<p><font color="#000080"><font face="Tahoma"><font size="2">The second national
conference at Cochin was really a great experience not only in terms of number
of delegates but also the variety and depth of topics…<span class="534271305-17112008"> </span><span class="534271305-17112008">We around
50 from Bangalore participated in the
conference... </span></font></font></font></p>
<p><font color="#000080"><font face="Tahoma"><font size="2">I think this is again a
point to think and redefine the essence of this movement in Indian reality…
<br>Cochin conference will be remembered in history not just as another
conference but as a conference in which the Indian free software movement has
reshaped to a mass movement… People from all walks of life participated in this
conference… All the socio, technical aspects of life were discussed including
the cast discrimination in knowledge <span class="609315605-17112008"> community </span>and many more topics of this
kind…<span class="534271305-17112008"> </span></font></font></font></p>
<p><font color="#000080"><font face="Tahoma"><font size="2">Th<span class="534271305-17112008">e conference </span>is definitely a reply to the mere
technocrats and paper tigers reminding them about the essence of the
movement<span class="534271305-17112008">...</span><span class="534271305-17112008">There was the real spirit of freedom in the
conference... I would like to congratulate the <span class="609315605-17112008"> organizers </span>of Cochin conference... And
hope they will continue with these kind of initiatives which would surely
strengthen the secular democratic movements in India. I would like to mention
one more thing- that is nothing but the dramas and silly stupid publicity stunt
happened in the conference venue. I am not simplifying the reason <span class="609315605-17112008"> which </span>lead to some unwanted incidents...
But what I am more concerned about is whether such incidents are really focusing
the larger interests of our movement... The incident was something like killing
our own baby... We(the free software activists in India and especially free
software activists in Cochin university) </span><span class="534271305-17112008"> organized such a great event and at the same time some
activists of the same movement tried to kill the spirit of the same
conference... Even if there were several small issues, everyone got enough space
and voice to share their opinions... But <span class="609315605-17112008"> despite
of all these, </span> creating such stupid undemocratic scenes and incidents
will in no way help the growth and larger perspective of the movement in
India...<span class="866214605-17112008"> And we, the freesoftware activists
should never allow the <span class="609315605-17112008"> personal </span>interests
or egos of anyone to take higher priority than the priorities of the
movement...</span></span></font></font></font></p>
<p><span class="534271305-17112008"><font face="Tahoma" color="#000080" size="2">Thanks
a lot again to the organizers of 2nd national conference...</font></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Tahoma;">Rakesh</span></p>