Saturday 31 December 2016

Yamuna

 वो जो दरिया था..
वो उतर गया यारों
उसके घाट पर जलते मुरदों की निशानियां
उनमें कहीं कुछ उसकी भी थी कहानीयां
जो सबके गुनाहों को धोया उसने 
तो सब में खुद को खोया उसने
दिन ने जो सूरज की धूप का आईना चमकाया
पानी का चेहरा उसमें कुछ और भी धुंधलाया
दरिया तो अपने चांद से भी शर्मिंदा था 
उसमें उसका अक्स अब कहां जिंदा था
दरिया का ज़ख़्म बड़ा गहरा था
दरिया अब बेहिस बेबेहरा था
बरसात में गुज़रते बादलों ने
उस पर कभी जिंदगी बरसाई थी 
मगर दरिया के लिए नाकाफी थी
पानी को प्यास तो जन्मों की थी
दिल दरिया का मर गया था
वो जो दरिया था 
वो कब का उतर गया था  !

Woh jo dariya tha...
Woh utar gaya yaaron
Uske ghaat par jalte murdo ki nishaniyan
Unme kahin uski bhi thi kahaniyan
Sabke gunahon ko jo dhoya usne
Sab me kuch-kuch khudko khoya usne
Din ne dhoop ka aaina chamkaya
Chehra pani ka aur bhi dhundlaya
Dariya chand se bhi sharminda tha
Usme uska aks ab kahan zinda tha
Uska zakham bada gehra tha
Wo ab awara behiss* bebehra* tha
Guzarte Barsaat ke badal ne
Kabhi Meherbani ki thi
Kabhi usko zindagi di thi
Par ye pyaas Janmo ki thi!
Dil Dariya ka to kab ka mar gaya tha
Woh jo dariya tha
Woh kab ka Utar gaya tha yaaron!                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                 

*बेहिस / behiss- emotionless
*बेबेहरा / bebehra-not bothered

Monday 19 December 2016

Politics As The Base Structure?


Marx views economics as the most basic and most important institution of society which supports and influences other institutions (social and political). Sociologists especially early ones like Durkheim and Weber made a case for social institutions as being the most important institutions of society. Can we make a case for one institution vis a vis another? Or rather should we?Let me say it at the outset that, all institutions have some functions to fulfill and all are important for smooth running of the society.

Now coming to the present blogpost, we view history and its different eras through the political Empires or dynasties which ruled. It was the reign of the Emperors' which defined lives for their people. There was no other identity except, that they were subjects of the Roman or Byzantine Empire. 
It was not just the economic systems but political Capitalist and Socialist regimes which defined and affected foreign policy in the Cold War era. Of course Economics was a big part of it but decision makers about the Economic policies have always been all politicians. We remember Germany for Hitler or England's Margaret Thatcher and not vice versa.  

At the National Museum or even in our books, our history is divided into different sections or eras from Guptas to Mauryas to Mughals to British etc. The reign of political dynasties provided the identity to subjects as boundaries over land kept redrawing post every battle. 

I had a discussion with a friend recently who talked about growing up in Communist Bengal where it did not matter what class people belonged to. In comparison, Delhi as a city has always been all about status and lineage. Communist party rule ensured class becomes insignificant under its rule, and Congress party rule at other places ensured status remains important. UP has always been ruled by parties playing on the caste and religion aspect and the society gets polarized on these lines. (The reverse argument can be society has been stratified hence the ruling parties. Social influencing the politics, but politics has fanned these major fault lines even further).
The ruling party ensures the kind of life and debates its citizens participate in. Congress party has mostly followed liberal, non-interfering kind of center-left social politics. People born in the Nehruvian era still carry different principles as compared to people born in Indira's Emergency period or later. For people born in the 1990s the era of caste and religious politics coupled with liberalization, being Indian is a completely different experience for them. This generation has not seen the days of country's financial struggles or sharing of one single TV screen or a landline phone by an entire Mohalla. Thus, the sharing of socialism gets replaced by the single, personal "I" phone, i.e. My phone (no sharing please, we are in the Capitalist/ post Liberal era, my privacy/space is important!).
           
 The present Demonetization where Modinomics (Modi's Economics, soon turning into a special academic discipline) turned entire nation towards barter exchange due to lack of cash. (Political dispensation again deciding the economic and social life of people). The political regimes' affect cultural/social leanings of the era. Under Ashoka, Buddhism received state patronage but disappeared later. Akbar's liberal policies can be contrasted with Aurangzeb's insistence on theology inspired Islam (clashes with Sufis like Sarmad/Dara Shikoh), i.e. ruler's own ideological leanings define the politics of that era. From Hitler to the cow politics of Modi to the liberal era of Congress leaders including Manmohan Singh significant social changes can be witnessed under these leaders. If we do consider political institution as important and not  the most important even then we should be more vigilant towards who we choose as our rulers, under democracy this becomes even more significant. We are not choosing only for ourselves but we are choosing society's -social/ economic/ political life for that period.        

Wednesday 7 December 2016

The Small Town of Farrukhnagar


From Dauhla, we went for a day trip to Farrukhnagar, a small town near Gurgaon to help students' understand that transition from rural to urban, before we finally came back to Delhi. The trip also gave us a chance to bond with our students'. With semester system everybody is in a rush to finish the syllabus, usually there is little time left to establish rapport between students and teachers.

One student from Benaras has taken a loan of 6 lakh to study architecture (it is an expensive course!) as family was poor and wanted him to take up a more secure job in the Railways’. His ordeals and survival tales were inspiring in themselves. Sad part was the disconnect he now felt with the family.

A SC student spoke about how he had applied to another institute where the teacher while filling his form, had put in another course from what he wanted. When he tried to correct the teacher, he was told “Tum logo ke liye yehi theek hai” (This is better for you people). And our boy decided to opt for a better institute where his choice would be respected and his social identity will not be a factor in choosing any course.

A girl who was her parents’ only child, (father was a very wealthy trader) always had “a driver uncle” shadowing her everywhere including this trip. Students’ knew about it but we found out later. Students' had even arranged for a room and food for him on this trip. To return favor by students, driver uncle often gave lift to students' to different places in the big car which followed our girl. I even spoke to the father but he was paranoid about his daughter’s safety! She had a brother but nobody ever shadowed him, special treatment for the girl cause father thought 'times are bad'. My colleague told me that when she draws, her drawings are very dark,probably some pent up resentment or maybe we were assuming too much.

We had rented two buildings situated at some distance for stay (with separate rooms and attached bathrooms). These felt like luxury post-Daulah. We had spoken with a restaurant wala to provide for all meals for our group. We were back to Chowmein, Chhola Bhatoora, Rasmalais etc. Some of the students who found the Village difficult to adjust actually liked it here.(City Kids!)

Faujdar Khan established the city in 1732, the first Nawab of Farrukhnagar and a governor of Mughal Emperor (1713–1719) Farrukhsiyar in 1732. Farrukhnagar flourished due to its salt trade till the late 19th century, and was abandoned in the early 20th century, during the British Raj.
Farrukhnagar had a few tourist spots, a Sheesh Mahal where there was no Sheesha left but restoration was going on. We met a INTACH uncle here. He was old and as he spotted our group, volunteered to take us around town. He told us the city's composition changed post- Partition as most Muslims moved out of the city. Uncle was a teacher and he had found his audience in our students'. He explained about the restoration work of Sheesh Mahal, the salt trade for which the city was famous, his family and kids. The rest of the town did not match his energy. It was a sleepy place where we saw most men playing cards or just lazing around.  










He took us to the erstwhile Jama Masjid and refused to come inside and left us at a distance. The place was overtaken and now had a Mandir with almost all Gods, Sai baba, and even a gurugranth sahib. The people around did not want much publicity for the place or it would lead to trouble, so they discouraged outsiders visiting the place (our assumption!).
Uncle disagreed with them obviously. It was quite shocking to be honest. The place was restored and had the potential for riots but it seemed there was no Muslim                                                             population left in the town to object.



Once we were done at the "Jama Masjid's darshan" we found Uncle waiting for us. We almost forty of us went through lanes and by-lanes to reach the town's famous Baoli. In hot sun, it felt like a long walk but once we went inside it was quite a sight and absolutely beautiful.    

We sat there took mandatory photos and selfies and then it was time to leave Farrukhnagar. We went to the restaurant for lunch and then students took a train back while faculty hired a taxi for Delhi.
 

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...