi</div><div>Solidarity Group and Himalaya Niti Abhiyan to discuss strategies for</div><div>strengthening the people's struggles in Himachal Pradesh against displacement,</div><div>mining and environmental destruction on the 20th afternoon, from where he was</div><div>rushed to the AIIMS and was discharged the same day as his ECG was found to be</div><div>normal. However he was again hospitalized a day later due to arterial</div><div>complications and succumbed during the post-operative care. </div><div><br></div><div>One of the founders of Lokayan ("Dialogue of the People"), and Intercultural</div><div>Resources, two centres in Delhi promoting exchange between non-party political</div><div>formations and concerned scholars and other citizens from India and the rest of</div><div>the world, he was actively involved in ecological, cultural and human rights</div><div>issues striving to collectively forge a national and global alternative that is</div><div>socially just and ecologically sane and in this capacity has been vigorously</div><div>pursuing multifarious academic and activist initiatives. Development induced</div><div>displacement, people’s governance and social-environmental movements were</div><div>some of his core concerns. He was also one of the striving spirits behind the</div><div>Independent People's Tribunal on the World Bank Group in India held in 2007.</div><div><br></div><div>Smitu has also been a long time vocal supporter of the struggle of the</div><div>thousands of adivasis, farmers, labourers, fishworkers, potters and all the</div><div>project-affected people in the Narmada valley and articulated their concerns at</div><div>various fora both within India and across continents. </div><div><br></div><div>A truly loving person, Smitu continues to be a source of inspiration not just</div><div>for people's movements and struggles in India, but also to voices of dissent</div><div>and alternatives across the globe. NBA expresses its heartfelt condolences to</div><div>Smitu's extended family of activists, supporters and all peace and justice</div><div>loving people. We salute his decades of invaluable contribution to diverse</div><div>people's movements and resolves to take forward his message and commitment to</div><div>come together and be united against all odds and strengthen our collective</div><div>force for justice.</div><div><br></div><div>Medha Patkar<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span> Ashish Mandloi<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span> Kamla Yadav Kailash Awasya</div><div><br></div></blockquote><div> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; 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orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><p class="MsoNormal"><span><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; ">______________________________</span></span></font><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Jai Sen<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span lang="EN-GB"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#0000FF"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); "><a href="mailto:jai.sen@cacim.ne">jai.sen@cacim.ne</a></span></font></span></span><span lang="EN-GB">t<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">CACIM, A-3 Defence Colony, New Delhi 110 024, India<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span lang="EN-GB"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#0000FF"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); 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Simply send an empty email to <a href="mailto:worldsocialforum-discuss-subscribe@openspaceforum.net">worldsocialforum-discuss-subscribe@openspaceforum.net</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"> <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><b style="font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; ">And :</span></b></span><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Join <span class="MsoHyperlink"><span><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#0000FF"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); "><a href="mailto:CEOS@openspaceforum.net">CEOS@openspaceforum.net</a></span></font></span></span>, the CEOS (Critical Engagement with Open Space) listserve for exchange and coordination on open space theory and practice and to facilitate a critical discussion of the idea of ‘open space’. 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