Hindu villagers protect Mosque in this village of Bihar

Hindu Villagers Protect Mosque in this village of Bihar

In a heartwarming instance of communal harmony, the Hindu residents of Mari village, in Nalanda district of Bihar have given their heart and soul to take care of an old mosque left abandon by the Muslims in their village.

According to media report, in Mari village, due to scourge of unemployment Muslim population has slowly eased themselves out of the village into places where their life could be possible, leaving behind their immovable property that is their place of worship.

The Muslim population left the village due to push factor and now there is no one left to take care of their mosque.  That’s when the local Hindu population in the village has stepped in to join hands and preserve and to take care of the mosque.

They play Azaan on the loud speaker five times a day, with the help of pen-drive and call the faithful each day to come and pray.  But since there are none village residents gather in front of the mosque and after the Azan is over, they pay obeisance to the place of worship by bowing their head before the mosque before dispersing.

 “It’s a very old mosque, says a local resident Ishwar Paswan adding apart from playing Azaan at the

right hour, they bow their head before the mosque as they do not know the procedure of the Namaz routine.  The residents make every effort to keep the mosque clean. They sweep and mop the floor and keep the entire mosque premises clean.

“It’s place where heavenly souls traverse, so cleaning the place is essential for making this place an abode of divine souls,” Ishwar further says adding that after each wedding in the village, the newly-wed couple come to the mosque first to take the blessings from this holy place. ”

With this kind of stories emerging from some sleepy places of India gives lot of hope that humanity still survives in our country. At a time when poison of hatred between Hindus and Muslims is being spilled over for political gains, such story gives oxygen to Hindu – Muslim brotherhood in the country.

This example may be also being a soul searching exercise to all those Hindus who are indulging in mob lynching exercise of helpless Muslims shown. At this hour of communal polarization, such kind of kind gestures by Hindu brethren reinforces the slogan of Unity in Diversity. More such examples are exactly needed at this hour of communal disharmony in our country.

The need of the hour is some Muslim organization or philanthropist may adopt this mosque in Mari village and pay for its upkeep. It will be a great service to the community whose returns may be gained on the day of judgement which is a belief of every Muslims.

Mari is a small village in Ben Block in Nalanda District of Bihar. It comes under Mari Panchayath. It belongs to Patna Division. It is located 15 KM towards west from Nalanda’s District headquarters, Bihar Sharif. It is 66 KM from State capital Patna. This Place is in the border of the Nalanda District and Gaya District. Mari Local Language is Maithili. Mari Village total population is 3307 and number of houses are 573. Female Population is 48.7%. Village literacy rate is 55.1% and the female literacy rate is 23.3%.

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Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist based in Chennai. He hails from Nalanda district. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba2007@gmail.com

Kashmir and a Storm in the Tea Cup

Kashmir and a Storm in the Tea Cup

Syed Ali Mujtaba

On Monday, July 22, 2019, United States President Donald Trump has droped a bombshell claiming that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked him to mediate on the Kashmir issue when they met in Osaka, Japan, on the sidelines of the of the G-20 Summit on June 29, 2019.

US President while talking to the press with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan said; "I was with Prime Minister Modi two weeks ago and we talked about this subject (Kashmir). And he actually said, 'would you like to be a mediator or arbitrator?' I said, 'where?' (Modi said) 'Kashmir'," Trump said. "If I can help, I would love to be a mediator. If I can do anything to help, let me know," Trump said, adding he is ready to help, only if the two countries ask for it.

There was a quick reaction to it from External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in Parliament. The Minister categorically denied Trump’s claim saying Mr. Modi did not made any such request to Mr.
Trump to “mediate or arbitrate” on the Kashmir issue. He said India remains committed to discussing all issues bilaterally with Pakistan.

Then the U.S. State Department issued a clarification that Kashmir remains a “bilateral issue,” and the U.S. “stands ready to assist” India-Pakistan for any such talk. It did not deny the US President’s comment, leaving each of us guessing who was correct,the U.S. State Department or our External Affairs Minister. 

To a dim wilted, the onus of denial or acceptance remains on the Indian Prime Minister. As he is the party to the conversation being talked about but he remains non vocal on it. This puts him in dock for trading the AOOT ANNG OF INDIA (inseparable limb of India) in private, while he has been saying in public that Kashmir is no negotiable.

Witnessing a storm in the tea cup it’s time to recollect the role of USA and other external powers in mediating to resolve the Kashmir question. The archives have it that after the fall of Hyderabad on 13th September 1948, a US Consulate dispatch from New Delhi has said, ‘now the principal of the will of the people of Kashmir has to be made applicable. This one liner prophecy of an US officer perhaps the junior most in the hierarchy of US administration has become the corner stone of US foreign policy on Kashmir since then.  

 The early attempt at mediation on Kashmir was done by the UN where India took its complaint against Pakistan’s forced occupation of parts of Kashmir (PoK) ton January 1, 1948. A United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP) was set up which proposed mediating the Kashmir dispute along a three-point action plan. This plan of action never took off on the ground till date.

However, the UNCIP was successful in mediating a ceasefire in 1949, and negotiating the geographical location of the cease-fire line that would be monitored by the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP). This arrangement remains intact on ground even as of today.

Thereafter individual U.N. representatives continued to visit both sides but failed to resolve the Kashmir dispute. Sir Owen Dixon, an Australian jurist was the first United Nations Representative for India and Pakistan (UNRIP) appointed to mediate the Kashmir dispute. He was followed by an American diplomat Frank Graham.

During India-China war of 1962, the US had provided India with planes and military hardware worth about $60 million with the condition that India should agree to be mediated in talks with Pakistan over Kashmir. The U.S. made it clear that any further military assistance was contingent on India’s cooperation on Kashmir talks.

In fact, a team of 24 American negotiators landed in India on November 21, 1962. It was led by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Averell Harriman. The US team worked along with U.S. Ambassador John Kenneth Galbraith and British High Commissioner Paul Gore to bring India and Pakistan to the negotiating table.

There were six rounds of talks between India’s Foreign Minister Swaran Singh and Pakistan Foreign Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. Eventually, the talks ended in 1963 without any results. Since then the time has traveled its distance and globally Kashmir is recognized as a dispute, though India has some qualms about it.

The then Soviet Premier Kosygin tried to broker a peace agreement between India and Pakistan in Tashkent over Kashmir in 1965.Indian Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri and Pakistani President Ayub Khan attended the peace talks. But nothing tangible emerged out of such talks due to sudden death of PM Shastri in Tashkent.  

Then the dateline shifts to Shimla Agreement of 1972. In this agreement India and Pakistan “resolved to settle their differences by peaceful means through bilateral negotiations or by any other peaceful means mutually agreed upon between them”.

Since then Shimla agreement forms the basis of bilateral talks between the two countries, where India harps on the first part of the agreement “resolved to settle their differences by peaceful means through bilateral negotiations, Pakistan lays emphasis on; “by any other peaceful means mutually agreed upon between them”.

The next dateline is 1993, when the U.S. President Bill Clinton decided to solve the Kashmir dispute and wished to mediate between India and Pakistan. In this connection, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Robin Raphel during a press briefing questioned the validity of Kashmir’s ‘Instrument of Accession’ on 26 October 1947. India protested to the remarks of the US official and succeeded to keep the Kashmir issue on the back burner.

Then the next dateline is February 1999 Lahore declaration when Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif and Indian PM Atal Behari Vajpayee outlined a four-step formula to resolve all the disputes through bilateral means. But then Kargil happened later in the same year and peace talks were stalled. Later,  terror attack took place on Indian Parliament December 13, 2001. Following, India launched operation Parakram when Indian Pakistani troops was locked in eyeball to eyeball position from 13 December 2001 – 10 June 2002.  

Subsequently,  Indian and Pakistani under Lahore agreement of 1999 held peace negotiations from 2003 to 2008. According sources, the two countries came very close to resolve the Kashmir dispute. But progress Kashmir could not make headway as terrorism came in the way of implementing the peace process and bilateralism was sacrificed on the altar of terrorism since then.

In between several global leaders including South African President Nelson Mandela, UN Chief António Guterres, and the Norwegian Prime Minister, Erna Solberg has offered to negotiate between India and Pakistan. But New Delhi gave them a courteous reply that its duty bound to resolve all outstanding issue with Pakistan through bilateralism.

The overall victims of such situation are the people of Kashmir who have become main sufferers as there is no urgency in any such peace process.

Now when US president Donald Trump dropped a bombshell during his joint press conference with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, India’s response was to invoke the Shimla Agreement of 1972 and the Lahore Declaration of 1999 as the basis to resolve all issues between India and Pakistan bilaterally.

The question is why India needed US President’s intervention to croak the pet lines of bilateralism. If that was on deep freeze due terrorism, why did not our External Affairs Minister put the condition on the US President to ask Pakistan to stop terrorism for starting the dialogues of peace? Related to it is the question why did not our beloved PM have the courage to deny Mr. Trump’s claims that he not asked him to “mediate or arbitrate” on Kashmir. The other question is why it took 25 years for a US President to once again publicly announce it concerns for Kashmir.

The story so far is, India has opposed any third-party mediation on Kashmir. This is because India’s defence over Kashmir is quite weak. This is due to Pakistan‘s claim that Kashmir is the unfinished agenda of Partition of India, and Kashmiri’s claim the will of the people has to be made supreme.

 India do not see any significant gain from a third-party mediation and feels that in such mediation, the third party will give muscle to the weaker parties and may serve its adversaries interests.  In such case, India at best may may like the third parties to diffuse tensions at the Line of Control or at the International Border and not beyond that.

So then all boils down to bilateral negotiation. India finds bilateralism to suit its interests because as a regional power it has superiority in conventional and non-conventional military means. In such case bilateral talks can serve its purpose for name sake having no conclusion coming from any such talks.

In the end, the summery is unless parties concerned are not willing to concede their fossilized stand on Kashmir no peace can be hammered out through bilateralism or multilateralism. In such case,the Kashmir problem will remain where it was 1948. With no solution going to be agreed upon in the near future with the parties concerned, Kashmir problem will remain an unresolved conflict for some more time to come. 
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Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist based in Chennai. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba2007@gmail.com

Hindu Child Cries for Muslim Mother –A Tale of Communal Harmony in India

Hindu Child Cries for Muslim Mother –A Tale of Communal Harmony in India

Syed Ali Mujtaba

A Facebook post by Sreedharan that “my Umma (mother) has honored the summons of Allah, please pray for her soul…if there is heaven, my Umma will surely find a place there,” has caught many eyeballs. It appeared it was a cry of a Hindu child for her Muslim mother. There was definitely curiosity raised through the FB post.  

In deeper introspection, it turned out to be a tale of human love cutting across religion and other parochialism that could be an eye opener to those who are forcing the Muslims to chant Jai Sri Ram and killing them for being an Indian Muslim.  

The 46-year-old Sreedharan’s facebook post is an amazing account of how interfaith bonds survive in India even in these trouble times when Hindus minds were rigged in just concluded General Election of 2019.

A pious Muslim couple Subaida Thennad and Abdul Azeez Haji had three children of their own and they fostered three more, Sreedharan and his two elder sisters Ramani and Leela. The Muslim couple adopted these Hindu kids when their widow mother, Chakki passed away due to sudden illness. Having no one to look after these three Hindu children, Subaida took them under her wings, with Sreedharan being hardly one, and others being less than five years of age.  

The three Hindu children were raised by Subaida in her house as practicing Hindus along with her own three practicing Muslim children. In the mornings, when the three Muslim children went to the madrasa, the three Hindu kids were sent temple to learn about their religion.

All the six children lived in the same house under one roof, in the care of the loving Muslim parents.  They all ate together, played together and slept together and woke up together without an feelings of religious divide between them.

“Our foster parents brought us up like their own children and educated us. They got my sisters married off. Though we were taken in at an impressionable age, they never tried to convert us to their religion, said Sreedharan, who works in Oman in the FB post adding, his foster mother to him was like her own mother (Umma).

News of her mother’s death shattered Sreedharan who cried on his personal loss, holding bottles of perfume that he had bought for his beloved mother in Oman. He chose not to rush home in Kerala as he lacked courage to see her dead body. And instead wept and prayed for the departed soul.

]The death of Subaida Thennad would have gone unnoticed outside her home in Kalikavu village in Nilambur taluk of Malappuram district in Kerala. It is her foster son, Sreedharan, who had put up a Facebook post that tickled many funnels hearing such tale of communal harmony, where recently one Tabrez Ansari was done to death by a Hindu mob for reasons Ansari being an Indian Muslim.

Another Story 

Another story of Communal harmony has come from Belarikhan village under the Gosaiganj Assembly constituency in Ayodhya district of Uttar Pradesh. Here in a rare gesture some Hindus have donated 1.25 bighas of land to Muslims for using it as their burial ground.

As per records, the land belonged to the Hindus but some Muslims have buried their dead since it was by the side of a graveyard. The land had been a bone of contention between the two communities and there were disputes and tension over this issue for years between them. 

However some nine Hindu gentlemen who were shareholders of the land, signed a registered deed for 1.25 bighas of land in favour of the Qabristan Committee, Gosainganj on to bury their hatchet once and for all.

Khabbu Tiwari, the local BJP MLA who took the initiative said; “It's a gift from the Hindu community through a proper deed and stamp duty, as the tradition of Hindu-Muslim brotherhood in Ayodhya has a long history. This is a small token of love from Hindus to Muslims and I hope this amity will continue," he added.

In these days of Hindu religious fundamentalism where some radical Hindus are trying to lynch Muslim through mob attacks, such tales of goodness must be highlighted. These are rare instances of interfaith gestures of communal harmony in the country and reflect how India society is interwoven from below.

These stories will definitely give a tight slap to those relentlessly working overtime to increase the religious divide between the Hindus and Muslims in the country. 

It’s also a lesson or two those who are indulging in the conspiracy of silence by not opening up their mouths against those perpetrating hate crimes against Muslims in India.

German Lutheran pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984) has rightly said; first they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

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Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist based in Chennai. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba2007@gmail.com  

Why the new BJP Government is called EVM Sarkar

Why the new BJP Government is called EVM Sarkar

Syed Ali Mujtaba

The 2019 parliamentary election mandate is shrouded in suspense, mystery, uneasiness and unhappiness among large section of the people in the country. The clean sweep by the BJP is not accepted by many people and there is a clamor all around, that the BJP has won the polls through 

Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) manipulation calling the new government as EVM Sarkar.

The needle of suspicion is on the Election Commission which is a handpicked body of the BJP that presided over the General Election and in the end suspected to bring the ruling dispensation back to power with a resounding majority. The common electorates are not satisfied with the way the seven phase election was conducted in India and more so with the outcome of the result after almost two months of waiting.

There are enough evidences to prove that EVMs were manipulated during the 2019 parliamentary election. There are reports just before the 7th phase of the polls that trucks filled with EVMS were heading towards the strong room that's based on the testimony of the laborers who have loaded them in trucks and party workers who saw the movement of these trucks.

There are also reports that some 20 lakhs EVMS are missing from the custody of the Election commission from a period of almost one year. There are videos evidence of EVMs were found in the hotel rooms, brickyards and old factories etc and the accountability of all such missing EVMs is on Election Commission.  However, the Election Commission has never come out with an answer that how many EVMS are missing and how many have they recovered.  In such case of stoke silence by the EC on such serious issue the people of India are unhappy about its role and duties.

If we go through the website of the Election Commission it’s found that there is a big mismatch between the “votes polled” and “votes counted.” This is a huge discrepancy is witnessed in over 370 constituencies. For instance in all the 48 Parliamentary constituencies in Maharashtra and 203 assembly constituencies of Madhya Pradesh there is mismatch in the votes polled and the votes counted.

The Election commission refuses to explain why such discrepancy has happened at all and why the people should accept the verdict as a fait accompli even in the wake of such large mismatch in the mandate.

Is it a coincidence or malfunction of the EVMs that seven contestants in 2019 General Election have won their seats with the same margin of votes? Bhola Singh, Menaka Gandhi, Upender Narshigh, Harish Dividi, Satpal Singh, Sangh Mitra Murya, Kunwar Bhatender Singh have won by identical margins of 211820/ 140295.  Is it duty of the Election Commission to remove the concern of the people why such results have been thrown by the foolproof EVMs and the VVPT?  

Every countryman has read the reports of the malfunction of the EVMs from several places in the country. So far there is no clarification from the Election Commission on this matter. The general public is eager to know as to how many places such malfunctioning of EVMs had happened and what did the EC do to rectify such problem to ensure smooth polling. 

There is a huge suspicion that the EVMs were manipulated during the General Elections. It can be ascertained from the fact that the result of the Karnataka Municipal Election that was held just six days after the Lok Sabha election under ballot papers was quite different from Parliamentary results. The local body result says that Congress got 1880 seats, JDS 828 seats and BJP 714 seas. What does this suggests that in one week people changed their preferences when the BJP bagged 25 seats out of 28.

Similarly, if we recall the UP election, where the BJP had swept the polls in 2017, but after six months when the local body elections wer held, the results were not the same. The results from UP indicate that BJP won only in the urban areas where EVMs were used but in the rural areas where ballot papers were used, it had a poor showing. What does all this indicate that there has been massive manipulation of the EVMs to ensure the BJP victory in 2019?

There are other reasons of suspicion why the 2019 general election mandate is doubtful. In the aftermath of the results, Instead of jubilation all around, many people were shocked and stunned with the results There was discussion among a large number of people who did not vote for the BJP as why their preferences have been defaced. The results belied the expectation as they did not vote for the BJP but the results say their contrary. This suggests that the EVM were manipulated in such a way that whichever button the voter clicked, the votes went to the BJP.  

If the BJP had got resounding support from the general masses, the victory should certainly have been celebrated on the street with much jubilation. But in this case no such sentiments were seen anywhere in the country and people were in shock and dismay as to how the BJP got such resounding mandate.

Those who witnessed the 1977 General election may remember the kind of popular upsurge on the streets across the country, when Congress was voted out of power. There was jubilation all around when Janata Party came to power with resounding mandate after the dark days of National Emergency imposed in 1975.

However no such scene was witnessed after the 2019 general elections results were declared? This suggests that there was large scale of mismatch between the popular will and results announced to declare the winners of the general election of 2019.

As an Indian if we are unhappy with the 2019 election results we must look towards the Courts to get remedy to somehow tally the VVPAT with the votes counted. If there is proof of discrepancy found, there should reelection in such constituencies without the EVM.

The other suggestion is to test the popular mandate by having re poll in some of the constituencies of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh that went had elections in the first phase. If the BJP maintain the old voting share, we may approve their mandate and accept it as a popular verdict. However, if the BJP loses even one percent of its vote share then there should be in reelection in all the 315 seats where the BJP have won.

As an Indian if we have to safeguard our democracy we have to fight for both ballot paper and EVM polling. There should be a single day election in the entire country. There should not be any transportation of the EVMS or ballot boxes to any other places from the polling booths. After the polling is over, the polling booth should be converted into strong room where few party workers should be allowed to stand in guard.  The next day the counting of the votes should be held at the same place to prevent any strong room malpractices.

The above reforms should be implemented as soon as possible to remove any doubts from the people’s mind that are living and breathing in one of the largest democracy of the world. This farce of seven phase polls spread over two months in the summer of 2019 should never happen again. The results declared have given enough room for suspicion that the popular will has never been reflected.

It is an earnest appeal to all the political parties that they should come forward to streamline the electoral process in the country. There should not be any more fooling with the sentiments of the people who have overwhelmingly participated in the national festival of parliamentary democracy in the country. The results of 2019 general election have conveyed that the freedom of expression of Indian Parliamentary democracy has been hijacked by this EVM Sarkar.

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Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist based in Chennai. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba2007@gmail.com

Meet Congress MP Mohammad Sadiq who missed a train to Pakistan

Meet Congress MP Mohammad Sadiq who missed a train to Pakistan

Syed Ali Mujtaba

Punjab’s folk singer Mohammad Sadiq, a former MLA, has won the Faridkot (reserved) Lok Sabha election constituency in Punjab.  He is best known for his duets in 1970s and 80s with singer Ranjit Kaur.

Being a folk singer, for the past over five decades Sadiq has been a popular figure among all the communities in Punjab.

 It is due to Sadiq’s popularity among the Punjabi masses that the Congress leadership gave him the ticket from the Faridkot. 

Born into a non-practicing Muslim family, Mohammad Sadiq belongs to the ‘Doam’ Scheduled Caste. He was born in Malerkotla, in 1942, the only place where Muslims survived the Partition’s ethnic cleansing. 

Like others, at about the age of five Sadiq too was to board the train to Pakistan. However as destiny would have it, he missed the train to Pakistan. Rest as they say is history.    

Mohammad Sadiq earlier electoral victory from reserved consistency was quashed by the courts on the ground that he is a Muslim and thus does not belong to a Scheduled Caste.

While the Punjab and Haryana High Court quashed his election, the Supreme Court, on his appeal, overturned the HC decision on April 29, 2016.

The Supreme Court in a landmark verdict had noted that “a person can change his religion or faith but not the caste to which he belongs to, as caste has linkage to birth.”

Mohammad Sadiq had argued that he had grown up as a Muslim and is not a Sikh. He admitted that he converted to Sikhism only in 2006.

Sadiq said he grew up in a Muslim family and was closely involved with the Sikh faith and was being subjected to untouchability when he was a child. He openly had spoken about the caste-based discrimination practiced both in Islam and Sikhism. 

“It is only in theory that Sikhs and Muslims don’t believe in caste, but in practice both the faiths do so,” Sadiq has reported to have said.

Mohammad Sadiq case throws light on caste and identity in Punjab’s Sikh society. His story is a fascinating tale how caste has polluted religions that claim not to recognize even such hierarchies.

Even those like Sadiq who is looking to free themselves from the shackles of caste by converting to other faith, have to contend with the fact that their caste identity is attached to them forever.

Watch Mohammad Sadiq’s story here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbGphT6fSWc

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Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist based in Chennai. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba2007@gmail.com

Muslims are Dotting Punjab’s Landscape Once Again

Muslims are dotting Punjab’s Landscape Once Again

Syed Ali Mujtaba

Punjab faced the full fury of the communal violence in 1947 during the Partition of India. The state witnessed an extremely turbulent and traumatic situation in the run up to the independence and Partition of the country.

The transfer of power from British to the dominion of India and Pakistan accompanied large scale transfer of population from both sides of the border. While Sikhs and Hindus were driven out of West Punjab, the entire Muslim population of East Punjab was ethnically cleansed or forcibly driven out of the state. 

Carnage of humanity unprecedented in the annals of history was witnessed in both sides of Punjab. The share of Muslims population in East Punjab was 33.0 percent before the Partition of India and in its aftermath it plummeted to less than 00.50 percent.   Virtually, the entire Muslims population of East Punjab was driven to Pakistan or were cleansed, their property looted or forcible occupied, mosques razed to the ground or vandalized, women were raped etc.    

However the situation has drastically changed from then and now. Muslims are growing fairly rapidly since last seven decades or so in Punjab. Muslims are once again dotting the rural and urban landscape of Punjab. Today of the total 277 lakhs population of Punjab, Muslim population is 5.35 lakh that is about 1.93 per cent of the total share of population.  

Though Muslims share in the total population of Punjab still remains very low,  the number of Muslims in Punjab has multiplied by six times in the five decades since 1961, while the total population has multiplied by a factor of 2.5. In 1961, the proportion of Muslims in the state population was only 0.80 percent; it has grown to 1.93 percent in 2011.

The growth in the share of Muslims has been much more pronounced during the last two decades and now Muslims population could be anywhere between 2 to 3 percent in the 6 out of the 20 districts of Punjab.

An interesting fact is, even amidst the holocaust of Partition, survive two pockets Muslim population in Punjab. One is the principality of Malerkotla in Sangrur district, and other the town of Qadian in Batala sub-district of Gurdaspur.

The Muslim population in Malerkotla and Qadian are quite different than those in other parts of Punjab. They are Punjabi Muslims, who remain settled there for several centuries and are of the same ethnic stock that of the Sikhs and the Hindus. They have little in common with the Muslims that have migrated to Punjab from other parts of the country.

The Muslims of Punjab who are recent immigrants are culturally different from original Punjabi Muslims.  Majority of them are farm laborers residing in the villages and those who are daily wage laborers or are concentrated in the towns and cities of Punjab. Even though they are culturally different, most of them are integrated into the linguistically milieu of Punjab.    

The Muslims growth story in Punjab is very significant. There were 1.14 lakh Muslims in 1971 and it increased to 5.35 lakh in 2011. In Malerkotla there were 61.5 thousand Muslims in 1971 and it has increased to 1.79 lakh in 2011. The share of Muslims population in Malerkotla, has increased from 15.2 percent in 1971 to 22.5 percent in 2011. The proportion Muslim population in Sangrur district, which includes Malerkotla, is now near 11 percent.

The Qadian town in Batala sub-district of Gurdaspur district is the birth place of Mirza Gulam Ahmed, who founded the Ahmadiyya sect of Muslims in 1889.  Qadian has much smaller Muslim population In comparison to Malrekotla, but is the second largest Muslim concentration in Punjab.  In Qadian town where the total population is only 23.6 thousand, Muslims are little more than 3 thousand. Their share in the population of the town has increased from 4.4 percent in 1971 to 13 percent in 2011.

Elsewhere in Punjab Muslims have also shown a much faster growth rate. The number of Muslims outside Malerkotla has risen from 53 thousand to 3 lakh 56 thousand. Cities like Ludhiana have a sizable Muslim population close to 2.5 lakh who are all migrants from other parts of India.

The stories of Malerkotla, Qadian are of course emblematic of the secular spirit of India in which different religions and sects continue to flourish and find dignity, security and prosperity, even in very tense times. These stories also remind us that in India since Independence, minority communities have invariably grown faster than the majority.

To know more on the subject, I had a freewheeling conversation with Dr Mohammad Khalid from Malerkotla and who teaches Political Science at Department of Evening Studies, Punjab University Chandigarh.

The conversation took place at Sri Venkateshwara University, Tirupati, where both had come to take part in the conference on India Vietnam relations held on March 18 and 19. I had the privilege to share the room with Dr Khalid at the University’s guest house.       

He narrates; “in the years following Partition, while Malerkotla continued to remain a haven of peace, there was an overall atmosphere of hostility towards Muslims and anything constructed as ‘Muslim’ was scorned off.  There seems to have a clear attempt of contempt towards Muslims denying them any place in the Punjab’s society."

He says; ‘there is a sea change in the communal and social situation of Punjab, since then. Now Muslims are no more vilified in the state and many pockets of Muslim settlement are visible in some cities of Punjab.’

The atmosphere has greatly improved now and it is no longer problematic to show one's Muslim identity. The old mosques are repaired and made functional and where there are none, new mosques have come up. Muslims can maintain their distinct identity and freely profess their religious faith without any fear.  

Dr Khalid revealed an important nugget on the religious context that may have some bearing on Muslim population in Punjab. He elaborated that many Sikh brothers have protected the Muslims from the communal fury during the Partition days, a fact which is little known.  There may have vested interests in doing so as many such Muslims had occupational utility like being carpenter, barber, mason, mechanic midwives etc. They were protected hiding them in Sikh attire and even with changed names.  

Now In the changed communal atmosphere in Punjab such Muslims have come into open and have registered their names in the census list leading to a slight rise in Muslim population. Such Muslims are now freely professing their faith visiting mosques and practicing their religious rituals without any fear. This is a remarkable change witnessed in Punjab now.    

He said; now Muslims can be found in all walks of life. A string of Muslim Punjabi folk singers has emerged in Punjab. Sadrul Sikander, Master Saleem, Khan Sab, Kamal Khan etc are doming the Punjabi music charts. The current heart throb of Punjabi music is Khan Sab, he said asking me to check up U tube videos.  

Muslims are active in the economics and politics of the state. They are freely doing business and some gaining prominence in politics as well, especially from Malrekotla, he said. The younger generation of Muslims in Punjab no longer caries the baggage of the past and they don't have the kind of fear or insecurities that the earlier generation witnessed following the Partition.

Dr Khalid gave part of the credit for improving communal relationship between the Sikh and Muslim communities to the Shiromani Akali Dal. The Anandpur Sahib resolution, a key ideological document for Akalis, does include a clause on protecting the rights of all religious minorities in India.

Talking, about Muslim immigrants from other parts of India to Punjab, Dr Khalid said, such people are the backbone of the state’s economy. Without these labor forces, the state may come to a grinding halt; Dr Khalid said and added that many among them are second generation immigrants now and are fully integrated into the Punjabi society.

Dr Khalid’s comment on the upcoming election was; it will be a political ‘dangal’ essentially between the Congress and Akalis in Malerkotla city, with the Aam Aadmi Party doing well in the villages.

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Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist based in Chennai. He has done his doctoral research on ‘The Demand for Partition of India. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba2007@gmail.com

Mahatma and his Mock Assassins Visual Text Analysis

Mahatma and his Mock Assassins Visual Text Analysis

Syed Ali Mujtaba                        

A Professor from Madras University was describing the background of Champaran Satyagrah of 1917, at an International Conference on India Vietnam Relations through the Prism of Gandhian and Ho Chi Minh Philosophies at Centre of Southeast Asia and Pacific Studies Sri Venkateshwara University Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh on March 18, 2019.  

As the learned Professor was speaking why Mahatma Gandhi launched the mass movement from Champaran, my mind was jogging the memory lane doing the the visual text of Pooja Shakun, leader of the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha,   who had enacted the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi on January 31, 2019.

Professor was saying that a Gandhiji’s disciple, Raj Kumar Shukla, goaded Gandhiji to visit Champaran and do something about the plight of the indigo farmers and their families who are reeling in penury and living in inhuman conditions.   

Gandhiji asked Acharya J.B Kirpalani, Dr. Rajendra Prasad and others to go to Champaran and prepare a report on people’s sufferings there. The Congress workers came up with a detailed survey of the villages, accounting the atrocities and terrible episodes of suffering, including the general state of degenerate living.

Gandhiji after going through the report pulled up Acharya Kirpalani saying; you have written so many things in this, but they all are about men, you have not all mentioned anything about the condition of women in Chaparan, why?

Acharya told Gandhiji that social equations in Champarn did not allow any outsider that too a male to talk to female and that being the reasons of non-inclusion of any information about the women there. He suggested to Gandhiji to send a women team to assess the condition of women in Champaran.   

Gandhiji immediately asked his wife Kasturba to immediately go to Champaran and meet women there and prepare a report on their condition.  Kasturba and a few associates traveled to Champaran for this purpose.

As they roamed in the streets they found only men folk and children on the streets and to their utmost surprise no woman were there in public view. They realized that most of them were living inside the closed houses.

Kasturba haggard and tired knocked the door of one of the houses in the strret of Champaran. A very feeble female voice emerged from inside asking their whereabouts. Kasturba told them they are woman travelers and like to have a glass of water to quench their thrust.

And after a while the door was opened ajar and a female hand with a glass of water emerged from the door. Kasturba drank the water and asked for more for her colleague and then asked for permission to be let inside the house.

After getting inside the house, Kasturba told the women that they have come to assess the conditions of the women in Champaran and ask them the reason why most of them remain indoors. 

The woman gave a chilling account of the plight of woman in Champaran. She said there are three women in the house and between them there is only one SAREE, to wrap their bodies. So they take turns in the morning to fetch water from the well and go to attend the nature’s call after the sunset in the fields.          

When Ksasturba submitted the report, Gandhiji was deeply moved by the condition of the people living in Champaran. The sufferings of the people there compelled him to change the strategy of freedom struggle in India. Thus Satyagrah became the main weapon of Gandhiji to protest the presence of British rule in the country. The Champaran Satyagrah was the first mass movement that has a seminal place in the 

struggle for freedom in India.

Now coming to the Visual Text Analysis of well clad Pooja Shakun, leader of the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha, the only words that come to my mind is ‘arrogant’, ‘ignorant’ and ‘pitiable.’ 

Pooja Shakun, well fed and well clad lady who had enacted the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi hailing his murder Nathuram Godse as her hero if had undergone even a little of pain and suffering of the women in Champran, she should have shuddered to train her guns at the father of the nation even though symbolically.  

The Champaran Satyagraha was the first Satyagraha movement launched by Mahatma Gandhi in 1917.   It was a farmer's uprising against Indo cultivation that forced them to live in live in abject penury.

As Indigo was used to make dye the British forced the North Indian farmers to grow indigo for its exports value. Under Colonial laws, many tenant farmers were forced to grow some indigo on a portion of their land as a condition of their tenancy. Since this cash crop barely gave any returns to the farmers there was much resentment and anger among the farmers for growing this crop.

When Gandhiji returned to India from South Africa in 1915, he saw peasants in Northern India oppressed due to indigo plantation. He was moved by their conditions and used the methods to Satyagrah as a mass protest movement against injustices going on in the country.

The Champaran Satyagrah is a major landmark in the Indian Independence Movement. The mock assassination by Pooja Shakun, on October 2, 2018 is another landmark in the history of the country. Well these are some of the inchoate images  of changing India. 

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Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist based in Chennai. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba2007@gmail.com