1857: Some rare eyewitness accounts By Amar Nath Wadehra

Sarguzashte inquilab 1857 compiled by Kashmiri Lal Zakir and Prof. Sadiq

Mayyar Publications, Delhi. Pages: 176. Price: Rs. 150/-

Call it Sepoy Mutiny, India’s First War of Independence or the last hurrah/gasp of India’s effete princely states, there is little doubt that it was a cataclysmic event that firmly established the British as the subcontinent’s undisputed masters. The revolt lasted nearly two years. After the British annexed the kingdom of Oudh in 1856, many sepoys of the Bengal Army – who actually hailed from the areas comprising UP and MP – felt that their traditions were being trampled upon. When the East India Company issued new rifles along with cartridges greased with the fat of cows and pigs both Hindus and Muslims were outraged. On May 10, 1857, at Meerut, 85 soldiers, who had been chained for refusing to use the cartridges, were freed by their comrades. After killing many officers, the mutineers set out for Delhi, which they captured. Violence, anarchy and bloodshed touched the zenith reminding one of a couplet: har ek dasht-e-kaza mein kashaan kashaan pahuncha/jahan ki khaak thi jis jis ki woh wahaan pahuncha (Every one sooner or later reached the desert of death; arriving at the place to which his dust (body) belonged).

Contrary to the popular perception, in these hitherto ignored accounts, the rebels do not emerge as idealistic, gallant freedom fighters although the likes of Karl Marx had descried the rebellion as a befitting response to the treachery and venery of the British. This anthology comprises writings by those who were alive in those days and had been victims of or witnesses to all-round savagery, and the notorious disunity among Indians. There was no dearth of quislings, collaborators and tergiversators in the subcontinent that put paid to the aspirations of genuine seekers of liberty.

Ghalib describes the events in Delhi that took place between 11 May and 31 July 1857. The rebels, who had come from outside, were helped by the Indian soldiers in the Delhi garrison. Communication, mail and transport were disrupted and the “Quiladar Sahib” and “Agent Bahadur” were murdered. He calls the rebel soldiers namak haraam. He considers the rise of the British inevitable, and rationalizes that the destruction of one entity becomes the basis for the rise of another.

Fazal Khairabadi was a vocal critic of the British who had issued fatwa declaring jehad against them. He was arrested and exiled to the Andamans, where he died in 1861. Giving graphic details of various conflicts he mentions how, when the desperate British asked “western Hindus” for help, Maharaja Narinder Singh of Patiala and ‘dishonest Muslims’ helped them. He also alludes to Bahadur Shah’s escape to Humayun’s mausoleum where he was subsequently captured.

Another eyewitness, Abdul Latif, used to publish a Persian language paper. Although he had chronologically recorded the events from 11 May to 4 September reports only up to 11 June are available. Perhaps those accounts pertained to atrocities by the British and were deleted. He narrates how the embers of mutiny lit up in Meerut reached Delhi as inferno. He too terms the rebels namak haram and ehsaan faramosh. They killed the officers, looted and burnt their homes, broke open the jails and freed the criminal inmates who joined the mutineers in murder and pillage. Those dressed in western clothes were killed indiscriminately. Capt Douglas, who looked after the Red Fort’s security and Simon, the Resident, requested the Mughal King to issue a ‘hokum’ to put down the revolt. Latif further writes, ‘Those who tried to maintain the law and order were mercilessly put to sword. In brief, this namak haram and bad-anjam lashkar’s atrocities put even Changez Khan’s massacre to shade.’ On 16 May Bahadur Shah ordered Mirza Mughal and Mirza Khizr Sultan to put down the rebels with heavy hand. On 26 May, Kanwarjit Singh, the Maharaja of Patiala’s representative, came with supplies in support of the British.

Moinuddin Hassan Khan, who was kotwal of Paharganj, had saved Metcalf’s life from the rebels. Metcalf got his eyewitness account Khadang-e-gadar translated and published in English in 1898. The original manuscript remained unpublished till 1972 when Khwaja Ahmed Farrukhi published it as Aag-o-khoon ja-ba-ja. He repeats the gory story, but recounts some tragic-comic episodes too. For example a rumour in Hissar of a fight between the rebels and British forces on Id-ul-fitr (25 May) turned out to be a scrap between the local Dogar and Mali communities. At Allahabad, one Maulvi Liaquat Ali declared himself as Imam and began instigating people against the British. Freebooters and riff raff became his followers. Encouraged, he declared himself a Khalifa and started holding court. But when the British forces came looking for him he found himself abandoned by his followers, and fled. Later he was arrested in Bombay and sentenced to death. At Danapur rebels tried to smoke out besieged British soldiers by burning sackfuls of red chilies. Unfortunately the wind changed direction and the acrid smoke made them run helter-skelter.

Sayyed Zaheer-ud-din Zaheer Dehlvi says in Yam-e-gadar mein dekhi-suni that realizing their wakening position the rebels requested Bahadur Shah to flee with them but he declined. Later, one Sanders escorted the king to Delhi. At the Delhi Darwaza Sanders made him witness the massacre of civilians by the British forces. Thereafter the king was taken to his abode. Next day Bahadur Shah’s sons, daughters, grandchildren etc, numbering about 30, were rounded up and beheaded and their heads presented to him.

Pt. Kanhaiyya Lal’s inquilab-e-1857 gives details of the battles in the territory comprising modern Haryana. There is also a mention of Hindu traders pleading with the British officials to save them from Muslim looters.

Mrs. Hortistit’s memoirs were translated into Urdu by Zafar Taban as Gadar Kay Manazir. She was a French woman married to an Englishman. She too affirms that Indians – like Maharaja of Patiala and other rulers in Punjab, Rajasthan and elsewhere helped the British re-establish and perpetuate their rule.

The events of 1857 certainly coalesced feudal interests with the rising popular resentment against the firangi. This eventually metamorphosed into a powerful and focused nationwide movement that gave birth to a united Republic of India in 1947.

This volume is a welcome addition to the saga of India’s freedom struggle.

The Tribune

Life, death and strategic management By Randeep Wadehra

Life is, death is not compiled & edited by Satjit Wadva

Lahore Book Shop, Ludhiana. Pages: 160. Price: Rs. 300/-

Since time immemorial sages, seers, philosophers and assorted thinkers have been trying to understand the phenomenon of death and purpose of life. Hinduism and other Hindic religions look upon death as a transition period for the soul to shed its old garb and don a new one. But, this is not a definitive view as concepts of moksha, swarg, narak, rebirth and karma lend sophistication to the entire phenomenon. Most of the other religions like Islam and Christianity look upon death as final. However, death keeps us obsessed; it looms large on our subconscious. No wonder literature is full of it. John Donne remarks, ‘Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.’ Tennyson puts a pithy poser, ‘A day less or more/At sea or ashore, /We die – does it matter when?’ And, Osho has the last word, “We don’t know what life is then how can we know what death is… Life is; death is not!’

This collection summarizes various religions’ views on the subject in its first part. The second part has articles, poems and anecdotes by the likes of Ghalib, Gibran, Khushwant Singh, Amrita Pritam et al. It ends with enumeration of the last rites prescribed by different religions.

Competing with the best by Rajnish Karki

Penguin Portfolio. Pages: xi+242. Price: Rs. 450/-

When opening up of the Indian economy was being debated during Rajiv Gandhi’s regime the late Prem Bhatia had strongly advocated glasnost in the columns of The Tribune, articulating full confidence in the Indian business community’s ability to take on foreign competition successfully. Today, the Tatas, Ambanis, Birlas, Mittals et al have vindicated his stand which he had taken at a time when non-socialist utterances were still considered heresy. Today India Inc has become a respectable entity in the global corporate world thanks to its aggressive and innovative strategic management techniques. Karki seeks to evolve new strategic management approaches that are practicable and should stand our companies in good stead in the global arena. The chapters Corporate Configurations, India-Focused Configurations and others – especially the case studies provided therein – can prove rewarding to tycoons and management students alike.

The Tribune

Awards, honors and games politicos play by Randeep Wadehra

It’s a cliché but television is a powerful medium and cricket a great crowd-puller-cum-opiate; further, Twenty20 is the latest craze if only for the fact that the men in blue are current world champs in this version. This potent combination didn’t go unexploited by Punjab’s politicos. They held a Congress XI versus Akali-BJP XI T20 match at Mohali which was duly telecast by Zee Punjabi. Although the camera understandably focused largely on politicians and partly on spectators, it also panned, occasionally, on the physically challenged invitees to buttress the organizers’ claim that they were holding a charity match. But this wasn’t the only reason touted for the show. According to Sukhbir Badal it was meant for promoting amicability among the ruling and opposition parties by inculcating the game’s vaunted values of sportsmanship, ignoring the current wisdom that it’s no more a gentleman’s game, whatever the version. This became manifest when Parkash Singh Badal took a swipe at his bête noire on the issue of “vendetta politics” even as he assumed grandfatherly mien while advising the legislators to cooperate in the smooth running of legislative proceedings. So, even while one was puzzling over the purpose of the entire razzmatazz one espied Rajinder Kaur Bhattal seated on a sofa, looking forlorn, wearing a baffled smile. One wonders why. Even if the Congressmen had lost the match, the political fraternity had won. After all who is going to remember the handicapped guests after their fifteen seconds exposure to dubious limelight? The actual winner? Politicians. And we know that winner takes all.

Then there was this news clipping of Punjab’s sportspersons being honored. All one saw was a less than ten seconds shot of happy recipients and more than a minute long footage of a garlanded Sukhbir Badal being ‘honoured’ by an official. Period.

Another netaji who has become adept at drawing public attention and scoring brownie points with his constituency is MS Bitta of the Anti-Terrorist-Front fame. Sensing an opportunity in the growing popularity of Kashmir Singh he too decided to organize a function to honor the alleged spy who came back from the cold. Using superlatives in praise of the guest Bitta exhorted the government to get other ‘brave sons of India’ released from Pakistani prisons. Now that he has studied neta log quite closely since his return one wonders whether Kashmir too is contemplating becoming one – the ruminative expression on his face seemed to indicate as much. The symbiosis between popularity, politics and pelf is natural, enduring and alluring in the extant milieu. Let’s not forget how the media helped assorted politicians extract political mileage out of the Sarabjit issue. Now, reportedly, his hanging has been postponed to 30^th of April. Enough time for Punjab’s politicos to switch over from cricket to the more familiar game of political ducks and drakes.

The Scarlette Story By Amar Nath Wadehra & Randeep Wadehra

Why do we watch television? For infotainment of course. But what is infotainment? Information + entertainment of course. How does one discern which one is which? Stupid question? Not really. But let us first admit that information can be entertaining – as you would have discovered while watching Discovery, National Geographic and History channels – and entertainment, on television, can be informative; the socio-cultural snippets about the place where a cricket test match is being held, for example. Understandably not all information is entertaining, and not all entertainment informative. Both can be repulsive too. And, of late, revulsion has come to impact one’s sensibilities in a big way thanks to the crass handling of crime related news stories, lending infotainment an odious odorat.

Crime is not merely reported, it is dwelt upon lingeringly in various TV news channels. Obnoxious details and images hit you hard on the nose. Whether it is Star News or Aaj Tak telecasting live the lynching of a chain snatcher in Bihar or Zee News giving gory details of domestic violence/crime in its Crime Reporter show, one detects more than a hint of scoopophilia. The slant in newscasts by channels like NDTV and IBN7 is decidedly pro-upper middle class. They either ignore the hinterland or cover only such happenings that impact upon urban lifestyle. But sensationalism and hypocrisy are not limited to these channels alone. There are no honourable exceptions, lamentably. Let us contextualize the latest example from Goa.

A fifteen year old is raped and murdered on the silvery sands of Goa. The local police try to be casual about it and would have got away too, but for a minor detail. Scarlette was a White Brit. On learning this, our electronic media went hyper-active. The police was hauled over the coals. The latter got respite in time when the British tabloid press dug up the victim’s mother Fiona’s “credentials”. The tone and tenor of our television chatterboxes changed perceptibly all at once. Horror was replaced with disdain, condescension and other attitudinal hues reserved for non-PLUs. Worse, there was an element of morbid voyeurism in the way the injury marks on Scarlette’s body were repeatedly splashed across the screen and “extracts” from “her diary” read out; shedding the sensitivity that was so abundant when Jessica Lal and Shivani Bhatnagar murder cases were televised a few years ago.

This skewed sensibility, this hypocrisy, was quite manifesting during the Getanjali Nagpal case too. On at least two news channels the troubled girl – whose marriage and budding modeling career had gone awry – was hounded by assorted journalists who, embarrassingly, had joined the onlookers in sniggering at her. Things changed dramatically once her German husband called from abroad reiterating his love for her. Mercifully, the girl has since been allowed to be rehabilitated in peace. But what takes the cake is that the same anchors who were earlier busy painting Getanjali in all the lurid hues suddenly started claiming credit for “rescuing” her from her predicament. With unashamedly straight faces too.

Coming back to the Scarlette case, things touched the nadir during NDTV’s We, the people show. What should have been a searching interrogation of the working of the police and the state government, turned into an inquisition targeting Fiona’s parenting. One wonders what the proceedings would have been like if she were an upper class Briton with exactly the same traits as she reportedly has at present.

A star on the make

He loves to display his six-pack abs and jackets – not simultaneously though. He has a collection of 150 jackets from all around the world including Australia where he had gone for the Singh is King shoot. Son of a much awarded academic, Dr. Saroj Sood from Moga, Sonu Sood is himself an electronics engineer making his mark as actor in Bollywood. He is an ex-fashion model who loves doing daring stunts, like jumping from high-rise buildings. He is a tough looking hunk who is politeness personified. You will find these contrasts even in his acting career. Born and brought up in Punjab he debuted in a Telugu movie! Then he did a series of South Indian flicks – including comedies – before he got a break in a Hindi movie.

If you have seen Jodha Akbar you cannot forget the character of Sujamal. Yes, the same aggrieved Rajput prince who eventually sacrifices his life for the sake of his sister Jodha and her husband. Sonu Sood, our munda from Moga, impresses in the role. When complimented, he modestly shrugs it off. No wonder. He has impressed in movies like Yuva, Aashiq banaya aap ne etc and has done lead/meaty roles in Ek vivah aisa bhi, Shahid-e-Aazam Bhagat Singh, Mission Mumbai, Sirf and several others. Currently he is working with such prominent directors as Aashutosh Gowarikar, Mani Ratnam and Shyam Benegal. You can also enjoy his portrayal of ‘King’ opposite Akshaye in the comedy Singh is King. In fact after a few initial hiccups, Sonu is fast gaining reputation in the industry as a talented actor with the potential for becoming a superstar. When that happens he would be emulating Dharmendra who is the only superstar who was actually born and brought up in Punjab.

Novella, plays and a blast from the past by Randeep Wadehra

Dance by M. Mukundan (Translation: D. Krishna Ayyar & KG Ramakrishnan)

Katha. Pages: 123. Price: Rs. 175/-

This slim novelette has a rather large canvas that spans Kerala, Europe and America. The protagonist, Agni alias Balakrishna, is a youthful exponent of kalaripayattu – Kerala’s martial art form wherein, like in our classical dance forms, one has to be mentally focused, physically agile and spiritually aware in order to generate heightened experience for the performer and the aficionados alike. One day Agni is noticed by Rudolf – a famous European dancer – who invites him to join his company. Thence begins his journey to fame, riches and sexual promiscuity that ends in tragedy. The story is retailed by Agni through a series of emails to Sreedharan. The narrative is smooth and the translation flawless – you wouldn’t have known it was a translation if it was not mentioned on the cover-flap. But there are glitches too, e.g., Mukundan calls the communication link between Kremlin and White House a hotmail instead of hotline. He draws a politically incorrect analogy of master and slave while comparing skin colours of Alexis and Agni. This readable work would have become absorbing had various mindscapes been explored, and emotional interplay been depicted. Characters have not been fleshed out, barring, to some extent, those of Raji, Agni and Sreedharan.

Shakespeare’s daughter & other plays by CD Sidhu

Writers Workshop. Pages: 422. Price Rs. 200/- (flexiback)

In a milieu wherein staging of adaptations of Russian/western originals is considered a matter of pride, an original Indian work is like a waft of fresh air. This volume contains five plays that portray various situations in our towns and villages. Their aspirations and deprivations, toils, troubles and struggles have been vividly depicted. The detailed stage settings are good enough to inspire a tele-filmmaker to adapt Sidhu’s scripts to the electronic medium. Having said that one must point out that the translation is disappointing, more so because Sidhu’s credentials in English, Hindi and Punjabi are impeccable and he is translating his own works. For example Jeeto’s dialogue, “Let father milk her…” may have been effective in Punjabi, but is stilted and awkward in English. He could have avoided literal verbatim translation and used his talent to come up with better prose. However, if the dialogues are rewritten, keeping in mind the English knowing audience, these plays can wow theatre buffs.

The Alipore Bomb Case by Noorul Hoda (Ed.: Shyam Banerji)

Niyogi Books. Pages: 176. Price: Rs. 395/-

In the early 1900s Bengal was the hotbed of revolutionary activities. High-profile British officials in India were targeted. There were intricate networks of secret societies that carried out daring acts of bombing and assassination attempts. The fact that this upsurge in anti-British movement coincided with the looming threat of World War 1 only made the administration more desperate and ruthless. How deep-rooted and widespread the patriotic zeal among Bengal’s youth had become is brought into sharp relief by what has come to be termed as The Alipore Bomb Case. On 30 April 1908 two teenagers Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki threw a bomb at what they thought was District Judge Kingsford’s carriage but killed two innocent British women instead. Consequently, while Chaki committed suicide Khudiram, along with Aurobindo Ghose, Barindra Kumar Ghose and Ullaskar Dutt, was arrested and tried. He was hanged to death, while the others were incarcerated. This volume gives the particulars of the case authenticated with details from official records.

THE TRIBUNE

Quality music needs to be encouraged by Randeep Wadehra

The last fortnight saw cricket almost over-shadowing the two budgets – the railways and the fiscal – and the contrasting fates of Kashmir Singh and Sarabjit Singh. While cricket has become the opiate of the couch potato the human interest story was understandably more emotive and the news channels gave the escape-from-Pakistani-gallows tale its due airtime. But there were other images on the small screen too – of the porters celebrating their ‘promotion’ to the ‘class-iv’/gang-man status. While, for the ruling coalition, this may be a good vote-catching gimmick in the election year no news channel felt it necessary to investigate the effect of this step on the quality of services rendered to railway passengers, and the long-term financial costs involved. Worse, will the public have to deal with one more segment of government employees now? As for the waiver of loans to farmers one has yet to see a detailed pro-and-cons debate on a television forum, although Punjabi farmers are among the worst sufferers of the debt burden. Is the waiver really going to benefit Punjab’s small and marginal farmers? If yes, then to what extent? How do such steps resolve the problems of uneconomic land holdings and socially induced wasteful expenditure? Hopefully, we would be enlightened on these issues in the near future. Let’s look forward to a suicide-free countryside.

Music VCDs regularly hit the market. One of them is Aao Sare Nachiye, a collection of song and dance numbers performed by such artistes as Satwinder Bugga, Nachattar, Satinder Satti and others. Most of these were telecast on ETC on the New Year’s Eve. Quite a few of these are hummable. Satti’s Kikkaran-Beriyan and Koka numbers reveal she is no mean crooner. It appears that the training in classical music has started bearing fruit. Now, apart from being TV anchor, actress, poet and dancer she has become a singer too.

Here is a clarification. This column is not anti-music. In fact we are proud of the fact that our folk culture, which resounds with the baints of Waris Shah's Heer and dohre of Hashim's Sassi Punnu, has given birth to songs for every occasion. Haria, doli, suhag, vatna, ghorlain, sitthian, vaen and alhanian reflect variegated moods generated by assorted social occasions and personal circumstances. Admittedly, it would be a folly to allow our creative genius to stagnate in the backwaters of the past, but it would be wise to use our oral literature as the launching pad for new compositions. For example, Harbhajan Mann has recreated Mirza quite effectively using modern instrumentation and technique, Gurdas Mann has done a great job in Kee khattya mein teri Heer bankay and, of course Hans Raj Hans’s classic song Silli silli still resonates in every Punjabi heart. And, how can one forget the Ghori sung by Sarabjit that pulled at the heartstrings of young Punjabi sisters? Whenever these songs appear on the small screen entire households go into a hush. The point is why are such compositions exceptions rather than the rule? It is a torture to watch one mediocre song after another for hours in the hope of espying a quality composition. Believe me.

THE TRIBUNE PUNJABI ANTENNA

Forging An All-India Identity With A Global Mindset by Randeep Wadehra

India’s ongoing economic restructuring is aimed at integrating it with the emerging international economic order, unleashing indigenous genius in diverse fields of economic activity. So much so that, driven by its success in the IT industry, our economy’s traditional primary, secondary and tertiary sectors are perking up too. However, it’s increasingly being felt that a new credo, which is appropriate to the nascent globalized milieu, ought to replace conventional ideologies and isms as they’re fast becoming obsolete. Therefore, we must examine the Indian polity’s present health. Is it dynamic enough to warrant confidence in its enduring stability, so essential for enabling India take its rightful place in the emerging international power hierarchy?

Spiraling social unrest, epitomized by caste wars, sub-cultural turmoil and sectarian violence, is a tough poser, alas! One wishes, like the economy, it was fairly feasible to streamline our society too.

Since independence, our collective national psyche has been suffering from schizophrenia of sorts. On the one hand we unstintingly approved a secular constitution sans state religion, and on the other, the body-politic is being wracked by partisan unrest of the worst possible kind. And, let’s not forget the sense of alienation that our compatriots in the Northeast feel vis-à-vis the rest of India, leading to insidious insurgency. Over the years, India’s secular-social fabric hasn’t just frayed at the edges, but has developed gaping holes all over it. Terrorism and group conflicts have become endemic. Forces of obscurantism are doing their worst to subvert the emergence of a liberal post-modern milieu.

The grand Gandhian vision of a genuinely tolerant polity has been reduced to a pathetic platitude mouthed by dishonest politicians, even as they do their worst to tear apart the traditional composite culture. Obviously things have gone terribly wrong somewhere, the reasons for which need to be investigated.

Aware of the extremely complex social stratification in India, the makers of our constitution made every effort to give it a cast-iron secular character. Through a series of provisions that protect the rights of various minorities and other vulnerable groups, they sought to separate religion from the state, and keep the former confined to ecclesiastical sphere so that it doesn’t take on a militant theocratic form. Nehruvian secularism, inspired by the atheist Soviet system, ensured that India didn’t have a state religion.

It exemplified the majority community’s self-confidence when it repeatedly kept the Jana Sangh – and its later day incarnations – out of power for more than four decades after the blood-spattered partition. That self-confidence appears to have been dented now. Hindus are becoming increasingly susceptible to the extremist propaganda that they’re second class citizens in their own country. Over a period of time, successive generations of Hindus have begun to feel that their secular outlook is being taken as a sign of timidity. Aggressive posturing by minority communities appears to have tacit support from assorted political parties, which cynically treat different strata of the society as their respective vote banks. The Sangh Parivar too doesn’t miss any opportunity to exploit the ‘appeasement of minorities by the centre’ to broaden its base among educated middle-class Hindus. Sections of Hindu community – buffeted by the crosscurrents of antagonistic attitudinizing of minorities and the Hindutva propaganda – are losing poise, giving militancy a fillip. Conversely, the minorities feel threatened by the renascent Hindu assertiveness.

The Muslim community is still in search of a way to reconcile its worldwide Islamic personality with nationalism. Its dual loyalties have often led to societal convulsions. Sikhs, once considered as members of militant Hindu sect, are in the process of establishing a sub-cultural identity that’d be distinct from Hinduism – a quest that, sometime back, led to the separatist movement triggered off by demagogues like Bhindranwale, which resulted in avoidable tragedies. Christians are looked upon as having an agenda to proselytize entire India leading to sporadic and horrendous, violence.

Is it possible to untangle the communal conundrum that’s slowly asphyxiating the once healthy organism called Indian polity? The answer is an unequivocal “yes”. An honest effort is needed at the following levels at least:

Society

I recall an apt observation made by David Gress (Multiculturalism in World History, September 1999, Vol. 5, No. 8), “When social and cultural capital and self-confidence decline, the capacity to benefit from cultural exchanges also declines.” Each community has developed a ghetto mentality vis-à-vis other communities. There’s an urgent need to promote multicultural exchanges and understanding in order to avoid demonization of “the other”. Multiculturalism, a vital input in promoting secularism, implies respect for other cultures while remaining loyal to one’s own. Let’s look back at history and draw certain lessons as to how our forefathers coped with an increasingly complex social structure.

India’s been home to almost all religions in the world. It’s the original melting pot of diverse ethnic groups. In the pre-Christian era there was no resistance to the assimilation process in the subcontinent. The coming of Christianity to South India – much before it had reached Europe – too didn’t create any social stress, let alone conflict. The arrival of Islam triggered off unprecedented violence and conflict. Muslims, who first invaded India in 711 AD, preferred to keep their identity distinct from the local people. Islam’s monotheistic belief-structure clashed with the Hindu polytheism that was further stratified by a complex caste system. However, despite the clashes the people belonging to the two religions co-existed in relative peace in the rural areas.

The traditional Hindu tolerance towards alien people and their faiths facilitated their co-option into the evolving social structure. In fact they greatly benefited from interaction with alien cultures and developed a way of life that left little scope for intolerance. Donald Eugene Smith, in his book The Religion of India: The Sociology of Hinduism and Buddhism, observes, "The Hindu state of ancient medieval, or modern times was not a narrowly sectarian state in any sense; patronage was frequently extended simultaneously to various sects and religions…” Emperor Ashok’s (a Hindu convert to Buddhism) edicts are irrefutable proof of this.

The inherent pantheistic nature of our civilization sustains religious open-mindedness. The spirit of co-existence and tolerance that’s characterized Hinduism since ancient times has its parallel today in the freedom of religious worship that’s guaranteed under our constitution. So much so that it’s ingrained in our minds that respect for all religions equals secularism. Admittedly, for a polity to be genuinely secular it has to be outside the pale of religion altogether.

The creed of assimilation, mutual trust and harmonious co-existence practiced by our ancestors needs to be adapted to today’s context wherein every form of human activity needs to be integrated into an evolving global structure. But the question is, how? It’s been universal experience that social disharmony results in loss of lives, destruction of national assets and decreased productivity causing immeasurable economic losses both at micro and macro levels. A genuinely secular society can ensure peace which, in turn, spells all round progress and prosperity. It’ll also facilitate the formation of more productive work-environment – so essential for a robust economy, ensuring a durable integration into the global economic structure with fruitful results for all. The global community, especially investors, will certainly reject a chaotic, unstable and mired-in-medievalism India.

Governance

It’s time to eschew populism. Common secular laws, applicable to all citizens, are essential for the formation of a secular society. There has been a lot of misuse of personal laws that does not augur well for the formation of a just polity. Caste-panchayats are another threat to the existence of a multi-cultural civil society. Exploitation in the name of religious sanctity of certain practices that belong to the distant past has been well documented. Medieval mindset and globalization are antithetic to each other. Scrap all personal laws and bring different religions, castes, sub-castes and tribal groups etc under the common secular law of the land.

All forms of reservations on the basis of caste and religion, be these in the field of employment, professional education or electoral constituencies, need to be abolished. Meritocracy must rule supreme, making governance near-perfect. All issues will be decided on merit. The culture of respecting true merit in all walks of life needs to be evolved in order to obliterate all forms of social friction. The current socio-political-administrative superstructure promotes sectarianism. Make the power structure more just, and its functioning more transparent and responsive, by giving merit a chance.

Human Resource Development

Our education system needs complete overhaul. Any attempt to promote obscurantism and intolerance often begins in classrooms. This should be checked ruthlessly. All religion-based educational institutions must be closed down immediately. The school should be a secular platform for disseminating value-based education. Morality needs to be redefined – taking it out of the realm of theocratic didacticism and placing it in the context of liberal global mindset. In order to make secularism the creed of the 21^st century India, we should facilitate young students’ understanding, and practicing, of multiculturalism. Study of all forms of theology should be allowed as an optional subject at post-graduate level when scholars would be mature enough to successfully resist all attempts at indoctrination.

Secularism is a profound, abstract and, hence, intractable concept when compared to multiculturalism. It may be defined as essentially humanism that rejects all religions, and is strictly atheist-rationalist in its approach. Rationalism and reason are essential inputs in the evolution of a modern secular polity. Unfortunately, even when our constitution provides for promotion of scientific temper, dens of irrationality and obscurantism have been flourishing with impunity. Education was left more or less to individual states. This was a cardinal sin as it endangered the very existence of the nascent liberal-democratic ethos that needed careful centralized nurturing.

Education should be a strictly federal subject – with rationalism forming its main ingredient. This approach alone can beat back the tide of fundamentalism currently sweeping our socio-political scenario. Moreover, let’s not sanitize history or give it a slant expedient to the political party in power. History as handmaiden of political expediency can be an explosive proposition. Teachers must boldly elucidate the palatable and not-so-palatable aspects relating to all cultures and eras of history. This confronting of harsh realities is bound to promote a more mature understanding of the dynamics of cultural interaction.

Once students learn to practice multiculturalism, they can be trusted to develop a secular outlook as citizens. This is possible if, at the college and university level, rationalism becomes the norm for all intellectual pursuits. Instead of discouraging young scholars from being inquisitive it’d be more fruitful to encourage them to question and examine all existing canons – academic, political, theological or otherwise. All attempts at intellectual esotericism and withholding of information should be thwarted. Their spirit of inquiry should be so robust as to not accept dogmas or theses at face value but rigorously investigate, test and validate these. Rational ethos developed in campus is bound to translate into a more vibrant and enlightened society.

This spirit of scientific inquiry can evolve a culture wherein our political leaders will come under the scanner. The TINA factor that’s been responsible in subverting our politico-administrative culture and institutions will simply disappear. If only our voters were educated enough, perhaps they wouldn’t have been repeatedly fooled into voting for candidates on the basis of caste and creed by ignoring merit. The chances of having the extant quasi-feudalistic ruling families – both at the centre and the states – would’ve been nil.

Identity is essential to an individual for various socio-psychological reasons. But it’s not a static concept; it changes as one evolves. Today the traditional caste structure has become irrelevant to the vocation one chooses. If rationalism prevails, even religious and linguistic identities will become redundant. Eventually, one might well see the emergence of an all-India identity in its most genuine form. The next logical step in our collective evolution as a nation would be global citizenship based on the ideals of secularism, peace and progress.

Dyed in Caste by Randeep Wadehra and Amar Nath Wadehra

It is always possible to bind together a considerable number of people in love, so long as there are other people left over to receive the manifestations of their aggression. ----------Sigmund Freud

"Kown jaat ho?" the amiable shopkeeper in Kanpur asked our acquaintance before allowing him to drink water from his tumbler. The permission was granted when the latter assured the former that he was a Brahmin. And all this in a wannabe post-modern India! Tiwariji, the shopkeeper was not inquiring caste out of any malice. A product of his social environment, his was a reflex response to a stranger's request for water. One often encounters such query in its various versions in almost all parts of India. UP and Bihar are often looked upon as bastions of casteism, but there is hardly any state where this affliction does not exist.

Ours is a stratified society. This stratification is so complex that we need a different terminology for it. Stratification conjures up layers upon layers of social distribution. In fact the divisions in our society are horizontal as well as vertical. You have castes that command equal social esteem, yet they wouldn't enter into social alliances with each other. Every caste is essentially a community in itself, albeit subdivided into sub-castes, with well defined pecking order along with attendant do’s and don’ts. Intermarriage is simply out of the question. For example a Saraswat Brahmin would not give his daughter in marriage to a Gaud Brahmin family, and vice versa; Punjab’s Khukhrain Khatris would accept brides from Khatris outside their clan, but wouldn't marry their daughters outside the prescribed social circle. The plethora of sects, subsects, castes and subcastes in our society indicates the extravagance of our pluralism... No wonder it has evolved into a bundle of curious contradictions, viz., assimilation and exclusivity.

The so-called postmodern Indian has refined the art of caste identification through more subtle means. He doesn't ask, like Tiwariji, one's caste directly, but alludes to certain specific practices peculiar to a caste denoted by one's surname.

Accordingly, groupings evolve in work places, professional organizations and business set-ups. Caste mindfulness is neither region-specific nor class specific. Nor does it undergo much change with passage of time. Caste-consciousness envelops our psyche like an ancient shroud, which we are unable to shed owing to centuries of mental conditioning.

Recently there has been an upsurge of interest in genesis of the caste system. If Dipankar Gupta has written an entire book on the whys and wherefores of caste system, then Madhuri Santanam Sondhi and John Keay have shown more than passing interest in the phenomenon in their respective works. And this list of authors is by no means complete. While a section of the intelligentsia looks askance at the process of 'going back to the roots', another school of thought feels that a lot of good can come out of it provided one tries to understand the original basis for the social stratification, which has its genesis as much in economic disparity as in the esoteric processes of history.

For some the system is an obnoxious reality, while for others it is a time-tested mechanism that helps the society cope with the dynamics of ever changing social and economic scenarios. Caste system was not an 'ism', but a scientific tool for division of labour, some claim.

Moreover, the very fact that it is the most enduring anachronism testifies to its utility even in the contemporary India. It provides one with an identity that is distinct and indelible. If its study helps us to broaden our outlook rather than narrow it down, it can serve a useful social purpose. For example, not all Brahmins were ethnic Aryans and not all Shudras were non-Aryans. In the latter category one can include those Brahmins who were ethnic Aryans but for some reason were condemned as Bhrasht Brahmins and downgraded to the caste of Chandalas. Let’s not forget that ‘low’ and ‘high’ castes reflected societal mores in a specific time frame. There was a time when along with suvarna caste rulers, Shudra kings too existed.

One would do well to remember that in the ancient texts the term 'Arya' was not used to denote ethnicity but a certain lifestyle. Erroneously or otherwise, it came to be associated with civilized people in the subcontinent. Thus any ethnic group or sub-group could be called Aryan if its lifestyle was identical to the one described in the Vedas and other relevant texts. Caste is thus the outcome of the Aryanization process of India. Observes John Keay, "An Aryanized society may be defined as one in which primacy is accorded to a particular language (Sanskrit), to an authoritative priesthood (Brahmans) and to a hierarchical social structure (caste)..."

It was not uncommon for a Brahmin, a Shudra and even a Vanik to indulge in warlike activities... something one always associates with the Kshatriya caste, which essentially was a club that admitted new members from time to time without ethnic considerations. In fact, anyone who could coerce, cajole or convince the priesthood about his claims to being a Kshatriya was duly legitimized as one. His family history would be concocted to link his lineage to either the sun (Suryvanshi) or the moon (Chandravanshi). So we have blue-blooded Kshatriyas from such diverse origins as the verdant Deccan, the sandy Thar and the distant Caucasus.

Later on, with the advent of alien religious groups that came and settled in the subcontinent, the system tried to come to terms with the new situation.

Sondhi observes, "Not for centuries but for millennia, Indian society has cohered and survived as a group society, where important decisions are taken by consensus or conformity. This social organization was able to accommodate the influx of waves of outsiders, not always into the religious system of the Hindus, though that also occurred, but into the group structure of the society. When the Muslims finally settled down, relatively speaking, after a period of invasion and conquest, they were able to adjust to the implicit rules of the caste system. Whole castes which converted to Islam retained many of their customs and position in society with perhaps marginal improvements, newcomers settled into castes of their own, and the basis of Hindu-Muslim coexistence was the received tradition of mutual recognition and differentiation arising out of separate ritual, dietary and marriage customs".

John Keay, the celebrated historian seconds Sondhi's thesis, "...Muslims adopted something approaching caste distinctions. Elements of ritual and popular devotion were also shared. Muslim shaikhs and pirs attracted Hindu followers; Hindu ascetics, dancers, musicians and craftsmen attracted Muslim patronage..."

It will not be out of place here to mention that according to Meyyaar –e – Sadaquat, a collection of scholarly essays in Urdu on India's social system, there are about seventy two denominations of Indian Muslims. Most of these denominations are a result of ethnic and caste considerations.

However, caste consciousness is not unique to the subcontinent's Hindus and Muslims. Christians and Sikhs, who claim their respective societies as monolithic and egalitarian, too are stratified on caste basis. Of course, this division is unofficial but as real as the one existing in the Hindu society. For example the Catholic Syrians from the Kottayam-Changanacherry belt in Kerala trace their ancestry to Namboodri Brahmins, and consider themselves as ethnically superior to other Christian denominations. The rivalry for supremacy among Sikhs is well documented. The traditional Khatri – Jat Sikh competition has been replaced with the Ramgarhia – Jat Sikh rivalry, with Lubanas, Sainis, Mazhabis and other castes staking their respective claims for supremacy in Sikh societal structure.

Presently, the post-Mandal scenario has introduced a new element – the crystallization of caste groups. So now we have upper castes, intermediate castes and scheduled castes or Dalits as three distinct groups. This has, on the one hand intensified inter-caste rivalry for political power, and on the other hand managed to confound the intra-group equations. If today the Brahmin-Bania combine is ruling the roost there is no guarantee that these two powerful castes – backed by other influential upper-caste groups – will remain united for long. Sooner or later the lure of power and pelf is going to have its effect – we are already seeing this in the social engineering wrought by Mayawati in Uttar Pradesh; the subtle but strong power struggle within the Sangh Parivar is another example.

Already the universally revered author of Ramayana Valmiki and the father of our Constitution BR Ambedkar are fast becoming exclusive icons of Dalits. On the other hand, Brahmins in the North are trying to reinvent Parsuram as the role model for their caste. Temples in the name of Parsuram, where only Brahmins will have the right to membership are being built.

If this trend catches on soon one will find that Laxmi has become exclusive deity of the Aggarwal community, Krishna of the Yadavas, Rama of the Kshatriyas and so on. Such caste-based fanaticism, on the lines of neo-fascism in Europe, might transform from being a fringe group lunacy into mainstream hysteria. Ditto for similar caste based alliances in other political groupings. Here one must recall what George Russel, the Irish writer had once said, "Any relations in a social order will endure, if there is infused into them some of that spirit of human sympathy which qualifies life for immortality".

Have modernizers failed in breaking the caste system's hold on our society? It would appear so, if one goes by the atomization of our polity. In Sondhi's words, "The attack on the received social system, which it may be emphasized, was an intimate ingredient of the Indian Dharmic way of life, and underlay the life of all religions in India, has also not succeeded in its twin goals of eradicating caste identities or substituting a responsible humanist society.

“Rather, by turning the relatively stable group hierarchical order into an arena of competition for political and economic goods, the caste system has been re-legitimized through the back door. The attack on joint families and group identities again has not resulted in enlightened citizenship so much as deterioration into unrestrained individualism, familism and social irresponsibility. Thus instead of the modernizer's imagined brave new world, there is increasing confusion, anomie and disorder".

Consequently, the phrase 'Caste Wars' might gain increasing national currency. And that's not good news for the common man.

However, our past itself gives us reason for optimism. Caste based intolerance was not the salient feature of the society. The aberration set in much later on, thanks to the inexorable march of history.

Dipankar Gupta points out, "...The preeminent status attained by the Brahman and the debasement of the untouchable cannot be considered as pre-given outcomes of the Hindu state of mind but, rather, resulted from a long historical process. The most salient feature of this historical process was the constant rivalry between various communities for political and economic power which was reflected in their varying and conflicting perception of Brahmanism and of the Vedas".

Have things gone too far for the trend to reverse? Where does one go from here? Will the brave new world remain a utopia? Perhaps not.

Karl Marx had once remarked, "Society does not consist of individuals but expresses the sum of interrelations, the relations within which these individuals stand". However imperceptibly, these interrelations are undergoing metamorphosis. One says this when one looks at trends in the upper and upper-middle classes. Commonality of interests and not caste affinity dictates social and economic relationships among these classes.

Moreover, caste is no more as influential in the choice of one's profession or specialization in any field of activity. Marriage alliances too are being forged on the basis of economic status and material self-interest.

This post-modernist trend, despite being ill defined at present, might yet break the traditional caste superstructure. Some might term such an eventuality as "Paradise regained".

Whether this projected reality will be as radiant remains in the realm of conjecture.

High on Cinderella syndrome

Cinderella stories make for absorbing viewing on television. We still recall how the saga of Millie had enchanted us a few years ago. Brought up in an orphanage she steps into the big bad world only to get into a mortal confrontation with her father. Finally, she not only ‘defeats’ her vengeful father but also meets her prince charming. In fact there is any number of serials wherein unfortunate female protagonists struggle to break the shackles of their unhappy circumstances and attain happiness that apparently lies yonder – and succeed too. We saw that in Udaan and got more than a glimpse of the Cinderella redux in Saat Phere.

Currently there are at least three soaps depicting girls in various challenging situations. There is Sameera Singh in Chhoona hai aasman successfully disproving the fabricated charges of treason against her and winning the affections of her beau in the bargain. Then there is Annu who escapes the clutches of dowry-hungry would-be in-laws only to find her family in dire financial straits (Annu ki ho gayee wah bhai wah!). Her attempts to help the family, as well as Gulshan Singh Grover – a childhood friend, land her in a classy restaurant as chef – impersonating Gulshan. That the place is a hotbed of intrigue and the young boss believing her to be a boy tries to befriend her complicates the predicament. That she has fallen in love with him does not help either. The female protagonist’s delicate good looks, penury, heartaches and romantic possibilities form potent ingredients to attract eyeballs. But, perhaps, Pari hoon mein comes closest to the Cinderella syndrome. Nikky is an orphan who has inherited a small garment-making workshop from her parents. But she is in the clutches of a banshee like maami who wants to grab her property. Ill-treated and thrown out of her house she meets Karan who works for a film production house. The buck-toothed Nikky resembles the famous film star Pari Roychoudhary. Thus begins her rose-tinted dalliance with a dream.

It is remarkable that although all the three serials have fanciful plots with contrived situations (for instance, a Pakistani spy with his identity tattooed on his back remains undetected as a part of the elite Hawks in CHA; Annu is tightly embraced more than once by her boss in AKHGWBW but her male guise goes unexposed, and Pari’s mother unsuspectingly takes Nikky as her daughter in PHM), the characters of Sameera, Annu and Nikky have been played quite convincingly by the respective actresses. One portrays the character of a tough and sharp-eyed spy-cum-commando who yearns for love; the second one is a bewitching mix of timidity and intrepidity while the last one’s vulnerability and intense desire for a torment-free life pull at your heartstrings. Now that there is no dearth of good actors all that we need are original story ideas translated into quality scripts. Tall order, that?

THE TRIBUNE

We need classy shows by Randeep Wadehra

Ideally there should be an optimal mix of news based and entertainment programs that would be of interest to viewers belonging to different walks of life and age-groups. Unfortunately, the Punjabi TV programming is lopsided. True, some channels telecast news and talk as well as road shows but almost all of them revel in popular music. And, one of the indispensable ingredients is religious music for which slots are reserved in mornings and evenings. One thought no new channel would venture into this territory, but was wrong. Divya, a brand new channel wholly dedicated to mystic music has come up in February. So, one can now nurture one’s soul by listening to shabads, kirtans, bhajans, bhents and similar compositions 24X7. Such is the channel’s dedication to pious renderings that only VCDs and DVDs with spiritual content are allowed to air promos. Well, obviously the saturation point has still not been reached as far as this genre is concerned. Occasionally one might come across something different on the small screen but it is impossible to recall anything worthwhile barring Mukesh Gautam’s Sajda telecast ages ago on Zee Punjabi. Then, a few years back, on the same channel’s Parat Dar Parat show one had viewed a very interesting documentary on Gurudwaras in Pakistan.

Song and dance shows predominate the ETC telecast. Only a few of these are worth hearing/viewing. Viewers and reviewers can keep whingeing till the cows come home but the head honchos of various Punjabi channels wouldn’t budge from the hackneyed formula of music and more music. One feels sad and desperate when one looks at the rich Punjabi heritage and literature waiting to be tapped for quality mass entertainment. How many historical movies/TV shows on the sacrifice of Hakeekat Rai or the rise and fall of the likes of Banda Bahadur and Maharaja Ranjit Singh have been produced so far?

Is it really too much to expect biopics, docudramas and serials based on the lives and works of such poets of universal appeal as Bhai Vir Singh, Shiv Batalvi, Dhani Ram Chatrik, Amrita Pritam, Mohan Singh, Balwant Bawa, Preetam Singh Safeer, Avtar Singh Azad, Prabhjot Kaur etc.? it should also be mentioned here that in the sphere of drama, novel and short story, the path blazed by the likes of I.C. Nanda, Nanak Singh and Gurbax Singh has not been forsaken, but trodden by such talented writers as Balwant Gargi, Sheela Bhatia, Gurdial Singh Khosla, Harcharan Singh, Sant Singh Sekhon, Kartar Singh Duggal, Kulwant Singh, Navtej and a host of others. There is a regular spate of literary output of merit from old and new litterateurs even today. Even in the sphere of Hindi literature, Punjabi writers like Yashpal, Upinder Nath Ashk, Pt. Sudarshan, Mohan Rakesh, Dev Raj Dinesh, Charanjit, Chandergupt Vidyalankar, Rajiv Pannikar etc have made notable contributions. Perhaps their works could be translated and adapted for Punjabi productions.

Clearly there is no dearth of source material for television productions. If only the channels/production houses would digress from the cheap and easy path leading to quick bucks and mass boredom. Will Punjabi television ever witness the kind of renaissance that would catapult it into the category of genuine, quality entertainers?

THE TRIBUNE Punjabi antenna

Bhasa, Nehru and the Diaspora

The shattered thigh and other plays by Bhasa (translation: A.N.D. Haksar)

Penguin. Pages: xxx+127. Price: Rs. 200/-

Bhasa would have remained an enigma of Sanskrit literature had not Trivandrum’s MTG Sastri discovered some of his works in 1909. Although eulogistically mentioned in the works of Kalidasa, Bana Bhatta, Jayadeva et al, and named in the same breath as Kaviputra, Saumillaka and other great classical Sanskrit litterateurs, only thirteen of his plays survive today. These are based on Harivamsa and the two epics. In this riveting read Haksar has included six of these plays. All are based on the Mahabharata and appear in a sequence beginning with the Pandavas’ exile and ending with Duryodhana’s death wherein Bhasa draws alternate scenarios. For example, in Five Nights (Panchratram) Duryodhana is shown as a man who keeps Abhimanyu with him when Pandavas are exiled, and honours a promise given to Drona and Bhishma by restoring to the Pandavas their kingdom. The Middle One (Madhyama Vyayoga) also creates a situation that is not found in Mahabharata. Here, Bhima fights with Ghatotkacha in order to save a priest family. Both father and son are unaware of each other’s identity – a theme that predates the Rustam-Sohrab saga by several centuries. While reading this fascinating volume one wonders at the sophistication of our ancient literature. Each play is capable of being enacted onstage in its original or adapted version.

Use of metaphors by Jawaharlal Nehru by Rakesh Gupta

Shubhi Publications, Gurgaon. Pages: xvii+229. Price: Rs. 495/-

Scholarly interest in Nehru abides to this day. Gupta’s tome is another evidence of this. Not only has he taken a look at Nehru’s evolution as a politician but also enumerates, albeit briefly, the various events and personalities that helped in shaping his persona. Interestingly, he employs unusual tools to understand India’s first prime minister, viz., interpreting the metaphors Nehru used in his writings, e.g., “the flood of aggression” (the 1962 war), “the thick wall of group hatred” (the situation in Kerala at that time) and many others that were original, evocative and rich in imagery. Gupta has also examined The Glimpses of World History and other writings to unravel the Nehru that was – a visionary, a cosmopolitan, and a nationalist with propensity for didacticism.

Diasporic studies edited by Gurupdesh Singh

GNDU, Amritsar. Pages: x+312. Price: Rs. 225/-.

Although Indians have been migrating – of their own accord or under duress – to various parts of the world for ages it is only now that some interest in them is being evinced. True, quite a lot of literature by Indians living abroad has been written wherein such themes as loss of identity, cultural conflict and assimilation, longing for and romanticizing of the homeland etc have found prominence, but our political as well as intellectual establishments have been indifferent to the Diaspora for long. Lately, however, some amends have been made. This erudite volume is one such step, the scope of which is stated to be limited to Punjabi emigrants but Bengali and other non-Punjabi segments of the Diaspora too come under the scholarly scanner. Along with the works of Naipaul, Rushdie, Rohinton Mistry and Shahid Ali, and the cinematographer Ritwik Ghatak, prominent space has been given to Sadhu Singh Dhami’s novel Maluka and Iqbal Ramoowalia’s The Death of A Passport in the discourse. The attempt in this volume is to focus on the process of the resolution of identity crises in alien climes, and the need for the original racial-cultural-religious identities of immigrants to come to terms with the acquired new national-cultural identity in the host country.

THE TRIBUNE SHORT TAKES

A web of all things nice by Nuggehalli Pankaja

This collection of poems is rich with the vicissitudes of life...
Silken Web’! What an entrancing title, so apt for the array of poems sprouting effortlessly from the creative landscape of the featured poets’ hearts. The poems speak in accordance with the emotion generated by some special experience, and sensitive angles unfold— queries unasked before, empathy unfelt hitherto, surface and hover. This collection of poetry proves right the observation made by Leigh Hunt, eminent critic of the Nineteenth Century, “Poetry includes whatsoever of painting can be made visible to the mind’s eye, and whatsoever of music can be conveyed by sound and proportion without singing or instrumentation.” The mother-daughter relationship is taken up in a different form in the poem, ‘Lying in wait’ by the established poet, Sivakami Velliangiri, which voices the hard reality in every mother’s lives as the daughter grows apart, chalking out her own life. The pathos of old age and a listless frame of mind is also effectively portrayed in her other poem ‘Sway’. ‘Lasting memory of me’ by Ambika Ananth is profoundly moving with its easy flow and content— ‘I see her walk away/ Into her new world./ I know one thing for sure,/ She has a womb of great promise./ She will bear a daughter,/An extension of herself,/ Who will make/ A lasting memory of me...’ No parent can read this last stanza and remain untouched. Male poets are not far behind in bringing into focus reflective thoughts and emotional resonance. Randeep Wadehra’s— ‘Rama’s woman, and mine’— is one such poem with a fine, impacting closure. ‘Perhaps I pay the price/For your excesses/When my woman /Looks me in the eye/And says/She will go to another man/Coz I say ‘Yes dad’/Too often’ Rohan Korde’s ‘Death’, Avinash Subramaniam’s ‘Out of my life, inside my head’ and the humour-tinged ‘Ideal husband’, Rumjhum’s ‘Memory’, ‘Shore’ of Vikram Deish, etc, all display depth of feeling. ‘Childhood’ by Santosh Vijaykumar brings into focus the vulnerability of childhood and the poignancy of experience etched in the last sentence— “Did your grandfather snatch your childhood away from you?” Speaking of childhood, the vacuum caused in the lives of children by the sudden disappearance of that important figure— father— and the bewilderment which follows is depicted effectively in the last stanza of the poem, ‘What Father left us’ by K Srilata— ‘Father left us a couple of unpaid debts/And this vacuum in my children’s lives,/Marked ‘Maternal grandfather’. But an entirely different view is presented in ‘Leaving’ by Manu Bharati! The emotional conflicts of one setting out in quest of his life, and the guilt-feeling at leaving perforce the old-dependant parents behind, is brought out well. Completing the circle of sensitive familial-relationships. Another current topic— ‘Mass wedding’ is dealt with finesse in ‘Monsoon Wedding’ by Chandini Santosh— ‘All grooms look alike/White on White/And nervous/Like caged cats/A hurried exchange of garlands /Fast!’ And these four lines— ‘My hour old groom /husband/Call him what you will/Stranger yesterday/Future today’ The poems of Christine Krishnasami are intricately woven with myriads of elusive thoughts and sensitive snatches. Her poem ‘Cranes alighting’ with its central figure of ‘mama’ makes an impact, while ‘Retirement Home’ succeeds in imparting nostalgic waves. Payal Talreja’s poem ‘Rush’ brings out another angle of a mother— the loneliness as the boy dependant on her once upon a time grows up and grows away from her, caught in the rat-race of survival. Adultery, one of the social problems, is also dealt with subtly in ‘Perfidy’, of Nirmala Pillai, the last para inducing deep contemplation. Many other noteworthy poems are also there; To put it in a nutshell, this collection is rich with the vicissitudes of life bringing to mind Bacon’s viewpoint— ‘Same feet of nature treading in different paths’. THE SILKEN WEB A collection of poetry, Edited by Karuna Sivasailam Published by Unisun Publications Pages-168, special Indian price-Rs 125/only.

DECCAN HERALD

Unfair and unlovely By Randeep Wadehra

Saat phere on Zee is worth a watch. Saloni’s in more than skin-deep trouble. Her melanistic visage cancels out all the qualities of her head and heart, which are inadequate to fetch suitable match for her, or approval of her own mother and younger sister. She’s black-skinned and hence a burden on the family. Black is not beautiful in our society. But, we do worship dark-skinned gods like Shiva, Rama and Krishna. In fact, Krishna is considered the ultimate romantic hero who’s ardently sought by fair gopikas, and whose raas leelas have spawned an entire corpus of passionate literature. Shiva is the primordial male – omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent – who’s looked upon as prized spouse by the ultimate celestial beauty, Parvati a.k.a. Gauri (the Fair- Skinned One). Rama personifies morality and ethics in every walk of one’s life. So, to the uninitiated in our societal mores, we must be colour-blind while forging personal, especially conjugal relationships, concentrating only upon a person’s qualities of head and heart. This isn’t so.

The colour of one’s skin matters, especially in case of prospective brides. Remember, the only black-skinned goddess we worship wears a garland of skulls, has a blood-red tongue sticking out of her mouth and is feared for her destructive traits. So, a female deity is preferred as Shubhra or Shweta but never a Kali unless one is seeking protection against demons. Is it any wonder that fair-skinned females have greater success rate in the marriage market than their dusky counterparts? Matrimonial ads are telling examples of our preferences.

Gora rang roop nikharay proclaims the ad for a fairness-promoting concoction on television. Creams promising to turn your swarthy skin into light pink sell better than hot cakes – boyfriends prefer white girlfriends, you’re told in no uncertain terms. Our film stars are invariably light-skinned. Have you seen a black model promoting a made-in-India product? This colour prejudice is embedded into our psyche right from our birth. At home the dark child is kali-kalooti and would rarely be the apple of granny’s eye. At school the fair skinned child stands more than even chance of becoming the teacher’s favourite.

At the risk of digressing, it needs to be mentioned here that the TV reportage of 29/10 Delhi bomb blasts reinforced our brand of apartheid. Almost all news channels concentrated upon white tourists’ reactions to the blasts–not a single channel deigned to interview African or Afro-American/Latin-American tourists. NDTV went further by turning an ordinary Brit into ad hoc expert on our security set-up, the working of our relief and rescue agencies et al! The message is clear, even a white back-packer is preferable to the coloured, especially black, tourists.

So, what chance in the Great Indian Matrimonial Market does poor Saloni have in a society that evaluates a person’s worth by the density of melanin in her system? In fact her life has been made miserable by the women of her own household – her mother, sister-in-law and younger sister. She’s to be married off by paying a dowry of Rs. 25 lakhs in cash! Even if the groom-to-be is a lout. Although a boy from another caste loves Saloni, the marriage has to be within the caste – Rajputs in this case. All attempts by Saloni to break the shackles of caste and dowry have come to naught so far. How she fares in future episodes depends upon the scriptwriter and demands of the TRP.

Rajashree Thakur’s performance as Saloni is notable for subtle facial expressions, eloquent silences and articulate body language – she might well prove to be the reigning star of the small screen in not-too-distant future. Her eyes talk–a sure sign of acting talent. Mohan Bhandari as honest officer and helpless father impresses, while Neena Gupta as Manno Bhabhi, the marriage fixer, entertains and infuriates.

THE TRIBUNE