Jamia's VC addresses his Students

(Text and pics by Neyaz A. Farooquee)

(Peace be upon u)

It all started with a bang of clapping, a
hearty welcome to Sir Mushirul Hasan, the Hon’ble Vice Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia. And clapping rained again and again, whenever the students agreed with him. And I noticed there was not a single student who disagreed, till the end. Speaking in Urdu, he used Hindustani language used by common man, for most part of his address to the students of Jamia.

An unfortunate case had shattered the confidence and hopes of the students of Jamia, mostly from distant villages and towns of India. There was a sense of anxiety and insecurity among students, and many has started leaving for their hometown well before Eid vacation fearing any action by law enforcing agencies, legitimate or illegitimate, as there were Ifs and buts on the unfortunate incident among students and still is. And in this catch 22 situation there was a strong need for support and it came to them in the form of Padam Shri Prof. Mushirul Hasan, equally supported by faculty members.

He put his views in very straightforward and apolitical manner. “I, as your teacher, and on the behalf of other teachers of Jamia will support you in every hour of crisis. You are like my child. And a father can’t abandon their child in the hour of crisis. I’ll stand by until they are proven guilty”.

Regarding providing legal support to the alleged, he said, it’s the democratic right of every citizen, we are not doing anything new, Jamia has done it many times before for their students. We are not making any hurdles in the legal process but simply we are providing legal support to our students, which is entitlled by our constitution. But at the same time, he cautioned the students to refrain from doing anything which tie our (Jamia administration) hands. And he added,"then I'll abandon you". He asked the students to condemn any form of violence and uphold the secular values of Jamia. He reminded that In the 88 year of the history of Jamia, we have gone through many turbulent periods but we, ourselves, have overcome it. Very few institutes have with them freedom fighters of India associated, the way Jamia had. And he reminded the advocates of ‘one India’ theory who were associated with or part of Jamia. “There were many, like Maulana Jauhar, Waqar Ahmad, Dr. Zakir Hussain…and the list will keep on going, if we continue”.

Addressing the Jam packed M A Ansari Auditorium of the university with a capacity of almost 1000 but with the involuntary huge rush of the students, many fold inside and similar rush outside, he urged the students not to be on defensive. He said, “We are as good a citizen of India as others”. “We don’t need to explain anybody except ourselves and our faith that clearly eschews violence”.

He invited everyone to join the Peace march tomorrow(on 25th Sep. ’08) to reaffirm our belief in peace and disapproval of violence.

Some quotes:
"Yes we were conspirators, but that was at the time of freedom struggle, and we are proud of having that role played then."

(There was report in media that most of the faculty members didn’t attend the talk hosted by VC. It is a blatant lie. Due to shortage of seats on the dais, they were applauding from the front seats of Auditorium and many failed to enter the Auditorium due to unexpected huge rush. Most of deans of were there representing their respective departments. And regarding faculties, it amounts to more than 550 but auditorium has a holding capacity of almost 1000. See http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Delhi/Father_cant_abandon_child_Jamia_varsity_V-C/articleshow/3523969.cms

Another factually erroneous statement is ““The portrayal will create a particular image of the university in the minds of many people, which will erode our 70-year old record and our contribution to the nation,” Hasan said.” Jamia has a history of 88 years, and Prof Mushir did quote the same, not 70 years. See http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Arrest-of-2-students-an--isolated-incident---Jamia-VC/365418/

Let the pieces joined together into 'Peace'

Assalam O Alaikum (Peace be upon you)

"Mankind are the family of God, and the most beloved of them to God are those who are the most excellent to His family." Holy Quran

"Not one of you believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself." Holy Quran

Satan’s plan is (but) to excite enmity and hatred between you… Holy Quran

O ye who believe! Stand out firmly for Allah as witnesses to fair dealing and let not the hatred of others to make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just: that is close to virtue: and fear Allah for Allah is well-acquainted with all that ye do. Holy Quran

…if anyone slew a person it would be as if he slew the whole of mankind;
and if he saved a life, it would be as if he saved the whole of mankind. Holy Quran, Verse 32, Sura 5

…make peace between them based on justice and equity…God loveth just
doers. Holy Quran, Verse 9, Sura 49

To every one of you, we have appointed a path and a way. If God had willed, he would have made you but one community…So compete with one another in good works. Holy Quran, Verse 48, Sura 5

...And the Firmament has He raised high and He has set up the balance (of justice). In order that ye may not transgress (due) balance. So establish weight with justice and fall not short in balance. Holy Quran

And your Lord would never destroy towns wrongfully while [as if] their people were moslihoon (peacemakers). Holy Quran


And the different theologies;

Buddhism
Many Buddhists believe that world peace can only be achieved if we first establish peace within our minds. Siddhārtha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, said, “Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.” The idea is that anger and other negative states of mind are the cause of wars and fighting. They believe we can live in peace and harmony only if we abandon the anger in our minds and learn to love each other and practice altruism.

Christianity
The basic Christian ideal promotes peace through goodwill and by sharing the faith with others, as well as forgiving those who do try to break the peace. Below are selections from two gospels:
"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." Matthew 5:44 - 45
"A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." John 13:34-35

Hinduism
Traditionally Hinduism has adopted a saying called Vasuda eva kutumbakam which translates to "The world is one family." The essence of this saying is the observation that only base minds see dichotomies and divisions. The more we seek wisdom, the more we become inclusive and free our internal spirit from worldly illusions or Maya. World peace is hence thought to be achieved only through internal means -- by liberating oneself from artificial boundaries that separate us.

Islam
According to Islam, faith in only one God and having common parents Adam and Eve is greatest reason for humans to live together with peace and brotherhood. Islamic view of global peace is mentioned in the Quran where the whole humanity is recognized as one family. All the people are children of Adam. The purpose of the Islamic faith is to make people recognize their own natural inclination towards their fraternity. According to Islamic eschatology the whole world will be united under the leadership of prophet Jesus in his second coming. At that time love, justice and peace will be so abundant that the world will be in likeness of paradise.

So, come and pledge for peace, the peace, we youngs ever felt, threatened by a few fanatics. We are in majority, come and be counted.

(I dont have more knowledge of Holy Bhagvad Geeta, Holy Guru Garanth Sahib and Holy Bible, so I refrained from quoting more from these Holy books).

References :
1. Islam and Liberal Peace
http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~wwwir/cpcs/papers/Islam%20and%20liberal%20peace.pdf
2. Wikipedia
http://www.wikipedia.org

A tribute to Yogi: Our beloved senior

(Peace be upon u)

Branches drooping uncomfortably, stem, tree in whole, wobbling as anytime soon the ever screeching memory of his will kneel them. A memory which was never a memory, thanks to his lively persona, never faded through these years, an ever lasting memory, which will never fade perhaps.

That unlucky tree, whose agony is understandable, is missing the consummate relation it had with his worn-out bag, the bag that was always there with that broken branch to shoo away its loneliness and used to play childishly with that tree whenever the wind blew. And when the wind did not join them, the bag, the tree and its broken branch, slept, slept and they slept, until and unless their master did not disturb them. And they liked that. That’s what the ‘now lonely’ tree is waiting for. And that broken branch, oh, it is completely broken. It doesn’t like the companion of the wind now. It overtly irritates him.

Earlier that bag shielded the broken branch from the ‘sometimes turbulent’ wind but now the bag is not there and the wind is completely bully now. But its bully-ness is not without reason, of course. It is running hither thither, asking everyone it knows the whereabouts of that bag and his master. It cornered even those dusts that lay at the sand-stone slabs beneath the tree shade, which waited daily, pardon the pun, to be wiped out by his butts.

And those grasses and buds in the park, although relatively new, are wondering what to do. To grow or to die. To give a shade of greenery to this ‘now turned’ pale surroundings or to do what? And what not?

But the sun, who gave him warmth in the winter and en-shaded him in the summer by shining lovingly harsh, is still strong. And its fondness for him is still unassailable, so is its love for him. It comes intermittently, takes a peek underneath the tree, and obviously not finding him, hid itself in the dark clouds.

And do not question the allegiance of the clouds, these are not here to darken the place but they too have come down in search of him. And their intensity can be gauged by the whispering of the branches that the bats have come down from the nearby Ficus trees.

A Canis familiaris who used to hover around unwanted, senior than many of us, saliva trickled down his mouth as always, is still there but his presence is withering. Sitting quietly in the dimly lit corridor, it seems saliva is trickling down as usual but when observed closely it was not coming from the mouth.

And imagine the face of those unfortunate pink coloured adobes. Behind the glowing pink and maroon façade lays patches of colour un-identifiable, seems a MF Hussain painting, mystery to a layman.

Such was his legacy that almost every one he encountered turned his fan in the very first meeting. And who did not turn in first, did turn, no doubt, in the second meeting, at most. People termed him amusing, charming, appealing, fascinating, enthralling. And these are only a few superficial words which I easily recall.

To me he was like Mona Lisa. Always smiling. And to whom he was not like Mona Lisa? But one thing in which he was even better than Mona Lisa was his originality. Her smile is, pardon the unholy frankness, fake. It is merely a dream and artist’s imagination. And everyone has his own description of Mona’s smile. To some it is exclusive, to some inclusive, to some intrusive and to some it is sad, to some happy, to some ‘forced’. After all smile is a smile.

But his was simply a simple smile. No exaggeration. And the notable point is that very few, probably none, noticed it earlier, such was his absolute originality. No one can match his true smile, even Mona Lisa can’t.

And no one minded waiting for his smile. Such was his persona.

And suddenly one day his smile felt uneasy tiredness, tiredness for the first time perhaps, for the last time for sure. And that smile deserted us indefinitely, up in the streams.

But his smiling voice still reverberates my mind, “hey Neyaz! kaisa hai?”

A date with Arundhati Roy

(Peace be upon u)

Humble and politeness in her views are such that it feels like being in agreement with her even if you disagree. Her artistic way of presenting her mind makes already subtle approach more profound. Clarity in her words is such that the complexity of the issue becomes issueless and solution comes to mind on its own.

She minces no words when she say Kashmiris be given Azadi and is clear in her mind and thoughts when she criticises the system. And doesn't complain when others criticise her, she has taken it in her stride, but she is happy, at least it made others think of it.

It was for the first time I saw and heard her speaking, live, alive. When asked by a gentleman," What kind of govt you idealise when you criticise the every nook of the system? Do you think that after observing the shortcomings of all major governing systems, should not we try the divine system of governance revealed by Christ or Mohammad?", she wittingly said, "See, the problem with the govt, any govt, is in my DNA." She added, "History is witness to every kind of govt and all have more or less suppressed those who contradict them, either be it Christian, Islamic, Hindu or Capitalists, Communists."

While addressing the students of Jamia Millia Islamia, an obiter dictum by her goes as, "Every time I'm aloud with criticism of the system I'm prepared to go jail. It’s not my aim to be put behind bars but when I resolve to speak, I speak, whatever be the sufferings".

An anguished jingoist said, "You are a public figure, why did you say Kashmir be given independence?" She replied, "The moment you hinder my freedom of expression the writer in me will be dead." Then she politely narrated the story of Kashmir and Kashmiris plight under this highly militarilised part of the world to enforce her views.

She had her concerns genuine. Being Indian one naturally supports the Indian govt but we have to support the democracy too, true and unbiased democracy.

She was not happy with the media either and was as critical of the media as that of system. She was of the opinion that media has been corporatised which prevents it from being unbiased. She pointed that they find fault with every nook of the govt functioning rightly but they do not carry any news about the suffering of oppressed due to these corporates, directly or indirectly. Example she cited, with which others speakers unanimously agreed, was that of Chhattisgarh, where approx 25% of world's bauxite reserve is found, and has been more or less corporatised and the tribals, the owners of that land, has been kept in camps in 'protection' of the Govt supported private militia, Salwa Judum, to save from Maoist’s alleged atrocities.

On the Supreme Court, highest judicial authority in India, she said, "Supreme court is my favourite institution". She critically added that everything in this country is being run by Supreme Court, be it "where to dump the garbage, what to do with the reservation system and how to run our education machinery, which film should be screened, who did not stand up while national anthem was being read". Next in line was Supreme Court’s judgment, by Hon'ble Chief Justice itself, that the Judges don't come under the purview of RTI act. "Strange. More strange, stupid also, when we've recently witnessed the Judges scam. Money laundering, this time by Judges, not by netas."

Strange are the ways the Indian democracy function and it looks more strange when Arundhati puts her point, wearing beautiful smile on the glowing face, covered by greyish black hairs, perhaps dyed, perhaps not, but it seems nature has contrived to fade her hairs haphazardly to make it more simplistically beautiful, perhaps mourning the oppressed.

Divided we stand ...

(Peace be upon u)

The societal divisions we see today were never before like this in India. What we see today is a grim reminder of our understanding of each other, be it along religious, caste, linguistic lines or regional divide. And the commendable contributions of our netas are helping it to flourish at an exponential pace.

See, for example, Shri Amarnath Shrine Land transfer imbroglio. Unfortunate twist and turns, helped by our political fraternity has turned it into a religious confrontations and once again given opportunists an agenda to cry foul, be it Hurriyats and Kashmiri politicos or Sangh Parivar affiliates and right wing nationalists. The already vitiated and fragile atmosphere of J&K has been marred by high decibel protests along religious and regional lines. The stubborn attitude of both the faction is making it increasingly difficult to reach a consensus on the issue.

The Govt of J&K and India should have acted in a responsible way keeping in mind the sensitivity of issue. At first, the land transfer should not have taken place, due fragile atmosphere in the state, the Article 370 and when yatra was going fine with all the possible help from locals.

Article 370 provides the state of J&K some special provisions notwithstanding India's constitution. It gives the state of J&K the provision of drafting their own laws except in the matter of Defence, External affairs and Telecom. Beside it, an important point in article 370 is that that no one from outside Kashmir can buy property in the said state.

Along with the Govt of J&K, the Central govt too did the same blunder by consenting the land transfer at first place and then doubled the effect of this mistake by revoking the land allotment. Now the situation is that even status quo will put a sense of defeat among the people supporting land transfer and transferring the land again to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board will give a boost to the call of Azadi by now re-vigorated separatists.

The point which both the factions are not realizing that they both stand defeated in their jingoistic cause. But the best solution at the moment for both the unrelenting faction is status quo at the Shrine site. The transfer of land will do no good to the pilgrims, if there is no active support from locals now they enjoy, as valley has been deeply sensitised by the call of Azadi. Beside it, that would be a good fodder for militants to garner the support among locals which is on decline. Similarly, Azadi to Kashmiris is no solution to their problems either. It is virtually easier but the path after that will be extremely torrid as well as baffling. There is strong possibilities that an independent Kashmir can be hijacked by Pakistan or China or the militant organisations.

The way people are marching for Azadi will in the same vociferous way march for Pakistan occupied Kashmir to be integrated with them, which is under Pakistan control, and it is very improbable that Pakistan will relent for the cause of fully independent Kashmir.

The people Kashmir, before supporting any call for Azadi, should think well about the after-effects of independence of a state which has, among many problems, so uneven terrain that a project of Railway to connect the valley with the rest of India has cost the Indian exchequer a whopping $2.5 billion. The Indian govt grants approx Rs. 9750 per capita per annum for J&K, which is among the highest grant paid to Indian states (Bihar gets approximately Rs. 975 per capita per annum). Their main economy will be based on tourism, which is in ruins of insurgency and militancy, will need a hefty amount to re-vitalise. If their demand of Azadi is paid heed, will they be able to sustain in such an extreme condition?

Even, if they go with Pakistan, it is very unlikely that they get such a huge allocation. Beside it, Pakistan itself is in the dire straits, which may take some time to heal, to accommodate their new guests. The best option for them is to remain with India and demand the Indian Govt more investments in the state in infrastructure and education sector.

Demand like an Indian demands. Feel like an Indian feels.

Indianised Again

Douse the fire,
Engulf the flame,
Immerse yourself...
Here lies your soul... India

On the weary thread of emotions, lies India's future and fortune. We're credited with its make or break and an enormous task of keeping this thread alive lies with us. To a great degree we're a success but sometimes our acoustic gait doesn't match our suave nature. I'm proud, you are proud, we're proud of our startling economy sans agriculture, our education system sans research, our artistic freedom sans some misled fundamentalism, our democracy sans our netas and of course our vibrant ramified culture sans nought.

We've many more things to boast of but some miniscule things yet big, as it seems now, overshadow our accomplishments even after 6o years of democratic rule. Every country has his share of failures along with successes and we're no exception to it. We've the resources and potential to back it but we still lag behind. Who is to blame? Should it be our netas or we ourselves, who've chosen these netas to represent us?

No, none is to blame. It's me, me only.

Oh my God, no... not 'my God' but oh God. Oh God Please commiserate me. I'm plunging this whole country into a deep dark sepulchre. I am crushing the heritage of my ancestors, of my nonpareil countrymen of past who irrigated this land with their blood n sweat, simply I'm destroying me, myself.

Oh Lord, this darkness is advancing, soon it'll engulf me, my countrymen and my country. I'm feeling helpless now, I fear it will incapacitate me. What will I do then? Oh almighty, I pray, now, please save me, save me from my inaction, my idleness, my passivity, save me from my inability to cope with it, save me from my thinking that I'm unable to cope with it,

Oh Lord, save me. I'm in the state of comatose. I'm supine. I'm sedentary, no I'm not sedentary it's my wrongful intuition only. Oh lord, I see a bright star among all stars, it looks gloomy, I pray it is only a seasonal phenomena.

When I came close, I see a meteorite there, being chased by bright, bristling yet harmless moons. They have the heat and radiations to ashen the meteorite yet they are deliquescent. If they are radiating anything it is non violence only, which fritters the meteorite into rubble, once great meteorite.

Among those stars, some have dormant volcanoes which don’t erupt generally but it shows signs of eruptions sometimes. Not good for inhabitants there but it is still advantageous other way as it prepares the inhabitant to remain alert. Then I see in my dream that sky clears of all its gloominess suddenly.