Saturday, October 19, 2024
Home Blog Page 877

रवीश कुमार के नाम एक खुला पत्र – टीवी परदे पर पड़ा काला परदा दरअसल आपके ज़मीर पर पड़ा था

K. S. Dwivedi
-
0

आदरणीय रवीश जी,
प्रणाम!

टीवी मेरे पास है नहीं, ट्विटर पर कभी कभी आपसे एक-तरफ़ा बातचीत हो जाती थी. एक दिन किसी ग़रीब बुढ़िया माई की HD कैमरे से ली गयी तस्वीर के साथ शेर-ओ-शायरी लिखकर आप तारीफ़ बटोर रहे थे, मैंने टोका तो आपने ब्लॉक कर दिया. एक मित्र की सिफ़ारिश पर आपने अन-ब्लॉक किया. हफ़्ते भर बाद दुनिया के सबसे पॉश माने जाने वाले फ़ोन iPhone से समाजवाद पर किये गए आपके ट्वीट को देखकर मैं हंस पड़ा, और आपने फिर से ब्लॉक कर दिया.

फिर भी आपका प्रशंसक हूँ मैं. बहुत पुराना प्रशंसक. जिस ख़ूबसूरती से आप बिना भावुक हुए तार्किक बने रहते हैं वो ग़ज़ब है. या यूं कहें कि आपकी भावनाओं पर आपकी रणनीति और आपके दिल पर आपके दिमाग़ का पूरी तरह नियंत्रण रहता है.

कल ट्विटर पर आपका एक विडियो बहुत चर्चित रहा सो मैंने भी इन्टरनेट पर उसे देखा. वही विडियो जिसमें आप अत्यधिक व्यथित थे पत्रकारिता के गिर चुके स्तर पर. जिसमें आपकी व्यथा थी कि आज के दौर में टीवी तथ्य नहीं दिखाता, ओपिनियन बनाता है, तथ्यों की जांच नहीं करता, उनको काट-छांटकर, तोड़-मरोड़ कर दिखाता है, भावनात्मक शेर-ओ-शायरी सुनाता है, ड्रामा और तमाशा दिखाता है, न्यायलय से पहले अपने निर्णय सुनाता है.

वही विडियो जिसमें अपनी पीड़ा के नाम पर आप तथ्यों को ग़ायब कर गए, एक ओपिनियन बनाया कि टीवी बीमार हो गया है, हालिया आये अप्रमाणित, विवादित विडियो क्लिपिंग्स में से अपने एजेंडा को सूट करने लायक भाग को काट-छांट कर एक ऑडियो कोलाज भी डाला था आपने. वही विडियो जिसमें स्क्रीन पर से चित्र हटाकर शानदार ड्रामेटिक इफ़ेक्ट डाले गए थे. वही विडियो जिसका समापन एक भावनात्मक कविता से किया गया इस निर्णय के साथ कि आजकल जो टीवी पर दिख रहा है वो ग़लत है. समाज में ज़हर फैल रहा है.

शानदार!! भावनाओं से भरी आपकी एक्टिंग, आपकी व्यथा, आपकी पीड़ा, आपका दर्द… यक़ीन मानिए बहुत देर तक हंसा इनको देखकर.

मैं सैडिस्ट नहीं हूँ कि किसी की पीड़ा पर हँसूं. मैं हँसा आपकी पराजय पर, आपकी फ़्रस्ट्रेशन पर. चौंकिए मत. जैसा की पहले बताया आपका बहुत पुराना फ़ैन हूँ, अब तो समझ ही जाता हूँ कि आप क्या कहना चाहते हैं. और आपका फ़ैन इसलिए हूँ कि बिना कहे कैसे कोई बात कही जाए ये आपसे बेहतर कोई नहीं जानता. नमन आपकी कला को.

आपकी व्यथा को मैं अभिनय इसलिए बोल रहा हूँ क्योंकि आपकी व्यथा देश या समाज के लिए नहीं थी. आपकी व्यक्तिगत खुन्नस थी. देश के लिए व्यथा होती तो आप की चर्चा का विषय होता कि आखिर वो कौन है जो भारत में रहकर “भारत तेरे टुकड़े होंगे, इंशा-अल्लाह, इंशा-अल्लाह” के नारे लगा रहा है.

आप अपनी ऊर्जा इस बात पर नहीं लगाते कि कन्हैया या खालिद ने ये कहा या नहीं, बल्कि उससे पहले आप इस बात के लिए बेचैन होते कि आख़िर वो है कौन जिसने ये बोला. लेकिन आपको देश के टुकड़े होने से ज़्यादा चिंता इस बात की थी कि कहीं कन्हैया को सज़ा न हो जाए. न्यायालय पर भरोसा नहीं रहा. ये भी मान लें कि वो विडियो फ़र्ज़ी था, तब भी कोई तो ऐसा है न जो किसी स्टूडियो में बैठ कर ये नारा रिकॉर्ड कर रहा है. आप इस सोच की तह तक जाने को बेचैन दिखते, कन्हैया या खालिद की आड़ में इसको ग़ायब न करते.

वैसे कमलेश तिवारी के ख़िलाफ़ लाखों लोग सड़कों पर नारे लगा रहे थे कि इसकी गर्दन काटो. तब की आपकी चुप्पी देश और समाज के लिए आप के चिंता को बयां कर देती है. हज़ारों उदहारण हैं कमलेश तिवारी जैसे. आपको कन्हैया, खालिद या कमलेश से कोई सरोकार नहीं. अगर कोई अर्नब कमलेश के खिलाफ चिल्लाया होता तब भी आप स्क्रीन काली कर के ये तमाशा करते, आप जानते हैं ये बात.

रवीश जी, आपने तथ्यों की बात नहीं की. कर भी नहीं सकते थे. इस पूरे प्रकरण में तथ्य एक ही था “भारत तेरे टुकड़े होंगे, इंशा-अल्लाह, इंशा-अल्लाह”. सीधे-सीधे इसको जस्टिफ़ाई करना आपके बस का नहीं था, सो आप छायावादी कवि बन गए. पटियाला हाउस कोर्ट में कुछ लोगों ने हाथापाई कर दी, आपको संजीवनी बूटी मिल गयी.

देशद्रोह तो मुद्दा रहा ही नहीं, मुद्दा भीड़तंत्र बन गया, कन्हैया की ग़रीबी बन गया, खालिद का धर्म बन गया. इस बार तथ्यों से नहीं, भावनाओं और शब्दों से खेला आपने. आप किसी छायावादी कवि जैसी एक्टिंग करते हुए कविता पाठ करते रहे. आपकी कविता की व्याख्या है. व्याख्या है इसलिए थोड़ा लम्बा है. आपने शब्दों का जाल भी तो बहुत लम्बा बुना है. और हाँ आपकी कविता की तरह ही मैं भी तथ्यों नहीं भावनाओं की ही बात करूंगा.

देशभक्ति, भ्रष्टाचार, भीड़तन्त्र, पत्रकारिता का गिरता स्तर, अभिव्यक्ति की आज़ादी आदि ऐसे विषय हैं जिनमे से किसी एक की भी आड़ में आप किसी को भी निशाना बना सकते हैं और ढेर कर सकते हैं. लेकिन आज आपको एक साथ ये सारे हथियार काम में लाने पड़े, शुरू के 8 मिनट देखने के बाद पता चला कि बहुत गंभीर मामला तो है ही, आपमें हर बार की तरह वाला कॉन्फ़िडेन्स नहीं था. हो भी कहाँ से, इस बार आपके निशाने पर कोई राजनेता या पार्टी नहीं बल्कि अर्नब गोस्वामी थे. अर्नब जो कि आप ही के बिरादरी के हैं.

किसी नेता की तरह उनको अपने बयान तोड़े-मरोड़े जाने का डर नहीं, अपना ख़ुद का टीवी है उनके पास. टीवी, वही हथियार जिससे आप अपने आकाओं के दुश्मनों को ढेर करते आये हैं. लेकिन इस दुश्मन के पास भी वही हथियार था, और आपके टीवी से बड़ा टीवी था उनका टीवी. इसीलिए आपने लड़ने से पहले ही हार मान ली, और अपने सारे हथियार प्रयोग कर लिए.

आपकी बौखलाहट तो इस बार काफी उभर कर बाहर आई. 40 मिनट के विडियो में कम से कम 30 बार आपने “एंकर” शब्द का प्रयोग किया. आप इतने कमज़ोर तो नहीं थे. लेकिन तारीफ़ करनी होगी आपके सुलझे हुए दिमाग़ की, इतने तनाव और हताशा के बीच भी आप बीजेपी पर हमला करना नहीं भूले.

ख़ैर, आप जैसा घाघ पत्रकार ये बात तो मानने से रहा कि आपकी ये पीड़ा अर्नब को लेकर है. चलिए आपके उस प्रोग्राम का शव-विच्छेदन करते हैं, कैसे आपने शब्दों का जाल रचा निशाना साधने के लिए.

शुरुआत में ही आप सवाल उठाते हैं कि न्यूज़ एंकर स्टूडियो में बैठ कर देशद्रोही लोगों पर चिल्ला रहे हैं, क्या आप घर पर भी ऐसे ही चिल्लाते हैं?

जी नहीं, हम सब शांतिप्रिय लोग हैं. बिलकुल सामान्य आवाज़ में बात करते हैं. शांत रहना अच्छी बात है.

लेकिन जब भी कोई घर में आग लगाने की बात करता है, घर को तोड़ने की बात करता है तो हम इससे भी ज्यादा ज़ोर से चिल्लाते हैं. हमारा दिल अभी पूरी तरह हमारे दिमाग़ के कब्ज़े में नहीं है. जब आशियाने में आग लगी दिखती है तो चीख उठता है.

हमें बड़ा सदमा लगा जब आप नहीं चिल्लाये. अर्नब चिल्लाया. हमारी आवाज़ को उसने आवाज़ दी. हम सब उसके साथ हो लिए. बस यही आपसे देखा नहीं गया. आप तिलमिला गए.

जिन लोगों को शान्ति पसंद थी वो आज अचानक आपकी शांति छोड़कर चिल्लाने वाले अर्नब के साथ कैसे हो लिए? जब लोग घर के टुकड़े-टुकड़े करने की बात कर रहे थे, तब आप हमेशा की तरह शांत रहकर अपने निशाने साध रहे थे. लेकिन हर बार की तरह इस बार लोग आपके साथ खड़े नहीं रहे, बात घर के टुकड़े होने की थी, चिल्लाना ज़रूरी था. और तब आपने क्या किया? आवाज़ उठाने की बजाय हमको एक ख़ास पार्टी, एक ख़ास नेता का समर्थक घोषित कर दिया. एक पार्टी का वेतनभोगी बना दिया.

जो लोग नफ़रत की पट्टी आँखों पर लेकर चलते हैं उनको इंसान नहीं दिखते, बस दोस्त या दुश्मन दिखते हैं. जो आपके साथ नहीं, वो आपका दुश्मन. जब हम आपके साथ नहीं दिखे तो आपने हमें उसका भक्त घोषित कर दिया जिसको आप दुश्मन मानते हैं. आप हमारी आवाज़ हैं, कम से कम हम यही समझते हैं. जब हम मुसीबत में होते हैं तो उम्मीद करते हैं कि आप हमारी आवाज़ बुलंद करें, सत्ता के गलियारों तक पहुचाएं. लेकिन आप चाहते हैं कि हमारी आवाज़ बनकर आप अपने निशाने साधते रहें. हम वो भी बर्दाश्त करते रहे. लेकिन जब हमारा घर जल रहा होता है तब तो हमारी आवाज़ बनिए.

हर कोई आपके जितना घाघ नहीं है, शब्दों से खेलना नहीं जानता. सभ्य तरीके से बोलना नहीं जानता. इसलिए तो आपके पीछे रहता है, आपको अपनी आवाज़ बनाता है. तब भी आप अपने एजेंडा से बाहर नहीं आते. और जब हम आपसे सवाल करते हैं तब आपको हममें अपना दुश्मन नज़र आने लगता है. आप हमें किसी का भक्त, किसी का चमचा घोषित कर देते हैं. इसी बौखलाहट में कोई आपको अपशब्द बोल देता है. आप उसी गाली को पकड़कर कभी मुख्यमंत्री तो कभी प्रधानमंत्री पर अपने निशाने साधते रहते हैं. मैं गालियों को जायज़ नहीं ठहरा रहा, वो ग़लत ही है. लेकिन इस गलती के जिम्मेदार सिर्फ आप और आपकी बिरादरी है. कभी सोचियेगा हमारी इस पीड़ा के बारे में.

आगे आप इसी विडियो में कहते हैं कि JNU में सिर्फ नारे लगे थे, कश्मीर में तो रोज़ देश विरोधी नारे लगते हैं, तिरंगा झंडा तक जला दिया जाता है, तब किसी की हिम्मत क्यों नहीं होती किसी को गिरफ्तार करने की, JNU में क्यों गिरफ्तार कर लिया? आपका सवाल ही आपका उत्तर है. कश्मीर में एक खास समुदाय के लोगों का हजारों की संख्या में सामूहिक नरसंहार, बलात्कार और लाखों का पलायन हुआ तब भी किसी की हिम्मत नहीं हुई किसी को गिरफ्तार करने की. न्याय तो छोड़िये, अपने ही देश में बेचारे बेघर बने घूम रहे हैं वो.

जानते हैं क्यों? क्योंकि जिस दिन कश्मीर में JNU जैसे नारे लगे थे तब कोई नहीं चिल्लाया था. और जब नारे लगाने वालों को गिरफ्तार करने की बात आई तब आपके जैसे ही किसी ने यही विलाप शुरू कर दिया जो आज आप कर रहे हैं. काश उस दिन कोई अर्नब चिल्लाया होता तो आज अपने ही देशवासी अपने ही देश में विस्थापित नहीं कहे जाते. कभी महसूस कीजियेगा उस कश्मीरी हिन्दू की पीड़ा, जब अपने ही देश की सरकार को लिखे आवेदन में स्वयं को वो “शरणार्थी” बताता है.

आगे आपकी पीड़ा है कि “छात्रों” को देशद्रोही कहा गया. देशद्रोही पैदाइशी नहीं होता कोई. हर देशद्रोही का कोई न कोई पेशा होता है. इंजीनियर, डॉक्टर, वकील, प्रोफेसर या बेरोज़गार, कुछ न कुछ तो होगा ही. कन्हैया की ग़रीबी का हवाला देते हैं आप. जब किसी पर लगे आरोपों की जांच होती है तो उसमें उसकी आर्थिक या सामाजिक स्थिति को नहीं देखा जाता. सज़ा के निर्धारण के समय न्यायालय इसको ध्यान में रख सकता है.

आप स्वयं को न्यायालय से भी ऊपर मानने लगे. पटियाला हाउस कोर्ट के लोग जिस जोश के साथ इनकी पिटाई करना चाहते थे, उससे कहीं ज़्यादा बेचैनी आप दिखा रहे हैं इनको बेग़ुनाह साबित करने के लिए. थोड़ी देर पहले आप न्यायालय का हवाला देते हैं, मीडिया के फैसले सुना देने पर व्यथित होते हैं और पल भर बाद ही पूरी ऊर्जा के साथ उसको बेग़ुनाह घोषित कर देते हैं और बाकी पूरे देश को बीमार. आप जानते हैं कि कन्हैया को निर्दोष बताने से अर्नब और दोषी हो जायेगा.

आज से पहले कभी किसी मामले में आपकी इतनी तत्परता, इतनी बेचैनी नहीं देखी. आप असल मुद्दे “भारत तेरे टुकड़े होंगे” को बड़ी चालाकी से ग़ायब कर के कन्हैया और खालिद को मुद्दा बना देते हैं. यही तो आपकी ख़ासियत है. सारी दुनिया के हुड़दंगियों को आप भाजपा समर्थक बता देते हैं. थोड़ी देर बाद सारे भाजपा समर्थकों को हुड़दंगी करार देते हैं. आपकी इस घटिया चाल से तिलमिला कर कोई आपको गाली दे दे तो ढोल बजाकर ये साबित कर देते हैं की पूरी पार्टी गाली गलौज करने वालों की है.

छोड़िये, आपका वीडियो फिर देखते हैं. एक जगह आप बताते हैं कि पूरे देश मैं कैसे ज़हरीले नारे लगाये जा रहे हैं ABVP द्वारा. पहली बार आपने किसी संगठन का नाम लिया. हालांकि इस प्रकरण में और भी कई संगठनों का नाम आया है. लेकिन नाम आपने सिर्फ ABVP का लिया है.

शानदार सिनेमेटिक इफ़ेक्ट्स है. नारों की आवाज़ और साथ में स्क्रीन पर लिखे शब्द दर्शक के दिमाग़ में उतारे जा रहे हैं. स्क्रीन पर लगातार लिखा आता रहता है “ज़हर” और नारे चल रहे होते हैं. मैंने सारे नोट किये:

1. वन्दे मातरम – माँ की वंदना न किसी क़ानून के ख़िलाफ़ है न ही किसी धर्म के.
2. देश के इन गद्दारों को, जूते मारो सालों को. – संविधान तो कहता है देश के गद्दारों को फंसी दो.
3. अफ़ज़ल गुरु, देशद्रोही-देशद्रोही. – माननीय उच्चतम न्यायालय ने कहा है ये.
4. भारत माता की जय. – नो कमेंट्स.
5. जितने अफ़ज़ल आयेंगे, उतने मारे जायेंगे. – सेना में जाते ही इस बात की क़सम खिलाई जाती है.
6. पाकिस्तान हाय-हाय. – जिस तरह पूरे प्रकरण में उसका नाम आया है और पुरानी हरकतें रही हैं उनकी, ये जायज़ है. जायज़ न भी हो, ज़हरीला तो बिलकुल नहीं है.

नोट कीजियेगा, जब कोई कहता है “भारत तेरे टुकड़े होंगे” तब आपको नारा नहीं बल्कि उसको लगाने वाले की गरीबी और मासूमियत दिखती है, और “पकिस्तान हाय हाय” के नारे सुनते ही आपको पूरे देश में ज़हर दिखने लगता है.

बहुत बार सुना इनको. एक बूँद भी ज़हर नहीं मिला मुझे. अब मैं आपको बताता हूँ ज़हर कहाँ था. जब आप अति व्यथित होने का दिखावा करते हुए धीरे से ये बोलते हैं कि “कन्हैया के प्रति भीड़ उदार है, खालिद को ये छूट नहीं मिलती”. ये ज़हर है जो आप घोल रहे हैं; कम्यूनल ज़हर. छायावादी कवियों की तरह आप कभी सीधे नहीं बोलते.

आप बोलते हैं “हाफ़िज़ तो अफ़ज़ल को शहीद मनाता है. उन्ही के खेमे के लोग बात कर आये हाफ़िज़ सईद से पाकिस्तान जाकर, और अब वही लोग अफ़ज़ल के समर्थकों को गलिया रहे हैं.”. शानदार ढंग से आपने पटियाला हाउस पर जमा लोगों (“उन्हीं”) को भाजपा के सदस्य बना दिया. और ऐसे बनाया कि उनको भी पता न चले. ये ज़हर है आपके विडियो में. राजनीतिक ज़हर.

आगे आप Social Media की बात करते हैं. फिर से वही सपाट लहजे में बोलते हैं कि “ये लोग अपने दल की तरफ से बैटिंग करते हैं और हमें दलाल, गद्दार लिखने लगते हैं.” हर वो इंसान जो आपसे असहमत हो उसमें आपको पार्टी का कार्यकर्ता दिखने लगता है और इसीलिए उसको आपमें गद्दार और दलाल दिखने लगता है. ये ज़हर है आपके विडियो में. एक नागरिक जो आपसे संवाद करना चाहता है आप उसको किसी पार्टी से का वेतनभोगी कर्मचारी बना देते हैं.

मैं किसी राजनीतिक दल से नहीं हूँ, आप जैसे लोग पता नहीं मुझे कितनी पार्टियों और संगठनों का सदस्य बना चुके हैं. आप भी. और अब ब्लॉक भी कर चुके हैं. मैं रोया नहीं. मेरे पास शब्द हैं. आपके जितने शातिर तो नहीं, लेकिन अपनी बात बोलने भर के हैं. सोचिये अगर नहीं होते, क्या करता मैं? कुढ़ता रहता, किसी दिन इसी कुढ़न में आके आपको दलाल बोल देता और आप फिर से मुझे उसी नेता, संगठन और पार्टी से जोड़कर उनको गरियाते जिससे मेरा कोई वास्ता नहीं और आप अपना निशाना साधते रहते. मैं और ज़्यादा कुढ़ता. ये चलता रहता. यूं कहिये चलता रहता है. जो लोग आपको गाली देते हैं उनमें से 90% आपने तैयार किये हैं. आपको मदद मिलती है अपने एजेंडा के लिए.

वैसे इस विडियो में अगर किसी ने गाली दी है तो वो हैं आप. जी भर के गालियाँ दी हैं आपने पूरे देश को, अर्नब को, ज़ी न्यूज़ को और उन संगठनों पर जिनपर निशाना साधने का कोई मौक़ा आप हाथ से नहीं जाने देना चाहते.

आप सबसे पहले एक समूह बनाते हैं “हम एंकर लोग” का. और धीरे से तीन चार बार “चिल्लाकर” बता देते हैं की अर्नब भी इसमें हैं. और जी भर के कोसा है आपने. दुनिया के सारे एंकर की बुराइयां यहाँ थोप दी. और बीच-बीच में याद दिलाते रहे की मैं भी इसी समूह में हूँ. ख़ुद का बड़प्पन दिखाते रहे. आप भी जानते हैं की कितनी वाहियात और ज़लील हरक़त है ये. एंकर के समूह को बीमार और गिरा हुआ बोलकर स्वयं को आपने ईमानदार और आत्म-अन्वेषी तो साबित किया ही, अर्नब को और पूरे देश को बीमार भी घोषित कर दिया.

अब आपको बता दूं कि आप के इस तथाकथित व्यथा पर हंसी क्यों आ रही है. इसलिए क्योंकि हर बार की तरह इस बार भी आप अपने निशाने लगाने में लगे हुए थे और छिपा नहीं पाए अपना एजेंडा. अर्नब से आपकी जलन कई मौकों पर दिखी है लेकिन इस बार जब सारा देश अर्नब के पीछे हो लिया तो आप बर्दाश्त नहीं कर पाए. नीचता पर उतर आये. इससे पहले भी कई बार इस तरह के मामले आये हैं जब भीड़ ने क़ानून हाथ में लिया और आपने अपनी चालाकी से भीड़ को भीड़ न बताकर एक पार्टी के वेतनभोगी बता दिया. लेकिन तब आप मीडिया को लेकर व्यथित नहीं होते थे, अभिव्यक्ति की आज़ादी के लिए व्यथित नहीं हुए. इस बार थे. कारण? अर्नब की TRP.

इस बार तो आप हद से गुज़र गए. राजनीतिक पार्टी पर निशाना साधने के लिए देश-विरोध तक को जायज़ ठहराया. “भारत तेरे टुकड़े होंगे, इंशा-अल्लाह इंशा-अल्लाह” मुद्दा था. इसी को देशद्रोह बोलते हैं. आपने देशद्रोह जैसे जघन्य अपराध को गरीबी, मासूम छात्र और अल्पसंख्यक जैसे मामलों में उलझा दिया.

अपराधी को सजा देने के लिए न्यायालय हैं, लेकिन जब तक न्यायालय अपनी लम्बी प्रक्रिया से गुजरते हैं लोग मीडिया में अपनी आवाज़ खोजते हैं. आपने तो वही ग़ायब कर दिया. और ये बहुत ही शानदार चाल थी. आपको पता था कुछ कमज़ोर आत्मबल वाले लोग आपका शिकार बनेंगे. बन गए, उन्होंने पटियाला हाउस कोर्ट में हिंसक प्रदर्शन किया. बस, आपने पूरे देश की भावना का मज़ाक बनाते हुए उन मुट्ठी भर लोगों को एक संगठन से जोड़ते हुए अपना काम शुरू कर दिया. आपने पूरे देश की जनता को वही बना दिया.

देशद्रोह जैसे मुद्दे को ग़ायब कर के आप घड़ियाली आंसू लेकर भीड़तंत्र पर वेश्या-विलाप करने लगे. पूरे 40 मिनट. अर्नब जनता की आवाज़ बना. जब घर में आग लगती दिखी तो चिल्लाया. आपने बड़ी चालाकी से पटियाला हाउस के जिन मुट्ठी भर लोगों को देश का प्रतिनिधि (भाजपा से वेतन प्राप्त) बना दिया था, अब ये साबित कर दिया कि उनको अर्नब ने भड़काया.

और आख़िर में आपने एक कविता भी चेपी है. अपने देश को महबूबा और गुलदस्ता बोल रहे हैं. आपकी विचारधारा के लोग अक्सर यही बोलते हैं. “वन्दे मातरम्” या भारत माता उनको “एक्सट्रीम राष्ट्रवाद” लगता है. हम भारत को माता बोलते हैं. माता, हमारे पैदा होने से पहले ही हमें प्यार करती है. अंत तक करती है. बिना शर्त होता है. महबूबा आपके जीवन में एक ख़ास उम्र के बाद आती है, मन न मिले तो जा भी सकती है. आप भी उसको छोड़ सकते हैं. गुलदस्ते के फूल क्यारी से तोड़ कर लाये जाते हैं, मुरझा जाने पर फेंक दिए जाते हैं. आपके लिए ये महबूबा हो सकती है, गुलदस्ता हो सकता है. मेरी माँ है ये देश.

अब समझ में आया आपको वन्दे मातरम् “एक्सट्रीम राष्ट्रवाद” क्यों लगता है. यहाँ देश अपनी सहूलियत से बनायीं हुई महबूबा नहीं होती, गुलदस्ता नहीं होता, कि सूख जाने पर फेंक दें. माँ होती है, मरते दम तक स्नेह बना रहता है, इसके लिए ज़रूरत पड़े तो जान देनी पड़ सकती है.

आप एक सवाल और उठाते हैं “क्या कुछ ख़ास मामलों में अदालत से पहले फैसला भीड़ कर लेगी?”. जी नहीं. इसीलिए तो आपकी मीडिया है, जबतक मामला न्यायालय में है आप लोगों से संवाद करें, उनकी पीड़ा को सामने रखें. नहीं किया आपने, आप अपने आकाओं के शार्प शूटर बने रहे. जनता आपके जैसी शातिर नहीं होती. और हाँ कुछ मामले ऐसे होते हैं जनता ज़्यादा ही भावनात्मक होती है. मैं भी होता हूँ.

“भारत तेरे टुकड़े होंगे” ऐसा ही मुद्दा था. आपको चाहिए था कि आप आगे आयें, जनता की आवाज़ बनें, उसकी पीड़ा को सरकार तक पहुंचाएं, उसको भीड़ बनने से रोकें. सड़क पर कोई ट्रैफिक नियम तोड़े तो मैं पुलिस वाले की तरफ देखूँगा. किसी सुनसान पड़े रेलवे स्टेशन पर कोई दीवारों को गन्दा करता दिखे एक बार बोलकर आगे चल दूंगा. कोई अधिकारी दिख जायेगा तो उसको बता दूंगा.

लेकिन उसी वीरान स्टेशन पर कोई किसी महिला से ज़बरदस्ती करता दिखे तो मैं न ही किसी का इन्तज़ार करूंगा और न ही संविधान या CrPC पढूंगा. मैं पुलिस को फ़ोन करके उस व्यक्ति पर टूट पडूंगा. और तब मुझे आपका इन्तज़ार रहेगा कि आप टीवी पर आयें और बताएं कि मैंने ऐसा क्यों किया.

लेकिन तब अगर आप अपने टीवी की स्क्रीन पर अँधेरा कर के, 2-4 शायरी सुना कर ये घोषित कर दें कि वो बलात्कारी तो मासूम छात्र था जिसकी माँ बहुत ग़रीब है. और मुझ गुंडे को ABVP ने पैसे देकर भेजा था उसको मारने के लिए. और उसके बाद आप ये बताएं कि मुझ जैसे सारे लोग किसी पार्टी के गुंडे हैं जो पूरे देश में फैले हैं, मुझ जैसे जोग पूरे देश के रेलवे स्टेशनों पर गुंडागर्दी कर रहे हैं, तो निश्चित रूप से मैं उस टीवी स्क्रीन के अँधेरे को आपके ज़मीर पे पड़ा एक काला परदा समझूंगा.

रवीश जी! निर्णय आप कीजिये, मैं आपको क्या समझूं…

Thekedaar of Nationalism Vs Thekedaar of Free Speech and the Hypocrisy

ashagraw
-
0

India is going through a trouble phase where we are bound to rethink on our Nationalism as well as our Anti-Nationalism. It all started with some students in JNU shouting “Bharaat ki Barbaadi”,”Go India Go back”,”Kashmir ki azaadi”. Since then the temperature of Indian political arena has risen above Normal, some saying it, a free speech and for many it is a act of sedition.

Whatever the case may be, I will not conclude anything from my post whether it is a free speech or an act of sedition but will only draw attention to two categories of people which presently exist in INDIA: the thekedaar of Nationalism and the thekedaar of Free speech.

Thekedaar of Nationalism (TON)

People under this category are always refer to as bhakts, means a blind Modi supporter(well most of it). They always stand by the current regime in whatever it does, right or wrong. They are present in twitter and Facebook giving certificates of nationalism and anti-nationalism who agree and disagree with them or the government, (the same way our AAP workers give the certificate of honesty :p).

They have asked number of people to go to Pakistan on many occasion which many a times were illogical. Aamir Khan, Shahrukh Khan were victim of such attack when they gave some statement of intolerance. May be their statement were uncalled for and questionable, but asking them to go to Pakistan was too much. This branding of people by them has made “anti-national” and “go to pakistan” a comical word in today’s INDIA.

Thekedaar of Free Speech (TOFS)

People under this category are categorically anti MODI. They always are ready to take down Modi govt and take potshots at every of his initiative how good or bad it may be. They consist of some eminent journalists, writer, left wings thinkers, etc. Anything in which they cannot target modi govt, they will maintain complete silence about it. They in occasions decides when India will become Intolerant and what is definition for free speech depending upon the case and people involved in it. The definition of above can change from time to time with conditions applied.

For Example, Malda, where many people took the city to ransom, burned police station and many public vehicles, threw stones asking for hanging on Kamlesh Tiwari. Kamlesh Tiwari,in Bihar who put forward his opinion on a case, was arrested for threat to National security soon after his video went viral . Malda happened after a month of his arrest, that too in Bengal not Bihar. There went a complete silence of Mainstream Media on this issue, the same thekedaar of free speech and well thinker of India who always do not forget mentioning Gujarat in all their discussions, didn’t posted a tweet or discussed this issue as it didn’t fit to their agenda. Some tweeted, Free speech comes with limitation and responsibility, and Kamlesh Tiwari should be jailed (well they said it on Malda). Even some of them sympathized with people (ISIS) who attacked Charlie hebdo comic publishing office, saying the same about limitation of free speech.

They chose not to question people responsible (the same CPI (left), who are fighting for right to dissent in JNU) for murder of right wing and BJP activists by secular goons (Secular for them, as it didn’t involve any right ideology person) in Bihar, but will start a media campaign on intolerance if happens otherwise.

HYPOCRISY

Now on this JNU case, we again see TON labeling some as Anti-Nationals, and this time it’s a serious case. There were really some slogans against India and pro-Pakistan raised in JNU campus. Any country in the World do not tolerate anything against them in their soil. India too did not, there were many videos emerged with all provocative slogans against India and in support of Afzal Guru, the terrorist responsible for 2001 Parliament attack.

Kanhaiya being a JNUSU President was arrested after police crackdown in the campus to catch people responsible for the anti national slogans. But some questioned his arrest, and yes that can be questionable as he is not seen shouting slogan, one video in which he is seen was doctored. But beside this were two videos which actually started this outrage where actual anti India slogan was heard, is still genuine and yes that 2 videos do not contain Kanhaiya.

The category TON, has shared widely the doctored video of kanhaiya, to prove him guilty and yes one among them may have doctored the Video. In their excitement of getting a real case of anti nationalism, they went this far that they gave the TOFS category to change the direction of whole debate.

The arrest of kanhaiya without proper evidence in public domain may be an action taken over excitedly by the Delhi police,which has similar past ranging from handling Baba Ramdev, and Delhi rape case protests .And also with given the case JNU had similar controversial past of celebrating murder of 74 CRPF jawans and many others.

Well that is over to the court to decide. But the real issue is that now, The TOFS category people has sympathizing with all the people involved in this slogan shouting. Sympathizing for Kanhaiya can be acceptable at a moment but they went so far that they took position of saying Anti India is a free speech, calling for Bharat ki barbaadi is free speech. Yes the same category those lectured on limitation of free speech over malda and Charlie Hebdo.

Indian constitution has limitation of free speech where it asks that you have right to criticize the government but not the right to criticize the country.

What Police and central government may have done is that instead of taking the matter that happened inside JNU in own hands, should have asked JNU to take action and submit the report following which Police can have done the needful. But over excited govt and TON labelled whole institution as anti National.

This is the biggest mistake you can do. An Educational Institution gives birth to great Ideas, and many intellectual and famous personality has emerged from JNU, and yes most people in JNU are Leftist bandwagon, but being leftist and Right wing is not crime, they are two ideology. The police and institution now should catch the right people who did this, and catch hold of DSU(the organisation who organised this, also was banned by UPA in 2010 due to Maoist activities) organizer, the real culprits of slogan shouting.

With doctored video and the Lawless lawyers who attacked media, TOFS changes the debate from anti national sloganeering to media vs Deshbhakts. Some TOFS after finding one video doctored, took all over their sisters channel and tweets asking for apology from all the other channels, meanwhile suppressing the first two video which had actual content of anti national slogans.with one video doctored they intelligently made a case that never did such slogans happened and even if it occurred, it is their free speech and right to dissent but at meantime forgetting their take on malda and Afzal Guru being hanged by UPA govt.

Doctured Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wc5DUoO-7e4
First Video :- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUNBe3GJCMk

When HRD ministry took a step of having a Tiranga, on recommendation of VCs, in every institution , which is one of the welcome step, some people in TOFS termed it as a piece of silk cloth and and forcing of Hindutva agenda (Indian flag, Hindutva?).

They in meantime didn’t even gave a thought to the people who gave up their blood for this silk flag in borders, sportsmen who represent this flag to bring medals and fame to the country.This gave a rude shock to army man and sports person, who meanwhile stood with this decision.

It is ok to have left or right ideology, but extreme right and extreme left ideology can break the nation. The JNU fight is the fight of extreme Left which is covered up by left and liberals with the right ideology people, who too in over excitement is helping Extreme right ideology people who believe in goondaism and enforcing what according to them is correct (sanskaar, beef ban).

We as common people should see both side from our own eyes. It is great Indian Tamasha going on. All political parties took this opportunity to serve their votebanks leaving behind the cause of of the country. It would have been better they all should come at one platform and condemn the anti-national activity and ask people to maintain silence and decency on Online platforms and discuss about the real problem India is facing.

Open letter to a self confessed “anti national” from a committed Indian

a1mit
-
0

Dear Rajdeep,

WHAT AN ELOQUENTLY WRITTEN ARTICLE, SO PRIM AND PROPER!

Let me try to dissect this. Here goes! Cheers from Brazil !

You have displayed your global charm at Madison Square Garden. You have shown to the world your commitment to free speech by blocking people who disagree with you on Twitter, and now you have shown how uneducated you are as a Journalist who doesn’t even know what the 1990s were all about.

Let me try to point out your half-baked stupid interpretation of Indian History starting with your opening line:

1) “In the 1990s, the country’s polity was divided by secular versus pseudo secular faultlines”

I forget the only Indian History you have read is what comes out of Ram Guha. But correction, India of 1990s was all about Economic Liberalization.

2) “When I was first accused of being ‘anti-national’ on social media, I was angry.”

Really!? I thought you were first angry at Madison Square when your bluff was called out by Indians on Foreign Soil, where you deliberately tried to provoke and get Anti-Modi statements, and failed with distinction.

3) “Yes, I am anti-national because I believe in an expanded definition of the right to free speech as spelt out in Article 19 of the Constitution. The only two ‘reasonable restrictions’ are incitement to violence and hate speech”

Are you sure? Is that the only reason you keep blocking people on Twitter? Your better half and BY GOD, I MEAN THAT IN REAL SENSE, she has all your faults and more, but I grant her one thing, she hasn’t yet blocked me, and can take it like a man.

4) “Yes, I am anti-national because in a plural democracy I believe we must have a dialogue with Kashmiri separatists as we must with those in the North-East who seek autonomy. I will listen to student protestors in Srinagar or Imphal as I will to those in an FTII or a JNU.”

Yes Dear , you are an anti-national, when you support anti-national Kashmiri Terrorists / Separatists / Secessionists who have killed / raped and driven them out of their lands for no fault of theirs. What do you think you will hear?

5) “The right to dissent is as fundamental as the right to free speech: shouting down alternative views, be they on prime time TV or on the street, is not my idea of India.”

Put your money where your mouth is! I Challenge you to once again fly out to the US. And dissent about the elimination of OBL Saheb in front of the White House. I will see how the US Government treats you for your show of dissent. That will make you an “anti-global” superhero, not just an “anti-national”. And you don’t like India anyways, nor does your wife like Indian men, so that plays out wonderfully well.

6) “Yes, I am anti-national because while I am a proud Hindu who wakes up to the Gayatri mantra, I also like a well done beef steak, which, according to BJP minister Mukhtar Naqvi, is a treasonous act, enough to pack me off to Pakistan. I celebrate the rich diversity of my country through food: Korma on Eid, pork sorpotel with my Catholic neighbours in Goa during Christmas and shrikhand during Diwali is my preferred diet. The right to food of my choice is again a freedom which I cherish and am unwilling to cede.”

I am amazed at the exemplary show of uninterrupted stupidity as enunciated by your extremely close friend moneybags. You celebrate the rich diversity of your country because it grants you the freedom. But it would’nt do you any harm if you are a little sensitive to tradition and culture of ordinary Indians.

And yes please don’t turn this around by asking me to be sensitive to the Killings of KP, that would be another disaster for your intellectual image you have so long tried to maintain, but believe me, everyone knows when the King is not wearing the clothes. The problem it seems is, in your life there was never a person who could teach you the balance between right and just, between duty and responsibility, between justice and equality. It’s like you were taught 2+2 = 5, unlike the rest of us .

7) “But above all else, I am anti-national because I believe in Ambedkar’s concept of a republican constitution.”

The same Ambedkar said that we need to relook the reservation, and that it can’t be a permanent solution to an age old problem, but one word on Anti Reservations, and you start licking your lips, as if you have just tasted “blood dripping beef”, counting the potential for twisting and generating some cheap TRPs.

8) “And when I get weary of the ‘desh-drohi’ abuse I will seek solace in the legend of my original icon, Muhammad Ali, who, as Cassius Clay, threw his gold medal into the river in protest at being denied entry into a whites-only restaurant.”

“White only restaurant”, Man, I have to give it to you, it’s biased like you who built or promoted the same “ELITE INTELLECTUAL SOUNDING , FAKE ACCENT SPORTING SUITED BOOTED IHC frequenting” exclusive clubs across the country, flaunting “I KNOW ALL” attitude, denying the same media space to the common man, till the Social Media exploded, literally pulling the VIP rug from under your feet, making you crawl, and FORCING you to vent anger on the same social media like the other mortals. Welcome to the NEW INDIA!

I have to wonder as to what have communists / Marxists like Raja / Karat / Kavtia Krishnan et. all. contributed to the betterment of India that you have allowed these people, who have driven entire economies of major industrial hubs to shambles (Yes, if you didn’t already know, even before the 1990s “Cawnpore” or as your gen. knows it “Kanpur” was referred to as the Manchester of the East), a free run on your channels, but never invited common people unless it’s (un)common man Arvind Kejriwal, to give them a voice, some air time on what they really want.

All you and your kind did was bring on caged parrots who did all the nice sounding talking. Your video, where you clap your hands before i/v YugPurush is still fresh in on Social Media I believe.

9) “I HOPE SOME OF YOU SAY SORRY TO ME TOO ONE DAY!”

Boy oh boy, you do have BLOATED OPINION of your SELF PROCLAIMED “ANTI-NATIONAL” self , the NARCISSIST in you never ceases to amaze!

And the final nail in the coffin of your logic, READ AGAIN, I AM NOT THREATNING YOU, ONLY BUSTING YOUR ILLOGICAL BALOON WITH AN ANSWER.

10) Post-script: Last week, at the Delhi Gymkhana litfest, I suggested that the right to free speech must include the right to offend so long as it doesn’t incite violence. A former army officer angrily got up and shouted, “You are an anti-national who should be lynched right here!”

THEN WHY IN THE NAME OF JESUS DO YOU BLOCK PEOPLE ON TWITTER ? THEY CAN’T LYNCH YOU ON SOCIAL MEDIA?

But yes, they can definitely bruise inflated egos, but puncturing their empty brains, and displaying to the whole world how naked they stand intellectually.

M2C
Good Morning by the time you wake up to read this! And a great weekend!

Being Anti National is being Anti India, not Anti Modi.

Krishna Anand
-
0

Let’s get this straight at the outset, each one of us has their own vision of India, each one of us has a different interpretation of this nation. This is a liberty given to us by the constitution wherein we can decipher our own understanding of this nation and its functioning. But even the most liberal understanding surely has an upper limit of acceptance? Each Indian has a right to express themselves, to be heard and we must defend onto death that right, but we cannot defend Indians (maybe misguided, maybe not) shouting ugly slogans threatening the sovereignty of the very nation that allows them to shout those slogans.

Think about it, those champions of free speech who quote the constitution to defend this right, are going against the very grain of that constitution in demanding India’s destruction. That is the biggest irony. What happened on February 9th must be viewed in the right context, JNU has always been a leftist university and we must encourage the vibrant student politics that has thrived there over the years. But we have seen enough instances over the past decade where the University has allowed its name to be used in the same breadth as ‘Anti Nationalism’. Is somebody hijacking their ideology to promote hate? Is somebody being encouraged to do so from within? That is for the University and the police to determine, all I know as a patriotic Indian is that it cannot continue. Let’s not kid ourselves, we have a long way to go in becoming a mature democracy, that accepts all view points no matter how extreme. But in our pursuit of being an ideal democracy that allows everything under the sun, let us not stoop to such levels, so as to defend Anti Nationalism.

The fact there is visual proof of the posters and slogans raised in the Pro Kashmir Azadi evening on Feb 9th is enough to constitute a debate and an enquiry into the matter. Whether a video is doctored or not, and if Kanhaiya is partly anti national or completely anti national is another matter. He allowed his students to raise these slogans and cannot shy away from responsibility of this. Those responsible will be punished.

An image showing JNU Students in support of the SU president Kanhaiya.
An image showing JNU Students in support of the SU president Kanhaiya.

Coming to the coverage of the Aftermath of these protests, as expected there was the usual Freedom of Speech article in the newspaper, the usual leftist media channels focusing on completely the wrong issue. Choosing to focus on whether JNU should be shown in bad light rather than seeing the larger danger it possesses to India. It is not about JNU, although some media anchors choose to defend it for that reason, given the name and their allegiance to the Congress party.

Everything today is seen in only 2 categories, Pro Modi and Anti Modi. So anything that is not proffessed by Modi must be backed, no matter what it is. I’m convinced that is the brief some Media channel editors work with. But in your hate for Modi, ask yourself can you afford to encourage elements which, if not nipped in the bud could go on to destroy our very existence as Indians? No, I am not sensationalising the issue, for this is only the start. If we let them off the hook now, they will grow in number and then these very left liberal, Lutyens Delhi media will say, ‘Maybe they have a point, given how many believe in it?’ Can we allow this to escalate to a point of no return?

I’m sorry but your hate for Modi will not be allowed to be used as a shield for backing Anti India forces. We are tolerant, but not this tolerant. And I dont care if we are labeled thugs, bhakts or anything else, but we love our country and we will call your bluff. The bluff these agenda driven media anchors use to show their intolerance to anybody who differs with them by calling them ‘bhakts’. It’s gone on too long and will not happen anymore.

Modi will come and go, BJP will come and go, even your agenda driven media career will be behind you soon, but please do not allow India to fall prey to such hate. We cannot allow our future generations to grow up in an atmosphere of fear, an atmosphere that teaches them to doubt their nationalism and shy away from showing their pride for India. Let us remind ourselves every day of how lucky we are to be born an Indian. Being Anti National is being Anti India, not Anti Modi.

Let the Indian flag fly with pride and remind us of our roots. How lucky we are to be India.
Let the Indian flag fly with pride and remind us of our roots. How lucky we are to be India.

Why are Indian protests so violent? We all must act to stop this

Gireeraaj
-
0

There were many agitations by Gurjars in Rajasthan, Patel community in Gujrat for reservation, Jat community in Haryana and such many more. It is their right to gather and agitate for their demand. Constitution has given right to citizen to peacefully agitate, demonstrate, gather, oppose, meet etc.

One agitation had blocked one of the busiest Railway line in country and one National Highway. Lacs of people were badly impacted by this. Trains were not reaching on timing, many of them got cancelled and various tickets got cancelled. It caused huge loss to Indian Railways. They have destroyed various Govt properties, burnt shops, hawker thelas of poor people and caused crore of rupees loss to Govt and people.

A person’s freedom and rights stops when it enters someone else boundary. This rule applies to these demonstrations as well. The right to demonstration, agitation, protest, gathering has duty of not disturbing others, must be peaceful, can’t enter into the freedom and rights of others, can’t harm private and public properties.

It is very common in our country. Student leaders, politicians organise rally in city, supporters block various busy roads in city, loot small shops/hawkers, and tease ladies. There are thousands of such examples around. If people want to demonstrate for missing electricity in area or any other minor issue the common characteristics are:

  • Block nearest major road, market or track and disturb as many people as possible
  • Burn/damage buses, trains, private cars, thelas, tyres on roads
  • Burn/damage Govt buses, public property
  • Tease/harass girls and threaten/beat people around
  • Loot shops, hawkers
  • Never care about disturbance and loss to people around, private and Govt properties
  • They together feel powerful and demonstrate misuse of power, uncontrolled mob behaviour
  • Attack police and burn/damage police vehicles
  • Clash with police/Para-military forces, causing injuries and loss of life of common man, protestors and police force. This loss of life is irreparable to his family. While on the other hand leaders manage to gain whether demand is met or not.
  • If Govt arrests some of those for doing wrong then negotiate to release them, drop cases, demand big compensation if someone loses life in clash with other group or police

Why do people do this? Is Govt machinery seems to be deaf and insensitive so until such big disturbance is caused they don’t listen to peaceful voice? Why people don’t go for peaceful demonstration, fasting and other kind of peaceful agitations approved by law and adopted by father of nation Mahatma Gandhi? Will this method take more time in reaching to Govt ears? Will media coverage be small in such cases? There are people like Medha Patkar who has protested peacefully several times. Do our state capitals also need Delhi Jantar-Mantar kind of place for peaceful demonstration?

Why Govt not have such methodologies and technologies to identify people who are not doing peaceful demonstration and breaking law? They should identify such people and prosecute quickly under relevant sections to set example. Few of good ideas can be like installing CCTV cameras around demonstration areas, on police vehicles, appreciate common man to record video, may use drones, identify people through mobile tracking, use coloured water spray on them and identify. Even NGOs and volunteers should come forward to spread message of peaceful demonstration.

I was in UK when students were protesting against university fee hike. One of the protestor went to the roof of 4 floor building and dropped a small plant pot (ghamla). It didn’t hit anybody but the protestor was prosecuted and within few weeks sentenced 4 years rigorous imprisonment. Court argued this individual did an act which could have taken someone’s life even. He violated his right of peaceful demonstration. Why do our Govt machinery and courts not do something similar?

Once some ladies had started online campaign against a big retailer in UK and finally company CEO had to apologise and accept their point. They didn’t come on roads at all still achieved desired result. Our people need to learn peaceful demonstration and agitation methods. Even they may come with various innovative methods using available resources today like social media used in this example.

South Asian Games 2016 – A Reflection of Diverging Growth Paths?

amitnangia
-
0

When it comes to multi-country, multi-discipline sporting events, the South Asian Games come pretty low in the pecking order. Let alone the rest of the world, even the participating countries give it very limited attention. Given the abysmal state of sports in the region, and the mediocre standards on display, this neglect hardly comes up as a surprise. In fact, in a stereotypical reflection of the chaotic “South Asian” way, the staging of these games has often faced cancellations or delays of a few years.

The 2016 edition, hosted in the Indian cities of Guwahati and Shillong concluded recently. As expected, India dominated the games and came away with its best ever medal haul. Ever since the games started, India has consistently finished at the top of the table. Being the largest country in the region, with all the countries in the same general income bracket, this dominance is par for the course.

The standard of sports in a country is a useful indicator to gauge its population’s overall health, prosperity, and access to resources. Building a champion sportsperson requires talent to be nurtured with high quality coaching, facilities, and opportunities. Women also contribute to medal tallies and societies where women are empowered and free, naturally demonstrate superior sporting performance as well. For the most part, the best performers in global sports have been either from the prosperous, developed world, or from countries like China and theformer Soviet bloc with very strong state sponsored programs. The Kenyans and Ethiopians have carved a niche for themselves in long distance running and that is a factor of genetics and social conditioning, and are as such an enigmatic exception.

South Asia on the whole has been a laggard on the world stage, both in social indicators and in sporting prowess. India, with its billion plus population has won just a handful of individual Olympic medals. The story has been slightly better in the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games. With its sheer size, increasing economic strength, and greater focus on sports, it has managed to bring in a steady trickle of medals and its performance has actually been improving over the last decade or so. For the rest of the countries in the region, even such limited success has been elusive.

While all South Asian countries are in the same broad development bracket, there are significant socio-economic differences as well. While bound by geography and a shared history, these countries are also now emerging on divergent paths and this is where a closer analysis of performance in the South Asian Games becomes revealing.

Sri Lanka has consistently punched above its weight. Despite being much smaller, it has cumulatively won more gold medals than Bangladesh and has matched Pakistan quite evenly. After finishing third behind India and Pakistan in the medals tally in 2006 and 2010, Sri Lanka took second place in 2016 with 25 gold medals, or 10% of the total number available. This performance becomes all the more creditable since the country accounts for just about 1.2% of the region’s population. Sri Lanka is the most developed country in South Asia and has done well in providing education and basic amenities to its citizens. Rebuilding now after a long and bloody civil war, the country is looking up and will continue to do well if it continues on the path of peace and stability.

India is home to nearly 75% of South Asia’s population and with 188 gold medals, it cornered 79% of the total gold medals awarded. What is striking is the sharp rise in India’s share of the yellow metal this year over its cumulative share of 65%. This is also the first time the percentage of gold medals won by India has exceeded its share of population in the region. Clearly India’s performance in world sports is improving and globally it is now a force to reckon with in many disciplines like boxing, shooting, and wrestling. With continuing economic growth and improvement in living standards, it might just be pulling ahead of its South Asian peers. It is still early days though, and the momentum has to be sustained.

Pakistan’s performance this year would have been the biggest disappointment for its supporters. It is the second largest country in the region and has always strived for parity with India. From the time of the inception of the South Asian Games, Pakistan has won 13% of the total gold medals in contention, which is well balanced with its 12% share in the region’s population. However, what this historical cumulative number hides is the steady decline since 2004 and the precipitous drop compared to 2010. Pakistan managed only 12 gold medals in 2016 or a mere 5% of the total, which is much lower than 22% in 2004, 20% in 2006, and 12% in 2010.

The country must do some serious soul searching. While some of the other countries in the region have focused on improving the lot of their citizens, Pakistan has chased other priorities. The people of Pakistan must demand a peaceful, safe environment that allows sporting talent to flourish. The human capital of a country can only grow if the right environment and opportunities are available. Conflict and strife have taken a tremendous toll and it’s time for Pakistan to re-evaluate what it has gained and what it has lost.

Sporting performance is only one aspect of development, but it is an important element of human endeavor that also provides important cultural and socio-economic insights. If South Asia is to develop and offer its people a better standard of living, it is vital for the countries to put behind their differences and cooperate with one another. Harmony and prosperity can bring great gains to the region and will enable this huge chunk of humanity to fulfill its vast potential. By all means continue to compete on the sports field, but imbibe the spirit of brotherhood off the field. It’s perhaps time look to the shared history not as a source of conflict, but as a construct for positive engagement.

Note: The number of disciplines in every edition of the South Asian Games has varied, so providing just the number of medals in the various comparisons would be misleading. The author has therefore used percentages to accurately reflect the trends.

JNU- The fault line of marxist intellectualism.

R Narayan
-
0

Nehru once said, “Democracy is good. I say this because other systems are worse.” It is ironical that it was Nehru himself who made the joke out of his own belief by putting restrictions upon freedom of speech in 1951.

Since then the left wing, which had been the main political opposition of Congress for first 3 decades of independent India, has made a joke of the rules imposed by the Nehru Government upon freedom of speech. It is Karl Marx’s own belief to suppress anything which comes in the ideology’s way. For Marx, no ideologies matter except communism. So constitution can be ignored. These pro Afzal slogans, hate speech for India, made by educated JNUites are left branded divisive politics. These students are used as a tool by communist leaders. They don’t help research but force ideology through academy.

Marx was a philosopher, philosophy creates ideology. He himself believed that spreading the ideology is important, so do it through academics, and if there is a time of crisis, take whatever means needed, even bloodshed, because once the hold is lost the hardwork of the long time is destroyed. This unfolding crisis at JNU is the outcome of the same fear of getting the hold at the institution lost which was garnered over the years.

JNU was established in 1969, the time when BJP or ABVP didn’t even exist, the political and ideological power was taken over by left leaning politics. Right wing never had even a chance to project ideologies in university, let alone dominating institution.

The university has its own constitution since the day when no one was there to even question the JNUSU as opposition and communist Prakash Karat (Marxist) had contributed exhaustively in the making of constitution.

What can be the chance of fairness with Indian constitution when Marx wants to dominate?

May be a little something to keep nationalistic feelings alive but below marxism. Because left believes in full freedom till the time Marx is not hurt, and if there is a chance of losing ground, there will be monopoly of expression, either using brain or shedding blood, because a fair debate of marxism with nationalism in the particular nation, has great chances of boosting nationalism.

Left branded intellectualism has an enimity with nationalism. Its self approved secularism is just the mirror image of AIMIM’s Asad Owaisi, who claims to stand for common civil code but explains in his speeches his patriarchic mindset.

The left student groups which arranged for such event at JNU were not alone, the left backing of maoists & seperatists were branded for such event. The students who are as called innocent kids by some, can gather such courage to spew venom only when they have no respect for & fear of, state. And not at all love, even if their voice are considered as dissent.

But how can a person, born in India, grew up in India, spew venom about the very same? This can only be done when such ideology is injected as opium in the consciousness of the man. Left do inject this venom in young minds in garb of secularism and liberalism, either by using academy or gun.

And if these hatred by non state actors or are basically outside conspiracy. Left brands this under secular veil, and project as debate. Bengal has been home of such conspiracy where communists did everything to safeguard illegal immigrants of Bangladesh who are still political and ideological assets.

Left intellectualism resides with academics and bloodshed in its both hands. They will maintain debateable environment till their voices are echoed, but when a voice in opposite nature is heard and is fair enough, they shift to mob culture, the events turned out in JNU & now Jadavpur University in kolkata are just exactly communist driven mob culture. Not necessarily bloodbath but hate speeches, road rallies and strikes are also primary tactics of left, means to curb voices.

Left is philosophical but not scientific. Philosophy helps confusion, it confuses between freedom and limitations, science helps arguments, it understands freedom and argues about limitations. So the left cannot understand the corelation of freedom and limitations, non-leftists do.

Science researches for ultimate truth, left is atheist. So they produce philosophers, which in terms of socialism is politics, but they won’t produce science geniuses, who believe in calculation not philosophy.

JNU as an intellectual hub for science and political knowhow with so many big names has contributed less to major scientific achievements but more to political ideologies, with a larger share in left wing, which helps them in maintaining academics leaning in their favour, a tactic which Karl Marx used in every country where communism is present. A development in scientific background destroys communist philosophy because it reduces contribution to ideology. An ideology can be framed using narrative of social events and used for political purposes but scientific arguments cannot be used as political and ideological tool.

Moreover scientific achievements of any institution reduces its dependency on philosophical ideals, which in JNU will cause damage to ruling political elite, as of now, left. Scientific institutions can have political leaning but certainly not ideological leaning, which basically troubles left.

History of breakdowns in JNU is not new, in year 2000, a poetic event was organised and was protested by two army officers for event’s anti India contents. In 2010, DSU & AISA after Dantewada massacare, organised a meeting and celebrated killing of 76 CRPF jawans. In the name of academic debate “India murdabad, maovaad zindabaad” slogans were recited. Whereas the intellectualism in JNU, finds these sloganeering as debate.

Leftism and Jihadism has a lot in common, as jihadis don’t believe in nation theory but believe in Khalifaa, similarly left believe that life is not meant to be controlled by God or nation but only by ideology, specifically marxist. As do jihadis kill for not agreeing with them, similarly leftists kill for opposing their views. These hate sloganeering at JNU campus is simply their nurtured nature, as can be observed by what Karl Marx has been doing in Russia and China.

Marxists kept WB cut away from mainstream India for decades, for they knew the day Bengal is opened towards mainstream India, it would cause them huge political and ideological damage as relevently happened in 2011 WB general elections. It was Jyoti Basu from academy loving marxists who strongly opposed computers in India during Rajeev Gandhi Prime Ministerial tenure. It was Marx who killed nationalism in Bengal, the land which gave nationalist reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Sharat Chandra Chatopaddhyay, and filled in bengalis the biasedness based upon mother tounge.

With nearly 4 decades in JNU, Marx has been able to turn the tables of academy in his favour, although central govt was never Marx leaning, extreme left always faced obstruction, but now with a right leaning very strong govt of nationalists, there is a fear in Marx that his dominance will not only be challenged but can be killed, so there is a shift in his tactics from academics to hate speech at JNU and bloodshed in Kerala in fear of losing political power.

Bengal elections are near, but the power rests in hands of Mamata Banerjee, so refraining from bloodshed they are resting upon hate sloganeering at Jadavpur University. Karl Marx is back with bloodshed & sloganeering to regain power as academy is taking turn at JNU and other institutions.

India is the only extreme democracy with the presence of such extreme communism. Communism breeds in a democracy, in the viel of democracy, using democracy to fight democracy. It believes in totalitarianism, misguiding as secularism. As Nehru had quoted, “I believe democracy to be good because other systems are worse”, so there shall never be place for communism at JNU.

Murders of BJP members and media apathy

Ashish Tickoo
-
0

Today I woke up to the news that a BJP/RSS Member, Sujith, was hacked to death in front of his family allegedly by CPM members after they entered forcefully into his house in Kannur, Kerala in the middle of night. Sujith was attacked with swords and his aged parents were attacked too as they tried to stop assailants. BJPs Kerala state president expressed sorrow & anguish over the murder while sharing the sad news of the murder of 27 year of old Sujith.

Murder of BJP/RSS members in not new especially Kerala. Sujith´s murder adds to the series of murders of BJP/RSS members & its allies in recent times all around India.

In Bihar, on 13th Feb, BJP State Vice President Visheshwar Ojha was shot dead by unidentified gunmen. Ojha had just entered his car after meeting a relative at a marketplace when the assailants, who had their faces covered, fired at him.

Ojha’s murder was the 2nd murder of a BJP leader in 24 hours in Bihar. Few hours before Ojha was murdered another Bihar BJP leader Kedar Singh was shot dead in Chhapra, Bihar while he was returning from his sister´s home.

Even Ram Vilas Paswan´s LJP, an NDA ally seems to be facing the brunt of associating with BJP. Senior LJP member Brijnath Singh was murdered by 3 gunmen who fired 10 rounds of AK-47. Brijnaths wife had in past fought election against Rabri Devi.

In Gujarat, On Nov 2, 2015  Shirish Bangali (former president of BJP’s Bharuch unit) and Pragnesh Mistry, general secretary of BJP’s youth wing, were shot dead at a printing press. 7 arrests were made in this murder by ATS, Gujarat. ATS claimed that murders were done on behest of Dawood´s aide Javed Chikna who is hiding in South Africa who paid 50 lakhs as supari.

Not just murders, even rape of BJP workers seems to have escaped the attention of our unbiased mainstream media. In Tripura, a BJP worker was brutally raped in-front of her husband & 5 year old son in CM Manik Sarkar´s constituency allegedly by CPI(M) hardcore members.

None of these murders have been splashed across the front pages of dailies. None of these murders have become talking points of debates at prime-time. No anchor has railed on this issue for days on an end. No awards have been returned in protests of murder of BJP members (a la murder of rationalists). No bogey of rising intolerance to BJP members has been raised.

Ignoring murders and crimes which dont suit a certain ideology seems to be getting common in Indian main stream media. Take the examples of murder of Prashant Poojary or riots in Malda. Both incidents media was forced to be reported after days of Social Media outrage. On the other hand it is the same Media which portrayed “attacks” on churches in Delhi or an unfortunate rape of a nun in West Bengal as communal. While twisting and debating the stories as if Christians were attack in Modi´s India, same media didn’t event bother to report the real truth of these reports later on. Most of the “attacks” were burglaries or incidents with no communal link and the culprits of the Nun’s rape were Bangladeshis, not RSS workers as was being alleged earlier.

How do some murders hvaing some common link get lesser coverage in our media? Where as cooked up “communal” attacks are enough to create a narrative? Why the series of murders of BJP/RSS leaders isnt getting the attention it deserves. Are they lesser Indians? God forbid, but if similar murders would have happened in Congress or AAP leadership, would media have ignored them too?

But what to say when it is the same media who ignored the their fellow journalist who was burnt alive in UP. Irony is that on day of Sujiths murder #BJPkeGunde is trending  on twitter.

Open Letter to Prof Parnal Chirmuley

Narad
-
0

This open letter is in response to the opinion voiced by Prof Chirmuley in this article.

(The words in bold are from the original article with those in normal font, response to them)

Dear Mr Parnal Chirmuley,

You are the Associate Professor, Centre of German Studies, School of Language, Literature, and Culture Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University. By this very designation, you are supposed to be moulding young, impressionable minds about what’s right and wrong. However, having read through your entire opinion piece, I find myself, as a tax payer, ashamed that my tax money goes to pay salaries of the likes of you as well as subsidise the education of the students whose lives you obviously are spoiling. This open letter is therefore aimed at highlighting the dangers of your thought process, not for you, of course, not for me, never, but for something I hold dearly and close to my heart (and wish you too did). My motherland, Bharat Mata (There, I just got labelled as a Sanghi bhakt, didn’t I? Never mind. Am happy to be called so).

Here is yet another ‘half baked’ piece by an academic you might be tempted to call an anti-national, simply on account of institutional affiliation. This is how Arnab Goswami described the entire spectrum of serious, sober, well informed, nuanced, if anguished engagement by the academia with the present moment of crisis unfolding at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, where student leaders are being arrested, picked up for interrogation, intimidated, as though they were dangerous criminals, because a few ‘anti-national’ slogans were heard on the campus.

If you felt what was happening in the institution you represent was wrong, what have you done about it, Sir? If Arnab Goswami (or any one else, for that matter) described the entire sequence of events which unfolded in the JNU as anti-national and amounting to sedition, I don’t see anything wrong in it. What exactly is a “few ‘anti-national’ slogans”? Like “Down Down, India” and run away? Or softly whispering “India is to be broken into pieces”? By not reacting and opposing it, are you also not party to the act? Did you bother to inform concerned authorities to take requisite action against those “few” when it happened? Collusion to illegal acts is also illegal (that, sir, is the law, not my opinion, by the way). Let me also enlighten you, sir, since you seem to be blissfully aware that the few slogans included “breaking India into pieces, Pakistan Zindabad and Azaadi for Kashmir”, all of which are seditious, and that’s putting it mildly.

We are all used to media trials now. Those of us watching things from the ‘inside’, as it were, are watching the disturbing repercussions and consequences of this trial. The social media are awash with calls baying for the blood of innocent students, calling for a shutdown of the country’s most prestigious university, ranked as the best by the State’s own ranking mechanisms. Many are given to an outright dismissal of the news media, but most recognise its vital importance in sustaining a democracy. That is also why there is great alarm at journalism that is not only irresponsible, but an instance of criminal intimidation, using hate speech to incite violence against those who voice their opinions and stand by a progressive politics.

When you say you are used to media trials, you seem to forget that our own beloved (oops my own beloved) Prime Minister has been the biggest victim of media vilification. There was not one single day when 2002 did not flash on my TV screen on at least one of the news channels as if 2002 riots was the only event that happened in India since Independence (and by the way, including Times Now too). Where were you then? Where were the calls for “sustaining democracy”? Why didn’t you react against this “criminal intimidation” as you love to call it? While the Congress and other parties hostile to BJP were using hate speech to incite hated, why did you remain silent? That Mr Modi not only lived through it, but also went on to prove to each of those hostile news channels how wrong they were and how people of India knew better is a different story. 282 seats for the BJP itself and 300+ seats for the NDA was as decisive as it could possibly be, in the opinion of voters. Obviously, as a secular JNU professor, this has been the biggest upsetting factor for you. You hoped against hope till May 2014 that opinion polls were wrong and Congress-led UPA would somehow be back in power. Your upset at it not happening is resulting in this outpouring.

Arnab Goswami of Times Now is on the front lines of this parallel war against nuanced thought, against honesty, against intellectual freedom, and against truth. Over the past week since ‘news broke’ (yes, the truth is shattered to pieces when presented by Him), he has used a range of careful strategies to achieve the end of the demonization of public education. It is easy to see these if you put aside the sick froth of vitriol.

First, he asks the wrong questions, deliberately, to mislead the audience. Here is an example: ‘Why did Kanhaiya not try to stop those slogans???’. Absolutely everyone in their right mind knows that the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) did not organize this program, that Kanhaiya Kumar and other JNUSU members went there in their capacity as elected representatives to alleviate the confrontational situation created by the right wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). Kanhaiya’s speech is ample testimony to this fact. Arnab does not ask why the law on sedition (124[A]) is inapplicable, and what can be done to stem this travesty of justice.

Who gave you the absolute right to determine what’s right and wrong kind of questions? You would prefer that Mr Goswami question why JNU was being attacked for expressing their opinions when those opinions were merely supporting a convicted (and executed) criminal? Of course, you would. Since when did nationalism mean anything to the Left leaning people anyway? If my memory serves me right, the Left parties were in the forefront supporting China against India in 1962 war. Maybe, that is your concept of “free speech”, but, am sorry, sir, it is not mine.

What exactly do you mean by “everyone in their right mind”? Again your opinion of right? If Kanhaiya Kumar went to alleviate the situation created (as you put it, by the “right wing ABVP”, why didn’t he utter one word against the open anti-national speeches that were on display in the campus? Am sure you too would have been aware of the event being planned and could have asked you what your contribution was to try and prevent the open adulation of an anti-national terror perpetrator but I will give you the benefit of doubt here, sir.

He uses specific terms repeatedly, ad nauseam: ‘Anti-national’, ‘secessionist’, ‘unpatriotic’ are urgent favourites. In fact, exactly a year ago, when he did the same to civil rights activists protesting the harassment of Priya Pillai of Greenpeace, there was an open letter signed by prominent feminists, lawyers, and civil liberties activists pointing out that this was hate speech, that this was incitement to violence against those who expressed their views. They rightly pointed out that in the current political atmosphere, such figures are subjected to hate crimes, and are even killed. What he does is not to simply wipe out the possibility of nuance in a discussion, but rather use every weapon – be it language, gesture, or decibel – to brand people in order to feed into the imaginations of fear and anger among the viewers. It is always people from minority communities, civil rights activists, prominent voices from women’s and people’s movements, everyone from the Left that are subject to this vitriol. He has never levelled these accusations against the organization whose very emblem (the Khaki Shorts) is said to be an import from Italian fascism. Interesting, isn’t it?

Since you quote Ms Priya Pillai of Greenpeace as an example, let me remind you, sir, that Ms Pillai was intent on going to a foreign nation in an attempt to defame my country. If Ms Pillai had protested in India itself, I would have supported her right to freedom of speech and expression. However, when the aim is becomes only to paint my nation black outside the country, especially when India has been desperately looking for foreign investments to boost development, and the move is likely to affect the investment climate, I would definitely term it as anti-national. Greenpeace, incidentally, was also under the government scanner for illegal foreign funding and not following the laws of the land. That, even if not related, does tend to indicate the slant of the organisation and its members. When you talk about minority communities, you conveniently chose to ignore the fact that in no other nation is the minority community safer than in India. I would request you to refute it with facts, if you can, and I will accept it gracefully. About the Left activists, I have already told you about their stand vis-a-vis nationalism. Equating khakhi shorts with Italian (deliberate?) fascism is laughable and I will deign to comment on something you typed out merely out of frustration.

He uses coercion and intimidation through the means of right wing members on his panel. On Monday night, the only time He was quiet on the show was when Sambit Patra of the BJP shouted at Shabnam Lone, Saba Naqvi, and Waris Pathan and challenged the three to chant Bharat Mata Ki Jai after him. This is extremely dangerous intimidation. And he does this on absolutely every show.

Asking Indians to chant “Bharat Mata ki Jai” is intimidation? Seriously, sir? I don’t even have feel the need to comment here! Unless of course, Shabnam Lone, Saba Naqvi and Waris Pathan are not Indians…. unless…..

One other strategy is suggestion: he ‘suggests’ through the apparently casual use of words such as ‘infiltrator’ as he did on the same show, that JNU is not a university, but a space that harbours ‘infiltrators’ from across the border. A baseless, yet devastating allegation. With serious consequences.

As fresh inputs from IB reveal, there have been infiltrators from across the border. One of your dear students, Umar Khalid, has also been identified as having visited Pakistan and having links with the dreaded terror organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed. The IB has also indicated that outsiders frequent the hostels of the JNU and even stay there for lengths, unauthorised. If I were in a position of responsibility in any such university, I would either be angry or upset. You seem upset at having been caught out.

What are these consequences, and are they limited to a few students? No. We have seen that the Delhi Police has begun picking up young people for ‘looking like JNU students’. A woman journalist covering the court proceedings at Patiala House was asked if she is a JNU student, and was told that they would ‘break her phone, and break her bones’. Faculty members present there with legal representation for Kanhaiya Kumar, both women and men, were roughed up and beaten by men dressed as lawyers. A CPI activist was brutally beaten up by BJP MLA O. P. Sharma who was present there.

If indeed men “dressed as lawyers” were present in court, that is illegal and I would whole-heartedly support you in opposing their actions. However, the version I heard was completely different, about how Kanhaiya wanted to incite violence even in the court premises and how the lawyers opposed it in their own way. Well, you are entitled to your opinion on this.

But between Monday and Tuesday, the tide has turned. A journalist was beaten right inside the courtroom, with the police watching. On Tuesday, journalists marched together in protest against the violence unleashed against the Fourth Estate. Lawyers came forth and categorically condemned the condemnable.

We must remind ourselves that journalists are also amongst the bravest, ferreting out the truth at great risk to themselves, from the State, from warlords, from disease, bearing a deep commitment to the voice of the oppressed and the dispossessed. Why go as far as Ken Saro-Wiwa – there are examples closer home. Take note, nationalist Arnab. In 1886-7, Dwarkanath Ganguly set newspapers alight with his expose on the ‘Slave Trade in Assam’ that laid bare the indentured ‘coolie’ system in Assam, that continued even after the abolition of slavery in British dominions. Ganguly went to great lengths, undertook arduous journeys, took great risks to expose this dark history. So much so that this was taken up as an important issue in the nationalist movement. He showed integrity and great bravery, lauded in the history of journalism, that resulted in real change for oppressed people. Arnab is a traitor to that tradition.

The tide has indeed turned with journalists coming on to the streets, except that something similar was prominent by its absence when one of their own was brutally killed just a few days ago. Oh, that happened under a secular government in Uttar Pradesh. My bad, sir. This support against the Modi government is obviously justified. I fully endorse your statement that “journalists are the bravest, ferreting out truth….”. Unfortunately, we no longer have journalists in India. Instead, barring a few, they all have been replaced by news-traders (easier and more apt term would be Presstitutes) who sell their soul to the highest bidder. News as produced by them and shown ad-nausea on channels and printed in newspapers are no longer fit to be called news. Instead, they have degenerated to opinions, something akin to what you have published today, sir. Reporting no longer is honourable and I don’t hold a torch for Arnab either. However, you chose to tarnish just one individual here. Just because he refused to subscribe to your opinions on what reality is/was? That’s being judgemental, sir.

This needs saying: not only is this form of journalism doing a disservice to society in spreading lies and misinformation, it is taking on the role of fascist propaganda machines that single out individuals for intimidation, coercion, and at times elimination. Do not forget Narendra Dabholkar, M. M. Kalburgi, Govind Pansare. As I write this, we have information that faces of students have appeared on posters put up in parts of this city, urging the public to lynch them. In doing what Arnab does, he is guilty of incitement to violence against an entire academic community, the very foundation of a young nation. Who, I might ask, is anti-national in this case? And a society that targets its young minds is teetering on the brink of fascism. For this, I will lay the blame at the feet of the likes of Arnab Goswami.

Finally, we both seem to have got something to agree upon. Journalism is now restricted to spreading misinformation. I too said the same in the last paragraph. If faces of students have appeared on posters, it is condemnable but why blame Arnab for the same? When face of Afzal Guru and Yakub Memon were put up prominently in your “esteemed” University campus, did you protest against it? Instead of blaming Arnab, thank him for opening eyes of those students who have still not been brainwashed into supporting terror perpertators in the name of free speech. Thank him for preventing more Afzals and Yakubs being born. By the way, Malda too happened to be in India and your knights in shining armour made their reporting prominent by lack of it. Outrage? No, Malda was secular violence!

I am sure no parent sends their children to learn to be anti-national. And, as a professor there, you would be the one accountable, if one of the alumni was found indulging in seditious activities. Would you be able to bring yourself face to face with his/her parents when they question your involvement in preventing such occurrences? I, sir, would lay the blame at the feet of everyone, every professor, every teacher and every citizen, who did not raise his voice against what happened in JNU (and now in Jadavpur University too). If not directly by act of commission, you are indirectly responsible for it by the very act of omission. Think over it.

Your sincerely,
One concerned Indian

Perishing Indian traditional artisans and snoozing Government bodies

leemon
-
0

uthhan2

Traditional Artisans, A section in our society with out which our day-to-day life can be impossible and  obsolete. They are the largest workforce sector in India placed only behind Agricultural and Industrial sectors, yet not organised, with no privileges and economically squeezed by various political outfits. Artisan community comprises of skilled and unskilled people who can make/create things from wood, metal, cloth, stone etc using traditional tools. I will highlight the plight of Artisans in India here and the steps taken by me, along with some good Samaritans to make some difference to their hardships.

The traditional artisans in India is facing the following obstacles which triggered a total financial black out and reduction in the work force over a period of last 10 years.

PAY OUT

An artisan pay out is not structured or regularized by government and treated the same as labour charges. The work undertaken by an artisan is not labour, but a skilled task, which needs precision and talent. So an artisan payment is as low as a labour and a devalued produce, even though  lakhs of people across the globe admire his work. This has led to financial apathy since the same amount is not enough for his basic family needs. The irony is that a furniture showroom owner earns more than a carpenter, thereby the value of the work is being disproportionately distributed where the major profit goes to a mere distributor than creator. I won’t paint this as a capitalistic approach by any one, but definitely not the right way of treating these people. The value of their creation has to go to them on a proportionate way with the distributor. Unfortunately our existing system and the concerned government bodies are least bothered about all these, since they are busy making money through various means.

EDUCATION

Artisans are educationally backward class of people because of the first reason and zero support from government agencies. The concerned bodies are hell-bent to give free education and creating jobs for so-called backward casts. Artisan classification is as per their religion and not as per their skills, which made it difficult to organise them for any educational benefits. Education is the back born of a community growth with out which people lack ideas and execution flowcharts for growth and expansion. Even though an artisan has immense creativity for producing a craft but lack of knowledge to compete with an advanced society with wide connectivity. The so-called Multi national companies use this weakness  and they use their ability to mint money from these crafts. The artisans treat them like their gods and continue to live under their might still unaware of their own might and creativity. Even their children are not ably supported with education making their future also bleak.

COMMUNITY SUSTAINABILITY  AND UNITY

Any community will sustain, if the same is self-reliant and independent. Artisan community is mainly dependent on outside distribution agencies and government bodies for their daily bread thus not-self dependent. The first 2 factors along with a dilapidated structure completely burdened them and the community is over dependent now. This will never allow them to prosper because of exploitation which in turn tuned by the artisans itself because of their helplessness. The strength to imbibe self dependency is not happening, Since they are not united, playing in to the hands of exploiters and their handlers.

JOB RESPECT

You may raise eyebrows with this reason, but this is a major cause for any person to continue with a particular job. Integrity and self-respect derive from Job respect. I can blindly tell you that none of us respect the job of an artisan. We respect and acknowledge a craft brand rather than the craft maker, thereby making  young generation of artisans reluctant to take up their traditional jobs. They are not even treating this inherent craftsmanship as a blessing, but curse. If your predecessor is not ready to carry the mantle of craft making, it poses an immediate threat to the community identity. The artisan community is going through this phase now, which has to be rectified . Otherwise we have to import artisans from foreign countries by paying a huge sum of money in the future thereby loosing our craft inherited from our great ancestors.

RAW MATERIALS AND WARE HOUSING

uthhan 1

This is the basic aspect of an artisan without which they can’t produce artistic marvels. Procurement of raw materials made difficult by middlemen and politicians by way of monopolization and lobbying. These poor and down trodden people  are further arm twisted and made to bent for acquiring raw materials by these antisocial elements ably supported by our bureaucrats. We are living in a country where tribal don’t have rights in forest, but poachers have!! Even if the artisan acquires raw material, ware housing has been a nemesis because of their poor living conditions. I have literally seen artisan houses, sorry huts, where they don’t have a proper roof to sleep, with hungry kids crying around. The most heartbreaking instance for me was an artisan, literally begging us to buy a product to feed his family.

MARKETING AND BRANDING

There are no ways for an uneducated, low-income class artisan to know about marketing and branding advantages. If anybody comes forward to do the same, they churn the artisan again and again to fill their pockets with profit, leaving this community begging for a living.

The above mentioned artisan plights pulled me to start our initiative called UTHHAN-Empowering artisans. I always believed that, if we fight against any discrimination in a creative and strategical way success will follow us. I decided to fight against this injustice in my way, in my style. I clearly understood that this will be a long fight and needs more will power to get on with it. But I wanted to give a try because nothing will change unless there is an uprising. I have seen so many artisan organisations fighting for their rights post independence, but the benefit goes to leaders and not community and they use them for political mileage and benefits. The renowned leaders of artisan community often lead them to secretariats, public places and so on for demanding their rights, but it is often seen that they will get beating from police and not so-called ‘rights’. Governments wont fulfill any demands, if you are not organised and self-dependent. I try to do this instead of verbal jugglery and political marches through UTHHAN.

UTHHAN is a joint initiative between different artisan community organisations led by GERGStore.com, an on-line shopping initiative of GERG(Golden era royal Group) for the financially weaker segment of skilled artisans across India. UTHHAN will be the first initiative in India which pass the profit from the sales of handicraft products through www.gergstore.com, directly to the family who made the product. Project eliminates the role of middlemen and other illegal financial exploitation which kept majority of Indian skilled workers, in dark and never-ending financial agony.

For more info on UTHHAN visit -http://www.gergstore.com/content/10-Uthhan-store

Please remember artisans, when you come across any artisan items and understand that they have to be empowered to upheld our Indian culture!!!

 

1...876877878...890Page 877 of 890

Contact: [email protected]

About us

User generated chapter of OpIndia. Selected articles submitted here are published at main English or Hindi websites of OpIndia.

ऑपइंडिया

OpIndia

© OpIndia.com