From Danube to Damodar

                            TWO RIVERS – ONE LIFE

                       From Danube to Damodar

                       March 22nd – 29th/Austria

 FIAN Austria hosted the delegation with Bulu Imam, Elizabeth Bara and Philomina Tirkey from March 22nd to March 29th.

Arrival in Vienna: Tuesday, March 22^nd, 12,35h pm.

Two interviews were planned one for a newspaper, and one broadcast for Radio Orange, done by “Frauensolidrität”, (Women Solidarity)

The delgation procedes to Linz by train on Friday, March 25^th, met at the station by Elisabeth and Edi (me and my husband) and accompanied to DK Austria (DKA=Carol Singers Action), where a lecture is planned for participants of a college course. This starts at 14,00h and goes until 16,00h.

It can be done in English without translation. (Bulu can present the same that is prepared for La Sapienza).

After that, the delegation arrived at our place in Upper Austria: Elisabeth Költringer and Gernot Krondorfer,  Ohnersdorf 11, A-4152 Sarleinsbach, Tel. 0043 (0)7283 8605, Email: elisabeth.koeltringer@sundial.at

Sunday, March 27^th:

Event on the Danube riverbanks and on the Ship “Lilofee”

Title: TWO RIVERS – ONE LIFE, from Danube to Damodar.

10,30h: excursion on water with ship “Lilofee” (www.resi.at-Schiffstaufe )

Water from the Damodar is given to the Danube, water from the Danube is taken for being given to Damodar.

Press, TV and Public on the ship, accompanied with music by Veronika and Franz Falkinger.

Symbol: there are many rivers but one water, there are many humans but one life…..

13,00h: lunch at Donauparadies Gierlinger (www.donauparadies.gierlinger.at )

14,00h: public event in the marquee (tent) at the riverbank: see poster.

This FIAN Event is supported/sponsored by www.kultursprung.at , Musicschool Lembach, Europäischer Landwirtschaftsfond, Leader, Land Oberösterreich and Dreikönigsaktion-Hilfswerk der Katholischen Jungschar (www.dka.at ).

Public Event for the support of the resistence against open cast coal mining in the Karanpura Valley in Jharkhand.

Philomina Tirkey and Elizabeth Bara will paint live for the public.

Bulu Imam will inform about Karanpura Valley and resistence against mining.

Option: to initiate a partnership between the inhabitants of the Damodar dwellers and the inhabitants of the Danube dwellers.

Inculturell exchange, meeting, alliance.

Initiate public support for planned FIAN campaign Kusum Tola/Karanpura.

DKA will participate with info desk (Luggi Frauenberger) and with programm for children (Magdalena Jetschgo).

Poster “From Danube to Damodar” will be painted and presented by Vera Krondorfer.

17,00h break with refreshments.

Discussions, exchanges, alliances, open end.

Monday, March 28^th

Excursion to Sumava Nationalpark (www.sumava.nationalpark ) with proponents of www.gruenesherz.boehmerwaldnatur.at (Thomas Engleder), natura 2000, (Andreas Prammer) www.naturschutzgruppe haibach (Franz Exenschläger) and YTAE (Youth Taking Action for the Earth: Moritz Schachner).

Tuesday, March 29^th: departure for Heidelberg to FIAN IS by train from Passau.

For more information please contact: elisabeth.koeltringer@sundial.at

Second programme: On the Damodar river at Ramgarh

On 17 May the ceremony of pouring the Danube water brought from the upper Danube at the Snake Bend upstream of Linz near Ohberndorf in Austria was performed on the left bank of the Damodar at Ramgarh. The day 17^th April was chosen for this sacred event as it was sacred to the Buddha which is marked on the full moon of mid-May called Buddh-Purnima. The group of us consisted of Philomina, Elizabeth and Bulu, our eldest son Justin and his wife Alka, and two women of our cooperative. The ceremony was a ritual one and a round wooden plate was decorated with flowers (pagoda flower, goldmohur, marigold) , and five lights in clay diyas  in the middle of which was kept the ceramic jar of water from the Danube. The jar had been made near the Danube in Ohberndorf by the brother of Elizabeth Koeltringer named Peter. It thus had a special significance. The site chosen was beside a rocky bed where the Damodar is deep and at its widest in Ramgarh a little to the east side of the N.H.33 bridge between Ramgarh and Hazaribagh, and in view of the temple on the opposite bank. The women read the prayer to the Damodar to receive the waters brought from the Danube river in Austria by the women for immersion in the Damodar. After this the water in the jar was poured in the Damodar waters. Then in the traditional Indian custom the wooden plaque decorated with flowers on which the jar of water had been kept was put in the river and floated downstream.