Museum of (real) Indian History

July 9, 2006

Dear Members,

Francois Gautier is the Convener of FACT (Foundation Against Continuing Terrorism). He is trying to do a museum of (real) Indian history. A brief info about FACT is given below. Let us help this noble project. Please send your donatios to FACT, Canara Bank, Pondicherry, A/C No. 27147, or mail your checks in the name of FACT to Francois Gautier, Auromodel, Auroville, 605 101, India. FACT India is a registered Trust with tax exemption.

Thanks so much for your help.

Best regards,

Vasudeva Kamath

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FACT

Foundation Against Continuing Terrorism

Auromodel, Auroville, 605101, India

Tel (91) 413 2622255, Fax (91) 413 2622116

fgautier (AT) sify (DOT) com

FACT, Foundation Against Continuing Terrorism, was started in 2003 by François Gautier, a French journalist and writer who has been covering for 25 years India and South Asia as a political correspondent for numerous newspapers such as Journal de Genève, Le Figaro, or Ouest-France. All throughout his reporting years, he noticed that most western correspondents were projecting the problems, warts and shortcomings of India, but never its positive points. He also felt that the terrorism faced by the Hindus, the majority community of India, are never highlighted, but that rather, they are despised or made fun off. On top of that, their history has been written in such a biased and unscientific manner, that very little of its unparalleled greatness and unique spirituality comes through

Hence when Francois Gautier got a journalism prize (Natchiketa award of excellence in journalism) by the Prime Minister of India, he used the prize money to mount a series of exhibitions highlighting the plight of Hindus today and throughout the ages. The first one dealt with the ethnic cleansing of the Kashmiri Hindus, four hundred thousand of them having become refuges in their own country . This exhibition was shown successfully in Delhi, Bangalore, Poland, Germany, Israel, England, Holland and in the US Congress last July, leading to a bipartisan resolution on the Human Rights of the Kashmiri Pandits in the US Congress . Another exhibition on the persecution of Hindus, Christians and Buddhists in Bangladesh is ready and will be inaugurated in Mumbai on 18th November by His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. A path-breaking project on "Aurangzeb as he was" is nearly ready and will be shown in Delhi's Habitat Centre on 16th Feb 2007. A film on the condition of Brahmans and Other Upper Castes has be made and will be followed by a an exhibition and a book. We have also initiated a show on the persecution of Tibetans and another exhibition on the Inquisition in Goa is on the cards.

FACT has three objectives:

1) Create awareness. To educate the world, particularly western nations, about the kind of terrorism affecting India. We find, for instance, that the United States or Israel, or even Russia, who have all been hit hard by terrorism, are totally ignorant of the sufferings India has endured at the hands of the same fundamentalism.

2) Trigger action. Amnesty International, The UN, UNESCO, International Human Rights organizations, have not cared to take any action upon the human rights violations perpetrated against India. The plight of the Kasmiri Pandits, or the persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh, or the terrorizing of Hindus in the North-East at the hands of Christian separatist groups, are not included in any of the agendas of these organizations. We intend to remedy to that.

3) To build an Indian History museum. India has terribly suffered in the last fifteen centuries at the hands of invaders, be they Muslims, Christians, or even Chinese recently. No nation can move forward, unless it faces squarely its past. As His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the founder of the Art of Living Foundation, pointed out recently, " the courage to remember, helps us not to repeat the same mistakes and to build a better future for our children ". Hence, FACT would like to build an Indian museum where all the atrocities committed in India against Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims and Christians, will be depicted, but also where all the greatness of India, past, present and future will be projected.

For all this noble endeavours, we solicit your help and support. FACT India is a registered Trust with tax exemption,. Please send your donations to FACT, Canara Bank, Pondichery a/c N° is 27147, or mail your cheques in the name of FACT to François Gautier, Auromodel, Auroville, 605101, India.

Thanks so much for your help

Best

François Gautier / Convener FACT