Revolution is in the Air

There is soul stirring stuff going on in the world at this moment. History is being made, nations are being awakened, people have come forward to show what democracy really means! This is a heady time for people studying history...I hope the revolutions in Egypt and Lybia, the curious order in chaos in Belgium and the ferment in several other countries are being discussed with heated passion in every History class. I was in college during the Mandal Commission unrest and we also were witness to the Babri Masjid demolition during our college days. This is much larger than that. I remember the heated exchanges in class on the Babri Masjid demolition...we tried to grapple with our different identities, as followers of a religion, as citizens of a country, as a minority or a majority group, there was excitement and passion. Now although the unrest is happening elsewhere, I feel it pertains to us in a more significant manner, for we are the world's greatest democracy but do we have it in us to question our so called leaders, whom we have ourselves put on pedestals and allowed to loot and destroy us??
I remember a few years back a colleague and I had gone to participate in a talk show on Doordarshan, it was a programme on the 'Young Leaders' of our times and a young MP from Orissa was being interviewed on his vision of a new India. The show began with a small video clipping of the MP and his family, they were a family of politicians, the clip showed his parents, wife and his home and his hangers on. Then the clip shifted to his constituency and the first thing that struck one was the drastic change. Now there were emaciated men and women gazing vacantly at the camera in front of tumbledown houses...'..tribal population..', 'backward...', '..poor..' were the terms being heard. Then came the portion about what the MP had done for this wretched population and a few shots of a project or two was highlighted. But one never got over the stark contrast of the well oiled and plump politician and his chubby family and the sickly tribals who were at their mercy for God knows how many generations. The audieance was made up of a few students and a group of studio employeees who were placed at strategic points a few teachers and us ( my colleague Siddhartha and I, who were the faculty of a law institute). After a few questions by the presenter the session was thrown open for audience questioning. At first there were some general questions on his vision and what he does with the MP fund etc ( to which he replied that the 2crores of MP funds per year largely remains unspent for fear that it might be misused! at which our eyes almost came popping out). Anyhow, by this time Siddhartha had had enough, and he in no uncertain terms expressed is displeasure on the corruption rampant in politics and demanded to know what this new generation politician was doing about it. This made the man evasive and uncomfortable and Siddhartha's loud and aggressive protest was subdued by the presenter and I am afraid to say, by me too, by a fair bit of nudgeing and shushing. When my turn came I was careful to couch my question in niceties. I had expected more zeal and more conviction from a 'new age leader' whereas Mr MP is very studied and diplomatic, why is that so, asked I. The fellow was at ease with is ...politicians have to be so ....( I may be young but to be a politician I have to be diplomatic, is what he meant, I guess). At the end of the show we came away disappointed...the words 'young leadership' had stirred us, but what we found was the same decadance in a new packaging. Where politics has become different from service to ones country and nation. Where politics is administration not socio-economic welfare...I saw no hope for the poor tribals of his constituentcy who, I bet my bottom dollar, are still living in abject poverty as they had done in the video clipping. The MP did say, after the shooting, that 'sister'(meaning I) had caught him out...'I am diplomatic' he admitted bashfully...its a professional hazard, he implied...I later wondered, had we done wrong in suppressing the spontaneous revolt of my young colleague, should we have ignored decorum and allowed the MP to lose his diplomacy and come out in the open? Should I have asked simply..." why are you so well fed and oily while your people are malnourished?" "How many lakhs did daddy spend on your wedding?" " where are your chidren studying?"...we'll never know, that was another rebellion supressed...and our democracy lives on...

My Heart Bleeds for You Ayodhya

Well, the verdict is out the land will be divided among the three warring parties and hopefully all will be well. The judges have played safe, they have accepted that Ram was born at the very spot where the disputed shrine now stands and they have handed it over to the 'Hindus'. They have declared that the Babri Masjid was not built according to the tenets of Islam and therefore was not a masjid at all...ha ha ha..so the 'Muslim' should not be offended and to further pacify the 'Muslims' some land from the disputed site has been given over to the Wakf board. The good thing that has come of the verdict is that the wind has been taken out of the sail of the BJP Rama Mandir campaign...phew! The ball is in the court of the warring parties now and they have to show the nation how they can live in peace and harmony. However the whole sordid saga leaves a bad taste in the mouth, for has justice really been done?? Justice would have been done if certain facts were made clear to the people of this country-
1 The fact that when the Babri masjid was built it was the norm and accepted practice of the victor in battle to demolish structures showing the greatness of the victim and building structures showing their own supremacy over them. There was no law against the destruction of any structure at that time. However when the masjid was demolished the Constitution of India was in place and the law of this country explicitly states that one should not take the law in ones own hand and neither can one just walk up and demolish a structure which they do not like. The act of demolition of the masjid shows gross violation of our Constitution and laws and a shameful lack of faith in our system of justice and redressal.
2 Everyone knows that Rama and Krishna are mythological characters and not historical ones. There are no lessons on either in History books ...I do not know what the Archeological Survey of India has found underneath the rubble but if it had been any concrete proof then Ancient History scholars would be abuzz with the news texts would be re-written. Therefore the proof must have consisted of secondary sources, along with the some material finds that indicated settelements in the area, which would have been found at any area in Ayodhya given the antiquity of the city. Indian people must learn to differentiate between mythology and history. If Rama and Krishna and all the others are part of mythology, it will not detract from their importance in indian culture and world view and ofcourse religious belief. The Greeks have an extensive mythological tradition and that is an impoortant part of their belief system...they do not mix it up with their history although many locations of their myths are historical locations too.
3 In Independent India all land and all structures upon it (specially if disputed by two religious groups) belong to the people and neither BJP- Sangh Parivar- Hindu Mahasabha nor the Wakf Board can claim to represent all Hindus and Muslims, leave alone all the people of India- this fact has to be driven home. The majority of the hindus and muslims of India do not care two hoots about this dispute, they care for safety, security, peace for all. Food, shelter, clothes, opportunities, healthcare, safe drinking water and a bright prospect for their children. That is what we care about.
It was nauseating to see grown men carrying on about the sthapana of 'Ram lalla' and Sita's kitchen, women like Uma Bharti waxing eloquent about the coming of Sat yuga and all that jazz!! Pompous BJP spokes persons declaring that a meeting will be held at Advani's residence and then there will be a declaration by the party. Hello? who wants to hear your declaration, you can shove it up your ---- for what I care. Have you looked at the city of Ram's birth?? Because of your desire for political milage it will be for ever remembered as a place where communal tensions were born. For what I have seen and read about the city of Ayodhya, it is one of those small dusty towns inhabited by poor ordinary Indian people, and it has only one proper hospital. If I were to pass judgement on this case I would have booted everyone out of the land and had a state of the art government hospital established on the spot, I am sure that Ram would be pleased with that. I would have got Kar sevaks to clean up the city.....that would make us a true believer and follower of Ram. These blokes who have ravaged the city and filled it with communal tension will have to answer to Ram (if they believe in Him at all) one day, and I am sure they will be squarely told off, something that our judges have not managed to do. I would like to see their faces then, the smug asses!
For now, my heart bleeds for Ayodhya...a land known for its glory now made murky and tainted with blood....may you see peace, if not prosperity, may you now witness the unity of the two faiths in India...Jai Hind!

Pujor Gondho Eshechhe ( The Fragrance of Puja is Here)

The other day, I was delighted to find a few 'shiuli' flowers underneath a tree near the mite's school. I had been eyeing the tree for sometime, it did look like a shiuli tree, but here, so far down south, so remote from West Bengal and even Delhi (which has its fair share of shiuli trees), I was not sure... Thereafter it sprouted massive buds...'no, no' I thought in my mind, it cannot be shiuli...But finally the tree got tired of all this speculation and deposited some flowers on the ground as the last and final proof, whereby it rested its case, leaving me both shocked and surprised and humbled too in good measure. As all Bengalis know, the shiuli flower blooms just before the Durga Puja festival and symbolically announces the arrival of the Goddess Durga in our midst. It has beautiful curved white petals on a quaint orange stalk and has a fragrance that is almost intoxicating if inhaled in great measure. Anyhow, I swooped down upon my find with great gusto while the mite stared cluelessly at me wondering what the fuss was all about. However, since he is used to the moronic and often eccentric behaviour of this parent of his, he let it pass. After slipping him in through the school gate, I returned to the shiuli tree and picked some more flowers and inhaled the beautiful and oh so familiar smell. I thanked the Goddess for sending her messenger here to me in such a remote land. Here in Bangalore there are so many pujas, the Varamahalshmi festival went by and the Gowri Ganesha festival took place a few days ago...we are invited to many houses in the building and the women offer the traditional haldi and kumkum and give us coconuts and betel leaves.I have just been attending one puja after another, but have not invited anyone for a puja in my house! The ladies have begun asking, "don't you have any pujas?" Well, I inform them that the only puja Bengalis are excited about is Durga Puja and all we have to do is wear new clothes and eat out!! Of all the communities in India, I feel, the Bengalis have the least ceremony and the most enjoyment during their grand festival! After all what is there in life other than eating, drinking and making merry, folks?!

What Freedom Means to Us

Long long ago, one day when I was coming back from school in our school bus and we were crossing the Presidency Jail in Alipore, I proudly pointed out the building to my friends and fellow travellers and said- "My grandfather was imprisoned here..." I failed to clarify that he was a freedom fighter and he was held there by the British rulers. One of the kids quipped "was a thief" or something to that affect and the rest burst out in giggles...I smiled weakly, my throat constricted as it does when I am hurt or angry and I could feel the tears close by...I did explian later in a mumbling manner but my moment of pride and glory was marred for the rest of my life. Never again would I point out the building and say those lines. However I was happy for 'Chhobir Dadun', I am sure he would be happy to see that his son resided in splendour in a huge house built by and for the British just opposite to the place in which he was held captive.The thought crossed many times in my mind as I gazed at the high walls of the notorious prison from the gate of our house.I realised that we are not taught properly the importance of the sacrifices thousands of our ordinary countrymen and women made in the freedom struggle. "De di hamen azadi bina kharag bina dhal, Saabarmati ke sant toone kar diya kamaal" says a popular song, speaking of Mahatma Gandhi...as if independence was offered in a platter to the people of India, it was some kind of a gift...but was it? I think not, I am not trying to discount the greatness of our leaders but if there had not been thousands to answer their call, then the leaders would have not been in a position to negotiate our independence. Our independence was also a result of the untold sacrifices of hundreds and thousands of very brave Indian people- common and ordinary men and women who sacrificed family, prosperity and even their lives for this dream of freedom. Peasants how refused to pay taxes even after their all was confiscated, and they were tortured, women and children and the youth thronging the streets holding the flag aloft and trying any which way to free their country of its shakles. There is a Bengali film called 'Beallish' (1942) which dealt with the events of the Quit India movement, a movement which was practically leaderless, as all the bigwigs had been put behind bars, and yet it was the most powerful of the various movements initiated by Gandhi. My father saw the film many times and every time he (and many others like him) entered the hall in their shoes and left wthout them as he had chucked it at Bikash Ray who played the Indian villain who sided with the British, in the film. Needless to say, such passions do not exist in us, a generation which grew up 'free', had not seen a relative or friend who had been directly involved in the struggle. What does freedom mean to us then??
This morning my Brat and Mite decorated a tray with orange flowers and green leaves and the Brat made some small flags with a tiny stand that can be stood up on a desk or table, the mite held some flags in his hand. The tray was full of chocolates. They dressed up in salwaar Kameez and kurta pajama and set off from flat to flat in our building wishing everyone on independence day all with the connivance of their mother...to which the Mr declared that I had finally lost my marbles! But had I?? If we can celebrate our religious festivals with great fervour why the step motherly treatment to national festivals?? Freedom means a lot to us so we must first teach our children to celebrate it joyously. Thereafter we can dwell on the sacrifices that brought it about, so that they can cherish it for ever afterwards. The challenge for the succeeding generations is to not only cherish and celebrate this hard earned freedom but to also to acknowledge the sacrifices that both the leaders and our ordinary people made.
Perhaps one day I will take the kids to the Presidency jail and tell them about their greatgrandfather, perhaps they will not laugh and giggle but understand the difficult times our previous generations had seen so that we can enjoy our freedom. Perhaps freedom will mean something to celebrate joyously and to value deeply as it means to me today...

The Elixir Called Friendship

Sometime back I went to visit my college friend and we had a smashing hour of chatting and catching up. Late in the evening when the Mr and I sat at the table sipping tea he looked at me in a marked manner and said- "you must do this more often"- "what?" said I bewildered, "visit friends, you are looking good today"- "ahhh" I said flapping my hand about, feeling quite happy inside. This is one of the Mr's glorious moments, moments when I feel that all is right with the world if I am around him.What the Mr was observing was the after effects of meeting friends, it was not as if his fat wife had suddenly transformed into a beauty queen, it was the glow of pure joy and excitement after meeting a friend after soooo many years, there was a permanent grin on my face and a bounce in my step and all seemed rose tinted and perfect. I have noticed this about friends, they can light up your life just by being!! leave alone meeting, a simple phone call can transform my state from down in the dumps to high up in the clouds! With school friends you feel as if you are back in school, with college friends it feels as if those glorious days are back. It gives incredible pleasure just to see our kids playing together while we laugh and scream happily. The Brat once said that she could hear us laughing from the ground floor play area, while we were chatting in my friend's house on the third floor!! The years just melt away.... truely, if you want to be happy and feel young, keeping in touch with old pals is the key!!