The Jaipur Cartier Elephant Polo Match takes place today, November 18th, 2006

[Guest guest]

*Dear AAPN colleagues,*

* The day of reckoning has arrived

and as Messala spoke to Ben Hur on the eve of the fabled chariot race, " This

is the day, Judah, it is between us now. " Indeed, it is now a spectacle

unlike any other in the recent history of Indian animal welfare, rights and

conservation.*

* The organisers, as we all know, are going ahead with the match ignoring

the informed opinion of some of the most experienced and renowned wildlife

experts in the world along with the collective voice of thousands of people

across the world. Let us all hope that the elephants do not have to face

such an ordeal ever again, in Jaipur or anywhere else in India. *

* This campaign has been a learning experience for all of us. It has been a

potent example of the power of what the science fiction writer Sir Arthur C

Clarke calls as 'Citizen Journalism', whereby every citizen is considered to

be a reporter of events around him. It has been a great exercise in

democracy. For those of you who feel like reporting on the event and its

outcome on an international platform please feel free to visit the website

of the international online newspaper 'OhMyNews International' in South

Korea(South Korea is among the world's most extensively networked countries)

at english.ohmynews.com/. The process of registration is very simple and

the democratic power unbelievably great. It is something worth trying out

and I have posted news on this site myself. This campaign illustrates that

concerned citizens need no longer be passive consumers of official

propaganda, they can voice their opinions and produce facts challenging the

status quo.*

* The last 40 days have been days when individuals from far and near from

all parts of the planet have come together. We thank every single one of

you. Azam has led from the front and it has been a privilege to assist his

stalwart efforts.We have highlighted not only the cruelty involved in this

singular event but also the plight of elephants everywhere, be they Asian or

African. After the conclusion of this match, we must keep our focus and

continue to highlight the plight of elephants, be they wild or captive. The

elephants of India have been made pawns in a totally commercial enterprise,

for their sake, we must not fail them after the event.*

* The day of the festival will be an eventful one. Our colleagues in Jaipur

have been working day and night to oppose this event. The national and

international media have been alerted throughout the world(CNN carried the

news today).**

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* *

* For the organisers of the elephant polo tournament and the sponsors, let

us wish them good luck in their entertainment. And for the protesters, let

us wish them strength and courage in addition to luck. They will need all

three today.*

* For the royal guests, celebrities and spectators of elephant polo, I offer

the following poem named 'Ozymandias of Egypt' by Percy Bysshe Shelley. It

deals with a royal and speaks about the desert and embraces the theme of

nihilism for those who think they are entitled to special privileges at the

cost of exploiting others:*

**

* I met a traveller from an antique land*

* Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone*

* Stand in the desert......Near them, on the sand,*

* Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,*

* And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,*

* Tell that its sculptor well those passions read*

* Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,*

* The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed:*

* And on the pedestal these words appear:*

* 'My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:*

* Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!'*

* Nothing beside remains. Round the decay *

* Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare*

* The lone and level sands stretch far away.*

* (Ozymandias of Egypt, quoted by Peter Singer in 'How are We To Live?',

Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1997, page 256)*

* Let us all hope that this Elephant Polo event on the sands of Rajasthan

on November, 18th, 2006, is never forgotten.*

* Thank you to all again. Best wishes and kind regards,*

**

*

Yours sincerely,*

*

*