I apologise for my letter dated:

11th January 2010

Tuesday, January 12, 2010 12:08 PM
From:
"V.B.Chandrasekaran Balasubramaniam" <verivaan2049@yahoo.com>
Sub: I apologise for my letter dated: 11th
January 2010
Pavan Kaushik
Head – Corporate Communication
Vedanta Group
Phone: 9928844499
“Pavan Kaushik” <pavan.kaushik@vedanta.co.in>
Sub: Foreign NGOs creating unrest in Lanjigarh with reference to
Your letter to journalists dated: Wed, 9 Dec 2009
Dear Pavan Kaushik,

11th January 2010 03.00 AM rewritten today at 11.32 AM the 12th

January 2010

Jai Insaan, Jai Hind and Jai Jagath.

May I apologise for the tone and tenor of my letter dated: 11 th January 2010
03.00 AM addressed to you. Many friends brought to my notice that any
letter should be endearing and persuasive and not in aggressive tone. This
assumes importance, in the context of our agenda/ guiding principles/values
are being AHIMSA, JUSTICE and LOCAL GOVERNANCE. Aggressive tone, I
realize is a form of violence (I am sorry by habit I forget this should be
otherwise the guiding maxim, when anyone writes, especially to fairly
responsibly placed persons like you.) Believe in these feelings as genuine
reflection.

1. I am sure that we as human beings desire Freedom and

Independence more than Prosperity. We all in our childhood has similar
lessons of how a parrot opts to fly with freedom and independence,
work hard to eat the fruits in forest than being put in a beautiful
golden cage and provided apples to eat regularly. Interestingly, Bakta
Ramdass who constructed a great temple with the cooperation of the
community at Bhadrachalam in Khammam District of Andhra Pradesh
was imprisoned by Nizam and tortured at Golconda fort because he
caged a parrot and gave it as a gift to his beloved women. All of us and
tribal/adivasi in Dandakaranya really itch for a similar life of freedom
and Independence of the parrot.

2. In Copenhagen, I get an impression of having missed the real

issue. We tried to find technical and scientific answers. Scientists,
technologists and Industrialists are all fundamentally and ultimately
working for Humanity to be happy, healthy, live in Peace with
Prosperity. Prosperity cannot antagonize with Peace- Peace with Nature
or within/among Human beings. Typically, one gets an impression that
founders of atom would not have founded it, if they had the remote
inkling that it would be a threat to the very existence of humanity in
the form of Atom Bomb.

3. I think spiritualism has close relationship to peace within self and

without. It is important to note that any form of spiritualism
took into consideration of all future human generations. The
prosperity path now we are journeying is leading us to issues related to
health like AIDS//Sugar/BP etc, terrible stress psychologically,
disputes in family and society sociologically, agitations/ uprisings and
sometimes to the scale of civil war politically because the
development and prosperity not respecting the Democracy at
the grass root and the future generations whom we owe.

4. Of course, a HUMANITY ANNIHILATING WAR like situation is

emerging with climatic change, where the otherwise ‘non living things’
in nature are getting more empowered and subordinating all living
beings led by Humanity. We could get literally annihilated and become
dinosaurs for any future living system to excavate. Symptoms are just
being witnessed this year in India like floods in Krishna River that could
have smashed Srisailam dam washing away Vijayawada, the total
erratic rains- draught and many more around the world.

5. Kings and Rulers only play a role of moderator, control and

negotiations with other countries… but the path of development should
be bottom up initiated by local governance and gradually converging
at different levels as we go above. In India this was recognized, valued
and cherished for thousands of years. It was during the 90 years rule of
British Raj that People were partly deprived of this democracy by then
Government declaring the Forest, Land, Water and even Air as the
property of the Government. But eventually, respecting both the
sentiments and livelihood needs of the tribals they diluted this
enactment to allow the communities enjoy all these resources but
allowing the Government to also take away their needs
( Government’s) for development. It was plenty and the impact
was not felt. They were not physically displaced. The
exploitation of resources in the given space by science and
technology then was more humane and it was not felt
aggressively.

6. Rulers are rich and have all power. Often, they tend to become
blind that they cannot perceive these issues that can be perceived by
the communities and their governance. Still, following Mahatma
Gandhi’s Dream of Gram Swaraj and tradition, Government of India has
enacted various acts to completely empower Local Self Governance to
not only enjoy the fruits given by Science and Technology but also the
challenges and threats being posed by the very same science and
technology. Science and technology as we understand seeing
the monstrous speed has become numb to have any sensitivity
to understand the rights of future generations for another
many more millenniums’. This needs a check and balance
control by the community and their self governance.

7. In this Globalised world, corporate claim universal right to invest

anywhere in the world. It is the same world where we NGOs and
Voluntary Organisations live and we are also globalised. To blame
foreign NGOs for anything on social related issues is to provoke. We
Indians are also aligned with them. (It is also not correct to divert from
the real issues that one is foreign or Maoists or even terrorist. The
paranoid the west had to communism for centuries because of lack of
the faith in Individuals and their communities and their capabilities to
decide their socio-economic and political system was not trusted,
which seems to continue at a lower tone. Let us not repeat the
mistake.) We in Indian NGOs may have lesser resources but are
equally intelligent and knowledgeable. I am constrained to draw
your attention to this diversion of others attention from real
issues by stating that foreign NGOs are creating unrest in
Lanjigarh or for that matter Maoists are terrorists etc. in your
narrow interest of profits.

8. Even Pope has recognized Science and Technology by correcting

the stand of church Vs Darwin and Galileo. But, he also emphasized the
need for convergence, understanding between Science and Religion.
Let us see in our context and agree Religion as more broad based to
include all Religions (if pope meant only Christianity?!) and even
humanists and atheist.

9. We fully appreciate the great service being done by Industries

including national and multinational corporate and Vedanta in
emancipating the lives of Human beings. By conscience and/or
coincidence and/or providence the name of your corporate is
VEDANTA. In India VEDANTA is the genesis of spiritualism. I am sure
that VEDANTA can be appropriately a leader showing new path of
industrial and corporate business with respect for democracies of the
communities and eco friendly taking into account of the well being of
all the future generations. We owe these resources to them. You may
explore learning from Asoka, Buddha and Bakta Ram Dass and many
more similar spiritual lives in history of Humanity. TAKE THE LEAD.
Make Vedanta a Peace and Ahimsa corporate.

10. Please understand the root of the anguish among NGOs, Voluntary
Organisations, Humanists and Social Activists. Our concerns that are
expressed more in the nature of appeals and even demands are that
the adivasis/tribal communities who are living in the fourth world must
be equal partners to benefit from globalisation, the very development
path must get spiritualized, science/technology/Industry must gain
human/living face, International Governments respect time
immemorial ownership of land/forest/water by the local community-
they belong and own these resources.

11. National governments are only custodians. The Adivasi/Tribal

communities need to be empowered to the needs of modern
governance before any tampering with their properties for any
negotiation and such values.

Tail Piece: Personally sharing related information that my co-

brother Sri. Pasupulati Bala Raju is the Hoin,ble Minister for Tribal
Welfare in Government of Andhra Pradesh. Trust me, after the sad
and premature death of my wife Mani, we are not on good terms,
honestly we are not speaking to each other. We are silent to each
other.
But, this relationship has influence to Congress party workers in
his grass root Gudem and Chinthapalli area, which is a part in the
Dandakaranya- the Eastern Ghats where including in Abhujmud
many mining activities are being undertaken by big corporate like
Vedanta and Jindal. They in an informal sharing clearly
affirmed that it was to make these mining operations
successful that Maoists are termed terrorists and Green
Hunt is launched by the Government of India.
Is it not painful as Indians to us that the interest of people is
subordinated to that of corporate in these operations because –
even in the second world war many times the soldiers, civilians
were killed, that these will kill or displace or develop issue of
 refuges- called Internally Displaced person like we see in Andhra
Pradesh, where people from Chattisgarh are taking refugee to
escape from three directional violence from Maoists, the Police
plus paramilitary forces and Salwa Jhudum.

In conclusion my/our appeals are….

1. There is a need to cap uncontrolled growth to maintain balance

and equilibrium between Humanity and material growth/development.

2. We need Human Industries…less of hospitals and more of

Institutes where Humanist scholars and thinkers are developed as core
Human Resource to guide science, technology, and industry, national
and multinational corporate and of course the Governments.

3. We need to respect and wait to allow the adivasis and similar

communities around the world to become equal partners and
beneficiaries in globalisation, especially when their resources are used.

4. Respect the first right of adivasis over all their resources and do
not unnecessarily put the Government against the adivasis, because of
the strength of our modern knowledge and power/clout therefore
corporate enjoy in influencing the government. Our Government
should be exhorted to be better than the British Raj in respecting the
ownership of these resources that belong to adivasis and tribal
communities.

5. Please accept that it is not acceptable to any Indian Citizen that

violence is inflicted upon the adivasis and tribal communities in the
interest of development. They shall not be displaced from their lands
without their fully informed decision. Even here, the cultural identities
and affinities, which if not respected now, may create future uprisings
like the one we are witnessing in Telangana and elsewhere.

6. Believe, we are friends- Indian and Global Citizens. These are our
shared concerns. Please use your resource to develop platforms for our
combined negotiation- making sure that some in
Voluntary/NGOs/activists and others DO NOT get sold out. We
have evidences and examples that often threaten us to
dialogue. The dialogue is to mutually learn, appreciate and
choose the third path.
With High Regards,
 V.B.Chandrasekaran,

People’s Peace and Prosperity Mission,

Gudem Post, G.K.Veedhi Mandal, Visakha District, Andhra Pradesh,

India-531 133.

And

Chatti Post, Chinthur Mandal, Khammam District, Andhra Pradesh,

India- 507 129

Email: verivaan2049@yahoo.com bragadambal@yahoo.co.in

Mobile: 9490109328.

Re: My response to VEDANTA- Pavan being shared. Feed back,

if possible requested.- Abstract from enews- survival
international attached.Pavan Kaushik
Head – Corporate Communication
Vedanta Group
Phone: 9928844499
“Pavan Kaushik” <pavan.kaushik@vedanta.co.in>
Sub: Foreign NGOs creating unrest in Lanjigarh

Ref: Your letter to journalists dated: Wed, 9 Dec 2009

Dear Pavan Kaushik, 11th January 2010
03.00 AM.

Jai Insaan, Jai Hind and Jai Jagath.

It was a very interesting and passionate letter. But, I have few crucial
questions and can I expect a transparent Multinational Corporate like
Vedanta to give focused response.

1. At the outset, keeping in line with Copenhagen Climate change agenda,

may I share with you that Adivasis, Tribals or with whatever name you may
call us, WE do not want the prosperity of the parrot in a golden cage
and fed regularly with apples. We desire the freedom and
Independence of the parrot to fly around the forest and garden,
work hard to get our fruits direct from the trees. Do you share this
value, which we strongly think that the entire Humanity must respond?

2. We are a large and closely integrated India, after Independence, thanks

to Mountbatten and Patel. Similar largeness and integrated India was there
during 90 years of British Raj, 180 years of the Mughal Empire and 130 years
of Asoka and Maurya rulers. Before the 90 years of British rule, all the
property- Land, Forest, Water and even Air was our property- the property of
the communities. The kings or “State” merely gave protection from outside
invasion, in turn collecting taxes. It was the British Raj who first illegally
declared Forest and Land as the property of the State or Government. Even
here they did not interfere with the local governance. At the time of
Independence, the Tribal/Adivasi populations were persuaded to join the
Indian Union with a solemn commitment given on behalf of the Government
of India by Nehru as Panch sheal. In addition, keeping the same spirit we
have constitutional provisions of V and VI schedule, Tribal Advisory
Committee and special role of the Governor of states and President of India
beyond even the purview of the legislators.

3. Above all, keeping in line with our father of Nation Mahatma Gandhi-
Gram Swaraj, we have the Panchayath Raj Act and provision of building
bottom up Democracy Participatory Democracy is budding and needs to
mature before taking big decision like your mega mining.

Is
 it irony, your company is named Vedanta or do
you/your company believe in Vedanta?

If
 so or even otherwise, who gave you permission to do
the mining, when it belongs to the local communities? It is their
property and it is a fundamental right.

If
 you say that Orissa State Government or Government
of India gave, is it not using their brute force and tyranny of
majority in legislatures and without any moral authority? We do
not believe in the British and Nazi idea of making people believe
untruth by going on saying it. We are a land of Gandhi-
Satyameva Jayathe- Truth Prevails. Vedanta, will you join us
in this mission to preserve and stand by Truth?

Foreign
 NGOs creating unrest in Lanjigarh – Is
this the Truth? Or can we say that Foreign Corporate are
colonizing and carpet bombing our Eastern Ghats?

We
 are sure that Vedanta has strong base or is it based
in America. Your venture is against the much cherished Doctrine
of Monroe and Doctrine of Truman because “you are colonizing
through back or is it front door our distant Eastern Ghats and
destroying the Democracies of Local Governance”. Am I wrong?
4. Will you be fair to share this letter with all the journalist, whom you had
circulated your earlier letter?

5. Will you acknowledge this mail?

6. Is it fair now you have instigated our Government of India to do

Green Hunt which is spilling Red Blood of our Adivasis in
Abhujmud- Chattisgah in Dandakaranya, in the name and
euphemism of eliminating terrorism?

In the context of Climate change, a war between living and non living
being on the globe, the terrorism that has root in mad/crazy
materialism path humanity is adopting, degradation of spiritual values,
conflict between Social Sciences and Material sciences, if you believe
in Vedanta STOP this and your future such inhuman ventures. Be like a
Sidhartha who became Buddha or Asoka to search your Human soul
and help others.

OR ATLEAST CHANGE YOUR NAME VEDANTA. IT IS MISLEADING.

With High Regards,

V.B.Chandrasekaran,

People’s Peace and Prosperity Mission,

Gudem Post, G.K.Veedhi Mandal, Visakha District, Andhra Pradesh,

India-531 133.

And

Chatti Post, Chinthur Mandal, Khammam District, Andhra Pradesh,

India- 507 129

Email: verivaan2049@yahoo.com bragadambal@yahoo.co.in

Mobile: 9490109328.