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!

Mohallas vs. the Gated Communities.

 Most of us have grown up in  the mohallas, and now live in the modern world of gated communities. A mohalla can refer to a neighborhood, where houses share walls and people live in close proximity, with no gate or fences for privacy. The gated communities refer to the residential community living in an area bounded by walls and fences.

Mohallas  (as I saw them) were, where each household knew what the other was cooking, (just by the smell of it - shami kebab?, biryani?, aloo-paratha?), and then it made it obligatory for the other to share food. It made life more fun, as treats of awesome food, came from all sides, especially if it was some festival or a public holiday like Independence day, etc. In modern modular kitchens it is the chimney which gobbles up all the smoke/ smell of the food. It not just deprives the neighbor, but the house members also of the precious moments'of the process' of cooking. I learnt the finer points of making roti at my neighbors' house, while sitting around the tawa, gossiping in cold winter nights. Living in a mohalla is all about communal living. Everything, and not just food could be shared. From clothes, to stories about  everyone and everything. Tais, and Khalas would also help in child rearing, baby-sitting, etc.  Sometimes, all this sharing of resources also led to quarrels (on water, on children, could be anything), and onlookers enjoyed these petty fights, mostly amongst women, from their terraces, windows (for a better look) or homes.

Help is at hand for everything in a mohalla. I once had a bad accident, where I broke my leg. Before I could reach home, seeing my bloody face, my neighbors took me to the hospital, got my leg wrapped in a plaster cast, paid the doctor, while nobody from my family even knew!  

Now, everybody is working, so less people stay at home, and gated communities ensure the privacy from unknown, unwelcome elements. Of course, in a mohalla nobody had heard of a bird named 'privacy'!

In Old Delhi, often faqirs frequent for alms and charity. Everybody had their favourite faqir who would give special 'dua' if you gave him the money, and also would affectionately pat your head. Nowadays, faqirs have been replaced by lumpen drug addicts! Thus, the gates.

 In a gated community, everyone is almost middle class, nuclear families having similar social and economic status stay together (as only they can afford paying for the amenities like guards, maids, etc.). They can be quite homogenous, in terms of how they look or behave. Houses have similar designs, people look similar, mostly well dressed, share maids, share childrens' schools, but they do not share lives' as people may do in a mohalla.They live side by side, but live in sanitized environments where touching is frowned upon!

Mohallas can be homogenous or heterogenous (depending on the community like Punjabis, UP walas, etc.). People can be well-to-do, or low class, may not even have anything in common, but share lives, and stay together for the communal and social joys that it offers. Younger generation may feel living under too much scrutiny, lack of privacy and may opt out, a reason why erstwhile mohallas are breaking up, and high rise apartments coming up in their place.