Category: Columns

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Overdose

Help save Mumbai

A Mumbaikar makes a fervent plea for all of us to be more involved in saving Mumbai, our home city.
Jatin Sharmaby Jatin Sharma | @jatiin_sharma on Twitter

Mumbai…

We have always spoken this name with a positive emotion.

The city’s name invokes a great sense of pride in the minds of those who live in it. Others swear by its spirit, its bravery, its innate humanity.

But if we’re so proud of the city, why are we murdering it?

Mumbai is being killed in bits and pieces by those who felt they were its legal custodians. They wanted to claim first rights to its guardian of a city that they never made in the first place. We have so many guardians now that everyone has been killing it slowly and softly. From the real estate mafia to the babu taking bribes under the table, to the politician diverting funds meant for the city’s improvement to his own bank account, this city is now reduced to a shell of its former self.

Over the years, the sentiment of Mumbaikars has changed from “I love this city!” to “I love this city’s people!” Because that spirit is still intact. Everything else is just falling apart. The city is now just a facade that tries hard to show that it is still as fabulous as it used to be. The middle class of this city is still its middle class – in the current atmosphere of inflation and corruption, it can hope to do no better – when it could easily count as the upper middle class in other towns, even other metros.

The filth we see all over the city refuses to abate. The hardworking citizen is still part of an unwanted sandwich in local trains, the sincere Mumbaikar is still mocked at by the real estate prices in the city. Over two and a half lakh houses have been unsold in the city for about two years now, but still the builders will not lower prices as it would result in a huge real estate crash. And how would they recover the money they’ve pumped in to build those homes, plus the bribes they’ve paid to get the requisite permissions?

But this is not somebody else’s problem. It wasn’t just ‘other people’ who ruined the city. We did, too. In earlier years, we could get away by saying, “We didn’t know these problems existed.” But now there is an unprecedented amount of activism, news reaches us the moment it happens. There is no excuse to “not being aware” any more. Sure, most activism these days is driven by agenda. But not everything people do is driven by commercial interests. When we circulate Facebook messages about a lost senior citizen in Mumbai and discover that widespread sharing helped find the person, there is no commercial agenda driving it. When we share pictures of men harassing women travelling in public transport and get them booked, there is no commercial agenda driving it. When we band together as citizens to save the Aarey stretch, where is the commercial interest for us?

Today, Mumbai’s largest green tract, the Aarey zone, is facing an enormous problem. In a city fast losing its last vestiges of green, the trees in Aarey are going to be chopped. We have had many parks, many open grounds forcibly taken away from us by the corrupt. Isn’t it time we banded together to claim our city?

And if you think, “Why should I bother about Aarey?”, I have just one reply: You should bother because you are losing your city.

Jatin Sharma is a media professional who doesn’t want to grow up, because if he grows up, he will be like everybody else. ‘Overdose’ is Jatin’s take on Mumbai’s quirks and quibbles.

(Picture courtesy lifeinmumbai.co.in)

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Enough said

Mass murders destined for pages of a diary…

The recent development in the Hashimpura murders of 1987 has led one to believe that there’s no countering State-sponsored violence.
Humra Quraishiby Humra Quraishi

It is painful to even think of this subject, but think about it we must. For those survivors who witnessed the May 1987 massacre of 42 innocent Muslim men at the hands of Uttar Pradesh PAC cops in Meerut’s Hashimpura locality, these last 28 years must have been a torture of a different sort. The country is pained, disgusted and angry that the 16 cops accused of killing those young Muslims have been acquitted by a Delhi court – for lack of evidence!

This is just another instance of State-sponsored mass murders getting brushed aside so casually, it boggles the imagination. Maybe the incident will remain forever tucked away in the pages of a survivor’s diary, to probably be destroyed (if found) by vested interests. I would expect that by now, at least a couple of books on the incident would find their way to publishing houses, but that hasn’t happened. I suppose we have stopped reacting to State-sponsored terror.

“The judge tried hard to persuade me to withdraw the petition and suggested I move to Allahabad. I refused. That judge later became the first Chairman of India’s Human Rights Commission.”

Activist lawyer ND Pancholi says that Nandita Haksar had filed a petition in the Supreme Court in 1987 on behalf of the People’s Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR), praying for the investigation into the Hashimpura incident and payment of adequate compensation for the victims. She had argued the case in person and the Supreme Court was constrained to award an amount, albeit nominal, for Rs 20,000 per victim. She has mentioned this case in her book, Framing Gilani, Hanging Afzal – Patriotism in the time of terror (2007).

I quote from the book, “And no one has apologised to the people of Meerut’s Hashimpura in May 1987. It was Syed Shahabuddin Sahib who had requested me to go to Meerut and intervene. He told me about the 33 men who were picked up by the PAC and taken to Murad Nagar and shot one by one near Ganga Nehar. I filed the writ as a petitioner in person (on behalf of PUDR) before the Supreme Court. The judge tried hard to persuade me to withdraw the petition and suggested I move to Allahabad. I refused. That judge later became the first Chairman of India’s Human Rights Commission. No one has been punished for those murders so far. It is not even on the agenda of any political party.”

What are your thoughts on the Hashimpura case? Do let us know in the comments below.

Humra Quraishi is a senior journalist based in Gurgaon. She is the author of Kashmir: The Untold Story and co-author of Simply Khushwant.

(Picture courtesy muslimmirror.com)

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Enough said

Urdu for the soul

A recent study proves that reading Urdu and Urdu couplets could aid brain development, even help in staving off dementia.
Humra Quraishiby Humra Quraishi

Will our politics never settle down? Are we condemned to be in a constant state of flux? Going by what is happening in Delhi and Kashmir, one would have to agree that things are not going well for the country. One trend to emerge from all of this is the new ‘fashion’ of politicians going on retreats, either to introspect or to get back their health. So while Rahul Gandhi ‘retreated’ to introspect on the future of the Congress party, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal decided to get away from the capital to help settle his blood sugar levels. Every day we are entertained with pictures of him in the media, either practicing yoga or some natural remedy for his cough and cold, so at least it seems he is getting what he signed up for.

Arvind’s battle with diabetes will be a much simpler one, I’m afraid, than the battle of facing what is happening in the AAP at the moment. Brewing revolt, too many ambitious party members and a host of information leaks are plaguing the AAP. While Delhi watches in suspense about development unfolding every day, there is another battle brewing in Jammu and Kashmir, where opportunism recently joined hands and came to power. Till last autumn, I noticed that the saffron brigade was flourishing only in the Pampore region of the Kashmir Valley, but now it seems to be spreading everywhere. The BJP has not been able to grab any plum ministries in the State Government, but the RSS has now got an opportunity to spread its network. Don’t be surprised if, within a year, you hear of RSS shakhas and RSS-run schools spring up in the Kashmir Valley. The saffron will go much beyond Pampore from now on.

Moving on from these mind-boggling developments to some mind-clearing ones.

A recent study by the Lucknow-based Centre for Biomedical Researches (CBMR) reveals that Urdu can save our brains. Published in a recent edition of the international journal, ‘Neuroscience Letters’, the study states that reading the Urdu script and Urdu couplets helps in brain development. It is a detailed report that outlines how reading Urdu couplets and reciting them helps in controlling emotions, cope with stress and even delay dementia. It is also helpful for children with learning disabilities.

This means that reading Urdu could have large implications for one’s mental faculties. What’s more, Urdu couplets are steeped in passing and romance, so reading them is doubly enjoyable!

I would go as far as suggesting that Urdu be introduced as one of the prime languages in our primary schools, however, I am also aware of how this sentiment will be attacked with communal propaganda. But why see Urdu as a language of the Musalmaans of this country? Let State Governments introduce it in schools as a pilot project and let every child, irrespective of religion, learn to read it. There is nothing religious about Urdu, just as there is nothing religious about any language. Urdu derives many of its words and phrases from different languages such as Hindi, Braj, Persian, Sanskrit and Arabic. In that sense, it is a connecting language – and in today’s times, don’t we all need that connection with each other?

Humra Quraishi is a senior political journalist based in Gurgaon. She is the author of Kashmir: The Untold Story and co-author of Simply Khushwant.

(Picture courtesy www.theguardian.com)

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Swaad 'Anu'saar

Holi khao!

We help you get into the festive spirit with delicious recipes for Holi based snacks and drinks. Enjoy your day!
anurita guptaby Anurita Gupta

Holi kab hai? Kab hai holi?  Gabbar may keep asking this question for centuries to come but we know that this festival of colours and sparkles is today. While we deliberate a lot on what we will wear to the building society Holi party, you should also make some effort to have fun at home with food that is specially made during this festival to add more colour and joy to life.

Take a look at the Holi ki daawat menu:

THANDAI

This festive drink is a balanced and amazing combination of various aromas arising from its ingredients of rose petals, melon seeds, nuts and of course, the saffron. Famous for its taste and fragrance in North and Central India, thandai, when served chilled, has a magical impact on you. Rose and saffron calm the senses, while the nuts and spices keep you full so you have enough energy to play Holi all day long. Here’s how you make it.

Ingredients: ½ cup almonds, blanched and peeled; 30 pistachios, blanched, peeled and finely chopped; ½ cup cashews; 10 black peppercorns; 1.5 tbsp rose syrup/1/2 cup dried rose petals; 1.5 tbsp fennel seeds (saunf); ½ cup poppy seeds (khus khus); ¾ cup melon seeds (magaj); 3 tsp green cardamom seeds; 1 cup sugar; a few strands of saffron, 1 ½ litre milk, drinking water to make a paste.

Method: Grind all the ingredients other than milk, sugar and saffron in a food processor with some drinking water. StoreThandai this paste in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Combine the milk and sugar and bring to a boil. Cool and put in the refrigerator for 2 hours. To serve, put 2 to 3 tbsp of the thandai paste in a glass and top with chilled milk garnished with pistachios and saffron strands.

Hot tip: you can always add the popular intoxicant bhang to this drink to have some more fun on Holi 🙂

GUJIYA

While many of us make the traditional puran poli on Holi, there is one more mithai stuffed with the goodness of mawa and nuts that everyone looks forward to on this colourful day and that is gujiya. You can make tonnes of it in advance and store to relish on Holi and days later. It tastes best when you make it in ghee.

Ingredients: ½ kg maida; 5-6 tbsp melted ghee.

For the filling: 500 gm mawa/khoya (evaporated milk); pinch of cardamom powder; 25 gm each of chopped almonds, raisins, desiccated coconut; 400 gm sugar

Method:

Gujiya– Sieve the flour and add ghee to it. Now with light finger strokes, rub the maida and ghee together so that the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Now add some water to it and knead very lightly till such time that you get a soft yet tight dough. Cover and keep aside.

– Mash the mawa and fry it in a saucepan until it changes colour to light brown. Now add sugar, almonds, cashews, coconut, raisins and cardamom powder to it and mix well. Fry for a couple of minutes and let the mixture cool until it reaches room temperature.

– Divide the dough into small balls and roll in about 5 inches diameter. Fill half the circle with the stuffing and cover with the other half. You have to now twist the edges inwards or seal the gujiya with a few strong pinches on the edges. Prepare all the gujiyas like this.

– Heat up the ghee and fry them until golden brown.

Hot tip: you can also use gujiya moulds in order to make the perfect shape. I use them for convenience and of course, the uniformity. Just brush the moulds with oil before you start.

BHANG KE PAKORE

Holi par bhang ki baat na ho? Not possible. When everyone enjoys bhang on this festival, why shy away from making a special snack out it that everyone enjoys? Make vegetable fritters made out of chickpea flour (besan) and a really small amount of bhang that can be a lot of fun 🙂

Ingredients: 250 gm each of besan, potatoes, cauliflower, onions, spinach and aubergine; 10 gm bhang seed powder; pinch of soda bicarb; 5 gm ajwain (carom seeds); 5 gm amchoor (dry mango powder); salt to taste; oil for deep frying.

Method:

Mix together all the dry ingredients and add enough water to make a medium consistency batter. Now dip all the veggies in this batter and coat them completely. Deep fry them until golden brown. Serve hot with khajoor aur imli ki chutney.

With that, I hope you have many friends and family over to your house on this special festival that adds a lot more warmth and colour to your life. Holi Mubarak 🙂

Anurita Gupta is a media professional who is passionate about two things – food and radio. Her love for all things food makes her a foodie with a cause.

(Pictures courtesy www.saveur.com, www.karthiksmithai.com, www.festivalsofindia.in. Images are used for representational purpose only)

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Overdose

Please stop ‘following on’

It is time to unplug the noise in the virtual space, before we all lose whatever original opinions we have.
Jatin Sharmaby Jatin Sharma | @jatiiin_sharma on Twitter

An ‘opinion’ is a pencil that sketches an individual’s mind map. Opinions are collectively responsible for seeding a society.

Let me use another metaphor to sum up what I want to say next: The jungle of opinions is currently being deforested. Sure, that sounds pompous and pretentious. But that’s what most of us have become.

Today, every individual – you included – is going through an information overdose. Look around you: whether it is the number of TV channels, YouTube videos, films or the number of posts on Facebook and Twitter, as a person active in the digital space, you are exposed to at least 250 communication messages a day, or even more.

You are constantly on your phone and you are watching the world every minute of the day. But this constant hammering of communication from the world has taken away our personal time from us.

Even our opinions are increasingly being diluted, due to the several messages we constantly receive. Many conspiracy theories float around as ‘facts’ and we start to believe them as the truth. A moderately well-written post backed by the wrong statistics makes us gloss over its inaccuracies, so entranced are we by the presentation. Slowly and steadily, we are all ‘following on’ the moment something goes viral on the Internet.

An opinion different from the others’, a video that is being circulated widely, anything that is even slightly ‘hatke‘ makes us align our opinions to go with the popular flow. We are extremely quick to jump on to the bandwagon, without asking the most important question of all: ‘What for?’

Take the ‘Je suis Charlie’ movement, for example. When it was launched in France, all the so-called ‘intellectuals’ in India changed their statuses on social media to ‘Je suis Charlie’. That is totallyChanging opinions 1 allowed, but how many of us asked some tough questions, told the Government to back off when the AIB roast got roasted? Most people I know, who had laughed heartily while watching the roast videos, later changed their opinion when actor Aamir Khan decided to term it as ‘violent’. And I don’t see any ‘Je suis Avijit’ posts following the killing of atheist blogger Avijit Roy in Bangladesh, either.

We are changing our opinions not just to align with what’s popular, but with what’s crueller, too. If what we say and write seeks to mock, to wound another (a case in point is how so many men, under the guise of humour, attack feminists in the crudest ways). There are still many more of us who will state the obvious (such as ‘We must respect animals!’) merely to get ‘Likes’ on Facebook. Our opinions, if we can in fact call them that, constantly swing from one side to the next, before finally settling on the majority’s opinion. The worst is, we actually believe that the majority’s opinion is our own.

Your opinion, arrived at after thought and reasoning, is your own and it embodies your mental prowess and maturity. But we are content to be swayed. And somehow social media and such an overdose of media in our life is draining us of our

It needs to be said, people: It’s time to unplug.

Jatin Sharma is a media professional who doesn’t want to grow up, because if he grows up, he will be like everybody else. ‘Overdose’ is Jatin’s take on Mumbai’s quirks and quibbles.

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Enough said

The SAARC Writers Meet – a round-up

A meeting for writers from all the SAARC countries concluded recently in Agra, and had several prominent persons in attendance.
Humra Quraishiby Humra Quraishi

I have just returned from the SAARC Literature Festival held in Agra. It was a great getaway from Delhi’s frenetic pace, compounded by a harsh winter. I was glad to head to this meet of writers and poets and academics from our country and from the other SAARC countries – Nepal, Pakistan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.

We landed at Agra on Thursday evening and after the usual formalities – the inaugural and interactive sessions – the meet took off. For me, however, the interaction had started much earlier with the Afghan writers and poets who were my co-passengers on the plane heading towards Agra. I was pleasantly surprised to see at least six Afghan women in this group, with a couple of them speaking fluent English.

When we reached Agra, it was great to meet friends from all across the country and outside. One of the positives of such meets is that one can freely interact with people from other countries without a hint of tension and hectic schedules coming in the way. Many academics who we ordinarily see only on television were there in the flesh – Ashis Nandy, Rajmohan Gandhi, Alok Bhalla, Om Thanvi, Suneet Chopra. Though all of them spoke about issues concerning them at the moment, the most vocal was Om Thanvi, as also Ziya-us-Salam, academic and journalist and the senior deputy editor of The Hindu.

Also present were two of our well-known poetesses, Ambala-based Paul Kaur and the New Delhi-based Tarannum Riyaz. I was also glad to meet Bangladeshi writer Selina Hossain (I had met her almost eight years ago at another SAARC writers meet), who has not changed at all. There is something serene and modest about Selina – the 67-year-old writer has authored 36 novels, 13 anthologies of short stories, 27 children’s books, 10 anthologies of essays and heads several organisations. While we were chatting, we were joined by Nepal Bhupen Vyakul, and the topic drifted to the extent of freedom a writer could indulge in. She was rather categorical in stating that “there is nothing called ‘absolute freedom’ for a writer or for any creative head, and words should not hurt or become the cause of disaster.”

The group from Pakistan stood out, especially with their ‘malangs’, the whirling darveshs from Lahore. I was thrilled with poet Nasir Ali Syed, and as I heard his verse, it became increasingly clear why his writing is so popular in Pakistan. He has a definite way with words and his verse leaves a mark?

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