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Enough said

A good time to speak of governance…

…and also of a 91-year-old diplomat-turned-author’s steady and unflinchingly straightforward look at the big picture in India and Pakistan’s ties.
Humra Quraishiby Humra Quraishi

We now have a new Government at the Centre, and even in the run-up to the event, amidst all the frenzied hype of the exit poll results, there was a slew of new books to watch out for. Chief among these was journalist and author Hari Jaisingh’s Pitfalls Of Indian Democracy – Bapu to Anna.

This volume captures not just the political graph but the very patterns of governance in India. As the title suggests, the book presents an in-depth look at what the nation has undergone in these last few decades. Jaisingh says in the preface, “From the take-off point of Mahatma Gandhi’s satyagraha against the colonial rule, the volume discuses in depth post-Partition problems and issues which continue haunting the polity even today.

“It has a special focus on social activist Anna Hazare’s fast at the Jantar Mantar and Ramlila Grounds in New Delhi, to protest against corruption and enforce related reforms mechanism. The volume is concerned as much with governance as with polity matters that have affected the life of the nation since Independence.”

Young old boy Pran Nevile

And then there’s 91-year-old diplomat-turned author Pran Nevile (in pic on right with Pak author Tehmina Durrani). Last fortnight, he attended the Literature Festival at Islamabad and before that, the Lit Festival in Lahore. In PranTehminathese last few months, Nevile has been visiting the country of his roots for several special occasions.

It is heartening to hear him talk about his visits. “Though I have never sought publicity, I am much sought-after in Pakistan. There, I’m an acknowledged authority on the cultural, social and historical aspects to Lahore in the pre-Partition era. In fact, I’m much more know there in Pakistan than here, in my own country,” he says.

So what does he think of the present-day India-Pakistan relations and the ongoing political scenario in our country? “I have always followed one self-imposed rule: I never discuss religion or politics. My talks are only related to arts, films, literature, folklore, music and culture. Though my family and I suffered during the Partition and we were uprooted, I’m not bitter about the Partition. I look at it as an episode of history. I want the two countries to be friendly and live in a harmonious way,” he explains.

Read more about Pran Nevile here.

Humra Quraishi is a senior journalist based in Gurgaon. She is the author of Kashmir: The Untold Story and co-author of Simply Khushwant.

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Enough said

Are we headed towards another Partition?

With killings in Assam and disquieting treatment of Kashmiris, are we headed towards another dark chapter in our country’s history?
Humra Quraishiby Humra Quraishi

I was recently reading Simply Khaki – A Policeman Remembers, by the 1965 batch IPS officer from the Assam cadre, EN Rammohan (he retired as DG – BSF, and is said to be a ‘different’ cop, who during his entire service, lived without Government perks.) Till date, his guiding principle has been this line: ‘An officer has no religion once he joins service and puts on his uniform’.

As one reads the book, one becomes increasingly aware of the severity and complexity of the turmoil in Assam and the situation worsening there since 1971. According to Rammohan, these disputes in Assam are not along religious lines, but are centred around land.

These lines from the book are quite illuminating, from the chapter focussing on Shillong: “You have Chief Ministers who, when the Director General of Police brings a list of Sub-Inspectors who have qualified in the selection test, keep sitting with their legs drawn up to their chair, chewing paan and pull out an alternative list which they have prepared and throwing it at the DGP, ask him insolently, ‘Then what is this list?’ It is only natural that such Chief Ministers also have equally shameless Director Generals, who have mortgaged their souls for a chair, a bungalow and a Government telephone.”

Now, of course, there are also politicians who have so completely sold their souls, that they have no shame making speeches that trigger off killings. What else brought about this fresh round of killings in Assam? There was a complete parting of ways and rational thought soon after the demolition of the Babri Masjid. And now, physical assaults and killings are completely commonplace.

What’s more, these killings and assaults, religious or ethnic or otherwise, are happening in front of our eyes, but we are saying nothing. What did we do when the three Kashmiri students faced, in Greater Noida, on the very outskirts of New Delhi, the kind of humiliation nobody should ever have to face? These students were not just beaten, they were even made to chant anti-Pakistan slogans!

For years, I have been sensing a growing anti-Kashmir atmosphere in the country, and this sentiment prevails the most in New Delhi and around it. Over a decade ago, the PUCL conducted a study and brought out a detailed report that revealed a shocking state of affairs. To name just one instance, the report had found that Kashmiri students and traders who travelled out of the Valley for higher studies and work, faced not just suspicion, but also threats and taunts. And these threats came not from their neighbours, but from local cops!

In my last column, I had mentioned that there ought to be a helpline for minority groups. It is yet to be seen what instant relief and rescue comes from the using of such a helpline, and let’s not overlook the fact that those manning those helplines could let their preconceived notions get in the way. What is to be expected, ultimately, when so much hate is being spewed regularly, and when so much brainwashing might change our own realities?

Humra Quraishi is a senior journalist based in Gurgaon. She is the author of Kashmir: The Untold Story and co-author of Simply Khushwant.

 (Pictures courtesy post.jagran.com)

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Being a Muslim in today’s times

A book on Muslims in South Asia and an attack on a Muslim woman bring burning issues to the fore.
Humra Quraishiby Humra Quraishi

New Delhi is currently the stage for several heated political debates, even as the summer rages on. Unlike the elections of yesteryears, however, there are less intellectual discussions on parties and their politics, and more debate along two extremes – either you are Right Wing or you are not!

This week I attended the launch of Being A Muslim In South Asia, a new book launched by the Vice President of India, Hamid Ansari. The volume, edited by Robin Jeffrey and Ronojoy Sen, published by Oxford University Press, focusses on the Muslims of the subcontinent – the 500 million Muslims who live in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, and who constitute roughly one-third of the world’s Muslims.

The book takes a look at the everyday lives and aspirations, also the challenges and struggles that Muslims face. There is a look at routine aspects of daily life, to a focus on stark ground realities. I quote this line from the book, “Too often in recent years, they have been unfairly associated with terrorism, as anyone with a Muslim name who has passed through a Western airport will attest.”

Speaking at the launch was the well-known historian, Professor Mushirul Hasan (in pic on right), who spoke of the present-day political realities that Indian Muslims face, and the possible dangers Mushiral Hasanthat could abound in case a Right Wing-backed Government takes centrestage. He spoke about some of those apprehensions and fears that the minority community of the country is experiencing and could face in the coming months, as the winds of change sweep the politics of the country…

Last Monday, on the afternoon of April 28, the well-known activist Shabnam Hashmi and her team were attacked in Rae Bareli when they were distributing leaflets brought out by JAVAB (Janvadi Vichar Andolan Bharat), barely 100 metres from the Gadaganj Police station. Shabnam and her associates were attacked by a gang of about 20 hoodlums who snatched all the leaflets and abused Shabnam in the most foul and sexist terms.

At the police station, Shabnam had to argue with the SHO, telling him that nobody can be stopped from exercising their right to free expression and that he had to file an FIR against the attack on her and the threats of rape and sexist abuses. The SHO did not register an FIR and did not give her a copy of her complaint.

And this is what happens every day in the country!

Humra Quraishi is a senior political journalist based in Gurgaon. She is the author of Kashmir: An Untold Story and co-author of Simply Khushwant.

(Pictures courtesy www.pakistankakhudahafiz.com and www.rina.in)

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Same same, but different

These elections have the potential to be a turning point in our country’s history, but what if nothing changes later?
Humra Quraishiby Humra Quraishi

These elections and their results could well prove to be the proverbial turning point in the history of our country. Of course, it’s far too early to predict if the so-called ‘Modi wave’ will actually bring the BJP to power, or if it’s just a lot of hype. But one thing is clear – we are doomed if we are to be ruled by the likes of Narendra Modi and his aide, Amit Shah.

Modi has become quite restrained in his utterances, but Amit Shah is going all out, especially with his latest hate speech in Muzaffarnagar. Was his speech a hint of things to come – are we to expect more killings, more displacements of hapless innocents from their homes?

Just last evening, I had a heated argument with some others, when I said that under Modi, we cannot expect even a semblance of stability. Who is to say that tremendous upheavals will not take place under his stewardship?

No, this is not a question of the welfare of majority communities, or the safety of minorities. Have you ever wondered that with the BJPBJP, the RSS will follow? There is little need for me to elaborate on the kind of functioning of the RSS, which has often been intolerant of ‘others’. The turbulence I speak of started with LK Advani’s rath yatra, which started a series of events that led to the eventual destruction of the Babri Masjid, on December 6, 1992. Ever since that day, the poison of communalism has been steadily seeping into our psyche.

That is not to say that the Congress or Samajwadi Party can fare any better – if they had done what responsible political parties should do, then we wouldn’t have a situation like the one in Muzaffarnagar. The Congress had completely betrayed people’s expectations, and have been insensitive and unfair.

And in this bleak scenario, one is maybe forced to put its faith in AAP, which at least debuted in a stunning fashion this year. I have been interacting with several citizens during the campaigning phase, and here in Delhi, a high percentage of the population seems supportive of AAP. These citizens include people who are daily wagers and those from the lower middle class segments, and all of them are fed up of the ‘uselessness’ of the Congress and the BJP. Several told me that they would rather see the topi show its prowess this time around.

And while we are seemingly obsessed with the negatives of the AAP and Arvind Kejriwal, we are failing to see that the AAP has actually managed to rattle two biggies – the Congress and the BJP – and is being spoken of as the Number 3 option this election. That’s a huge achievement for a party so young.

Humra Quraishi is a senior political journalist based in Gurgaon. She is the author of Kashmir: The Untold Story and co-author of Simply Khushwant.

(Pictures courtesy www.indiatvnews.com, www.ndtv.com)

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Enough said

What Khushwant Singh expected of death

The late author had very stark views about death, and had initially wanted a burial next to a peepul tree.
Humra Quraishiby Humra Quraishi

When my father passed away in the winter of 1995, it took me almost six months to recover from the emotional trauma of it all. Now that my dear friend and mentor Khushwant Singh is dead, I really don’t know how long it will take me to recover.

I keep thinking of his words, his stark views on life and death, and everything in between. His views on death were somewhat disconcerting. He would say, “We do not talk of death in our homes, with our families, our children…it is regarded as tasteless, ill-mannered and depressing. This is the wrong way to look at an essential fact of life, which makes no exceptions. I see death as nothing to be worried or scared about. In fact, I believe in the Jain philosophy that death ought to be celebrated. When the time comes to go, go like a man without any regret or grievance against anyone.”

Allama Iqbal expressed this same sentiment beautifully in a couplet: ‘You ask me about the signs of a man of faith / when death comes to him, he has a smile on his lips.’

Khushwant would readily admit that he thought of death often. “I don’t know the answers,” he would say. “I don’t believe in the Hindu rebirth and reincarnation theories. As far as I’m concerned, I accept the finality of death. We do not know what happens to us when we die. We must bear in mind that death is inevitable, be prepared for it.

khushwant singh “Often I tell bade miyan (God) the He has to wait for me as I still have work to complete. Yes, I do fear being incapacitated by old age, by high blood pressure, prostrate problems, deafness, loss of vision. What I dread is this thought: what if I go blind or stone deaf or have a stroke? If that happens, I’d rather die…”

Not content to write his own epitaph, Khushwant had also written his own obit in 1943 – this was later published in a collection of short stories titled Posthumous. It read, “I am in bed with a fever. It is not serious. In fact, it is not serious at all, as I have been left alone to look after myself. I wonder what will happen if the temperature suddenly shoots up and I die. That would be really hard on my friend.

“Perhaps, The Tribune would mention it in its front page with a small photograph. The headline would read, ‘Sardar Khushwant Singh dead’. And then in smaller print, ‘We regret to announce the sudden death of Sardar Khushwant Singh at 6 pm last evening. He leaves behind a young widow, two infant children and a large number of friends and admirers to mourn his loss. Amongst those who called at the late sardar’s residence were the PA to his Chief Justice, several ministers and Judges of the High Court…’”

He was also very keen on a burial, wanting to be buried in a corner of a graveyard with a peepul tree next to the grave site. “A burial, because you give back to the Earth what you have taken from it,” he often explained. “Now it will be an electric crematorium. I had requested the management of the Bahai faith if I could be buried. Initially they agreed but then they came up with all sorts of conditions and rules. They had also agreed to my request to be buried in a corner, but later they said my grave would be in the middle of a row and not in a corner. I wasn’t okay with that – though I know once you are dead it makes no difference. They also later said that they would chant some prayers…I couldn’t agree with this because I don’t believe in religion or religious rituals of any kind…”

Humra Quraishi is a senior political journalist based in Gurgaon. She is the author of Kashmir: The Untold Story and co-author of Simply Khushwant.

(Pictures courtesy www.christianmessenger.in, www.outlookindia.com)

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Enough said

What really happens inside a madrassa?

We speak to Dr Shabistan Gaffar, Chairperson on Girls’ Education, National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions, on education for Muslims.
by Humra Quraishi

shabistan-gaffarMost people wonder what really goes on inside a madrassa – what is taught there? Are these places really recruiting grounds for impressionable young minds to take to terror? I decided to put the question to Dr Shabistan Gaffar (in pic on left), Chairperson, Committee on Girls Education (National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India.

Are there madrassas for girls, too? How are you upgrading them towards mainstream education? Are you also trying to introduce vocational training schemes to benefit many more from the economically challenged backgrounds?

Yes, there are madrassas for girls, too. There are two specific schemes for the development of all madrassas, whether for boys or for girls: the Scheme for Promotion of Quality Education in Madrassas (SPQEM) and Institutions for Development of Madrassas and Minority Institutions (IDMI). Here it is important to add that there are only a few institutions for girls imparting them madrassa-based education beyond the Maktab Level. Some of these institutions also provide education in modern subjects and girls can switch over to modern education after elementary education.

Vocational skill is what the educationally backward minorities need the most for retention. It is important for girls of educationally backward minorities to acquire some skill simultaneously, or on cessation of their education, to learn something which could help them in adding to the family income.

Comment on the slants by vested political interests on the very concept of madrassa education, linking it to fundamentalism and terrorism.

Those comments are political in nature and also arise because of communication gaps. All that I can say is that those who comment along these lines are either ill-informed or are not interested in knowing the reality. The reality is that the madrassas have always, and even today, play a very significant in educating hundreds of our children. They impart education that is both traditional and modern.

There is this grim reality, too: there are several within the Muslim community who are challenging Muslim women’s rights, such as the move to ban women worshippers from the sanctums of Sufi shrines, etc.

Our Commission is trying to reach out in trying to bring about awareness, and we are trying to do so through the teachings of the Prophet and the Quran where great emphasis is laid on girls’ education and on the fact that there should be no discrimination between girls’ education. They ought to be encouraged to take up different, challenging vocations. Let me also point out that already there is a change in the existing attitude, and this holds especially true in the South of the country, where these prejudices and narrow outlook do not exist.

The Justice Sachchar Committee had painted a rather dismal picture of the Muslim community lagging behind in education. What steps is the NCMEI taking to get more Muslims in education?

The National Commission for Minority Education institution (NCMEI) has been set up under an act of Parliament to safeguard the educational rights of the minority enshrined an article 30(1) of the Constitution, instilling confidence in minorities in general and Muslims in particular. The Commission has generated awareness among the Muslim community about the importance of quality education, as a result of which 1,04,75,000 children of the Muslim community were enrolled in primary school in 2009-2010. Out of this, 49 per cent were girl children.

One of the major breakthroughs came with the Commission persuading the Muslim community of Murshidabad (West Bengal) for establishment of schools. 621 primary schools were established in that region alone. To achieve the objective of women empowerment through women’s education, the NCMEI constituted a committee for girls’ education in 2007.

It is said that the Muslim community’s educational backwardness in the country is linked to vote bank politics and lack of political will. Your comment? 

Yes, till date, suitable educational institutions are not available to all sections of the Muslim community to participate in higher education. There are less numbers and a lower percentage of Muslims going in for higher education and, perhaps, that could be one reason that are not able to participate in the political sphere.

(Pictures courtesy www.signindia.org, www.robinwyatt.org)

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