Thursday 23 April 2015

Visit to the National Museum


In this semester, I am teaching a course to First Yr.Under-grad students which deals with Ancient/Medieval/ Modern History and Thinkers around that time. I had recently visited National Museum with my cousin from UK (by the way, All Britishers take their Museums and their history very seriously!).  I had heard Neil Mcgregor, Director of British Museum, in a conference on Museums, we had hosted at JNU . The way he narrated the stories around historical artifacts and their politics, was very fascinating! For example- post-Independence there was a fight  over the artifacts as well (among other things) between India and Pakistan. So, to avoid any further conflicts between the two new nations, Britishers kept the precious things in their safe custody! Similarly, Israelians- Palestanians have had issues and Dalai Lama and China have also had arguments over Buddhist artifacts from that region. Thus, British Museum has a great collection of objects from all its colonies, which they have not and Cannot return back, due to present day political climate!

In the same conference, my ex-colleague, Kavita Singh, had talked about how in India museums are treated as 'sacred' spaces, where at some places people are expected to remove shoes, and mostly there is a code of conduct for behavior.

 National Museum , actually a project of the British was later on taken over by Indians under the patriotic nation-building exercise, is a fascinating place!
(You can read more here- http://www.nationalmuseumindia.gov.in/ )

And, if you have a good guide who can explain the different eras, its different objects, their intricacies, etc. the time travel between different periods,it is absolutely brilliant. I loved our guide, Chitra, a passionate, knowledgeable art historian who finished the 90 minute tour in almost two hours, painstakingly explaining everything to the group. So I thought it would be a good idea to take my students there! 

I requested for Chitra again but was turned down by National Museum authorities as they said all guides are well trained and they would not like to encourage favoritism. There was no reason not to trust them! 

We reached for the afternoon walk (which starts at 2.30pm). The tickets were subsidized for students at Rs. 1/- We were all very happy, until we moved to the first era. My group of 18 young restless students, engaged by this young 20 something guy, who was leading them now. I kept myself at the back consciously and occasionally rested at the numerous benches and chairs. It was a tough task to control my unruly crowd. Suddenly, I felt like a sheep-herder trying to control my flock of sheep from moving here and there, touching stuff or taking photos. (You can take photos by paying an extra amount, which we had not paid). Starting with Harappa/ Mohenjodaro, we moved to Gupta/Maurya Age.
 Then I saw some students giggling uncontrollably. The guide sahab was giving the gyaan on Buddha's statues. He was trying to explain the long ears as a sign of divinity (true), and the head showed post-Enlightenment head, an over-flowing brain (SHOCKING!).
  Another student corrected him, when he called Ram's brother Shiva, instead of Lakshman in a painting depicting a scene from Ramayana!

 Students felt there was too much emphasis on Buddha, with a separate hall dedicated to Buddhist Art, which also houses Buddha's relics in a gold and diamond encrusted base (often, you can see Buddhist monks praying/chanting in this section)! Later, I found out that National Museum also gets grant from some South-East Asian countries for their Buddhist treasure!
Personally, I loved the Sun god statue from Konark temple. A unique statue which wears a beautiful smile, along with boots, very unusual.

Girls got all excited when we visited the Jewelry hall. Guide just sat in a corner, and allowed everybody to feast their eyes on marvelous pieces of jewels from different eras.  (Chitra had taken us to every showcase herself, and explained different pieces and their eras, but then she was a woman!)

A couple of students befriended him and found out, that guide sahab was a MBA preparing for CAT, and this he did as a part-time job!

Post-arms and ammunition section (again very beautiful hall with daggers, swords, soldier's uniforms, pistols, rifles, etc.), we finally bid adieu to the guide sahab, and the museum. We left the premises after getting ourselves and our bags screened, checked and frisked (they check in case somebody may decide to carry a souvenir from the museum).




Tuesday 14 April 2015

The Minimalist State- Socialism Whither?

When there was recent controversy on 26th Jan 2015, regarding the Modi government's removal of the terms- Socialist and Secular in media ads by I&B Ministry, everybody was up in arms. The government's commitment to secularism is for all to see, but socialism has become obsolete in the present era, thanks to both NDA and UPA governments. 
 The State as we knew it, was mostly seen as "mai-baap", the protector/ the nurturer/ the provider. As we move in the present era, we see State almost becoming just an arbitrator, a by-stander, neutral umpire kind of authority. As the State starts withdrawing from different arenas, the private interests move in to fill the gap. Citizens are supposed to pay for services they earlier took for granted, or were highly subsidized for them. The education sector is now filled with private universities, where you pay for your degree. The fees is so much on the guarantee that they will not make you repeat another year however badly you may do, assurance is you will pass. After all, you do not pay so much to fail in private universities!
 Another area that of concern is the security. The police is under-staffed, inadequately paid and have been waiting for reforms forever now. The acute shortage of security has led to a rise of private security firms. Recently, I argued with a private security guard who almost hit my rickshaw walah with his lathi at Lajpat Nagar market. I told him he has no authority, he is no police, then rickshaw wala defended him by saying the market association has employed his firm for security and regulating traffic around the market. Thought that was the work of police, but recent burglaries have made the Market associations/RWAs/ Banks to get their own private armies of security guards. As much as it has led to employment for thousands (very basic requirements), their legitimacy has always been a grey area.
 Indian farmers until the 1990s were the State's favourite' children. The recent issues around the Land Acquisition Bill have come as a rude shock for them as they suddenly find the State abandoning their interests' and taking side of the corporates'. Corporates' pay more taxes and also fund the political parties, so no surprises there.
In more and more cases of indigenous communities/ tribals vs. mining companies, State is now taking side of the companies.  
 The rise of NGOs in the social sector, taking interests of women, aged, children, minority groups, tribals, etc. forward is again State giving up its welfarist agenda and outsourcing it to the other organizations and giving them some funding for it, or doing it together as Public Private partnerships. 
If you want to use better infrastructure pay toll at Highways. In a Capitalist economy, government moves out and regulates the field for different players who work on profit through competition (telephone services/ Airlines, etc.). There are no more permanent government jobs coming, people work on contracts in the hope that secure government jobs would come, but not much has happened there.   
The newest thing that we are supposed to pay for now is the internet! Free air that we breathe even that is posionous now, so no free things anymore!
We did blame the state for everything, but it was more like you would blame your parents for things that go wrong, there was some affection because you knew your interests' are important for them, but that romanticism is lost now. State as our parents' generation knew it, is dead now! This new State cares for the money and will support anybody who can pay, regardless of caste/creed/nationality- tourists/MNCs/ NRIs!! 

Beedi Peeti Aurat

 बीड़ी पीती औरत   अंकुश लगती है घूरती निगाहों को समाज नकारता है कुढ़ता है उसकी बेईमानी पर   उसके कर्त्तव्य याद दिलाता है   ये उसका हक़ नहीं   इ...