Remembering Iqbal Yet Again-This Time Courtesy Aamir Khan-Matinee Idol in Tolerant India

Aamir Khan is known to be an intelligent actor and a person. A large number of persons have vouched that he does not say or utter anything unless he means it. He has himself reiterated that he stands by all that he stated during that infamous interview on 23rd November 2015 at Ramnath Goenka Awards for Excellence in Journalism 2015. Aamir has been able to evoke or rather provoke the response that he must have desired. Even I felt compelled to analyze the reasons that motivated him to make that statement. In fact, the thought that came to my mind, in response to Aamir's utterance was involuntary. I got reminded of Allama Muhammad Iqbal. It is because, Iqbal was perhaps unique in exhibiting the change of heart from flip to flop. It was Iqbal who wrote  Tarana-e-Hind (Anthem Of India) ' Saare Jahan Se Achha Hindostan Hamara' which remains even today ( and will remain, forever, the best known unofficial Anthem of India). And he was the one who later authored and moved the paper on ' Two Nation Theory' which Jinnah translated into a demand for partition of India to carve out a separate nation for Muslims.

(See the Reference 1 below. 

The reference also includes Iqbal's transformation and another version of 'Sare Jahan se Achha' which he now titled as 'Tarana-e-Milli'. A semblance of (a worldwide)  Islamic State is noticeable in this poem.

Also included is another link which gives another interpretation of Iqbal's thoughts on Muslims in India and on India at large. )

Aamir is a brand ambassador for the campaign 'Atithi Devo Bhav- Incredible India' launched by the Union Ministry of Tourism. Aamir endorses the campaign at various platforms across the mass media and therein he extols the greatness of India and Indians (himself included) who treat every guest as a god. He thereby beckons all foreigners to come visiting India without fear. (See the Reference 2 below) 

Aamir  also produced and hosted  'Satyamev Jayate' , a highly acclaimed TV Series. Not only was there no opposition to his content and exposition, but also both the Series and Aamir received all round praise including even from Bal Thakre, a self proclaimed Bete Noire of all Muslims and all things Islamic. 

Now Aamir too has done an about turn and exhibited change of heart similar to Iqbal's.  

Agreed that Aamir Khan was made a brand ambassador during the Congress regime but he has not been eased out as yet. 

Iqbal was not comfortable with Nehru and Gandhi. He did not trust even Maulana Abul Kalam - one of Aamir Khan's ancestors (See Reference 3 below).

May be Aamir is uncomfortable with the current Prime Minister for some reasons best known to himself.

I am totally confused. 

Is it Aamir who is uncomfortable with being in India or is it Kiran Rao who is actually concerned (and with what is another moot point)?

I get the feeling that it is Kiran Rao, who is afraid of intolerance owing to her being  a true secularist, having descended from time-honoured inter-religious nobility of Hyderabad (See Reference 4 below).

And because of the above mentioned fact, the intolerance that Kiran is afraid of, is not exhibited by any Hindu organization but the one manifested by the increasingly unfettered rise of radicals like Owaisis who would want total submission (staring with conversion) from independent and secular women like Kiran Rao. 

Alternatively, it may be that Kiran Rao has been feeling uneasy at home with Aamir and has bravely expressed that she was afraid for her son going wayward like Aamir. She might have wanted to leave and live separately far removed from Aamir to minimize his interference with her life and to eliminate his influence on her son. In the process, she might have considered moving to a foreign country as a wise, easy and viable option. There exist any number of examples,  where a wife having irreconcilable problems with her husband, has exercised this ostensibly amicable option, has made a clean break and has lived happily thereafter. 

It is also notable that Aamir is a kind of a history-sheeter in familial disharmony. He ditched Reena. His treatment of his brother Faisal and his problem with his own father are well documented and are in the public domain (See Reference 5 below.)

Aamirs's penchant for one-upmanship (rather brinkmanship) has soured his relations with many of his friends and colleagues in Bollywood.  Juhi Chawla, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan would have volumes to speak about his shenanigans. There would certainly be many others who would have felt abraded by his ‘holier than thou’ attitude.

Aamir Khan is, without doubt, a past master of the craft of turning an adversity into an opportunity. (See Reference 5 below). And contemporary Indian electronic media is very happy to provide a mega stage to anyone who can take a pot shot at the current dispensation at the center.

Whatever be his reasons for the statements he made, I am pretty sure that Aamir will not leave this country because he must be aware that he is of any value only in India. In Pakistan, he will be treated as a Mohajir and a second class citizen unless he shows that he is the fountain head of a crime or terrorist organization a la Dawood Ibrahim. In any other country, he will be treated according to vocation he adopts and the success he achieves for which there is no guarantee because he would have to start from scratch in untested grounds and unfamiliar ambience.

In fact, I would like Aamir to join politics, win an election and be part of a government and set all wrongs right to make India the ideal, secular, progressive nation with all Indians living happy, safe, healthy and wealthy lives forever, irrespective of caste, creed, religion, gender, colour and any other conceivable physical and mental parameter of distinction or discrimination.

Iqbal was perhaps lucky to have died before creation of Pakistan. He may well be turning in his grave seeing the culmination of his efforts into creation of Pakistan and decadence that has become the way of life in that country.

I would not wish Aamir Khan to meet the same fate in India or any other place. 

Finally, in the unlikely event of his actually thinking of migrating away from India for the reason stated by him, I would exhort him by saying ‘Mat bhaag ro roke mat bhaag’. It is in ‘Tolerant India’ that idiocies like PK and DK (Bose) are not only tolerated but ironically also appreciated, enjoyed and encouraged to thrive.

References

1.  "The poet philosopher Muhammad Iqbal (1877–1938), (the poet of East), provided the philosophical exposition and BarristerMuhammad Ali Jinnah (1871–1948) translated it into the political reality of a nation-state. Allama Iqbal's presidential address to the Muslim League on December 29, 1930 is seen by some as the first exposition of the two-nation theory in support of what would ultimately become Pakistan.^" 

^{Excerpt From}

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-nation_theory#Start_of_Muslim_self-awakening_and_identity_movement_.2819th_century.E2.80.931940s.29

Iqbal's transformation and Tarana-e-Milli

In 1910, Iqbal wrote another song for children, Tarana-e-Milli (Anthem of the Religious Community), which was composed in the same metre and rhyme scheme as Saare Jahan Se Achcha, but which renounced much of the sentiment of the earlier song. The sixth stanza of Saare Jahan Se Achcha (1904), which is often quoted as proof of Iqbal's secular outlook

Maẕhab nahīṉ sikhātā āpas meṉ bair rakhnā

Hindī haiṉ ham, wat̤an hai Hindūstāṉ hamārā

(Religion does not teach us to bear ill-will among ourselve

We are of Hind, our homeland is Hindustan.

contrasted significantly with the first stanza of Tarana-e-Milli (1910) reads: Cīn o-ʿArab hamārā, Hindūstāṉ hamār

Muslim haiṉ ham, wat̤an hai sārā jahāṉ hamārā

(Central Asia and Arabia are ours, Hindoostan is ours

We are Muslims, the whole world is our homeland⁾

Iqbal's world view had now changed; it had become both global and Islamic. Instead of singing of Hindustan, "our homeland," the new song proclaimed that "our homeland is the whole world." Two decades later, in his presidential address to the Muslim League annual conference in Allahabad in 1930, he was to support a separate nation-state in the Muslim majority areas of the sub-continent, an idea that inspired the creation of Pakistan

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Sare-Jahan-Se-Achcha-poet-Mohammed-Iqbal-remains-pariah-in-India/articleshow/17150082.cms#

2. http://www.discoveredindia.com/atithi-devo-bhava-incredible-india.htm

3. He is related to the Indian philosopher Abul Kalam Azad who is related to him through his grandmother.

excerpt from

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aamir_Khan#Early_life_and_background

4. Kiran Rao and actor Aditi Rao Hydari are maternal first cousins. Hydari’s maternal grandfather, J Rameshwar Rao was the Raja of Wanaparthy, a town in Mahbubnagar district while her fraternal grandfather Sir Akbar Hydari was the Prime Minister of Hyderabad State.

Excerpt from 

http://www.andhraheadlines.com/news/movies/153873/aamirs-wife-kiran-has-roots-in-telangana

5. Aamir's troubled relation with father

http://bollywoodjournalist.com/2013/06/25/aamir-khans-troubled-relationship-with-his-dad

I am confused and mighty confused at that

Hindu Santana dharma boasts of a pantheon of 330 million gods. Even the most ardent and the most avowedly devout Hindu can not enumerate the names of all these gods and certainly not tell what they symbolize; what powers obtain from their worship and what ramifications ensue because of their annoyance and displeasure owing to any  of zillions of reasons. There do not exist  manuals or guidebooks for every one of these gods. And even if the guidebooks and manuals did exist, how would laymen utilize them. This lacunae  gives birth (and licence) to any number of god men, social leaders and  religious despots  who devise and formulate their own rites and rituals and are able to influence and indoctrinate gullible people to adopt and follow the same. Cults get created, the society gets partitioned. The tragedy is that, in due course of time, some of these men and women get anointed as gods and the pantheon gets further augmented. 

Hindus are very fond of creating gods. Bhagwan Rajnish and Satya Saibaba are two of many such examples. Sachin Tendulkar is also deified as God of Cricket. There are temples dedicated to  Rajnikant, Shivaji Ganeshan, Amitabh Bachchan and even Khushbu. AIADMK treats Jayalalitha as a super goddess.

It is an undeniable yet inexplicable truth that a lot of things are done by a mass of people without a thought and only because their predecessors had been doing those things. Many social and religious activities are indulged in by generations without the doers and propagators bothering to know the rationale behind the thoughts and  actions;  the guiding principle being 'What has been good for my ancestors is good for me' .

My confusion is multi-dimensional and wide ranging. I try to elaborate.

I sit down daily for offering my prayers in a small closet in which I have installed the idols of my favourite deities viz. Radha &  Krishna. I understand a bit as to what Krishna symbolizes but do not know in which scripture Radha got introduced. Still I worship Radha and Krishna duo.

When I go to a temple, I am always faced with a  dilemma  as to which deity to go to first and the sequence in which to pay my obeisance to the multitude of deities whose idols installed in the temple. Very often, in a temple devoted to a single deity, there are a number of sub temples nay stalls where a panda extols some special attribute of the subject god and solicits some cash from the devotee. My confusion gets further confounded at the time of putting money in the "Hundi"; How  much to put in Hundi for each god. I have caught myself, on a number of occasions, in being hesitant to part with more than a certain amount, which itself frequently varies because of an innumerable number of reasons and circumstances.

I am confused but I let it go.

Sikhism was born out of dissatisfaction  and disillusionment of Guru Nanak with orthodoxy and ritualism of both Hinduism and Islam. Guru Nanak also did not approve of the overt and covert fight between the propagators of Islam and adherents of Hinduism. He proffered Sikhism as the via media  solution  where in both the Hindus and Muslims would shed their identities as Hindu and Muslim and would instead assume a new identity which he named 'Sikh' a colloquial distortion of 'Shishya' : the disciple. Some also say the word 'Sikh' is derived from 'Shikhshit' : the learned or the educated. The new identity was conceived to remove and resolve the differences. The intention was most noble. But the reality is that now we have three warring entities in stead of two. The contemporary Sikhism has its own rigid ritual protocols and practices. 

I am confused because of the contradictions in the ways of contemporary Sikhism. Sikhs are very sensitive about 'Kesh' (hair) and the turban.  Keeping the hair in their natural state without trimming is a diktat which ' true' Sikhs are mandated to follow. Kesh is one of the five 'K' identity marks of (Khalsa) Sikhs. Turban ( 'Dastaar') is not a directly mandated  identity mark but a convenience which has assumed much more importance than hair that it is required to protect.

Sikhs are very protective about the turban. They get easily worked up and are ever ready for a fight in defence of the turban; They aver that nothing can be put over the turban. Fair enough; every individual or a group of individuals is entitled to follow some practices, which become their distinguishing characteristics. But my confusion is the inconsistency or dichotomy of the conduct. While the Sikhs vehemently protest against the statutory use of helmet while riding a two wheeler as that is perceived as infringement of their faith, they do not object to a Sikh cricketer wearing helmet when batting.

I am peeved to see many Sikhs wearing only a patka in place of the turban and still refusing the use of helmet. I am confused as to whether to call it faith or hegemony.

I am confused further because this very young faith (or as some of its adherents proclaim it to be a religion), has already spawned a number of sub sects and faiths which in-turn have  their own fixations, rigid rituals and rites. Sant Nirankari Mandal and Radha Soami are two of the many examples. It is notable that SGPC, the self proclaimed patent holder and guard-general of Sikhism, does not consider these as off springs of Sikhism though the preachings of the two sects are based essentially on the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev and Guru Granth Sahib. This subject itself can lead to an endless debate. I would leave it at this juncture because I am awfully confused about the same. 

I return to my main confusion(s)

Hindu Sanatana Dharma promulgates polytheism, every god in its pantheon assuredly having a defined role albeit not known to the lay men. Some more essential and integral parts of Sanatana Dharma include Sanskara observance, idol worship, vrata fasting, abstinence, pilgrimage, holy dips in holy rivers, Havan yajna, mantra chanting, bhajan-kirtans, discourses, Shraddha, tarpan ( praying for the salvation of the dead ancestors), festival celebrations, charity or Dan punya etc.  All these rituals being collectively called Karma Kanda. In fact, polytheism  and Karma Kanda are the two main aspects of Hindu Sanatana Dharma which distinguish it from the other most popular and wide spread religions of the world. I am referring to Christianity, Islam and Buddhism. Another very important and disconcerting feature of Hindu Sanatana Dharma is its refusal to allow conversions into it. A Hindu is born and not made. Proselytization is foreign to Hindu Sanatana dharma. A non-Hindu can not be turned into a Hindu. Shuddhikaran process of Arya Samaj does not enjoy wide acceptance. Yet another aspect that is the hallmark of Hinduism is reincarnation or  rebirth; life after death. 

Christianity is a monotheistic religion born as a reformation of Judaism. It  forbids the practising of all the main aspects of Hindu Santana Dharma viz. polytheism, Karma Kanda and reincarnation. I am confused because I learn that there are an innumerable divisions or sects, each with its own justification for its existence, regimen of worship and general code of conduct. There are churches every where; churches belonging to different sub-sects. At many places, particularly in Mumbai, crosses bearing the inscription "INRI" are installed. To my mind, this is equivalent to polytheism. Christians wear cross, burn candles and incense sticks before the idols of mother Mary and Jesus, say graces at meals and before going to bed, observe lent and indulge in many other practices which together are  tantamount to idol worship. Still Christianity is the most popular religion of the world. It is the religion of the wealthy nations, who in turn contribute huge sums of money to help spread the religion through out the world. Proselytization is encouraged by the church and is carried out overtly and covertly through charity, inducement, persuasion, promises of salvation and many other strategies.

However, in India, the contribution of Christianity can not be over estimated. Convent schools are the most coveted centers of primary and secondary education. They are the models which are now emulated or replicated by many indigenous educational societies viz. DAV, Indian Education Society, Sanatana Dharma Schools, Khalsa schools etc.

Christian colleges are also held in high esteem as they are reputed to not only impart knowledge in the various subjects of learning but also play very important role in personality development and social behaviour. 

I am confused because in spite of the ostensible admirable contribution by Christian institutions in education and general welfare of the poor and the destitute, they are suspected to be merely the vehicles of spreading Christianity. I am also happy to admit and assert that by and large, they do not defy the Indian law and are less loud in their protestations against discrimination, neglect and maltreatment as a minority.

The next subject of my confusion is the dichotomy of Buddhism. 

My knowledge of history, however scant, and my understanding of the basic tenets of various religions in general and Buddhism in particular, reveals that Buddhism does not encourage idol worship. But I learn that Buddha outclasses every other being with respect to. numerical abundance as well as grandeur of statues. Buddha statues are among the tallest structures in its class in the world. 

 My confusion gets further confounded because most of the tallest statues exist in China. And it is noteworthy that all these statues are not old, some being constructed fairly recently. Try the link below

 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/howaboutthat/10417899/Ten-of-the-worlds-tallest-statues.html?frame=2719625

My confusion continues. 

Here comes my biggest confusion and the one I am most scared of expressing because of the danger of being misunderstood and being branded as irreverent and blasphemous.

Islam is the second most popular religion in the world, coming close on the heels of Christianity in terms of the number of followers in the world. India has the second (or third) largest population of Muslims in the world. Muslims constitute the biggest minority in India. However, there are pockets in India where muslims are in majority. 

Islam is strictly monotheistic and prohibits iconolatry. It is also supposed to be ridden of elaborate rituals and ostentation. It is also supposed to be egalitarian and free of the malice of casteism.

However, I am confused and my confusion redoubles five times every day. The call for Azaan is broadcast five times. 

The essence of Azaan is  

         ' Laa ilaaha illalaah, Mohamed ar-Rasool Allah'

( ‘There is absolutely no deity worthy of worship except Allah, 

    and Mohamed (pbuh) is the Messenger of Allah.’)

God is great. There is no god but God, Muhammad is the messenger of God.

But this is conveyed more elaborately as is given below:

Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar

Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar

Ash-hadu an-lā ilāha illā allāh

Ash-hadu an-lā ilāha illā allāh

Ash-hadu anna Muhhammadan-Rasulullāh

Ash-hadu anna Muhhammadan-Rasulullāh

Hayya  ala s-ssalāt

Hayya ala s-ssalāt

Hayya  ala  l-falāh

Hayya  ala l-falāh

As-salatu Khayrun Minan-nawm

As-salatu Khayrun Minan-nawm

Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar

Lā ilāha illā-Allāh

Allah is the greatest, Allah is the greatest. (repeated once more)

I bear witness that there is no God but Allah.(repeated once more)

I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.(repeated once more)

Hasten to worship (salat).(repeated once more)

Hasten to success.(repeated once more)

Prayer is better than sleep. (repeated once more)

Allah is greatest, Allah is greatest.

There is no God but Allah

The above Azaan is Arabic Sunni Azaan. 

Shia Azaan is slightly different as given below

Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar

Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar

Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar

Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar

Ash-hadu an-lā ilāha illā allāh

Ash-hadu an-lā ilāha illā allāh

Ash-hadu anna Muḥhammadan-Rasulullāh

Ash-hadu anna Muḥhammadan-Rasulullāh

Ash-hadu anna Alīyan walī-ullāh

Ash-hadu anna Alīyan walī-ullāh

Hayya ʿala ṣ-ṣsalāt

Hayya ʿala ṣ-ṣsalāt

Hayya ʿala 'l-falāḥ

Hayya ʿala 'l-falāḥ

Ḥayya ʿala khayr al ʿamal

Ḥayya ʿala khayr al ʿamal

Allāhu akbar

Allāhu akbar

Lā ilāha illā-Allāh

Lā ilāha illā-Allā

The differences are as follows

• Allāhu akbar is recited 8 times instead of four times
• The authority of Ali is added through the line  "I testify that Ali is the authority (wali) of God"
• As-salatu Khayrun Minan-nawm ( Prayer is better than sleep) is replaced by Ḥayya ʿala khayr al ʿamal ( The time for the best of deeds has come)
• The ending line Lā ilāha illā-Allāh is recited twice.

There is a Zaidiyyah  variety also, which is similar to the Sunny prayer except  that 

As-salatu Khayrun Minan-nawm ( Prayer is better than sleep) is replaced by Hayya ʿala khayr al ʿamal (The time for the best of deeds has come) as in Shia prayer

This 'assertion of faith'-cum-'call for prayer' is issued by every mosque to enjoin upon the believers to head towards the mosque. In my neighbouring locality, which is more like a  ghetto with a predominantly Muslim population, there are six or seven mosques. Each of these mosques broadcasts Azaan separately. The calls are separated by very small intervals of time and some portions even overlap. Each muezzin tries to cry hoarse as if he were trying to out shout the others.

I am confused because I am not able to decide whether all mosques are talking about the same God or each one is extolling its own private God. Again, the volume is so high that it seems that the caller is trying to wake up God rather than the faithfuls.

Another fact that riles me no end is the broadcast from some of the mosques or perhaps from the attached madrassas, of songs, poetry and even roll call and other live instructions being imparted to the madrassa inmates. 

Yet another confusing and deplorable practice being followed by some mosques is the use of loud speakers for informing the members of the community of some unfortunate deaths and the schedule of  Janaaza and the exhortation for participation. It is categorically prohibited by Islam but no body seems to care.

Another topic which I am confused about is Islam's take on music. I have googled on this topic and have got confusing and contradictory information. The sum total of what I could glean from the mass of data is that Islam permits music which is rendered in the praise of Allah and the prophet. 

The music of the Bollywood and Hollywood variety is unequivocally and emphatically labelled as Haraam or sinful. I am confused because there is quite a large number of music directors, lyricists, musicians and singers in Bollywood who pride themselves in being Muslims and are proud that they promote the cause of Islam. If we include the actors, writers, directors, choreographers and support artists and staff, this number will swell even further. I am confused whether all these people are committing sins by practising their art.

I learn that even Sufi music, though devoted to Allah and the prophet, is not regarded favourably by the Islamic purists. For that matter, Sufism itself is not widely accepted in Islam. 

I also wonder whether Muslim classical musicians of the past and the present, some of whom have been  / are the greatest exponents of this art, are considered as muslims by the same purists. This doubt gets further strengthened because most  musicians begin their riyaz (practice) with invocation to Sarasvati, the Hindu goddess of music. I learn that this practice by followed by some muslim musicians too.

I am mighty confused because of the increasingly visible exposition of some hitherto neglected or even rejected diktats of the keepers of Islam. Some  examples follow

• Celebration of Id-milad with zeal, fervour and festivities as opposed to the sobriety which marked this auspicious day till two decades ago.
• Use of the 'Allah hafiz' in stead of 'Khuda hafiz'.
• Offering of namaz by Muslim passengers in the corridors in running trains.
• Congregation of Muslim employees, during working hours, for saying the afternoon namaz, particularly on Fridays. This is true not only of government offices and establishments but also of  public and private organisations.
• Sporting of long un-trimmed flowing beards by men, old and young.
• Wearing of skull caps.
• Wearing of burqa by women; covering all parts of body from head to toe with a very narrow slit for the eyes; which more often than not also covered by dark glasses.
• Insistence by Muslim women patients for being treated by only female doctors.

Of course, it is not my business to make a comment on how each community conducts itself within its own sphere of being. And I am talking about only about India. All my confusion and wonderment is only about the practices followed in India. 

What confuses me is the hegemony exhibited by  some communities, sects and groups when their indulgence in flagrant violations of their own religious principles and tenets is exposed and the helplessness of the government in containing or curbing them. It is perhaps the price of democratic freedom. It may be something else. 

Well, I am confused and mighty confused at this and that.

Endure because you cannot cure

दिल जलता है तो जलने दे

I am returning to blogging after a very long gap. It is not that I was too busy or that there was a dearth of things, people or incidents which keep conspiring to multiply my agony and / or diminish my ecstasy. What holds me back is the feeling of futility of it all. But at the end what gives solace or opens the escape route is the mantra "what cannot be cured must be endured'। दिल जलता है तो जलने दे आंसू न बहा फ़रियाद न कर .

But again as I have mentioned in one of my earlier blogs, it is also the nagging feeling that I must speak out against something which I see as totally illogical, immoral, unethical or anti-social. If I am afraid or shy or am denied the opportunity of speaking in public, I can do so incognito, to only myself in the safe confines of a blog. Of course, I am sounding to myself like a preacher who assumes himself to be pious and virtuous and free of all earthly sins. I have no such claims as like any ordinary mortal who is given to worldly temptations and pleasures, I also have my own indulgences. Enough of masochism or self praise. Back to the main point.

One of my favourite itches is the traffic in India in general and in Mumbai in particular. The biggest nuisance in this category is the parking of all kinds vehicles in all kinds of haphazard manner. But the uncontested occupation or usurping of the space near the bus stops by auto rickshaws is unmatched because of the total lack of sensitivity for the public aided by total apathy by the traffic police. Boarding a bus is an achievement not only because you are likely to reach your intended destination but also because in the process you have escaped being run over by a bike, an auto rickshaw or a car or the bus itself. The bus stops away from the designated bus stop because the rickshaws are parked right upto the edge or at times even upto the middle of the stop, many a time in two parallel rows.

Then a biker who finds other vehicles ahead of him on the road to the right of the bus wriggles his way from the left without warning and without any care in the world assuming himself to be the owner of the road and showing utter disregard rather disdain for the petty creatures intending to take the bus. This situation is further aggravated by the nonchalance exhibited by the bus drivers and the conductors who do not wait for the passengers to cross all hurdles and make it to the best. You can hear a thousand curses most under the breath but some crossing the limits of decibels of public decency.

Autorickshaw drivers may be excused because their literacy level is taken to be low. But what about the owners of big cars owning businesses or having offices in upper class malls, office complexes and shopping centres etc. and holding high degrees, donning designer labels and projecting themselves as epitomes of style, etiquette and society manners. Have a look at the sample photographs above how they park their vehicles on the road and near the bus stops.

Look particularly at one of the pictures of a bus stop whereat a sign board says "de-congest the road- travel by BEST"

Bye for now.

Indians know no fear now

Every Indian should be and is proud that Abhinav Bindra has won an Individual Gold in shooting in the recently concluded Beijing 2008 Olympics. Two more Indians, Vijendra Kumar and Sushil Kumar, have done their country proud by winning Bronze medals in boxing and wrestling.The achievements in Cricket are already well known viz. Winning of T20 World Cup, Beating England in England and Australia in Australia etc. etc. etc. .These are no mean achievements by any standards. To my mind, these wins are indicative of the cataclysmic change that is waiting to happen (or is it already happening?). I find that Indians are shedding their inhibitions and are over-powering the fear psychosis they have suffered for centuries.

They know no fear now.

They know no fear now.

They know no fear now.

We do not have to go very far for verifying the assertion made above. Just one look at how the bikers and scooterists drive on any road, in any kind of traffic, in any city or town across the length and breadth ( and depth) in India, will be proof enough. Gone are the days when overtaking from the left was deemed an offence. Today no body could care less; any body drives any which way. No holds barred. The only motive is to upstage the other blokes on the road and to zoom past imaginary winning posts. Slogans like " Better to be Mr. late than to be Late Mr." and " Slow and Steady Wins the Race", " Speed Can Kill" are passé.

In the foregoing, the assertion about bikers is meant to set the bottom line. It is common knowledge that two wheelers would rank the lowest in terms of stability as per the inherent design characteristics. Cars fare no better; especially when they are driven by the haughty owners or hired drivers who exhibit a marked disdain for rules and regulations or official authority which is considered a tradable commodity. The irony is that every body seems to be in a tearing hurry to be rushing to reach somewhere; not knowing what to do or expect after reaching the destination. Every body irrespective of caste, creed and religion, suddenly seems to be following what Geeta preaches:-

कर्मण्येवाधिकार असते माँ फलेषु कदाचनम

कर्मण्येवाधिकार असते माँ फलेषु कदाचनम

कर्मण्येवाधिकार असते माँ फलेषु कदाचनम

No body is waiting at home. The awaiter himself / herself is likely to be on the road rushing somewhere ( where and why?).

There is a paradigm shift.
There is a paradigm shift.

There is a paradigm shift.
No fear. No obligation. No morals. No conscience.

No fear. No obligation. No morals. No conscience.
Only whims and fancies. I, me, myself and two hoots for every one else. Perfect prescription for self aggrandizement (and disaster). Bronze will turn into silver, gold, platinum and whatever can come next above.
It is true that since time immemorial, every society however civilized, has had its share of perverts, psychopaths, criminals and anti social elements. But the number of such elements was always small. Though some of these were able to circumvent or defeat the rule of law and some others were plainly defiant in spite of the knowledge that they would face punishment if caught, yet it is also a fact that they still feared the law. But in today's India things have changed. Even ordinary citizens are inclined not to follow any rules and regulations. Law is really an ass and is kicked with impunity; law keepers are ass-holes and law breakers are heroes in their own and others’ eyes.

The fear has gone. Indians know no fear now.
The fear has gone. Indians know no fear now.

The fear has gone. Indians know no fear now.
There is also another facet to this phenomenon. We have stopped living in the past. We are no longer afraid of the future. Present, today, now and this instant is only what matters. This mantra is getting translated into large numbers of Indians traveling, working and residing abroad. It is the vehicle for excellence of Indians in various fields internationally. The banishment of fear from the minds has resulted in a host of Indians being anointed CEOs in all kinds of multinationals including Pepsico, CitiGroup, Vodafone etc.

And there is a clutch of Indians ranked among the topmost businessmen in the world and amongst the richest in the world.

It is no wonder then that Indian businessmen are the most optimistic in world.

And they are out to conquer the world. Every other day, there is news of a take-over, acquisition or buy-out of a multinational by an Indian business group. The fact that Indians are now on the prowl is beautifully recorded in an advertisement. This ad shows an Indian businessman being driven past a building which has on its façade the name “East India Company”. The man points at the building and says to his mate “I want to buy this company” and upon being asked “why”, states with an air of studied arrogance “They ruled over us for 200 years, now it is our turn”

Yet again, savour this
Yet again, savour this
The late Aditya Vikram Birla was once asked whether he was afraid of multinationals. "No" he replied, "they should be afraid of me".

Shabana Ji- You Are Not Alone

Shabana Aazmi, Actress the Great, stirred a hornet's nest the other day by simply and perhaps inadvertently (or thoughtlessly) asserting in the press that she was denied purchase of a flat in some parts of Mumbai because she was a Muslim. There were reactions from various people, some criticizing Shabana for her statement and some supporting her and confirming her assertion.
This is the age of indulgence by the electronic media who do not let go even the smallest opportunity and sensationalize the most innocuous event, utterance or a goof; and blow the same up out of proportion in the hope of catching more and more eye-balls. Accordingly, one of the channels immediately lapped up this opportunity and being driven by the desire to be first off the block had the audacity to institute a feature called " I am a Muslim" or one with some such name and started interviewing some Muslims in confirmation of Shabana's hypothesis. Most of the TV channels are interested only in upping their TRPs in the hope of sweeping the wind falls of enhanced revenues that accrue in the wake of enhanced TRPs. These channels are least concerned with the sociological effect of their shenanigans.
The print media does not lag behind its electronic counter part in creating the sensational nuisance but mercifully its effects are not as wide ranging nor as far reaching as electronic media's are.
I would like to assure Shabana and other aggrieved Muslim co-Indians that they are not alone in being subjected to discrimination. I too have experienced discrimination on a number of occasions. Here below, I cite some examples.
1. I came to Mumbai in 1964 as a trainee in a central government organization. The training program being residential, I was accommodated in a hostel for a year. At the end of the training period, I along with other trainees, had to vacate the hostel. We were to be on our own and had to find our own accommodation. I requested a Marathi trainee colleague of mine to help. After some days I was informed that a Marathi family had agreed to accommodate two persons as Paying Guests and we were required to meet them to decide the various terms and conditions. I promptly presented myself to the prospective landlords. I was received by a very kind looking, suave and well mannered middle aged lady. I was received fairly warmly and was shown the room. I was also given a verbal list of DO's and DONT's and also informed the compensation that we would be required to pay. I informed the lady that I liked the room and also that I accepted all the terms and conditions. I silently thanked my colleague who had referred me to this kind landlady. In my heart, I was genuinely overjoyed because it meant no running around looking for a shelter. But perhaps, I had been too hasty in indulging in thanks-giving and internal rejoicing. I was in the middle of my thoughts when I was fielded the question "Which part of the country do you come from?". It was obvious that I was not from Maharashtra as I was not speaking in Marathi. I promptly replied that I hailed from Punjab. To which came the very polite assertion ' Sorry, but we would like to give this accommodation to Hindus only.' When I equally politely asserted that I was a Hindu from Punjab, I was reminded that Punjabis were not accepted as Hindus. That signalled the end of the interview and I had a foreboding that wherever I went, I would meet the same fate. I accepted this as a fait accompli. "What cannot be cured must be endured."
I thanked the lady and walked out. I went back and thanked my Marathi colleague and begged pardon for having caused embarrassment. And before any body could utter 'Punjabi', I found myself holed up in Sion Koilwada, amongst Punjabis of every kind. It is (not) another matter that I found that Koliwada, euphemistically called Mumbai's own mini Punjab , comprised a multitude of Punjabs viz. Peshawari Punjab, Multani Punjab, Pindi Punjab, Hazara Punjab and many many more.

More about Punjab, Punjbiyat and Punjabis on another occasion.

My stay in Koliwada lasted one year at the end of which period, I was asked by my partner to look for another place. That was the start of my yearly hunt for a new place. Each time that I went seeking a new accommodation, I was made to feel that as a Punjabi, I was not very much welcome. It is noteworthy that some of the landlords were Punjabis who were in fact more vehement than Sindhis and others in their insistence that they did not welcome Punjabis as tenants. I never bothered to go deep into the hows and whys of their paranoia. More often than not, I would make myself believe that there was something amiss with me as an individual and the fact of being denied the accommodation was not a comment on the Punjabi community at large. I took these incidents in my stride. I found them hilarious. In fact, on numerous occasions, I have narrated these anecdotes to regale my near and dear ones and I have enjoyed my narrating them in equal measure. Here goes the most hilarious of them all.

A little background first.
Before I got married, I was staying as a paying guest with a very wonderful and affectionate Punjabi family. I refer to this family as 'Maalikan'. I would like to reiterate that I did not get this PG accommodation without the usual reservations being expressed against my being a Punjabi. The difference was that I had a very strong reference from a very close relative of the head of 'Maalikan' family. It is a matter of pride for me that later I was treated as a member of the 'Maalikan' family, which ties have continued till date and have also been sustained by the second generation.
To continue with the main story, around two months before I got married, me and the 'Maalikan' family mutually decided that for the benefit of all I should move to an independent accommodation which would become our nest ( mine and my wife's). Accordingly, the struggle began. Each day of a full month found me visiting an estate agent and one or more prospective landlords but nothing materialized. One of the reasons for being unsuccessful was my being a Punjabi. Each passing day made me more and more desolate and I was at my wits' end not knowing at all what I would do if I did an accommodation even after my marriage. But God is great. I found an old couplet materializing in my case
कश्तिआं सब की किनारे पे पहुँच जाती हैं
नाखुदा जिसका नहीं उसका खुदा होता है
The help came from one of the most unexpected quarters. And all my life it has happened that close on the heels of the solution of a problem, comes another problem. I was informed that a flat was being vacated by one of our senior colleagues who I refer as Guru and the flat would be mine if Guru recommended my name. I promptly approached Guru and told him about my predicament. He sympathised with me but informed me of the problem. The flat was not for Punjabis. Back to square one. But then Guru himself suggested that, for my sake, he would inform the landlord that I was a Hindi speaking person and rest would have to be managed by me. I agreed very gladly. I got a shock when he revealed the surname of the landlord. It was a very typical and famous Punjabi surname. I was afraid that I would be caught when I feigned being a non-punjabi before this family. I would refer to this family as Camphors. However, I decided to take a calculated risk because on more than one occasion earlier I had been mistaken to be a Muslim because of my heavy use of so called ' Urdu' vocabulary while speaking Hindi. Also, I had a very close friend of mine who hailed from Western UP. I fondly refer to this friend as 'Mittar'. He had some very peculiar mannerisms and at times he chose to speak in a very unfamiliar and funny dialect. On a number of occasions I had been able to raise many a laughter by mimicking his antics. I decided to make up and play Mittar when required to face Camphors or any other prospective landlord.

Guru got me an appointment with the Camphors who lived in a fairly posh locality in Central Mumbai. I went to see them after having rehearsed my playing Mittar to near perfection. On the appointed day, I went to see the Camphors. I chose to wear a very distinctively UnPunjabi shirt , which I had borrowed from Mittar hoping that Mittar's ghost will come along with the shirt and help me become him.
I was greeted by the daughter-in-law of the house. I said a very polite 'Namaste', took care to remove my shoes, washed my hands after removing the shoes and settled on the edge of a chair instead of sinking in the sofa. I was offered a glass of water, which I held in both hands and made a loud hissing sound while sipping the water. All the time, I was not me but Mittar.
I was interviewed in depth. Every bouncer that was hurled on to me was dispatched over the boundary by me with Mittar being my bat. But all the time I was walking on thin ice. Simultaneously with the process of interviewing me, the Camphors were exchanging notes about Mittar (me) taking care to speak only in Punjabi to avoid their comments being understood by me. I felt like the fabled The Blue Jackal who had fallen in the tub of 'Blue' while running to escape the city hounds. I was scared of myself because I was not sure when the urge to join in the conversation would overwhelm me . But I escaped unscathed and I got the flat. I took care not to invite Camphors for my marriage because that would have been easy give away. The fun was yet to start.

One evening, my Mother-in-Law along with my brother-in-Law and his wife (whom we affectionately called 'Big K, my wife being called 'Lil K') came visiting us. The dinner had been laid and we were just about to start when the door bell rang. To my consternation, I found Camphor himself at the door step. I let him in and introduced him to all present taking care that I spoke only in Hindi. My in-laws were perplexed to find me switching over to Hindi. They were wondering as to what had come to possess me suddenly. I avoided their glances. Another shock was in store and before any one could say 'Jiffy', I found Camphor addressing 'Big K' and exclaiming " You are so and so's daughter- Isn't it". 'Big K' being endowed with an elephantine memory reciprocated by averring " and you are Mr. so and so----". My heart came to my mouth. Incidentally, I realised that one of the dishes included in the dinner menu of the evening was 'French beans'. I excused myself and went out to avoid being there when the beans were spilled.

When I came back, Camphor was ready to leave, waiting only for me to comeback. He had been offered to join in for the dinner which he declined and instead preferred a cup of tea. He duly finished his tea and shook hands with me and left with a strange expression on his face. He would have hardly gone about 5 metres when I felt the ceiling of my flat had fallen. There was a roar of laughter. My wife would not stop switching between looking at me and bursting into peels of laughter. The others also were unstoppable. Even my mother-in-law seemed highly amused.

It took them quite sometime to return to normalcy. When I asked them why they were laughing, the madness returned. No body bothered to answer, they just kept laughing as if they had consumed tons of 'Bhaang'. Finally, the revelation came. When I had walked out, Camphor admonished 'Big K' and inquired if she was inimical to 'Lil K'. All present were aghast at the comment / query. But Camphor continued

' अपनी ननद के लिए तुम्हे यह भैय्या ही मिला था? '
I was not sure whether it was a sad commentary on my personality and general demeanour or a complement to my histrionic abilities that I was able to carry my act to the climax. I have always taken it to be the latter.

Sometime later, Camphor met Tandy, a common acquaintance of Big K and himself. He inquired in a very conspiratorial tone almost accusing Big K of the injustice to which she had subjected her innocent and unsuspecting sister-in-law. When Tandy showed his ignorance of the devious plot hatched by Big K, Camphor let out the big secret thus

'Big K ने क्या ज़ुल्म किया , अपनी ननद एक UP वाले भैय्या के साथ ब्याह दी.'

Tandy protested and affirmed that that was not a fact. He informed that ' Lil K' was married to 'oldKid' who was a hardcore Punjabi, who was proud of the Punjab, Punjabiyat and Punjabi language. Camphor did not believe it till he confronted me. By that time, I had resolved to vacate his flat. I begged his pardon for having cheated him and he reluctantly forgave me.

The irony is that after I vacated his flat, Camphor gave it on lease to a real UP bhaiyya. The last I heard was that they were in litigation because this UP bhaiyya had claimed tenancy rights.
Shabana Ji! There is no denying the fact that there is rampant discrimination in our Indian Society. It comes in multitudes of shapes and forms. Language, caste and religion are the most commonly visible macro level reasons. In addition, there are a number of hidden or overt excuses; financial status and lineage being often touted as parameters of class distinction.

In an accompanying blog, I have elaborated on the kinds of discrimantion that I have suffered and because of that I can easily empathise with Shabana and others. But where I differ with them, is in their insistence on 'Religion'. My hypothesis is
"Something must be amiss with me which leads to discrimination against me and makes me unacceptable. I must do introspection, find the root causes and work to eliminate them."
Shabana Ji, I wonder whether you have ever done any introspection and have paused to ponder why this discrimination or dispathy bordering on mutual distrust and hatred has continued for centuries.
I give you a simple quiz. How is that in spite of a ban on loudspeakers, they keep blaring in the mosques showing no compassion for infants, students, sick and old people who are subjected to this noise pollution which even Iqbal has denounced.
I have also been wondering, ever since I read Shabana's ( and earlier Emraan Hashmi's) assertion as to where hordes of Muslim actors, artistes, writers, singers are residing in Mumbai. I find that world of glamour and glitz is ruled by Muslims at various levels and the number is ever increasing. Where are all these people residing, certainly not on foot paths or shanty colonies?
Shabana Ji, you are not alone but I also find that there are not many people with you either.

सारे जहाँ से अच्छा हिंदोस्तां हमारा

I was born in West Punjab in undivided India. Because West Punjab became a part of Pakistan after the partition, my parents, like millions of others, got uprooted and traversed to East Punjab ( now simply Punjab) in free ( divided) India. I was a toddler then. The early days in our new abode were tumultuous. We were branded as refugees and were seen as intruders. The acceptance by the locals was generally low. It varied with the locality in which one settled. In general, the poorer and relatively uneducated people occupied the erstwhile Muslim mohallas in (East) Punjab and other places, while the more resourceful, knowledgeable and smarter people managed to settle in better neighbourhoods and enjoyed greater acceptance and trust. However, in spite of all the problems, we grew up, got educated and managed to make good careers. The more I look back, the more I feel thankful to my parents and God for bringing us up. I have always felt lucky and satisfied that my country and the people took care of us in our earlier days and I have always felt obliged to do something in return. I have always been proud of being born an Indian and am very passionate about India. My Indian-ness is nothing short of jingoism. Whenever, I see or hear any thing good about India, like an Indian getting an international award, I am overcome by emotion. I become speechless; my throat gets choked; I start crying with happiness and my eyes get flooded with tears.

I keep remembering Iqbal, the poet and often quote him and his anthem

सारे जहाँ से अच्छा हिंदोस्तां हमारा

हम बुलबुलें हैं इसकी यह गुलसितां हमारा

But lately, I have found myself becoming a little skeptic. I still keep remembering Iqbal and his above encomium to India but in the same breath I keep getting reminded of another of his couplets

अपने वतन में हूँ के गरिबुद्द्यार हूँ

डरता हूँ देख देख के इस दश्तो दर को मैं

“Am I in my own country or am I in an alien land. The more I look at this jungle, the more I get scared “

I fail to identify the present day country as my India. I feel alienated. My sense of belonging is being undermined.

More than once, I have caught myself questioning me whether it would have been better if my parents had continued to stay in Pakistan. This question pops up in spite of the awareness that because we would not have renounced Hinduism at any cost, we would have been treated as second class citizens. As a matter of fact, the above question comes up as a corollary to a host of questions

“In free and supposedly secular India, are we any better?"

" Have I got any advantage due to my being a Hindu? "

"Are we not being treated as second class citizens only?”

I do acknowledge that immediately after the partition, we were given some help like temporary shelters and food in transit camps for a few day. After that we had to and did fend for ourselves. I do not hold any grudge on this count. In fact, as mentioned earlier, I have been thankful to all those who rendered help. My problem is the hurt to which my psyche got subjected because of the undercurrents at various stages and occasions. I am also aware of the fact that this problem is not endemic. For millions of other people who were also refugees, this is no issue at all. They are the blessed ones who have not only outgrown this issue but also are living happily ever after. Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh is one of the numerous examples. Our progeny is also mercifully oblivious of this trauma.

What is my problem then?

Am I a plain and simple cry baby?

Do I suffer from ‘I want more ‘ syndrome a la Oliver Twist?

Am I an incorrigible dysphoric?

In any case, why have I chosen to air my grievances now, eons after the partition and after having ‘enjoyed’ my life?

These questions also keep popping in my own mind because I have always been Devil’s advocate against my own self. It is true that I have not expressed my anguish earlier and that I could have as well opted to keep eyes, ears and mouth shut. It seems easy and simple to maintain status quo as advised by Jaan Nisar Akhtar

और तहजीबे गमें इश्क निबाह दें कुछ दिन

आखिरी वक्त में क्यूं अपने चलन को भूलें

Coupled with this has been a fatalistic feeling that any expression of dissidence will be an exercise in futility because nothing is going to change. But however much have I tried, I have not been able to stop the stream of thoughts which keep coming back to me. Somewhere in the subconscious mind lingers a feeling that I must speak up. The process of exhuming the buried past has been triggered by the milieu of today and the concern for the future.

The answer to the question “ why now” is “It is better late than never”

and that “if it is not now, it never will be”.

Further, it is the like the process of auditing which is generally carried out post-event. The audit of my life has begun now, albeit very late.

I begin at the beginning.

It was fortuitous that after the partition we came to settle in a small mohalla which, before the partition, had been inhabited by Muslim washermen and other menials who made their living by rendering service to neighbouring Hindu populace. Because of this feudalistic relationship and the allegiance to different religions, there had been absolutely no social and cultural interaction between the denizens of this mohalla and the neighbouring Hindu populace. After the partition, though the Muslims were replaced by us Hindus, the chasm in the social and cultural interaction between the mohallas was continued. It could be initially justified as attributable to xenophobia and the ensuing mistrust. While most of our mohalla mates took it in their strides and accepted it as fait accompli, my family never felt at ease but also did nothing about it.

At school, there was always a not-so-covert discrimination. For an extended period of time, the refugees, as we were referred to with scorn, were herded into sections different from the ones in which the locals were grouped. The locals were the elite and the refugees the underprivileged. The best facilities including the best teaching staff were assigned to the locals. However, it was ironic that in studies as well as in extra-curricular activities like drama and poetry most of the toppers came from the refugee groups.

It was the same story at college. Things did change later but it caused a lot of heart burn and the malice existed for a very long time.

When I joined service in a Government of India department at Mumbai (then called Bombay), it was my first excursion outside Punjab and the first encounter with India at large. I was very happy and proud to be a part of this great country because I found that the selection process for the job was totally merit based and no discrimination was made based on religion, region, caste and creed. My batch comprised people from all parts of India and included Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and even Parsees.

Those were the halcyon days. But they did not last for long.

In fact, the country and the people were just recovering from the after effects of the earlier events which included Linguistic reorganization of states, Chinese aggression and death of Pandit Nehru. India had just started limping back to normalcy when Pakistan attacked India. Then Lal Bahadur Shastri died, which led to head on collision between Indira Gandhi and the congress old guard. Devaluation of Rupee took place. Bihar was devastated by famine. In between, anti-Hindi agitations wreaked havoc at various places. Regional parties came to the fore and India stood divided again, this time on the basis of language. Things started deteriorating rapidly thereafter. The initial euphoria of independence gave way to scepticism.

Hitherto, though I had been often facing incongruities and had to endure covert and overt prejudice and discrimination, I had been tolerant and forbearing. My tolerance was perhaps the result of a cocktail of number of behavioural traits viz. magnanimity, apathy, helplessness, cowardliness, inferiority complex and martyrdom.

Yet again, perhaps it was the result of the anxiety to survive come what may

हमने हर हाल में जीने की क़सम खाई है

Hamne har haal mein jeene ki kasam khai hai

(I have vowed to exist under any circumstance)

During the early years in Punjab, there were various tiers of bias and discrimination. First, the discrimination existed between Hindus and Sikhs. Among the Hindus, there was distinction and discrimination between refugees and locals. Then even among the refugees, there was a lot of micro-level inequity between people from Lahore, Sialkot, Peshawar and Jhang & Multan etc. etc. I have not cared to elaborate on the general malice that afflicts Hindus at large due to disharmony between Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. Nor have I touched upon the gulf between Jats and non-Jats among Sikhs.

I vividly remember the kinds of reactions, from various sections of the Punjab polity in particular and public in general, which were evoked by the appointment of ‘Comrade’ Ram Kishan Mehta as the Chief Minister of Punjab. He was particularly unacceptable to the land-owning feudals who sought to dismiss him as a non-entity bereft of the wherewithal to rule Punjab and lord over them.

His disqualification was purported to be “that he was a refugee from Jhang and was therefore an inherently weak, incapable and a backward person.”

I have also not been able to forget that when my younger brother appeared for an interview for joining Indian Army, he was told in unequivocal terms that he was unacceptable because he came from a family who had no military connections. At that time, the military in Punjab was the sole preserve of Sikhs particularly the Jats with some share being taken by Brahmins and other upper caste locals and khatris from Lahore / Gujranwala etc. among the refugees.

When I joined service at Bombay (now Mumbai) as mentioned earlier, I was happy to be away from Punjab because of three main reasons.

1. It was the beginning of a new chapter in the life, which was founded on recognition of the inherent intelligence and merit.

2. It was an opportunity for widening the horizons and for joining the mainstream of India at large.

3. It was an agent for dilution of the stigma of being a ‘refugee from a particular area of West Punjab’. I found that Mumbai was a great equalizer and gave two hoots for one’s origins.

But soon I came face to face with other truths. I found that our department was infested with people from the south. While most of the clerical and the administrative staff were from Kerala, the higher echelons were dominated by Tamil Brahmins. There were insinuations of nepotism and favouritism against them. Of course, these two communities were not alone in these shenanigans. Some other provincial and linguistic groups had their own parochial agendas. This resulted in all-round acrimony among people and proved to be an impediment to the concerted efforts that were necessary to bring growth and prosperity to the country. This malady was not unique or limited only to our department. In fact, it has been prevalent in all spheres of Indian life for ever. That was the reason why we have been ruled by foreigners for a thousand years. But it had become dormant and latent in the run upto freedom. Now it again emerged like the ‘Genie from the bottle’. Coronation of Hindi as the official language in place of English and the subsequent anti-Hindi agitation in South and other places was one of the triggers. Formation of Shiv Sena and its professed agenda for getting some privileges and preferential treatment for the ‘Son of the Soil’ in Mumbai was perhaps the harbinger of a chain reaction for similar demands in other states. The chronology of events is not an important issue, their occurrence is.

Another important, debilitating and divisive factor has been the upsurge of the so called ‘Backward’ and Other Backward Classes and the recommendations of Mandal Commission thereof. The constitution had already provided for special treatment of Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes ( SC/ST), the Dalits (underprivileged members) of the India Society, in the form of financial support and reservation in educational institutions and government service. Now the specter of OBC has been raised more out of political compulsions than actual welfare of the deserving masses. This is one issue which has sought to divide the Indian society very widely, deeply and permanently. This has resulted in the phenomenon of coalition governments and the resultant degeneration in ethics of governance and the governing class. To me, it is a double whammy. On the one hand, I have had to endure the stress caused by the discrimination due to being a Punjabi vis-à-vis the South Indians and Bengalis; among the Punjabis themselves because of being a refugee and among the refugees because of my parents having hailed from an area of West Punjab which was considered backward by Lahorians and others who considered themselves more advanced. On the other hand, I find that a sizeable population is trying to garner privileges and concessions by branding themselves as members of ‘Other Backward Classes’. The most disconcerting fact in this whole business is that the benefits do not reach genuinely backward people, instead these are cornered by some people who take pride in calling themselves as advanced for all other social purposes but are unashamed to produce a piece of paper declaring them to be belonging to backward class. In today’s political atmosphere, the SC/ST and OBC are a force to reckon with and are bent upon utilizing their position to the hilt and are able to dictate terms with all political parties. It is almost becoming fashionable to brand oneself as OBC in order to defy the law and wield authority. The large number of criminal cases involving OBCs is a testimony to this fact.

And yet there is another phenomenon which has provoked me to ask all the questions above; it is the position enjoyed by the so called minority communities particularly the Muslims. I find it very curious that an axis is being formed comprising Muslims, Dalits and OBCs. The Muslims are the biggest beneficiaries of the recent political imbroglios. They are in fact ruling India by proxy. It is noteworthy that 15% Muslim population is able to dictate the rest of 85% population on the formation of Governments at Centre and of States. The irony is that one hand there are cries of minorities (read as Muslims) being denied certain rights, while on the other hand, they defy the ordinary and common civil laws of the land with impunity. The use of loudspeakers in the mosques and madrassas at all times of day and night is just one example. On top of all that there are some selfish politicians who are championing the cause of Muslims and are crying hoarse for reservation of jobs for Muslims. They do not take a second look at the statistics of how Muslims have swamped the Entertainment industry, the media, the sports and a number of niche industries.

The conclusion of all the foregoing is that I feel being treated as Second Class citizen in my own country India.

To the question “whether it would have been better if my parents had stayed back in Pakistan”, the answer is a definite ‘No’.

The reason for the answer is that Herculean efforts would have been necessary to even exist; the magnitude of the efforts to bring about a change in the society or in the governing class would have been unimaginable.

In spite of all the shortcomings that I have listed about India and its people, it is a lively society, where reason can still prevail and persistence does pay.

Since life is a constant struggle, I shall carry on the same, now with renewed vigour and sense of purpose.

I have nothing to lose.