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Monday, April 30, 2012


Book reviews make a better read than books themselves- because when one is past a certain age, knowledge is not of much use, and what knowledge one acquires is no sooner gained than is lost in a haze of general ideas. So it happens that I prefer to pore over book reviews than drudge through book length details. This is poor advertisement for my sort of reading, I know- but it gives me much pleasure to even go over a list of book titles, sometimes even reviews carry too much of a weight.

I have on hand, an old issue of Times Literary Supplement (February 17, 2012)- and these are the first few books:
  • "Joseph Roth - A Life in Letters" translated and edited by Michael Hoffmann
  • "Ben Jonson - A LIfe" by Ian Donaldson
  • "The Homeric Hymsn - Interpretative essays" - ed. Andrew Faulkner
  • "Facing the Gods - Ephiphany and representation in Graeco- Roman art, literature and religion" - Verity Platt
  • "The History Written on the Classical Greek Body" - Robin Osborne
  • "The Art of the Body - Antiquity and its legacy" - Michael Squire
  • "Widor - A Life beyond the Toccata" - John R. Near
  • "Superstition as Ideology in Iranian Politics - From Majlesi to Ahmedinijad" - Ali Rahnema
and so on.

What is in all these books, you might ask. Questions, and room for speculation - which will be spoiled if one earnestly sets to reading these books.

"We were outfitted for life, only for death to greet us. We were still standing in bewilderment at our first funeral procession, and already we were lying in a mass grave," Joseph Roth is quoted as having written. These words evoke a person, to whose image no amount of details will do enough justice. It is enough to know for our present purposes, another quote of Roth : "I have hit upon a method to cheat my faith, which forbids suicide. So I will die with my pen in my hand". Enough, we have a person, details are disturbance.

The same goes for Ben Jonson, too. We have one of his contemporaries write about Jonson, "He is a great lover and praiser of himself, a contemner and scorner of others, given rather to lose a friend than a jest, jealous of every word and action of those about him (especially after drink, which is one of the elements in which he liveth..." Ha, a person you say, and the reveiwer helpfully notes from the book that Ben Jonson was a daunting presence in the performance of his own plays, making, "Vile and bad faces at every line... to make players afraid to take your part". And to top it all, there is the nugget that after Jonson had been and back from Scotland, he had a character in his latest masque announce, "One of our greatest poets- I know not how good a one- went to Edinburgh o' foot, and came back". The reviewer adds, spoiling the fun, that 'greatest' here means 'largest;. Any further reading is sure to be less enchanting.





Analysing Pakistan's Commitment to Peace

Ananth Venkatesh
Pakistan is unable/unwilling to stop the mushrooming terror camps at home, though their leader speaks of mutual peace in India. In this multi-part series on India-Pakistan relations, Ananth Venkatesh talks of the condition of peace in Pakistan, the threat to their populace from home-grown terror groups, the effects of America's troop withdrawl from Afghanistan on India, and the need to be wary of Imran Khan's peace talks.
"If the American troops and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) withdraw from Afghanistan as planned, 2013-14 are going to be crucial watershed years for India as far as the security of our western border is concerned"  -  Air Chief Marshal N.A.K. Browne
"It is Kabul now we are dealing with. The moment we resolve that, we will take over the next phase to liberate Kashmir from Jammu & Kashmir state" -  Hafiz Saeed
The recent spiritual voyage of the Pakistani President, Asif Zardari, to India recently, which also had a Pakistani political presence enmeshed in it, epitomizes yet another measure in the tempestuous diplomatic history between India and Pakistan. In his journey to the respected Mohammedan shrine in Rajasthan’s Ajmer, known as Ajmer Sharif Dargah (ASD), Zardari had company in the form of his young son, Bilawal Bhutto, who is, at the tender age of 23, the occupant of the post of chairmanship of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), despite having exiguous active political experience. But possessing the Bhutto surname and having the Late Benazir Bhutto as your mother unburdens Bilawal from the requirement of hands-on political experience in Pakistan’s stormy, sectarian and toxic politics in order to become the chairman of the PPP. Zardari arrived in India with the prominent Pakistani Interior Minister, Rehman Malik, who is quite adept at offering the Indian political media access to him. Zardari sought connection with divinity on arriving at the ASD, which was, by then, surrounded by a high hill of security presence. Zardari’s fairly substantial grant of $5 million to the ASD, seemingly for the welfare of the ASD, was a gesture that must have been heartwarming for the ASD’s management.
There was a get-together in the Indian Prime Ministerial residence between the Indian PM, Manmohan Singh, and Zardari while the latter was en-route to Ajmer. As has become customary during such visits, the statements by the two leaders and the two nations’ delegations were symbolized by insipid and docile declarations of tranquil intentions. The two leaders pronounced that they had congeniality in their minds and hearts for the Indian and Pakistani populace. While such proclamations of warless intentions are indeed welcome from the Pakistani State’s head, one needs to refrain from forgetting that such idyllic pronouncements have been uttered in the recent history by Indian and Pakistani leaders.
There has, however, been no extermination in the Pakistani terrorist infrastructure despite these rosy and blissful statements of peace emanating from the Pakistani governments and political parties in the recent past. In fact, the numerical and infrastructural strength of Pakistani terrorism has only strengthened in the last few years, with a miscellany of outfits sprouting on Pakistani soil.

Pakistani school girls and pedestrian move away from the site of a bomb blast in Peshawar on January 3, 2012. Two separate bomb blasts in Pakistan's troubled northwest on January 3 killed five people and wounded 26 others, police said. (1/3/2112) AFP/Getty Images 
...Sunni-Shiite bloodshed
'Organisations' such as the Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Hizbul Mujahedeen, which are conventional and ill-famed, have been joined by other Islamic fundamentalist outfits such as Sipah-e-Sahaba (SeS) and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ). Each of these is characterized by virulent inimicalness towards India, towards non-Muslims in India and towards secularism in India. The aspiration of these Sunni terrorist outfits is to ground an Islamic Sultanate/Caliphate in India with the decapitation of non-Islamic religions in India. The lethality and depravity of these outfits are so copious that they have limitless hatred for Shiite Muslims’ ideological structure as well. They regard the Shiites as unworthy heretical Muslims, who deserve the kismet of subjugation and extinction. The long-standing and grisly history of the massacres of the Shiites in Pakistan has been caused by militant outfits such as SeS and LeJ.
Afghani Shiites too have not been spared by these Sunni terror groups. The LeJ is strongly believed to have been involved in the terrorist assaults on Afghani Shiites on December 6 2011, when three macabre terrorist atrocities demolished Afghani urban areas simultaneously on the auspicious Shiite Ashura, which terminated 63-80 Shiite pilgrims. The frequent murders and pulping of Pakistani Shiites, more so during the Shiite sacred ceremonies in Pakistan, is a testament to the sectarian murderousness of these outfits’ philosophy. These terrorist organizations are there intact and are mushrooming, with charitable arms sprouting out of these terrorist outfits (Jamaat-ud-Dawa). The robust popular presence at the rallies of the Pakistani Islamic extremist leaders in different Pakistani cities demonstrates their healthy base. India can’t ignore this gruesome and insidious reality in the name of peace. India can’t let ignorant, self-destructive and illogical emotionalism dictate the course of her relationship with Pakistan.

The organized systematic genocide of Shiite Muslims in Pakistan
has claimed 58 lives and injured 67 during the month of January 2012 in 32 attacks. (source)

The perilously ultraconservative Islamists in Pakistan, with political ambitions, are led by the likes of Hafeez Saeed, against whom the Indian government and the convicted terrorist, David Headley, have presented intense evidence in relation to the insidious role of Saeed in the mastership of the Islamic terrorist atrocities in Mumbai in November 2008. The Pakistani ultra-conservatism is recognized for its straightforward and tacit compassionateness for the additional terrorist outfits like the Pakistani Taliban.
...leaders themselves under threat
The Pakistani ultraconservatives have even declared their antipathy for the likes of the former Pakistani autocrat, General Musharraf, for his ‘strategic proximity’ to the West in the ‘global conflict against Islamist terrorism.’ Musharraf is despised by the Pakistani Taliban and other acidic Sunni (Punjabi) terrorist outfits for various reasons, one being that he is a Mohajir i.e. an Urdu-speaking immigrant with Indian birth, who then migrated to Pakistan in the aftermath of the horrific British Indian partition. Of course, Musharraf’s dexterous positioning of Pakistan in alliance with the West in the ‘war on terror’ generated vitriol for him in the minds of these Pakistani terrorist outfits. Musharraf did cooperate, to a certain extent, with the West by handing over certain sinister anti Western terrorists to the Western authorities. These terrorists were related to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. No meaningful action was taken by him, however, to oust and cripple primarily anti-Indian terrorist outfits on Pakistani soil. Also, the substantiation that is emerging gradually demonstrates that the global Islamic terrorist, Osama Bin Laden, could have been dwelling in Pakistan from as early as 2005-2006 itself, at a moment when Musharraf was in power. Musharraf, being the dictator and the lord of the Pakistani army, ostensibly failed to notice the presence of this terrorist monster on Pakistani soil.

Hardline Islamic opposition against Musharraf (source)
The Pakistani espionage and intelligence community also failed to detect bin Laden hiding on Pakistani territory. It is difficult to swallow this proposition for many observers. Musharraf and his government repetitively assured the international community that bin Laden was not present on the Pakistani earth. But that was the case in May 2011, when bin Laden was liquidated on Pakistani soil by an outrageously gallant operation implemented by the American special military forces, much to the dismay of Pakistan. The operation to extinguish Laden was a surreptitious one.
Next Part: 'Chartable Outfits' or terror groups? Plus, Imran Khan's plans analysed.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Selfish is You

Kartikey Sehgal

Critics who point out that Sachin Tendulkar is 'selfish' in his desire to want to continue are spot on, except that this quality of selfishness is what we ought to emulate and instill in our self. Or rather not. That's how we are naturally.

Deriving from Darwin's theory of evolution - whose ardent proponents hold intra-special instead of inter-special competition as more relevant - intra-racial competition is more important to us than inter-racial competition. That is, we compete and fight more with people who are closest to us than with people of other races. The road to growth and victory is actually associated with outwitting people who are more like us. This is our true nature. Even among animals, a lion will not accept another lion in his territory. He will be keen to kill him, rather than share and prosper together. Or sacrifice his position as the master.

What many of Sachin's critics are tending towards may be termed as "group favouritism", which puts forth the theory that animals function according to the interests of the group; they put group ahead of the self; the individual's self-interest is kept secondary. This theory was put down several decades earlier but finds a place in modern parlance. It manifests itself as sacrifice - and holds that man is essentially a team player. It further argues that even though 'some' humans keep self-interest over group interest, the quality of 'humaneness' makes them sacrifice.

However, it is to be noted that sacrifice, in actuality, is a quality that is best performed for the world, by which I mean that sacrifice is also a selfish quality. We sacrifice for self-fame. We give up to get more.
Thus in the immortal tale of Heer-Ranjha, Ranjha sacrifices comforts to get his beloved Heer. And thus the televised drama of a certain politician sacrificing the prime-minister's chair in 'national interest'.

Sacrifice and group favouritism are not base human qualities, no matter what we have been fed by our school textbooks. As such, those aspiring for sacrifice are actually selfish and manipulative. Exceptions occur always among people who quietly sacrifice, but these do not form the rule. And as individuals we rarely seek out such hidden gems.

Therefore, It is perfectly fine for Sachin to want to continue playing cricket. Even as a pure desire, free from the question of form and fitness, it is perfectly 'human' for him to want to continue. That he keeps playing well is a quality that we must admire and seek in ourselves.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Beyond the Claims of Abuse

Kartikey Sehgal

A woman, who breathes in and out the concepts of feminism and equality, is unable to apply them in real life. Interestingly, we don't question the ideal; we just want to hear the sob story.

Meena Kandasamy, in her article in Outlook dated March 19, 2012 (I Singe The Body Electric), gives an account of the abuse and torture she faced at the hands of her lover, who beat her, whipped her, forced her to perform fellatio, among other atrocities. She cites the inability of law to help her, "When I press for his punishment, the police speak of jurisdictional issues. You lived elsewhere, they say. Lady justice does not serve displaced women."

If she has been wronged, then we wish the best for her and ask that the perpetrator be punished after proper investigations. However, the ordeal Meena has undergone is a crime. It has no connect with patriarchy, or with nature of men, or with oppression by men. All of which seem to be Meena's pet topics in her literary career.

It is only a crime. And an unproven one. Yet.

Let us trace the time-line of Meena's ordeal as stated by her in the Outlook piece. She moved back to her parent's home in January/February, after her four month stay with her lover. We can assume that she moved in with him by August/September last year.

Meena was already a feminist before her recent affair commenced. She had already published books and essays on oppression and feminism. In May 2011, she had published an article in Tehelka titled, "Celebrating the loud slutty sensibility", in which she talked of sexual harassment and prejudice, both of which she claims she faced in her stay with her lover.

I would like to point out that her understanding of the world, of feminism and women rights did not prevent her in her relationship. Second, she was not forced into the relationship, and could have, in any of the preceding months before the fourth one, sought help from law, friends and police (in another state).

I reiterate that she ought to be given justice if her claims are true. However, her writing is not an encouragement for women to walk away from abusive relationships. Instead, it brings out their weakness and failure of logic. it promotes the idea that women are not good decision makers. The patriarchs, whom feminists detest, could simply quote Meena's "It appears that there is no escape from this unending cycle of abuse, remorse-filled apology and more abuse" to make way for their philosophy of righteous upbringing of women, and make the claim that women, like men, ought to be guided by a male.

I firmly hold the view that wisdom is no guarantee of personal happiness. This goes for Meena and her feminist ideals, and is apt when you read her Twitter byline, "My Kali kills. My Draupadi strips. My Sita climbs on a stranger’s lap. All my women militate. They brave bombs, belittle kings, take on the sun, take after me."
None of this 'fashionistic', provocative and 'brave new women of modern world' ideology applies to Meena herself. This is not a comment on her but the fallacies of holding invented ideals as truer than actual human behaviour.

After stating that she deserves justice if her claims are true, I ask you readers: despite the assumed truth of her abuse, is over exaggeration not a possibility? "It becomes a bargain, a barter system. For the sake of survival, I surrender my space."

Until her charges are proven, we cannot condemn her lover as so many of the respondents to her story have done. Has the magazine sought to get the lover's point of view and cared to provide it to us? Or any notes from the police? The paramilitary personnel that she quotes? Doctor's? Maybe it is sufficient to take the woman's word for it. Or we are only interested in words and phrases of pain and misery.

Until these questions are answered, we have to consider the possibility of her story being a plug for feminism and 'women abuse'.

I ask these questions because I have met acquaintances who have contemplated suicide because of failed marriages. They are men. And they are battling charges of abuse and threats of charges of abuse. And no magazine will pick their versions of marriage as sacrament. No matter how romantic and prosaic they make them sound.

Published at The Young India

Thursday, April 19, 2012


Geoff Dyer's "Working the Room" is a brilliant book. Collection of essays and reviews published between the years 1999-2010, this cleverly contrived work of 400 pages is a delight to read. Cleverly contrived, since the contents are neatly divided into four parts : Visuals, Verbals, Variables and Personals : photos, words, music and memories. If only we could put our confused preoccupations into some such meaningful order, it might look like there was some purpose in what we did.

Dyer starts out with this quote:

There are writers for whom no forms exist; too clever for novels, too sceptical for poetry, too verbose for the aphorism, all that is left to them is the essay - the least appropriate medium for the foiled.
- Don Paterson

I' hope to write about Working the Room on and off for the next few days.

image credit : Amazon.com