Tehelka Not Welcome In Goa

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Tehelka, the organisers of the THiNK ‘13 Festival, have been declared to be unwelcome in Goa by Goenchea Xetkarancho Ekvott (GXE) who are outraged by the fact that the THiNK Festival offers a platform to, and acts and collaborates with corporations with a blemished record of working and acting against the interests of the peoples of India.

These same corporations sponsoring the Festival have been involved in major illegal activities such as illegal mining, the telecom scam, the Radia tapes exposure, sponsorship of the Salwa Judum, innumerable environmental violations, and displacing indigenous communities.

Teheleka magazine, who brings Goa this festival, spiked a story by one of its own journalists that would have exposed the illegal mining taking place in Goa. The journalist’s investigation was later confirmed by the Shah Commission, that accused the mining industry, in collusion with politicians and government officials, of illegal mining to the tune of Rs 35,000 crores.

Till date, Tehelka has remained silent on the matter.

The price to register for the festival – Rs 35,000 – reflects the audience that the Festival expects to attract: the rich and the powerful.

It is not an inclusive but an exclusive club even though participation  in previous festivals has been thin.

We call on speakers attending to rethink their presence at this festival. To take part in this STiNKFEST is to commit yourself to the supporting those sponsors and supporters of this so-called intellectual forum that exploits the people of this country.

ISSUED- BY—- Members of the Goan Society, including John Fernandes, Benaulim; Zarina Da Cunha, Nuvem; Abhijit Prabhudesai, Curtorim; Sidharth Karapurkar, Navelim; Rony Dias, Cuncolim; Fr. Victor Ferrao, Rachol; Cassian Furtado, Varca and many others

 

 

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