A Blasphemy...A Mockery...Babri

“I’ll tell you. I was there. A man on fire gets up, falls, runs for his life, falls, gets up, runs.”

- Maximum City by Suketu Mehta

INDIA IS MY COUNTRY; ALL INDIANS ARE MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS. I used to blindly recite this line in my school; the pledge every Indian takes. Although, I do go and kill a few of my brothers; Rape and brutally murder the very same sisters because perhaps I don’t like the architecture of the mosques they go to, or the smell of the incense sticks they light in the temples. I am just any ordinary Indian, who witnessed a national crisis, an inter-religious battle

and a mayhem at the small town of Ayodhya.

To start with, let me just phrase it this way. Some Mughal ruler, a few hundred years ago, is claimed to have created a mosque by destroying a sacred Ram Mandir, and after many centuries, many Hindus went up there (round about 1,50,000 kar sevaks, as they were known) and destroyed the mosque, ‘avenging’ their loss, which they didn’t even suffer themselves. Many ‘brothers and sisters’ got slaughtered and raped and many ministers filled their vote banks, and ultimately their pockets. (Is the Swiss Bank holding some sort of a competition for its account holders?)

The 30th of September of the year 2010 saw curfews and ‘bandhs’ in almost all parts of the country, fearing more interfamily riots between my brothers and sisters. The Allahabad High Court gave its verdict on this date. A very courageous move, as it previously lay hanging by a thin, weak thread of communal riots for scores of years. But, call it fortunate or unfortunate for India, the decision was not about punishing the culprits, the who’s who of this genocide, but about the division of that controversial piece of land between the different groups which were fighting for it.

The Rath Yatra, an excuse of an event, was organised by the then BJP chief, L.K. Advani, in Sept 1990. Thousands of kar sevaks had amassed at Ayodhya for the yatra on the 6th of Dec, which is believed to be a pre-planned conspiracy. It was the only way for him to collect such a huge crowd of Hindus in front of the Babri Mosque. Quite expectedly, the Babri Mosque was demolished the same day, by those kar sevaks. The whole country observed massive riots in every part. The question is, was it really worth the losses that we, as a nation underwent for a piece of architecture which, maybe, belonged to the Hindus many centuries back? Is it worth losing 1500 lives and property worth crores of rupees? Is it worth the 1993 Mumbai Bomb Blasts which a few Muslim terrorists did in response to the Babri Masjid demolition? Ayodhya is many hundreds of miles to the north of Bombay, but the rubble from its torn mosque swiftly provided the foundations for the walls that shot up between Hindus and Muslims in Bombay. The divided metropolis went to war with itself; a series of riots left at least 1400 people dead. Those blasts really had rocked the financial capital of India.

A very important question rises in people’s minds, if this topic is pondered upon; why, after the construction of the Babri Mosque in 1527 on the claimed Ram Janmabhoomi, are people trying to fight for that piece of land? Why is it that it took about 460 long years for the people to register a simple fact in their minds, that it’s a mosque there, and it has been there for centuries! Why was it left untouched in the 1947 partition riots? Why did the mosque shine its glory even after the India-Pakistan war? Why suddenly, after almost four and a half centuries, do the Hindu sentiments rise for their sacred Ram Janmabhoomi? Some Hindus and Muslims had hostility for each other in the 16th century, and we suddenly resume that legacy after four and a half, vast centuries?

Is it the sudden rise of religious sentiments? Or is it the gullible junta (the masses), which get manipulated by a few string pulling politicians?

‘“Let the temple come up.” This was the remark by Atal Behari Vajpayee when I asked for his reaction to the destruction of the Babri Masjid one day after the incident’, says Kuldeep Nayar, an eminent Indian columnist. A Television showed a video clip of Vajpayee’s speech, given one day before the demolition, on the 5th of December at Lucknow, with him saying that the ground would be levelled, and a yagna (religious celebration) would be held at that place.

The real politicisation of the issue began when L K Advani decided to stage a Rath Yatra to gather support for the construction of the temple. The Rath Yatra wasn’t a cause, but an excuse for demolition. It was the only way that BJP could have justified the presence of such a huge crowd near the Babri Mosque complex. It was a peaceful beginning headed towards a violent end and specially manoeuvred by the top brass of RSS, VHP and BJP. L.K. Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, the other two BJP leaders, were co-conspirators, and this was general knowledge on December 6, 1992 itself.

The indictment has exposed our polity because all the three ministers came to occupy top positions in the country with Vajpyee as the Prime Minister, Advani as our Home Minister and Murli Manohar Joshi heading the HRD Ministry. That further implies that they were dishonest in taking the oath before taking up the office, which demanded that the office bearer worked for the country’s unity and secularism. The Liberhan Commission has said that they were among the 68 who were "culpable" in taking the country to the brink of "communal discord."

The then Prime Minister, PV Narsimha Rao, could’ve acted before the demolition took place. The proclamation to impose President’s rule was ready a fortnight earlier. The cabinet’s approval was awaited, but no meetings were convened. When the demolition began, there were frantic calls to the Prime Minister, P.V. Narsimha Rao’s office. He was said to be at Puja (prayer) and continued to be at it till the demolition was over. What should one make out of this?

Justice Liberhan, head of the Liberhan Commission for the Babri demolition conspiracy theory, somehow doesn’t mention anything about the span of 17 years between his appointment and the submission of his findings, in his 900 page report. It is a little difficult to digest that the report took 17 years for submission. A sum of Rupees 8 crores had been spent on this commission.

We’ve fallen in a vicious circle today where Hindus and Muslims are retaliating violently. To hit back for these terror attacks, Hindus have also formed many radical groups in the nation. Take the Malegaon blast, or the Samjhauta Express blast by the Abhinav Bharat group, led by Swami Aseemananda and Pragya Thakur, both of who are in custody today. This radicalism is giving tremors to our peace in some or the other part of our country.

India has had many communal riots but there was something different with the Babri Masjid demolition. Unlike partition riots, Godhra riots or anti-sikh riots, which were spontaneous outbursts of religious ideologies and personal hatred, the Babri Mosque demoliton was pre-planned and thoroughly executed by a complete circle of politicians and bureaucrats

While the educated and intellectual lot admits that they don’t care who gets the complex, now also there is huge portion of population to whom this issue matters. The government should abstain from interfering in the working of the court as well make sure the area is neutral. Further politicization of this issue can stretch our democracy to its limits with disastrous consequences.

Musalaman aur Hindu hain do, ek magar unka pyala

Ek magar unka madiralaya, ek magar unki haala

Dono rehte sath na jab tak, mandir masjid mein jaate

Bair badhate mandir masjid, male karati madhushala

- Sri Harivanshrai Bachchan (a quote from Madhushala)

Private Universities - Naked Truth

Shards Of A Breaking Dream-Glass Of A Freshly Admitted University Student

“Yes, I had also, like many others here, come here with BIG dreams and aims. And bluntly speaking, I’m losing the passion and love for the field I used to admire before, and still do up to a certain extent. “

This is what a newly admitted private university student said when asked about his feelings for his university as a fresher.

“My subject teachers might want to brush up their English a bit, and then maybe come and teach us how to write reports or articles in English.”

“Or maybe they should go back home and Google the full form of T.R.P. and then try and teach us about Television and Radio, instead of beating around the bush when faced with a few questions from the students (clearly showing their lack of knowledge of the most basic points of their respective subjects)”, agitation spilled out of another student.

For a student capable of learning much more than what is served here, this environment gets suffocating and frustrating. It’s a blatant means of suppressing or killing a budding Journalist’s pen, or a ready-to-be-groomed surgeon’s scalpel.

‘Nurturing’ someone’s talent is a little more than making them run in corridors to complete registration formalities every other day, even months after the commencement of the term and giving them a raw taste of how the government offices in India might work.

It’s a place where students have to worry more about getting their admit cards generated for the upcoming examinations instead of preparing for the same. It’s a place where a kind suggestion to some teacher is rudeness of the student; expression of a problem regarding the system in the college only means challenging the authorities; expecting some improvement in faculty is like asking for the University President’s private bank account number and pin.

After paying college fees in hundreds of thousands of rupees, is it too much to ask for at least normal education that every child deserves after being promisedby the university? A middle class child attends a private university course in India only with guilt loaded in his heart. His parents can barely afford the high fee, and over that his other expenses mount to peaks. He bears the worst guilt anyone can imagine in a student’s life, and in return, he is expected to stay shut and waste one month of studies in a sports event which completely lacks enthusiasm in the organisers. A mere formality of a sports event, ends with a big bash worth a few crores, and that’s all you get in the name of ‘quality education’. People with big money very conveniently build a 100 acre, technologically advanced, campus for students to ‘study’. By studies, they mean give-us-money-and-we-are-sold.

Blatant corruption!

These universities, in my view, are a little too far from blending modernity with tradition. They need to blend our time and money with education first.

A Fresher's Tongue

New life, new college, new friends, new surroundings, new people, new teachers, new subjects, new this, new that, in short, ALL CRAP! Let me get to the main point! What’s the best part of this college? GIRLS! Yes, they do have the best looking girls on campus! Any guy's dream come true, isn't it? Away from home, in a new place, completely independent, and brilliantly attractive girls where ever you look! Although, some extra cash in pockets would've really helped because let alone dating, just the 'impressing a girl' part can be really expensive at times for us, the guys. I know most of the girls must be thinking that they're not greedy and selfish, and they don't look at a guys pockets and money and blah blah! CRAP! When it comes to dating at those chic restaurants, its MONEY honey.

But obviously, the Gods can't be so kind to us, can they? And hence, there's a small catch, which really disturbs me at times, and many of my friends too. That is, every good looking girl is always walking hand in hand with another guy! Damn!

But the self-consoling part of me never misses a chance to strike back. "What does she see in that guy? I look much better than him! (checking in the mirror) Yeah man! I certainly do! And his hair style? Reminds me of the pigs in the sewers of Delhi! And look at him walk man! He's certainly drunk. Indecent. Not to mention, pathetically cheap and vulgar dressing sense. Poor girl, she missed the chance to be with me." (It's an effective way guys. Try it. I apparently convinced myself to feel sorry for Shilpa Shetty a few months back, when the news of her wedding crashed upon me).

The heart of our university, the canteens. Back home, even a trip to a very normal, not so chic restaurant, meant spending at least 150 Rupees per head. Although here, at the university canteen, a full meal for 50 bucks becomes a luxury. Most of us, unemployed, solely dependent on our parents's money, opt for the cheaper ones. I do that too, and just for the record, I'm a Sindhi. I think that should clear everything. Marwadis, Gujaratis and Sindhis are born with calculators in their heads. We're famous to start looking at the menu card from the right corner, because that's where the prices are listed for every dish. Locate the smallest amount, and then see what's being served at that price.

Once at ‘Le Meridien’ (a 5 star luxury hotel in Delhi), I got really happy, because, like my calculative tradition, I checked out the prices first, without looking at what that was for. I was over whelmed, overjoyed, and extremely delighted to see an option of 'Rs. 85' among all other more than 'Rs. 350'. Embarrassing enough to admit, it turned out to be the cost for 'Extra Cream / mayonnaise sauce'

Life outside college is uninviting. Living alone in my own, rented, room looked so exciting when I was only imagining it. Living in the same room is a completely different ball game. All the guys who try to work out in gyms for hours to build muscles, must devote that time in washing denims; a more effective way, and obviously, it'll earn you your helper's blessings.

We really learn to move out of our cozy shells here. What we used to call a 'worldly' nature, gets induced in us too. Dealing with people, situations etc. with no parents around, just you and your wits, that's what I'm learning here. People with their own vehicles become your friends first. Sounds really cheap and mean, right? It does, and I agree. Even writing about it feels the same way. But believe me, it's a process. That's how it works. Otherwise try spending 100 Rupees everyday (my calculator's on again) just on travelling, your local travel expenses will mount peaks! Darwin reminds me of his theory's unchallengeable existence. Only the fittest shall survive. And fittest reminds me, I stay fit by walking for about 7 kilometers everyday (no exaggeration). Lost a lot of weight too! And there I was, back at home, slogging for two hours in the gym and controlling my diet and still unable to reduce weight nicely. And here, one week into college and Voila! I’m thinner!

I’ve started body building now, in my bathroom! Yes! In my bathroom! It’s an easy process. Starts with the washing of light T-shirts, slowly moves on to shirts, and now I can proudly say that I wash denims. Forearms, biceps, triceps, chest, shoulders, abs; everything getting built. Everyone should try this, their helpers will bless them!

That was just a week into university, and I got to see so much! Don’t know what it has in stock for me for the years to come...

Once a Mumbaikar, always a Mumbaikar.... is it?

The last time I checked, travelling to work in a train compartment filled with the scent of sweat from every pore of every person, and your sweaty arm brushing against seventy other sweaty arms wasn’t a very welcoming idea (at least not so welcoming to me). I have, on several previous occasions, been honored with scathing looks from women for my poor choice of clothing, my hairy forearms etc. But here, I beg them to try and differ with me, for I welcome thoughts that might make me feel optimistic about this too! Here I was, in the city of dreams, the place where business giants and Bollywood stars reside; the place that strikes back after a terrorist attack, stronger and more united than before; the place that makes the lives of a million and ruin that of few more. Yes, Bombay! The place where my cousins had moved torecently, but that certainly wasn’t the whole point of coming to this place was it? In fact, I wasn’t too keen to seeing them again after just a month, I just wanted to catch a glimpse of Deepika Padukone! And there couldn’t be a place better than the city of dreams itself! (Guys! Off with the smile now, we’re trying to be serious here).

My recent trip to Bombay (I’m sorry M.N.S., I prefer calling it Bombay) compelled me to write
about it in my personal diary. After so many discussions with my blog-partner (Siddharth) and others, as you saw in the previous post, I decided to share it on the blog. I’d like to call it ‘the not so glamorous side of Bombay’ for a few reasons that I’ll share now. I remember once travelling in a local train from Kandivalli to Churchgate, one hour of standing rooted in an overflowing train coach with the most ‘inviting’ odours, and if you’re lucky, you’ll get to smell fresh fish from a close proximityand everyone knows how it differs from a well cooked fish-delicacy. Another major problem was my weight which had seemed to have increased a bit. No, I didn’t weigh myself literally, but I felt heavy. And the part that seemed good to ponder over for a little while was that it had nothing to do with my body mass! Yippee! But then why the hell did I feel heavy? I realized this a bit late (as I always do) that my clothes had gained a few extra grams! And for sure it was Bombay’s ‘drenched’ air, which was to be blamed! Horribly humid! Sticky air that made me feel more uncomfortable and irritated!
But I composed myself. Guess why? Deepika…*sighs*

Seized by composure, I started noticing people’s facial expressions. Blank, stressed, fatigued, one smiling face among the 150 and more blank faces. Some people play games on their cell phones for the complete fifty minutes of their journey. The capacity of a train coach is only 86, but at least 100 people, or even 150 at times are onboard. I was taken aback by their concentration. Even though I’m 19, I can’t stare at that small, dimly luminous screen for so long, undistracted, however interesting the game may be.
And Oh! We have to face so many battles in life, don’t we? And one such daily battle that
people fight there is boarding and de-boarding the local trains in peak hours (which usually
extend for 5 hours in the morning and 5 in the evening, practically the whole working day). In the short, 10 seconds halt, more than fifty people de-board and a hundred others get on board and increase the traffic.
Believe me, it is a very exhausting process, and after this, they go to work and slog for eight
hours! Hats off to them! Finished as they are by the end of the day, they still have to go back
home. This might be the only place where a warm bed and hot food seems not so pleasing
because it is preceded by the local train journey.

I needn’t talk about their mental state after this; I am sure you can imagine it. If you really feel
like seeing them more flustered, just add a small quarrel with their spouses in the morning
before they leave for work, and Voila! You have successfully made it, the ‘worst day’ for anyone!
(like all Indians, they have “learnt to live” with it and they deserve some appreciation for that).
The best part is, people from all over the nation are still migrating to
Bombay in search of money, after knowing all this!

This was just a personal opinion and observation. It can be debated endlessly. I merely
attempted to bring our focus to the unquestionable truth, that there is a darker side to glamour
too! And yes for all those people who started empathizing with me while reading this, of course I
couldn’t meet Deepika Padukone.......

Food for thought…

The Two Self Proclaimed Writers....

“An impeccable display of cowardice Mr. Adventure”, I announced and quickly wore a “31 teethed”
smile. It felt as if I had won the American Idol and hence awarded myself with a bite of a “Jumbo chicken
club-sandwich” which looked like a triple-storied apartment. After checking out a girl sitting diagonal to
MY plate, I rolled my eye balls towards my 6-foot tall classmate, Hrishikesh. He sunk into the equally
monstrous chair that he warmed, deep in thought.

If I was provided the remote-control that Adam Sandler owned in “Click”, I would love to
rewind the last fifteen minutes of my life and show you how I had won our latest argument.

15 minutes earlier:

“WHAT? You’re scared of a house-lizard! God! I can’t stop laughing, hahahaha!” roared Hrishikesh with laughter.
“Oh man come on! So what? God made such creatures in order to remind us that we shouldn’t judge
anyone according to their size! Even a small lizard can scare the shit out of you… that’s the whole point
of nature man, to respect everything!”, I declared and tried to hide my smirk. I didn’t plan to utter
a word of what I had blurted out a just now . Maybe I said this nonsense in order to defend
my dignity, even I was ashamed of my reaction after seeing that little reptile, but I couldn’t help it.

“Oh! Hahahahahaha! Superb sense of humor! Hahahahahaha! Oh God!” He continued to make
fun of me.

“Ok that’s it.” I gathered the scattered shards of my self-respect now. “Mate, you think you are really brave, eh? You can’t generalize one event and label me a coward!”, I continued.

“Objection My Lord! I am not generalizing it. In fact I should have said this before! You are scared of
heights, of a mere domestic reptile which even a 2-year old can scare away, you don’t drive a car above
50kmph and on top of that you are not even ready to come paragliding with me and are even scared to
ask a girl out you like! Shall I call you Superman now?” He said that with the most irritating smirk of the Milk Way.

“You repeated one point though…fear of heights and paragliding are the same.” I declared a little sheepishly, and after a little pause both of us burst into laughter.
“And in that case you are also a coward.” I continued.
“Me? Why me?”

“You are going to do a course in journalism and all, aren’t you? You write your shitty-romantic poems, articles and stuff…but you are not even ready to put that in public! Ha! What a journalist in the making! I know your scene man; you WANT TO EDIT A NEWSPAPER which no one else reads, so that you’re not laughed at! Hahaha!” I straightened up with new dynamism; I seemed to be winning this argument now.

He didn’t utter a word, he couldn’t. I thought he was really questioning himself like a depressed and lost person does in Bollywood films with low pitched violins playing in the background, “Am I really scared? Why am I so scared to put my material in public! I am an aspiring journalist! And he is an aspiring engineer! Then why don’t I have the balls to do what he does?”

Yes! That’s what happened fifteen minutes back! Welcome back to Hrishikesh’s public display of
cowardice.

“That was one hell of a provocation. But if it is so, let us do it then.” Gathering all the courage could, he declared.
“Hmm…alright then. Let’s put our respective stuff on a blog and satisfy our inner J.R.R.
Tolkiens and Khushwant Singhs”, I exclaimed.
“Yeah! Yes man! Let’s do it”, and Hrishikesh was enthralled. Maybe he only heard the names I took towards the end of my speech. Maybe he really thought that I felt he had a Khushwant Singh inside him, which I doubt.

But deep down inside even I didn’t know what we were heading towards… what am I supposed to do on
this blog? I know people just share their experiences or write about nearly anything, but were we really
ready for this?
“What will it be called Mr. Schumacher?” he asked me.
“How about www.thelogicbrigade.blogspot.com ?” I asked him for his suggestions about it.
After a lot of ‘pretentious’ pondering, he uttered “Sounds good…”
Writing an article a month was fine, but writing weekly or more often seemed scary… scarier than the Tushar Kapoor‘s films (maybe it’s a double S in his name, who cares). So we thought that we’d put an end to this and start with it, I am sure no one shall ask us to write more after reading our blog. Hrishikesh thinks differently. He said people might even delete us from their Facebook profiles!

That was Siddharth’s say people, an established story teller (a little exaggerated stories at times). Believe me, I’m not THAT scared of publishing my stuff, although this is admittedly my first attempt. We’ll try to be diverse this time. Not everyone likes talking about cricket and social issues, we know that.

The only thing common about us is our interest in writing and nothing else. So I was even more excited,
we can together write about things we couldn’t earlier, individually. I am not much into music but he
is, he doesn’t watch many movies, but I do. I prefer non-fiction to his fiction. Do visit the blog, your encouragement and criticism will lead us to betterment as it always has.
PS- Others are also allowed to post anything interesting they want to share with everyone; about your
college fests, your boring homework schedule, power cuts or the vegetables your mother force fed you today! (Even I hate green vegetables, junk food rocks!)

The Logic Brigade