Thinking Together 2

We are with you, Bangladesh

For us, Bangladesh means the spirit of 21^st February. ‘Ekusher Chetona’, as they say in Bengali. This spirit is running through the veins of this nation since 1952, and with this secular democratic spirit the people fought the liberation war in 1971 and gave birth to the nation. It is this spirit which drew together lakhs of youth in Shahbag movement and provided the present government with all its ailments and shortcomings to avenge the killing of the father of this nation, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and many of his colleages; to resume the proceedings of the war tribunal and punish the war criminals.

And that has infuriated the communal, fascist elements of Islamic fundamentalism world over. It is beyond tolerance for them that they are failing to unsettle a democratically elected government and catapult to power a communal, fascist rule which may hasten take over by a military junta supporting it. They are determined to brand Bangladesh again as an Islamic country which has not happened till now.

And that is why they had taken the path of assassination of young secular bloggers, publishers and writers. And now perhaps they are making connections with ISIS as well. Or ISIS is making connections with these forces! Though the government has denied ISIS link in the siege and firing at Gulshan Café area in Dhaka on 1^st July in which more than 20 people died and subsequent blast in eid congregation at Kishoreganj on 7^th July in which 2 policemen died while many were in injured. Rather the local banned outfit, Jamaat-ul-mujahideen was behind these attacks, the government has asserted, ‘though some possible ‘foreign links’ may not be ruled out’.   

We, on our part, remain with the spirit of 21^st February and express solidarity with the secular, democratic people of Bangladesh.

(Vol. II, 41^st – 42^nd issue, July 31, 2016)

 

 

 

Flood – 2016

 

As per the Press Release issued by the Govt. of Bihar on 31^st July 2016, “due to coming of flood in Mahananda, Bakhra, Kankai, Parmar, Kosi and other rivers 12 districts of the State, Purnia, Kishanganj, Araria, Darbhanga, Madhepura, Bhagalpur, Katihar, Saharsa, Supaul, Gopalganj, East Champaran (Motihari) and Muzaffarpur are affected. Due to heavy rains in the Tarai region of Nepal flood situation has erupted in some districts of North Bihar. As per the Standard Operating Procedure to combat flood disaster the districts have made preparations.

“In 558 Panchayats (332 partially and 226 fully) of 62 blocks of 12 districts, 27.50 lakhs of people, 2.00 lakhs hectare of land area and crops standing in 3.39 lakhs hectares of 2162 villages are affected. 26 persons (Araria – 1, Supaul -8, Kishanganj – 5, Katihar – 2, Purnia – 7, Madhepura – 2, Saharsa – 1) and two animals have died due to flood.

“182 (part) and 72 (full) brick-built dwellings, 3382 (part) and 1885 mud-built dwellings and 4641 hutments have faced damage due to flood. Estimated total value of the dwellings is 68 lakhs.

“591 indigenous Govt. boats, 472 private boats and 112 medical teams are working whereas 598717 people have been evacuated, 296008 of them are staying in 415 relief camps.”…

Of course the State appears to have made much improvement after Kosi disaster of 2009.

In fact, in which area the improvements have been made?

1.    Increasing regularity in maintaining, reinforcing and strengthening the embankments and dams?

2.    Deepening and widening the river-linked water catchment areas?

3.    Making the forecasts and cautions earlier and educating the people of flood-prone areas to get prepared in time in facing sudden flood situations?

4.    Establishing Information Kiosks of Disaster Management Department beforehand in the flood prone villages/cluster of villages?

As it appears, the maintenance (including construction) of major embankments and medium weirs, as also the deepening and widening the river-linked water catchment areas fall under the jurisdiction of Water Resources Department. Minor ones fall under Rural Works Department. But why there isn’t any provision for forming a team of qualified engineers/flood experts under Disaster Management Department three months before the monsoon, to make a round-up of all the embankments/dams etc.? If the team is formed by the government, then under which department does it work? If such a team makes a round-up by Water Resources, does it file the report to be subsequently forwarded to Disaster Management department as well? At least, nothing is clear about this aspect in the Pre-flood Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) of Disaster Management Department.

The 3^rd work is mentioned in that SOP of Disaster Management Department. But again, the 4^th is not there.

Not the disaster management as a whole but the response mechanisms seems to have improved a bit, due to better governance and due to technology as well. 

And the people of the areas not affected by such disasters, the mainstream movements of the people, they are so far away in response! The common conscientious reasoning finally sublimates, oh, these disasters are too complicated to understand, God’s own hand working behind; let’s give some money in relief and breathe in relief!

(Vol. II, 43^rd – 44^th issue, August 15, 2016)

 

 

 

Establishment of two new universities

 

The Bihar cabinet has given its approval for creation of two new universities in the state at Patna and Purnea.  They will be named Patliputra University and Purnea University respectively.

As it has been reported by the media, quite a good number of colleges affiliated to B N Mandal University at present, would be brought under the new Purnea University while colleges in Patna and Nalanda, presently under Magadh University, would be affiliated to Patliputra University.

The districts that would be covered by Purnea University, obviously include Purnea, Katihar, Kishanganj etc. which are having a large number of Bengali speaking population. As it happen with the government decisions, implementation involves work at various levels down the line in which many issues just ‘slip away from the briefcase unknowingly’. And then it becomes difficult to put it on the agenda again. We are talking about creation of post-graduate department of Bengali in proposed Purnea University. It must be taken care of right now.

Likewise, Patna urban area has a large Bengali speaking population. The students till now studied under Patna or Magadh University. Now they must have the facility in Patliputra University. Hence, creation of department of Bengali in Patliputra University should also be taken care.

(Vol. II, 45^th – 46^th issue, August 31, 2016)

 

 

 

 

[We received this interesting poem through Prantosh Bandopadhyay, Secretary, RIVER, always our good friend. Though the poem looks at Bengalee millions through the eyes of a Bangladeshi, yet it is beautiful. We publish it here in lieu of Editorial – BH]

 

The proud Bengali

 

We the Bengali millions

Of our heritage extremely proud

Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Christians

Comprising a diverse crowd

 

Across the globe dispersed today

Having crossed seas seven

Nostalgic about our motherland

To us it is Heaven

 

Nothing is dearer than our language

Of Ekushey the world is aware

Salam, Barkat and our brothers many

With their lives challenged the dare

 

Sons and daughters of Bangladesh

And India’s West Bengal

Sharing the culture of Nazrul and Tagore

Literary gifts they left for all

 

Meandering rivers, azure skies

Fragrant flowers amidst fields green

A blessing from Mother Nature

Such beauty who has seen

 

Wherever you may now belong

Of your motherland you are fond

We treasure our language and heritage

Which creates our unique bond.

 

Shaheen Choudhury Westcombe MBE

March 2008

(Vol. II, 47^th – 48^th issue, September 15, 2016)

 

 

 

The Poverty Line

 

So, once again we are in search of the Poverty Line. The dangerous line which, if lowered, threaten the governments and if raised, threatens our so prized, international development ratings. Tendulkar Committee, given the task in 2005, said in 2009 in its submitted report that the Urban Line (Minimum Spending Threshold) is Rs.37/- per person per day while Rural Line is Rs.22/-. Person who can spend that much is not poor. Below it – poor. BPL population thus came that time to 270 million. There were public protests all over the country. In the parliament the central government faced trouble. Hence again a committee was set up – Rangarajan Committee, in 2012. This Committee said in 2014, in its submitted report, no, not Rs.37/- and Rs. 22/-. It should be Rs.47/- and 32/-. BPL population that way rose to 363 million. But by that time general elections were held and a new government had come. It rejected both the committee reports as it was appearing to do with all the decisions of the previous government in the first go. It also dismantled the Planning Commission and made a NITI Ayog. This NITI Ayog Vice-Chairman Arvind Pangarhiya was given the task and a task force by none other than NITI Ayog Chairman and Prime Minister of the country to decide afresh on poverty line. Vivek Debroy and other celebrity economists were in the task force. They were to submit their report by June 30, 2015. That report they finally submitted now, in September 2016. The new central government is nearing half of its tenure and the Task Force appointed by it reports, “In view of this lack of consensus (among states), the Task Force recommends that an expert group consisting of the country’s leading specialists on poverty consider the issue in-depth and recommend the poverty line India must adopt for tracking of poverty,” (Hindustan Times, Sept 12).

Strangely, as HT journalist Maushumi Dasgupta further writes, “The only point the states agreed on with the task force was that the poverty line – that is calculated based on household expenditure data -- should be used to track poverty and not to identify who is poor or provide entitlements meant for them” ! That means, even after the new Task Force (comprising ‘leading specialists on poverty’ as suggested by present Task Force), submits its report, most probably just before the next parliamentary elections in 2019, its recommendations are not to be used ‘to provide entitlements meant for them’! And that is the point where all the state government representatives and the celebrity economists were in agreement!

We are in ‘achchhe din’ and must try to think otherwise. Who can say, perhaps, the sentence quoted above does not mean denial of entitlements! Rather, it means providing more people than who are entitled!

Yet, it is a fact that budget allocation for all anti-poverty programmes were cut heavily for the years 2014-15 and again for 2015-16.

(Vol. II, 49^th – 50^th issue, September 30, 2016)

 

 

 

Crumbling Birthplace, Bleeding Shehnai and failing Promise for a Music University

 

Daughter’s and sister’s marriage assumes a unique cultural and ethical significance in the Indian families. Irrespective of religion, (and obviously for the present, keeping aside the issues of social evils) it becomes the holiest of task for the father and the brothers. And for centuries, the name of one musical instrument associated with that event, literally or allegorically, is that of shehnai.

Whenever the bride or the girl-to-be-bride bleeds anywhere, the shehnai bleeds. Whenever daughters and sisters and the women of our land are outraged, the shehnai bleeds. Whenever our inter-religious brotherhood is assaulted, the shehnai bleeds.

And this age old musical instrument of the Nahbat khana was brought on the stage of modern north Indian classical music by Ustad Bismillah Khan. Not only a great innovative musician, he was a great man as well in his simplicity and humbleness.

In these decades, when everyone who is a celebrity rich enough, prefers to have a home in USA, to settle for life or stay in holidays or stay to earn better income, we remember Ustad Bismillah Khan. When offered by his admirers to come to USA and stay there (they would be bearing the expenses) he simply denied with a smile. With that denial he put that legendary question forward, “Wahan Ganga kahan se laoge? (From where will you bring the Ganges there?)”. Such was his love for his motherland.

We are proud that his birthplace is Bihar. In the town of Dumraon, there is a street (Dainik Jagran of 21^st Aug’16 names it Bandhan Patwa Road whereas Wikipedia names it Bhirung Raut ki Gali). On that street there was a house of Paigamber Buksh Khan (perhaps popularly known as Bachai Mian, as Dainik Jagran reports) court musician of Dumraon Maharaj. In the courtyard of that house of Paigamber Buksh Khan his second son was born on 21^st March 1916. The boy was named Quamruddin but later became famous by the name Bismillah. Yes, we are passing through the centenary year of his birth.

The report of Dainik Jagran, quoted above speaks about the dilapidated condition of the house, almost crumbling, and with so much neglect it is obvious that some notorious encroacher/builder /local leader will grab it any day and change the land holding documents even!

And, what about the promise of a University? On 1^st September 2014 Zeenews reported that the then Minister of Culture, himself a singer, promised to the people to get built a Music University, Bihar’s first, at Muzaffarpur in the name of Ustad Bismillah Khan!

Of course, the Minister of Culture is another person now. The then Chief Minister (seated for a short while) has left the Party. But the Government? Or to be more precise, the Political Party forming the government? Aren’t the same? And moreover, the promise is there, in people’s mind! Why it is to be in Muzaffarpur and not in Dumraon itself, no one can say. We are at least, not bothered that much with the choice of the place. But a Music University in the name of Ustad Bismillah Khan must be there in Bihar, the state of his birth; we make this appeal to the present Chief Minister of Bihar.          

(Vol. II, 51^st – 52^nd issue, October 15, 2016)

 

 

 

For a complete picture

 

On 13^th and 14^th instant all the newspapers carried the news regarding the expositions of Global Hunger Index released by IFPRI. Since the editions are mostly state, even district based, the news, except in few dailies, did not figure as first page lead news. It found place in their international page. After that write-ups are appearing in editorials, sub-editorials and various blogs. All have lamented that sufficient has not been done to reduce poverty and hunger etc. All have noted with ‘partial’ satisfaction or exhibited through the graphics that even then, situation is on steady improve. But, the news, the write-ups and the graphics being used subject the reader to an illusion or rather half-truth. The comparisons for reduction or increase are being based on data from the year 1991-92 onwards, which implies that since the era of so-called ‘economic reform’ or of new economic policies of liberalization, privatization and globalization has begun, steady improvement in the situation of hunger and malnutrition is quite self-evident! Is it true? Is it the complete picture? India became independent inheriting the colonial reality of famine, wide-spread hunger and malnutrition. After independence a set of economic policies of industrialisation, agricultural reforms, ‘generation of more and more employment’ etc. were initiated and ran ‘undisturbed’ at least for 20 years. (The rest two decades were of course ‘disturbed’ by dithered policy maneuvers, increasing unethical political interventions and corruptions of a ruling disposition losing its monopoly to rule which accelerated its degeneration). Whole period is now conveniently demonized and dismissed as ‘Nehruvite Socialism’ and pictured as ‘wasted’ by the protagonists of globalization. That’s a brazen lie no doubt. We all know that foundations of modern India were laid and whole initial structure (its face in the world) was built through implementation of those policies. A real comparison can be made only by bringing forth the data of hunger and malnutrition of that period. Just before the independence and 20 years after the independence. Then only we shall be able to know whether the pace of reduction during the neo-liberal reform period is really higher or not.

(Vol. II, 53^rd – 54^th issue, October 31, 2016)

 

 

Hush, hush! ... Caught? ... Affront!

This has, since beginning, remained a pet pattern of corporate decisions regarding introduction of some innovative drug or health care or food products. First try to be secretive about (or worse, manipulate) the pre-introduction tests and results. If caught by the social activists, media or by people in general, then affront the informed ones by ‘employed and paid’ journalists, intellectuals and scientists.

In recent years the governments also have inherited the same pattern. Perhaps the reason is, as they say, that many of the government officials, members of the hallowed houses of the people, the deputies and ministers have become ‘employed and paid’ by those drug, food, healthcare or fashion-care corporate lobbies.

What about our own, government of India?    

Not very long years ago came the controversy on Bt Brinjal. Now come the controversy on Bt Mustard. Few days ago Tribune India reported from Punjab that, “Coalition for a GM-Free India, a front against Genetically Modified (GM) crops that is supported by 500 anti-GM organisations, is waiting for a response from the Prime Minister’s Office to the over 700 faxes sent since yesterday, seeking his intervention in stopping the approval to the controversial GM mustard.”

Then we go through the letter written by Vandana Shiva, renowned environment activist and scientific advisor on various agrarian issues, to Prakash Javdekar, Environment Minister. She underlines that Genetically Modified food technologies are not useful to us as we have better-yield hybrid seeds developed in our own laboratories. She also claims that these GM foods like Bt-Mustard are harmful for environment, as food and for fields as well. And most importantly, she condemns the ‘underhand manner’ in which the decisions are being taken by the government.  She says:-

“And now our mustard is getting Genetically Modified. Shockingly, important information about this new Genetically Modified (GM) mustard is not being disclosed to us….

“We cannot allow the government to take decisions about the food we eat in this underhand manner. This is mustard, we all use it, we cannot avoid using it. If permitted, we might have no choice but to use harmful, unhealthy GM Mustard….

“And GM Mustard is totally unnecessary especially because there are existing local and hybrid varieties as well as farm practices which give as much or more than the yield claims of this dangerous GM mustard. Contamination from GM Mustard is also fast and irrevocable.”

May be she is wrong. But the government, the scientists should address the issues objectively. Instead, we find the Deepak Pental, Professor of Genetics, Delhi University and Chief Scientist

Of the centre where this Bt-Mustard has been developed, recollects in length the importance of crop technologies and intervention of modern scientific expertise in providing food to the booming population of the world in 20^th century, increasing average Indian age and then narrates in detail the history of developing Bt-Mustard, using much tested technology of making rapeseed high-yield and extensive use of GM foods in so many other developed countries including Japan…! But, instead of allaying the fear of the uninformed people like us about its effect on health, environment, other crops, the flora and fauna… he underlines, “While the GEAC* takes a decision, expect massive lies, gross misrepresentations, law suits, innuendoes and demagogy from GM technology bashers.”

[*Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee of the Environment Ministry]

So, anyone expressing his concerns about people’s health, environment etc. in connection with the use of Bt Mustard is ‘GM technology basher’?

(Vol. II, 55^th – 56^th issue, November 15, 2016)

 

 

 

Buffoon Assassin

 

Many of us must have seen the assassin with a joker’s mask painted on his face. This paradoxical character has also been portrayed in various ghost stories with laughing killer dolls. But they are not buffoons as such. The term buffoon assassin was perhaps first time used for U.S. Republican Senator of 1950s Joseph McCarthy, the man due to whose typical political campaigns the infamous regime of 1950-56 was named McCarthyism.

McCarthy has gone. But the phenomenon of buffoon assassin has come to stay. With time it has acquired varieties of expression. If not fully, partly it can be explained as a character knowingly appearing to be paradoxical with making himself or herself readily accessible, available even enjoyable (by free mixing, love for the ethnic, rustic articulations in the lingo, narrations of personal weaknesses, infatuations) to the masses and, on the other hand, ruthlessly, silently choking all voices of dissent by misuse of executive and even judiciary; if required, playing heinously on chords of communal or racial hatred. This intelligent mixing of carefree and calculated moves builds the paradox. Corruption get slowly attached to it as more and more funds are needed to make executive and judiciary obeying his or her secret diktats in a republican structure. 

If someone does the research, it may be found that rise of cronyism in present rule of capital has given rise to this phenomenon of buffoon assassins being catapulted as leaders of the people in many places over the globe. Even old leaders, not having this characteristic earlier are acquiring it after sensing decrease in their popularity.

At the centre of this paradox of course lie the invitation to corporates, promises of reliefs to them, support to market fundamentalism and labour reforms guided by it.

Is some ‘age of buffoon assassins’ coming?

(Vol. II, 57^th – 58^th issue, November 30, 2016)

 

 

Lokpal

 

The government at the centre was caught trying to be footloose on the issue of appointing an citizen’s anti-corruption ombudsman or Lokpal in spite of a big movement by the civil society (referred as ‘India Against Corruption’ movement in 2011 led by Anna Hazare) demanding it by arguing that there is no Leader of Opposition in the Loksabha at present. 

“If you could do (amend LoP) it for four other enactments so conveniently, what is the problem in doing it for this Act? You claim you are committed to appointing a Lokpal and you have also moved an amendment to this effect so in our opinion, you should welcome a judgment from this court if that expedites everything,” a Supreme Court bench led by CJI T.S.Thakur and comprising D.Y.Chandrachur and L.Nageshwara Rao asked Attorney General of the central government Mukul Rohatgi on 23rd November 2016.

AG tried to defend the position of the government saying that it was the Parliament’s role to legislate, which, in that case the court would be doing.

“But you are not legislating…if Lokpal is meant to be an institution to bring probity in public life and bring down corruption then it must be working regardless whether the government wants it or not or whether amendments have been cleared. This court will read down the related provision to see that it becomes functional. We will not allow a situation where an institution like Lokpal becomes redundant,”

The bench added: “We think that instead of giving an impression that you are dragging your feet, you should come forward and invite an order from the court so that Lokpal starts working. Why do you want people to have a misgiving that government is not interested in having a Lokpal. Ideally, you should do it yourself (by amending the law). But what you have done conveniently in four other enactments, you are not doing it here so accepting your own position, we should have no difficulty in reading down the statute.”

The four other enactments mentioned by the court were included those for selection of Chief Vigilance Commissioner, CBI chief and Chief Information Commissioner, to substitute Leader of Opposition with the leader of the single largest party in opposition.

The Attorney General failed to commit for a time frame for passage of Lokpal bill. The bench asked him to take proper instructions from competent authorities and come back on December 7.

In the year 2011, the leaders who are now in various posts of the government at the centre, were also competing to stay on camera to show-off that their voices have gone hoarse in raising demand for Lokpal!

Are they not proving the correctness of that famed hindi proverb which states that whoever goes to ‘Lanka’ becomes ‘Ravana’? 

(Vol. II, 59^th – 60^th issue, December 15, 2016)

 

 

 

Besmirching the Republic continues

 

On 6^th of December 1992 Babri Masjid in Ayodhya was demolished, not in the dead of night by a set of criminals of any sort, but by an avalanche of people, mostly youth, arriving from all over UP and nearby states. They were intoxicated with the idea of catapulting their leaders to power as the central government by this act of mass vandalism; their leaders, who were present there to enthuse them, assured them building a Ram Mandir at the site of demolished mosque. They all believed that this figurative act would give them a big leap towards their long trumpeted ‘Hindu Rashtra’.

Just a year before that, Congress government led by P.V.Narsingha Rao ushered the new economic policies of liberalization and privatization, succumbing to the conditions of ‘structural adjustment’ laid down by IMF and to the dictates of WTO. Severe attacks on the hard-earned rights of the workers began. Against these policies, just ten days before the demolition of Babri Masjid, the workers, toilers of India had organized a procession from Lal Quila ramparts and a rally at Boat Club. Several lakhs of people participated in the procession. Opposition to the policies of privatization and liberalization was growing. This act of mass demolition of a centuries-old mosque divided the workers, toilers and people at large on communal lines, fanned the flames of communal hatred and made the path of the government easy in pursuing its policy distortions - re-prioritizing developmental goals in favour of capital - in the name of reforms.

Situation has aggravated since then. Then it was a heritage monument, now human beings. Some of them were personalities famed for secular thought and activities – Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare, M. M. Kalburgi – and some were simple toiling people having religious faith hated by majoritarian communalists. They are being annihilated by groups of communal fanatic killers to divide the people. The rise of atrocities on dalits is also a matter of grave concern. (Coincidentally, 6^th December is also the date on which Babasaheb Dr. B. R. Ambedkar died.)

But the government at the centre is failing to show its strong determination to combat and eliminate these communal and casteist forces. While, on the other hand, it is speeding forward in the name of ‘development’ with all the anti-people economic policies it inherited from the previous government.

6^th of December, the black day, continues.

(Vol. II, 61^st – 62^nd issue, December 31, 2016)

 

 

At Kurukshetra

 

On the eve of a New Year, in this last issue of 2016 of Behar Herald let us read and share this inspirational story in lieu of an editorial. It must have been taken from some of the spiritual interpretations of Mahabharata. But since the story was making rounds in Whatsapp few weeks before we extend our courtesy to the unknown author from whom it has been sourced.

It is said in the texts that 80% of the fighting male population of the civilization was wiped out in the eighteen days Mahabharata war.
Sanjay, at the end of the war went to the spot where the greatest war took place; Kurukshetra.
He looked around and wondered if the war really happened, if the ground beneath him had soaked all that blood, if the great Pandavas and Krishna stood where he stood.
“You will never know the truth about that!” said an aging soft voice.
Sanjay turned around to find an Old man in saffron robes appearing out of a column of dust. 
“I know you are here to find out about the Kurukshetra war, but *you cannot know about that war till you know what the real war is about*.” the Old man said enigmatically.
“What do you mean?” 
*The Mahabharata is an Epic, a ballad, perhaps a reality, but definitely a philosophy*.
The Old man smiled luring Sanjay into more questions.
“Can you tell me what the philosophy is then?” Sanjay requested.
Sure, began the Old man. 
*The Pandavas are nothing but your five senses*, 
sight, 
smell, 
taste, 
touch 
and sound...,

and do you know what the *Kauravas* are?
he asked narrowing his eyes. 
*The Kauravas are the hundred vices that attack your senses everyday but you can fight them*... and do you know how?
Sanjay shook his head again.
“When Krishna rides your chariot!”
The Old man smiled brighter and Sanjay gasped at that gem of insight.
*Krishna is your inner voice, your soul, your guiding light and if you let your life in his hands you have nothing to worry*.
Sanjay was stupefied but came around quickly with another question.
“Then *why are Dronacharya and Bhishma fighting for the Kauravas, if they are vices*?”
The Old man nodded, sadder for the question. 
It just means that as you grow up, your perception of your elders change. *The elders who you thought were perfect in your growing up years are not all that perfect. They have faults. And one day you will have to decide if they are for your good or your bad.  Then you may also realize that you may have to fight them for the good. It is the hardest part of growing up and that is why the Geeta is important*.
Sanjay slumped down on the ground, not because he was tired but because he could understand and was struck by  the enormity of it all. 
*What about Karna*? he whispered.
“Ah!” said the Old man. “You have saved the best for last. *Karna is the brother to your senses, he is desire, he is a part of you but stands with the vices. He feels wronged and makes excuses for being with the vices as your desire does all the time.*
*Does your desire not give you excuses to embrace vices*?”
Sanjay nodded silently. He looked at the ground, consumed with a million thoughts, trying to put everything together and then when he looked up the Old man was gone.... 
disappeared in the column of dust.........leaving behind the great philosophy of Life!   
(Vol. II, 63^rd – 64^th issue, January 15, 2017)

 

 

 

Writing off corporate loans

 

In October, the Supreme Court had asked Reserve Bank of India why names of the 57 borrowers who have defaulted on bank loans should not be made public. "Who are these people who have borrowed money and are not paying back? Why this fact that the person has borrowed money and not paying back be not known to public."

Accordingly, the Bench had directed the Centre to submit data on the pendency of cases for more than ten years and the list of corporate entities where the amount outstanding is in excess of Rs 500 crore.

In an interim order passed by a three-judge Bench, the court did raise several issues regarding the Centre's debt recovery mechanism and asked if the tribunal was equipped to decide cases of loan recovery in a timely manner.

"There are lakhs of crores of rupees as NPAs and one of the reasons for their non-recovery is that the mechanism for recovery is not up to the mark," the Bench had said. Legislative changes to provide for expeditious disposal of proceedings before the Debt Recovery Tribunals may not by themselves achieve the intended object so long as the infrastructure provided to the Tribunals is not commensurate with the burden of the work and nature of judicial duties," The matter takes on added importance since the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) wrote off bad corporate loans to the tune of Rs 40,000 crore in 2015. In 2016, the amount reached a whopping Rs 85,000 crore from 57 borrowers.

The order had come in reply to a 2003 PIL which brought to the court's notice the actions of state-owned Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) officials who were arbitrarily granting loans for political and extraneous considerations without going in to the merit of each case.

Recent Financial Stability Report (FSR) released by RBI last week, which says that public sector banks (PSBs) are nowhere near revival when it comes to recovery of bad loans. Banks recovered only Rs 22,678 crore in the financial year 2016 as compared to Rs 30,792 crore in 2015.

On the day he retired, Chief Justice of India TS Thakur heard the non-performing assets (NPAs) case and questioned how the government would step up the debt recovery process. Do these tribunals have the infrastructure to function ably, he asked.

The day a borrower’s default in repayment of his loan is identified as willful, he/she or the entity should be classified as ‘rogue’ and the rules regarding financial secrecy of its customer observable by the bank should stop to be applied. Small defaulters get publicly known the moment bank manager enters the village or the locality. But big defaulters cannot be made known that way. The names of big defaulters should be placed before the Parliament.

(Vol. II, 65^th – 66^th issue, January 31, 2017)

 

 

Values as taste of life

 

On 25th of January a press release was issued by the Vice Chancellor of Bangalore University which read, “The Hon’ble Governor and the Chancellor of Bangalore University had approved to confer Honorary Degree on Shri Rahul Dravid, former Captain of Indian Cricket Team, at the 52^nd Annual Convocation of Bangalore University scheduled to be held on 27.1.217. However, Shri Rahul Dravid, while thanking Bangalore University for recognizing him for the Hon. Degree, has in all humility declined to accept the Hon. Degree. He has conveyed that he would try to earn a Doctorate Degree by accomplishing some form of academic research in the field of sport rather than receiving an Honorary Degree.”

This news item was carried by the national news channels next day and everyone once again had an opportunity to express their love and regards for this man Rahul Dravid, the great Indian cricketer, named ‘Mr. Dependable’, who after his retirement on 9^th March 2012 is currently the coach of the India U-19 team. The stylish right-hander also earned the title of ‘The Wall’ for his reliability whenever it came to saving the Indian team from a precarious situation.

As the media reminded, this is not the first time Dravid has not accepted the honorary degree; the cricketer did not show up at Gulbarga University's 32nd convocation in 2014 even though he was among 12 personalities shortlisted for an honorary doctorate.

No, it is not a case of refusal of honour. He has not expressed his protest against anything. But he has expressed his taste that he wants to ‘earn a doctorate through academic research’. It raises issues related to our way of living.

Well, suppose while discussing corruption we cite example of an honest man. Is he honest because since childhood he has been taught to remain honest? Or he knows that ‘honesty is the best policy’? Or, he is honest due to fear of the law against corruption? Or… honesty is ingrained in his taste? Is honesty or for that matter, any other value constitute attitude, behavior, social practice or something deeper - personal taste?

Just like the question: are you eating healthy food in fear of developing blood pressure, blood sugar, fat, flatulence or any other ailment… or, eating because those are tastier for you?

He likes to ‘earn a degree’, that’s his taste. And that is the man. Really, you can’t but adore him.

(Vol. II, 67^th – 68^th issue, February 15, 2017)

 

 

The way they shame Bihar

 

Newsdesk – Bihar Staff Selection Commission (BSSC) is tasked with conducting examinations for recruitment of government personnel in lower ranks.  It issues the advertisement mentioning vacancies under different grades and asks eligible candidates to apply. It also issues admit cards and conducts the examination at different centres. State with administrative support of the district administration concerned helps it in this regard. In objective- type examination, OMR answer sheets are used and evaluation is done through computers. In subject exams, BSSC uses the services of subject specialists for evaluation of answer sheets. Finally it publishes the list of successful candidates.

The state government appoints the personnel and officials manning BSSC. Presently, an IAS officer is working as chairman of the BSSC. A state administrative service officer was made its secretary (who has now been arrested). Around 50 lower grade staff has also been provided to do the office job at BSSC.

Police investigation has revealed that a network of BSSC employees and private players was leaking question papers to those who were paying a sum of Rs 6 lakh. They were also provided answers. WhatsApp was being used for leaking the question papers and those who had paid the price were added in the group and provided the details. So far police have found that 200 candidates were members of this group. The investigation has revealed that these were leaked from one examination centre in Patna and those manning this examination centre had connections in BSSC.

During investigation in connection with an employment racket which used to dupe candidates in the name of getting a job in the Indian Army, police nabbed a few players from Patna. They revealed during interrogation that they were also into the question paper leak business of BSSC. 

Apart from BSSC secretary and one data entry operator, 30 more people have been arrested. One of them happened to be the director of a private school in Patna, which was the examination centre from where the question paper was leaked.

Police investigations revealed that Parmeshwar was part of the conspiracy and his mobile records revealed he was in regular touch with persons who had been arrested in connection with the scam. 

Police has not arrested the chairman till date but he has been questioned.

Initial probe shows several politicians and bureaucrats had sought undue favour from BSSC officials for their respective candidates.

Last year, there was that revelation of big scam in Bihar School Examination Board. Now a scam is revealed BSSC. Next is the turn of which institution?  

(Vol. II, 69^th – 70^th issue, February 28, 2017)

 

 

Film-making in Bihar

 

Along with the Hindi film industry of Mumbai almost all of the linguistic regions/states have their own film industry, big or small, producing films in their own languages. Problems are there in the states of so-called ‘Hindi belt’. Are they to make Hindi films? Will they be able to compete with the budget and technology level of Mumbai films? And the all India market?... Are they to make films in their own ‘regional’ languages? And who will finance those? Who will distribute?...

Struggling against all these, a generation of Bihari film enthusiasts moved forward.

Wikipedia informs that in 1961 first Magahi film ‘Bhaiyaa’ was released. Then in 1962 a memorable Bhojpuri film and a hit, ‘Ganga maiya tohe piyari chadhaibo’ was released. First Maithili film ‘Kanyadan’ was released in 1965. But in all these films, financiers and the crew – actors, technicians, directors – appear to be mixed, rather more from Mumbai. This way it went on. Not many, but a number of films in those regional languages were made over the years. Then came a burst of Bhojpuri films. These were copies of maar-dhaar-masala formula of Hindi and Telegu films with some more ounces of vulgarity. But it gave Bihar its own genre of superman ‘harfanmaula’ heroes, which is so needed by the youth –Manoj Tiwari, Ravi Kishan, Pawan Singh, Dinesh Lal Yadav ‘Nirahua’ and others.           

Recently, bbchindi.com carried a write-up, ‘Bihar ke Leningrad me lights, camera, action’ by Situ Tiwary on a new stream of films being made in Bihar. Films in Hindi are being made in Begusarai on the folklores of Bihar. ‘Jat-Jatin’ was made some time back and now ‘Chauharmal’ is in the process. She quotes Nitin Chandra, the noted Bihari filmmaker which again reveals the dilemma of language, “What is the point in making ‘Jat-Jatin’ and ‘Chauharmal’ in Hindi? Hindi films are of Mumbai domain. You make films in your dialect, only then you will be able to enrich your dialect and make films that would represent that dialect. Then only you will challenge the representation, which presently for the world is Bhojpuri cinema, and in reality they are not even cinema of Bhojpuri language, just a medium of selling cheap sex.”

Along with Bhojpuri, Maithili, Magahi, Angika, Bajjika etc., Hindi is now also a Bihari language for more than 150 years. Films can be and should be made in all these languages. The question is do we still have an industry? Do we have our own up-to-date studios, laboratories, experienced technicians, actors, actresses, musicians, artists…? With technology advancement, digitalization etc. it would have been easier to have. But we haven’t as yet.

(Vol. II, 71^st – 72^nd issue, March 15, 2017)

 

 

Election in five states

 

Newsdesk – Results for Assembly elections held in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur were declared on 11^th March. BJP got massive victories in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Congress got massive victory in Punjab and won majority in Goa and Manipur. However BJP along with allies and some other parties and independents roped in, has formed governments, not only in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand but in Goa and Manipur as well.

Though this phenomenon does not match with the number of seats won, gets justified with the share of votes these two parties got in these states. In Uttar Pradesh BJP got 39.7% of polled votes while BSP was second with 22.2% votes. Congress stood at 4^th with 6.2% votes. In Uttarakhand BJP got 46.5% of votes while Congress stood second with 33.5%. In Goa BJP and congress shares are 32.5% and 28.4% respectively. Likewise in Manipur BJP and congress shares are 36.3% and 35.1% respectively. Whereas in Punjab the situation is reversed by Congress polling 38.5% of votes while BJP standing at 4^th position with 5.4%; second position has been taken by Shiromani Akali Dal with 25.2%.

Elections are being held. Winning parties are forming governments. But the campaigns by the parties and candidates are getting murkier every day. Absence of policy issues, promises for sops, abusive language hurled towards the opponent, suggestive hints to divide the people and then expenses in thousands of crores which include gifts (bribes) in cash and kind for the voters! After every election we are getting a constituency more estranged from the idea of of India adopted in our Constitution!

While the situation after the election results were declared in five states justify BJP’s maneuvers for government formation in Goa and Manipur as well, looking at the positions of parties standing 2^nd or 3^rd and the fact that none of the winning parties, in this election or in elections held before is ever getting more than 50% of polled votes an electoral reform becomes highly necessary – for proportional representation. But that is a different issue altogether and related with thorough going changes in our electoral system which are yet to be agreed upon by the legislators and the major political parties of this country.    

(Vol. II, 73^rd – 74^th issue, March 31, 2017)

 

 

Bihar Diwas

 

[Celebration of Bihar Diwas 2017 has ended. In lieu of Editorial we translate here the comments of Hindi poet Alok Dhanwa, on the occasion of Bihar Diwas. These comments over phone, on the progressive heritage and culture of Bihar were recorded by Ajay Kumar of Prabhat Khabar and posted in www.prabhatkhabar.com on 22^nd Mar’17]

 

Should we not take pride in our social-scientific consciousness?

 

“I feel proud over the cultural-democratic values of Bihar. It’s a document of a society impassioned to march forward, from the age of Buddha, 2500 years ago, to the age termed modern. In the modern period, coming of Gandhi to Champaran brought a new type of awakening in the society here. After the formation of Bihar, democratic and secular journey of its people began only with the arrival of Gandhi in Champaran. Giving expansion to those values Champaran Centenary Year is being observed. It is a matter of pride. But, any way, we cannot forget the turning point came with the year 1857.

“Freedom movement gave expansion to the new social consciousness. It strengthened the shared culture and heritage of our society. Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Shri Krishna Singh, Anugrah Narain Singh were the products of freedom movement. That was also the period of Swami Sahajanand Saraswati. He developed his Ashram in Bihta, near Patna and mobilized the peasants. He was a protagonist for change in rural life. However, on many issues he had differences with Mahatma. These differences are manifest by his speech during the Ramgarh Congress. In spite of that, untiringly he continued his work.

“This was the cultural stream which appears to be moving forward. How can you not take pride in Nagarjun? Rahul Sankrityayan’s workplace (Karmbhumi) was Bihar! Nagarjun and Rahul, both were great scholars of Buddhist philosophy. Developing this stream we get Ram Briksh Benipuri thereafter. Ramdhari Singh Dinkar comes. Dinkar looked at the society through critical realism. ‘Parti Parikatha’ and ‘Maila Anchal’ of Phanishwar Nath Renu is a document of our values, struggles and struggle for freedom. This is the stream of democratic-secularism, attached to which the poets, theatre-workers and people associated with various cultural medium, have concerns about various social segments – and not only that – search the ways for those segments to come out of their depravities. How can we forget the contribution of Bhartendu Harishchandra? Acharya Shiv Pujan Sahay wrote a book like ‘Dehati Duniya’ in 1930. Jai Shankar Prasad strengthened scientific consciousness by his writings. Historians like Ram Sharan Sharma and K. P. Jaiswal provided us the way to understand history.

“Lyrical poetry had a great effect on our time. Gopal Singh Nepali, Arsi Prasad Singh, Acharya Janki Ballav Shastri gave us new vision by breaking the social inertia. You may observe that Jai Prakash Narayan carries forward the same stream after coming back from USA. The 105 years of history of Bihar cannot be complete without persons like Pandit Ramanand Tiwary and Karpuri Thakur. On the cultural front, Bhikhari Thakur developed his plays as a tool for social criticism.  

“In painting, Upendra Maharathi, in Dhrupad singing, Pandit Ram Chatur Mallik, Pandit Siyaram Tiwary, in folk singing, Padmashri Bindhya Vasini Devi and Sharada Sinha nurtured the popular traditions through their own mediums. I feel that the programme of prohibition gets connected with that developing stream.”

(Vol. II, 75^th – 76^th issue, April 15, 2017)

 

 

 

On the occasion of 7^th April, the Foundation Day of Bengalee Association, Bihar

On 19^th Oct., 1946, in the 2^nd issue of volume 73 of Behar Herald, there was an Editorial – ‘Future of the Bengalee Association’. The then editor of the weekly, M. C. Samaddar commented in that editorial, “The future of the Association corresponds with the future not only of a community but with that of the entire population of the province.”* It was a time just following the darkest months for this country – the violent communal clashes and killings in Kolkata, Noakhali, Patna, Saran and other places. In Bihar, the relations between Banglabhashees and the provincial government were just coming to normal after remaining strained for seven years due to continuance of infamous Domicile Rules (not fully withdrawn but a bit inactivated by that time). The Association was facing attacks from some sectarian political leaders and there was anger among the members of the Association. Annual General Body Meeting was going to be held just after one week and th editorial comment, from which a sentence is quoted above, was the part of Behar Herald in the debate on the future course of action to be taken by Bengalee Association, Bihar.   

So true it was, and is!

Future of Bengalee Association cannot but correspond with that of the entire population of Bihar. And that is the guide in all our organizational and social activities. When the branches of BAB in Bhagalpur achieves foremost position in the city in organizing blood-donation camps and also stand in solidarity with the bengalee family falling victim of land-mafia assaults, when the Barari branch organizes adult & female literacy centre and also resist in unity the land-grabbing conspiracy of the local dons in their refugee colony, when more than hundred banglabhashee elected representatives of the local bodies in West Champaran work for the betterment of their electorates and also take initiative in unity to provide Bengali textbooks and Bengali teachers in the primary schools… they are guided by the dictum.

Bengalee Association, Bihar completed 79 years of existence on 7^th April this year. Its emblem contains two palms in handshake with ‘sanhati’ meaning unity and ‘samanvay’ meaning ‘co-ordination written above and below. The association calls for unity of the Banglabhashee community of Bihar and their co-ordination with other communities. From the beginning the Association has remained non-political, meaning thereby neither supportive nor in opposition to any political party.

On various all India forums of the Bengalee organisations, the unity achieved between urban middle class bengalees and rural refugee settlers of E&W Champaran, Purnia, Katihar, Darbhanga, Bhagalpur and elsewhere, and the efforts of Bengalee Association, Bihar in this regard are always highly praised.

When the concern is repeated in the meetings, conferences by the elders that the new generation of Banglabhashee community should be inculcated with the spirit of the organisation, it is done not only to maintain or generate their affinity to their mother tongue and their lingua-cultural community, in these career & technology driven ‘hostile’ circumstances, but also to inspire them with the spirit of welfare work for the society at large of their area.

Long live Bengalee Association, Bihar! Long live the fight to get the linguistic minority rights enshrined in the Constitution of India! Long live the spirit of unity and co-ordination! Long live the people of Bihar!

(Vol. II, 77^th – 78^th issue, April 30, 2017)

 

 

A shocking report

A study made by Aspiring Minds, a employability assessment company, 95% IT sector engineers in India are unfit for coding jobs. Due to shortage of talent, the majority of them are unfit to pursue any software development jobs. The report by PTI on the basis of which the story was published in https://m.yourstory.com/2017/04/engineers-india-unfit-coding-jobs-report/

on 20^th April, further adds that only 4.77 percent of candidates are capable of writing the correct logic for a programme—which happens to be the basic requirement of any programming job. The report quoted Aspiring Minds CTO and Co-founder Varun Aggarwal, “Lack of programming skills is adversely impacting the IT and data science ecosystem in India. The world is moving towards introducing programming to three-year-olds! India needs to catch up.”

Automata—a machine learning-based assessment of software development skills – was operated by over 36,000 engineering students from IT-related branches of over 500 colleges.  Over 60 percent could not write code that compiles. And only 1.4 percent can write functionally correct and efficient code. 

The study points out that this is due to the gap in educational methods – widespread use of rote learning as opposed to the practical application of concepts and the lack of good teachers for programming.

All engineering colleges promise 100 percent placements at the time of joining. But only a handful of the over 3,000 approved colleges in India draw or attract companies that offer the ‘dream job’ that every student is promised. The rest of the students are forced to settle for low paying jobs by mass recruiters in the IT sector, regardless of their subject. Even they are seen opting for some totally different fields.

With the mass production of engineers, there is more supply than there is demand. So going by the basic laws of economics, an engineer’s value is highly reduced. This is the main reason why most engineers—about 30 percent of the 15 lakh graduates every year— are unemployed (or underpaid), which is a depressingly large number.

Whither gone the race for last two decades of the parents encouraging the young ones to pursue career in engineering and the young ones, after all their labour, craving for placement and package? And whither gone our pride that we are now a country of engineers?

(Vol. II, 79^th – 80^th issue, May 15, 2017)

 

 

 

Increase in Railway fares

Railways are again going to increase the railway fares for all classes by 10%. In the last three years the government at the centre and the ministry of railways in particular have boasted umpteen times that in their regime the railways are not only getting a facelift but longtime structural reforms are underway. Is it really? Except creating morsels for private take-over, outsourcing the jobs of the department including contractualisation of management of railway stations and merger of railway budget with general budget?  

Do they expect us to count ‘home delivery of tickets’ and providing film and video packages through journey-time internet as some thorough-going betterment?

Nothing demonstrates the hoax of betterment of passenger facilities in Indian Rail better than a travel in sleeper class or general or unreserved compartments. Well, one can say who pays less will get less! But, the passengers in these classes are not treated as human beings even. They themselves are forced to behave animal-like when rushing to get a seat or even a standing space in the unreserved compartments and in 3 tier, genuine reservation ticket holders suffer due to the sitting or standing crowd of not-so-genuine ticket holders who enjoy the acquiescence of the railway staff deputed to ensure that they do not enter the compartment! In long distance trains a system of regular cleaning of the compartments and the toilets has been re-enforced by outsourcing the job. It is practically limited to AC compartments only. And even in AC compartments, what happen in the last leg suppose of eight hours, of the journey?

Number of accidents has happened in the last three years and now-a-days it has become very easy for the authorities meeting the press after such accidents to allude involvement of terrorists or Maoists; thus easing out the tension of proper investigation of the reasons of the accidents. 

And after all these, here is the sequence of increase in various charges made by the railways during last three years. Firstly, railway passenger fare was increased by 14%. Then price for platform tickets was doubled and made Rs.10/-. Then freight was increased 10%. Then the charges for tatkal tickets were increased. Then again, ticket cancellation charges were increased. Ticket charges for higher classes were increased. Concept of tickets with floating and premium prices for some trains were introduced (which is being withdrawn and they are boasting that it is done because of their care for the people, whereas the fact says that the scheme miserably failed). And now this 10% increase again.

Rokeya in Patna

Recently a theatre group of Patna presented a ‘theatrical reading’ of Begum Rokeya’s works mainly based on her great book ‘Abarodh basini’, a rare collection of events related to the pathetic condition of Muslim women of her time, gathered by her painstakingly from contemporary newspapers and her personal experiences. For years, an enthusiast of Rokeya’s life and works Mr. Nasiruddin is translating ‘Abarodh Basini’ and other works of Rokeya. He is also making researches on his own. The presentation ‘we are all Rokeya’ involved four women dressed-up as Begum Rokeya and they performed commendably. The performance attracted good media attention.

Without highlighting the blasphemous writings and comments of some Muslim writers or leaders, which the media often does for ulterior motives, real reformers of the community, the real work done within, should be focused. Cultural polarizations on that basis should be encouraged. Only that way the grip of fundamentalist and obscurantist forces over the community, as is made apparent by themselves with the help of the media (alternative voices are marginalized very cleverly), can be loosened.  

(Vol. II, 81^st – 82^nd issue, May 31, 2017)

 

 

Mother tongues of India and corporate media

 

In a welcome move the government of West Bengal has proposed introduction of three-language formula at primary level of education – of the three optional language one, Bengali, the language of the state, will be compulsory.

First of all, West Bengal is not the first state to make such a move and secondly, the credit of prolonged struggle for making study of the language of the state compulsory at primary level, goes not to West Bengal but Karnataka.

Educationists world over have stressed the importance of learning one’s mother tongue. They have also stressed that best period for learning multiple languages is the early age, which means at the primary level. The Constitution of India also recognizes the importance of learning (not only learning, rather having as medium of instruction) the mother tongue.

So if Hindi is to be taught as the Official Language of the Union, English also is to be taught as all the guardians, i.e. ‘voters’, remain mesmerized with the possibility of ‘placement-package magic’ for their wards to happen only through ‘Inglis-medium’ then how the overwhelming majority of children of a state ‘linguistically’ reorganized, will learn their mother tongue? And who, if not the government of the state, should undertake the responsibility to arm the new generation of the linguistic communities living in that state, with the basic tool to relate itself with the people and in future, use all its knowledge for the betterment of lives of those who have paid for its education through taxes?       

Yet we know that the Mafiosi of English medium private schools will raise a furore, and that through paid intellectuals, ‘anonymous’ education department officials and legal luminaries that children will be overburdened with the pressure of learning three languages. Ignorant guardians will also start nodding their heads.  

And just see the way the news has been covered by the media! The Times of India, Kolkata edition made it a headline on the first page. But what did it say? “State education minister Partha Chatterjee laid out the plans to force Bengali down every student’s throat” (emphasis added). The newspaper even avoided use of the term mother tongue. “he avoided a direct Hindi-versus-regional language confrontational approach”! Asking to be taught one’s mother tongue has two options in India – to be confrontational or non-confrontational with Hindi? And, it has nothing to do with English? Should we utter what this way of thinking means? It precisely means, let English rule and let it use Hindi to confront and oppress the ‘regional languages’ i.e. the other mother tongues of this country. 

(Vol. II, 83^rd – 84^th issue, June 15, 2017)

 

 

New Ward Councillors of Patna

No public institution has earned such a bad name amongst the people of Patna in recent years as PMC, Patna Municipal Corporation or Patna Nagar Nigam. Its conspicuous absences exactly where and when it should be seen at work, piles of stinking wastes in each and every locality, sometimes raising dust in the name of cleaning the streets exactly at the time when the crowd of men and women going for offices and work-places begin rushing through, some ‘bob-cats’ dancing here and there showing people what ‘automatic’ means, waste-carrying vans or trucks winding through with backside open – giving people free face-lifts with dust and stench… all these are daily experiences of the people of Patna. While writing these lines the homepage of www.patnanagarnigam.in was checked. There are control room phone numbers for complaints regarding water logging but no phone number or menu even, for complaints of spreading piles of wastes in some street! That means PMC is quite gratified that whole of the city under their management and waiting to be ‘smart city’ with the tagline “behatar ho pehchan apna, vikasit rajdhani sundar patna” is clean, sanitized and doesn’t need any enquiry anywhere!

Then there are the stories of its in-fights for the posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor etc. which come in the newspapers.. Boycotts by the councilors, never sitting in full strength in any meeting which in any case never yield any outcome except policies and increasing tax-rates and even facilities just to increase harassment of the people!

And then the treatment meted out to its own workers. There is a sizable list (PDF dowloadable) of daily workers and supervisors who performed well in the job of cleaning and that is commendable that PMC recognizes it. But, what about giving necessary gears and accessories to the workers by the authorities, particularly those who do the cleaning of the underground sewerage? Recently two workers died due to lack of those gears and accessories.

In such a situation the elections for the ward councilors were held recently. Results were declared on 9^th of June and oath-taking will be held on 19^th of June. Of the 75 (72 + 22a, 22b & 22c) councilors (people’s representatives at the ward level) elected, sizable majority are women. Hope they are not all those female candidates whose photos on the posters and banners were smaller than that of their husbands (councilor-pati instead of mukhiya-pati), and are winners in their own right. Then, it is also a fact that many a four-timer, three-timer stalwarts have been defeated and around 70% are newcomers. Even their political brands are still in formation!

If these young people put their heads and efforts together (squabbles, fights for the post of mayor apart, that is part of the game) and really resolve to make a better Patna, it is hoped that they will succeed and earn the support of the people of their city for a long time.

(Vol. II, 85^th – 86^th issue, June 30, 2017)

 

 

 

Anniversary of Emergency

Very few events were organized this year to commemorate the anniversary of Emergency. It’s a dark day of Indian history and not something to be celebrated. It’s not a day to be observed as well. Yes, there are issues to talk about or initiate active discourse on the streets like rallies, processions etc. – the issues of civil liberties, of freedom of press/media, of governance and more. And on all these issues in general and on the issue of freedom of media in particular, serious discussions in the public space are increasing since the present central government came to power.

But this time, on that day the nation was yet reeling, so to say, from the shock of death of Zunaid – a teen-ager killed by passengers aboard a train on the false accusation of carrying beaf, just two days before Eid. It sounded like legendry boy of the story by Premchand, Hamid was killed for his ‘chimta’, on the false accusation that he was carrying a weapon!

Public lynching is not new in this country. Every other day some hapless woman get inhumanly tortured and then killed by the villagers on the accusation of being witch or ‘Dyan’. Men, old and young get lynched on the accusation of being child-lifter. But this is a new, sordid phenomenon. First of all, keeping, carrying or eating beef is not a crime even now after some disputed enactments by central government and some state governments. And then, lynching on a false accusation! It hurt more because it came after killing of Akhlaq in Dadri and killings of cow-traders by ‘Gou-rakshaks’ in Gujrat, Jharkhand and elsewhere. Finally it stands out clear, the message – ‘if you are a minority, you may be heckled, beaten, tortured and then killed!’ like that goat of the fables on which the tiger heaped false accusations one after another. You may be killed not only by some bizarre group of so-called ‘vigilantes’, but by a gathering from people at large.

It is appreciable that Prime Minister has denounced these killings during his speech at Sabarmati Ashram. But not only denouncement, diluted by contrary statements from your ideological kin, but strong punitive administrative action is what the people of India want to see. 

(Vol. III, 87^th – 88^th issue, July 15, 2017)

 

 

 

Reducing the ‘Akash’ of Akashvani Delhi

 

All India Radio, Delhi, has closed the broadcast of news in regional (sic) languages from 8^th July 2017. The sting of nostalgic pain must have pierced the hearts of other linguistic communities also, but near home we could see the sting felt by Bengalee newspapers, individuals and users of social media.

This was to come. After President of India gave his assent to the new set of rules about languages, framed by the Central Government and passed by the Parliament, this was to come. The new rules have expelled the use of languages in the Eighth Schedule from the functioning, even from discussions, speeches by individual MPs, of both the houses of the Parliament, of course except the Official Language of the union i.e. Hindi. The languages have been shown their area of operation within the states only. Rather, as they say in Hindi, the languages were shown their ‘aukaat’. We don’t know, what compelled the President, himself a Bengalee, to give assent to these rules, ‘bring this file on his table and clear it’ in a hurry. He could have returned the file. The rules are not ‘against the Constitution’ perhaps, but against the spirit of the Constitution. The parliament could have sounded like a gorgeous symphony that is India! Now it will sound like a repetitive sonata of the Mid-Gangetic plains only.

So far as Akashvani or All India Radio is concerned, languages of the Schedule were shown their state or regional centres. Akashvani Kolkata will have its national news in Bengali. But Akashvani Delhi, loaded with decades of memory of association with Bengali and other linguistic people all over India, loaded with stupendous moments of history shared with them till the advent and popularization of TV, has closed its doors for them.

 (Vol. III, 89^th – 90^th issue, July 31, 2017)

 

 

Birth Bicentenary celebrations of Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar

Already the decisions of Bengalee Association, Bihar, Vidyasagar Smriti Raksha Samiti and Vidyasagar Bicenteanary – Nandan Kanan Celebration Committee formed by the latter, have evoked good response. Now there is a Research Centre and Regional Office of the Committee in the premises of Bouddha Dharmankur Sabha, Kolkata. The office was inaugurated with the Vidyasagar Tirodhan Diwas programme on 29^th July. The programme was simultaneous with the programme at Nandan Kanan, Karmatar which shows that separate sets of stewardship (necessary for an All India programme as envisaged) are growing. Kolkata based Regional Office, under the able leadership of Prantosh Bandopadhyaya has already designed a Guru Charan Samanta Lecture on ‘Vidyasagar and Karmatar’ to be held on 26^th September 2017. In Bhubaneshwar, a group of learned Oriya people are in the process of organizing with the help of SCERT the relationship of Vidyasagar with Odisha and Oriya scholarship. The Secretary of VB-NCC hopes that a seminar will also be held at Delhi. Behar Herald eagerly co-operates in all these programmes and further hopes commemorative programmes in other centres as well.

Vidyasagar’s works may be widely divided in five or six sectors to correlate with present day campaigns.

First, obviously will be issues related with empowerment of women, from education, marital rights to enhanced participation in all fields; economic recognition of their labour at homes is also included in these.

Second, may be his tireless efforts for spreading education, opening more than 200 schools, preparing scientific syllabus etc. which we can correlate with issues of universal education, uniform education system and rational syllabus/textbooks to develop scientific temper, not obscurantism.

Third, mother tongue; the demand of compulsory teaching of mother tongue at primary level should be taken up forcefully.

Fourth, taking his life at Karmatar during last two decades in consideration, his work to develop the life of Santhal and other local poor people, thrust for development of Marginalised people, and protection of their rights may be taken up.

Fifth, a campaign should be there to encourage scientific and rational way of thinking, which Vidyasagar valued most all his life.

There may be some more, but campaigns at least in these five areas should be taken up while commemorating Vidyasagar.

(Vol. III, 91^st  – 92^nd issue, August 15, 2017)

 

 

Bengali script prohibited by Bhagalpur University

 

It is alarming. Bhagalpur University has prohibited the use of any language other than English and Hindi by examinees in writing their papers except the language paper. Why? It was asked by many. President of Munger branch of Bengalee Association, Bihar sent a written representation protesting the move, to the Vice Chancellor. In the mean time, he also had a talk with the leadership of Bengalee Association at Patna. Informed people were consulted by the leadership. They said that well, it is under the powers of University, they can do it, issue notification in this regard if it is necessary. And all seemed to be satisfied – after all, the all the Universities are suffering from want of language teachers! We ourselves are fighting to get Bengali teachers recruited in schools and colleges! Faculties are facing closure! So, what the University could do any way!

But then the President of Munger branch of the Association received a phone, as he reports, from some officer of the University! The officer said that VC himself has asked the officer to try to convince Mr. Mukherjee. What about? …No, sir, it not anything related with want of teachers. Actually (sic) numerous spurious colleges have sprung up in some areas of North Bihar. In exchange of a good sum they take admission of very low-quality students on a contract that they will manage the examinations, checking of papers and the result; the students will just have to write their papers in languages other than English or Hindi. This nexus is tarnishing the image of the University! Hence, this notification…

The statement of the officer requires re-verification. But if it is true, it is weird all the same. Tomorrow the head of a government office may say that since large number of ‘spurious’ medical certificates are being submitted by the employees, only certificates for cancer and brain tumor will be accepted from now on!

From the Bengali speaking community of Bihar it may legitimately be asked - could the University not find good, ‘unmanageable’ examiners for Bengali in any other universities of Bihar, Jharkhand or Bengal?           

 (Vol. III, 93^rd – 94^th issue, August 31, 2017)

 

 

 

Common School System

Is Common School System a realizable goal? This term, Common School System was first recommended in 1964-66 by the Kothari Commission, the first commission for educational reforms in India. Thereafter it was incorporated in the first National Policy on Education in 1968 and again in the second policy in 1986 as well as its modified version of 1992. The 1986 and 1992 policy statements were also approved by Parliament. But ignoring this approval or the voice of the Parliament the government rather euphemized ‘Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan’ in effort to provide cheaper, alternative stream of education for the poorer sections. Quality of government schools deteriorated over the years. On the other hand the number of elite schools increased fast in all the cities. The deep chasm between two systems of schooling just like the widening gap in wealth looked volcanic. The private schools openly violated the conditions on which they enjoyed various benefits. In such a situation the Supreme Court verdict on this aspect of private schools came in 2004. It had an all India import. Even then, neither the state governments acted nor the private schools were ready to mend their ways.

In such a situation recently some news appeared in the media and social media about the government of Delhi. Firstly, the news came that the quality of education, the condition of school buildings and the availability of basic amenities for the children are radically improving in the government schools. Then came the news that private schools have been forced to submit to the rules with a threat of take over.

It is difficult to check the reality in Delhi sitting here at Patna. We do not want to appear supportive of any political party. But the news, the consecutiveness of the actions reportedly taken by the government of Delhi give us an idea of the course which may be taken by any government, any municipality, any city administration, if not towards common school system, towards increasing the commonality of two school systems existing. First, improve the quality of education, make the condition of the school buildings and premises attractive for the children in your own schools and then bring the private schools, particularly the school-owner Mafiosi under your reins. Hold your strong knuckle in front of their nose and force them to follow the rules you have framed. Not impossible. And in our state we see there is an urgent need for it.

(Vol. III, 95^th – 96^th issue, September 15, 2017)

 

 

Bullets to silence the truth seeker: fourth hit

Gauri Lankesh, a senior journalist of Bangalore was killed on Teachers’ Day, the 5^th September, outside her residence in the evening. This killing, fits into a by now familiar pattern of eliminating voices that dare to speak out against the current climate of hate and intolerance as also the prevalence of obscurantist and anti-rational ideas in the society. The killings of Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare, M. M. Kalburgi and now Gauri Lankesh – are all interconnected. All of them were vociferous in their opposition to superstition, obscurantism and the perpetuation of the communal agenda. The investigating team of the police is also reaching the same conclusion in its own way, by searching the weapon of the crime and nearing the fact that the gun was same which was used to kill Kalburgi.   

Waves of protests reverberated throughout the country. Then there was a huge protest rally in Bangalore on 12^th September. More than 40 thousand people gathered with bands and placards ‘I am Gauri’ and there and then the new issue of Gauri Lankesh Patrike, which she used to edit and publish, was released.

It is hoped that the culprits of this heinous murder will be found soon and arrested.

 (Vol. III, 97^th – 98^th issue, September 30, 2017)

 

 

 

Linguistic Minorities Cell in Minorities Welfare Department

 

On 17^th April 2016 Bengalee Association, Bihar jointly with Bihar Bangla Academy and Behar Herald celebrated Bangla Nabo Barsho 1424 at A. N. Sinha Institute, Patna. Hon’ble Chief Minister of Bihar, Shri Nitish Kumarji kindly consented to grace the occasion and an assemblage of more than five hundred Banglabhashees from all over the state were thrilled to have their Chief Minister in their midst.

One of the very important announcements Chief Minister made in his speech was about opening a Linguistic Minorities Cell in the Minorities Welfare Department of the Government of Bihar, to hear and dispose the issues etc. related to linguistic minorities.

It is regrettable that even after passage of one and a half years the announced cell has not been opened. So far the information reaches us, no step has been taken in this regard.

Recently, Bengalee Association, Bihar in its Annual General Meeting held on 13^th August 2017 demanded through a resolution adopted unanimously that as announced by the Chief Minister himself, the Linguistic Minorities Cell be opened without further delay.

 

Bengali Literature in Bihar

 

Bengali literature in Bihar has a glorious past.

Often, while talking about Bengalees it is said that after division of Bihar and Jharkhand, most of them are now in Jharkhand. No doubt a major segment of Bengalee population living in the urban areas of Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Dhanbad and other cities and towns along with those in the rural areas of Santhal Parganas, Singhbhum, Dumka, Hajaribagh etc. (culturally contoured areas of Dhalbhum and Manbhum included) are now people of Jharkhand. A populace of 12 lakhs living mainly in the districts (urban and rural taken together) of Patna, Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur, Samastipur, Purnia, Katihar, Kishanganj, Gaya, Darbhanga, Motihari (E.Champaran), Bettiya (W.Champaran), Munger etc. or in small segments in other districts like Madhepura, Saharsa, Araria constitute Bihari Bengalee or Banglabhashees of Bihar. That is why it is more pertinent to remember that most of the literary giants of Bengali language whom we claim to have roots in Bihar are from this segment, or present day Bihar.

Name them? Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Bhagalpur. Kedar Nath Bandopadhyay, Purnia. Baldeb Palit, Patna. Asha Lata Singha, Bhagalpur. Anurupa Debi, Muzaffarpur. Satinath Bhaduri, Purnia. Banaphool, Bhagalpur. Bibhuti Bhushan Mukhopadhyay, Darbhanga.

But due to apathy and neglect of the administration in implementing the policies and provisions of law to safeguard and nourish the minority language.languages of a state, the culture of learning Bengali language and studying Bengali literature in the homes of Banglabhashee have eroded fast over the generations.

In such a situation, to enthuse people with literary bent of mind, particularly the elders, housewives and children who still nurture the reading and writing of Bengali in the mohallas, colonies of various towns, who eagerly write in the souvenirs published during festival season, or in local little magazines, Bengali Association, Bihar has convened Bihar Bangla Sahitya Sammelan 2017 on 11^th November at RMR Seminary, Patna. It will provide a ‘Mukto Mancha’ for their writing endeavors.

A commendable effort, undoubtedly.     

(Vol. III, 99^th – 100^th issue, October 15, 2017)

 

 

Hunger index

Is increasing hunger a paradoxical poser for an otherwise developing country? Or fallout succinctly proving, the anti-people nature of the set of policies which is guiding so-called ‘development’?

Why the people of the forests hungry? Because, their forest rights have been snatched away, either by legal prohibitions or by leasing out the forest lands to multinationals, capitalists (the ‘developers’?) or in the name of anti-insurgency operations.

Why the farmers are hungry? Because prematurely, from a regime of building food-sufficiency and subsistence a regime of market-driven agriculture has been promoted over a long period which is driving the farmers to un-repayable high-interest bank loans, loans from micro-finance agencies, clutches of metamorphosed landlords of newer generation and eventual destitution and suicides. 

Why the millions of workers in the unorganized sector are hungry? Because of low wages, that also half-paid through the contractor agencies/individuals, literally zero service-security in practice, seasonal unemployment and unemployment due to various policy-related reasons, e.g. demonetization of the year 2016.

Why the self-employed, petty traders hungry? Again, due to policy decisions taken in the name of development, from national level decisions like 100% FDI in retail sector to municipal decisions barring access to trading areas, roads and so many other things.

After making crores of people prey to hunger through the policies of liberalization, privatization and globalization over the decades, when the situation becomes explosive, you start talking about ‘globalization with human face’, sops like ‘2 Rs/KG rice’, ‘daal-bhaat meals for 5 Rs. and then again, to prevent that also, you raise the tricky question of ‘entitlement or empowerment?’ Then, to reduce, to exclude people even from that minimal entitlement you raise the bogey of fictitious identities! You order linking ration cards with Aadhaar! A child dies of hunger and administration is made hell-bent to find other excuses for that death!    

Hence, India’s ranking 100 among 119 countries, going down 45 positions since 2014 in Global Hunger Index, is not a paradox. It is the crux of that ‘development’ which is inflating the numbers of billionaires in this country.

(Vol. III, 101^st – 102^nd issue, October 31, 2017)

 

 

Cold rains, bitter tea and Girija Devi

About 4 decades back in the timeline. At that time Patna was more Magadhi and densely musical. Street-side Musical nights at the time of Durga puja were annual routines. While the brats and rogues held their swaying heads steady till ten or eleven in the evening till the orchestra etc. were on, they remained mostly out of the fence; the audience for the classical artists, flaunting invitation cards, filled up the pandal area by that time. The lesser people crowded outside as the kathak artist came on the stage and bowed to the audience.

This happened to be the scenario either in Children’s Park (though never became a children’s park), Veena Cinema, Govind Mitra Road, Patna Collegiate School, Nala Road and all other places. Venues changed with time – Gandhi Maidan, Sachivalay Maidan…. And then there was SBI, LHO at the time of Diwali.

By the time of Raag Lalit, prized vocalists or instrumentalists used to come. With their voices or notes on the instruments autumnal sun would rise in the east.

It was such a dawn when Girija Devi came on the stage at Patna Collegiate School. By the time she ended the rendering of a Khayal for the first, sky could be seen to be overcast. It started drizzling. And, lo, the tarpaulin roof on the stage began leaking! The organizers immediately rushed to the stage with umbrellas and requested her to come down. Audience shouted, “No, arrange more umbrellas, she will sing her fill today morning.” Half of the audience was outside the fence, standing getting wet and cold with increasing drizzle. They shouted more, “You sing, Girijaji, we shall not move!” Girija Devi herself was in a mood to sing. She had just completed the Khayal. Now she must go for some Thumris, Kajris, Bhajans… and then some of the audience from the rain had already demanded ‘Nanadiya re, jiyara naa laage mor’.

So, five umbrella-holders were ‘punished’ to stand for more than an hour, giving cover to Girija Devi, her microphone, the tabalchi and his microphone, the drone(tanpura)-player and her microphone and the singing went on.

Such was Girija Devi. And she is no more. We deeply feel lost, Girijaji! 

(Vol. III, 103^th – 104^th issue, November 15, 2017)

 

 

 

Bihar Bangla Sahitya Sammelan

 

It was a novel and daring banner – Bihar Bangla Sahitya Sammelan 2017. There never happened Bihar Bangla or Bongo Sahitya Sammelan in known past. We had Probasi and then Nikhil Bharat but never Bihar. So Bengalee Association, Bihar, particularly Bihar of this century, after Jharkhand being a separate state, can claim that it has created history.

But creating history is not so easy. Without proper exploration of the possible depth and expanse this movement can acquire, we perhaps will be seen as a laughing stock creating a dead weight for oblivion.

That exploration requires that such Sahitya Sammelans or Sabhas, sponsored by Bengalee Association, Bihar centrally and convened by its branches may be held in near future. There  should be Katihar Bangla Sahitya Sabha, Bhagalpur Bangla Sahitya Sabha, Muzaffarpur Bangla Sahitya Sabha, Patna Bangla Sahitya Sabha and similar events held in other districts as well. Locally the literature-minded and creative people writing poems, stories etc. in Bengali should be encouraged to come to the Sabha. The best should be rewarded and more encouragements should be searched out.

The Association must not let the spirit of Bihar Bangla Sahitya Sammelan and the enthusiasm generated by it; die out by our delay in taking the movement forward.

(Vol. III, 105^th – 106^th issue, November 30, 2017)

 

 

Human Rights

 

Can the legislators or the legal luminaries consider the framework of monetary support for the Indian farmer (to prevent his suicide in failing quest to earn a living for him and his family, in failing quest to avert distress sale of his produce and avoid taking high-interest loans) under the concept of Human Right? Can they consider payment of minimum living wage to the workers under the concept of Human Right?

There are so many other injustices inbuilt to the system we live in which do not come under the concept of Human Right. There was a time when this ‘Human Right’ approach to the problems was ridiculed as sly American thing to confuse the people fighting for their rights.

But the times have changed. Sense of community is not being developed on the basis of love, rather it is being developed on the basis of hatred towards other community. Majoritarianism in the matters where the concept of majority has no place has grown sickeningly and people are being brutally targeted, beaten, killed and then the killers are being rewarded!

10^th of December was observed as Human Rights Day. In an event observing the Day, none other than our earlier Chief Justice of India R. M. Lodha commented, ““Should religion be a factor when two adults fell in love? People have been killed in cases of love jihad. The violators of human rights are not accountable to society. There is laxity in the police action. This question is shaking me every day,… Is it human rights which we are talking about when we have laws compatible to the international declaration of human rights?...In the name of cow protection, human beings were slaughtered. Cow vigilantes are mushrooming everywhere. Sedition charges are being invoked against activists. Cartoonists, actress and students were charged with sedition charges,… Do we really value human rights? Despite adequate laws, constitutional safeguards and strong judiciary, we are not able to achieve the goals of protection of human rights”. Justice Lodha, President of the International Institute of Human Rights which has organized the function, urged for a robust mechanism to protect the human rights in the country.

What times have arrived! Even the right to life of a child is being threatened every day. Every morning you open the newspaper and see at some corner – 4/5 year old girl child raped and then killed! Girls in villages and cities are being gang-raped and then killed every other day! This man, Afrazul, working in Rajasthan was hacked by an axe! Then burned! And the killer proudly videoed the whole thing and posted in social media! How he could? He could because day and night he is listening to the proud, violent utterings of a group of political leaders who encourage people to kill. ‘You just do it. Rest will be taken care of by us. You will be rewarded! What happened to the killers of Akhlaq? They have been rewarded with jobs in NTPC! What happened to the killers of Pehlu Khan? Heh..heh, no one killed Pehlu Khan! What happened to the killers of Junaid? Rest assured, they will come out clean!...’

Unless these heinous acts and abetments of crime are avenged by the people, human rights will not remain protected. Police and courts cannot protect human rights unless people is there, in front of the police stations and courts, united and getting restive to know what action has been taken.

(Vol. III, 107^th – 108^th issue, December 15, 2017)

 

 

Merry Christmas

Christmas is not a Christian festival for us. Due to its being the ‘Bara Din’(the daytime beginning to be longer), beginning of winter holidays in the schools and colleges, the sweet associated with it, the ‘cake’ (world says that Indians love sweets) and the family trips, Christmas is an Indian festival. But, it is Christ’s birthday first of all! And that way also, like all countries where poor, hapless people are suffering oppression of the economic, political and social system they belong, India has a strong case to observe the birthday of this rebel as a hero of the downtrodden! That way the liberation theology world over has owned Christ!

“Jesus is stated to have visited the Temple in Jerusalem, where the courtyard is described as being filled with livestock, merchants, and the tables of the money changers, who changed the standard Greek and Roman money for Jewish and Tyrian money. (Gentile money could not be used at the Temple because of the graven images on it.). Jerusalem was packed with Jews who had come for Passover, perhaps numbering 300,000 to 400,000 pilgrims.

“And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, "Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade." [Jn 2:13–16]

"And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves."

— Matthew 21:12–13

In Mark 12:40 and Luke 20:47 Jesus accused the Temple authorities of thieving and this time he names poor widows as their victims, going on to provide evidence of this in Mark12:42 and Luke 21:2. Dove sellers were selling doves that were sacrificed by the poor who could not afford grander sacrifices and specifically by women. According to Mark 11:16, Jesus then put an embargo on people carrying any merchandise through the Temple—a sanction that would have disrupted all commerce. This occurred in the outermost court of the gentiles.

Matthew 21:14–16 says the Temple leaders questioned Jesus if he was aware the children were shouting "Hosanna to the Son of David." Jesus responded by saying "from the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise." This phrase incorporates a phrase from the Psalm 8:2, "from the lips of children and infants," believed by followers to be an admission of divinity by Jesus, thus confirming his divinity via prooftexting the Old Testament. (Wikipedia, Cleansing of the Temple)

Roman Empire was already in crisis. Orders were given to the administrators to halt and punish any troublemaking within the borders of the empire. So, Jesus was arrested, tortured and then punished with death by crucifixion.

And that ‘trade within temple’? It is still there. We face it today as ‘crony capitalism in religious extremism’! So the Son of God posits itself here by logic! Of course with people of different millenium, with new advances of humanity!     

(Vol. III, 109^th – 110^th issue, December 31, 2017)

 

 

Will the Bengali text books be printed this year?

When the representatives of Bengalee Association, Bihar go to visit other states they proudly say that agencies of the Government of Bihar now include Bengali language in syllabus preparation, text book preparation and printing and its distribution to districts etc. etc. But the regrettable fact remains that the text books were prepared no doubt, but never printed. On persuasion by the Bengalee Association, PDF files of those text books were made downloadable in the website of Bihar State Text Book Publishing Co. Ltd. It was claimed that the students who would get the downloaded files printed by local cyber cafes or such type of shops would be reimbursed by DEO office after recommendation by Head Master of the school on the cash memo! It is quite an imaginable feat that a student of primary level studying in some school situated at some remote village (suppose one of those Bengalee settler’s colonies in Bagha, West Champaran from where nearest township is 5 KM through jungle infested with dacoits) would get the text book printed and the cost reimbursed!

When Bihar Bangla Academy came forward and offered Bihar Education Project that if reimbursement of the cost be provided centrally to it, Academy will undertake supply of text books to all the primary schools in Bihar where Bengali speaking students are admitted and Bengali is taught. Rather, through TET, Bengali teachers have also been provided to some extent. Academy received a negative response. Then Bengalee Association, with some donation from the Academy and collection of donations from individuals, prepared Xerox copies of text books and sent in limited numbers to schools through its branches and Bengali teachers’ organisation developed by the Association.

Anyway, that is past. New Year has arrived. Can we expect printing of Bengali text books by BSTBPCL and distribution by BEP this year? Can we expect that students will get Bengali text books in their school bags this year?   

(Vol. III, 111^th – 112^th issue, January 15, 2018)

 

 

 

Supriya Devi

Days before her imminent death due to tuberculosis, Neeta in Meghe Dhaka Tara by Ritwik Ghatak cried, “I wanted to live”. More than a cry it was an accusation against this world of injustice which did not let her live. It reminded us of the despairing intermittent utterance, ‘I accuse’, of her incapacitated father in his room. They were a family of the refugee colony struggling for their subsistence. 

We also loved her as Anusuya in Komal Gandhar. Anusuya is the heroine of the film but not the central character like Neeta in Meghe Dhaka Tara. The film is about the travails of amateur theatre (yet the zeal to move on) intertwined with the pain of partition of India and Pakistan, yet so many of the important messages of the film by Ritwik are conveyed through Anusuya. Moreover, it was suggestive of her own journey.

Supriya Choudhury, born in Burma (Myanmar) came to India and, having a knack for acting and dance since childhood, began her journey in films to become one of the most adored actresses of Bengal.

Supriya Devi breathed her last on 26^th January 2018. We pay our respects to her.

 

The ‘fringe’

It appears to have become a fashion today. Whenever something happens which is widely criticized and consequently becomes unpalatable for the political force which is running the state, it tries to shrug that happening off by making the ‘fringe groups/elements’ responsible. Media also accepts this way of dealing with the affairs. Who are these ‘fringe groups/elements’ who torture and kill people in the name of religion, throw stones on the bus with school children, plants saffron flag on court building, come out in procession with saffron flag on Republic Day, threatens constitution of India and then hide when the purpose of the ruling political force is fulfilled? Strangely, the ruling force, never criticizes those activities except under extreme pressure! If you look at the phenomenon, you will surely conclude that the so-called fringe groups/elements are not separate entities, time to time they are generated by or they are expressions of the ruling force itself, conveniently released and then concealed. What type of ruling force it is which always need a multi-headed fringe to surround it? Is it healthy political behavior? Does this behavior signify some healthy development of our republic? No. History is witness to such political behavior. They are known as fascistic manoeuvres to destroy the republic.  

(Vol. III, 113^th – 114^th issue, January 31, 2018)

 

 

Cricketing in Bihar

Thanks to Lodha Committee recommendations and approval by Supreme Court for all of it that after long 17 years young cricketers of Bihar will now be able to play in their home state without dooming their careers.

For these 17 years, Bihar was under RJD rule for five years, (excluding President’s rule for some months) and JD(U) or JD(U)+ rule for 12 years. Yet it required a national level judicial committee recommendation and Supreme Court’s affirmation of the same to put Bihar cricket on the track again! This piece of fact speaks about the care state governments have been taking to develop sports in Bihar. How many times did the governments take the initiative to make the cricket associations of the state to seat together, end the face-off and take unified position to approach BCCI for recognition and participation in national tournaments?

On the other hand, it goes to the credit of ‘Cricket Association of Bihar & Others’ to raise a legal dispute for participation in the Board of BCCI which led to formation of Lodha Committee, whose recommendations proved to be a game-changer for the administration of the game of cricket. (The judges hearing the case in the highest court of law did also observe that though many states remain unrepresented in the Board of BCCI, leaving out Bihar, old, most populous and a big state is ‘significant omission’). 

Recently, the Acting Secretary of BCCI met Chairman of the Media Committee of Bihar Cricket Association (now recognized by BCCI) Sanjiv Kumar Mishra and assured that in the year 2018-19 Bihar will play the national cricket tournaments including that for Ranji Trophy.

It is also in the news that from 1^st April 2018 onwards the Moinul Haque Stadium will be handed over to BCA for which MOU has been signed. That is also a piece of good news. But what about playing fields in all the cities and towns of the state? What about playing fields in private and ‘CBSE affiliated/affiliation applied for’ schools? There still are schools running in apartment-type buildings in congested streets which show the public park (that also in a sorry state) at the other side of the road when inspection team from the affiliating authority ask about the playing field of the school! And still those are obtaining affiliation!

However, it is time to support upcoming heroes and heroines of Bihar cricket who would bring pride to the state and to the country in coming days. 

(Vol. III, 115^th – 116^th issue, February 15, 2018)

 

 

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar and Hindi

 

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar joined Fort William College in the year 1841 as the head of the Sanskrit department. The Secretary of the college Captain G. T. Marshal, being impressed by the knowledge of Vidyasagar advised him to learn English and Hindi as well. Ishwar Chandra learned and acquired good command on both the languages.  When he thought to write ‘Betal Panchavinshati’ in Bengali as a textbook, instead of selecting Katha Sarit Sagar and other Sanskrit sources as the base material, he chose Betal Pachisi in Hindi written by Lallu Lal, a teacher of Hindi in Fort William College, Calcutta.

Bharatendu Harishchandra, living in Benares, used to visit Calcutta frequently as he had family relations there. He knew about Vidyasagar.  During the 70s of 19^th century Bharatendu was in his 20s while Vidyasagar was in his 50s. They shared their month of birth. Ishwar Chandra was born on 26^th September 1820 whereas Bharatendu was born on 9^th September 1850. In their very first meeting they became good friends. Whenever Bharatendu went to Calcutta he met Vidyasagar. Whenever Vidyasagar went to Benares he met Bharatendu; he also went to his home and used his father’s library. Bharatendu wrote about Vidyasagar (it is a typical four-liner in popular puzzle style):-

सुन्दर वानी कहि समुझावै ।

विधवागन सों नेह बढ़ावै ॥

दयानिधान परम गुन आगर ।

सखि सज्जन नहिं विद्यासागर ॥

[He makes you understand in good words, increases his affection for widows, god of kindness and store of sublime qualities – is he just a good man, my friend? No, he is Vidyasagar (meaning Ocean of Knowledge)]

 

His influence on ‘Hindi Renaissance’ is an area of research. In the year 1856 Hindu Widow Remarriage Act was passed. During the years 1857-58 whole northern and western India including some areas in the East and South was engulfed in the tumultuous events of the first war of Indian independence. During the same period of two years Vidyasagar opened 35 girls school in the districts he was working as Inspector of Schools. In 1855 he had opened first teachers’ training institute of India, called Normal School those days. Even before that he had modernized the syllabus for education.

 In fact, major portion of recommendations of Wood’s Despatch reflected the suggestions given by Vidyasagar in his ‘Notes for educational reforms’ and his discussions with Halliday, which formed the core of ‘Halliday’s Minutes. The colonial government changed its policies regarding education after these developments, in which Vidyasagar played a crucial role. 

But as it appears, his social reforms, his efforts to modernize education and spread education amongst women did not extend to Hindi area in a linear way. Bharatendu’s literary works, influence of Dayanand Saraswati even before establishment of Arya Samaj, influence of enlightened Hindi intelligentsia, as also the social reform by Ram Mohan Roy before him…all mingled to create the wave of enlightenment in Hindi world. Where and in which way the name of Vidyasagar stood in that wave is an area which needs further research.

Finally, if his role as foremost protagonist of rationality, of rational thought remains lost in his image of ‘Man of strong ideals’, that is not the fault of Hindi world, the Bengalee mind itself did it.

(Vol. III, 117^th – 118^th issue, February 28, 2018)

 

 

 

Killing of children in Muzaffarpur and the media

Nine children were instantly killed and 24 were injured on February 24 when a speeding SUV (not truck) ran over the group of school students crossing the road. The shocking incident happened on NH77 at Minapur block. The man who was driving the vehicle was drunk (in a State where Liquor is banned) and a leader of a political party of the ruling alliance in Bihar. Moreover that political party also rules at the centre. That is where the blood stains on the road exposed the bloodlines of the media today.

As recorded in detail in an analytic piece by Altnews (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ patna/suv-that-killed-9-kids-in-muzaffarpur-was-being-driven-by-bjp-neta/articleshow/6307 1033.cms); they “looked at the coverage by television news channels and newspapers for English and Hindi to see whether the issue made it to the prime time slot and the front page.” They also “looked at the prime time coverage for February 24 and February 25.” and “For newspapers” they “looked at the Sunday edition i.e. February 25, a day after the incident.” They found that a majority of the TV news channels and news papers tried to evade the news, downplay it or used subterfuges to ignore it.

Though these tendencies have not appeared for the first time, it sure is a new phenomenon. Often it happens now a day that some big news unpleasant for the ruling disposition is taken note of in evasive way. Newspapers relegate it to inner pages as a small clip or simply ignore it on the first day. TV news channels begin streaming the news late on the lower screen. It only when they feel the pressure of the public outrage or of the social media making the news viral that they begin (rather, are forced to begin) giving it better coverage.

Ominous signs for the future of this country with a corporate-controlled media, that also crony corporate, are being more and more visible every day.

(Vol. III, 119^th – 120^th issue, March 15, 2018)

 

 

 

 

Being human vis-à-vis being market

 

Well, two decades back we were not aware that there are 5 - 6 (suppose) business entities competing to improve each and every part of the functioning brain, 5 -6 for hair, then ears, nose and for eyelashes and eyes itself. Perhaps a dozen corporate wings are wrangling to grab more share of our face-skin, teeth, lips and so on. Every part of our body, our behavior and individual characteristics are subject to market operations. And then relations! To do better with your family, to be friendlier to the friends, products are there. Even in conjugality, from first expression of love to making of love – to do better, rather ‘to do it cool’ you just need money and choice to purchase the required product!

If this is the situation with human body and relationships, much same is the case with commitments to sociality, or ‘being human’ in the larger sense as well. Just now, perhaps a lesser number of philanthropic institutions, education, health or other establishments are run by the funds made available by mandatory CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) from the balance sheets of those same business establishments who have segmented and divided among themselves our body and our relationships, but all the funds routed through various foundations and endowments are related to one or other or various corporate entities, except of course, various modes of ‘crowd-funding’ done in some projects.

If the situation is reversed, they may say, “Oh well, we are caring so much for your ‘being human’, we have every right to intrude in your privacy, know you physically and personally to shape our products according to that! Nothing too serious, yaar, just like sending cookies to your computer!”

Now, the largest ‘donor’ (as the era of LPG – liberalization, privatization & globalization – thinks in India today) is the government! In spite of all allegations of forsaking its responsibilities, of shrinking the budget allocations, it is (or ‘are’, including the states) the largest owner of educational and medical establishments, provides funding for numerous NGOs and takes the responsibilities of all primary healthcare and relation-care as enumerated above including subsidized supply of sanitary napkins and condoms, both.

So, as it is alleged that the app for the mobile in Prime Minister’s name gathers private data of the users for the government, Adhaar data is being used for surveillance… the government can also repeat the same dialogue as above and say, “Nothing too serious, yaar! Chalta hai!”

(Vol. III, 121^st  – 122^nd issue, March 31, 2018)

 

 

 

 

Rape as community punishment!

When we do not grow with time we become retarded, handicapped. When we refuse to grow with time, we rot and may be struck with disease. But when we intentionally begin going back in time, we ourselves become disease – disease, to be eradicated by the whole of humanity.

Continued rape of an 8-year-old hungry, half-conscious girl in Kathua (J & K) by giving her doses of sex-arousing drugs (!) for a week and then killing her by smashing her head, for ‘teaching a lesson’ to the community she belonged...! The mastermind being an erstwhile government official! One of the rapist being police official! Clan of advocates preventing the police to lodge the case in the court and chanting slogans seemingly simple religious expression but as communal threats!...

Gangrape of a woman in Unnao (UP), then taking her father in custody for the ‘crime of demanding justice’, killing him and before his death, taking his signatures on false statements to be placed as evidences to protect and save the guilty…and police dilly dallying in arresting the accused as he is a MLA of the ruling party!...

Now, again a case of child-rape and murder in Surat, Gujrat!...

Of course, humanity has prevailed finally till now. In Kathua, Police and the advocate for the victim showed strong will despite threats on phone; the accused have been arrested and the investigation has begun. In Unnao also the State government had to act finally and the accused MLA has been arrested.

But the tales of horror proves beyond doubt that there are people around us who have metamorphosed to become worms of disease. And if not eradicated soon we all may be infected and waiting to be worms. 

 

1 April Barna Parichay published

Barna Parichaya. the historic book, a primer for learning Bengali language has been standing the test of time for 164 years. It was first published on 1^st April 1854. Pundit Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar wrote this classic after thorough-going research to modernize the Bengali language. Bengalee Association, Bihar commemorated the 150^th year of its publication in the year 2004. It is also significant that the last edition of the book was published with the Karmatar-address of the writer. Now that ‘address’ i.e. Nandan Kanan is the property of Bengalee Association, Bihar (undivided Bihar of 1974) and is being maintained by Vidyasagar Smriti Raksha Samiti.

The Samity may think about making a ‘Barna Parichay Gallery’ in Nandan Kanan premises in which the blowed-up facsimiles of the rough pages of work on Barna Parichay done by Vidyasagar will be displayed along with the pages of final book.

3^rd April, AIBA foundation day

AIBA or All india Bengalee Association was found on 3^rd April some years back in Banga Bhawan, New Delhi. Since then this organization has arranged conferences in Ahmedabad, Chennai and Patna. With its growth it is trying to cope up with the challenges of such an All India organization. The tag line of ‘connecting people’ gets stressed with the complex situation of Bengalees in Assam, quasi-political and legal battle for minority rights of Bengalees in Bihar, linguistic and social deprivation of settled refugees in Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and other places and then, with the fact of poor bengalees being soft communal target as in Afrajul’s case in Rajasthan.

Yet, AIBA is growing. It has proved its need for the Bengalee individuals and families living in different states facing problems related with medical treatment at Vellore, Mumbai, Hyderabad or Chennai. Or problems related with stay of the children who get admitted in various study streams or join jobs in different cities. Bengalees, specially of Bahirbanga or out of Bengal are happy that they have an All India organization, that also with its head quarter in the capital of the country. It means much in the social-political culture of a country like India.

Let AIBA grow more and more every year. Best wishes for its young and energetic leadership working cohesively from distant locations of Delhi, Ahmedabad, Chennai and other cities. 

(Vol. III, 123^rd  – 124^th issue, April 15, 2018)

 

 

 

Plastic-eaters found by accident

 

Newsdesk – Scientists have found plastic-eater enzymes. Of course, the plastics on which they have tested the ‘taste’ of those enzymes are PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) plastics, a classy thing, seen only in the kitchens of middle class homes and used in branded water bottles here. We don’t know whether the black, blue, red and yellow plastic bags the grocers, the meat-sellers provide us are eatable by those enzymes or not.

But the world is much bigger. And those plastics which come out of a dead whale’s stomach or carried by ocean waves, litter an island where not a single human being has stepped till now are all PET or PEF (Polyeyhylene Furandicarboxilate, bio-based but not bio-degradable, used in beer bottles) plastics.

So, we are earnestly hoping that accidentally (scientists were studying the structure of the enzyme, ‘Ideonella Sakaiensis 201-F6’ to help protein engineering) man has found something which may be used to combat one of the world’s worst pollution problems.

The discovery was made by the researchers, Bryon Donohoe and Nic Rorrer from University of Portsmouth, Britain and National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Department of Energy, USA. Few years ago, they had found the enzyme in ia waste recycling centre in Japan.

Media (https://m.economictimes.com) says that “according to a three year study published in Scientific Reports last month, a huge, swirling pile of trash in the Pacific Ocean, known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, is growing faster than expected and is now three times the size of France, more than double the size of Texas.” 

(Vol. III, 125^th  – 128^th issue, May 15, 2018)

 

 

 

 

Crusaders & martyrdom

From 16^th to 31^st May every year the Bengalees commemorate a few crusaders. First obviously is Ram Mohan Roy (conferred the title Raja by the Mughal Badshah of Delhi before Roy’s visit to London to raise the issues he was dealing with the rule of East India Company here) the harbinger of 19^th century reform movements in India. Then Kazi Nazrul Islam, the rebel poet endeared to Bengalee hearts spanning both sides of the divided Bengal. Nazrul, till date, remains the unparalleled hard-hitter against communalism and casteism, the two biggest problems Indians face every day. Then there is the writer Manik Bandopadhyay who blazed his trail with Pragaitihasik and continued with dozens of novels and hundreds of short stories which are classics of modern Bengali literature.

And then, in this fortnight Bengalees observe Bhasha Shaheed Diwas to pay tributes to the martyrs for mother tongue, who died in police firing on 19^th May,1961 in Silchar, Assam.

So, this editorial was meant to something more about these great persons and the martyrs. But suddenly came the news of police firing in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu on 22^nd May. More than a dozen died. Who were they? What were they struggling for? Were they terrorists escaping from jail? Were the intruders from some enemy country? They were simple villagers struggling to protect the environment of the area, which, they alleged, was being polluted by a copper smelter, a factory established there by a multinational whose owner has a name of Indian origin. May be the allegations were wrong! The company has taken enough precautions to protect the environment! May be, the protestors did something – pelted stones, tried to cross the factory boundary etc. etc. – which needed police action! But did it need firing on such a large scale? Death of more than a dozen people means injury, including grave injuries to people double the number of death! And then, as the pictures are coming on social media, firing was done from too long a range which suggests no prior preventive action like barricading, lathi-charge, teargas shelling or from such a close range which suggests the action to be ‘punitive’.

Perhaps any affirmative or suggestive comment should be avoided as court has already taken up the matter. But looking at the situation in general appearing all over the world we see indigenous and local people are fighting, bleeding every day to protect their habitat and environment against profit-hungry demonic corporates. It is the cronyism of the latter which has given rise to a situation where much needed industrialization for growth and employment have become a tool in the hand of the exploiters to uproot people and grab land. May be, after the end of the arguments in the arsenal of the state to justify police action, young people killed in Thoothukudi will stand out as crusaders for a just cause and martyred.    

(Vol. III, 129^th  – 130^th issue, May 31, 2018)

 

 

 

 

June waitings

For so many things we wait in the last days of May and then first week of June!

Firstly, we see the studious and talented boys and girls, and their parents along with other relatives waiting breathless for the results of entrance examinations for medical and engineering. And when rapturously they receive the results of their passing and All India ranks etc. they begin their wait for the days of counselling and admissions.

Much more than the number of those people waiting for results, are the farmers who wait for the monsoon. And monsoon waiting affects all of us. Scorching heat, everyday exchanges of information about rising mercury in Gaya, Patna, Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur make us restless and we begin speculating on each string of clouds in the horizon – are they monsoon clouds? And the way they come sometime!... Suddenly the sun of 10.00 AM is dimmed, you smell something, rush out and see huge, huge dark masses of cloud engulfing the sky… kites encircling and moving away look like they are guiding the clouds… dry leaves and dust rise menacingly – the storm has already begun. You wait for the smell of the earth wet with the first big drops of rain!

And then we know that litchis, coming since last week, will be sweet now and markets will get concealed behind heaps of litchi leaves for some days.

Mangoes come by the last of May. But wait for the king, the Dudhia Malda begin in the first week of June. Though it never comes by the first week. It keeps us waiting for the second week, even third week sometime.

…

But suddenly the heart fills with sadness. Suddenly the Station Road of Purnia, Bhattabari, Naorattan, Zila School, Khazanchi More and other areas appear before the eyes. A man should have been there. The Bengalee Association and the Bengalees in general could have gone to meet him. Or have met him in Patna residence. Could have said, “Ajitda, you shall have to look after these issues. We have brought the questions framed. You may raise it in Bidhan Sabha. The Bengalee students are not getting books. The settlers are not getting pattas…” and more.

Of course, he had a political colour. He had the people, the poor farmers, adivasis to fight for in Budhauli estate and other places. But that never prevented him from raising the issues of Bengali-speaking people of Bihar.

It was shocking in the year 1998 when bullets killed Ajit Sarkar, four times MLA (he was MLA at the time of his death) from Purnia, on 14^th June. It is shocking that after a lapse of two decades, ‘who were his killers’, are yet not decided.

(Vol. III, 131^st – 132^nd issue, June 15, 2018)

 

 

Is some game on?

Few days ago, there was a news, “Union HRD Minister…directed the CBSE to continue conducting the Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) in the 20 Indian languages as earlier.” What CBSE had done?

Removed all other languages from the list of languages in which CTET used to be taken over the years and retained only English, Hindi and Sanskrit!

What were the languages which were removed?

They were Assamese, Bangla, Garo, Gujrati, Kannada, Khasi, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Mizo, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Tamil, Telegu, Tibetan & Urdu.

Why those languages were removed? Was it expected that students from a village near Aizawl or Madurai or Dharwar or Leh would not be getting any school in their localities and come to Delhi or any other city of Hindi ‘A’ area for studies? All the Kendriya Vidyalayas opened in the remotest areas over the area would be closed? Or, the teachers appointed for those schools from now on will only require knowing only English, Hindi or Sanskrit from now on?  Or, the finest utopia – those states either would be converted to Hindi ‘A’ area or cease to exist?

Issue is not that CBSE had taken a decision and Minister stopped it from implementation in time, though not on his own but in face of protest, “the directive… came following criticism” (news).

Issue is, what is the frame of mind of CBSE, the biggest board, central board, (which now-a-days the state board tend to follow), of secondary education? What future vision of India tempts them to take such audacious decision?

Whereas, any reasoned view of future India, particularly from eminent educationists supposed to man the head posts of institutions like CBSE, would rather consider increase the list of languages, including languages like Konkani, Santhali, Kokborok, Mizo and many others. In fact, the teacher must begin his or her first talk with the child coming to the school for the first time in the language of the locality.

We must be thankful to those who protested the CBSE decision in time. We do not know who the others were (and any leader from Bengali-speaking community was there) but from the news published in Times of India we get the name of Kanimojhi, leader of DMK. We are thankful to Kanimojhi.  

(Vol. III, 133^rd – 134^th issue, June 30, 2018)

 

 

 

Vilification of Prof. Tapodhir Bhattacharjee answer the questions raised by him

Prof. Tapodhir Bhattacharjee is a learned Bengali litterateur, author of many books, ex-VC of Assam Central University and a human rights activist as well. He is observing the plight of Bengali speaking people of Assam like many others. He is observing that whether practical groundwork for completion of National Register of Citizenship is going the ‘NDA-way’ in some districts or ‘AASU-way’ in some other districts (that way it happens in such coalition governments), the brunt is being borne by Bengali speaking people who are no less than one crore and 40 lakhs living in Assam. Bengalees are suffering in the detention camps, Bengalees are being declared D-voters, Bengalees are running pillar to post to provide their ID documents to the officials and Bengalees are losing all their life-time family earnings and assets to pay for the legal battles they are fighting to prove that they are Indians.

Tapodhir simply wrote some booklets and articles about the origin of Bengalee people in Assam, some glimpse in the history of hatred against the Bengalees and the present situation emerging during time-bound completion of NRC under the supervision of Supreme Court.

No media claimed that whatever Tapodhir is writing is lie, government is damn serious and impartial to implement the Assam Accord in letter and spirit and identified cases of harassment are being taken care of; Bengalees, who are genuine citizens have nothing to be afraid etc. etc. The huge number of paramilitary forces being posted on the streets have nothing to do with the apprehension that they are there to stifle any voice of dissent. That would have been better. But no, Tapodhir is a villain, is Assam-hater and he must be ‘caught’. Hence a flimsy FIR is lodged in Dispur PS by someone and based on that police immediately moves to cities all over India for look-out!

These tamashas prove that what Tapodhir is saying, what Harsh Mandar had said in his report to the NHRC and many others are saying are true. Bengalees in Assam are facing large scale discrimination and atrocities. 

(Vol. III, 135^th – 136^th issue, July 15, 2018)