I have been meaning to reply to a comment i got to my post on Sahir Ludhianvi's song Jinhe Naaz Hai Hind Par ...
Like Robert Frost would say, I think I know who this anonymous comment is from. If it is indeed from a dear friend of mine, I am sorry I am getting back so heavily but I really need answers to some questions- is what is happening in Orissa and Karnataka right now a sign of progress; is the 'creative' investigative prowess of our law enforcement powers to be taken seriously; what about the fictional Nanavati commission report; the mess of SEZs- where the government acts like a typical Delhi land broker and ruins things for both industry and farmers and the equally corrupt opposition grabs it's chance; are demands for laws curbing religious freedom anything but ridiculous?
Here political touts are allowed to gain power (generation after generation) in the name of language and mythical historical constructs and are allowed to exploit the common man and treat a city which is supposed to be the financial capital of the country as their feifdom. Women are blamed for getting raped and cops become accomplices by wiping out the forensic evidence. Here judges have encouraged women to marry their rapist and have denied couples the right to divorce on a moral whim. Sexuality is morally and lawfully policed here. A country where stigma on skin colour is widely accepted and encouraged; where youngsters are shot dead regularly for marrying a person of their choice; Where college professors are beaten to death and nothing is done to curb those responsible- the organised mafia called youth wings of political parties. This is the country where little girls and boys not only go hungry but are abused and exploited in every unimaginable way, for here paedophilia and incest are not even acknowledged; Women are still beaten, abused, killed for money, sex and for not being able to give male babies (even in the 'developed cities'), of course, I do not even want to mention female foeticide, I'll end up sounding hoarse. This is the country where most families subsist on about a dollar a day. Here people of certain castes are not allowed to enter temples, schools, certain streets in villages or even draw water from some wells, even today. Here primary education is still a target with no functioning schools in many parts of the country. Basic civic amenities are not even an achievable dream for most of the population, yes, very basic stuff like toilets or clean drinking water (Dont we disgustedly look away from people shitting on the streets, you think they enjoy it?). Here police frequently refuse to take action or even record a complaint against any person in power, especially, if you are poor, dalit, a woman or simply without 'contacts'.
What have these supposed qualified (a widely misused word, degrees do not make education) new political leaders done lately- turned a blind eye to a not so (vote-bankwise) important minority getting systematically targeted. This is a respected Prime Minister who dramatically risks his term to get a dodgy nuclear deal signed but refuses to act against the brutalities being committed across the country. Some politically correct noises are made when the international community lodges it's nominal protest. I get it, it is an electorally heavy year ahead. Same story, same story again and again. Please, do not mistake my criticism of the current Prime Minister as a comment even barely in favour of the opposition. I could make a deal with the devil to stop anybody, even distantly, related to the right wing opposition from coming to power, ever.
Anyway where do I stop the list? It seriously is too long for this blog. Am I sounding angry and harsh? Well, it is time more of us did so. Economic liberalisation and rabid expansionism do not translate into development in any sense unless the policies are sustainable, a word, sadly, nobody thinks is important (this is a topic that deserves a post all of its own). Remember our policies are five year plans- the buck stops where the term ends. .
7 comments:
Do we live in the same world???
This side of the world I live in, we have different "grave" issues like ban on pub in late hours (personally I have got nothing against pubbing); ‘Bangalore’ should be called as ‘Bengaluru’; International airport should be named after Kempegowda. I remember that Times of India ran a series of articles on ban on Pubs interviewing bangaloreans from all disciplines. But there were a few articles in the same newspaper on terrorism in blore, when terror strike happened in Bangalore be it bomb blast or violence against christians.
Seriously people wake up! no time to sit on the fence! We have done that from past 50 years!!!
In my opinion one aspect one really needs to celebrate is the very fact that one can post a blog like this with no fear of censure or no fear of one's privacy being intruded by a dozen federal agencies because one happens to use certain key words which are politically incorrect to use ( eg monitoring of people in some of the most powerful nations in the world) given the paranoid times we live in.
Our country has a population in excess of 1 billion people, when the Imperialists were driven out they had already left our coffers bare, we could have gone the same way as a dozen African countries or even been in the situation of our neighbours or ended up like China with no democracy and the peoples will resulting in a Tinamman square tragedy and then the same powers have the audacity to try fooling the world with an olympics while the rest of the worlds headed to economic crisises requiring similar sums in bailout packages...
But then we live in India the largest democracy where inspite of its right wing parties or Communist govts (democraticaly elected) in two states and numerous regional parties, inspite of coalition govts with political uncertainities ( no writing off coalition govts considering the diversity present in our country)we have seen an effort made to change what was the situation in 1947 with the partition wreaking havoc, 3 wars over the last several decades one involving a more powerful country than ours at that time.
We have seen people who criticised certain aspects some of them taking things in their own hands and efforts undertaken to come up with thoughts like Uniform civil code ( have no opinion on it yet), abolition of child marriage ( which though prevalant in certain corners is much less prevalant than ever before), attempt to eradicate Polio ( crippling disease which existed in our country since decades), we have seen states inching towards better literacy levels.
We have seen a more educated form of government I dont recollect the last time 5 state govts were vying to attract a project to their state and thus bring in development ( yes there might be vote bank politics but then isnt that democracy! )
talking about discrimination on color and sex is there a place in the globe which doesnt see that happen?? look at the US of A , they havent ever seen a woman or colored president in centuries and those groups represent half of the population and they are supposed to be an advanced country, talk about religious fanaticism half the money being spent on religious conversions probably raised from the heartland there!! Look at the middle east, Israel , Malaysia ( inspite of its tourism ads) living in India we may judge the situation here a little harshly But I think its about the people not the country a govt cant force people to think in a certain way the people have to start living that way and in that scenario the entire world needs to evolve.
Having said that I do not state that the pace of change or growth could not have been faster... but I think that the attempt to change is atleast on and gathering momentum and we are probably doing our best as a country, as people of the country to make things change.
I dont mean to say that the violence and other negative issues are forgivable I only state that there has been change and for the pace of change to quicken all of us need to contribute.- AA
this is the Hind which practices perhaps all the forms of apartheid imaginable(and unimaginable!) ...
Higher salaries for the middle class than what our parents earned in their working days,post liberalization and easy entrepreneurship for a few do not a progress make! Open your eyes and see around..the reality is worse than you can imagine..
Economic growth is a tap, the trickle of which does not proceed beyond the middle class. No wonder, we have such a parched majority!
By what parameters do we measure our development? 8 lane highways,swanky airports,air-conditioned schools for a few? what about such basic indicators as health,clean drinking water,a fairprice shop(perhaps the cheerleaders of modern development find their fairprice shops in the malls that they frequent every weekend),primary schools,accessible credit for farmers and so on..Perhaps we don't see the need to be that basic anymore.
If liberalisation means unhindered progress for the 20% of the population, there is serious need to re-examine and redefine development.
As if this economic depravation is not enough, our social depravation is far more concerning...for here we are going back to the dark ages.And with fascist and communal tendencies creeping into middle class homes and entrenching themselves firmly, the very idea of "civil" and "civilisation" is at stake.
Debates that the "other" need to be annihilated to build a homogenous majority nation(wonder what such a nation would achieve for itself) are not disgusting anymore...they're a barometer of the mental health of the insecure middle class and hence call for pity. They control the nation's resources anyway...what else would make them secure?
they say blaming the political class is not enough..we need to take action...we need to stand up...yes we do! we seriously do..but against who? The state?A state that not just silently watches as churches are being burnt, but one that actively destroys an entire community through fake encounters and fictional reports(not to mention riots and rapes)
to me, we need to stand up to the devils among us..for its these that keep the political class in power to further their annihilist agenda. That middle class among us that is prejudiced and insecure..This insecurity has less to do with religious identity and more to do with control over resources. hasn't the hindu majority kept the Dalits and other castes out for the scramble for resources.
i have often felt whether, there is any point arguing with these prejudiced majority for their opinions are not just unchangeable, theyre cast in stone..But increasingly, i fell that there is.. we need to increasingly make this a point of debate..to provoke thought...to verbally defy this slow-creeping monster..
and thats the only way we can stand up to them..Defeat their agenda..and perhaps redefine "development"...
and then we can have naaz on the Hind!
There is a Pocohontas song that neatly sums up my thought on reading your blog. Am pasting it below:
You think I'm an ignorant savage
And you've been so many places
I guess it must be so
But still I cannot see
If the savage one is me
How can there be so much that you don't know?
You don't know ...
You think you own whatever land you land on
The Earth is just a dead thing you can claim
But I know every rock and tree and creature
Has a life, has a spirit, has a name
You think the only people who are people
Are the people who look and think like you
But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger
You'll learn things you never knew you never knew
Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon
Or asked the grinning bobcat why he grinned?
Can you sing with all the voices of the mountains?
Can you paint with all the colors of the wind?
Can you paint with all the colors of the wind?
Come run the hidden pine trails of the forest
Come taste the sunsweet berries of the Earth
Come roll in all the riches all around you
And for once, never wonder what they're worth
The rainstorm and the river are my brothers
The heron and the otter are my friends
And we are all connected to each other
In a circle, in a hoop that never ends
How high will the sycamore grow?
If you cut it down, then you'll never know
And you'll never hear the wolf cry to the blue corn moon
For whether we are white or copper skinned
We need to sing with all the voices of the mountains
We need to paint with all the colors of the wind
You can own the Earth and still
All you'll own is Earth until
You can paint with all the colors of the wind
So the issue now is no longer about 'development' but looking at things a little wider than from 'our' eyes only. And here by 'our' I mean our=city dweller, urban, corporate.
Why is it that every time the status quo at home is questioned we feel compelled to point out all that is wrong with other countries, may it be US or China? Why is it so difficult to look inwards and accept what is going wrong? I am sure across the country there are plenty of wonderful stories of success and strength but does that negate all the endless madness and systematically corrupt functioning of our nation. Does quoting a few debatable success stories redress the balance? Yes, five 'educated' CMs wooed the Tatas, is the one who won the most 'educated' by this parameter- we all know his qualifications...The fascist regimes in Europe had contributed majorly to development of science, does that make good what they were and did?
Why not look at China or the US or other countries, why are we redrawing the political borders while addressing this issue, I think its about people and has nothing to do with a country,
thought of shring lyrics from an anthem which is as pertinent today as back then
Its John Lennon's Imagine
Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one
That is one of my fav set of lyrics ever but you'll see Lennon said 'Imagine' and 'Dream', he never said 'accept unquestioningly' or 'live in denial'. I have no issues with taking a discussion beyond boundaries but isn't a micro look a important as macro. We refuse to look at issues on a local or national level and constantly subsume them and undermine them saying, 'oh, but this happens across the world, so what's the big deal?' We are using this kind of atttide as a tool of regression.
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