Festival of Hope, Justice and Peace to celebrate Sharmila
- Sharmila's entry into the 10th year of hunger strike against AFSPA -
- 2 to 6th November, 2009 -

Dear Friends,

As you are probably already aware, this November marks Sharmila's entry into the 10th year of hunger strike against the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958. We strongly feel that this is an occassion to celebrate. Celebrate her resilence! For this is unprecedented in the history of resistance!

In Manipur the Just Peace Foundation, which is a foundation of Sharmila's friends and family, is oganizing a Festival of Hope, Justice and Peace. The inviation and the program is enclosed herewith in a pdf format, please feel free to print it out and distribute to friends and colleagues. Maa Maheswata Devi, the doyen of Indian literature and Deepti Priya Mehrotra author of the recently published book on 'Burning Bright: Sharmila and the struggle for peace in Manipur" will participate in the celebration.

If you too take the trouble of coming down to Imphal to participate, Just Peace Foundation will be happy to open our homes and look after your local hospitality.

If you are unable to travel, but want to do somthing on this occasion where ever you are, you can respond to the call for action given in www.manipurfreedom.org.

If you are unable to do either of them, please do spare a thought before taking your next meal about this gentle lady who have not taken a drop of water into her mought for almost a decade and pray that Armed Forces Special Powers Act should go!

In solidarity,

Babloo Loitongbam
for Just Peace Foundation

Invitation in PDF here (1,042 KB)

Also look at The Times, London article on Ms. Sharmila here and an article on from The Economist here..