Communication from the Executive Committee regarding first meeting

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BalaSundaraRaman

6 Feb 2011 6 Feb '11

1:53 p.m.

Dear all, Following the registration of the Wikimedia Chapter, the first meeting of the Executive Committee (EC) was held on the 22nd January 2011 at 2 PM at 194, 2nd C Cross, Domlur 2nd Phase, Bangalore 560071. As mandated by the MoA, the office bearers were elected. The executive committee now constitutes of: * Arjuna Rao Chavala, President * Hari Prasad HS, Secretary * Anirudh Singh Bhati, Treasurer * Arun Ramarathnam, Member * BalaSundaraRaman Lakshmanan, Member * Gautam K John, Member * Srinivas Gunta, Member We would like to take the opportunity to thank the Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore for allowing generous use of their office facility for the conduct of chapter meetings and helping with registration formalities with services of a Consultant. We take this opportunity to thank the following people: (in alphabetical order) Achal Prabhala, Barry Newstead, Bence Damokos, Bishakha Datta, Delphine Meynard, M Narasimha Rao, Ray Saintonge, Sunil Abraham, and Ting Chen. We thank the Wikimedia Community for their help and encouragement and patience with the registration process. For brief biographies and photos of the EC members, please see:Wikimedia India Chapter Executive Committee Members On behalf of Wikimedia Chapter BalaSundaraRaman Lakshmanan, Member, Wikimedia Chapter "That language is an instrument of human reason, and not merely a medium for the expression of thought, is a truth generally admitted." - George Boole, quoted in Iverson's Turing Award Lecture

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CherianTinu Abraham

6 Feb 6 Feb

6:13 p.m.

New subject: [Wikimediaindia-l] Communication from the Executive Committee regarding first meeting

Hearty congratulations to Arjuna Rao , Hari Prasad & Anirudh Bhati as the new office bearers of the Wikimedia India chapter. Well deserved & best wishes for the future. Having said that, this unexpected announcement leaves me with several unanswered questions. This has to do nothing with any doubts on the calibre , integrity & abilities of new office bearers or the rest of the committee members. I still personally share a very close & cordial relations with all of the exec comn members, but that doesn't prevent me from asking lots of questions and concerns as an ordinary Wikimedian like me and it may be possibly shared by several others in this list. a) If there was to be a change of the office bearers of the chapter ( decided) on the Jan 22 Exec Comm meeting, why wasn't it announced publicly? Was there an agenda of election of new office bearers for this meeting or just happened as a co-incidence ? What were the other decisions taken on that meeting ? Is there a publicly available minutes of meeting ? b) How were the new office bearers elected ? Was there an election ? Did the previous office bearers voluntarily resign and called for a new election? Was there a vote ? If there was a vote, will it be publicly shared? What was the need of change of office bearers within few months of chapter approval or one month of chapter registration ? I thought the term of the executive committee members and the office bearers was for two years. I am sorry but I have to say this , IMHO it is not an ethical and transparent process if the 7 executive members keep electing each other, each time !!!! c) There were several discussions on this mailing list on the chapter on Jan 30 th , 2011 [1] [2] ( after the so called meeting) and had mentions of the current office bearers and none of the executive com members even bothered to clarify. I remember at least two of the exec members replying to those threads then. d) So the new office bearers' elections happened on Jan 22 , 2011 ? And I wonder what took the chapter several weeks to announce , such a important change publicly ? Remember this "new election" happened even without a publicly announced agenda, before the meeting. How many such elections can we expect during the current term of the committee? We already had lots of concerns shared by the community for the lack of transparency by the chapter and these kinds of things will only underline them. If this is the way the chapter intends to operate, I am deeply concerned and worried about its future. Regards Tinu Cherian N.B. a) To clarify, I don't intend to run for any office positions for the chapter. But I may have to even think twice to be part of a body which clearly intends to work without any proper transparency and works disconnected from the community, which it supposedly represents. b) I have always supported the chapter previously in the several discussions earlier, but this announcement put me really worried and hence this mail. Anyways, my best wishes again for the new office bearers and the chapter. Hoping the see more transparent and candid efforts from the chapter in future. [1] http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimediaindia-l/2011-January/001891.h… [2] http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimediaindia-l/2011-February/001935.… On Sun, Feb 6, 2011 at 7:23 PM, BalaSundaraRaman <sundarbecse(a)yahoo.com>wrote;wrote:

...

Dear all, Following the registration of the Wikimedia Chapter, the first meeting of the Executive Committee (EC) was held on the 22nd January 2011 at 2 PM at 194, 2nd C Cross, Domlur 2nd Phase, Bangalore 560071. As mandated by the MoA, the office bearers were elected. The executive committee now constitutes of: - Arjuna Rao Chavala, *President* - Hari Prasad HS, *Secretary* - Anirudh Singh Bhati, *Treasurer* - Arun Ramarathnam, Member - BalaSundaraRaman Lakshmanan, Member - Gautam K John, Member - Srinivas Gunta, Member We would like to take the opportunity to thank the Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore for allowing generous use of their office facility for the conduct of chapter meetings and helping with registration formalities with services of a Consultant. We take this opportunity to thank the following people: (in alphabetical order) Achal Prabhala, Barry Newstead, Bence Damokos, Bishakha Datta, Delphine Meynard, M Narasimha Rao, Ray Saintonge, Sunil Abraham, and Ting Chen. We thank the Wikimedia Community for their help and encouragement and patience with the registration process. For brief biographies and photos of the EC members, please see:Wikimedia India Chapter Executive Committee Members<http://wikimedia.in/wiki/Wikimedia_India_Chapter_Executive_Committee_Members> On behalf of Wikimedia Chapter BalaSundaraRaman Lakshmanan, Member, Wikimedia Chapter "That language is an instrument of human reason, and not merely a medium for the expression of thought, is a truth generally admitted." - George Boole, quoted in Iverson's Turing Award Lecture _______________________________________________ Wikimediaindia-l mailing list Wikimediaindia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaindia-l

jayanta nath

6:34 p.m.

New subject: [Wikimediaindia-l] Communication from the Executive Committee regarding first meeting

...

* 7 executive members keep electing each other, each time !!!! *

Nice observation from Tinu..... My observation and comment is same as below. On Sun, Feb 6, 2011 at 11:43 PM, CherianTinu Abraham <tinucherian(a)gmail.com>wrote;wrote:

...

Dear all, Following the registration of the Wikimedia Chapter, the first meeting of the Executive Committee (EC) was held on the 22nd January 2011 at 2 PM at 194, 2nd C Cross, Domlur 2nd Phase, Bangalore 560071. As mandated by the MoA, the office bearers were elected. The executive committee now constitutes of: - Arjuna Rao Chavala, *President* - Hari Prasad HS, *Secretary* - Anirudh Singh Bhati, *Treasurer* - Arun Ramarathnam, Member - BalaSundaraRaman Lakshmanan, Member - Gautam K John, Member - Srinivas Gunta, Member We would like to take the opportunity to thank the Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore for allowing generous use of their office facility for the conduct of chapter meetings and helping with registration formalities with services of a Consultant. We take this opportunity to thank the following people: (in alphabetical order) Achal Prabhala, Barry Newstead, Bence Damokos, Bishakha Datta, Delphine Meynard, M Narasimha Rao, Ray Saintonge, Sunil Abraham, and Ting Chen. We thank the Wikimedia Community for their help and encouragement and patience with the registration process. For brief biographies and photos of the EC members, please see:Wikimedia India Chapter Executive Committee Members<http://wikimedia.in/wiki/Wikimedia_India_Chapter_Executive_Committee_Members> On behalf of Wikimedia Chapter BalaSundaraRaman Lakshmanan, Member, Wikimedia Chapter "That language is an instrument of human reason, and not merely a medium for the expression of thought, is a truth generally admitted." - George Boole, quoted in Iverson's Turing Award Lecture _______________________________________________ Wikimediaindia-l mailing list Wikimediaindia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaindia-l

_______________________________________________ Wikimediaindia-l mailing list Wikimediaindia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaindia-l

-- With Warm Regards, *Jayanta Nath* Calcutta,West Bengal +91 9836294438 Facebook :http://www.facebook.com/jayantanth Wikipedia :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Jayantanth আসুন পাইরেসি মুক্ত ভারত গড়ি,সবাই মুক্ত সফ্‌টওয়ার ব্যবহার করি [image: O:-)],অন্যকে ব্যবহারে উৎসাহিত করি। ______________________________ Wikimediaindia-l mailing list wikimedia-in-wb(a)lists.wikimedia.org <Wikimediaindia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-in-wb<https://lis…

Theo10011

6:41 p.m.

New subject: [Wikimediaindia-l] Communication from the Executive Committee regarding first meeting

Ahh, wasn't the chapter registered less than a month ago Tinu? I don't know more than half the people from the chapter but I think you're being awfully presumptuous in claiming that "the executive members keep electing each other". I thought this was the founding group, the registered entity has been around for less than a month, right or did I miss something? Regards Salmaan User:Theo10011 On Mon, Feb 7, 2011 at 12:04 AM, jayanta nath <jayantanth(a)gmail.com> wrote:

...

* 7 executive members keep electing each other, each time !!!! *

Nice observation from Tinu..... My observation and comment is same as below. On Sun, Feb 6, 2011 at 11:43 PM, CherianTinu Abraham < tinucherian(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Hearty congratulations to Arjuna Rao , Hari Prasad & Anirudh Bhati as the > new office bearers of the Wikimedia India chapter. Well deserved & best > wishes for the future. > > Having said that, this unexpected announcement leaves me with > several unanswered questions. This has to do nothing with any doubts on > the calibre , integrity & abilities of new office bearers or the rest of the > committee members. I still personally share a very close & cordial relations > with all of the exec comn members, but that doesn't prevent me from asking > lots of questions and concerns as an ordinary Wikimedian like me and it may > be possibly shared by several others in this list. > > a) If there was to be a change of the office bearers of the chapter ( > decided) on the Jan 22 Exec Comm meeting, why wasn't it announced publicly? > Was there an agenda of election of new office bearers for this meeting or > just happened as a co-incidence ? What were the other decisions taken on > that meeting ? Is there a publicly available minutes of meeting ? > > b) How were the new office bearers elected ? Was there an election ? Did > the previous office bearers voluntarily resign and called for a new > election? Was there a vote ? If there was a vote, will it be publicly > shared? What was the need of change of office bearers within few months of > chapter approval or one month of chapter registration ? I thought the term > of the executive committee members and the office bearers was for two years. > > I am sorry but I have to say this , IMHO it is not an ethical > and transparent process if the 7 executive members keep electing each other, > each time !!!! > > c) There were several discussions on this mailing list on the chapter on > Jan 30 th , 2011 [1] [2] ( after the so called meeting) and had mentions of > the current office bearers and none of the executive com members even > bothered to clarify. I remember at least two of the exec members replying to > those threads then. > > d) So the new office bearers' elections happened on Jan 22 , 2011 ? And I > wonder what took the chapter several weeks to announce , such a important > change publicly ? Remember this "new election" happened even without a > publicly announced agenda, before the meeting. How many such elections can > we expect during the current term of the committee? > > We already had lots of concerns shared by the community for the lack > of transparency by the chapter and these kinds of things will only underline > them. > > If this is the way the chapter intends to operate, I am deeply concerned > and worried about its future. > > Regards > Tinu Cherian > > N.B. > a) To clarify, I don't intend to run for any office positions for the > chapter. But I may have to even think twice to be part of a body which > clearly intends to work without any proper transparency and works > disconnected from the community, which it supposedly represents. > > b) I have always supported the chapter previously in the several > discussions earlier, but this announcement put me really worried and hence > this mail. Anyways, my best wishes again for the new office bearers and the > chapter. Hoping the see more transparent and candid efforts from the chapter > in future. > > [1] > http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimediaindia-l/2011-January/001891.h… > > [2] > http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimediaindia-l/2011-February/001935.… > > > On Sun, Feb 6, 2011 at 7:23 PM, BalaSundaraRaman <sundarbecse(a)yahoo.com>wrote;wrote: > >> Dear all, >> >> >> Following the registration of the Wikimedia Chapter, the first meeting of >> the Executive Committee (EC) was held on the 22nd January 2011 at 2 PM at >> 194, 2nd C Cross, Domlur 2nd Phase, Bangalore 560071. >> >> As mandated by the MoA, the office bearers were elected. The executive >> committee now constitutes of: >> >> - Arjuna Rao Chavala, *President* >> - Hari Prasad HS, *Secretary* >> - Anirudh Singh Bhati, *Treasurer* >> - Arun Ramarathnam, Member >> - BalaSundaraRaman Lakshmanan, Member >> - Gautam K John, Member >> - Srinivas Gunta, Member >> >> We would like to take the opportunity to thank the Centre for Internet >> and Society, Bangalore for allowing generous use of their office facility >> for the conduct of chapter meetings and helping with registration >> formalities with services of a Consultant. >> >> We take this opportunity to thank the following people: (in alphabetical >> order) Achal Prabhala, Barry Newstead, Bence Damokos, Bishakha Datta, >> Delphine Meynard, M Narasimha Rao, Ray Saintonge, Sunil Abraham, and Ting >> Chen. >> >> We thank the Wikimedia Community for their help and encouragement and >> patience with the registration process. >> >> For brief biographies and photos of the EC members, please see:Wikimedia >> India Chapter Executive Committee Members<http://wikimedia.in/wiki/Wikimedia_India_Chapter_Executive_Committee_Members> >> >> >> On behalf of Wikimedia Chapter >> >> BalaSundaraRaman Lakshmanan, >> >> Member, Wikimedia Chapter >> >> "That language is an instrument of human reason, and not merely a medium >> for the expression of thought, is a truth generally admitted." >> - George Boole, quoted in Iverson's Turing Award Lecture >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Wikimediaindia-l mailing list >> Wikimediaindia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org >> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaindia-l >>

> _______________________________________________ > Wikimediaindia-l mailing list > Wikimediaindia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaindia-l > > -- With Warm Regards, *Jayanta Nath* Calcutta,West Bengal +91 9836294438 Facebook :http://www.facebook.com/jayantanth Wikipedia :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Jayantanth আসুন পাইরেসি মুক্ত ভারত গড়ি,সবাই মুক্ত সফ্‌টওয়ার ব্যবহার করি [image: O:-)],অন্যকে ব্যবহারে উৎসাহিত করি। ______________________________ Wikimediaindia-l mailing list wikimedia-in-wb(a)lists.wikimedia.org <Wikimediaindia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-in-wb<https://lis… _______________________________________________ Wikimediaindia-l mailing list Wikimediaindia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaindia-l

Bala Jeyaraman

6:49 p.m.

New subject: [Wikimediaindia-l] Communication from the Executive Committee regarding first meeting

I too get the same impression as Salmaan - this election is the formalisation of existing executive members after the registration was completed. But i do see the designations have changed per the diff here - http://wikimedia.in/index.php?title=Executive_Committee_Members&action=… Can someone enlighten me when the last election was held? and how long have the current exec council members have been exec members. The memorandum of association states the election is to be an annual one, but the memorandum page in wikimedia.in itself was created only on April 2010. (I am new to the list and am just curious). regards Bala On Mon, Feb 7, 2011 at 12:11 AM, Theo10011 <de10011(a)gmail.com> wrote:

...

* 7 executive members keep electing each other, each time !!!! *

Nice observation from Tinu..... My observation and comment is same as below. On Sun, Feb 6, 2011 at 11:43 PM, CherianTinu Abraham < tinucherian(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Hearty congratulations to Arjuna Rao , Hari Prasad & Anirudh Bhati as the > new office bearers of the Wikimedia India chapter. Well deserved & best > wishes for the future. > > Having said that, this unexpected announcement leaves me with > several unanswered questions. This has to do nothing with any doubts on > the calibre , integrity & abilities of new office bearers or the rest of the > committee members. I still personally share a very close & cordial relations > with all of the exec comn members, but that doesn't prevent me from asking > lots of questions and concerns as an ordinary Wikimedian like me and it may > be possibly shared by several others in this list. > > a) If there was to be a change of the office bearers of the chapter ( > decided) on the Jan 22 Exec Comm meeting, why wasn't it announced publicly? > Was there an agenda of election of new office bearers for this meeting or > just happened as a co-incidence ? What were the other decisions taken on > that meeting ? Is there a publicly available minutes of meeting ? > > b) How were the new office bearers elected ? Was there an election ? Did > the previous office bearers voluntarily resign and called for a new > election? Was there a vote ? If there was a vote, will it be publicly > shared? What was the need of change of office bearers within few months of > chapter approval or one month of chapter registration ? I thought the term > of the executive committee members and the office bearers was for two years. > > I am sorry but I have to say this , IMHO it is not an ethical > and transparent process if the 7 executive members keep electing each other, > each time !!!! > > c) There were several discussions on this mailing list on the chapter on > Jan 30 th , 2011 [1] [2] ( after the so called meeting) and had mentions of > the current office bearers and none of the executive com members even > bothered to clarify. I remember at least two of the exec members replying to > those threads then. > > d) So the new office bearers' elections happened on Jan 22 , 2011 ? And I > wonder what took the chapter several weeks to announce , such a important > change publicly ? Remember this "new election" happened even without a > publicly announced agenda, before the meeting. How many such elections can > we expect during the current term of the committee? > > We already had lots of concerns shared by the community for the lack > of transparency by the chapter and these kinds of things will only underline > them. > > If this is the way the chapter intends to operate, I am deeply concerned > and worried about its future. > > Regards > Tinu Cherian > > N.B. > a) To clarify, I don't intend to run for any office positions for the > chapter. But I may have to even think twice to be part of a body which > clearly intends to work without any proper transparency and works > disconnected from the community, which it supposedly represents. > > b) I have always supported the chapter previously in the several > discussions earlier, but this announcement put me really worried and hence > this mail. Anyways, my best wishes again for the new office bearers and the > chapter. Hoping the see more transparent and candid efforts from the chapter > in future. > > [1] > http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimediaindia-l/2011-January/001891.h… > > [2] > http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimediaindia-l/2011-February/001935.… > > > On Sun, Feb 6, 2011 at 7:23 PM, BalaSundaraRaman <sundarbecse(a)yahoo.com>wrote;wrote: > >> Dear all, >> >> >> Following the registration of the Wikimedia Chapter, the first meeting >> of the Executive Committee (EC) was held on the 22nd January 2011 at 2 PM at >> 194, 2nd C Cross, Domlur 2nd Phase, Bangalore 560071. >> >> As mandated by the MoA, the office bearers were elected. The executive >> committee now constitutes of: >> >> - Arjuna Rao Chavala, *President* >> - Hari Prasad HS, *Secretary* >> - Anirudh Singh Bhati, *Treasurer* >> - Arun Ramarathnam, Member >> - BalaSundaraRaman Lakshmanan, Member >> - Gautam K John, Member >> - Srinivas Gunta, Member >> >> We would like to take the opportunity to thank the Centre for Internet >> and Society, Bangalore for allowing generous use of their office facility >> for the conduct of chapter meetings and helping with registration >> formalities with services of a Consultant. >> >> We take this opportunity to thank the following people: (in alphabetical >> order) Achal Prabhala, Barry Newstead, Bence Damokos, Bishakha Datta, >> Delphine Meynard, M Narasimha Rao, Ray Saintonge, Sunil Abraham, and Ting >> Chen. >> >> We thank the Wikimedia Community for their help and encouragement and >> patience with the registration process. >> >> For brief biographies and photos of the EC members, please see:Wikimedia >> India Chapter Executive Committee Members<http://wikimedia.in/wiki/Wikimedia_India_Chapter_Executive_Committee_Members> >> >> >> On behalf of Wikimedia Chapter >> >> BalaSundaraRaman Lakshmanan, >> >> Member, Wikimedia Chapter >> >> "That language is an instrument of human reason, and not merely a medium >> for the expression of thought, is a truth generally admitted." >> - George Boole, quoted in Iverson's Turing Award Lecture >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Wikimediaindia-l mailing list >> Wikimediaindia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org >> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaindia-l >>

> _______________________________________________ > Wikimediaindia-l mailing list > Wikimediaindia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaindia-l > > -- With Warm Regards, *Jayanta Nath* Calcutta,West Bengal +91 9836294438 Facebook :http://www.facebook.com/jayantanth Wikipedia :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Jayantanth আসুন পাইরেসি মুক্ত ভারত গড়ি,সবাই মুক্ত সফ্‌টওয়ার ব্যবহার করি [image: O:-)],অন্যকে ব্যবহারে উৎসাহিত করি। ______________________________ Wikimediaindia-l mailing list wikimedia-in-wb@lists.wikimedia.org<Wikimediaindia-l@lists.wikimedia.org> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-in-wb<https://lis… _______________________________________________ Wikimediaindia-l mailing list Wikimediaindia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaindia-l

_______________________________________________ Wikimediaindia-l mailing list Wikimediaindia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaindia-l

-- Beauty lies in the eyes of the beer holder

CherianTinu Abraham

7:21 p.m.

New subject: [Wikimediaindia-l] Communication from the Executive Committee regarding first meeting

My concerns were primarily towards the lack of clarity, transparency and communications ( already shared by several others in this mailing list) from the part of the chapter. The previous set of office bearers were mentioned as early as April 2010 in the chapter Memorandum of Association http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_India/MoA-ChapComVer In Jun 2010, the Foundation approved the chapter. In Jan 2011, the chapter is registered as legal entity. Days after its announcement, the executive committee ( I would call it secretly, unless it had publicly announced on the agenda) decides to keep passing the chairs among them. Almost a week after this meeting, there were strongly discussions on the lack of transparency on the chapter actions, I wonder why such an important change was not disclosed to us, then. It may be argued that chapter MoA empowers the EC for "rotation" of the positions, please remember this committee is a technically a transitional committee till the chapter opens up the membership of the community , which it represents ( if at all) . We must not forget that the current executive team as founding members merely represented ( for legal purposes) the wider Wikimedia India community to form an organisation , It is not an NGO started by few philanthropists. I am not undermining and being unappreciative of the efforts of several of the exec com members in setting up the chapter through a really painful legal process, though. But if I may ask , doesn't the committee and the chapter have any accountability to the community, considering that the current team is not a democratically elected committee as mandated by the MoA? Come on, the committee has better things to do than keep rotating the chairs.. In spite of several requests earlier by the community, a proper transparency of actions from the chapter is still a distant dream. Regards Tinu Cherian On Mon, Feb 7, 2011 at 12:11 AM, Theo10011 <de10011(a)gmail.com> wrote:

...

* 7 executive members keep electing each other, each time !!!! *

Nice observation from Tinu..... My observation and comment is same as below. On Sun, Feb 6, 2011 at 11:43 PM, CherianTinu Abraham < tinucherian(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Hearty congratulations to Arjuna Rao , Hari Prasad & Anirudh Bhati as the > new office bearers of the Wikimedia India chapter. Well deserved & best > wishes for the future. > > Having said that, this unexpected announcement leaves me with > several unanswered questions. This has to do nothing with any doubts on > the calibre , integrity & abilities of new office bearers or the rest of the > committee members. I still personally share a very close & cordial relations > with all of the exec comn members, but that doesn't prevent me from asking > lots of questions and concerns as an ordinary Wikimedian like me and it may > be possibly shared by several others in this list. > > a) If there was to be a change of the office bearers of the chapter ( > decided) on the Jan 22 Exec Comm meeting, why wasn't it announced publicly? > Was there an agenda of election of new office bearers for this meeting or > just happened as a co-incidence ? What were the other decisions taken on > that meeting ? Is there a publicly available minutes of meeting ? > > b) How were the new office bearers elected ? Was there an election ? Did > the previous office bearers voluntarily resign and called for a new > election? Was there a vote ? If there was a vote, will it be publicly > shared? What was the need of change of office bearers within few months of > chapter approval or one month of chapter registration ? I thought the term > of the executive committee members and the office bearers was for two years. > > I am sorry but I have to say this , IMHO it is not an ethical > and transparent process if the 7 executive members keep electing each other, > each time !!!! > > c) There were several discussions on this mailing list on the chapter on > Jan 30 th , 2011 [1] [2] ( after the so called meeting) and had mentions of > the current office bearers and none of the executive com members even > bothered to clarify. I remember at least two of the exec members replying to > those threads then. > > d) So the new office bearers' elections happened on Jan 22 , 2011 ? And I > wonder what took the chapter several weeks to announce , such a important > change publicly ? Remember this "new election" happened even without a > publicly announced agenda, before the meeting. How many such elections can > we expect during the current term of the committee? > > We already had lots of concerns shared by the community for the lack > of transparency by the chapter and these kinds of things will only underline > them. > > If this is the way the chapter intends to operate, I am deeply concerned > and worried about its future. > > Regards > Tinu Cherian > > N.B. > a) To clarify, I don't intend to run for any office positions for the > chapter. But I may have to even think twice to be part of a body which > clearly intends to work without any proper transparency and works > disconnected from the community, which it supposedly represents. > > b) I have always supported the chapter previously in the several > discussions earlier, but this announcement put me really worried and hence > this mail. Anyways, my best wishes again for the new office bearers and the > chapter. Hoping the see more transparent and candid efforts from the chapter > in future. > > [1] > http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimediaindia-l/2011-January/001891.h… > > [2] > http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimediaindia-l/2011-February/001935.… > > > On Sun, Feb 6, 2011 at 7:23 PM, BalaSundaraRaman <sundarbecse(a)yahoo.com>wrote;wrote: > >> Dear all, >> >> >> Following the registration of the Wikimedia Chapter, the first meeting >> of the Executive Committee (EC) was held on the 22nd January 2011 at 2 PM at >> 194, 2nd C Cross, Domlur 2nd Phase, Bangalore 560071. >> >> As mandated by the MoA, the office bearers were elected. The executive >> committee now constitutes of: >> >> - Arjuna Rao Chavala, *President* >> - Hari Prasad HS, *Secretary* >> - Anirudh Singh Bhati, *Treasurer* >> - Arun Ramarathnam, Member >> - BalaSundaraRaman Lakshmanan, Member >> - Gautam K John, Member >> - Srinivas Gunta, Member >> >> We would like to take the opportunity to thank the Centre for Internet >> and Society, Bangalore for allowing generous use of their office facility >> for the conduct of chapter meetings and helping with registration >> formalities with services of a Consultant. >> >> We take this opportunity to thank the following people: (in alphabetical >> order) Achal Prabhala, Barry Newstead, Bence Damokos, Bishakha Datta, >> Delphine Meynard, M Narasimha Rao, Ray Saintonge, Sunil Abraham, and Ting >> Chen. >> >> We thank the Wikimedia Community for their help and encouragement and >> patience with the registration process. >> >> For brief biographies and photos of the EC members, please see:Wikimedia >> India Chapter Executive Committee Members<http://wikimedia.in/wiki/Wikimedia_India_Chapter_Executive_Committee_Members> >> >> >> On behalf of Wikimedia Chapter >> >> BalaSundaraRaman Lakshmanan, >> >> Member, Wikimedia Chapter >> >> "That language is an instrument of human reason, and not merely a medium >> for the expression of thought, is a truth generally admitted." >> - George Boole, quoted in Iverson's Turing Award Lecture >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Wikimediaindia-l mailing list >> Wikimediaindia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org >> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaindia-l >>

> _______________________________________________ > Wikimediaindia-l mailing list > Wikimediaindia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaindia-l > > -- With Warm Regards, *Jayanta Nath* Calcutta,West Bengal +91 9836294438 Facebook :http://www.facebook.com/jayantanth Wikipedia :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Jayantanth আসুন পাইরেসি মুক্ত ভারত গড়ি,সবাই মুক্ত সফ্‌টওয়ার ব্যবহার করি [image: O:-)],অন্যকে ব্যবহারে উৎসাহিত করি। ______________________________ Wikimediaindia-l mailing list wikimedia-in-wb@lists.wikimedia.org<Wikimediaindia-l@lists.wikimedia.org> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-in-wb<https://lis… _______________________________________________ Wikimediaindia-l mailing list Wikimediaindia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaindia-l

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Theo10011

7:41 p.m.

New subject: [Wikimediaindia-l] Communication from the Executive Committee regarding first meeting

Tinu, Its after midnight. I think we should wait till tomorrow for an answer before being so decisive about the transparency. I am more concerned about the future structure. Even if you go by the chapter approval date, its been 7 months of which only 1 month was official. I am not sure if they have taken any official or administrative action publicly yet in that time either to criticize. I am not defending the lack of transparency here, but I am going by what I have seen in other international chapter relations, look at the records on Meta for reference. I would only request that you tone the rhetorics down just a bit and give them a chance to explain. I am not connected at all with the chapter, you at-least know some or most of these people however I am willing to give them a chance before making generalizations. The allegation of seat rotation in the first email is not my idea of being constructive about this process. Regards Salmaan User:Theo10011 On Mon, Feb 7, 2011 at 12:51 AM, CherianTinu Abraham <tinucherian(a)gmail.com>wrote;wrote:

...

* 7 executive members keep electing each other, each time !!!! *

Nice observation from Tinu..... My observation and comment is same as below. On Sun, Feb 6, 2011 at 11:43 PM, CherianTinu Abraham < tinucherian(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Hearty congratulations to Arjuna Rao , Hari Prasad & Anirudh Bhati as > the new office bearers of the Wikimedia India chapter. Well deserved & best > wishes for the future. > > Having said that, this unexpected announcement leaves me with > several unanswered questions. This has to do nothing with any doubts on > the calibre , integrity & abilities of new office bearers or the rest of the > committee members. I still personally share a very close & cordial relations > with all of the exec comn members, but that doesn't prevent me from asking > lots of questions and concerns as an ordinary Wikimedian like me and it may > be possibly shared by several others in this list. > > a) If there was to be a change of the office bearers of the chapter ( > decided) on the Jan 22 Exec Comm meeting, why wasn't it announced publicly? > Was there an agenda of election of new office bearers for this meeting or > just happened as a co-incidence ? What were the other decisions taken on > that meeting ? Is there a publicly available minutes of meeting ? > > b) How were the new office bearers elected ? Was there an election ? Did > the previous office bearers voluntarily resign and called for a new > election? Was there a vote ? If there was a vote, will it be publicly > shared? What was the need of change of office bearers within few months of > chapter approval or one month of chapter registration ? I thought the term > of the executive committee members and the office bearers was for two years. > > I am sorry but I have to say this , IMHO it is not an ethical > and transparent process if the 7 executive members keep electing each other, > each time !!!! > > c) There were several discussions on this mailing list on the chapter on > Jan 30 th , 2011 [1] [2] ( after the so called meeting) and had mentions of > the current office bearers and none of the executive com members even > bothered to clarify. I remember at least two of the exec members replying to > those threads then. > > d) So the new office bearers' elections happened on Jan 22 , 2011 ? And > I wonder what took the chapter several weeks to announce , such a important > change publicly ? Remember this "new election" happened even without a > publicly announced agenda, before the meeting. How many such elections can > we expect during the current term of the committee? > > We already had lots of concerns shared by the community for the lack > of transparency by the chapter and these kinds of things will only underline > them. > > If this is the way the chapter intends to operate, I am deeply concerned > and worried about its future. > > Regards > Tinu Cherian > > N.B. > a) To clarify, I don't intend to run for any office positions for the > chapter. But I may have to even think twice to be part of a body which > clearly intends to work without any proper transparency and works > disconnected from the community, which it supposedly represents. > > b) I have always supported the chapter previously in the several > discussions earlier, but this announcement put me really worried and hence > this mail. Anyways, my best wishes again for the new office bearers and the > chapter. Hoping the see more transparent and candid efforts from the chapter > in future. > > [1] > http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimediaindia-l/2011-January/001891.h… > > [2] > http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimediaindia-l/2011-February/001935.… > > > On Sun, Feb 6, 2011 at 7:23 PM, BalaSundaraRaman <sundarbecse(a)yahoo.com > > wrote: > >> Dear all, >> >> >> Following the registration of the Wikimedia Chapter, the first meeting >> of the Executive Committee (EC) was held on the 22nd January 2011 at 2 PM at >> 194, 2nd C Cross, Domlur 2nd Phase, Bangalore 560071. >> >> As mandated by the MoA, the office bearers were elected. The executive >> committee now constitutes of: >> >> - Arjuna Rao Chavala, *President* >> - Hari Prasad HS, *Secretary* >> - Anirudh Singh Bhati, *Treasurer* >> - Arun Ramarathnam, Member >> - BalaSundaraRaman Lakshmanan, Member >> - Gautam K John, Member >> - Srinivas Gunta, Member >> >> We would like to take the opportunity to thank the Centre for Internet >> and Society, Bangalore for allowing generous use of their office facility >> for the conduct of chapter meetings and helping with registration >> formalities with services of a Consultant. >> >> We take this opportunity to thank the following people: (in >> alphabetical order) Achal Prabhala, Barry Newstead, Bence Damokos, Bishakha >> Datta, Delphine Meynard, M Narasimha Rao, Ray Saintonge, Sunil Abraham, and >> Ting Chen. >> >> We thank the Wikimedia Community for their help and encouragement and >> patience with the registration process. >> >> For brief biographies and photos of the EC members, please see:Wikimedia >> India Chapter Executive Committee Members<http://wikimedia.in/wiki/Wikimedia_India_Chapter_Executive_Committee_Members> >> >> >> On behalf of Wikimedia Chapter >> >> BalaSundaraRaman Lakshmanan, >> >> Member, Wikimedia Chapter >> >> "That language is an instrument of human reason, and not merely a >> medium for the expression of thought, is a truth generally admitted." >> - George Boole, quoted in Iverson's Turing Award Lecture >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Wikimediaindia-l mailing list >> Wikimediaindia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org >> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaindia-l >>

> _______________________________________________ > Wikimediaindia-l mailing list > Wikimediaindia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaindia-l > > -- With Warm Regards, *Jayanta Nath* Calcutta,West Bengal +91 9836294438 Facebook :http://www.facebook.com/jayantanth Wikipedia :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Jayantanth আসুন পাইরেসি মুক্ত ভারত গড়ি,সবাই মুক্ত সফ্‌টওয়ার ব্যবহার করি [image: O:-)],অন্যকে ব্যবহারে উৎসাহিত করি। ______________________________ Wikimediaindia-l mailing list wikimedia-in-wb@lists.wikimedia.org<Wikimediaindia-l@lists.wikimedia.org> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-in-wb<https://lis… _______________________________________________ Wikimediaindia-l mailing list Wikimediaindia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaindia-l

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Srikanth Lakshmanan

6:56 p.m.

New subject: [Wikimediaindia-l] Communication from the Executive Committee regarding first meeting

Hearty congratulations to the newly elected office bearers. Tinu, The MoA Article[1] VII (7) & (12) would answer some of your questions related to election of office bearers and to me it seems perfectly within the frame of things. I think the general members get to vote only after the current term ends for this team.(Correct me if am wrong). Well, I do share some of the concerns raised by Tinu on transparency. It is even more ironical how come such a major change was never communicated, especially a thread was running on the mailing on the very same subject of *Chapter* from Jan 30 and no one bothered to update. I feel the role of chapter has probably not reached well among the community [questions around edit counts becoming criteria reflect that] and in such a situation the chapter should communicate more often and more clearly,openly.However these sort of issues would only further widen the gap between chapter and community in the negative direction. While i continue to appreciate the efforts of the folks behind chapter for spending their valuable time, I would request the EC to add "communicating to the community in a regular and timely fashion " to the code of conduct[Article VII (8)] so that members do spend some time in communicating with the community. [1] http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_India/MoA-ChapComVer Regards Srikanth.L http://srik.me On Sun, Feb 6, 2011 at 19:23, BalaSundaraRaman <sundarbecse(a)yahoo.com>wrote;wrote:

...

Dear all, Following the registration of the Wikimedia Chapter, the first meeting of the Executive Committee (EC) was held on the 22nd January 2011 at 2 PM at 194, 2nd C Cross, Domlur 2nd Phase, Bangalore 560071. As mandated by the MoA, the office bearers were elected. The executive committee now constitutes of: - Arjuna Rao Chavala, *President* - Hari Prasad HS, *Secretary* - Anirudh Singh Bhati, *Treasurer* - Arun Ramarathnam, Member - BalaSundaraRaman Lakshmanan, Member - Gautam K John, Member - Srinivas Gunta, Member We would like to take the opportunity to thank the Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore for allowing generous use of their office facility for the conduct of chapter meetings and helping with registration formalities with services of a Consultant. We take this opportunity to thank the following people: (in alphabetical order) Achal Prabhala, Barry Newstead, Bence Damokos, Bishakha Datta, Delphine Meynard, M Narasimha Rao, Ray Saintonge, Sunil Abraham, and Ting Chen. We thank the Wikimedia Community for their help and encouragement and patience with the registration process. For brief biographies and photos of the EC members, please see:Wikimedia India Chapter Executive Committee Members<http://wikimedia.in/wiki/Wikimedia_India_Chapter_Executive_Committee_Members> On behalf of Wikimedia Chapter BalaSundaraRaman Lakshmanan, Member, Wikimedia Chapter "That language is an instrument of human reason, and not merely a medium for the expression of thought, is a truth generally admitted." - George Boole, quoted in Iverson's Turing Award Lecture _______________________________________________ Wikimediaindia-l mailing list Wikimediaindia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaindia-l

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Bala Jeyaraman
BalaSundaraRaman
CherianTinu Abraham
jayanta nath
Srikanth Lakshmanan
Theo10011