My first proper day of my self-imposed hiatus from the circle of my net friends. I decided to leave everything because I felt that my real-priorities were getting sidelined and I was getting deflected from the path which I decided to follow at the start of this school session. So here I am without any contact with the virtual friends I have created over the past 7 months. The time now is 2:12 AM, and I have decided to pen down, err type down how I am spending my days without the virtual frolic. I will basically write what I have done today and how much I missed Facebook and Orkut and all the pals there. I woke up today at 11:45 AM, after staying awake till 5 AM last night because I was listening to Music. Now as I write this on my cell the song by UB40 “Red Red Wine” is playing. The fact that I am a Music addict is very well known. So back to waking up, Mom woke me up forcefully because I wanted to sleep some more. But she kept the Tea cup in front of me. As it stands, I cannot resist the temptation of Tea made by Maa. So I woke up had my tea and breakfast. Today was always supposed to be a dry day for me being Saturday. And on this particular day of the week, we have completely vegetarian food at our home. I cannot digest Veg food. I simple hate it to the extent that I would rather starve all day than take in that stale Potato Curry and Soybeans. Yikes! So I had breakfast and suddenly realized that I had nothing to do. I always have something to pass my time by with.

But today even the great lure of TV did not make life easy for me. But still I was sitting in my Bed scrolling through all the Channels looking for something interesting. I was always coming back to the Fox History Channel because they were airing back-to-back episodes of ‘Neanderthal.’ I don’t want to start writing about the show now. I was also anticipating the arrival of my new Biology teacher. Today was supposed to be her first class. I had lunch. Painstakingly i.e. Then I again came back to the ‘Idiot Box.’ I was feeling really sleepy due to the lack of a proper sleep but did not want to sleep because I knew if the Bio Miss arrives and I go to her with a sleepy-head then I would not be able to concentrate much and I may end up ruining my image. So I lay down in the bed seeing TV and shifting between two films. Hum Dil de Chuke Sanam was running on Colors and another film was on at Sony. I was also periodically coming back to the News Channels. I am a News Addict and like to keep in touch with things. India will face the Aussies in the first match tomorrow. Deshmukh may be back as the Maharashtra CM. Probably, Genie will fulfill that wish of his. Buddha faces flak for negotiating with the Maoists. I think if he was not tolerant and we lost the Cop he would have faced flak for being so intolerant. He has been in a sticky situation for the past two years.

As I lay there in my bed waiting for Urbi Miss I was expecting something good from her considering she is a young teacher and is a newly graduate student. She arrived at 6:25 PM when I had lost all hope of her actually showing her face today. The class went nice. She taught for an hour or so. I was at my Best too clearing all my doubts and the comfort level was achieved in only a few minutes. This was a first for me because normally I take some to adjust to something new. She, while leaving, told my Maa that I was a really good student when replying her about the First Impression she developed of me. It’s up to me now to hold on to that image. After she went I had some snacks. The thing is I stuff myself during Breakfast and Snacks leaving myself with nothing to eat during lunch and dinner and leaving Maa with a pale face. I switched on my PC to watch the new video that Green Day released just a few days prior. I love it and must have watched it 9-10 times already. I then completed a 6 page long leaving note which I hoped I would post here. But later on something inside me prevented me from doing so. So I came back to my TV and watched Bigg Boss. And then after the show got over, I started to feel bored again. Thought about reading a book for a second but ultimately decided against it. But at 10:30 I asked my Maa for the modem because I wanted to publish the Note I had written on my newly-installed MS Office. She forgot where she kept it but soon founded it after a struggle of 10 minutes. So here I was online again and the Gtalk is functioned in such a way that it also connects when the net is connected. I did not notice I was online at Gtalk until within a few seconds Iohannes messaged me stating where I was for the last three days. I decided to sign out immediately from there. I did too. So I opened Firefox and watched some great videos of ‘Death Cab for Cutie.’ Also listened to a great Manipuri Band at MySpace called A4APPLE. They are really talented musicians. But during all of this I wanted to open my Orkut A/C and look at the latest scraps. But I controlled my temptation with great pain.

I gave Maa the modem back at 12:30. I also ate my Dinner while watching the videos. Gossiped with my sister for half and hour and decided to go to hit the sack. I did that at 1:20 AM. Been lying down since then and I haven’t been able to go to sleep. Missed Muskan a lot today. Gunita must have put a new DP already. I hope Tanmay’s mother is better now. Really wanted to talk to Seepiya. Iohannes must be so bored without me. And Avinash too. His college begins from Mondy so he will be alright, I guess. Miss being Parul’s punching bag when she vents out all her frustration in front of me. Wanna see what latest note Mohit has written but I will not. Therefore, I have decided to write a day by day Blog of how I am doing without everybody and to see how long can I resist temptation. I will study tomorrow though. At least make a beginning. Hopefully that will occupy my mind a little. Sunday tomorrow and don’t wish to have fun. I have got Bio and Bengali tuition tomorrow. The time now is 3:12 AM and I should prolly take the profound shelter of a night nap.

With Love,

Dipanjan.

صحفہ اول / اردو نوحے / حسین جری / میرے بھیا عباس

حـسین جـری

نوحہ خواں : حسین جری
سال : —-
کمپوزر : زین عباس
اس نوحے کے تحریر کرنے میں اگر کوئی غلطی سرزد ہوگئی ہوں تو اس کے لیے میں معذرت خواہ ہوں

بولے شبیر میری بالی سکینہ کی آس
میرے بھیا عباس – میرے بھیا عباس

آج ہوتا ہے غریبی کا ہمیں بھی احساس
میرے بھیا عباس – میرے بھیا عباس

ہم نے تو گود میں بچپن سے کھلایا ہے تمہیں
لڑکھڑاتے ہوۓ چلنے میں سنبھالا ہے تمہیں
شانہ بالوں میں کیا تو کبھی پہنایا لباس
میرے بھیا عباس – میرے بھیا عباس

حق سے مانگا ہے علی نے تمہیں نصرت کے لیے
حملہ کفر سے سرور کی حفاظت کے لیے
تم چلے جاؤ گے تو کون ہے شبیر کے پاس
میرے بھیا عباس – میرے بھیا عباس

پانی لانے کے لیے تم گۓ سوۓ دریا
کیا قیامت ہے ملی لاش تمہاری بھیا
کون اب جاکے بجھاۓ گا سکینہ کی پیاس
میرے بھیا عباس – میرے بھیا عباس

بات پانی کی نہیں بچے بہل جائيں گے
پڑھ کے بتلاؤ کے جب ہم نہ تمہیں پائيں گے
کس کو لپٹا کے بجھاؤں گا میں سینے کی پیاس
میرے بھیا عباس – میرے بھیا عباس

کوئ تدبیر کرو پیاس بجھانے کی ذرا
مشک کے ساتھ بندھی ہے میرے بچوں کی آس
میرے بھیا عباس – میرے بھیا عباس

Much was expected of Raj Thackeray, nephew of Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray, when he left the party to form the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in March, 2006. In his first speech at Shivaji Park while launching his new party he promised an inclusive agenda. Later the party focussed exclusively on the “sons of the soil,” taking a leaf out of his parent party, the Shiv Sena. Unlike the Sena his target was the hordes of North Indian migrants to the State. His brazen comments and the actions of his supporters have led to his arrest and myriad cases have been filed against him, the latest one in Nashik, where he launched his election campaign. Mr. Raj Thackeray, 40, remains undeterred and ready to face jail for the “Marathi manoos” who he feels have been neglected by the Sena.

Nine months after the party was formed, it contested all the local bodies elections in the State, winning 45 corporation seats of which seven are in Mumbai, nine in Pune and 12 in Nashik. In an interview to MEENA MENON, Mr. Thackeray says he wants to focus on building his strength in the Lok Sabha elections by fielding 12 candidates in Mumbai, Thane, Nashik and Aurangabad. He does not want to contest the elections saying, “who will campaign for the party then?” He believes his party will open its account this Lok Sabha and wants to create a pressure group of MPs from Maharashtra who will take up the State’s cause.

What are the main issues in this election?
Marathi will be the core issue and along with this the role of an MP. What is the work of an MP? It is not building toilets and roads. That is the work of the city corporation and the government. What are our MPs doing with their local area funds? They have Rs. 10 crores each and they could do some really serious things like building educational institutions.

How successful is your Marathi campaign?
Can’t you see the success? Those who say Marathi is their issue did nothing for over 40 years. I did it in one month. All shops have put up nameplates in Marathi. You should understand that I am not against any other language. In India, language is your identity and our country is constitutionally divided on the basis of language. In every State people are proud of their mother tongue. Only when I speak up for Marathi, I am [called] narrow-minded or parochial.

What do you propose the government should do about the influx into the city?
The government should seal the corporation lands and allow no one to set up illegal houses. Where will all these people stay then? People come here because there is a message being sent out that they are welcome. Why don’t you send another message — that people are not welcome here. What is wrong in local people getting preference? If locals get the jobs then people won’t come here looking for work.

But most of the jobs which migrants do are in the unorganised sector where there is no reservation?
When people migrate for work, they do so for their livelihoods. People go to the U.S. but do they go there and create political constituencies? Now there are no jobs, Indians are coming back. It’s not a dharamshala. I agree people have specialised skills, for instance Rajasthanis make good snacks. But I don’t see Tamilian politicians and those from Punjab coming here and addressing rallies. Only these people do it. They have slogans which make their intentions very clear.

What is your plan for the Lok Sabha?
I don’t want to say anything. I will do it. I am confident we will open our account in this general election. We have a good chance in all the seats we are contesting.

You have been arrested many times…
That’s inevitable. I am only asking for the implementation of the law. If people come here from outside, there is a rule saying they have to report to the police station if they stay for more than seven days. Why is this not being enforced? Again the law says shops and establishments have to put up signboards in Marathi. This was not done. What am I saying — only that the law must be implemented.

Will you support a Marathi Prime Minister?
When people agitate for Marathi or local people, it is the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) which has the home department which beats us up and arrests us. But when it comes to Mr. Sharad Pawar for PM you can pull the Marathi card?

As a regional party what is your main focus?
I am not interested in national politics or leadership. I want my MPs to take up Maharashtra’s issues which no one is doing. Mumbai pays a lot of tax — what are we getting in return? In Mumbai, skywalks are being built for pedestrians who have no place to walk because of illegal structures. Instead of tackling illegal construction you build skywalks?

Will MNS affect the Sena’s chances and divide the Marathi votes?
I have not set up MNS to eat into other people’s votes. I don’t think the votes will be divided. And why only the Marathi vote? I will get everyone’s votes.

Cult movies is an altogether different phenomenon. Once in a while there comes a movie which is followed widely across the college campuses. You could see everyone humming the songs, enacting the dialogues and discussing it all over. They are not bound by the movie being a hit or a flop, good or bad. They are there on the merit of clicking with the youngistan, so to say. During my college days I came across a number of such cult movies, which were watched repeatedly, each time with as much excitement.

1. Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein: It was released during my school days. I remember everyone going, “Maddy..Maddy” The tiffs between Saif and Madhavan were legendary. The ever cute Reena Malhotra and the innocent and lovable Madhav Shastri were a treat to watch. When the car stopped in the middle of the night and Madhavan tried to explain to Dia, what was really on his mind. Superb. I came to know more about its cult status when I came to college. Regardless of it not being a hit, it was loved by one and all. At least across the colleges.

2. Haasil: Another of such movie which made a huge impact on an entire generation. One which made Irfan Khan a household name when he went like, “Kya Bhaiyya…pehchante ho na humein?” It went on to become a dialogue which replaced the hi’s n hello’s The arrogance of Ranvijay Singh, the politics of Gauri Shanker and the innocence of Aniruddha. A Gem. I don’t remember how many times have I watched this movie with my friends. What I remember is lip-synching each and every dialogue, having learned it by heart. “Vaayu ko ulta karte ho to kya banta hai? Yuva”, “Bolo Jai Bharat” and million of such superb dialogues is what made Haasil. A realistic account of college politics which struck the cord with the college Junta.

3. Gunda: This movie followed the theory that number line is circular, –∞ and +∞ do meet, just as -1 and +1 meet at 0. This movie was so bad that it became a favorite of millions. Every dialogue was like a short poetry and Kanti Shah knew how to make them lewd. “Mera naam hai bulla, main rakhta hoon kullaaa”, became an introductory dialogue. There were blog sites dedicated to Gunda. There were discussions as to the sequence of various scenes in the movie. The blogs that were initially started as satire helped in propelling the movie to the cult status. Did Shankar worked as a Coolie at the airport still remains one of the very many unanswered questions. There was even a bid to make it the highest ranked movie on imdb. It still has a respectable 8.4 rating despite an effort of sabotage. Thanks to the Gunda fans.

4. Dev. D: This recent take on Devdas, is what made me write this article. Will it become a cult movie? Now that I am no longer in college, I would never really know. But it seems to have all the ingredients. First of all the songs are bound to become the theme of every daaru party. The dialogues are superb too. “Jaa ke chad apne buddhe pe”, “Tumhein tumhari aukaat bata rahi hoon” and other such dialogues would easily find their place in the life of college going junta. Also there is no dearth of Dev’s and Paro’s. Going by the superb story, acting and direction, I have no doubt that it would be the next cult movie. I so miss to be in college right now!

Saturday, November 01, 2008

OPEN CHOICE: SAVE THE CRIMINALS OR SAVE THE NATION

When it comes to Muslims, police has a very well-defined policy: arrest them first and ask questions later. After all they can be available for third degree torture only in jail. But for others they are for saving the culprits with all the loopholes in the books. The way police is trying to save the accused who battered the Bhaiyyas on the local train and got on killed, the whole police hierarchy right from home minister to the bear policeman, all vocally defend the criminals for not committing a ‘HATE CRIME’. They virus that has been spewed by Raj Thackeray in the recent days, has so swiftly spread throughout the Maharashtra state, that it can only be referred to as HATE VIRUS. Wherever a few Marathis gather, all they talk about is how to tackle the first Bhaiyya. Be that on train, on buses, on footpaths, on over- bridges. The mastermind of this HATE VIRUS is none other than Raj Thackeray. No same person can deny it. Even Raj will not deny it. On the contrary he will boast about it. So when the police repeat ad nauseam, that it is not a hate crime, for the first time, India will have to come to term with the real face the crime that had hitherto hidden, as that hate was only reserved for Muslims. Now the virus has spread on and it will know no boundaries, unless those at the helm of the affair will realise that they have a clear choice: Save the criminals or save the nation.  

Maharashtra’s Congress and NCP are playing with the future of the state and its people, when they think they can save the criminals from among their political class and protect their turf for themselves. Mumbai, in fact is a chromosome from the very Idea of India, that keeps this nation together, in one piece. Mumbai’s cosmopolitan ethos has developed to carry the nation with it. If we fail in Mumbai, we will fail in all four corners of our nation. The evolution of the commercial city of Mumbai had been a boon to the idea of India. If all the diversities of India can be so merrily and happily accommodated in a small city, the spirit of Mumbai, should rule the whole nation. Now if some vested interests are allowed to inject the poison of separatism in our lives, it is for us to first recognise the disease and then swiftly cauterize the cancer.

Sharad Pawar, R. R. Patel and Vilas Rao Deshmukh have compromised with the fascists for their own narrow interests. If they realise that what they have been doing by playing up with a dangerous brand of trickery to bolster their hold on the state electorate, is sheer unpatriotic, they would save India first and eventually save their own political future. If they destroy the nation, they cannot hope to survive to enjoy any future.

Ghulam Muhammed, Mumbai

ghulammuhammed3@gmail.com

www.ghulammuhammed.wordpress.com

The Juhu Versova beach is divided into two sections, guarded by two stray dogs and the bare dirty arses of bhaiyyas who step off their kholis to shit straight into the sea. The other side of the invisible divide is reserved for the civil society which comes to walk, exercise and meditate in the morning. Including well off bhaiyyas like ourselves.

Returning from the beach when I accosted the panwalla by calling him bhaiyya, three bystanders gave me a sharp look. I figured they were marathi manoos. Leaving the shop I tried to inject some pathos by saying that it has become so dangerous to call anyone bhaiyya these days. They did smile, all of them. But I detected a gleam of satisfaction in their expression.

On three successive days three different autowallas drew me into their fantasies on how to fight back. The first one asked me whether Mayawati will not put them down (when she becomes prime minister next, I assume). Then he praised Lalu for ensuring Raj’s arrest and wondered what will happen to maharashtra if he stops all trains to the state. Finally, confident of his terrain, he said everyone is basically targetting only Muslims. I assured him that the indian army does not have enough bullets to put down 15 crore of us.

The second one insisted that until gentry like us speaks out the troubles will continue.

The third one, after figuring things out through the conversation between danish and me, said unless people like you speak up things are not going to change. And then he elaborated by saying that if only the muslims would join us bhaiyyas we can wipe out all the marathas from this city. I said that a lot of muslims are also bhaiyyas. He said yes, and the muslims and bhaiyyas should join hands to fight these other hindus. talwarein lekar sarak pe nikal aayenge hum log phir dekhte hain kaun larta hai

The office boys, marathis mostly, are not unhappy with the latest round of bhaiyya bashing. A banterish accost MUMBAI KONNYACHI, drew an immediate and strong answer that it belongs to the marathas.

The impression I have is that a fairly large number of marathi manoos react positively to Raj Thackeray.

I have lived for 37 years too many in India to submit easily to doomsday feelings. And if this is civil war then we have been there before, right after independence. But there is no point demonising Raj Thackeray when the whole political culture is characterised by the same lumpenism, across the subcontinent. This is after all, one manifestation of the struggle of the political society over the civil one. Or is it.

http://www.mumbaimirror.com/net/mmpaper.aspx?page=article&sectid=15&contentid=20081029200810290454162023746c99f

Beaten to death for being a ‘bhaiyya’

 

The attackers were fellow commuters who got into fight with victim and his three friends over a window seat     BACK TO SECTION STORIES  POSTED ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2008

Tags :  Uttar Pradesh Khopoli Karjat GRP Faizabad Dheeraj Kumar Verma …more tags Nilesh Nikade Satya Prakash and Dheeraj are among the three survivors. The four friends were attacked on a Khopoli-CST local A migrant from Uttar Pradesh died after being beaten up on a local train by fellow commuters who allegedly humiliated him and his three friends on Tuesday afternoon after learning that they were ‘bhaiyyas’. The deceased is Dharam Dev, 25, a resident of Faizabad in Uttar Pradesh. Dev was working as a helper at a construction site and was residing at Vashi phata. On Tuesday, he was on his way to Faizabad, along with his friends Dheeraj Kumar Verma, Satya Prakash and Virendra Rai, when they were cornered by other commuters at Khopoli, about 60 km from Mumbai. The four went by bus to Khopoli where they boarded the 1.57 pm local for CST.  Dheeraj said, “We were occupying the window seat but a group of 8 to 10 commuters, who appeared to be local villagers, forced us to vacate it. Then they asked if we were ‘bhaiyyas’? When we said ‘yes’, they started abusing us.” The four men refused to take the abuse lying down. By then, the train had started moving. When it crossed Lowjee station, the other commuters allegedly overpowered the four men and started beating them up.  “We were slapped and kicked. They made us sit like a ‘murga’ and apologise. Even after that, they were not satisfied and one of them kicked Dharam Dev’s stomach rendering him unconscious,” Dheeraj alleged. The commuters got down at Karjat while Dev and his friends continued their journey on the same train. When Dev said he could not bear the pain, Dheeraj called up the Railway Protection Force (RPF) control number 22620800, which is displayed in trains, from his mobile phone at 2.49 pm.  The RPF control room confirmed receiving a call from a passenger informing that his friend was unconscious and needed urgent medical assistance. “The person informed us that the train was reaching Neral. We immediately informed the station manager. However, the train had crossed Neral by then. We then informed station officials of Shelu and Wangani, but no policemen are posted there to tackle such situations,” RPF officials said. D N Adhikari, deputy station master at Badlapur railway station, acted on the information received from the RPF and rushed Government Railway Policemen (GRP) personnel to attend to Dev and his friends. Dev was rushed to Dubey Hospital near Badlapur station, but was declared dead on arrival. Satya Prakash, his friend, said, “We were helpless and scared. We had not imagined something of this sort could happen on our way back home. We have informed Dharam Dev’s family. They are coming to Mumbai.”  At the time of filing this report, GRP were recording statements of the victims at the hospital. A K Sharma, commissioner, GRP, said, “As per our information, the person died at the hospital. The information we have so far suggests that there were no external injuries on the bodies of these men. We are awaiting the results of their medical examination.”

Samaad Ali Khan, he says in the podcast. But when I put his name into my phone, he said Nabob Bhai. That is what he goes by. I had gotten into his taxi in Bhendi Bazaar and we went up Amebedkar Rd, through Byculla to Saat Rasta and up Tulsi Pipe. You can hear the engine roaring while he is reciting Hindi lyrics as we climb the rise of the flyover. I usually ask the drivers if they ever had any trouble from the anti-bhaiyya rhetoric. Subash Chand had left the city because of it once. But mostly I heard ‘kaam-se-kaam’. Up til now, I had never included the answers. Until Nabob Bhai. I had kept my question and his answer in the podcast. And then a few days later, Raj Thackeray and his MNS goondas, in a bad imitation of his uncle’s sad, old campaign, set off this chain of maar-peeth bakwas, much of it symbolically aimed at a few drivers. We have multiple identities, from here and from there. What did Mushtaq and Sevalal say? Karmi bhumi and dharmi bhumi, but most important, Indian. Bombay sab ke liya hai. Hi speed internetwalas, click on the player. If too much buffering then click on nabob bhai podcast to listen. (20 min 5 sec)

nabob bhai podcast —> Right click here to download

Nabob Bhai: Kissi ki baap ke jagir nahin. Hindustan hamara. Hum azaad hai.

Sanjay Dutt, Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachan, Hema Malini, Sridevi, Meena Kumari. We had a very filmi conversation. When I asked him the difference between Bombay ke log and UP ke log, he ended up talking about the film Coolie. Listen in this outtake. (1 min 24 sec)

or click here coolie film

I keep probing the idea of home, of desh, of mulak, of the multiplicities of belonging that saturate any act of migration, of leaving and arrival. I probe the drivers. And listen for clues to myself. I asked Nabob Bhai about Bombay and desh. He earns his do roti here so its also his desh. My answers are different. But then it wasnt majboori that brought me. (28 sec)

or click here ->desh

Nabob Bhai is a driver. He doesn’t own his taxi. It is the drivers that are the most vulnerable to the changes to the taxi trade. The taxi owners can sell their fiats for junk, and sell or lease their permit, to the fleet companies perhaps. The drivers can only find another taxi to lease. I asked Nabob Bhai why he doesn’t buy his own taxi. (35 sec)

or click here ->new vehicle

I have yet to find a taxi driver who wanted their son to drive taxi or even would advise a young man from the village to get into taxi line. Nabob Bhai is no different. In fact he woudn’t wish it on an enemy. Listen to how he says that in this outtake. (1 min)

or click here -> advice to young men

Still hoping the Hindi translator/transcriber can start at the end of the month.

The intro music in the podcast is the song Boombai Nagari from the movie Taxi 9211, sung by Bappa Lahiri, Merriene , Nisha and Vishal Dadlani.

Music by Vishal Dadlani and Shekar, lyrics by Vishal Dadlani and Dev Kohli.