Culture Overload- Confessions of a Politics and History Freak

INFLUENCE OF JAINISM IN VILLAGES OF BENGAL

2020-09-26T00:49:00.000+05:30

Once Mahavira said, “A non-religious person when awakens would make others sleep. Therefore his sleeping is good. A religious person when awakens will awaken others. Therefore his awakening is good.”

Such were the ideas of religion that Mahavira and other Jainā monks and nuns propagated throughout their lives. The spread of Jainism amid a well-developed Hindu regime was made possible with the adoption of a simple language and an equally simple, but appealing doctrine. Mahavira and his captivating personality, generous patronage from rulers, and efforts of several hundreds of Jaina monks, writers, etc. also contributed to Jainism gaining its ground. Bengal witnessed the advent of Jainism during the lifetime of Mahavira, who had visited Radh (southern part of present West Bengal) to preach his tenets. There is a prevalent legend that says, 22 out of the 24 Tirthankaras had attained their spiritual power in a mountainous region called Parexnath Pahad near West Bengal. The then leader of the Jaina temple was Bhadrabahu (4th-century B. C. E), a native of Pundravardhana (northern Bengal), who is credited with the compilation of several canons of Kalpasutra. According to Kalpasutra, Mahavira spent a year of his missionary in Puniyabhumic(in Ladha or Radha). By the 4th-3rd century B. C., the whole of Bengal had come under the influence of the Jainas. Although there is an absence of literary remains to support such developments, presumably because of the unstable polity that existed before the 9th century, the archeological evidence from 9th-century C. E. onwards has been able to weave quite a story. The material evidence corroborates the fact despite its presence in Bengal from a very early age, it took its final shape in much later times under the protection and support of rulers and support of the masses.

Many parts of Bengal like Bankura, Purulia (Telkupi, Banda, Raghunathpur, etc.), Murshidabad(Kathgola, Azimganj, Bheruji, etc.), Hooghly(Chinsurah), Burdwan had, and some still have facades of the remaining Jaina temples and idols.

The numerous Jain relics that lie scattered in the Bankura district tells us that it was once under the influence of Jainism. The villages of Sonatapal, Bahulara, Dharapat, Harmasra, and Paresnath (near Ambiknagar) confirm that many of the relics that are considered Hindu or worshipped as Hindu deities have a Jaina past to it.

The Siddheshwara Shiva temple was probably built as a Jain/Buddhist shrine and later on got reconsecrated as a Shaivite monument by the Malla monarchs of Bishnupur. We can further corroborate the account with the help of the garbhagriha. The garbhagrihas have figurines of Ganesha, Jain tirthankar Parshvsanatha, and one that of the Mahisasurmardini other than the central Shiva linga.

BAHULARA TEMPLE

The "Nangta Thakur" (naked deities) at temples of Dharapat and Bahulara villages have naked Jain images along with the Hindu deities. The idol here is believed to be of Shyama Chand Thakur, who was commonly known as Nangta Thakur. Women who could not conceive prayed here in the hope of getting blessed with a child. The old building of the temple was made of plastered laterite had collapsed. The new one has three exquisite stone idols in the temple, out of which two are Jain deities, and one is that of Vishnu, apart from the small sculptures of flying lions on each of its four sides. The stone relics in Dharapat also narrate to us amusing tales of its time e. g. one of them is a statue of Parasnath that was converted into a Vishnu idol by adding two hands to the cast.

DHARAPAT TEMPLE

All of these have a direct correlation to the re-emergence of overpowering-Hindu influence in the area. The material-remains point that Jainism flourished and boomed from the late millenniums BCE until roughly the cusp of the 7th and 8th centuries C.E. with the establishment of the kingdom of Mallabhum.

However, the most extensive hoards of Jaina reliquiae have been found in Purulia. One such site is Raksatpura (Raghunāthpur), which has a solitary well-carved specimen of a Jaina Tīrthaṅkara Pārśvanāth in front of the modern Brāhmaṇical Temple, now worshipped as a Hindu deity. The nude Jina is shown to be seated in padmāsana posture on a double-petalled lotus, with his hands in the dhyāna-mudrā gesture supported by a back stela. Stylistically, the image belongs to c. 11th -12th century C.E. This image of Pārśvanātha is unique and rare, and most probably represents an installed deity. A noteworthy feature of the existing image is the presence of eight planetary deities (jyotiṣka-deva) on the edges of the back stela.

Another important site is Śaṅkā (Cheliyama). The scattered structural fragments, as well as sculptural remains associated with Jainism, indicate the earlier Jaina affiliation of the site. The images of Jaina Tīrthaṅkara Ṛṣabhanātha have been found on the left and right of a tank here with their lower part buried under the earth. It is also well executed in kāyotsarga(meditation) pose. This image is quite important, as it differs from the other statues and religious figurines of the area. The presence of these statuettes leads us to the assertion that they formed part of an abandoned Jaina temple complex, either situated at the site or at someplace in its vicinity.

Therefore it is quite evident how Jainism had influenced the villages of Bengal and how the Jaina deities were resurrected into the Hindu ones. The decline in Jainism can be justified with the extreme ways of penance, loss of patronage beyond a phase, resurgence of Vedic traditions amidst many other things. Although this change was mostly political in other regions, Bengal adopted a method of peaceful cultural and social transition rather than a show of violence and military power. And, such is the rich heritage of Bengal, that these Jaina/Hindu temples have never refused anyone at their doorsteps, be they from any religion, caste, or creed.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Majumdar, Shubha. " Understanding the archaeological contexts and iconic details of Jaina antiquities from raksatpura and śankā, district Puruliā, West Bengal" In International Journal of Jaina Studies (Online) Vol. 10, No. 1 (2014) 1-32.

2. Ram Bachan Singh, Spread of Jainism in Ancient India: A geographical analysis.

SOLUTION TO CLIMATE INDUCED MIGRATION: SOONER OR LATER?

2020-08-07T18:32:00.000+05:30

“The choice is not between the current crisis and blissful isolation. The choice is between the current crisis and an orderly, managed system of mass migration. You can have one or the other. There is no easy middle ground.” Although Patrick Kingsley, the author of The New Odyssey: The Story of Europe’s Refugee, wrote this line in a slightly different context, it also stands true for the question been asked here.

Climate change is not a neoteric phenomenon as we have beheld it since the beginning of the mysteries of existence. The migration of Homo Sapiens from Africa into other parts of the world was solely due to environmental factors. But it wasn’t a problem back then. And now it has become a big deal. Why?

The answer lies not in the process, but the factors affecting the process. It is the increased rate of climate change with all the natural resources depleting and the human population growing at an unbelievable pace, which is the real culprit here. The overconsumption by both abled and equally or more abled individuals accentuated the situation. Compartmentalized solutions provided from time to time by various organizations at national and international levels did not help either.

Discussing solutions for climate-induced migration not only demands, general awareness in the world but also the political will to do so. Now before scrutinizing the problem, we should dig deeper and get a complete understanding of the crux of the matter.

The most natural obligation right now is to officially recognize the existence of a group of people who are solely or mostly induced by climatic changes to migrate within the country or into any other country per se. Even now, climate-induced migration has failed to get recognization under the framework of the International Legal Regime for Protection of Refugees or the definition of the 1951 UN Convention on the Status of Refugees & 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees. There is also a conflict of terminology amid migrants, refugees and, evacuees. Using the term refugee would neglect the Internally Displaced people and also pose a threat to dilute the available international mechanisms and goodwill to cater to the problems of other existing refugees. Climate evacuee has a temporal connotation associated with it while migrants incline to focus more on the pull of destination than the push of origin country. But we generally see the campaigners and the victims use refugee more often probably because of the negative meaning it carries with itself and sympathy it invokes at a glance. I believe that the existing definitions given by International organizations and scholars are too broad or too narrow to deal with, which makes their acceptance troublesome.

The second problem somewhat related to the first argument deals with the absence of a legal framework to help out these seemingly stateless folk. None of the legalities promises to cover the issue in one go simply because many of the first-world countries are still reluctant to accept the gravity of the situation and its aftermath.

When we don’t approach these vulnerable groups with a solution-oriented framework, we miss out on a larger picture and therefore overlooks the threats harboring on women and children in specific. It somewhat hinders the growth of the very base of their institutional development. The hostility inflicted upon women, undermining their safety(dangers they face during fuelwood and water collection), and sanity is necessary to be acknowledged, and, for that, a clear-cut definition of these climate-induced migrants should be engendered.

The international Human Rights treat these groups of people as ordinary civilians and don’t guarantee them to stay in another country. 1988 UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement and 2006 operational Guidelines on Human rights Protection in Situation of Natural Disaster reiterates the loopholes present in their structure and arrangement. But the lack of any further reformative step to deal with the predicament insinuates at their vested interest in maintaining the status quo. Moreover, the threat of losing statehood further widens the gap in the existing protection framework. Even if these gaps are aligned, the implementation problem is eternal. And with countries backing out of conventions, proper execution of laws seems to be a very distant goal to achieve.

Therefore, innovation is the need of the hour since there is a meager amount of guaranteed participation and scare resources available. Community resettlement as a suggestive redressal should be a last resort in and only in case of statelessness and loss of territory of countries such as islands. However, China’s current measure of Resettlement with Development ( RwD) is really commendable as it touches upon the issue of sustainable development and ensures proper utilization of added human resources. It basically hangs on the country’s frame of mind and ability to turn a liability into an asset.

It would be wrong to say that none of the developed countries have taken any initiative towards providing relief to these climate-induced migrants: the Russian Federation supported the Adoption of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration.

But, on the other hand, the Brazilian government’s indifference related to tackling the causes of the Amazon forest fire shows that something is just not right. What we need is a collaborative approach towards making this world a safe haven for all those who were forced to leave or have voluntarily left their homes because their climate was not habitable anymore.

The need of the hour is to have decentralized, integrated, and self-sufficient economies to instrumentalize this difficulty. The collaborative approach should be implemented on various levels, including on a local level. But first and foremost, people should be aware that they are facing a potential threat so that preventive approaches can be adapted and accommodated, especially in the second and third world countries with a definite change in attitude in the advanced economies.

HISTORY OF INDIAN EDUCATION-A LOOK INTO OUR SCHOLASTIC PAST

2020-06-28T21:27:00.005+05:30

“As the man who digs with a spade (into the ground) obtains water, even so, an obedient student obtains the knowledge which lies hidden in his teacher”.

The above quote from Manu’s Dharmashastra shows one of the few secular, non-casteists, non-sexist, and non-dominant vantages of education as perceived in the ancient Indian society.

In the olden days, there was no system of formal education. A father passed on his wisdom to his child so that he could learn and live on it. With time, we get references to the gurukul system in Upaniṣads, Vedas, and post-Vedic Śāstras. Mostly Brahmanical, our education system comprised Vedas, Upaniṣads, Dharmaśhāstras, Dharmasūtra, and various other Smritis.

To get educated, a child had to leave home and stay with his teacher in a gurukul for the entire duration until the completion of the alma-mater; the teacher took care of everything of his pupils including, food, clothing, shelter, health, etc. Usually, the students were allowed into the gurukul at the request of a preceptor. Then the rite of Upanayana had to be performed before getting into this formal system of education.

The ancient education system was believed to be a holistic one drawing its sources from disciplines ranging from academics like Itihāsa (history), Ānvīkṣikī (logic), Mīmāṃsā (interpretation), Śilpa śāstra (architecture), Arthaśāstra (economics), Varta (agriculture, trade, commerce, animal husbandry), to physical education like Krīḍā (games, recreational activities), Vyayāmaprākara (exercises), Dhanurvidyā (archery) and yogasādhanā (training the mind and body).

They worked together conscientiously to make the pupils proficient in all spheres. Besides, shāstrātha (learned debates) was organised to assess the understanding of the disciples. There also existed peer groups to help each other out, similar to that of modern times. Unlike today, teaching was very much oral, and students memorised and recited what was taught in the class. After completion of primary education, students went to universities and vihāras for higher education. The principal intent was to provide complete learning, helping them lead a disciplined life, and make them realise their inner potential.

Among the most notable universities that came about this time, those at Takshila, Nalanda, Vikramshila, etc. were associated with vihāras. The rest of them like, the ones at Benaras, Navadeep, and Kanchi grew around temples. These universities enrolled foreign-students, which depicts its popularity and importance. They taught almost everything under the sun like politics, the art of warfare, military science, astrology, art apart from the traditional subjects. Their alumnae went into different fields including Pāṇini, author of Aṣṭādhyāyī, Jivāka, a renowned physician, the exalted Chāṇakya Kautilya, etc.

RUINS OF VIKRAMSHILA UNIVERSITY

Knowledge was considered being free and, no fee was charged during that time, unlike today’s education-business model. Contribution to education was considered the highest form of donation; therefore, we get references for grants of lands and buildings made by the nobles of society. Maktabas and Madrassas came into play along with the destruction of these bygone universities in the medieval period. It inflicted the most horrific episode of devastation upon the voluminous library of Nalanda, which encased over 9 million invaluable collections of scripts, literary works of eminent scholars collected for over seven centuries. Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khilji in 1193 left no opportunity to destroy this noble institution of Nalanda with merciless genocides of thousands of innocent monks and gurus to uproot Hinduism and Buddhist culture and forcibly implant Islam.

LIBRARY OF NALANDA UNIVERSITY

With the beginning of British rule, there seemed to be two motives in place. First is to plunder the wealth of this age-old Indian civilization, and second is a white man’s burden of civilising the natives. However, they found that as long as the nation was aware and even proud of its heritage, their ‘white man’s burden’ remained as ‘cumbersome as ever’!

In the Round-table conference of 1931, Mahatma Gandhi, in one of his public discourses, stated, “The beautiful tree of education was cut down by you British. Therefore, today India is far more illiterate than it was 100 years ago.” By 1820, the British had already used up the financial capacity that held up our educational system- destruction that went on for nearly twenty years. But still, the Indians were persistent in continuing with their indigenous education framework.

MINUTES OF MACAULAY

Finally, the Britishers invited T.B. Macaulay to decide on the kind and type of education that should be imparted in India. They entrusted him with the responsibility to settle down the dichotomy between Orientalists and Anglicists.

Therefore, he submitted his famous minutes to the council, approved by Lord Bentick, and as a result, they passed a resolution in March 1835. However, in anglicising Indian education, he did away with the Indian values and inculcated English tastes and culture. He continued with downward filtration of the caste system, which gave the upper castes more preference in schools than the lower ones.

The practice of giving more priority to Brahmins in the Govt. and missionary-run schools went on for nearly 100 years. As a result, these castes became impoverished and ignorant and, the Brahmins who were supposed to lead the society could not perceive the societal changes happening around because of foreign education. The missionaries after years of toiling in vain realised that their attempts could bring out the ideals from the Brahmins to a certain extent. However, the conversion was not possible, so they started focussing more on other castes and classes. This vicious cycle led to the targeting of Brahmins for the deplorable condition of the lower order. That, although true, didn’t help the situation.

This poison induced by Macaulay continued to weaken the nation with a perpetual ignorance towards Indian thinking, Indian problems, and Indian models with indigenous solutions to problems. The best brains and the best energies went into western models and solutions which, was essentially materialistic and not at all sustainable. It explains our loss of freedom at the hands of the British that happened because of us losing faith in our way of life, philosophies, principles, thought processes.

And today, we have made a business model out of it, which bankrupts the people who want their kids to get educated and corrupt the young mind. And if we really do not want to exhaust ourselves as a nation, we need to liberate our educational system out of foreign elements and put them up for renewed inquiry before the younger generations so it can continue to be relevant at present as it were in the past.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. http://ncert.nic.in/textbook/pdf/heih111.pdf

2. http://home.iitk.ac.in/~hcverma/Article/Article%20by%20IITM%20student%20in%20Indian%20education.pdf

Altekar, Anant Sadashiv. Education in Ancient India. Isha Books, 2009.

https://theculturetrip.com/asia/india/articles/what-did-the-ancient-indian-education-system-look-like/

ONLINE EXAMS IN DU- READY FOR REALITY?

2020-06-06T11:17:00.001+05:30

India leads the world in a lot of indices, and interestingly, not all of them are detrimental. With 504 million customers, India has the second-highest internet users in the world. A pretty large number, huh? But what percentage does it constitute of India’s total population? Only around 50%. And how many households does this huge figure cover? As per the National Sample Survey report on Education (2017-2018), it is barely 27% of India’s total. In such a scenario, are we ready for an online exam especially, in an institute like Delhi University with students from various economic and social backgrounds, religions, and regions?

Isn’t it right to throw all those unprivileged kids under the bus during this ongoing pandemic?

According to a recent survey conducted by Delhi University Teacher’s Association (DUTA), 85% of the DU’s students are not in a position for an online Open-Book Examination. It includes a large number of whom are from SC, ST, OBC, and economically weaker backgrounds, and are from different parts of the country. Out of those 51,453 respondents, 11.9% received no study materials during the lockdown. 38.1% had no access to them at all because of reasons like having no laptops, owning a single smartphone in the entire family, 2G internet connection, or no connection at all.

Although the ambitious Saubhagya scheme ensures power connection to 99.9% of the homes, the reality is far less luminous than the plan if we look at the quality of electricity and the number of hours for which it is available every day. Mission Antyodaya (2017-18) has revealed that hardly 47% of Indian households receive power supply for more than 12 hours a day. A blackout occurs mostly because of the gap between the demand and supply of electricity. During peak hours, to suffice the chief municipalities, supply has to be cut in the backward areas and settlements. During long and frequent power-cuts, students are not able to charge their phones, which at most times, is the single electronic device in a family of five or six. So, the foremost sufferers are those poverty-stricken families who aspire for something bigger and better but get restricted by their resources.

This lockdown also manifests the fact that there is a clear-cut distinction between in-general access to internet and internet access at home. Over 66% of the Indian population resides in rural areas, but only a little over 24% have access to internet services. For urban areas, this number increases to 43%, but it still leaves a lot of the young students in the lurch. The discrepancies do not end here. Internet penetration varies from 69% in Delhi and 54% in Kerala to 38% in U.P and 21% in Bihar. The gender disparity in terms of internet accessibility is stark: 33% of internet users are female, and the difference is even deeper when it comes to rural areas. A report by the Quacquarelli Symonds on the usage of the internet shows that even broadband connection in India is not good enough. Over 3% face cable cuts, 53% face poor connectivity, and 32% face signal issues. Is this online exam even worth the stress that it's going to put on us in the coming months? Because there may be a certain percentage of students who perceive this lockdown as an opportunity to hone their skills, read more, spend some quality time with family and friends but there is also a large proportion of students out there whose parents have lost their jobs or are stuck in some other part of the country or have family members suffering from this fatal virus.

Smartphones can be convenient for various apps and attending online classes but not for carrying out lengthy assignments or research. The fact that only 11% of Indians own computers- laptops, tablets, palmtops reveals the glaring differences that may exist between two college classmates.

In such a situation, exams seem doubtful when there are significant gaps in digital learning. Besides the connectivity issues, online interaction between students and their teachers looks like a challenge. One-to-one communication is essential for both teachers and their students. It mostly depends on the acceptability of this new platform and the readiness of both parties. It is harsh of the authorities to make a sacrificial lamb out of the traditional teachers who may be technologically-challenged to tutor online. Has DU been thoughtful enough to issue directives on how to teach online, and what platforms to use for that? It has not been bothered to provide any precautionary measures to ensure that the students and teachers don’t fall prey to cybercrime during these online lessons. As an inevitable result of such loopholes in the decisions, there were several cases reported where teachers claimed to have faced harassment during web classes sometimes by their students and sometimes even by outside intruders.

An online course ideally requires devising lesson plans, and preparation of teaching materials, which is an arduous task, without any framework or broad outlines, to begin with. So is the case with the learning process- learning demands a conducive environment for studying, and we have to keep it in mind that not all of us have a quiet space for that at home. Reports indicate that 37% of the houses in India are 1-dwelling households. Regular online classes have their costs for both teachers and students, and its affordability continues to be a big question in a developing country like India. The recent cutback in the budget for digital learning from ₹604 to ₹469 crores in the fiscal year 2020-21.

The 25-point-OBE plan released on Saturday by the Dean of Examinations Vinay Gupta assured that the students would be allowed to use the ICT resources available with the CSC (Common Service Centre) academy for downloading and taking the print, scanning, and uploading of answer sheets free of cost. As per DU, there are more than 2 lakh functional CSCs located at almost all gram panchayats across the country. But the teachers and students called this circular- confusing and a mockery of the examination process. It leaves a lot of loose ends. It does not give specific instructions to take any precautions to ensure that CSCs do not get overcrowded. Are these CSC's safe and sanitized in line with the guidelines of GOI? DU has also decided to wash its hands of specially challenged students just by allotting two extra hours to them. The fact that the website crashes as soon as results are out or forms are uploaded puts a big question mark on how successful these online exams would be.

This inconsiderate behavior meted out by DU has invited RTI, petitions, letters to the administration, protests on twitter, etc. Although the university has turned deaf ears to the solidarity shown by the students and teachers together, we must not stop until we get there because when injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty.

SUSAN’S AID

2020-05-25T14:14:00.002+05:30

Chapter 1

Stepping out of The Kensington, she realised it was an unusually pleasant day. The sun blazed overhead, but Susan could still breathe the dewiness of the morning breeze. This part of London seemed as busy as always- streets packed with cars, double-decker buses, school buses bringing toddlers back home, and pedestrians darting across vehicles.

Her tall and elegant figure, and the frills on her short thick hair with her sense of style, could be mistaken for an affluent and elite Londoner. As she strode on the stone-paved sidewalk past shops and kiosks in the corners, one could feel the rhythm in her feet, part of which was because of the recent success in one of her pro-bono cases and the rest attributed to the beautiful spring up in the air. The park near the busy intersection appeared brighter than any day and, her eyes glowed as she pictured the park: full of colours, with the rose garden later this season. Susan took a cab from the crossing and, suddenly, she got lost in the thought of the poor teenage girl. Meanwhile, the cab driver informed her curtly, “Ma’am, destination arrived.”

As she entered into her rundown apartment in Bexley, she could not stop thinking of that young girl, especially of her wretched condition. The case that she concluded this morning was of Melania, a coming-of-age girl with a bun in the oven. The father of this unborn baby was a 20 years-old spoilt brat who resided in one of those over-priced houses in one of the priciest parts of Greater London. It would be an understatement to call Teddy Smith “rich” with a billionaire elder-brother, who was a big-time real estate investor in the United Kingdom with various other side businesses.

Susan Tate never really got to know her mother as she had breathed her last while giving birth to Susan.

All she got was a caring and doting father who eventually jumped from the prom near the Littlehampton in West Sussex and gave his life. It had welled her beautiful emerald eyes up with tears as she had read the last letter written by his father when she was just 16. But this unfortunate incident could not break her indomitable spirit, and she went on to become a successful lawyer.

Chapter 2

“Hey, are you new here?” Teddy had inquired about seeing a new bartender at his regular den.

“Yes, why?” Melania had responded in her monotonous voice even without looking up.

“Don’t you just hate it when people try to use pick-up lines on you?”

“Well, I ignore these people.”

“Mind if I use some of them?”

“No.”

“I see you’ve got some tequila. Does that mean you wanna give me a shot?” Listening to this, Melania had lifted her head. Their eyes had met and, it had tugged a slight smile at her mouth corners.

Melania had met Teddy in a cocktail sports bar downtown; she worked there as a waitress to earn her living.

It was an instant connection, at least according to Melania, but for Teddy, she was this any other girl that he would have used to satisfy his fetish.

But Teddy had to go the extra mile to get Melania into bed. This occasional dalliance continued for six months until it made Melania pregnant.

“I have always wondered what it would be like to be pregnant. Now I know!”

“Wait; what?” Teddy had inquired as the news came as a complete shock.

Melania had never thought she wanted to have the baby, but she did, which came as a second dose of a shock to Teddy that evening.

Melania grew up as an orphan, and now when God had given her a chance to have her own family, she ought not to miss the boat.

“Are you out of your mind, Mel?”

“You know what, after the prayer this Sunday, Revd. Andrews held my hands in his and whispered to my ears ‘Destroying human life is a grave sin and, I can see that you’re ready to be a mother.’ I can’t abort this child."

“You’re just nineteen for god’s sake.”

“I know. I don’t expect you to take care of the baby. I just wanted you to know about my decision.”

“What were you thinking? You’ll bear my child and, you think nobody would get to know about it? Don’t you know how respected my family is? Your one stupid action can ruin my family’s years-earned fame and reputation, you bitch!”

The conversation ended with stupid rants and malicious allegations. But Melania was quite adamant in her resolution and, Susan came to her rescue.

Chapter 3

Susan had met her in the municipal park where Melania was on one of her regular evening-strolls. And one day, Melania approached her. Teddy was pressurizing her to get an abortion, which was clearly against her will. It was evidently illegal, but the influence of Teddy’s family did not quit allow the law to take its course.

“They owned a hella lot of nursing homes and hospitals in Knightsbridge. This one time, he almost fooled me into taking pills and getting a termination done.”

“I don’t know what to do? But I certainly don’t want to give up.” Melania uttered in a soft yet steady voice.

“Don’t you worry; we’ll work something out.”

And then they did work it out. Susan was knocked down with a feather when the case got resolved in just two meetings. It was an out-of-court-settlement with terms and conditions assigned. These arrangements called for a secrecy clause on the name of the biological father of the yet-to-be-born on Melania’s part. It also necessitated an assurance of “no-harm” to the mother and the child from the defendant. While closing the deal, Susan had no idea what awaited in her professional as well as personal life.

Chapter 4

She ran her eyes through the morning gazette for the last time before resuming her household chores. Since the day she had accepted Melania as her client, Susan had received blank calls and, she was pretty sure that these were mere verbal intimidation from John Smith’s office. She had never dealt with such a powerful magnate; but, this did not deter her from seeking this lawsuit. Therefore, this early closure of the case was out of the blue.

While she was busy with her household chores, the doorbell rang. She wiped her hands on an apron of sacking and went for the door. There was nothing but a letter waiting at her entrance when she got there. The message was an explicit warning for Susan to withdraw her support for Melania.

“You think we’re playing some game? My patience isn’t limitless. I can destroy your career if I want! Don’t get into this mess and leave that girl on her own.”

There was no point in reporting this felony or contacting the police, as she was quite sure that this was all done by Teddy’s elder brother. Although he did have the comportment of a young and successful man, he never seemed this wicked. She never hated John, not even after he screwed everything up eight years ago.

So, she decided to call Teddy’s counsel and inform him about the entire incident and apprise them to refrain from any such future behaviour.

“My client has nothing to do with the letter. I think there is some confusion, and if you remember, we just settled the litigation this morning.” The defendant’s counsel notified her.

Chapter 5

The next week was less eventful, with almost no phone calls and absolutely no letters. It was a regular Friday; she got home a little early.

The weather outdoors was undeniably pleasant. So, Susan decided to get out and take the air. She went to the park as she expected Mel to be there. But Melania had not come for the stroll. She got to know from the other people there that she hadn’t visited the park since the last week.

It struck Susan to silence. She decided to go to her quarters and have a check on her. When she reached Mel’s derelict dwelling, her roommate informed that Susan had not returned home since the last Sunday.

“You were her barrister. I thought she would be with you. So I did not inquire about it further.”

An uncomfortable premonition of fear pervaded her senses. Susan realised that Melania’s life is in danger.

She immediately took a cab to John Smith’s office.

As she entered that high-rise office building, her eyes met with the young woman seated behind the mahogany desk. She seemed polite and helpful but, still, Susan could sense the air of a serious corporate receptionist.

“I want to meet Mr. John Smith.” Her eyes filled resentfully and, her voice tense.

“Do you have an appointment?” the receptionist asked in a highly professional tone.

“No. But it is very urgent. Somebody’s life is on risk.”

“You can’t meet him without an appointment.” She replied crisply, with a mien of hesitation.

“To hell with your appointment. I’m going to meet him anyway.”

“You can’t---”

“Which floor is it?”

“I’m not bound to tell you.”

“Now listen to me. I’m a lawyer, and your boss in all probability had kidnapped a young and innocent pregnant girl. Now, if you don’t tell me the floor number, then I swear by God, everybody working in this office would get convicted for abetting the assailant, including you.”

“48th floor. But---”

Without waiting for her to end, Susan started walking towards the elevator. She dialled 49 into the elevator panel and that shot her right up to the floor in a few seconds. It was a fully furnished chamber, and she noticed a few people sitting in the waiting room. John Smith was probably busy in some meeting. But Susan did not have the time to wait and dashed into a wide corridor. At the end of the passage, she noticed a wooden door with “John Smith, CEO & MD” written on it. She was not in the mood to obey the corporate courtesy, and therefore, barged into his office.

He was on some call, probably the receptionist notified him before, about her unexpected arrival.

“So, how may I help you?” John inquired. He did not seem surprised at all.

“How can you stoop so low? What did you do to Melania? I could not believe that you’re the same person whom I had loved once!”

“Whoa, what? You were the one who never called me back, remember?”

“You can’t fool me this time, mister! Where is Melania? She hasn’t been home since Sunday.”

“I don’t know. I thought the case was over.”

“Not when you guys have kidnapped her.”

“Sue, I know how much you care for her. I would never do anything that might hurt you or anyone close to you. But that girl is a gold digger. She wants to ruin our family name.”

“Oh my God, so you are no different from those egotists and conceited personalities who are too privileged to be indifferent to people deprived of even their necessities. And don’t again dare to call me Sue.”

“I’m not like that, you know---”

“Even I thought so. But clearly, I was wrong.”

“Listen to me; I’m quite aware of my responsibilities. But that girl is a cheat. She threatened my brother with false allegations of forced abortions. I did not take any further legal steps just because you were the defending lawyer. There may be nothing between us anymore, but I still respect you.”

“Wish I could say that for you. But anyway, those allegations were true.”

“No way! My brother may be a little childish, but he is a man of character, just like me. That girl, Melania, just wanted the money. She had threatened my brother to drag him to court on those false charges if he did not give him the money. We handed her the money the night before the case was closed.”

“Are you serious? Do you believe everything that your brother says? Did you personally give her the money?”

“No, but my brother did.”

“Melania was with me that whole day.”

“What?” John was having a hard time digesting this fresh piece of information thrown at him. He immediately dialled a number on his cell and asked for his brother. His brother was not at home and had left his cell phone there.”

Susan realised that restlessness had taken over his composure. Meanwhile, John dialled another number. He now called Teddy’s chauffeur and asked him about Teddy. His chauffeur, though a little hesitant at first, informed him that Teddy was at their firm’s abandoned warehouse downtown.

Chapter 6

“Now!” He roared, and Susan followed him just like those college days, when Susan like an ardent follower, accompanied John on his many adventurous missions and solicitous charities. They rode his BMW and ordered the chauffeur to take them to the company’s old warehouse. Terror had held John like a vice-grip.

When they reached there, they saw Ted’s car in the backyard. Without further wasting any time, they steadily climbed the stairs.

“I think I can hear something,” Susan mentioned cautiously.

“I guess; the sound is coming from the second floor.”

Susan and John were right. When they got there, they saw that Melania was on a chair with her hands tied at its back while Teddy and his friends surrounded her. John kept staring at his brother in disbelief. John was about to go ballistic. He would have thrashed his brother by now, but Susan stopped her.

“Let the law take its course, John.” Saying this, Susan called at 999 and explained the situation. Susan now seemed rather calm despite the challenge before them. However, she also felt that John should have a one-to-one conversation with his brother before the final knockout.

“There’s still some time for the officers to arrive. I think we should go inside. Trust me, John; it will be fine.”

They entered the room where Teddy had captivated Melania. Her beautiful face was blotchy and swollen from crying.

“Ted.” John’s disdainful voice spoke to Teddy Smith. Ted’s expression was now that of sheer terror. He realised that his plan was over.

“You here?”

“Why? Am I a fly in the ointment?”

“Bro, I think you have misjudged the entire situation. This bird of yours has tricked you into it.”

“I don’t trust you anymore.”

Before Susan could find a tool to untie the ropes, they heard chaos outside the building. Within a matter of a few moments, two policemen barged in. Seeing this, Teddy and his friends panicked, and before Susan could understand, a cold knife touched her throat.

“What are you doing? Leave her!” John shouted.

“This stupid woman got me into trouble. If it jeopardises my life, hers should get ruined as well.”

“Leave her. You are not a criminal. It is just adding up the felonies against you.” Suddenly gunshots and sirens were heard. Two more officers had entered the scene. The noise of the bullets was so sudden that Ted lost his grip, and Susan used this opportunity to take control of the situation. A fist to his stomach and then his jaw made him lose his grip on the knife. In the meantime, the police had arrested the rest of Teddy’s accomplice. A third fist to the jaw tipped the man almost head over heels. One officer untied Melania. Susan gave her a tight hug and reassured her she was safe.

John withstood his brother getting arrested. He had never felt this helpless in his life. Susan put her hand on his shoulder and gave a soft squeeze. John could not control himself anymore. He hugged her tightly and wept his heart out.

“John, you need to be strong.” Susan tried to console her.

“I don’t know how I am going to confess this to my parents!”

“I know you will. You will, John.”

Chapter 7

Six months later, Melania delivered her first child, a baby boy in Bexley's public hospital. Susan was with her the entire time she was in labour. Susan had also called up John to inform him about the new-born. He showed up in a limousine as soon as he received the news. But there were two bouquets in his hand instead of one. Susan was curious to know for whom the second bouquet was, but she kept it to herself.

After John had met Melania, given her the bouquet, and conveyed her best wishes, he went up to Susan. She was resting in the waiting area. Her eyes glowed up as she stared John walking up to him.

“I know this is not the right place to say or do what I’m planning to.”

“Okay!”

“There was nothing between me and Natasha. I did not sleep with her that day. I had tried calling you after that, but you never answered.”

“I think I can trust you on that. The man who did not step back abide by the law even though his brother was at the target, I can never disbelief him.”

“That was easy!”

“Not that easy without you.”

“I know. I missed you. And I love you. I love all of you with all my heart. I had loved you since the day I had met you. And if you would let me, I’d like to tell you how much I love you every day from now on.”

“I think I would like that very much. I love you too.” And their love came back in a full big-circle.

REGRET

2020-05-17T23:33:00.001+05:30

Hello there, this is my first attempt at writing a drabble. Drabble is a flash fiction of exactly 100 words. Hope you like it!

“Life is too short for regrets, Adi!” Mrs. Sharma tried to convince his 11-years-old son.

“I can't forgive Rohan.”

“Maybe the fib was for your good”

“Oh, that’s bullshit!” Aditya blurted out.

“This is not the way to talk to your mother.” She conveyed in a slightly annoyed tone.

The school bus had arrived in the meantime. Aditya got into the bus without saying his regular “goodbye” to his mother.

When he returned home that afternoon, he was thrilled as all the misunderstanding between him and Rohan was over. He rang the doorbell several times in excitement. But nobody answered.

DEAR INDIA

2020-05-16T20:05:00.000+05:30

Today is the nth day of the lock-down,

Social distancing is still a distant thing for most of us.

Thousands of deaths have been registered,

while a few hundred have gone unnoticed.

Isn’t it adorable how united we as citizens are?

But if we start contemplating this,

one has to wonder how exigent social distancing as an idea would be,

for a country that had pioneered the “ art of untouchability”,

for a government that can easily maintain a distance and,

successfully turn an eye to the Guardian knot of lack of testing as well as

unavailability of PPEs and,

leave us in the lurch,

for a nation where laborers and migrant workers are eschewed in the name of social distancing,

for a country where volunteers or the crisis-fighters are dodged off from a distance for the sake of safety,

and in a land full of peacocks where our leaders are so distant from us that

it takes a day to remind us that

"We still live in a democracy"

THE POLITICS BEHIND BOSE’S DEATH

2020-05-16T18:33:00.001+05:30

‘’When you go back to the country, tell the people that up to the last I have been fighting for the liberation of my country; they should continue to struggle, and I am sure India will be free before long. Nobody can keep India in bondage now.’’ were Netaji’s last words to Rahman at the Nanmon Military hospital.

On the 18th morning of August 1942, Bose, in his now trademark-INA cap, khaki bush shirt, and trousers with Rahman got into a Mitsubishi Ki-20 bomber and resumed the journey to Tokyo. At 2 pm they had landed at Matsuyama aerodrome in Taihoku, Formosa- today’s Taipei, the capital of Taiwan. Matsuyama seemed abandoned with bombed-out buildings and no hangars nearby except a colorful tent, where a light lunch was being served. The nose wheel lifted off the ground and the Mitsubishi Ki-21 bomber took off at 2.30 pm. Just as the plane completed its climb, the propeller, and the port engine fell off it. Within a few seconds, the plane plunged 300 feet and impacted the ground at nearly 300 kmph. As a result, it swerved violently and screeched to a halt after hitting a heap of rubble. The front portion of the crashed plane was now shattered and enflamed with the end being blocked by tumbling packages. Bose staggered to the front to find the entrance door blocked by fire. According to Rahman, Netaji got a splash of petrol all over his cotton Khaki which caught fire when he was trying to deplane. And then what he witnessed from a distance of about 10 yards was rolling ball of fire.

But the world was not ready to give such an easy adieu to one of India’s bravest son who has been the crux of the matter for Allies. This news was then released to the world through the Japanese news agency Domei on 23rd August 1945. In India, the news first appeared in the late editions of some papers on August 24. It felt like a hammer blow in Kolkata. The Amrita Bazar Patrika on 25th gave an overview of all India reaction: In Amritsar, all major markets did not open the previous day, a shutdown was to be observed in Ahmedabad on the 25th; in Karachi people were called upon to observe 26th as ‘’Subhas Bose Day’’. Amid Nehru’s mixed reactions, reports of Bose being spotted, Gandhi’s belief in Bose being alive. This created a fuss in various Intelligence agencies across the world with the Intelligence Assault Unit of SEATIC setting the ball roll. Rahman and others, when returned to India, were interrogated by officials fed with regular inputs. All this information summed up to three possibilities: Bose was on his way to Tokyo to discuss final arrangements for an attempt to get permission to Manchuria so as to get some help from Russians. Another piece of information said that Bose had been trying to go to Tokyo to discuss surrender and then was to return to Singapore. But an inconsistency with this theory is the four iron boxes of gold that they took with them in their journey to Tokyo which raises quite a few brows on Bose’s intention to return back. The much-awaited pictures taken by the Japanese at the crash-site arrived in New Delhi in the second half of November although none of the five pictures showed Bose’s body. Similarly, the hospital records did not yield any fruitful results with the State department confirming the lack of evidence for Subhas Chandra Bose’s plane accident. Although many of Netaji’s confidants remained consistent in their statements, few others broke the ranks to talk freely and laid bare Bose’s intentions to make a getaway to Russia. As the 1940s closed, the controversy about Bose’s coming back from the dead remained alive as a strong undercurrent. In November 1950, a highly-placed agent in India reported that Bose is in Siberia and was waiting for a chance to come back.

After the Figgess Report which conformed to Bose’s death, India established two more committees, Shah Nawaz Commission (1956) and Khosla Commission (1970) that yielded almost the same results. One of the highlights of Shah Nawaz Commission which also consisted of his elder brother, Suresh, was the testimony of a nurse who corroborated the evidence recorded by Figgess. However, this committee was criticized for not visiting Taihoku and the appearance of a Saradananda sadhu in North Bengal during the 60s. Thus, in 1970 GOI formed the Khosla Commission under retd. Justice G.D.Khosla but nothing new came out in this report except some new ‘sightings’ of Bose. But retd. Justice Khosla concluded that these discrepancies did not falsify the crash. These direct inquiries at home and abroad were not accepted by many Indians and therefore, the Vajpayee government appointed a third commission, Mukherjee commission in 1999, led by retired Justice Manoj Mukherjee. After a decade and a half long investigation, it concluded that there was no plane crash at Taihoku on 18th August 1945 with a secret plan to ensure Bose's safe corridor to the USSR with the knowledge of Japanese authorities and Habibur Rahman. The report also stated that the ashes at the Renkoji temple were not of Netaji but it didn’t answer the questions of where and when Netaji died. It also determined that Gumnaami Baba as different from Subhas Chandra Bose in light of the DNA-profiling test. But this report has been criticized in lieu of certain glaring accuracies when tabled in the Indian Parliament in May 2006.

As a result, the freedom fighter’s fate continued to be dragged down in the mud of India’s unresolved political mysteries. Three inquiries have failed to put the issue to rest and every prime minister from Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru to Manmohan Singh with the classified 'Netaji Files' being held back by the Prime Minister's Office due to reasons dating back to India's independence. As promised by our present PM, On January 23, 2016, he pressed a button at the National Archives in New Delhi to release 100 classified Netaji files with over 15,000 pages in them in continuation of the government of West Bengal releasing all the “secret files” from its state archives. Finally, on 2nd March 2016, the government declared in the Parliament that all the ‘Netaji files’ had been declassified. The efforts made by the current regime were commendable although Congress is of the opinion that actions of BJP are attempts to show the Old Grand Party in poor light than paying homage to Bose. Then, in a response to an RTI query filed by Sayak Sen, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has reportedly commented: “After considering the reports of Shahnawaz Committee, Justice GD Khosla Commission and Justice Mukherjee Commission of Enquiry, the Government has come to the conclusion that Netaji has died in a plane crash in 1945.’’ Sayak Sen had also questioned the government about Gumnaami baba or Bhagwanji who was rumored to be Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Relying on this MHA said: “Some information regarding Gumnami Baba and Bhagwanji are available in the Mukherjee Commission report on page 114-122.

”Mukherjee Commission had come to the conclusion that Gumnami Baba/Bhagwanji was not Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Ministry of Home Affairs has declassified all available files (37) relating to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose,’ it said. Netaji's family lashed out at the Narendra Modi government for the RTI reply. "This is highly irresponsible... How can the Centre give such a reply at a time when the matter is still pending," replied Chandra Kumar Bose, Netaji's grandnephew, and a BJP leader.

Even after half a century and more, there’s no rest among the Indians regarding Netaji’s sudden disappearance till today mostly because of his sacrifices for our country and how we were unable to pay the last homage to the man who defied Gandhi and still over the nation and the one whom the world listened to and the politics on his death still goes on.

Source-Wikipedia

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Dhar, Anuj. India's Biggest Cover-Up. Vitasta, 2012.

2. https://thewire.in/history/solving-the-mystery-of-netajis-disappearance-part-two

3. https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/netaji-subhash-chandra-bose-died-in-plane-crash-says-modi-government-980161-2017-05-31

4. https://scroll.in/latest/898383/information-panel-asks-national-archives-to-give-categorical-reply-on-subhas-chandra-boses-death

5. https://www.news18.com/news/india/netajis-family-reject-centres-rti-reply-demand-sit-probe-1418525.html

WE HEAL APP- MY 3 A.M. FRIEND

2020-04-24T15:55:00.002+05:30

“We Heal, Chat, Help, Anonymous, Inspire”- the tagline of this application clearly portrays the idea and concept that its developer had in his mind. It’s a one-stop solution to all kinds of mental and physical complications that all of us face in this era of competition and burgeoning development. Although such growth renders us with so much wealth and comfort, at the same time it also snatches away a lot of intangible and natural gifts of our life. In this engaged yet the lonesome world, this app is just a ‘Hi’ away to talk to and share our problems with. The best part of “We Heal” is its far-flung and diverse feedback to all types of situations ranging from a trivial one to something that needs high expertise.
It only answers our queries and confusion but also provides us with positive and inspiring stories and quotes that will succor us in times of need. The option of keeping your identity anonymous to others makes this application more accessible and popular among the youth and the elderly. It also gives you a chance to experience the heterogeneity of problems and kind of reassures you that you’re not alone in this big dark ship of “modern” problems.
The last best aspect of this app is its logo. The “W” in this emblem shows a person who is probably too tired from dealing with his problems and his posture shows the idea of “hopelessness” and the next word in this design is “Heal”. This according to my interpretation says there’s a cure to every problem and hope at the end of every “hopeless situation”, which makes this app so much more admirable and commendable.

दीवार

2020-01-01T19:13:00.001+05:30

दीवार

शाम का समय हैं, सूरज सांझ की आगोश में क्षीण हो रहा हैं और अँधेरा चुपके से अपने अस्तित्व की हाज़िरी दे रहा हैं |

मैं दीवार के इस पार खड़ी हूँ, और पता नहीं पर लगता हैं कि शायद तुम भी दीवार के उस पार खड़े हो |

दीवार बहुत ऊँची और मज़बूत मालुम पड़ती हैं | नफरत और हिंसा के नीव पर खड़ी ये दीवार इसे लांघने की कोई गुंजाइश ही नहीं छोड़ती|

तुम कहते थे ना कि मजहब की ये दीवार हमारे जुनून के कद से कभी ऊँची नहीं हो सकती, झूठ कहते थे तुम |

झूठ कहते थे तुम जब तुम इन दोनों देशों के बीच खींचती हुई लकीर को नज़रअंदाज़ करते हुए मुझे समझाते थे कि शायद ये वह सुबह ही नहीं जिसके इंतज़ार में ३५० साल लम्बी रात गुज़ारी गई थी, कि शायद ये वो मंज़िल ही नहीं जिसके सफर पर हम निकले थे, पर उस सुबह के होने का विश्वास दिलाया था तुमने, उस मंज़िल तक पहुंचने की आस जगाई थी तुमने |

ख़ैर न वो सुबह आई, न ही वह मंज़िल मिली और न ही वह मिला जिसके साथ इन सपनों को सालो तक मैंने संजोया था |

क्या तुम तब भी झूठ बोल रहे थे जब तुमने इस बटवारे को हमारे प्यार की शर्त नहीं बनाने का फैसला किया था ? पर चलो छोड़ो! इन फरियादों का भी क्या फायदा जब सुनने वाला ही दीवार के उस पार हैं और मैं इस पर |

तुम्हे याद हैं कि कैसे पहले यहाँ रहीम चाचा और रमेश काका की चाय की टपरी हुआ करती थी, कितनी ही शामें बिताई थी हमने उस दुकान पर, कितनी ही बातें की थी और न जाने कितनी बातें बाकि रह गई थी |

आज वहां ये दीवार, भद्दे भूरे रंग की दीवार जो हम सबसे ज़्यादा की और परेशान दिखाई पड़ रही हैं |

ये दीवार भी शायद थक गई हैं मेरे जैसे हज़ारों लोगों कि फ़रियाद सुन कर |

इस काली अँधेरी रात में ये दीवार भी कितनी अकेली-सी लग रही हैं | सोचा जाए तो इसकी भी क्या गलती, गलती तो हमारी हैं, हम लोगों की हैं जिन्हे कॉम की झूठी शान के आगे कुछ भी नहीं दिखता |

इसीलिए तो शायद भैया को जब पता चला तुम लाहौर से दिल्ली आ रहे हो मुझे अपने साथ ले जाने, तब उन्होंने ट्रैन के दिल्ली पहुंचे से पहले तुम्हे गायब कर दिया | मैंने बहुत ढूंढा था तुम्हे, कुछ ने कहाँ तुम्हे उन्होंने मार दिया, कुछ ने कहाँ की तुम भैया के डर से भाग गए |

पर मैं तुम्हे जानती हूँ, तुम हो, यही कहीं हो शायद लकीर के उस तरफ, चुपके से मेरी बातें सुन रहे हो और सुन कर फैज़ की वो शायरी याद कर रहे होगे :

यह वह सेहर तो नहीं , जिस की आरज़ू लेकर

चले थे यार की मिल जायेगी कहीं न कहीं ,

अभी चराग -ए -सर -ए -राह को कुछ खबर ही नहीं ,

अभी गरानी -ए -शब् में कमी नहीं आई,

नजात -ए -दीदा -ओ-दिल की घडी नहीं आई ,

चले चलो की वह मंज़िल अभी नहीं आई |

Image credits-AFP via Getty Images

THE BYGONE DAYS OF KOLKATA’S HAND-PULLED RICKSHAWS

2020-01-01T19:00:00.003+05:30

THE BYGONE DAYS OF KOLKATA’S HAND-PULLED RICKSHAWS

It’s 4 in the morning. The narrow streets of North Kolkata are still waterlogged with last night’s drizzle. It’s not morning yet; there’s still some time for the daybreak. Faint music of Azaan is coming from somewhere far off. The old Kolkata houses with red- oxide floors, sleepy green-shuttered windows, intricate cornices, and elaborate wrought-iron grills stand on one side of the road. Except for a few ‘tana’ (hand-pulled) rickshaws run by old but emaciated men, the streets are empty. These hand-pulled rickshaws are ferrying packages to and from Burrabazar or New Market areas.

These rickshaws offer relief in the lanes and alleys of the old part of the city which is impassable to taxis, cars, and autos due to waterlogging in the thick of monsoon. They keep the passengers above the water despite their continuous hardships through the stagnant and dirty rainwater. They are also one of the most trusted commutes for school-going children.

Tea, tram, hand-pulled rickshaws, and Gothic architecture are the legacies that the British have left behind. These hand-pulled rickshaws are light-weight, wooden rickshaws pulled by men of thin and sturdy body frame, wrapped in loincloth from the waistline till knee joint. The rickshaw stands as a socioeconomic contrast to the modern infrastructure of skyscrapers and flyovers. It has been over 130 years since it has been plying the streets of Kolkata.

This model of the rickshaw was inspired by Japan, where it was devised around the 1870s. Before its introduction, the city’s aristocratic and highborn class, including zamindars and landlords, used to jaunt in embellished palanquins, showing its elite socioeconomic rank. Hand-pulled rickshaws came to be a bourgeois’ answer to palanquins. British introduced rickshaws in Calcutta to exercise their authority and establish their supremacy over poor Indians. This occupation of rickshaw pulling came as a respite to the poor Indians and immigrants from Bangladesh (during Liberation War of 1971).

However, the situation of the hand-pulled rickshaws is grimmer than is pictured in the above lines. At present, Kolkata has 18,000 rickshaw pullers as compared to only 6,000 rickshaws. Almost all the other countries where this mode of transport was prevalent, are quite done with it. The battery-operated rickshaws have now virtually replaced most of the hand-pulled rickshaws on the streets. They truly depict the existential crisis that defines the city.

Around the year 2005, the erstwhile Left government decided to ban these hand-pulled rickshaws claiming it to be a perversion to human dignity. Amid discussions on this decision, the state government led the pronouncement of Calcutta Hackney-Carriage (Amendment) Bill, 2006 and therefore, imprisoning the fate of these poor and, old rickshaw wallahs.

The irony of this bill was the fact that in their attempt to defend the dignity of these rickshaw wallahs, they were instead perpetuating poverty by denying them their means of living. It provided no kind of rehabilitation to the people who would lose their job because of this upcoming amendment. But then this bill was thrown down the gauntlet by the Calcutta High Court.

However, the Kolkata Municipality issued no fresh licenses since 2005. Trinamool Congress, the then opposition, intensely vetoed the phase-out in 2006. In fact, its legislators boycotted the Assembly-sitting called to discuss the amendment in the law. After TMC won the Kolkata Municipality elections in 2010, the mayor, Sovan Chatterjee, declared that the civic body would be issuing photo ID cards to rickshaw pullers. However, this initiative is still in process.

Although the Mamata Banerjee government prepared a rehabilitation plan of up-gradation of the city’s 6,000 rickshaws to battery-powered vehicles, only a little of it got implemented. While KMC helped 5697 hand-pulled rickshaws with their registration, and 285 pullers got listed with the Kolkata Police, Rickshaw union claimed the number to be around 24,000 with a dependency of 1.2 lakh.

The proposal seemed to be an ideal one when viewed through rose-colored glasses. But now being in 2019, when glanced down the time frame, it appears that things did not work out well as they were supposed to. The e-rickshaws were introduced not as an alternative for the rickshaw pullers but as an extra burden to their lives. Not all rickshaw pullers got the advantage of the government scheme, and many could not afford to upgrade to e-rickshaws without governmental subsidy.

Moreover, many old rickshaw pullers do not have the resource to do anything else other than bearing and pulling the weight, double (sometimes triple) of their own, soring the veins making it visible and glaring through the dark, perspiring skin, scorched under prolonged exposure to the sun.

The costs of operation of these rickshaws, their size and, the cost of vehicles are high when compared to the amount they charge for every ride. They also seem to have tickled media and photographers' fancy.

It is very remorseful to watch people having simpering nostalgia over this inhumanity and cruelty that once served the British propaganda of elitism but now is out of place in this modern-day democracy. But, call it fate or life, these hand-pulled rickshaw wallahs became the unfortunate victims of a false heritage that feeds our pride.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. https://lifebeyondnumbers.com/hand-pulled-rickshaw-the-not-so-joyful-heritage-of-the-city-of-joy/

2. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Hand-pulled-rickshaws-get-e-push/articleshow/45527961.cms

3. Trillin, Calvin (April 2008). "Last Days of the Rickshaw". National Geographic. Vol. 213 no. 4. p. 104.

4. https://www.indianeagle.com/travelbeats/hand-pulled-rickshaws-of-kolkata/

Image credits: AP; Creator: Bikas Das

REVOCATION OF ARTICLE 370- A BOON or A BANE

2019-12-22T18:38:00.003+05:30

Aristotle believed, “Democracy is when the indigent, and not the men of property, are the rulers.’’

On 5th August 2019, our Home Minister Amit Shah introduced the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Bill, 2019, in the Rajya Sabha. It was a proposal to convert Jammu and Kashmir's status of a state to two separate union territories, namely Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the Union Territory of Ladakh. And to everyone’s surprise, the bill was almost unanimously passed in both the houses without provoking any major brawl and quarrel that the Parliament used to observe. With this bill coming into effect, the rightists declared the Act as a triumph of Hindutva. And the people on the other end of the kernel described it as a catastrophe for India's democracy. Now, whether the decision was right or wrong- only time can tell. So, before we jump to any conclusion, we need to get the facts right.

Rajya Sabha passed this bill seeking the removal of article 370 and that of the state’s reorganization on 5th August 2019 with a lead of 64 votes. On the following day, the bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha and was passed almost immediately with a preponderance of about 300 votes: it had 351 votes in favor and 72 in against.

The issue of Kashmir was a long driven one. The story started with "Now, therefore, I Shriman Inder Mahander Rajrajeswar Maharajadhiraj Shri Hari Singhji, Jammu and Kashmir Naresh Tatha Tibbetadi Deshadhipathi, Ruler of Jammu and Kashmir, in the exercise of my sovereignty in and over my said State do hereby execute this my Instrument of Accession [... .]" and in this way, J&K got subsumed into India on account of the attack by Pakistan to illegally occupy Jammu and Kashmir.

The war extended for more than a year after the accession, in what was called the first India-Pakistan war. Finally, the United Nations enacted a ceasefire at the end of 1948. After years of long mediations, both countries agreed to the ceasefire, which then came into effect on August 13, 1948, and was adopted by the UN on January 5, 1949.

Under the instrument of accession, only three subjects were given to India to take care of: External affairs, defense, and communications. It also acted as a sign of assurance that the people of Jammu and Kashmir through their own Constituent Assembly can make their own Constitution. In response to this, article 370 and 35(a) gave a special status to Kashmir- allowing it to have a separate constitution, a state flag, and autonomy over the internal administration of the state.

Now, why did BJP suddenly come up with the idea of revocation of the article and reorganization of the state? Was it a very pre-planned arrangement? Or was it a conspiracy to undemocratize India as liberalists labeled it? Well, Narendra Modi termed it as something that took him a great deal of thought.

According to him, Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (NC), Indian National Congress (Congress), and Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) exploited Kashmir for a long time, and in the course of their dynastic politics, Kashmir became the victim.

The exodus of Kashmiri Hindu Pandits and the increased cases of ceasefire violations reflected the atrocities inflicted upon the innocent Kashmiris who were mere puppets in the hands of these big-shot politicians. Also, the former governments turned a deaf ear to the problems faced by the people of Ladakh for several decades now. One of them, as stated by Tsering Namgyal, was the absence of a single university in Ladakh until this year.

In an interview to The Economic Times, PM Modi stated that the government's decision to revoke Article 370 would ensure "stability, market access, and predictable laws" in the state, which could help it gain investment, especially in key sectors like tourism, agriculture, IT, healthcare among others. "This will help develop an ecosystem that will give better rewards to the skills, hard work, and products of the people in the region," replied the PM. So, to actually and fully integrate Kashmir into India, this decision was necessary.

On the other side, some groups believed this bill to be undemocratic in the first place. They felt it was an absolute violation of the promises made to Raja Hari Singh as the decision led to the dissolution of its constituent assembly, its constitution, and the land of Kashmir can now be purchased and sold by anyone to anyone. The fact that such a controversial bill was passed without much public discourse was a matter of amusement in itself. Also, the violence that this bill generated went underreported. There was no accurate news of what happened in Kashmir except for some photos on Facebook and Instagram titled according to people’s pursuits even after months.

The report prepared by EU MEP on their visit to Kashmir also remained diplomatic and trivialized the entire situation as an internal matter. This visit was again criticized by the EU legislators calling it one-sided, private and felt the portrayal of Kashmir by these delegated was somewhat incorrect.

Some of the important questions here could be- Wasn’t the opinion of the people of Jammu and Kashmir important enough to be considered before the implementation of this Act? Why was the house arrest of politically elected leaders necessary? Also, why are there reports of people missing? Why is the air of Kashmir still rife with fear and rumor?

Amidst this situation of suspicion and instability, the Supreme Court’s decision to allow internet access in Jammu and Kashmir truly held the spirit of democracy or not, could also be a question to deal with because this ruling completely ignored the rights and remedies of the people there. Was it right for the court to compensate freedom of speech and expression with an assurance for internet access? This judgment clearly lacked a relief for those whose cries for habeas corpus and freedom of movement went muffled.

These are some of the questions for which we may never get any concrete answers. But it’s better for democracy that we continue to ask them.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. https://www.un.org/en/sc/repertoire/46-51/Chapter%208/46-51_08-16-The%20India-Pakistan%20question.pdf

2. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/narendra-modi-live-update-revocation-of-article-370-will-usher-in-a-dawn-of-development-in-jk/articleshow/70591359.cms?from=mdr

3. https://thewire.in/law/sc-internet-shutdown-judgement

4. https://www.livemint.com/politics/news/-with-article-370-gone-future-of-ladakh-now-is-very-bright-1565363595231.html

DISTORTION OF HISTORY- A NEW FORM OF TERROR

2019-12-22T11:47:00.001+05:30

Georg Christoph Lichtenberg once rightly said, “The most dangerous of all falsehoods is slightly distorted truth.”

In 2017, in an abrupt and sudden decision, Modi government ordered the removal of the poem सबसे ख़तरनाक होता है हमारे सपनों का मर जाना from Hindi textbooks of class XI, which was written by a so-called antinational poet, PAASH. At 19, when Pash questioned the aesthetics of Punjabi poetry, an established writer dismissed his poetry as “red rag”. Undaunted, the young poet retorted: “Don’t expect me to talk about your rotten taste.” One wonders, if alive, what would have been his reaction to RSS ideologue Dinanath Batra’s suggestion that his poem should be removed from an NCERT textbook.

Now 2 years later, they are here with another proposition to remove certain chapters from history textbooks of classes IX and X. It clearly shows their agenda to propound certain ideologies at a very early in the young minds. The present government is quite thoughtful of ways to whitewash caste considering the fact they want to expound the notion that there are equality and no caste issues within Hinduism. What else could they have done to popularise the brand of Hindutva?

In this era of growing jingoism and dissemination of misinformation, history or historical facts seems the easiest target. Now talking of its technicalities, distortion of history is basically done to promote certain ideologies and agendas. So who does this and why? Primarily this kind of historical negationism is done by people who are in power or those who seek power. They want to create certain events, stories, myths and facts out of nowhere which at the end serves their purpose. They alter facts, omit those parts which they find disturbing or rather antinational. They do this as this is the most effective way to influence the mind of the population. For example, presenting history in textbooks where there was no dissent during a particular period is basically telling the young students that nothing was bad about this period and if the present government supports the same ideology, then nothing can be bad about this government as well. But now my question is even if there was no dissent in the said period, can the same ideology be applied to the present generation where the situation, societal dynamics, size and composition of the population, role of government and rule of law have completely changed?

The earliest example of such distortion comes from American history as taught in the public schools e.g. showing American-Indians as primitive and savage. The Vietnam War seems to be barely mentioned; Americans have a perception of it being unpopular, and even worse, but have no or little knowledge of the war crimes committed by Americans, and the extent to which even soldiers protested the war. Some of the other examples include Holocaust denial, Armenian Genocide denial, the Lost Cause of the Confederacy, Japanese war crime denial and the denial of Soviet crimes.

Also, I completely agree with the fact that this phenomenon has not popped up with the rise of right-wing around the world, but now it is on a larger and wider scale with huge financial and moral support from the corporate house especially the media houses. Earlier we had a scope to peep to the other side of the history if anybody wanted, but now despite the connectivity that we have today, we really do not have many people left to connect to. Starting from Janata dal’s attempt to remove some textbooks as they were not critical enough of the Muslim Invaders, then a slight Marxist bias to an almost complete dissolution of those portions of history that aren’t “Hindu enough” is the journey that the books and popular narrative have gone through. But changing the names of places or claiming Hindu connections to monuments that are clearly not- is the craziest of all.

This is not only harmful in terms of historical misinterpretations but also dangerous and disheartening for those whose history and culture they are trying to diminish although they are as much Indians as we are. We definitely can’t stop it but we can question it and we should continue to do it.

“History cannot give us a program for the future, but it can give us a fuller understanding of ourselves, and of our common humanity so that we can better face the future.” And therefore it is our duty to present history as it is without any bias and without any prior agenda.