Vitiated Working Spaces in Modi's India

I have been working on Old Delhi for almost ten years now. I have observed how Muslims lived in Old Delhi but went out for work/ education, etc. especially lately in the past ten years. A lot of kids from Old Delhi go to good private schools, and then go on to complete their education from Delhi University. The links with the outside world increased when these graduates took up jobs in MNCs and often worked in call centers, etc. The myth of self-employed Muslims spending their entire lives in Old Delhi was breaking, as the new generation went out, worked, partied, made friends, got married outside the walls of Old Delhi.

Recently, with concern I heard the story of how with the rise of BJP's Modi, the office atmospheres are getting vitiated. The development agenda which led the party to power, but now the Parivar is all over the place with conversions/re-conversion debates, etc.  What this means for an average Muslim office-goer is listening to pro-Hindutva/RSS debates, anti-Muslims comments, etc. in office spaces. The friendly common ground of Junior/Senior executive MBAs where people laughed and joked has suddenly become Hindu/Muslim again! It is like the 1980s-90s when Ram Janambhoomi Movement was at its peak!I remember my father who worked in a government office and got into improptu debates/discussions with his non-Muslim colleagues feeling isolated because of his religious identity. Now, I heard it again from a close relative about the feeling of isolation when the rest of the colleagues discuss Hindutva agendas, or how Hindus should convert India back! The fear is the loss of common grounds of interactions. The hardening of religious identities mean different things to a Majority person as opposed to what it signifies for a Minority person. He will again go back to his living segregated space around the familiar walls with his religious group. The living spaces will again be homogenized with followers of the same group, and before anything major happens (God forbid!) the battles of - them versus us- are often psychologically fought. This may just be the beginning of the fault lines again in the new century!!   

Jang by Sahir Ludhyanvi

Khoon apna ho ya paraya ho
nasl-e-adam ka khoon hai aakhir
Jang mashriq mein ho ke maghrib mein
amn-e-aalam ka khoon hai aakhir

Bam gharo par giray kay sarhad par
Rooh-e-taamir zakhm khaati hai
Khet apnay jalay ke auro ke
zeest faaqo say tilmilaati hai  (zeest- life, faaqo- hunger)
Tank aagay badhay kay peechay hatay
Kokh dharti ki baanjh hoti hai
Fateh ka jashn ho ki haar ka sog
Zindagi maiyaton pay roti hai

Jang to khud hi ek masalaa* hai   (*masalaa-problem)
jang kyaa masalon ka hal degee
aag aur khoon aaj bakhshegee
bhookh aur ehtiyaaj kal degee   (*ehtiyaaj- needs]

Bartaree* ke suboot ki khaatir  (bartaree-superiority)
khoon bahaanaa hi kyaa zaroori hai?
ghar ki taareekiyaan mitaane ko
ghar jalana hi kya zaroori hai?

Isliye ae shareef insaano
jang taltee rahe to behtar hai
aap aur ham sabhi ke aangan meiN
shamaa jaltee rahe to behtar hai!
 

खून अपना हो या पराया हो

नस्ल-आदम का खून है अखिर
जंग मश्रिक में हो के मग्रीब में
अम्न-e-अलम का खून है अखिर

बम घरो पर गिरे के सरहद पर
रूह-ए-तामीर ज़ख्म खाती है

खेत अपने जले के औरो के
ज़ीस्ट फाको से तिलमिलाती है  (ज़ीस्ट- life, फाको- hunger)

टंक आगे बढे के पीछे हटे
कोख धरती की बांझ होती है

फतेह का जश्न हो कि हार का सोग
ज़िंदगी मैयतों पे रोती है

जंग तो खुद ही एक मसला* है   (*मसला-problem)
जंग क्या मसलों का हल देगी
आग और खून आज बख्शेगी

भूख और एहतियाज कल देगी   (*एहतियाज- needs]

बर्तरी* के सुबूत की खातिर  (बर्तरी-superiority)
खून बहाना ही क्या ज़रूरी है?
घर की तारीकिया मिटाने को
घर जलाना ही क्या ज़रूरी है?

इसलिये अए शरीफ इंसानो
जंग तल्टी रहे तो बेहतर है
आप और हम सभी के आँगन में
शम्मा जलती रहे तो बेहतर है!

Ramzan in Old Delhi/ Shahjahanabadi Ramzan

It has been five years now since I left Old Delhi, and the most I miss it is during Ramzan. A whole month of fasting and feasting, sacred for Muslims all over the world as Quran is believed to have been revealed to Prophet Mohammad during this month. The month starts with the sighting of the new moon, as Islamists follow lunar calendar. The lunar calendar also means that Ramzan revolves and every year it goes forward by ten days, which can mean fasting in the comfortable months of winter to difficult summer months. Summer days are long and fasts can become difficult without food and water, throughout the day from dawn to sunset.  

Tarawih Prayers Ramzan also means the special long Ramzan prayers, called Tarawih, where Quran is recited by the Hafizs in different mosques. Hafiz are Quran orators- who have learnt Quran by heart. They lead these special prayers, and decide in how many days, they would finish the Quran. Some Hafiz finish it in three days to fifteen to thirty days. The shorter the finishing of Quran recitation, longer the duration of prayers, as the Namazis standing behind the Hafiz often complain of getting tired. The shopkeepers prefer faster Quran recitations as then; they can do shorter Tarawihs for the rest of the month, and also follow up on Eid business. Hafizs distribute sweets when they finish Quran, and enjoy a lot of respect and honor for being Quran-orators. It is a usual discussion amongst Muslims in the days leading up to Ramzan, to decide which mosque they are going to pray Tarawih in, or behind which Hafiz, and the number of days he would take to finish Quran. These days, a lot of cable channels also show live Tarawih prayers from Mecca, followed especially by women of the house who have to do short Tarawih prayers by themselves in the house.      

Sehri Sehri refers to the pre-dawn meal that people eat before they begin their fasts. Sweet shops and bakeries start selling special Sehri food, like Khajla, Pheni, special sweet breads with butter/coconut/jam fillings. On the streets of Old Delhi, the buzz starts a lot early around the time of Sehri at night. A man comes around 2.30am-3am and knocks on all the doors to wake up people for the meal. And, this usually bothersome knock at the door comes with charges, which you pay at the end of the month on Eid for his services. Mosques start playing sirens, neighbors would call out each other so that nobody misses the important pre- fast meal. Sometimes, groups of faqirs come reciting Naats and Qawwalis (religious songs). If this happened in non-Roza days, people would just report all this as disturbances at night and be upset about it, but during Ramzan it helps as it means, you are not going for your fast with an empty stomach. Some families cook proper meals with sabzi/ salan and parathas, with milk soaked Khajla/pheni/ sewaiyyan and tea. It is not easy to eat all this at that hour! I was always scolded by my mother for getting up late, not having enough time for eating and stuffing myself with all this food, all at once, with a lot of water! In the early Rozas, you have to force your body to eat at night, as body clock is not used to it and post Eid, people often suffer from post-Sehri symptoms, where you get up at Sehri time at night with hunger pangs! Interestingly, even at that hour in Old Delhi you can see people going out to buy Nahari/ biryani etc. or neighbors/ relatives sharing Sehri food delicacies. It still amazes me, how we eat so much food at Sehri during Ramzan, as in non-Roza days, if this happened, most will just refer you to a doctor.       

Post-Sehri, people go for the early morning prayers, and then sleep. Since, a lot of people in Old Delhi are mostly self employed, bazaars usually open late in the mornings, as they have to make up for the lack of sleep at night. Roza during the day means late mornings, quiet afternoons.

Iftar Bazaars come alive around the time of post-afternoon prayers, as people come out to do shopping for breaking the fast/Iftar food. Fruits are bought for Iftar, along with pakoras, chaat, samosas. Neighbors, relatives share iftari food, women of the house try new recipes, curd and milk consumption goes up, as lassi, milk shakes are often served with other sherbets and snacks for Iftar dastarkhwan. As not-so-rich people often complain that during Ramzan, their food expenditure goes up, although it is supposed to be a month for fasting, but you end up eating and spending more on food, as compared to regular days. Post roza and the same roza-dars start eating with a vengeance. Rozas are an attempt towards trying to live life with higher morals and ideals of not lying/ cheating/ backbiting/ sharing food and resources.

Zakaat During Ramzan, Muslims also give charity/Zakaat, in an effort towards equitable distribution of wealth, to make life better for those who cannot afford it. Wealthy Muslims give out clothes/raw food/cash during Ramzan to help those who cannot afford the better things in life. Every wealthy Muslim is supposed to pay an amount of Rs.2500 over Rs. 1,00,000 that he has in his account in charity, as well as on gold that he may possess. On the day of Eid too, Muslims give Fitra (Eid-ul-Fitr) or equivalent of 1.75 kg of wheat charity in cash to the poor, so that Eid is happy for them as well. 

Laylat-ul-Qadr In the last ten days of fasts from the night of 21^st to 29^th,  in the nights preceding rozas 21,23,25,27,29, it is believed that Quran was revealed, and that one night is the most blessed night. Believers stay up all night to pray in the sacred night. Shabeenas or full night prayers (or simply Jagratas) are conducted in the last nights of Rozas of 27,28,29 and Quran is recited for those who may have missed the Tarawih Quran recitations by the Hafizs.     

I’tikaaf Some Muslims also sit in solitary confinement, especially in the last ten rozas of Ramzan, men in mosques, women in secluded rooms in the house. They do not speak, except when necessary and devote all their time to praying in seclusion.   

Alvida Jumma refers to the last Friday of Ramzan. Muslims wear new clothes and make and share special food for Iftar, especially on this Friday.   

During Ramzan everyday schedule goes upside down for most Muslims- the eating hours, sleeping-waking hours, as most of the time is to be devoted for praying. Bazaars are full of people eating, and doing shopping for Eid, or just out for fun at night. The feeling of community bonding is strongest during Ramzan as the odd schedules are shared by all fasting Muslims around the world.

Kitaab by Gulzar

Dedicated to all iPods, iPads, Kindles & Laptops


Kitaabein jhankti hain band almaari ke sheeshon se

badi hasrat se takti hain mahino ab mulaqatein nahi hoti

jo shaamein unki sohbat me kata karti thi 

ab aksar guzar jaati hain computer ke pardo par

badi bechain rehti hain kitaabein

unhe ab neend me chalne ki aadat ho gayi hai

jo qadren woh sunati thi ke 

jinke cell kabhi marte nahi the 

woh qadren ab nazar aati nahi hain ghar me

jo rishte woh sunati thi woh saare udhre udhre hain

koi safha palatta hoon to ek siski sunyi deti hai

kai lafzo ke mayine gir pade hain

bina patto ke sookhe tund lagte hain woh sab alfaz

jin par ab koi mayine nahi ugte

zabaan par zayeqa aata tha jo safha* palatne ka (page)

ab ungli click karne se

bas ek chhapki guzarti hai

bahut kuch teh ba teh khulta chala jata hai pardo par 

kitaabo se jo zaati rabta tha 

kat gaya hai

kabhi seene par rakh kar let jaate the

kabhi godi me lete the

kabhi ghutno ko apni rehel ki soorat bana kar

neem* sajde me padha karte the chhote the jabeen* se (neem- half/ jabeen-head)

magar wo jo kitaabo se mila karte the 

sookhe phool aur mehke hue ruqqe * (letters)

kitaabein maangne, girne, uthane ke bahane jo rishte bante the

ab unka kya hoga

woh shayad ab nahi hoga!!

किताबें झाँकती हैं बंद अलमारी के शीशों से

बड़ी हसरत से ताकती हैं महीनो अब मुलाक़ातें नहीं होती

जो शामें उनकी सोहबत मे कटा करती थी 

अब अक्सर गुज़र जाती हैं कंप्यूटर के पर्दो पर

बड़ी बेचैन रेहती हैं किताबें

उन्हे अब नींद मे चलने की आदत हो गयी है

जो क़दरें वो सुनाती थी के 

जिनके सेल कभी मरते नहीं थे 

वो क़दरें अब नज़र आती नहीं हैं घर मे

जो रिश्ते वो सुनाती थी वो सारे उधड़े उधड़े हैं

कोई सफ़हा पलटता हूँ तो एक सिसकी सुनाई देती है

कई लफ्ज़ो के माइने गिर पड़े हैं

बिना पत्तो के सूखे तुंड लगते हैं वो सब अल्फ़ाज़

जिन पर अब कोई माइने नहीं उगते

ज़बान पर ज़ायेक़ा आता था जो सफ़हा* पलटने का (पेज)

अब उंगली क्लिक करने से

बस एक च्छपकी गुज़रती है

बहुत कु छ तेह बा तेह खुलता चला जाता है पर्दो पर 

किताबो से जो ज़ाती राब्ता था कट गया है

कभी सीने पर रख कर लेट जाते थे

कभी गोदी मे लेते थे

कभी घुटनो को अपनी रेहेल की सूरत बना कर

नीम* सजदे मे पढ़ा करते थे छुते थे जबीं* से (नीम- आधा / जबीं- मaथा)

मगर वो जो किताबो से मिला करते थे 

सूखे फूल और मेहके हुए रुक़्क़े * (letters)

किताबें मांगने, गिरने, उठाने के बहाने जो रिश्ते बंधते थे

अब उनका क्या होगा

वो शायद अब नहीं होगा!!

Crisis in Academics- Teachers as Casual Laborers

Higher education system in India, especially since the past five years, is going through turbulent times. We would like our students to go for higher education, we are competing with China for producing the highest number of PhDs, we denounce the trend of brain drain, when our students go to foreign shores for further studies, but, when we cannot provide jobs for our existing PhDs, maybe there is something seriously wrong with our system.

I have friends who went for jobs outside Delhi, but I was more hopeful that since, we have so many universities in Delhi itself (DU, JNU, Jamia, Ambedkar, IGNOU, Indraprastha, SAU), why should one look elsewhere. It is going to be three years, and counting, since I got my PhD in Sociology, but still searching for that elusive stable job of a university teacher.

Every year, the number of new PhDs who join the pool of Adhocs and Guest Lecturers is scary. The number of jobs remain forever shrinking, while the number fighting over these jobs keeps on increasing with every semester, and with Social Sciences it is even worse. The new private universities, coming up within a hundred km radius all around Delhi, are mostly offering technical courses, and run universities as profit making bodies, often treating teachers worse than cattle.

The main universities of Delhi- DU, JNU, Jamia have all been running on Guest and Adhoc teachers. Every semester there are interviews, people get hired, and teach for a semester, have a high probability of getting hired back again, if-

a) they do their work quietly,

b) do not have any opinion on controversial matters,

c) do not protest against administrative policies,

d) do not have strong political leanings,

e) are most friendly with department Heads, do open chamchagiri ,

f)do not ask any questions, and

g) do not complain on social media sites like Facbook/ Twitter about their condition.

And, if a Guest/ Adhoc does not follow any of the above points, well, goodluck with the next job! There are too many scholars desperate to get that job, it provides stability, some money, and some respect for at least six months, but you will have to be on mute button constantly OR speak, and be thrown out!

 Alternatively, you can also be a swinging monkey like me, you do random projects (at least they give some stable income for 8-9 months, if you get lucky, they can even stretch beyond a year), take whatever comes your way, go for every available job in town, even if the Requirement column says, graduate/ post graduate, you have a PhD, a higher degree, you can eat their job, you can always compromise on  the respect part, of course! An odd office clerk may even shout at you, but that is part and parcel of being an out- of- stable- job PhD!!

I have friends, who have faced biased interviews, who even knew before the interview starts, who was going to get the job, sometimes I have had really good interviews and have not got the job, some of my friends have said, they have been rejected for ‘speaking too much’, sometimes I have had to answer for ‘why Muslims are not more loyal towards the Indian State’, ‘why do they have to stand out with their symbols of topi/ beard/ burqa’ (well, I am sure, nobody asks those questions to Sikhs!). All this for a job for five-six months.

The lucky ones who are not in academics, might wonder about the difference between the Guest and Adhoc teachers, not much both are non- permanent teachers, the difference is in the number of classes they teach, and the amount they receive as salary at the end of the month. Guest teachers do not get more than 25,000 and Adhocs get somewhere around 40,000 plus, as they take more classes, spend full day in the college. Some of my neighbors who are DU students feel that Adhoc teachers are better teachers than the Permanent teachers! 
As Faiz said, post 15^th Aug. 1947,  

Ye Daag Daag Ujala, ye Shab Gazeeda Seher
Wu Intizar tha Jiska, Yeh wu Seher tu Nahin
Ye Wo Seher tu Nahin Jiski Arzoo lay Kar
Chale` They Yaar Ke mil Jayegi Kahin Na kahin

I would just ask my friends, the non- permanent teachers, how much more are we all going to wait, nobody is going to fight for us, we will have to fight for ourselves..we will have to Speak up at some point. ..
Bol ke lab azad hain tere...

  
p.s.Also, read this article on the American PhD crisis in humanities-
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/joshuarothman/2014/06/fixing-the-phd.html 

Social Identities on Social Media

In the recently held Indian elections, bitter electoral battles were not just fought between Congress and BJP, but between people who supported these parties, across different social media platforms, like Twitter and Facebook.

Indian society has always been a society where social identities like, one's caste/ religion/ region have always been important factors for an individual. The social identities we have are usually something that we already become a member of, by virtue of our being born into these social groups. Our opinion is neither sought, nor taken seriously in these social memberships (caste/ religion still serious matters!).

Social identities also provide the context for the experiences that one has in his life. For example, if I am a Muslim from Delhi, I should be living in Old Delhi’s Jama Masjid area/ Okhla/ Nizamuddin, I should love non- veg dishes like qorma, biryani, nahari, I should dress in a particular way, vote according to Shahi Imam’s dictates, have a big family of siblings, and a large brood of my own! (phew!)  

Social media has changed many things in a traditional society like India. Earlier, we were just numbers of a social group, our individual lives/ experiences/ views were not important. Social media has made extended families to bond over Facebook, Whats App, Skype, everything from marriage, love to break ups are now shared on social media. It shows as an individual, my life, my experiences are important, my views (often unsolicited) are important, the world should be made aware of – if I am in love, if I have lost something/ someone, if I support a particular ideology, suddenly the routine things of sleeping/ waking up/ eating- what cuisine/ where, are all being shared by everyone on multiple mediums, everyday. The barrage of information (often useless, but sometimes very helpful), that we have just at the touch of a button is astounding!

Social media took time to make its followers in a society like India, where education levels are not very high, and it needs one to be literate, computer/ smart phone savvy, but the peer pressure of joining the bandwagon,  as the youngsters in villages and small towns of India are discovering the shiny new world of Facebook, etc. India is changing drastically, something that BJP/ AAP used to their advantage, and Congress lost, as they did not realize how impatient, how aware this social media adept new India is!   

New social identities are now being created on the basis of the political ideologies that one follows- left/ right/ liberal/ conservative. People are still fighting on Facebook, Twitter, post-elections, gaining new socio- political identities in the process. The political divide was never so sharp in Indian society, we were mostly passive voters, who voted mostly, under parental pressure, based on the caste/ regional/ religious background of the candidate! It still is the case in most of India, but we are more aware of the choices that we have and we are making. The new 24*7 media channels have played a big role in creating these identities for us. Now, we do not just want to be relevant by stating our opinions on different issues, but, we want to be Liked/ Retweeted/ Favorited/ Shared by our followers!  The NEW symbol of social prestige, and more important than people in our lives, more than family/siblings, etc. are the number of Followers/ Friends one has on these mediums, and it does not matter which country/ region/ caste/ class they belong to!! Identities, either social or personal, have the only purpose of satisfying our need for a ‘positive self image’ (Turner, 1981), and as new socio-political identities are created on social media, we can only wait and watch, if these identities weaken or strengthen traditional identities of caste/ region/ religion.   

  

My Memories of Communal Riots/Curfew at Old Delhi

A couple of days back, my friends were sitting and discussing the elections (2014!). The conversation then moved to our childhood memories of the Ayodhya related riots in Delhi in 1990s, then the 1984 riots, etc.  We all feared that BJP coming to power would also vitiate the atmosphere and everything would just boil down to religious politics.  People were not as afraid during the last BJP government, as Atal Behari Vajpayee was seen as a moderate figure, but Modi with Amit Shah is a different ball game altogether, and hence the concern.

I remember, my mother telling me about the 1975 time during Emergency (esp about the excesses government committed at Turkman Gate). Our house had a big iron gate and it was a little inside towards the end of the street, my mother told me that many women came to hide in our house as they feared being raped by the security forces, and men were also looking for a hiding place as there was forced sterilization going on as well. So, women tried to hide in nearby homes and men ran from one rooftop to another to far away areas. Some men were captured and also faced arrest, without any charges. 

 My father' s best friend from his office was a Sikh, Teji Uncle, and he lived near Bengali market, not very far from our place. In 1984, when the anti Sikh riots broke out, my father asked him to come and stay in Old Delhi with us with his family(in a majorly Muslim mohalla) as he would be safe with us. But, he preferred staying with his relatives and hiding, thankfully, he lived, but later on he shifted to a Sikh dominated locality. (Religious segregation as a result of riots for minorities, insecurity is a big factor). 

My earliest memories as a child, were of 1989 riots, in the run up to Ayodhya movement by the right wingers. I remember, hearing people shout on the streets, and suddenly, we were told that we could not go out of the house and to stay inside, we could not even peep out of the windows, or balconies. Police forces were out on the streets. My mother was worried as my father had not come back from office, and we did not have enough supplies of food in the house. My father was a government official and came back home safely in the evening. Everybody shared essentials, neighbors jumped walls and rooftops to exchange cooked food, milk, fruits etc. till curfew was relaxed after a day. I was very confused about everything and since we were told not to go out, I wanted to go out all the more to see what was happening outside. The next morning, when my mother woke up, I also got up. I saw her put on her burqa, as she wanted to go out to fetch milk, bread, etc. as curfew was relaxed for some hours. I stubbornly insisted on following her to the market and started crying. It was early morning, she did not want to wake up the rest of the family, so she took me along with her. Streets looked completely deserted. Policemen were sitting on the main road. I had never seen so many policemen in my entire short life! Only a couple of shops were open, there were no kids, only some grown ups. I had never seen my neighborhood deserted, even late at night there is always 'raunaq/ chehel-pehel' at Old Delhi. I was scared suddenly and wanted to go back to the safety of my home, as I clinched my mother's fingers tightly.  Curfew was relaxed in the mornings and evenings for a couple of hours which went on for three days, then they lifted the curfew during days and only night curfew remained for some more time before it was fully lifted . 

 Post- Babri Masjid demolition, there was preventive curfew in Old Delhi the next day to keep people indoors. We heard people were marching up to Jama Masjid on Shahi Imam's call, taking out processions to express grief and anger against the demolition. By that time at the street entrances, people had put up big gates, so at least people could move around inside the tertiary streets, if not on the main streets/ bazar roads. All the residents of the street pooled in money to get the strong iron gates fixed, to keep police out. It somehow gave people a sense of security against the forces (sadly, it should have been the other way round, but Turkman Gate walas did not trust the people in uniform! History!!). All the mohalla streets had these gates now.

Some young enthusiasts wanted to go but most did not attend the 'juloos/ procession' for the fear of trouble. My father was at his office, and we were again worried for his safety. They had closed the gates of our street. My grandmother was chanting prayers on her tasbeeh. My mother was being practical and checking food supplies. She had bought some stuff in advance, as we all knew that things were going to get difficult, in the days up to the demolition. Late in the evening, my father came back home safely but through our terrace from the back side of the house. He told us, that he had shown his office ID to the police and had knocked at the street gate. Some young men were guarding the door, my father knocked and these boys got afraid thinking that it was the police and ran away, no one opened the door! He went to the next street, shouted out his name loud (he had an imposing personality everybody knew him in the neighborhood) and they opened the door for him. So, from the other gali, he came jumping terraces, climbing walls back to his own house. And the first thing, he did when he came back was go out and gave a huge dressing down to the boys guarding our street gate!

Since people could not go out so they came to our terrace for some 'taaza hawa', and it became a "chaupal/adda" for discussion, rumors, etc. The TV was not 24*7 then, as it is now. In fact, sometimes there was no power too. No work, no power, people just chatted to pass their time. We saw some smoke at a distance from our terrace and everybody guessed a showdown, maybe crowd clashing with police and police burning some place down, it was all conjecture. Police had used tear gas to disperse the crowds probably, everybody's eyes were burning. We heard somebody had got shot as well. Only, positive thing I remember from those troubled times is the solidarity and concern that neighbors showed for each other. 

 Thankfully, I have never seen any real riots ever in my life and wish it continues like that Inshallah. But, these are still bad memories which I had forgotten. My friends (all non- Muslims) were unanimous that we all do not want to go back to those times of religious frenzy of early 1990s. The gates at the street entrance at Shahjahanabad still stand but are in bad shape due to neglect and lack of upkeep. They have not been used since those times of 1990s, and I hope and pray, they are never used again!

The Promised Hope of AAP

Aam Aadmi Party came into public domain in a big way late last year, we were all very hopeful and saw it as this big ray of hope beyond the dirty politics of BJP/Congress. I have a friend who is a social worker, fights for women's rights, child education and runs a small NGO on her own. She joined AAP and told me how it is such a different party, full of ideals and principles. She gave me the inside story about how democratic the party is run, how it is less about the money and more about creating a serious social change in society. I believed her more than the media which made Arvind Kejriwal a poster boy for change in Indian politics.It gave serious challenge to BJP / Congress even almost won them an election on their debut in Delhi. The sudden rise of AAP even gave its leader Arvind Kejriwal ideas that he could become the PM of India, even before he could properly even become the CM of Delhi. Media created AAP, and helped in its downfall from grace!

Post- Kejriwal's Rajdeep Sardesai interview, where he came across as arrogant and a man in hurry, we were a little surprised, but a couple of days back, when my activist friend called and told me how the party has changed, her  bubble had burst. She always gave me the inside story, this time she was in shock and depression at being duped and let down by 'the party'. Money was changing hands, women were being given a short shrift, and normally what happens in Indian politics was happening to AAP. We had seen how Somnath Bharti had treated women, and a party which does not respect women (irrespective of caste/ race/ religion) cannot be seen as 'party with a difference', sadly, this was also said about the BJP, but we all know how it turned out! 

 Lets hope that we will have more Aam Aadmis/ common folks, who will join politics, but will also be able to rise above it. Until then its  back to the old debate of Congress vs. BJP! Communal vs. Secular, Change vs. Old guard, etc. etc. But, just for the promise AAP offered, it became a party which gave middle class, academicians optimism about the future of Indian state and society! Maybe it will give a more serious challenge to the main two political parties in future, but right now, they seem to have lost some sheen. 

Indian Muslims- Segregated/ Marginalized- Homogenized??

 Recently I saw a review of a book, (Muslims in Indian Cities- Tragectories of Marginalization, ed. by Christophe Jaffrelot and Laurent Gayer, 2012, Harper Collins), by Hassan Javid, a LUMS Prof. in a daily newspaper of Pakistan (http://www.dawn.com/news/1084234). 

 I am currently reading this book, and all the articles based on solid ethnographic details are very well written. But, as an academic working on Muslims, I also know that I cannot say that this is the case or the only reason, all over India. 

 I have been working on Shahjahanabad/ Old Delhi, and did my PhD on Segregation of Muslims in this part of Delhi. It is a reality, no doubt, but to break down all the complex processes involved to just one aspect is being too simplistic and to mention it as a vindication of 'Two- nation theory' debate, would be immature. 

I have interviewed people, and having spent most of my life in Shahjahanabad, I also know that people want to live here, not only because they are insecure or fear for their lives but because they choose to (come on, in todays' time? When a Punjabi locality like Lajpat Nagar is being inhabited by Afghanis, Kashmiris and other Muslims) . 

 Old Delhi walas like the cultural, social environment of Shahjahanabad. It makes economic sense too, as most of them are self- employed in this area, so would like to stay near their karkhanas/ shops,  and as cost of living or average expense of living here, is cheap as compared to other parts of Delhi, i.e. food, rent, etc. 

 It may lack the greenery or the infrastructure, but people still continue to live in Shahjahanabad, to enjoy the social joys that living with the community offers. Just like Bengalis like to stay in Chittranjan Park, or Punjabis in Jangpura/ Rajouri Garden/ Shalimar Bagh, etc. and these localities are not termed as 'ghettos'. I have reservations against people branding, Shahjahanabad as a 'Muslim ghetto'. There are a lot of Hindu families, as there are some Sikhs and Christians too, who still live in many areas of Old Delhi, side by side with Muslims.      

 Ghettos are formed by migrants, Shahjahan built this city in 16th century for all his subjects in the 16th century. Some families have been living here since generations, and find it hard to even imagine a life beyond the walls of the Old City. If you ask them, they are not 'marginalized'(heavy word!), but have very few options of areas which would also suit their pockets, and would give them a 'comfortable environment' where they would be free to practice their religion too!