An Iranian Exile in Sambhalpur

Harish Gee, any plans to turn these essays into a book someday? I think its good idea and sure it has cross your mind.

“and for the tabloid size paper that meant a day’s entire coverage was to be recorded in The Daily as a 600-word story.
The chief reporter chose me as the executioner of the worst editorial decision”

After reading this long reportage/travelogue, I must say that you did not use that training well! :)

It took me awhile to read this but I am glad I did. Traveling hundreds of miles on the back seat of a bike is not my idea of fun especially in India, where road conditions are horrible. India highways are nothing more than one lane roads shared with all kind of vehicular or animal driven traffic.
Before reading this travelogue, I knew nothing about Orissa. Therefore, I did some Google search. Lo and behold! I find out that this Indian state is number two, right behind Gujarat in experimenting and creating a model for ``Hindu Rajya”.

When I begin to read about communal problems and how RSS/VHP/BJP are working to create the model for Ram Rajya, I begin to think that all this talk of liberalism, progress, development, IT development and manufacturing is confined to a very small section of Indian union. Rest of the country is still mired in age-old prejudices and most of the talk about secularism is total BS. It is time that Indians begin to face the reality and do some introspection about this unparalleled bigotry in their society. A society that shuts out a major portion of its population from the economic progress, ignores and in India’s case, accepts bigotry at the highest level, despite all the big talk would eventually lose it. The USSR is the closest example of the gross negligence of basic human rights and despite their tall claims about humanitarianism, equality, and justice for all, they refused to look right under their nose and eventually lost one of the greatest movements in the history of mankind.

“Your god has no eyes. He cannot have a soul. Your god is violent, just like you are.’ A Hindu neighbour charges Hasina Begum. With her technician husband, Hasina`s is the only Muslim family in a housing society in a small town in Orissa. They relocated in 2003. Hasina and her husband are isolated with few acquaintances in the area. Geeta, a Hindu woman, befriended Hasina only to be confronted by others about such association with Muslims. Geeta slowly withdrew, saying. ‘We like you but we have to live in society here, do we carry you with us, or carry them? What choice do we have?’ Geeta and Hasina do not speak any more.”


The story of Hasina is no different that a clearly successful businessperson. Taraz is also cognizant of underlying dangers of living in a so-called secular society.

“But Taraz’s was a very delicate position. I did not think his Bahaism would be a strong enough fig leaf to protect him from Hindu rioters were a riot to happen in Sambhalpur. And his alliances with the secular, educated elite, and his leadership role in furthering a progressive worldview would expose him to the orthodoxy of enemies like the VHP. His religious identity that was so amorphous would make him an easy and soft target.

…Taraz would be the first enemy among the Hindu secular bulwark of Sambhalpur. Others would have their Hinduism to save them, but Taraz?”

Then I also read the story of a small Muslim village that has been surrounded by the Hindu villages and Muslims and their women are fearful of their lives, honor and property every moment of their lives.

“Subash Chouhan, state convenor for the Bajrang Dal, the paramilitary wing of Hindutva, claims, ``In the country, Orissa is the second Hindu rajya [state].”

“Today, the annual Jaganath Yatra and other Hindutva organised religio-nationalist spectacles continue across the state. Muslims, and adivasi and dalit groups connected to self determination movements in dissent to the Sangh Parivar, are afraid as thundering mobs engulf their villages.”


How could a society allow this kind of perversion and terrorism?

Dear Mr. Harish Nambiar:

This piece is so beautifully written! You seem to really excel when you are “musing” instead of describing events.

Journalists, like most other folks, tend to block out unpleasant facts and thoughts, especially those they feel helpless about. Unfortunately, the nature of the job demands facing those same facts repeatedly.

On a lighter note, why do I suddenly get the feeling that many Chowkees (including perhaps myself) who were rather harsh on your last piece have developed cold feet, and are in fact suddenly, rather uneasily checking out the same feet for possible moistness, now that we understand what you do to them “in mind”!

P.S. I STILL feel very suspicious of your friend Rohan. The guy is not only into womanizing and boozing, he also appears to be quite devious. If I were you, I would dump him like a hot potato, that is, unless HE is paying the bills, in which case I would wait till he is finished doing what he is doing so well!

Sincerely,
BeeJay.

harish:

yaar you guys have more tokens than the other side!

as a writer the headlights are on here;)

rgds

t