On India's present scenario

Count me out of the optimist category.

If a jawan is shot, I do not care, because I may be shot tomorrow by the same army. And I will be called a terrorist. They'll say I had links to I don't know which organization.

If the police fails, I laugh. Because they are built to fail. They choose to fail.

When a jawan is shot, the country cries. When the army rapes an entire village, we still hail them as legends of the country. India is destined to succumb to its failures. All hail us!

We are a country where people die of hunger, and elected representatives burn up crores of public money, spending time throwing chairs at each other. All hail them! Yet we choose to shut up.

When a man who overlooked the killings of thousands of people in the worst riot of the country, is projected as the PM candidate, on the basis of some development in his state (forgetting the amount of debt the state has, highest FYI), we are becoming the epitome of democracy. All hail us!

A chief minister of the most populated state spends a big chunk of public money building her own statues, and thousands starve to death. No law stops her. Awesome constitution, ours.

When our major military partner is Israel, a country butchering and capturing Palestinians at will, we are still the world's largest democracy. All hail us!

You choose to be optimistic about our country. I choose not to.

And you lot will call me a traitor. Because you cannot bear the truth. Because you lot are still in the bubble of ecstasy.

Mine has burst, and realities seem far clearer to me.

You choose to stand up when someone like Arvind Kejriwal asks you to. And then you get back into you dens when India plays Pakistan in a cricket match, and everything is forgotten.

- By Tariq Hashmat Tauheed, B.Tech.

Dilemmas in envisioning India as a strong "nation"

I love India as my nation (please don't confuse it with the word "state"). Ours is a nation of bewildering diversities in ethnicity  religions, languages, philosophies, cultures, regions, social hierarchies, economic conditions etc. In fact, every personality is unique in itself.

In spite of all this, there had been & still are, some people who want to "assimilate" these differences through a melting-pot approach and create a "bhartiya/deshaj/deshbhakt" India which is honestly speaking impossible to define without entrapping yourself into the fascistic tendencies of the likes of Mussolini & Hitler. Even for these two, it was easy to carve out an Italian & a German nationalism respectively as these nations are almost linguistically & culturally homogeneous & even if those elements that were heterogeneous elements were suppressed, hidden, assimilated & even cleansed from their national scenario.

But the question that I would like to put in front of you all is that is it possible to create a homogeneous Indian nation? If you believe that it is possible to create a homogeneous nation then the question in my mind is that who will define & decide the "Indian-ness" required to being a loyal citizen of India? Will it be RSS who should be conferred with the task of measuring the loyalty of Indian citizens or should it be the Congress Party who should be accepted as the final authority of judging someone's secular credentials?

If you share the same opinion like me that all the concepts & efforts of "assimilation" are doomed to fail then the biggest question that we face is to firstly define what is meant by us when we use the term "Indian nationalism" as the western concepts of Nationalism are impossible to apply & replicate in India as our nation is not homogeneous at all & in addition to this is the fact that we are still a faith-based society, this question requires immensely deep understanding of the various aspects of  India & utmost patience & care in dealing with the different aspirations, ideologies & visions of Indian people.

The second problem that I see is that of building a national level consensus of making all parties agree to the definition that will be formulated which is indeed a monumental task.

The third problem that I see is to form the working methodology of implementing the agreed common minimum programme for inclusive development.

The fourth problem I feel is to discover/create & bring all those people together who would co-ordinate & form a responsible Legislature, Judiciary, Bureaucracy & Civil Society.

The fifth problem according to me is to make a consensus as to whether for all things mentioned above to become feasible will  some minute reforms be enough or will radical reforms be required or even not less than a complete revolution is required to take place for bringing the new system.

In addition to all these problems that I mentioned here, there are many more questions that need to be found answers of. All these questions are coming up because the Indian state has been unable to deliver on the promise of an inclusive, just & progressive nation.

Yet, I am not at all a pessimist and strongly believe that a near Utopian nation is possible if we will be successful in consolidating, uniting & synchronizing all the energies that are working to create a better nation. As this nation is a shared contemporary reality of all the Indians & our honour is undoubtedly related to it, these questions hold paramount importance in present times. It is my deeply rooted belief that together we can & we will make the difference. With hope & faith I submit this to all the readers for comments, suggestions & ruthless scrutiny.

Open Wounds and a Manufactured Stalemate in Syria

In more than three years of conflict, around 100,000 people have been killed in Syria, according to UN estimates. Since August 2012, an average of 170 Syrians are killed everyday. As cynical statistics and incredulous figures become a daily reality, the truth is lost amid confusion and the competing narratives of Superpower games.

Bashar al-Assad is without any doubt a dictator and a tyrant with a proven family history of using extreme and cruel violence against any form of dissent. Those opposed to him in the region, primarily the big brother of Gulf monarchies Saudi Arabia, and to a lesser extent Qatar, are not much different. Its international opponents, led by the Unites States, have a proven efficiency in manipulating revolutions and dictating democracies. Its backers Russia and China habitually use 'sovereignty' as an excuse to protect their interests in the region via model of a scaringly efficient and ruthless state-capitalism. In the backdrop looms large the bitterness of Saudi Arabia at an increasingly powerful Iran, Assad's closest and most pro-active ally.

As Syria descends further into chaos and anarchy, this is a good time to sit down and look at some hard facts, informed by the geopolitics of past history and present turmoil in the Middle East region.

In January of 2011, Syria saw the beginning of peaceful protest calling for democratic reforms. These protests turned into a civil uprising against the government of Bashar al-Assad. By May of 2011, news began pouring in of the Assad regime using military force against the peaceful protestors. In July, a group of defectors from the Syrian military formed the Free Syrian Army to support the uprising against the Syrian government, with the stated aim of overthrowing the Assad regime.

During this period, the West was preoccupied with an increasingly messy situation in Libya, and for months the atrocities of Assad were tactically ignored while the once-peaceful uprising in Syria turned to other options.

What has followed may cynically be called an elaborate farce, but it is a glaring testament to the failure of world institutions meant to maintain peace. It proves once again that platforms like the UN are little more than instruments of power games among the world's elite.

There have been countless meetings, “Friends of Syria” conferences, councils and coalitions in an endless diplomatic exercise that has yielded precisely no results on the ground. The Syrian National Council, which was formed with much fanfare to lead the revolutionaries, has been reduced to a platform for tussles among allies promoting their personal interests. Its first president Moaz al-Khatib, a popular and simple man who was Imam of the famous Umayyad mosque, resigned within five months. He alleged interferences by foreign powers and their indifference to Syrian sufferings as the reason for his inability to continue.

With international pressure building and the Americans openly speaking of arming the opposition, it seems that President Assad's departure is truly a matter of time. Even his backers China and Russia have spoken of exploring options 'beyond Assad'. President Obama may even employ his effective strategy of non-visible warfare (using covert forces and unmanned drones) to finally tilt the balance. But only at the right time.

As of now, the West is playing for time with pointless meetings and discussions which are little more than photo-ops. At the same time, backroom negotiations are in progress among the various “allies” of both sides to this conflict, figuring out ways to share the spoils of this war and the stake of each in the configuration of a post-Assad Syria. A sure pointer to this is the way in which both US and Russia are pushing for the 'Geneva Conference' with both Assad and the rebels at the same table. It gives credence to the opinion that slowly but surely we are seeing an aligning of powerful interests.

Syria has unwittingly become the laboratory case for evolving new paradigms of conflict-resolution (read interest-management) in a new, multipolar world.

Meanwhile, fanatics and extremists have been armed to fight against and for the Assad regime, while sectarian tensions are being built up and ruthlessly manipulated in the run up to the formation of a new Syrian state, where the tried and tested formula of divide-and-rule will again be used by the new colonial forces to promote their interests.

A few days back, UN Secretary General called for both sides to respect the holy month of Ramadan and call a humanitarian ceasefire. If indeed a deal has been struck, the offer will be accepted. If not, the carefully manufactured stalemate will continue as long as an agreement is reached, and in the meantime Syrians will pay for it with their blood day after day after day....

Report of the Programme on the issue of Palestine

The Aligarh Activists Society called for Unity and Reconciliation among the Palestinian parties Fatah and Hamas in a letter handed over to the Minister Counsel of Palestine in a function here in Kennedy Auditorium on Sunday.

The AAS had organised a Symposium on "Palestine: Occupation, War Crimes and Demand for Sovereignty". The Chief Guest was His Excellency Saleh Asad Saleh Muhammad, the Minister Counsel from Palestine Embassy.

The other speakers were Professor Mirza Asmer Beg, Department of Political Science and Dr. Arshi Khan, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science.

Prof. Beg spoke on the recent developments in Palestine. He stated that the present aim of Israel and its allies is to isolate Iran. Israel is aiming to divert the attention of the world towards other issues, while they make settlements on Palestine and try finishing it off completely.

Dr. Arshi Khan spoke on the historical background of the Palestinian crisis. He said, Israel was created illegally, with active support from Britain and its other allies. The issue of Palestine is not a Muslim-Jew issue,rather it is an issue of self-determination, the right of the Palestinian people to be governed by themselves.

The Chief Guest of the event, His Excellency, Saleh Asad Saleh Muhammad, Minister Counsel  Embassy of Palestine, stated that he was honoured to be at the Aligarh Muslim University. He said that the Indian Government has always been sympathetic to the Palestinian cause. He opined that Palestine is an occupied territory  and the occupiers will have to leave it,sooner or later.

The AAS handed over a letter to His Excellency addressed to President of P.A. Mahmud Abbas in which they called for unity among the Palestinian resistance and urged Mahmud Abbas to invite Hamas for a National Unity Government so that the struggle for Palestine can be taken forward.

Sixty six years of India’s Independence: An Introspective Analysis

Before I begin this article it is essential that I make a few clarifications, as the nature of socio-political discourse makes it necessary.

Firstly, I am not an anti-Indian. Rather, as a concerned citizen of this nation, I consider it my moral responsibility to point out to the structural flaws and inequalities within our system, that has repeatedly corroded the prospects of the development of this country. Following the Anna Hazare thing, we have a radical and aggressive brand of nationalism that states either you profess Anna like views or you are an anti-Indian. (Much like George Bush’s Iraq war rhetoric, which stated: Either you are with us or you are with the terrorists.)

Secondly, I am not a Communist. In fact, I am an anti-Communist to be precise. I believe Communists don’t have a copyright of protesting against capitalism and neo-corporate globalization. Just like being anti-Anna doesn’t make you anti-Indian, being anti-Bush doesn’t mean you are with the terrorists, similarly, being anti-capitalist doesn’t make you a pro-Communist.

Talking about pointing to the structural flaws within our system, I could not think of a better day than 15th of August, the day of our independence, to do the job. Quite purposefully i wont enter into the debate whether we attained this independence, or was it a false one, given to us by our British masters at the cost  of a bloody partition of this country, which Arundhati Roy calls Britain’s final, parting kick to India. I find this debate useless and sinister. We cannot undo a decision taken sixty-five years ago by our forefathers. Its better we address the issues that confront us today. (I know its an un intellectual argument but its a practical one.)

So, on the 66th year of our Independence as the social networking sites get flooded with patriotic updates, as the tv channels throughout the day televise films and songs that boost up our nationalistic sensations( temporarily although), and as our soft-spoken, suave Prime Minister belts out his neatly drafted Independence Day speech at the Red Fort, let us have a close look at the ground realities of 21st century India.

A huge battallion of paramilitary forces armed with the most sophisticated ammunition, is closing in towards the forests of Central India, the heartland of this country. They are readying for a bloody war against an army which comprises of the poorest,(most of them haven’t seen a modern city, never travelled in a train or a bus) undernutritioned, malnourished people, the tribals and the adivasis of India. They have realised that their Government is too thick skinned to pay any heed to their non-violent protests against the forceful acquisition of their land and its natural resources, for the purpose of setting up Special Economic Zones. In despair they have joined the ultra-Left Maoist radicals who seek the overthrow of the Indian state through an armed revolution. The country is probably heading towards a civil war, or probably the war has already begun. Its a rich man’s war where the poorest of the poor fight and they die.

While the gala of the Independence Day celebration persists, we have a lady at the distant North-Eastern state of Manipur, stretching a world record few Indians bother to care about, and none feel proud about. Irom Sharmila, a Manipuri civil-rights activist and poet is on a hunger strike since 2 November, 2000, which makes her the person on the longest hunger strike in the history of the world. Her demand is the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act(AFSPA). AFSPA, a draconian law that is in operation in the seven North-Eastern states of India, and Jammu and Kashmir, entitles army personnel(except those of the lowest two ranks) to arrest without a warrant, shoot and even kill an individual, or a group of individuals, on the mere suspicion of being a terrorist. The act provides impunity to the army men from any prosecution or trial for their aforementioned acts. Under the garb of doctrine of necessity the AFSPA is essentially a license to kill.

Before I forget to tell you all, my friends and seniors hailing from Kashmir, like every year have told me that today, on the 15th of August, Kashmir has an unanimous strike and a blackout. 14th August, i.e. the Independence Day of Pakistan was celebrated with much pomp and show. The incident is a slap on the very ideals of equality and integrity that the Constitution of this country seeks to uphold. It shows how our successive Governments have badly messed up with an issue that required patience and a humane approach.

Politics in India seems to get murkier day by day. Today, we have a new brand of hate-mongering, incarnate politicians whipping up divisions along religious, casteist, and sectarian lines, thereby ensuring a polarized mandate, that facilitates and smoothens their road to power. Politics of hatred probably was never so much in the vogue in India, as it has been during the past few decades. I would refrain from citing examples of incidents of politics of hatred that have unleashed unimaginable proportions of atrocities, because they chill my spine.

As if this unending list of corrupt, hate mongering politicians who siphon out huge amount of money from the public exchequer and stash it up in their Swiss bank accounts, was not enough, we presently have an increasing number of CEOs and corporates hollowing out natural resources worth trillions of dollars from the forests and mountains of India. All this courtesy the two decades of liberalization and privatization in India, and also the large number of Memorandum of Understandings(which are secret documents and their terms and conditions have been concealed from the common people) signed between state Governments and these multinational corporations.

Unfortunately, the tragedy of this country does not end here. The youth of this nation, comprising the lion’ share of its population is a directionless mass, away from the realities of the day. Following the massive privatization of education, students have been turned into prospective buyers of University degrees. The policy in practice is: Throw your bucks and grab your degrees. Education, in India, today, is the most lucrative business. Thus, toeing the lines of its capitalist vanguards, the youth of today wears a ‘cool’ attitude, proudly declaring that it doesn’t care about politics, hardly realising that this depoliticisation is the biggest political happening of this decade.) It is enmeshed in the status-quo, oblivious to any sort of acts of resistance in unison against this capitalist exploitation.

The need of the hour is the development of awareness among the common mass. The youth of the country cannot afford to remain aloof from those very issues that affect us so seriously. It has to come forward and take up the cudgels of nation building. It has to think and prepare the roadmap of our future. Everyone has stakes in the future of this nation, come, let us realise it together.

P.S:- I did not attend the Independence Day function in my University. I find these symbolic events useless, they frustrate me. Present time demands persevering hard work rather than indulging in an hour’s show of flag hoisting and worthless rhetoric.

- By Riad Azam