From Father To Son - The Why and How of studying History

Phew! It has been 3 long years since my last post here. And this is about something which is very close to my heart - history. 
When we were in school, history and other such social sciences subjects were really not meant for middle class, ordinary people in non-metro towns, who wished to make big in their lives. Anyone with a modicum of intelligence and purpose was supposed to be studying science, maths and economics which only would help you in getting a good job with lots of money and social standing.  Study of history, sociology etc were just trivial pursuits, better explained as whiling away of time. 
Even today, the situation has not changed for a large number of people. Apart from a rarefied circle, a BA still elicits sneers from peers - "kuchh hua nahin hoga inse" types. 
I strongly feel a better studying of history would have made us a better people who are more responsible and aware towards their surroundings. The following article is in the same vein, and I hope it makes some difference to someone. It was intended as a small letter to my son and developed in to a long rant, which I thought to share with you.  (Its abridged version has been carried in the newspaper First India of 19th June 2019 under the heading "Histori-kally Yours). 

Dear Son

Being sixteen is a wonderful age. As the famous American artist and philosopher Raymond Duncan has said – “The best substitute for experience is being sixteen”. But then, you cannot not grow up and remain sixteen all your life, can you?

As you grow up to be a teen and then an adult, and gain some experience, you would see the world unfold before you in all its beauty and magnificence, and possibly in some of its ugliness and cruelty too. You would meet people with differing views on how the world should be like, some of which you would agree with and some you won’t. You would read books, watch movies and make new friends. Shaped by all of this, you would form your own opinion, your own world view to help you make sense of what is going on in your society, country and the world.

This would happen mostly without even your realizing it – slowly and surely, over years. But whether or not you realize it, it is a very important part of your growing up, because growing up is not all physical, right? Along with the body, the mind has to grow too, to help you make more informed opinions and decisions. It is here that one knowledge stream could help you immensely – History.

History? – you would ask. That boring-litany-of-dates-and-kings-and-battles-history? Yes, the same. Because, as the famous Uruguayan journalist and writer Eudardo Galeano has said – “History never really says goodbye. History says, ‘See you later’ ”. What this means is that historical situations and events, though unique to their times, have a habit of repeating themselves. And it would do well to learn from history. But hold the thought here.

I have been using the word history repeatedly. What exactly do we mean when we say history? Apart from a dictionary definition, which you already know, that is? Well, to know what history actually is, a better starting point would be to understand what history isn’t.      

 ·       History is not just a list of years and dates when power changed hands or some important war was fought. I am sure you and your friends must have spent many sleepless nights cramming up these dates. History is also about the long periods in between these important dates when people just went on with their lives – earning their livings, raising families, discovering new things, celebrating their newborns, mourning their dead, enjoying their happy moments and grieving their losses. These are the stories you should look for. Really good books and movies take you back to those times. So, don’t take the dry route of only mugging up the dates. Read between these dates.

·        History is also not only about kings or leaders of countries or such important figures. Important as these famous personalities are, their lives might not be representative of the general public of the times. Look out for historical stories away from the mainstream, which tell you about the common man of any era – how he lived, what he ate, what his customs and religion were, what he (or she, of course) believed in etc. Look a little closer at the name – history – some say it speaks his story, the man’s story! So the next time you pick up a history book, read a little carefully and you would hear the common man’s story.

·         History is most definitely not a flogging tool to prove other people wrong or making them feel ashamed or worked up about their past. Judging someone and behaving with him on the basis of the historical past is the worst form of expression of superiority one could have over others. You would understand that one does not have any say in what kind of family and circumstances one is born in. It is all a matter of chance, for which no one should be castigated.

Now that we are have a sense of what history is or isn’t, we can come back to our original question of why and how should we study history? How does it actually help us form an opinion, a world view, as talked earlier?

·         Here is a quote from a newspaper column by the famous historian Ramachandra Guha. He says –

“The uses of history are educative rather than instrumental. By writing in rich details about other peoples and past times, the historian can expose his fellow citizens to a wider range of human social experience. A deeper knowledge of how others have lived and labored – or failed and succeeded – allows one to be more fully aware of the contingencies and peculiarities of one’s own life.

A knowledge of history may thus make the aam aadmi more self-critical, less xenophobic. As for political (or business or sporting) leaders, a knowledge of history is – or should be – the best antidote to hubris.” 

What this quote says is that knowledge of history makes you a much fuller and complete person, sensitive and accommodative to other’s experiences and sensibilities. Man is a social animal, they say. Indeed he is, and your being aware about others in the society will make your and others’ lives more meaningful.

·         History helps you place your coordinates in the world. Your science classes might have told you about the human race originating 2 million years ago from Africa. Won’t it be fascinating to know what happened thereafter, how do you trace yourself to your ancestors? As an aside, you would find it interesting that National Geographic magazine is running a very elaborate scientific exercise to analyse historic patterns of DNA from participants around the world to better understand our shared historic roots. (source: genographic.nationalgeographic.com/about)       

·         India is home to one of the oldest civilizations in the world – around 2500 to 3000 years old. Along with a rich history, we also have a vast treasure of mythology enriched with magnificent stories and widely revered & loved characters, real to many of us. For example, Mahabharat and Ramayana are undoubtedly one of the greatest epics the world has ever seen. In the millennia since they have been written, these epics have acquired a life of their own and their characters are probably the most well-known and respected characters in the Indian religious pantheon. At the same time, there is a strong line of thought which considers them as real history and not just mythology. The truth is somewhere in between these two extremes. It is important to appreciate the points of difference between history and mythology, between fact and fiction. Knowing correct history would help us.     

At this point, I hope you have come around to thinking that this history is not so boring after all, and maybe you could think of reading or watching some. With the surfeit of history available on the internet and TV shows, it is important to remember some guidelines which shall help you make the most of your interest. I will list them down as follows:

·         History requires understanding, not correction

In the politically and socially dynamic societies like ours, people group on the basis of region, caste, religion, political support etc., and as is human nature, there is a tendency to establish oneself or one’s group as superior to others.

To feel superior, even on a false basis, over-zealous groups sometimes start propagating lies in name of “correct history”, and start opposing uncomfortable truths which puncture their false claims. You must have seen groups protesting to ban some movie or some book, because as per them, it makes them look bad or wicked or cruel or whatever they don’t wish to look like.  

But what we are seeking to understand in history is the truth, howsoever uncomfortable it might be. True knowledge gives us more courage and self-worth than some manufactured past.  

An attempt to correct history, if any such thing is possible at all, is more often than not leading one on to a wrong path of self-glorification, away from joy of acquiring true knowledge. 

·         Choose your sources wisely

For starters, school text books are a rather good way to gain an overview of history. If you are in India, Social Science NCERT text books for Class 8^th to 12^th have quite well-researched, unbiased and distilled content for use of young scholars.

Once you have gained an overview, choose some specific event of history and look up bestsellers lists on history books on the internet. There are some absolutely wonderful authors who write well-researched history and in whose hands, history springs to life. 

I could suggest some – The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William E Shirer for World War 2, or The Last Mughal by William Dalrymple for the last days of Mughal Empire in India or India After Gandhi by Ramchandra Guha for history of modern India after independence etc. Talk to your teachers and elders for their suggestions about other good sources.

     

·         Separate fake from real

Internet is a pretty reliable guide on genuine history stuff to read or watch. At the same time, there is a lot of unverified and false history floating around the web and also on the social media. Similarly, there is a lot of literature which is not genuine history but just propaganda. So be on your guard. Be exposed to all points of view but use your common sense and try to distil correct facts from the plethora of information around. There are a lot of websites dedicated to sounding out fake news. Find out about them.

·         Draw correct conclusions. If in doubt, wait.

Reading and watching previously unknown facts will inevitably lead you to form some opinions and draw conclusions. Remember that opinions change with knowledge and experience acquired. So, don’t be fixed in your opinions. Keep your mind open, keep reading and wait for the complete picture to emerge. Don’t rush in to drawing half-baked conclusions.

·         Time and context are important

Human civilization is approximately 4000 years old. Every minute contributing to these four millennia is connected to every other minute by a cause and effect relationship, howsoever wide and apart they seem.

A large part of studying history is about understanding these relationships, and knowing that historical events and personalities are products of the prevailing time and circumstances. When we see the history through the pigeon-hole of present times and our limited experience, we sometimes tend to forget this.

As an example, sometimes the words ‘secular’ or ‘nationalistic’ are used to describe events which occurred 300 years ago. This is not correct because these ideas have originated and have been defined only around 150 years back.    

Remember therefore that to appreciate historical events, we have to place them in correct context of prevailing time and circumstances.  

  

·         Heroes are never totally white, nor are the villains absolutely black.

Brought up on fairy tales and popular movies, most of us think of heroes and villains as uni-dimensional characters, meaning that heroes have to be all good, and villains supremely bad. But it is not so in real life. A person is a mixture of these two, never wholly black, never wholly white, but some shade of grey in between.

Naturally, it applies to our historical figures also. Someone might have been a great warrior but a not-so-good father. Another one might have been a patron of arts but a cruel person too. Great heroes too can have feet of clay. History is full of such heroes.

It is necessary to appreciate these fine personality traits. Appreciate a hero for his good qualities but don’t make him invincible in your head.   

·         Recognize and respect the other person’s view point

Probably the most important lesson to be learnt from history is that even though facts are supposed to be sacred, they could have different effects on different people. You are not the only one drawing conclusions from the past. You have to recognize and respect the other person’s point of view.    

Well, it is been a long letter with lots of directions but if it has been able to kindle in your heart just a little flame of honest curiosity about our history, it would be worth the length. I wish you well, hoping that this journey in to the quest for truthfulness would make you a better and complete person. 

Love 
Dad

बापू, ढ़ूँढ़ ही लो तुम कोई नया भारत!

महात्मा गांधी के प्रति, एक राष्ट्र के तौर पर हमारी उपेक्षा अब पूरी तौर पर कृतघ्नता में बदल चुकी है, ऐसा मुझे लगता है.  3० जनवरी 1948 को उनकी हत्या के बाद साल दर साल उनके विचारों की भी हत्या होती रही हैं अभी कल, बापू की पुण्य तिथि पर, ख़बर है कि कुछ युवकों ने सार्वजनिक सभा कर के खुशी का इजहार किया, मिठाईयां बांटी वगैरह. सोशल मीडिया में गोडसे के बरसों पुराने अपराध को खुले तौर पर एक वीरोचित कदम ठहराने की बातें होती रही. मुझे सन् 1991 की एक ऐसी ही ख़बर याद हो आयी जब बापू की समाधि पर कुछ युवकों ने तोड़-फ़ोड़ की थी और मैंने बहुत क्षुब्ध हो कर एक कविता जैसा कुछ लिखने का प्रयत्न किया था. आज एक बार फिर मुझे वैसा ही महसूस हुआ है और उस ''कविता जैसे कुछ'' को मैं यहां साझा कर रहा हूं.

      
बापू,
कर चुके उद्धार का प्रण पूरा तुम?
ओढ़ा चुके ममता की चादर सर्वजन पर?
बस!
अब निर्रथक हो तुम
इस धरा के लिये मिथ्या, मिथक हो तुम!|
जाओ, और ढ़ूँढ़ो कोई नया भारत
जहां-
चिरनिद्रा तो तुम्हारी पूजनीय हो,
अगर था जीवन संघर्षरत |

ना, हम यहां सोने नहीं देंगे तुम्हें!
कलुषित राजनीति की आवाज़ें हैं अब हमारा मंगल गान,
तांडव करता है हमारे ह्रदयों मे
वैमनस्य,
और भावनाओं का अपमान |
श्रद्धा-सुमन, जो थे तुम्हारे लिये,
कुचल डालेंगे हमारे मदांध कदमों में
बस. . . अब ना बोलो, ना मुस्कुराओ !
हम नहीं चाहते कि,
विष-वृक्ष जो सींचा है हमने,
राख़ हो जाये तुम्हारी निश्चल मुस्कुराहट से;
हम नहीं चाहते कि,
हमारे नेत्रों को ढ़क सकने वाला अज्ञान का पर्दा
हटा पायें तुम्हारे हाथ;
हम घूमना चाहते हैं अभी भी,
लहू से रंगे, एक दूसरे के;
हम विचरना चाहते हैं अभी भी,
छिछली मानसिकता के जंगलों में;
तुम्हारी यह उजली सोच,
नहीं रह सकती अब,
हमारी कालिख़ पुती कोठरी में !
फिर दाग़ देंगीं तुम्हें , हम - यह तुम्हारी संतानें!
इसलिये बापू,
अब ढ़ूंढ़ लो कोई नया भारत
हां, अब ढ़ूंढ़ ही लो कोई नया भारत   

2015 - In the Rear View Mirror

As the year hurtled towards a close in the evening of 31st December 2015, I realised with horror that I was not ready with my year-end list at all. The loyal audience of three and a half people who read my blog would be hugely disappointed, it means - a catastrophe, which should be avoided at all costs.

Conveniently, 2015 has given me some truly first-time-in-life experiences, which I could share with my einee, minee, me & mo. So here goes, even though a bit late:

1. Wassup? whatsApp?? - Till last year, sloth kept me away from the chatting app whatsApp, which was getting ever popular. Sloth combined with an old, stupid (that is what a phone is, when it is not smart, is that not?) cellphone. Ergo, peace prevailed, riding on a righteous disdain for people engaged in this "useless activity".

In 2015, however, this app strode in to my life with a vengeance, the result being that at the end of the year, I was being seriously considered for the award for "most whatsapp-distracted husband" in the country.
It was not all bad however. To be fair, the pros outweighed the cons. whatsApp made it possible to bring some of my oldest and loveliest friends together. The companionship and old memories made all of it worthwhile. In the family too, it re-oiled the massive relationship machinery (and thank God for that!) - cousins, aunts, uncles, inlaws.... Everybody was connected, much easily than ever before.
That I could torment people by easily sending them links of obscure pieces of writings or music which I thought they had to perforce enjoy, was an added joy.

2. Hindi, Hindu, Hindustan - In my existence of close to 5 decades, never before had I witnessed such strong eddies of religious & cultural identity engulfing me as they did in 2015. Politicians using religion for their electoral harvest is nothing new but this year, they bettered their own records, plunging to new lows.
Actors, who generally play safe by sticking to their dumb PR lines, came out openly with their anguish. But what actually shook me was the way otherwise harmless, sweet people around me seemed to suddenly spout devilish horns at imagined dangers to their identities. The fault-lines in the societal bedrock looked dangerously exposed.
I can only hope that this churning of emotions would ultimately yield the mythical nectar of better understanding and peace.

3. Play of Raagas and Taalas - My acute interest in the gloriously rich world of Indian classical music (matched unfortunately by my hopelessly inadequate knowledge) received a great fillip when I got a chance to attend Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Sangeet Mahotsav in Pune.

For the uninitiated, Sawai Gandharv Mahotsav is probably the oldest, largest and most popular Indian classical performance festival in India. It was organized in 1953 for the first time by that shining gem of Indian classical music scene - Late Pt. Bhimsen Joshi in the memory of his Guru - Sawai Gandharva. Over the decades, it has acquired a cult status, riding on the brilliant performances of Panditji himself and other great artists.

During the two days I was there, I was lucky to catch some top class performances by greats like Pt Raghunath Palshikar (vocals), Pravin Goskhindi (flute), Rajendra Gangani (Kathak), Shubha Mudgal, Suresh Wadkar and the worthy disciple of Pt Bhimsen Joshi - Pt Upendra Bhat (all vocals). Pt Upendra Bhat's introductory words in praise of his Guru were specially a treat to listen to. Here is the video on YouTube:

What also gladdened my heart was that  my fears of Indian classical arts losing touch with common man were laid to a complete rest. Crowds were thronging the venue - crowds consisting of young and old and singles and whole families including small children - their knowledge and interest clearly demonstrated in their standing ovations and full-throated encore calls at appropriate moments. I am reassured that Indian classical arts scene is faring very well even under the onslaught of, well, "different" music emanating from all around.  

4.  Comic Con Delhi 2015  -   I have been a comic books’ fan all my life. Brought up on the steady diet of Phantom, Mandrake, Flash Gordon, Bahadur, Lotpot, Madhu Muskaan, Billoo, Pinky – in short, the whole pantheon of Indrajaal Comics, Amar Chitrakatha and later Diamond Comics, my childhood love affair has continued right in to my ripe adulthood. So when my teenaged son this year implored me to buy a couple of tickets to Comic Con Delhi, I jumped at it and brought three – one each for my son and my nephew, and of course, one for me.

Comic Con is an international comic convention, started as a fan convention in 1970 in San Diego, USA and has grown in to variants all over the globe. Comic Con India was started in 2011 mainly as a launch pad for indie comics. The format now includes mainly exhibition stalls by different comic publishing houses or comic drawing artists of India, along with various interactive sessions, workshops, interviews by comic book artists and writers.

What I loved in Comic Con Delhi was the sheer energy and a child-like sincerity of everyone around – volunteers, exhibitors, participants and visitors alike. Groups of young people were dressed up as various comic characters for cos play (costume play) – my son carried a Star Wars light saber himself. So at one corner you could bump in to Arjun and Karna while at another you could be slurping your coffee with Iron Man. Lots of exhibition stalls housed marketing merchandise and others some really talented artists with some amazing works on display. In short, it was an event with unapologetic, clean fun. A rarity indeed.

What I would love to see is more Indian references in the works of artists. I found it slightly puzzling that most of the artists drew on popular western culture and media (tv shows, films) when India offers such a huge kaleidoscope of experiences – be it in politics, sports, cinema, society. It is not a "swadeshi" war-cry but surely, references one could relate to more easily could bring in more visitors. Who knows someday, I might be emboldened enough to saunter in as a balding, paunchy Phantom in one of the Comic Cons to come. Wait, Phantom was an Indian?? Or was he?

Phew.. that is a load off my chest. I might as well start drawing up the experiences' list for 2016! Happy New Year 2016 my dear reader!    

Piku - Motion and Emotion

Finally, with Piku, my prayers have been answered.

For an unabashed fan of the vintage Amitabh Bachchan of the 70s and 80s, that is me, last 10 years have not been much rewarding. Apart from the occasional Paa and Cheeni Kum, I have been watching this colossal talent being wasted in trite, melodramatic patriarch roles and over-the-top dialogues - more of the same, actually.  

I have longed to see Amitabh Bachchan stepping out of this enforced centrality and gravitas of his "Big B image" more often, exerting himself out of the comfort zone which has been thrust on him. For all these years, I have been waiting for him to do something irreverent, funny, delightfully enjoyable and ordinary, which many of us remember him doing with so much aplomb in films like Chupke Chupke.

That is why I say - finally, with Piku, my prayers been answered.

Piku is the latest directorial offering from Shoojit Sirkar wherein AB plays a cranky, old, overbearing, and severely constipated father - B Banerjee - to a totally stressed out, young entrepreneur Piku, played by Deepika Padukone.

Theirs is an edgy relationship with lots of demands from Banerjee and lots of reprimanding from Piku, with Banerjee's constipation playing more than a bit role. Choudhary, played by Irrfan, inadvertently gets caught in this crossfire but adroitly assuages the situation, adding an interesting dimension to the story.

The story, frankly, does not count for much but it is the interaction and relationship between the characters that 'drives' the movie. Shoojit has to be applauded that he has taken a wisp of an idea and developed it into a genuinely funny film.    

Deepika has played the central role of Piku with aplomb, never exceeding and never falling short of the required emotion. Irrfan is already established in an orbit wherein his acting prowess need not be discussed. He shines through and through with his usual subtlety. For me, though, the takeaway is Amitabh Bachchan in his effortless (what am I saying!) and charming portrayal of an old Bengali gentleman who loves his life and his daughter very much, in that order, but finally learns to let go.

A must watch. Specially for old fogeys like me, who are still hooked on to AB of the yore. And for the younger lot. To discover why.

(Star cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Irrfan, Deepika Padukone, Jisshu Sengupta, Moushumi Chatterjee, Raghuvir Yadav)      

Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! - The Leap

It has taken "Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!", the latest Dibakar Banerjee movie, to bring me out of a long, self-induced slumber. 

Byomkesh Bakshi is a fictional detective created by Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay in the 1930s. Most of us would remember his exploits from  from a Basu Chaterjee serial on Doordarshan in the early nineties. Shining through the lovable Doordarshan tackiness was the sheer ingenuity of the stories and brilliance of the character, played out by Rajit Kapur. This movie succeeds in bringing alive that ingenuity and brilliance, beyond mere nostalgia. 

"Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!" is based in the Calcutta of the 1940s, when the British were still ruling India and is supposedly based on Byomkesh's first case. The plot takes off when Byomkesh, who is still in college, is approached by Ajit who requests him to look for his missing father. As the manhunt progresses, something bigger than just a missing person mystery unravels. There are newer secrets lurking around each corner - drug smuggling, Chinese gangs, local politics and pretty cinestars. Providing a further interesting backdrop is the World War II animosity between Britain and Japan. Speaking more could work as a spoiler for my more intuitive readers so let me just say that the end befits a juicy, racy potboiler of a spy-story.

The story is told in the noir film genre, with some astounding production design, edgy cinematography and tight editing. Dibakar has beautifully recreated Kolkata of the 40s, daringly and refreshingly different from the expected touristy collage of bright rickshaws, looming Howrah bridge, yellow ambassador taxis, chai cups, Ma Durga idols and trams. 

The noir feel - bleakness on the screen and the play of light and shadows and tight frames - works as a powerful aphrodisiac, adding to the delicious mystique and to the exciting sense of hurtling towards doom. I do not remember watching a film actually from the edge of my seat for a long time now. The music (credited to Sneha Khanwalkar and done by different bands it seems) keeps apace, in sync with the story. 

It is to the credit of this "look" and to the taut storyline, which makes one forget the discomfiture of Sushant Singh Rajput in the first half-an-hour of the film. As the film progresses, however, Sushant settles down nicely in to his understated act and proves Dibakar's choice right, ably aided by all his co-actors, notably by Neeraj Kabi as Dr. Anukul Guha. Kabi's is a scintillating performance which stays with you for quite some time after you come out of the movie. Other notable mentions include Swastika Mukherjee and Meiyang Chang.    

The only one small issue I have with the movie is the obviously north Indian Hindi spouted by the main actors - Sushant and Anand Tiwari (as Ajit). A slight lilt of Bangla would have sounded more natural and would have been a suitably flavored garnishing on this beautiful dish.

But of course do not let this trifle come in the way of your enjoyment. If you love a well-made potboiler, this is the movie for you. For the noir films in India, it is certainly a leap forward.

कई चांद थे सरे-आस्मां (Kai Chaand Thhe Sare-Aasman)

अभी कुछ दिन हुये, शम्सुर्रहमान फ़ारूक़ी लिखित (और नरेश नदीम द्वारा अनुवादित) उपन्यास - "कई चांद थे सरे-आस्मां" में डूब कर निकला हूं|

डूबना यों कि आजकल जहां ज्यादातर हिंदी उपन्यास और कहानियों में कथानक और भाषा का एक अकाल सा है, वहां यह वृहद उपन्यास एक रसपूर्ण कथानक को अलंकृत भाषा के कलेवर में बहुत ख़ूबसूरती से समेटे हुये - जैसा कि ओरहान पामुक कहते हैं - एक 'अद्भुत' उपन्यास है| बहुत समय बाद किसी हिन्दी उपन्यास को पढ् कर यूं लगा मानो गहरे पानी में जा कर भाषा और भावनाओं के अनमोल मोती निकाल लाया हूं,  क्यूंकि फ़ारूक़ी साहब ने महीन बातों को, भावनाओं को ख़ूब पकड़ा है और शुष्क एतिहासिक तथ्यों को परिकल्पना और जानकारी के आधार पर पुष्ट ही नहीं, और अधिक जीवंत और स्पंदित कर दिया है|

७०० पृष्ठों का यह उपन्यास उन्नीसवीं सदी की दिल्ली की एक वास्तविक, एतिहासिक पात्र - वज़ीर ख़ानम - की कहानी है| वज़ीर कश्मीर से दिल्ली आ कर बसे एक परिवार की सबसे छोटी लाडली है जो एक तेज़ दिमाग़ रखती है और महत्वाकांक्षी है| वह कम उम्र में ही कुछ तो अपने हुस्न और नारी-शरीर की ताक़त का अहसास कर के और कुछ शायद लड़कपन की झोंक में यह कहने का दम रखती है कि "शाहजादा तक़दीर में लिखा होगा तो आयेगा ही| नहीं तो न सही| मुझे जो मर्द चाहेगा उसे चखूंगी, पसंद आयेगा तो रखूंगी| नहीं तो निकाल बाहर करूंगी|" पर सच ही, आगे उसकी ज़िंदगी में जो मर्द आते हैं, उसी की शर्तों पर - हां, यह बात ज़रूर है कि फिर वह उस से पूरा ईमानदार प्यार पाते हैं| (बताता चलूं कि यह वज़ीर ख़ानम मशहूर शायर नवाब मिर्ज़ा 'दाग़ देहलवी' की मां हैं, दाग़ के पिता लुहारू नवाब के ख़ानदान के थे)|

इस मुख्य कथानक के अलावा इस किताब की खासियत यह है कि फारूक़ी साहब ने कहानी कहते कहते अपना घोड़ा मर्ज़ी के मैदान में बेतहाशा दौड़ने दिया है| तो पाठक के लिये कहीं एक तरफ़ कश्मीर के कालीनों के रंग और धागे हैं तो दूसरी ओर दिल्ली के नामी शायरों के मतले और मक़्ते; एक और वज़ीर ख़ानम की दम रोक देने वाली ख़ूबसूरती है तो दूसरी ओर ठगों की जानलेवा हुश्यारियां; एक ओर राजपूताने की रेत का रंग हैं तो दूसरी ओर लाल क़िले के संगमरमर; एक ओर अंग्रेजी चालबाजियां हैं तो दूसरी ओर पुरानी दिल्लीवालों की दिलदारी....

ज्यादा नहीं कहूंगा - बहुत दिनों बाद कमाल की चीज़ आई है..पढ़िये!

आज़ादी - हफ़ीज़ जालंधरी

आज जब देश आज़ादी की सड़सठवीं सालगिरह मना रहा है, मैं फिर अपने अंदर आशा और निराशा का एक तराजू पकड़े हुए समय को तौलने की कोशिश कर रहा हूँ. मैं यह निश्चय नहीं कर पाता कि हमारी आज़ादी कितनी और किन मायनों में सफल साबित हो पाई है. 

राजनीति के दिन-ब-दिन बढ़ते घपले, कॉर्पोरेट जगत का अंधा बाजारवाद, खेल के मैदानों मे पैसे की मारा-मारी, एंटेरटेनमेन्ट के नये बनते मापदंड, शासकीय और राजकीय उपेक्षा झेलता आम आदमी - इस सब नाटक को देख कर कभी कभी ऐसा लगता है कि हिन्दुस्तान में कुछ बारह - पंद्रह हजार लोगों का ऐसा  एक गिरोह है जिसके लिये हम सब इनकी सुविधानुसार और समयानुसार कभी दर्शक हो जाते हैं, कभी वोटर, कभी नौकरी मांगने वाले, कभी कन्सयूमरिस्ट मिडल क्लास या कभी कुछ और. पर जो कुछ भी होते  हैं, जाने-अनजाने रहते इनके रहम-ओ-क़रम पर ही हैं.

इस सब के चलते मुझे हफीज़ जालंधरी साहब की मशहूर रचना - आज़ादी- याद हो आई जो, मुझे लगता है, हमारे इस वक़्त का सही आईना है. यह रचना बहुत से ब्लॉगस् पर है, पर अपने यहां साझा करने का लोभ-संवरण नहीं कर पाया . कविता पढ़िये. और हां, स्वतंत्रता दिवस की बधाई!  - 

शेरों को आज़ादी है आज़ादी के पाबंद रहें

जिसको चाहें चीरें फाड़ें खायें पियें आनंद रहें

शाहीं को आज़ादी है आज़ादी से परवाज़ करे
नन्‍ही मुन्‍नी चिडियों पर जब चाहे मश्‍क़े-नाज़ करे

सांपों को आज़ादी है हर बस्‍ते घर में बसने की
इनके सर में ज़हर भी है और आदत भी है डसने की  

पानी में आज़ादी है घड़ियालों और नहंगों को
जैसे चाहें पालें पोसें अपनी तुंद उमंगों को

इंसां ने भी शोखी सीखी वहशत के इन रंगों से
शेरों, संपों, शाहीनों, घड़ियालों और नहंगों से

इंसान भी कुछ शेर हैं बाक़ी भेड़ों की आबादी है
भेड़ें सब पाबंद हैं लेकिन शेरों को आज़ादी है  

शेर के आगे भेड़ें क्‍या हैं इक मनभाता खाजा है
बाक़ी सारी दुनिया परजा शेर अकेला राजा है

भेड़ें लातादाद हैं लेकिन सबको जान के लाले हैं
इनको यह तालीम मिली है भेड़िये ताक़त वाले हैं  

मास भी खायें खाल भी नोचें हरदम लागू जानों के
भेड़ें काटें दौरे-ग़ुलामी बल पर गल्‍लाबानों के  

भेडि़यों से गोया क़ायम अमन है इस आबादी का
भेड़ें जब तक शेर न बन लें नाम न लें आज़ादी का

इंसानों में सांप बहुत हैं क़ातिल भी ज़हरीले भी
इनसे बचना मुश्किल है, आज़ाद भी हैं फुर्तीले भी  

सांप तो बनना मुश्किल है इस ख़स्‍लत से माज़ूर हैं हम
मंतर जानने वालों की मुहताजी पर मजबूर हैं हम

शाहीं भी हैं चिड़ियाँ भी हैं इंसानों की बस्‍ती में
वह नाज़ा अपनी रिफ़अत पर यह नालां अपनी पस्‍ती में

शाहीं को तादीब करो या चिड़ियों को शाहीन करो
यूं इस बाग़े-आलम में आज़ादी की तलक़ीन करो  

बहरे-जहां में ज़ाहिर-ओ-पिनहां इंसानी घड़ियाल भी हैं
तालिबे-जानओजिस्‍म भी हैं शैदाए-जान-ओ-माल भी हैं  

यह इंसानी हस्‍ती को सोने की मछली जानते हैं
मछली में भी जान है लेकिन ज़ालिम कब गर्दानते हैं  

सरमाये का जि़क्र करो मज़दूरों की इनको फ़िक्र नहीं
मुख्‍तारी पर मरते हैं मजबूरों की इनको फ़िक्र नहीं

आज यह किसका मुंह है आये मुंह सरमायादारों के
इनके मुंह में दांत नहीं फल हैं ख़ूनी तलवारों के  

खा जाने का कौन सा गुर है जो इन सबको याद नहीं
जब तक इनको आज़ादी है कोई भी आज़ाद नहीं  

ज़र का बंदा अक़्ल-ओ-ख़िरद पर जितना चाहे नाज़ करे
ज़ैरे-ज़मीं धंस जाये या बालाए-फ़लक परवाज़ करे

इसकी आज़ादी की बातें सारी झूठी बातें हैं
मज़दूरों को मजबूरों को खा जाने की घातें हैं  

जब तक चोरों-राहज़नों का डर दुनिया पर ग़ालिब है  
पहले मुझसे बात करे जो आज़ादी का तालिब है.

Big Five and the Burj Khalifa - 3 - Dubai Diary

This is the 3rd and last part of the 3-part travel diary "Big Five and the Burj Khalifa", featuring Dubai. You can read Part-1 here and Part-2 here.


A Platter of Skyscrapers & Flowers in the Desert 
I am standing in  front of our hotel on  Sheikh Zayed Road. Fresh off the flight from Nairobi, the contrast is striking - in place of nature's bounty we left behind in Kenya, here in front of us is a modern, man-made marvel of a city.
There is a row of skyscrapers of various shapes and sizes gleaming in the morning sun,  reflecting a stream of shiny cars whizzing past. Later in the evening, when we are standing at the beach, the famed Dubai skyline is replete with all kinds of skyscrapers, the most famous among them being the Burj Khalifa. 

Dubai Skyline

Our hotel has 65 floors and while I look down from our 41st floor room, I think I might not recommend Dubai to someone suffering from acrophobia.   

Panel of elevator buttons in our hotel 

 Along the road runs an excellently maintained, elevated metro-rail. The flyovers are beautifully painted in golden yellow, unlike the shabby concrete colored ones back home. There are neat rows of flowers blooming and lush grass carpet at some traffic intersection beneath the metro. I am told that the shiploads of fertile subsoil needed for flowers is imported from Holland. 
Many times during the two days I am here, I get the feeling that I am in the midst of a shiny tourist brochure of some city in future.    

Dubai came in to prosperity in the early seventies when oil was discovered here but it is in the last two and a half decades that it has really blossomed as a business, tourism and shopping centre of the world. 
The reason for this is clear as we roam about the city - the rulers have a vision and the will and enterprise to implement it. It helps, of course, that this is a constitutional monarchy. And also, that there is a faceless army of expats who toil behind the general store counters, metro counters, in schools, behind taxi steering wheels, in construction fields, wherever.   

The miniskirt and the abaya 
We have just come out of the hotel for some morning coffee when we see a couple of young girls getting out of a car. The girls are both clad in miniskirts. Miniskirts? Out on the street in the United Arab Emirates? I am surprised.  
Moving inside the coffee shop, I find myself queuing up behind a young girl clad in the traditional  abaya - loose black robe from head to toe - with only her face visible.  
Which is the real Dubai, I ask myself. 
In the two days we are there, I see that Dubai, which has Islam as its official religion, has achieved a comfortable juxtaposition of the miniskirt and the abaya to become a true cosmopolitan city-country. People from all over the world come here as tourists and for work, and Dubai accommodates all religious and social identities with confidence and aplomb, worthy of a mature state. 

The world's shopping mall
That Dubai is a shopper's paradise was not unknown to me. What I never imagined was the sheer scale and magnificence at which Dubai shops. 
Wikipedia lists 69 shopping malls in Dubai, but the list does not tell the whole story. Each of the mall is an island of cornucopia with the best brands from around the world vying for the shoppers' attention.   
With only a day and a half on our hands, we get a chance to visit three - Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates and the Ibn Batuta Mall. 
Dubai Mall is the world's largest mall, with around 1200 stores, stretching along various levels and arms. It provides entrance to Burj Khalifa, and hosts magnificent Dubai Fountain.

Atrium in the Dubai Mall

Mall of the Emirates is the original shopping destination, and it seemed to me that it houses  exclusive brands. 

Mall of Emirates

Ibn Batuta Mall is a beautiful, themed shopping mall, based on the travels of famous Arab traveller Ibn Batuta. Ibn Batuta lived in the fourteenth century in Morocco and in the 30 years he travelled, he covered pretty much the whole world. 
This mall has different sections designed as the various places he visited. I wish we had more time to explore all the sections. 

Persia, in the Ibn Batuta Mall

At the top of the world..well almost.
Burj Khalifa strikingly demonstrates the power and beauty of superlatives in the modern world. It is a 163-floor building, the tallest in the world, and houses hotels, offices, residential apartments.      

Dubai markets all its attractions well. Burj Khalifa offers a chance to look out on the city from its 124th floor observation deck, and we realise this is probably the highest we would be able to get to on the Terra firma, bar the Everest. We decide to ride up and are able to get tickets for the 10pm slot.
We return in the night to join a queue, which passes through a succession of sleek galleries lined with attractive visuals about this modern architectural marvel to be finally let in to a plush elevator.
The adage of a journey being even more enjoyable than the destination is proved correct, as the elevator doors are shut. The walls are lined with moving visuals, emitting a bluish light within and soft music fills the cubicle. As the elevator starts its approx 1-minute journey upwards at a speed of 10mtrs per second and our ears start popping, the tempo of music slowly increases to match our rising excitement and reaches a crescendo, when the doors open to reveal a bejeweled Dubai glittering beneath our feet, beyond the glass walls of the observation desk.

From The Observation Deck

As we soak in the beauty of the scene below - streaks of lights of the traffic, gleaming rows of Dubai fountain, Burj Al Arab, our hotel, the Palm in the distance - we once again admire the bravado of the vision which has produced this feat - the Burj, and also this city called Dubai. 

And in the end - the wailing baby

It is the day we are flying out. Far behind us in the queue is a woman travelling with her baby. While she is trying to manage her luggage, her baby starts wailing uncontrollably.  When the wailing and her discomfort continues, the stern  official at the counter gets up to see what the commotion is about.

It seems to us that he is visibly irritated, as some of us are too. 

However, he calls out to someone and the mother and the baby are escorted to the counter, ahead of everybody else to be cleared on  priority. The queue resumes. 

We are back home the next day.

Big Five and the Burj Khalifa - 2 - Wildlife Diary

This is the 2nd part of the 3-part travel diary "Big Five and the Burj Khalifa", featuring the wildlife in Kenya. You can read Part-1 here and Part-3 here.

Tamed in the city
Nairobi has some wildlife parks right in the city, possibly to prepare the uninitiated for the wonders that lay beyond. One such is the Nairobi Safari Walk & Animal Orphanage, which we visit on the last evening of our stay.
The place is steeply priced for us foreigners. But the thought of exorbitant admission charges for the foreigners at Tajmahal serves as a sobering context.   
We are let in to an expansive, well-kept zoo, with winding wooden walkaways through the enclosures & cages.  

The Wooden Walkaway

Hyenas look at us across the fence with curiosity while the white rhino sleeps on, ignoring us completely.
    

The Curious Hyena

The Sleeping White Rhino

The albino zebras munch on nonchalantly, as do the giraffes.   

Albino Zebras

Giraffe, of course!

Lions talk to us through the glass partition, while the Colobus monkeys chatter incoherently.

Keshav & the Lioness in intense dialogue 

Colobus Monkey

The cheetah sleeps too far away in the bushes for us to see but there are gazelles, crocodiles, ostriches. wildebeests, birds. Many of these animals and birds are rescued from being orphaned, injured or extinct. 
Having primed thus, we can not wait to be in the wild.  

The Great Rift Valley & Nameless General Store  
As we leave Nairobi for Masai Mara, the road winds down the mountains and before hitting the planes, we oversee the Great Rift Valley - a vast expanse of green lined by mountains.

The Great Rift Valley

The Great Rift valley is the name given to a geographical trench stretching a mind-boggling 9600kms from Israel to Mozambique, as Coke dutifully informs us. Look closely at the map in the photograph below and you can see it dropping down from Ethiopia and sliding down over the horn to reach Kenya and then Mozambique.

As I resolve to look up the details on the Wikipedia, I realise how the vastness of nature humbles us. I also suddenly recall the National Geographic gene mapping project, which has established Africa as the place from where the human species originated. I have a strange feeling of having established a lost connection with our collective past, a sort of completing the circle of life.... Why am I getting these goose-pimples?  

When we hit the plains, the road is lined mostly with villages and some towns few and far in between. If the names are any indication, the villages are deeply religious - a large number of shops and small businesses along the highway are named after biblical virtues like Beauty, Grace, Joy, Honesty et al. I do actually see a lot of churches (and an odd temple too). 
There is one shop despairingly named as "Nameless General Store". What is this about, I wonder - atheism or plain laziness?  

Lions and Warriors 
Masai Mara, the world famous game reserve, home to the Big Five, carries its world-wide reputation lightly. 
As we turn south-west from the town of Narok after around 3 hours drive from Nairobi, the road turns to gravel, and then disappears altogether. After a while, we are driving through a jungle of mostly grass, short trees, intercepted by small streams and brooks. It is slightly hot (the vehicles have no air-conditioning) and in between the trees, we catch a flash of red, which turns out to be a cowherd draped in a bright red chequered shawl. 

The Masai Cowherd in Signature Red of the Masai  Tribe

Slowly, the big trees give way to a land clearing leading to a big gate. At one side is a group of  women draped in bright colours, who run towards us with their wares. Beyond the gate we get a glimpse of a zebra, which is grazing next to buffalo skulls lined up like trophies. We have arrived at Masai  Mara Game Reserve.

Masai Mara takes its name from "Masai" - the ancient hunter tribe which inhabits this area. They are fierce, nomadic warriors and it is said that lions do not attack Masai people.
"Mara" means "mottled" or "spotted" and refers to vegetation pattern of the area. 
Big Five is part of an hunters' lexicon of the yore, referring to the five most fierce and dangerous animals to hunt - the Lion, African Elephant, Buffalo, Rhinoceros and Leopard.

The game reserve itself is a vast undulating grassland - an expanse of green merging in the horizon with the azure blue of the skies or the dark green of the mountains. 

Perched inside our safari vehicles, it seems we are in the midst of an animation movie, with all the animals lined up on a single wide canvas. 
There is a herd of wildebeests munching on one side. 

On the other side are zebras, with their stripes looking almost hand-painted, with a backdrop of gazelles.

We stop to let a tower (yes, that's what a group is called) of giraffes pass; watching giraffes walk is a surreal sight, like these tall animals are moonwalking.

Buffaloes hold their famous "whatsup" stare with us, while elephants are not concerned.

We furiously click our cameras, wishing to capture the spirit of what our naked eyes see and our hearts feel, unsuccessfully. In the two safaris we take while in Masai Mara, there are a lot of animals and birds we get a chance to watch in their natural habitat.  

But the stars of the show are indisputably the lions. The moment the wireless radios crackle with the news of a lion sighting, all other animals are promptly forgotten and all vehicles converge upon the spot to make the most of the moment. 

  
A lion truly is a magnificent animal and as we watch, holding our breath, we come to realise what does it mean being in a royal attendance.

His Highness

  In our safari the next morning, we meet the family.

The Morning Scent

 

In the night, at our lodge in the midst of the jungle, we are invited to watch the feeding of wild animals. As the attendant puts raw meat in the centre of the clearing, we see a hyena, a jackal and cats standing, poised to fight each other for the biggest share. As he withdraws, the matter is sorted out in minutes, and there remains an eerie silence on the scene.

Masai Mara is nature at its serene best, largely unsullied by us human beings. Animals proudly and justifiably own the space, graciously allowing us to have a peep in to their world. As we leave, we carry a lot of memories of this world in photographs, and a lot more in our minds. 

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