The never ending conflict

The doctor who treated a sixteen year old boy

Recently released from an interrogation centre asked,

‘Why didn’t the fortune tellers predict

The lines in his palms would be cut by a knife?’

 

-Agha Shahid Ali

 

Basharat Peer’s Curfewed Night (Random House India,2009)  had been lying on my book shelf for some time but  I kept postponing  reading it. Then came Vishal Bhardwaj’s ‘Haider’ (an adaptation of Hamlet,set in Kashmir)followed by all the controversy about the depiction of armed forces in the film. After watching the movie (which has been co-scripted by Basharat Peer) I just could not resist reading the book any further. And I am glad I finally decided to pick it up. It was a pleasure to read it. As expected those who have seen ‘Haider’ will find a lot of scenes from the book reflecting in the movie including the infamous torture scenes in the curiously named interrogation centre Papa-2.The author was born and brought up in a village in the district of Anantnag in Kashmir. When militancy tore apart normal life in Kashmir, he was sent off to Aligarh where he completed his graduation and then moved to Delhi enrolling himself in the law faculty of Delhi University with the plan to prepare for civil services as his parents had wanted him to. However, he was more inclined to be a writer and soon found himself working as a journalist for a leading magazine. Well I guess the government’s loss was literature’s gain. After spending a few years in Delhi he felt the need to write about  conflict in his state ( accentuated by the fact that there was absence of any good literature on the same) and decided to return to his parent’s house (who had moved to Srinagar after narrowly escaping a bomb blast) and started putting pen to paper. He travelled extensively in the state meeting old friends, acquaintances and through them interviewed a whole cross-section of the society including survivors from the notorious Papa-2 Detention Centre, surrendered militants, half-widows, relatives of ‘disappeared’ boys and many others who bore the brunt of the atrocities of the armed forces as the battled the home grown and Pakistan sponsored militants with the backing of the draconian AFSPA. As the author slowly peels the layers off the society, we are exposed to more and more of the debilitating effects the years of militancy has had on the people of the valley. Perhaps the most moving encounter is the one with the couple Rashid and Mubeena. The bus in which they were returning after their wedding was stopped by BSF men and before they could realize the bus came under heavy firing. Five bullets hit Rashid and three hit Mubeena. She, along with her bridesmaid was dragged to the mustard field beside the road and raped by an unknown number of BSF  men (‘I could not even remember how many they were. I had lost my senses’). An enquiry was ordered and some soldiers suspended. However worst was to follow. For Rashid’s family and his village, Mubeena was a bad omen for she had brought them misfortune. It is then amazing that the couple survived this horrible incident, thanks mainly to Mubeena’s parents and friends.

In a conflict of this nature, where it is difficult to distinguish between an innocent bystander and a militant (as we saw earlier in the case of  militancy in Punjab ) the worst sufferers are the innocent citizens as they are caught in the cross-fire between the armed forces and the militants. What adds more poignancy to the Kashmir conflicts is that it has taken place in the background of a beautiful landscape and the author’s poetic prose adds weight to the narration of the tragedy. The reasons behind the conflict are  many and  complex and the author briefly touches upon them in the beginning. But in end there can be no denying of excesses committed by the armed forces and a sense of alienation which pervades the population of the state. The militancy has come down in recent times and the state witnessed a record turnout in the ongoing assembly elections but as recent attacks by the militants show, Kashmir will always be on the edge. If at one end of the Kashmir conflict are the innocent residents, at the other end are the Kashmiri pandits who were forced to leave their homes in the valley at the peak of the militancy and many of whom live in pitiful conditions in Jammu and Delhi. The author has an emotional reunion with his school principal, Chaman Lal Kantroo, who now stays in his one room home in Jammu with his family , a far cry from his multiple rooms house in Kashmir. However if you want to read in detail about the displaced Kashmiri Pandits then this may not be the book for you.  I wish that if the author had met a few people from the armed forces, it would have given us a more rounded view. But what I most disliked about the book are the somewhat derogatory and sweeping statements he makes about Muslims habitats in Delhi. Maybe he did not spend enough time in the capital or did not engage enough with Muslims in the city. Maybe since then (the book was published in 2009) his views may have changed. But then this book is not about Muslims in Delhi so we can overlook such minor lapses in an otherwise excellent book.

Delhi is not far

Delhi was once a paradise,

Such peace had abided here;

But they have ravished its name and pride,

Remain now only ruins and care.

- Bahadur Shah Zafar

Last month I read two contrasting books about Delhi. The first one was Twilight in Delhi (Rupa, 2007-first published in 1940) by Ahmed Ali (1910-1994) and the second one was Perpetual city-A short biography of Delhi (Aleph, 2013 by Malvika Singh). The former is already established as a classic and should be on the must read list of anyone who is interested in understanding the history of the heritage city. It beautifully captures the way of life in the erstwhile city of Shahjanabad (what we now call as Old Delhi) in the period before India’s independence. Ahmed Ali (who was one of the four contributor’s to the path-breaking collection of short stories-Angarey which lead to the establishment of All India Progressive Writer’s Association) wrote the book in 1939 and it was first published by Hogarth Press, England with strong support of literary giants like E.M. Forster and Virginia Woolf. And after reading the book it is easy to understand the reason behind their nod. The story revolves around the life of a typical feudal gentleman, Mir Nihal, and his family which stays in a large house in one of the bylanes of Mohallah Niyaryan in Shahjanabad. The  focus is  around the marriage of Mir Nihal’s youngest son   Asghar to Bilqeece against his father’s wishes  and her subsequent succumbing to an epidemic and its aftermath but it is the description and capturing of the finer nuances of the daily life of that era that elevate the book to a classic. Like all classics, its pace is gentle and those used to fast pace narratives would find the going slow. But the key is to persist and soon you will soon find yourself completely absorbed in the trials and tribulations of Mir Nihal and his extended family. At one level, the novel makes you sad as well as post-partition that way of life all but disappeared. There may still be proponents of activities like ‘flying pigeons’ and ‘kite flying’ left in old Delhi but these are more of a novelty now rather than a part of the daily routine as it used to be earlier. The book is interspersed with couplets by masters like Ghalib, Mir Taqi Mir, Bhadur Shah Zafar and Hafiz and this adds to the flavor of that bygone era. Also it is one of the few books which have a description of the procession of coronation of King George in December 1911 when the capital was shifted to Delhi from Calcutta. Mir Nihal sits on the stairs of Jama Masjid and look at the procession coming out of the Red fort lamenting the decline of the Mughal Empire and cursing the ‘Farangis’.

After Twilight in Delhi (TID) ,Perpetual City by Malvika Singh (publisher –Seminar) was a bit of a disappointment. Maybe the disappointment was on account of  comparison with TID at a sub-conscious level or maybe because the  format of the series (~ 125 pages in A5 size) is such that it is difficult  to do full justice to the rich  history of the capital.It is a part of a series of brief biographies of various cities published by Aleph (other cities covered include Caclutta,Bombay,Chennai and Patna) and the author is a well know authority on Delhi (having authored 3 previous books on Delhi).The book is her personal account of stay in Delhi (where her parents moved from Bombay in the 50s) and it begins where TID ends. The author has inter-woven her personal experiences over the years with the changes she has seen in the city and the prominent personalities she met. Being herself an eminent citizen of Delhi (she is married amongst  the  First Families of New Delhi-to the grandson of Sir Sobha Singh who constructed most of the landmark buildings of New Delhi),the book has an upper-middle class skew but still people who have been staying in the capital post the 50 s should be able to identify with the  vignettes of daily life in the city    described in the book (The Steakhouse and the Bookshop in Jor Bagh, Greens caterers , Ginza restaurant  , Super bazaar, MR stores ,Coffee house in Connaught place and not to forget the only bookstore-Galgotias) and how the city gradually changed over the last 50 years.Many of these prominent landmarks disappeared over the time (Super bazaar) but many survived the onslaught of time (The Book shop)  or diversified in a different field (Galgotias) to keep up with the times.Also the flip side it that being from such an eminent family she had access to various official functions of the state including those for visiting foreign dignitaries and to all the political shenanigans and these add  value of the book. I particularly liked her description of the interior of Rashtrapati Bhavan.

So where does Delhi go from here? It is already the leading metropolis in India. It is also a city which is continuously expanding and it is inevitable that we  embrace changes which come along with this growth.But let us not  forget its rich heritage and take all possible steps to preserve the same and make the new generation aware of the legacy they are going to inherit. Towards the end the author writes that “she looks forward to passing on the experiences of her life to her grandchildren, as a counterpoint to all-consuming,cold and impersonal internet of their present and future.Both have a place.The best of both should be exploited and shared.” I could not agree more with her.

CAPITAL

‘Delhi is obsessed with money, it is the only language it understands, and to buy myself out of its vulgarity and its money-mindedness, I need lots of money’- Anurag, ex-businessman 

Frankly, I was somehow too intimidated to pick up any work of fiction (Solo and Tokyo Cancelled) by Rana Dasgupta inspite of all the praise and awards. But since I have developed a penchant for non-fiction and books related to my favorite city -Delhi,  I promptly went for to hear him soon after the formal launch of his first non-fiction work-Capital (published by Fourth Estate, 2014) at one of the leading literary festival being held in the capital regularly over the last few years. As I was approaching the auditorium I saw a respected senior journalist working with the sponsor of the festival coming out of the auditorium and when I told him that I was going to listen to Rana Dasgupta he sarcastically remarked that –‘woh dilli ki history kya likhengay? Unko to abhi 10 saal bhi nahin huay dilli mein aaye huay’ (How can he write a history of Delhi when he has not been here for even 10 years). I just smiled and when he was out of sight, quickly bought my copy and entered the auditorium. The panelists were excellent but unfortunately they never come about to discuss the book. The author himself seemed a bit out of sorts but I somehow managed to get my copy signed. As I started reading the book, the senior journalist’s words kept coming back to me. How much time do you need to spend in a city to grasp its culture, its essence? Can it be quantified? Surely it will vary from person to person depending upon his experiences and sensitivity to the surroundings. Fortunately the book in not a history of Delhi. As it says on the cover that it is ‘A portrait of Twenty-first century Delhi’. Giving a brief background, it brings us face to face with the current reality of the capital with all its anxieties and warts. However the first thing which strikes you about the book is the gorgeous cover (by Aditya Pande). Surely one of the best I have seen in the last one year. Through a series of meetings with a variety of people –Businessmen , IT professionals, entrepreneurs, fashion designers, divorcees, NGO workers, slum dwellers, bureaucrats, drug peddlers and even a godman, Dasgupta tries to make sense of modern day Delhi and what drives it? What is the reason behind the hustle and the tendency for manipulation of rules which have come to define Delhi? The picture which emerges of the city is not pretty. The worst off are obviously those at the bottom of the Pyramid –the slum dwellers, most of whom moved to the city looking for greener pastures and now find themselves  stuck between the false promises of resettlement by successive governments and a past they can’t go back to, having sold their property in the villages. In Bhalswa colony, a slum which is located close to the garbage collection pit in the north of the city there is no water to drink. ’The water in the reservoir is salty. And the groundwater here tastes of acid because of the chemicals from the trash pile seep deep into the ground. It is so toxic that even mosquitoes can’t survive in it. It’s pure acid, and it burns. The kids all have rashes from bathing in it, and the women have terrible inflammations.’

At the other end of the spectrum are the business men who have made most of the opening of the Indian economy in 1991 and now reside in what is popularly called as a ‘farmhouse.’ Nothing is farmed here, of course. They have come to epitomize the lives of the city’s rich and well-connected, whose astonishing parties, car collections, sculpture gardens and loping Australian wildlife would be inconceivable except in the context of such fantastic estates’. However, as any Dilliwala would know the author soon realizes that it takes the right connection and networking (‘At times one can feel, it is true, that this city’s motto is: I network, therefore I am’) to break into the world of these elites. But once he is in, then everything is open. Soon we realize that inspite of all the material comforts they have to face their own anxieties caught as they are between fierce ambitions (Mickey, a businessman, wants to ship farmers from Punjab to work on African plantations he is planning to buy) and failing marriages. In between we meet bureaucrats (‘Delhi is being taken over by contractors who know how to manipulate these systems and bureaucrats are willing to sell themselves because they come from deprived backgrounds’), drug dealers ( ‘Nothing works without drugs in Delhi, so so without me there was no party’),a godman (‘Go away and lead your life. Stop making fun of me’) and victims of negligence of private hospitals (‘They are money machines. They are about revenue maximization, pure and simple’).

Even though the author takes a one-dimensional view at times ,having spent a considerable amount of my life in Delhi I can easily say that most of these things are true and the city keeps you at edge most of the time . However, my love for the city does not diminish. I guess it has something to do with the history of Delhi which has left us with beautiful architecture and so many heritage sites and there is always something new to  explore and  some dedicated groups (like INTACH ,AKT) have ensured that at least a majority of these landmark sites are decently maintained.

Also I recommend that with all the talk regarding cleaning of Yamunna, whoever is involved in the project should read the last chapter of the book where the author travels along the bank of the river with Anupam, a seventy years old resident of Delhi, and they trace the history of the river from the Mughal times to its present status. It is a tragic tale of how the city has turned its back on the river ever since the British came and it has been a downhill journey for the river ever since. It is in our favor that we restore the river to its lost glory on priority and  add to the beauty of the capital.  

Endearing duo

Quirky is the word which immediately comes to the mind when you are reading The Merry Adventures of Harshabardhan and Gobardhan, (Hachette 2014, translated by Arunava Sinha) by the Bengali humorist Shibram Chakraborty. Though intended for children, adults too will enjoy the 20 episodic stories in this collection as the stories are multilayered so while the children would enjoy the crazy misadventures the two main protagonists and the surprise endings, there is a lot which the adults can read between the lines, and obviously enjoy the play of words. The author himself said, “I never considered children as children. I considered them my equal. I treated them as adult friends”. And it reflects in his work. I assume those familiar with Bengali literature (unfortunately I am not!) must be aware of the works of Shibram Chakraborty and his tales regarding the mis-adventures of the two brothers from Assam – Harshbardhan and Gobardhan as they bumble their way through life in Calcutta. Both are simpletons. The elder brother Harshabardhon is married and we often find the two brothers at the receiving end of Harshbardhons wife’s ire. Shibram himself never married and also lived a very simple life (he lived alone in a boarding house in Calcutta most of his life) and I am sure that he built in many of his traits and experiences in the characters and stories of these two brothers. The author also makes and appearance in few of the stories as their friend who tries to get them out of sticky situations. Using pun was Shibram’s strong point (‘My writing is adulterated’) and he has himself very succinctly and aptly described his writing style in one of the stories in this collection. The elder brother, Harshabardhon admonishes his younger brother on finding that he is reading a book by Shibram Chakraborty. “You’re reading that dangerous man’s books? You’ll mix up all your words. You will look for twisted sense of everything. Words will command no respect anymore. One word will have multiple meanings, without rhyme or reason.” No one could have summed it up better. An appreciation is also due to the cover designer of the book. It captures the mood of the book and the colour combination will ensure that the book will stand out in any collection.

Another thanks to Arunava Sinha for continuing to translate classic and contemporary Bengali literature into English and giving exposure of Bengali literature to a much wider audience. He churns out translated works at a blistering pace (my estimate is that every quarter, a book by him hits the bookstores) and over the last few years he has firmly established himself as one of the leading translators, working in the English publishing industry in India. His works include a wide range- from Mani Sankar Mukherji’s Chowraninghee to Rabisankar Bal’s Dozakhnama. Since I am so amazed at his prolificacy, I couldn’t resist asking him (the only time I met him briefly during a literary festival) his secret and his brief reply was ‘It is an addiction’.




Well this is one addiction we can’t complaint about (though someday I would surely like to ask his wife’s opinion on the same!).

Embers

Bhadka rahen hain aag lab-e naghmagar se hum

Khamosh kya rahenge zamaane ke dar se hum

• Sahir Ludhianvi

 

The publication of a book which was instrumental in the creation of one of the greatest literary movement –PWA (Progressive Writer’s Association) in Indian history and was so far unavailable in English language, should call for a big celebration. Hence, the moment I saw the English translation of Angarey (translated from the Urdu by Vibha Chauhan and Khalid Alvi, Rupa, 2014) up for pre-order at one of the more popular e-commerce sites, I immediately placed my order. Originally published in Urdu in December 1932 by Nizami Press in Lucknow ,the book containing nine short stories and a play, was banned within 4 months by the government for insulting the religious sentiments of the people (Doesn’t that sound familiar?). The four young contributors - Sajjad Zahir (5 short stories), Ahmed Ali (2 short stories), Mahmuduzzafar (1 short story) and Rashid Jahan (1 short story and 1 play) however refused to apologize and Mahmuduzzafar even wrote an article ‘In Defence of Angarey’ (April 5, 1933) for the newspaper The Leader. The Press was by and large critical of the book and once the book was banned by the government, all copies of the book were destroyed (set on fire). Undeterred by the criticism Sajjad Zaheer, who had emerged as the leader of the group decided to use literature to challenge the social ills and orthodoxy prevalent in Indian society and went on to form the PWA in 1934 along with Jyotirmaya Ghosh, Mulk Raj Anand and Mohammad Tasir. He received full support for this endeavor from many stalwarts of Indian literature like Premchand and  Maithilisharan Gupt.

Only five copies of Angarey survived. However, the microfilm of the book had been preserved in the British Museum in London and once it was brought to India, the stories were edited by Khalid Alvi (who teaches Urdu at Zakir Hussain College, Delhi ) and the book was re-published in Urdu in 1995. It received tremendous response and has run into several editions since. Why no one thought of translating this landmark book into English since 1995 is something which the publishers need to ponder. However, a chance discussion between Khalid and his colleague at Zakir Hussain college, Vibha Chauhan (who teaches English) laid the foundation for this translation. Both need to be complemented for their effort in translation as well as their concise introduction in the book which gives the reader a background to the significance of the book.

Great literature has often been described as one which transcends time and even though the stories in this collection were written more than 80 years back many of the themes in the stories are still relevant today. Be it the lowly peon Jumman (‘A Summer Night’) or the exploited house help Dulari (‘Dulari’) there will be no redemption for them from their miserable existence. In ‘Heaven Assured!’, Sajjad Zahir has taken on the clergy head on and I am sure this one must have offended the conservatives the most. ‘Masculinity’ and ‘Behind the Veil:A One-Act Play’ are a lament to the poor state of women in our society

The stories also broke new grounds as far the writing techniques in Indian literature were concerned. We see use of ‘narrative techniques like the stream of consciousness and the interior monologue’ and as Nadira Babbar (daughter of Sajjad Zahir) mentions in her Foreword to the book-‘Qamar Rais often discussed the impact that Angarey had on writings of other writers of the PWA like Premchand and Manto’.

Not having read the original Urdu text I won’t be able to comment on the quality of translation but just going by the credentials, I am sure they have done full justice to the original text.

Even as I write my blog, another translation of the book is about to hit the stores (this one by Penguin). So I guess finally the book is going to get a wider readership and recognition it so rightly deserves.

Money Mania

 ‘People can foresee the future only when it coincides with their own wishes, and the most grossly obvious facts can be ignored when they are unwelcome’

George Orwell

All those who have seen Yash Chopra’s films must be familiar with the Tulip Gardens of Netherland where many a heroes of Yash Raj films have serenaded heroines with melodious songs. However, few people would know that tulips are not indigenous to Holland. They were brought to Holland in the late 1550s from the Ottoman Empire (present day Turkey).Though tulips may be easily available in Holland nowadays, it was always not so. When they first reached Holland it sparked off such a mania amongst the local population that it plunged the Dutch economy into a crisis. Initially the prices sky-rocketed but like all bubbles it was only a matter of time before the prices crashed. Such interesting anecdotes starting from the economy of the Roman empire abound in Bob Swarup’s Money Mania-Booms, Panics, and Busts from ancient Rome to the great meltdown (Bloomsbury India) which tries to make sense of various financial crisis  over the ages. It is amazing to read that even though a financial crisis in some form or other have been recurring with regularity right from the beginning of our civilization, we do not learn from these and continue to make similar mistakes again and again. The reason behind this cyclical pattern concludes the author is that at the end of the day, humans are at the heart of any financial institution or social order and it is but natural that any decision taken by a human being would be subject to the cognitive biases which are inherent to human behavior and will always remain so. These include ‘Aversion to ambiguity’, ‘Cognitive Dissonance’, ‘Extrapolation’, ‘Illusion of Control’, ‘Overconfidence’ etc. all of which prevent the human beings from taking a rational and logical decision whenever an opportunity to make money arises. The author obviously has a good grasp of the subject (he is a London based financial analyst who has been on the boards of several hedge funds and private equity firms) and towards the end the author attempts to offer practical solutions to prevent or at least mitigate the effect of any future financial crisis. I am sure many learned men have thought about these steps earlier and may even have implemented a few. But can the implementation of these prevent us from another financial crisis? I am not so sure about it. The book may not appeal to a casual reader but those with a bit of interest in economics or financial markets  or with some basic understanding of these subjects would definitely find this anecdotes laden book interesting and appreciate the insights offered by the author.

Fat Cat

‘Party ‘til the cows come home

Then party with the cows.’

Who else but Garfield could have come up with such lines. I make no bones about the fact that I am an unabashed fan of this fat furry cat whose comic strip is amongst the world’s most widely circulated syndicated comic strips. It appears in more than 2500 newspapers around the world (including The Times of India) and is read by more than 250 million readers in more than a 100 countries. The first strip appeared in June 1978 and even after 35 years, it is still going strong. Garfield related merchandise, books, animated series on television and a couple of Hollywood movies have further strengthened his popularity which cuts across all age barriers.

Garfield's earlier avtaar

Jim Davis (the creator) grew up on a small farm in Indiana (USA) which had around 25 cats of different varieties. Hence, he was well exposed to cat behaviour from an early age and it also helped that his mother was an artist and helped inculcate a desire for drawing from an early age. Jim studied Art in college (he graduated with one of the lowest grades in the history of the university!!) and in his initial years worked for an advertising agency. After two years, he became an assistant to an established cartoonist, Tom Ryan, and picked up valuable tips on producing a daily cartoon strip. During his spare time, he worked on developing his own strip and his first one was based on an assortment of weird insects. Since this found no buyers, Jim decided to try his luck again with a fat, arrogant orange cat called Garfield (named after his grandfather James A.Garfield). Initially it was turned down by newspaper syndicates but then United Media decided to accept it and the rest, as they say, is history. Davis then decided to expand the characters (Jon, the muddle headed owner was obviously there from the beginning) and Odie the dog was the first to be added. Spooky (Garfield’s teddy bear) was next. There was also Jon’s roommate called Lyman but he was dropped in 1983 and has since not been brought back. The look of the characters itself also underwent a change as Jim polished his craft (see photograph above).The last character to be added to the strip was Arlene, Jon’s gap-toothed girlfriend.



Garfield and Family

I am fond of cats and since we had a cat as a pet, while in school, I can see that there are certain characteristics that Jim has caught spot on about their characteristics-arrogance, lazy, greedy and self-centred top the list. Jim has added more zing  by adding some characteristics on his own to the character which have made Garfield so popular – like lasagne –loving, party hopping, exercise hating, coffee guzzling, spider whacking, mouse loving , postman chasing , TV loving and obviously dog  hating   (poor Odie, who is mostly at the receiving end). Apart from the strip in the TOI a large collection of the strips has been brought out in book form by Wisdom tree  in India, However my favourite  is 30 Years of Laughs and Lasagna – The life and times of a fat, furry legend (published on Garfields’30^th birthday by Ballantine books   and distributed by Random House in India). Apart from presenting the best strips from each decade it also features 30 favourite strips of Jim Davis, each accompanied by a brief commentary by Jim which gives an insight into what goes in his mind while he is writing /sketching a new strip. Now let me end with another piece of wisdom from our fat friend

‘Eat and sleep...there must be more to life than that-but I hope not!’

Garfield at his philosophical best









THE STUPID GUY RETURNS

Imagine a Japanese comics artist, with no knowledge of Hindi and a limited knowledge of English deciding to come to India (Delhi) to translate Japanese comics (popularly known as Manga) into Hindi and hoping to convert India into Manga lovers overnight! All this at a shoe string budget and hence  operating from  a small 15 sq. mtr room ( rent  of Rs. 4500 /pm) with a shared bathroom and kitchen. The madness which follows formed the first instalment of the graphic novel titled Stupid Guy Goes to India which was published in 2011 by Blaft Publications Pvt. Ltd. (The original Japanese version was published in 2008 in Japan). By the end of the adventure, he did manage to publish a comic in Hindi but unfortunately there were no takers for it and he had to return to Japan empty handed.

Three years later the author, Yukichi Yamamatsu decides to try his luck again and returns to India with a new strategy to sell Manga comics. (Stupid Guy Goes back to India, Blaft Publications Pvt. Ltd., 2013). After all the disasters first time round, one would have thought the author would have learnt a lesson but he is still determined to make Indians read a Manga (Hindi translation). He now plans to perform Japanese stand-up comic tradition known as Manzai and sell Japanese Udon noodles to attract people. Once he has collected enough crowd he hopes they will buy his translated comic as well.  After a few days in a hotel at Paharganj, Delhi, he moves in to the same tiny room where he had stayed earlier, next door to Surinder and family with whom he had developed good relations last time he was in Delhi. However unlike last time, this edition concentrates more on his efforts and tribulations to translate Manzai and make and sell Udon noodles rather than on translation of the manga which he plans to sell in India (‘Cycle Rickshaw Wale Ki Dukaan’ CRWKD). Most of the action takes place in a slum where he sets up a stall to sell Udon noodles. Does he succeed in his endeavor to attract people to his Manzai act? Do the people in the slum take a liking to Udon noodles? And most important does he finally manage to sell a Manga comic? Read the crazy capers of Yukichi in this second edition to find out the answers. I must add here that the translated comic which he plans to sell in Delhi (CRWKD) itself is very touching and strikes an emotional chord.

However, there is a note of caution too. If you have read a Mange comic before then you will know what to expect but if not then you need to be prepared for some unusual graphics and style. Manga comics tend to have a standard size (like a digest) and a common writer and artist (Yukichi Yamamstsu, in this case).They are usually devoid of colours and are read from right to left instead of the traditional way of reading from  left to right. The emotions are exaggerated which make for some rather loud visuals which may not be appreciated by everyone. Also due to certain graphics I would not recommend this one for kids.

Towards the end, there is a chapter on Yukichi’s experiences with public toilets in India. And considering the fact that he spent a lot of time in slums you can very imagine what to expect. It is however a bit surprising that he spent most of his time in slums and in areas around Paharganj and does not venture beyond Connaught place. Any person reading this in Japan would form a very poor opinion of India and I hope next time Yukichi is in Delhi he spends  some time in better parts of the city to be able to give a more representative picture of India back home.

The Magician

Main pal do pal ka shayar hoon

 Pal do pal meri kahani hai

 Pal do pal meri hasti hai

 Pal do pal meri jawani hai

 

For a long time we did not have much literature available on the iconic film personalities of Hindustani cinema. It is difficult to say what was the exact reason for the same but maybe it had something to do with the reading habits of the people and a general lack of critical analysis of the personalities and films with respect to their social and cultural affect. Things however started to change in the last the 10 to 15 years and now we have a regular flow of books on cinema, though of uneven quality. I think Nasreen Munni Kabir’s Guru Dutt-A Life in Cinema (OUP 1996) was amongst the earliest of serious efforts to document the life of an icon of Hindustani cinema.

Akshay Manwani’s book Sahir Ludhianvi: The People’s Poet (Harper Collins 2013) is a welcome recent addition to the list. A book on Sahir, considered by some to be the greatest lyricist ever of Hindustani cinema, was long overdue. Sahir was already an established poet before he came to Bombay in 1949 (his first collection of poems, Talkhiyan, was published in 1943 to critical acclaim) and from 1951 onwards he wrote songs for more than 100 films till his  death in 1981.His best work was in the 50s and 60s (considered to be the golden era for Hindustani film music). His songs for Pyaasa , Naya Daur (both in 1957) and Phir Subah Hogi (1958) firmly established him as a ‘conscience keeper’ for the common man and went a long way in establishing these movies as ‘Classics’ of Hindustani cinema. However, there was much more to Sahir. Be it a romantic number (Hum aapkee ankhon mein from Pyaasa) or a comic song (Sar jo tera chakraye, again from Pyaasa), a bhajan (Allah tero naam from Hum Dono) or a qawwali (Na to karwan kee talaash hain from Barsaat ki Raat) or a patriotic number (Yeh desh hai veer jawanon ka from Naya Daur) - he excelled in all forms. During his time there was formidable talent writing in Bombay including Shailender, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Shakeel Badaiyuni, Kaifi Azmi amongst many other poets. Still, he was able to hold on his own by his sheer talent and depth of his words. Initially in his career, he formed a hit partnership with S D Burman (Baazi, Jaal, Devdas ) but they fell out after the success of Pyaasa (each claiming credit for the success of the film’s music) but  such was Sahir’s talent that he still went on to give memorable songs with the then  less-established  music directors like Ravi and Khayyam.

Akshay’s well researched book traces Sahir’s life right from his troubled child hood  (his father was a wayward wealthy landlord and Sahir’s mother soon moved out and brought up Sahir entirely on her own) and graduation in Ludhiana and his subsequent movement first to Lahore and then eventually to Bombay after a brief stay in Delhi. Sahir shared a deep bond with his mother and his health started deteriorating rapidly after her death in 1976. He went into a shell (as Yash Copra quotes Sahir, ‘Kuch mazaa nahin aa raha likhney ka’) and never came out of it.

The author has managed to interview a host of non-film and  film personalities who were directly or indirectly associated with Sahir - Dev Anand, Khayyam, Ravi, Javed Akhtar, Ravi Chopra, Ramesh Talwar  and of course, Yash Chopra, a fellow Punjabi and a close friend (as long as Sahir lived, all films directed by Yash Copra had songs by him).

Sahir did not marry but had his share of affairs and heart-breaks. His relationship with Amrita Pritam is well known and the interview with Imroze (Amrita Pritam’s husband) is one of the highlights of the book. In the 70s, the film industry was undergoing a change with the emergence of the angry young man persona of Amitabh Bachchan but yet Sahir-Khayyam duo was able to give us a gem in the form of Kabhi -Kabhi in 1976.The title song is one of my personal favorites and infact introduced me to the magic world of Sahir. Amitabh’s soliloquy (Kabhi-Kabhi mere dil mein khayal aata hai) still gives me goose pimples.

I would have liked the author to ask Sahir’s close associates like Yash Chopra and Javed Akhtar as to what did they do to preserve his legacy(I remember reading a few years back that  his grave in Bombay had been vandalized). Could they have converted his house into a memorial ? Still this is a commendable effort and I am sure will attract a host of new generation fans towards Sahir and his  immortal lyrics. Next I would like to see an English translation of Takhiyan. Will someone oblige?

Kal aur ayenge nagmon ki khilti kaliyan chunnewale
Mujhese behetar kahenewale tumse behetar sunnewale
Kal koi mujhko yaad karhey kyon koi mujhko yaad karhey
Masroof zamana mere liye kyon waqt apna barbadh kare
Main pal do pal ka shayar hoon

Arab Spring

 

Normally I would be very sceptical of picking up a book on the Middle East by a western journalist because often their views tend to be  biased and I guess are designed to cater to their local audience. Not so in the case of Paul Danahar’s insightful book The New Middle East: The world after the Arab spring (Bloomsbury). Paul Danahar was the BBC’s Middle East Bureau Chief from 2010 to 2013 and hence was a witness at close quarters to the startling events which started unfolding in the Middle East starting with Tunisia in January 2011 and then engulfed Egypt, Libya and Syria. Paul devotes a chapter analysing each of these countries, pre and post the people’s revolution and also looks at Iraq, Israel and the American Middle East policy and its implications in details in separate chapters. It is quite evident that the way the dictators of these countries had been brutally suppressing   their own people in the past (Be it Ben Ali of Tunisia or Muammar Gaddafi of Libya) this revolution was waiting to happen and it only need a spark for ignition. The spark   was provided by the death of a fruit seller in Tunisia who immolated himself on 17^th December 2010 after being repeatedly harassed by govt officials for bribe. He died on 4 January 2011 and ‘the old Middle East died with him’. The most remarkable thing about the overthrow of the dictator in Tunisia was that it was accomplished without any bloodshed or any external intervention. Alas, the same cannot be said of other countries caught in this awakening. Militia are still calling the shots in Libya, Syria is in the throes of a civil war with mounting causalities and Egypt is again facing a crisis after the recent coup by the Army.

The author traces the history (right from the inception of each of the state) of each country and offers a detailed political and social analysis of their society right upto 2013 including the reasons for the revolutions and what the future holds. As Jason Burke says in the blurb, ‘Anyone interested in the Middle East, its present, past or future, should read this book’.

I particularly found the chapter on Egypt very interesting. Two major forces (The Muslim Brotherhood and the army) have had a strong effect on every aspect of the Egyptian society since long and it is the tussle between these two that will continue to shape the future of Egypt. Both these organisations have been led by some amazing people in the past-Nasser and Sadat for the Army and Al-Banna (founder of Muslim Brotherhood) and Sayyid Qutb (described by some as the intellectual grandfather to Osama Bin Laden and his fellow terrorists’) for the Muslim Brotherhood. Knowing the details about their lives makes for a fascinating read. Muslim Brotherhood came into power in the elections held after Mubarak was forced to resign in 2011.However, after only a year the army is now back in power after a coup and even as I write , both are locked in a bloody duel for power.

Paul is very scathing in his criticism of the US in the chapter dealing with Iraq and rightly so. The country is still paying a heavy price (more than 1 lac Iraqi’s have lost their lives since the war was officially declared over by President Bush) for USA’s inept handling of the post Saddam era (‘The invasion of Iraq was a military success. The occupation of Iraq was a disaster’) which has lead to frequent clashes between the Shia and Sunni communities. The shocking behaviour of the American soldiers at Abu Gharib prison further alienated the Iraqi public. It is however  surprising that  the author makes no mention of his home country, Britain, which blindly (remember how Tony Blair was often referred to as George Bush’s poodle!) went along with all of USA’s disastrous decisions in Iraq. Surely they need to take their part of the blame.

You may find the chapter on Israel a tad lengthy as Paul delves deep into the Israeli society to understand the divisions within the society. However, it is clear that whatever may be the fault lines in the Israeli society, there does not seem to be any solution in sight for the contentious Palestine issue. The Obama administration does not trust the right wing Israeli Prime Minister, Netanyahu and vice-versa. Mahmud Abbas is getting nowhere with his conciliatory approach whereas Hamas, with its aggression, continues to get stronger in the Gaza strip. Also Paul seems to go soft when it comes to highlighting the atrocities committed by Israeli Army against the Palestinians. However, this seems to be a minor hiccup in this otherwise comprehensive book on understanding the recent changes in the Middle East.