Urdu school children protest Dalit woman cook

Just a few days back I had written about the casteism among Indian Muslims. Now comes this news from a Government Urdu school in Bihar where the children refuse the mid-day meal because the new cook in the school is a Dalit woman.

We are Muslim and won't eat food cooked by Harijan', said Rozi Khatun, 13, a student. Of course, the children didn't have much idea. Rather it was their parents who made their children, stop eating and protest the move to let a Dalit manage the school kitchen.

The school is in Amri village of Rohtas district. After the reports appeared in media, ADM Dr Ram Narayan said that the officials will go there and persuade the local residents. The parents maintain that earlier there was the Muslim cook but now a Dalit woman was cooking the food, which was not 'justified'.

It's astonishing indeed but a fact that Muslims are casteist in their own right. From urban Indian mindset we may find it shocking but it is a reality in rural areas in caste-ridden North India. So much about chanting 'ek hi saf meN khaDe ho gaye Mahmood-o-Ayaz, na koi bandaa rahaa na koii banda-navaaz', the hyprocrisy becomes evident here.

Voting for SC/ST candidate is fine as it may work politically but on social level it suits many Muslims to treat the marginalised sections with the same contempt which sections of upper castes have towards the Dalits. After all, it is always good to ears when you say 'Pandit Ji' and he replies 'Khan Sahab' or 'Miyan Ji'.

Two years back I had written a post on the 'Hindu Khana' and 'Muslim Khana' in Bihar. For policemen the food is still prepared separate in accordance with their religion. Click to read the post.

Also, a post on Casteism among Muslims. Click.

Power-less in UP: Hand-held 'pankha' & battery fans

Uttar Pradesh is the biggest state in the country in terms of population and nearly 20% of Indians live in this state, which has the most fertile land and has rivers like Ganga, Jamuna, Gomti and Ghaghra.

But it is probably the only state in India where the 'pankhas' (hand-held fans) sell in lakhs every year. Except Mayawati's hometown, the small Badalpur village, there is no other town that can boast of regular electricity supply.

When Mulayam Singh Yadav was the Chief Minister, his village Saifai was the VVIP Town for the Electricity Board officials. The State capital Lucknow and Rampur, which Mohammad Azam Khan represented, were two other places that had a comparatively better power supply than other districts.

But the day Mayawati took over the reins of the state, a newspaper report quoted a senior functionary of the Board that the VVIP status was now conferred to Badalpur, leaving Saifai in near permanent darkness. Lucknow, the State capital, gets a slightly better deal than other districts. As Mayawati's chief advisor Satish Mishra hails from Kanpur the status of the City has also gone up.

Rest it is all dark in UP. In cities like Benares (Varanasi), the boards at the reception of hotels, say it all. The visitors are asked not to expect electricity during the day and only in the night, the electricity would be supplied through generator.

In rest of the country, the situation isn't as bad as in UP. Where else you will see generators of all possible kinds, outside every shop in the markets. Even inverters have lost their utility. After all, they can store electricity only when there is electricity. But when there is no power for days, inverters can't work. So it's generators working on government-subsidised cooking gas, diesel, petrol, kerosene and the latest innovation--the battery-run fans.

The picture on the right shows a fan that works on battery. The blades of the fan are lighter and at least the family members can get some relief in the night and have peaceful sleep after braving the entire day without power. In millions of households that can't afford them, the hand-held pankhas are used by sweating men and women to beat the heat.

It is foolish to expect industrialists to come here when there is such paucity of power. In villages the situation is worse. For days there is no power and even if it comes, the voltage is so bad that nothing can work.

Neither tube wells nor motors can work. Farmers use age-old techniques for irrigation. And for electricity, a unique 'katcha bulb' that only works on low voltage, works. It explodes if the voltage goes up.

In areas represented by a strong legislator or the MP, the power supply is slightly better but it can't be more than 8-10 hrs in every 24 hrs. The difference in power production and it's demand is nearly 50% of the electricity that is generated in the state.

No wonder, the 'haath ka pankha' remains a must in most houses. For the rest of India, especially the Western and Southern regions, the sight of people drenched in sweat and using the 'pankha' could come as a shock.

Ironically, Kanpur was probably the first town in India to have street lights during the British rule. And this City that was once growing so fast that it was often termed as fifth metro of future in the decade of 70s, is now a redundant urban agglomeration of nearly 3 million where factories and tanneries have closed.

Either it's Congress, BJP, SP or BSP, each political party has exploited the electorate of Uttar Pradesh over the last 20 years when the Arun Nehru-Rajiv Gandhi combine brought Ayodhya to the centre stage and the politics of caste and religions swept all real issues aside.

Science to Superstition: Controversy as presidential candidate Pratibha Patil 'speaks to spirit'

The Presidential candidate Pratibha Patil in a public function at Mount Abu on June 14, said that she spoke to a man who died 38 years ago.

Surprisingly, she had attended the function at the 70th anniversary of establishment of Prajapita Brahmakumari Ashram, in her capacity as Governor of Rajasthan

Still she went on to say that 'she had conversation with Lekhraj Baba through Daadi Hriday Mohini.

In front of a gathering, Pratibha Patil, said that Lekhraj Baba's spirit (aatma) came into the body of Hirday Mohini and spoke to her. It has only caused further embarrassment for the Congress and the UPA as Pratibha, who is all set to head the nation in 21st, seems to believe in 'occult' and spirits.

Belief in religion is a different thing but superstition and more so, airing these views in public function, from a public figure is surely alarming. Shivraj Patil was rejected as candidate also because he is a firm believer in Sathya Sai Baba (Leftists had reservations on his uncompromising belief).

Visiting shrines of various religions is not an issue in a pluralistic society but such statement coming from the Prez candidate is definitely a cause of concern. Time and again Pratibha has landed in controversy.

First, the statement over purdah, then the alleged murder allegation on her brother and two other controversies including the allegation that her sugar factory owed crores to cooperative bank in Maharashtra and another issue over land in her native town.

TV Channel Jan Mat showed the footage on Monday. Communists may also get uncomfortable with such views. And Bhairon Singh Shekhawat's chances may brighten a bit. It must have been a jolt for him when Shiv Sena decided to support Patil.

Hindutva takes a back seat for Shiv Sena, Marathi first!

So the 'Apla Manush' seems to have relegated Hindutva. After all, Uma Bharti had cautioned Bal Thackeray about Patil. She had reminded him that Patil was against the Hindutva cause as she had returned the 'anti-conversion bill' as Governor of Rajasthan. So who is the greatest champion of Hindutva? Thackeray has shown that for him regionalism is foremost.

Muslim world's response on 'Sir' title to Salman Rushdie: Excessive importance, attention given to knighthood?

The photograph on the left shows Muslims in Lucknow, registering their protest against knighthood to Salman Rushdie.

Is it an attempt to provoke Muslims? And is knighthood important enough for people to get angry. It is an outdated concept.

Britain, a former imperial power, is also neither an important nation, nor the honours given by the 'Queen'.


Neither it is the Nobel prize nor any honour given by an international platform or organisation like United Nations. Meanwhile, why can't Muslim nations start some really good awards and titles for writers, activists, academicians, scientists and pioneers in other fields.

This way they can honour deserving persons both from West and the East, which would be a much better way to tackle such situations. More than 50 Muslim nations, many of them quite rich, but none seems to have an idea about what good PR is.

 I really don't understand this outrage over the outdated 'Sir', this colonial hangover. yeh angrez maai-baap hain kyaa hamaare! Still, if you are angry or offended. It is better to sign protest letters, rather than the images of people protesting on streets, unnecessarily giving it undue importance.

Mercifully we haven't seen such protests in India on this occasion except in parts of Kashmir. That's why I like this photograph. Meanwhile, on the entire issue, Mohib has written a beautiful piece at IndianMuslims.in here.

Dalit Urdu writer Jayant Parmar's poem against Manu, caste system

"Manu*, some day I would hang you by the neem tree in front of my house, totally bare

I will tear apart your veins to see how much blood of my ancestors you have drunk..."

I have done a loose translation of the initial lines of Jayant Parmar' nazm. The whole Nazm in Hindi, Roman and Urdu can be read here.

ek na ek din ghar ke aage/neem kii shaakh pe
nangaa karke latkaa dunga tujhko Manu...

The poet challenges the caste system and goes on to say, 'I have learnt to fly like falcon/leap like leopard and made words my weapon.

It is very rare to find a Dalit voice in Urdu poetry. For living languages it is necessary that their literature should represent voices from various cross-sections of the society. There is a tradition of Dalit poetry in Marathi and now in Hindi and some other regional languages also.

Urdu has no dearth of Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Christian, (even Parsi) poets, there is probably no Dalit voice. And here lies the reason why Jayant Parmar becomes such an important poet. This particular verse is quite popular and has been translated in various languages.

His ghazals are also different and in short 'bahar'. He recited a few ghazals and nazms. But I found him an introvert and a very private person. In Shabkhoon, Parmar was published regularly. Recently another renowned Urdu poet, Chandrabhan Khayal, has written a Dalit ghazal.

As far as I remember he had written a Nazm on the desecration of Wali Dakhni's grave in Ahmedababd during the riots in 2002. Generally Urdu poets readily Nazms, qitas and ghazals on every occasion ranging from tragedies to triumphs but there is less focus on such social issues in Indian Urdu poetry.

That's a healthy sign for Urdu language and literature.

Later addition to post:

Here is the translation by Riyaz Latif, which I found at urdustudies.com:

One of these days,
Manu,
in front of the house,
on the branch of a neem tree,
stripping you naked,
I will hang you.
Tearing out your veins
I will see
how much of my ancestors' blood
yo have consumed--
One of these days
I will flay your skin.
You decreed we should serve
Brahmins, Kashtatriyas and Vaishyas.
You inscribed the fate of Chamar, Bhangi and Chandal
Stay outside the precincts of the village!
Eat from broken vessels!
Here, even the buffalo is a wise pundit;
even a donkey partakes of holy Ganges water!!

But are you aware?
I have now learned to soar like a falcon;
to spring like a tiger;
to use words as weapons..

One of these days
I will flay your skin
and hand it back to you!
In the same way
you stripped my father naked and struck him down

[It is believed that Manu had penned the 'Manu Smriti', which codified the 'varna-ashram' caste system and also legitimised the status of Dalits and women in the society.]