From the pages of partition

Following is an excerpt from "Themes in Indian History". 

This is a real life experience of a Muslim person during the partition narrated by a Hindu.

During my visits to the History Department Library of Punjab University, Lahore, the librarian, Abdul Latif, a pious middle- aged man, would help me a lot. He would go out of his way to do my work. I found his attitude to my work so extraordinary that one day I could not help asking him, "Latif  Sahib, why do you get out of your way to help me so much?"

Latif answered " I...I mean, my father belonged to a small village in Jammu. This was a Hindu-dominated village and Hindu ruffians of the area massacred the hamlet's Muslim population in August 1947. One late afternoon, when the Hindu mob had been at its furious worst, my father discovered he was perhaps the only Muslim youth of the village left alive. He had already lost his entire family in the butchery and was looking for ways of escaping. Remembering a kind, elderly Hindu lady, a neighbour, he implored her to save him by offering him shelter at her place. The lady agreed to help my father but said, ' Son, if you hide here, they will get both of us. This is of no use. You follow me to the spot where they have piled up the dead. You lie down there as if dead and I will dump a few dead- bodies on you. Lie there among the dead through the night and run for your life towards Sailkot at the break of dawn tomorrow.'

My father agreed to the proposal. Off they went to that spot, father lay on the ground and the old lady dumped a number of bodies on him. An hour or so later a group of armed Hindu hoodlums appeared. One of them yelled, 'Any life left in anybody?' and the others started, with their crude staffs and guns, to feel any trace of life in that heap. Somebody shouted, " There is a wrist watch on that body!" and hit my father's finger with the butt of his rifle. Father used to tell how difficult it was for him to keep his outstretched palm, beneath the watch he was wearing, so utterly still. Somehow he succeded for a few seconds until one of them said ' Oh, it's only a watch. Come let us leave, it is getting dark.' Fortunately, for Abbaji, they left and my father lay there in the wretchedness the whole night, literally running for his life at the first hint of light. He did not stop until he reached Sailkot."

" I help you because that Hindu mai helped my father. I am simply returning my father's karz, his debt". 

Partition was a painful experience for all. I fail to understand how those who had lived more or less harmoniously for generations inflicted so much violence on each other. 

67/70

67/70, I think it is the best way to put it and easiest way for anyone to guess it! Yes, I am talking about AAP's landslide victory in the Delhi Assembly polls. This verdict came as a surprize to all:

 To BJP, the most, who were conferred  the highest share in the exit polls. So, this low(3seats) was more a shock rather than a surprize.

To Congress, atleast they would not have expected a Zero.

To AAP, they would not have imagined above fifty. 

To Indians from other states, who were carried away by the Modi wave.

To Delhiites, that they all thought the same.

Well, why I call this as a surprise is, because of the persistent Modi wave across the country, it was quite obvious to see the same result in Delhi as well. Here we need to understand what changed the Delhi's political dynamics.

First and foremost, the deliberate delay in conducting Delhi polls even after continuous reminders from the SC proved a strategic mistake of BJP. This delay which was supposed to enrich the BJP hegemony over Delhi actually gave immense time to AAP to reestablish itself. 

Second, BJP's campaigning was centered around giving ratings to Kejriwal's act of resigning ("bhagoda") rather than on the local issues. AAP tactfully took advantage of it and began its campaigning with an apology for the resignation and concentrated on the local issues.

Third, when the 49 days of AAP were compared with the performance of BJP so far, people found that BJP can only make noise with no effective measures for implementation and AAP , on the other hand, atleast had brought down their electricity bills in 49 days. This thought got a boost when AAP presented the white paper along with its manifesto.

Indeed, AAP's landslide victory has demarcated a new turn in Indian politics, submerging the national parties. It has changed the perception of politics among the youth. It is seen as a great inspiration for the regional parties. It has also initiated a new way of campaigning like human banners, auto rickshaw posters and Flash mob which are cost effective and innovative. 

Although, great challenges lie in front of AAP, significantly, support from the centre in accomplishing their target.

Good luck to AAP!

Indo-Pak Cricket War

"Indo-Pak", a word that creates a lot of buzz among masses whenever associated with cricket.

With the announcement of an India vs Pakistan match, the sense of enthusiasm that instills among the Indians and Pakistanis is undoubtedly different and stronger than even a world cup final match between India and some other country. On the day of the match, from a teenager to a senior citizen, every eye is glued to the TV set. This is the charm of the Indo-Pak match!

But have you ever pondered as to why do we get so much involved in this match? What do we achieve from this?

What I mean to say is that it is so logical that even if we lose, nobody from Pakistan is going to come and humiliate us nor do we remain in touch with them that such that it will affect our life in anyway.

I know if our country wins, it would be a matter of pride but why do we associate it with an anti-Pakistan feeling and where does this feeling go when India plays against some other country say, England, who ruled us for 200 years?

Why is it that Pakistan is so obsessed with Kashmir (which was never its territory) and not with Bangladesh (which was erstwhile "East Pakistan")? I think the Kashmir-dispute is more of an ego conflict rather than a land conflict.

I know Kashmir is still a reason of rift between the two countries but it is meant to be dealt on the border, not on the cricket ground.

Sometimes this patriotism can lead to some violent consequences because this has a slippery slope, people have no control over their feelings of Indo-Pak turning into a Hindu-Muslim rage.

Imagine a locality where Hindus and Muslims coexist. After Pakistan wins the match, there is some discussion in the locality and two persons from these ethnic groups slip into a verbal argument over the performance of the Indian team and the Muslim person takes the side of the winning team i.e. Pakistan. Now, this has the potential of erupting riots in that area.

I'm not asking you to shed your enthusiasm for the match but just want you to focus it on winning and not on defeating Pakistan on the grounds of humiliation. We should move ahead of this cheap patriotism and make our coming generations free from these prejudices.

A Ramp to death

Out of the total number of people who die unnaturally, a major proportion comes from road accidents.
I am sure this logistic is not something that you might have come across for the first time but the irony is that we have never taken it seriously. But why?
What bothers me is that people don't want their own safety, something absolutely absurd!
Most of the accidents I inspected, had the following causes-
First, "NEGLIGENCE"- either of the two involved in the accident. Now the question is why people are negligent? Because they are never asked to be alert. Tell me how many of us, when started to learn to drive, were introduced to roads as a serious element? Apart from explaining the traffic rules, it is never inculcated in us to follow them in every circumstance. And just stating it as an instruction does not serve the purpose.The backdrop against the instruction also needs to be explained, like if you drive at the wrong side, how difficult it will be for the person coming at a high speed to balance a sudden encounter.

Second, the teenagers think of roads as a "RAMP" to showcase their automobiles, flaunting their speed and beautiful faces, impressing the crowd who would not even notice the person who is driving. Why do they risk their life for such an immaterial and illogical happiness? I know peer-pressure is profound but not unavoidable if the person is smart enough to distinguish between what is right and what is not.

I blame it on the upbringing. If they were made aware of the consequences of even one wrong move on the road, they would have been more alert while driving.