[sacw] SACW | 17 Sept. 02

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asia Citizens Wire | 17 September 2002

__________________________

#1. Militia Mentality in India (Anuradha M Chenoy)
#2. India: Invitation for the National Meeting of All India Secular Forum
+ The Draft Manifesto of Forum
#3. Campaign of intimidation against the US media by extremist Hindu=20
organizations based in the US
#4. India's PM and his parivar (AG Noorani)
#5. India: =8CWe can=B9t resolve Gujarat tensions just by preaching love=B9=
=20
- interview with JS Bandukwala
#6. India: Night of the long knives (Shoma Chaudhury)
#7. Step Across This Line: Collected Non-Fiction 1992-2002 By Salman=20
Rushdie (reviewed by Alok Rai)

__________________________

#1.

The Times of India
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2002

Militia Mentality
ANURADHA M CHENOY

[ TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2002=A0=A012:21:44 AM ]
Ethnic and religious conflicts threaten to tear apart more societies=20
today than any other issue. These conflicts rise out of identity=20
movements that construct an enemy =8Cother=B9 and characterise themselves=20
as nationalists even though they are based on exclusionist agendas.
Since these movements do not adhere to democratic norms they seek to=20
achieve their goals through private armies or militias. The furore=20
over the recent arrest of the Ranvir Sena chief shows the extent to=20
which these forces have penetrated society.
Militias comprise unemployed youth who are given a purpose by virtue=20
of arms and a free mandate, and they function as an underground sword=20
arm for political parties or movements.
In some cases, these may be fighting occupation whereas in others=20
they are used for identity, caste or communal politics. When militias=20
are linked to legitimate political parties claiming to represent a=20
majority community, their impact can be disastrous.
India today is known to have several militias. The Ranvir Sena is=20
one. The Bajrang Dal is emerging as the most widespread all-India=20
Sena.
Even after reports on the Gujarat incidents establishing the Bajrang=20
Dal=B9s involvement in the violence, its activities continue.
This agenda is more than communal. The intention is to militarise=20
civil society by militarising religion, culture and people through=20
the creation of militias.
To counter a constructed enemy threat, volunteers at Bajrang Dal=20
camps are given firearms and martial arts training. In one camp in=20
Lucknow, student cadres from 22 districts of Uttar Pradesh were=20
trained.
The purpose here as one trainee states is how to deal with those who=20
do not respect Hinduism. The consequence of such training camps on=20
Muslims and Christians in Gujarat has already been made starkly clear.
Their women=B9s wing, the Durga Vahini, is mobilising women along=20
militarist lines and transforming the meaning of empowerment from=20
securing equal rights to being armed and adhering to a given=20
masculinity.
The Durga Vahini joined the Bajrang Dal in attacking the Orissa=20
assembly. The literature distributed by these Senas concentrates on=20
safeguarding the Hindu nation=B9s security. They call for revenge=20
against others for supposed crimes by the Mughals and other medieval=20
rulers.
This collective punishment of the entire community is to be through=20
economic and social boycott and destruction of places of worship.
Lessons on commerce, history and sex by these Senas lead to a false=20
threat perception and create an enemy out of ordinary citizens just=20
because they belong to a different community, and to push them out of=20
citizenship.
Since the enemy is dehumanised, humiliation of such an enemy is=20
commonly acceptable. In protecting their women, men are being asked=20
to safeguard their own women as property and to humiliate the other.=20
The man as warrior is constantly roused as a political goal in=20
intellectual and physical terms. The crisis of identity is=20
articulated as a crisis of masculinity.
This security threat creates a false consciousness as the agenda=20
moves away from equality or development to religious identity. The=20
worldview and the methodology of these Senas are neither new nor=20
unusual.
The international trials of Bosnian Serb militia men show how they=20
were militarised and ethnically politicised. Serb men learnt from=20
their elders of how Muslims (their neighbours) had oppressed their=20
ancestors, the militia showed how the Muslims from the Ottoman past=20
to the present were to blame for current problems.
The Serbs managed to convince men that their manhood would be=20
validated only if they perform as soldiers. These men then decided to=20
form an armed militia rather than trust the weak state. This process=20
undoubtedly assisted in militarising ethnic nationalism and created=20
the militia that carried out the ethnic cleansing and mass atrocities.
Militias of a similar type have functioned in African nations like=20
Rwanda and Sudan and in Latin American republics like Columbia.=20
Wherever there has been genocide or civil war, a militia has been=20
behind it, ever since the Black Shirts of the 1930s.
All these groups organised youth on para-military lines and had an=20
ideology of cultural superiority that excluded other religious and=20
ethnic minorities from the concept of the nation. They used symbols=20
of past greatness and blamed minorities for historical wrongs,=20
seeking revenge for the past in the present.
Now we have the parallels of such organisations in our body politic.=20
Just like religion has been used by militants to enforce identity=20
politics so also fundamentalist forces mix religion and militancy to=20
mobilise civil society. This has been characteristic of the jehadi=20
and Hindutva ideology.
There is an unwritten partnership in this enterprise. The threat of=20
multiple fundamentalisms and the militia has torn apart many=20
countries. This is something we need to guard against in India.
We pride ourselves on our democratic values. The very fact that such=20
organisations which consider themselves out of the purview of the law=20
are allowed to exist and even patronised by elected representatives=20
goes against these values.
Past experience has shown that such formations may at first be=20
willing tools in political games but tend to assume a life of their=20
own afterwards. It then becomes impossible to rein in such bodies.

______

#2.

Dear Friends

Please find
1. Invitation for the National Meeting of All India Secular Forum
2. The Draft Manifesto of Forum for your Perusal, this will be
deliberated upon and after discussion we should finalize the Manifesto

Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer

The National Meeting of All India Secular Forum

Dear Friend,

This is to invite you to the National Convention of All India Secular
Forum on 28 and 29th September 2002 to be held in Mumbai.

Just to recall we already had two zonal meetings to form an All India body
to strive for secular India. The North zone meeting was held in Pachmadhi
(MP) in which delegates from Northern states had attended. This was held
on May 11& 12, 2001. In this meeting it was decided to hold the South zone
convention as a prelude to the National convention. The provisional name
suggested in this meeting was Rashtriya Secular Manch. At this meeting a
sub committee was formed to chalk out a draft manifesto. Also different
regional responsibilities were undertaken by activists. The South zonal
meeting was held in Hydrabad on 29th-30 Sept. in which activists from
Southern states participated. The provisional name was changed over to All
India Secular Forum, draft manifesto was ratified to be presented at the
National Convention for final adoption. You also must have received three
issues of the newsletter of the forum.

We are aware of the mammoth tasks ahead of us. Especially after Godhra
tragedy and Gujarat carnage we are facing a do or die situation. If we are
unable to defend democracy now, the Nation will be facing a serious
crisis. The communal politics has vitiated the atmosphere further
threatening the very concept of Indian Constitution. In these grim times
let us pick up the thread from our earlier meetings and try to form an All
India coalition of the activist groups and individuals to implement the
campaigns and other activities to defend our Democray.

We look Forward to your positive response. On first day of the meet, we
will have experience sharing from different regions and on the second day
we will chalk out an action program. Do inform other interested and
concerned activists. Do confirm your participation at the earliest. We
will be offering local hospitality.

(A.A.Engineer)Patron, (L.S.Hardenia)Convener,

(Ram Puniyani) Secretary

All India Secular Forum

(Venue-Asha Kiran, St. Pius College, Goregaon(E), Mumbai
Registration Fee-Rs. 100.), 28th ,29th September

(C/o- Dr. A.A. Engineer, CSSS, 9B Himalaya Apts, 6th Rd. Santa Cruz, (E),
Mumbai 400055

Draft Manifesto

Preamble:

The communalization of the society and rise of communal politics by the
forces espousing the cause of Religion based Nationalism, has posed
serious threat to democratic and secular values of the society. During
last two decades in particular we have witnessed anti-Sikh pogroms, Anti
Muslim violence, demolition of Babri Masjid, and low intensity sustained
anti-Christian violence. The state apparatus has been heavily communalized
over the period of last many decades. This has occurred at various levels.
The most serious of these has been the systematic attempt by trained
volunteers of communal groups infiltrating different wings of the state.
The communalized social consciousness has also affected the other state
functionaries in various ways. This has been manifested not only at the
times of communal violence when the communal attitude of state apparatus
and more particularly police force is very obvious, even at other times
the state has shown its biases in recruitment policies and has resorted to
other discriminatory polices against the minorities and other weaker
sections of society.

Concerned social groupings and individuals have risen to this new threat
to the democratic values. Their efforts have resulted in formation of
various initiatives-groups, campaigns, publications, and different types
of meaningful activities. These efforts are scattered, non-coordinated and
mostly effective at local level. The need is felt to create a platform,
which can assist the local activities and also provide a National
direction to these efforts, which aim to protect and promote the
Democratic-Secular values and principles.

Agenda of Communal Politics:

The period during which communal politics has gone to an intense level is
precisely the time when the adverse effects of Globalization on the poor
and struggling sections are becoming more and more apparent. The adverse
terms of treaty through WTO, GATT is playing havoc with the lives of
Indian struggling masses. This is best exemplified by the case of Enron.

In post-independence era communal riots began on a big scale around 1962
and went on increasing in frequency and intensity. These riots were
outcome of various complex socio-economic factors and went along with the
simultaneous strengthening of communalization of society. Communal
ideology became a part of social common sense.

By late 80s the large sections of society began to accept the myths, that
Muslims were responsible for partition. Muslims are out to increase their
population by multiple marriages. Muslims opposition to uniform civil code
is coming in the way of national integration, Lately these myths have
been joined by series of myths against the other minority community, i.e.
Christians. Suddenly one has started hearing that Christians start school
and Hospitals mainly to convert the people by force and inducement, that
these conversions are anti-national acts, that lot of money is being
brought to India for the Evangelization project from Christian Nations.
Needless to say communal parties are actively propagating these myths.

The role of Muslim communalists, was visibly seen during the Shah Bano
judgment time when they roused the communal plssions to get this judgment
reversed. There are enough left over of Muslim communal politics, which
have tried to keep the large sections of Muslim community in their grip.
But all the same their role in the communal conflicts and communalization
of society has been secondary to the majoritarian communalism.

Needless to say communal outfits are bereft of programmes, which would
benefit a majority of people and have all along tried to make a majority
on communal lines. Communalism has been used to obfuscate real issues
e.g.. Dunkel draft could not even be discussed by the Parliament because
of Ram Janma Bhoomi. Also Communalism gives rise to revivalist tendencies
and spells doom for women struggling against patriarchy and Dalits
struggling for social justice. Communal riots legitimize retribution and
create a violent society where democratic aspirations of the people cannot
be realized.

To summarize, the freedom struggle and the accompanying secularization
process of the society meant a death knell for the pre-modern birth based
hierarchies as it meant the introduction of the principles of Liberty,
Equality and Fraternity. The declining social classes of Feudal Lords and
their social accompaniments resorted to the Religion based Politics of
Hindu Mahasabha, RSS on one side and of Muslim League on the other. Part
of communalist ideology also got expressed through other political parties
as well. Post independence, the Religion based Nationalism got deflated
and industrialization and secularization proceeded at some pace. By the
decade of 80s again sections of society threatened by the social
transformation assertively brought this retrograde politics to the fore.
This politics is for status quo to begin with and then attempts to push
back the social relations in a backward direction i.e. that of the
pre-modern birth based hierarchies of caste and gender. This politics is a
cover for suspension of democratic rights, stifling of Human rights of the
weaker sections of society and creation of an atmosphere of social
hysteria, which acts as a camouflage for the march of
Fascist-Fundamentalist agenda. In our country the main vehicle of this
communal politics is the one aiming for Hindu Rashtra.

Aims of Rashtriya Secular Manch

1. To provide a National platform for the Secular struggles for all
the groups for whom the issue of Communalism is the primary focus and for
the other groups-women, worker, Dalit and adivasi, for whom it is a major
concern in their work.
2. To provide a secular and democratic expression for the aspirations
of the sections struggling for their Human and democratic rights.
3. To monitor the intercommunity relations, to ensure that
machinations of communal forces in generating hatred and violence amongst
different communities are stalled.
4. To positively work in the prevention of situations, which can
cause communal tension. In the situations of communal tensions, to work
for inter-community committeest to work for protection of the rights of
all the sections of society.
5. To work for the communal amity between different communities by
demolishing the myths against other communities.
6. To undertake campaigns for preservation and promotion of Secular
values in the society.
7. To initiate cultural programs which express the syncretic and
plural values of our society.
8. To initiate workshops, camps and seminars for secular awareness.

Tasks ahead

In the immediate future we need to
a. Have the meeting of non-Hindi speaking activists
and groups
b. State level meetings and conventions on this theme
to be held.
c. To work towards a National Convention of Rashtriya
Secular Manch at the earliest.
d. To net work all the groups interested in these issues
e. To run a newsletter to link these groups. To work
towards publications, visual materials-films-posters
for the spreading popular awareness.
f. To initiate national campaigns for promotion of
Secular values.
g. To support the Human Rights Campaigns initiated
by other coalitions/groups.
h. The Manch will

1. work to seek punishment of the guilty.
2. support women struggling against patriarchy and
Dalits struggling for social justice.
3. work at preventing communal violence.
4. work to counter communal propaganda.

____

#3.

For Immediate Release

Contact Person: Dr. Shaik Ubaid (516) 567-0783

IMC-USA Condemns Media-Intimidation Campaign by Hindutva-Fascists
Launches a Campaign in Support of Freedom of Speech & Public Television

Indian Muslim Council- USA condemns the campaign of intimidation=20
against the US media by extremist Hindu organizations based in the US.

PBS will be showing a documentary, "Soul of a Nation", on the recent=20
ethnic cleansing in Gujarat, India in which over 2000 Muslims were=20
killed, more than 600 women were raped and burnt alive and over=20
150,000 Muslims displaced. This violence was perpetrated by the right=20
wing Hindu ruling party in India that claims the subjugation of=20
minorities as its "Hindutva "ideology.

The Hindutva-fascist fronts are well organized in the United States.=20
Recently they have launched a massive campaign to condemn and stop=20
the showing of this PBS documentary "Soul of India" that exposes=20
their involvement in the carnage. The documentary is to air on=20
September 19th at 9pm ET (Soul of a Nation=20
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/about/film10.html)

The VHP-America (World Hindu Council) website now openly urges people=20
to call up and condemn the Gujarat documentary which exposes the=20
genocide and massive gang rapes that took place in India. Most right=20
wing Hindu mailing lists are now flooded with this campaign notice.=A0

This is one of the first documentaries to be shown in the US about=20
the bloodbath that took place against Muslims in India. It is=20
important that the American Muslim community have a sizeable=20
counter-campaign that will, if not encourage, should at least not=20
discourage PBS from airing such exposes in the future.

IMC-USA urges all Americans to rise up and defend the freedom of=20
speech. We are urging our members and supporters to launch a counter=20
campaign in support of freedom of speech. For the PBS Stations in=20
your local area, visit:
http://www.pbs.org/stationfinder/index.html

PBS documentary should just be the first step. What is needed is=20
follow up coverage of the infiltration by the fascist fronts in the=20
American society and their fund raising activities to support their=20
genocidal comrades in India. In light of the recent alarming media=20
reports of open threats of further pogroms by Hindutva-fascist=20
leaders in India, the world media should focus on the growth of this=20
cancer in the Indian society.

India is too big and too important a country to be allowed to be=20
taken over by the Hindutva-fascists. A nuclear India controlled by=20
these genocidal maniacs is a threat to world peace. Hindutva-fascist=20
movement R.S.S was started on the model of the Italian Fascist party=20
in the 1920s. Later it adopted the Nazi model. For more information=20
on Hindutva-fascists please our websites www.imc-usa.org or=20
www.imannet.com and download our newsletters, brochures and alerts.

For first hand information of the intimidation campaign by=20
VHP-America please visit:
http://www.vhp-america.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=3DNews&file=3Darticle&s=
id=3D26

____

#4.

The Hindustan Times
Tuesday, September 17, 2002

PM and his parivar
AG Noorani

Events since explain why Atal Bihari Vajpayee was so nettled by Sonia=20
Gandhi=B9s remarks in the Lok Sabha on March 26: =B3Is his duty to=20
protect people or to succumb to=8A party, sister organisations? His=20
moment of reckoning has come.=B2 He knew it had. He could feel the=20
ground slipping away under his feet. Hence the angry reply: =B3It is a=20
family affair (parivar ka mamla). Don=B9t interfere in it.=B2

The claim to privacy was untenable. It was a matter of public=20
interest. Witness the NDA=B9s admonition on February 2, 1999: =B3Since=20
the BJP is the core of our alliance, it shall make every effort to=20
ensure that the prestige and cohesiveness of the coalition are not=20
diluted by organisations belonging to its ideological fraternity.=B2

That was the last time that the NDA=B9s mouse squeaked aloud. Its=20
constituents are content to extract gains for themselves. The NDA is=20
a spent force. But the RSS=B9s hold over the BJP has become tighter.

K.S. Sudarshan=B9s appointment as the RSS=B9s supremo in March 2000=20
marked a change whose significance was not appreciated then. He is a=20
bigoted ideologue. His predecessor, Rajinder Singh, was a pragmatist.=20
He said during the election campaign in 1998: =B3There is nothing wrong=20
if a political party formulates new strategies to come to power=8A The=20
pace of seva (sic) activities of the RSS and other activities was=20
slow. A central government with a positive outlook would remove many=20
hurdles in our way. This would benefit the country in general and=20
Hindu society in particular.=B2

Sudarshan quickened the pace of the RSS=B9s activities and became=20
increasingly assertive. He said at the time of his appointment: =B3We=20
are creating an atmosphere through public awakening in which not only=20
the Vajpayee government but any government that comes to power will=20
have to accept our thinking.=B2 He advised the PM to =B3bring in economic=20
advisers who believe in the swadeshi concept=B2.

Time there was when, in August 2000, the BJP national council=B9s draft=20
resolutions on economic matters were sent to the PM and Finance=20
Minister Yashwant Sinha =B3for their approval before being finalised=B2;=20
when Vajpayee could assert on August 27, 2000, =B3In matters of=20
governance, the decision of the prime minister has to be final.=B2 He=20
has been overruled since, within a year, on three major occasions =8B=20
at Agra in July 2001; on Narendra Modi=B9s removal in April; and on the=20
late Krishan Kant=B9s candidature for the presidency in June.

He wisely appointed L.K. Advani as deputy PM on July 1. Advani said=20
on July 13 that he would be the =B3link=B2 between the party and the=20
government; more truthfully, the link between the government and the=20
RSS. He went twice to the RSS=B9s headquarters on July 3 and 18, to=20
discuss the =B3future of Kashmir=B2, its trifurcation and devolution of=20
power. Present on the second occasion were the BJP=B9s president,=20
Venkaiah Naidu, and its spokesman, Arun Jaitley. The RSS=B9s side=20
comprised its pointman for liaison with government, Madan Das Devi,=20
and, significantly, the chairman of the Jammu State Morcha, and an=20
advocate of trifurcation, Shrikumar. After a two-hour meeting, it was=20
the RSS=B9s spokesperson who made this announcement: =B3We were told that

Mr Jaitley=B9s appointment was to discuss devolution of powers and not=20
autonomy. Mr Jaitley said the Centre can even consider creating a=20
regional council to redress the grievances of the people of Jammu.=B2

Given the set-up, it makes sense. The BJP=B9s 1998 manifesto pledged=20
that it would =B3abrogate Article 370 of the Constitution=B2,=20
guaranteeing J&K=B9s autonomy. The NDA=B9s agenda side-stepped this and=20
two other contentious issues =8B Ayodhya and uniform civil code. They=20
were =B3frozen=B2. Of late, the BJP=B9s leaders have asserted repeatedly=20
that the party has not shelved its agenda. The line between the BJP=20
and the government has been wiped out; so also the one between the=20
RSS and the BJP.

It makes sense, therefore, for the deputy PM to go to the RSS HQs to=20
explain himself. But anyone who, professing to speak on its behalf or=20
otherwise, promises concession by the government, is practising=20
self-deception, if not conscious deception on the interlocutors and=20
on the public. The Indian government cannot make any move of=20
consequence on any issue of domestic or foreign policy to which the=20
RSS is strongly opposed. The RSS has emasculated the Vajpayee=20
government.

The BJP=B9s leaders have not forgotten the punishment which the RSS=20
inflicted on it in the 1984 Lok Sabha polls when many RSS cadres=20
jilted the BJP. The RSS has become even more rabid in its animosity=20
towards the minorities, the Christians, as well as the Muslims. Its=20
Bangalore resolution, adopted on March 17 in the wake of the Gujarat=20
pogrom, asks the Muslims to =B3understand that their real safety lies=20
in the goodwill of the majority community=B2.

Its hold on the BJP was rivetted on May 1 when the then BJP=20
president, Jana Krishnamurthi, restructured it into five zones and=20
placed them under RSS pracharaks. This was just a day after Sudarshan=20
advised the BJP=B9s leaders, at a meeting held at the PM=B9s residence,=20
to set its house in order to repair the damage suffered in the recent=20
electoral defeats in Delhi, UP, Punjab and Uttaranchal. The RSS,=20
reportedly, sent a written evaluation of the government=B9s performance=20
since 1999 coupled with its advice on how it should behave in the=20
future.

A long article by Ramesh Patange in Organiser (May 12) alleged that=20
the BJP =B3has lost the trust of a major section of its constituency=B2=20
in its anxiety =B3to humour the coalition partners=B2. The BJP, he=20
warned, is =B3not a fiefdom of any leader or a group=B2. It has =B3so far=20
derived much benefit from its emotional appeal=B2. But, after the=20
demolition of the Babri masjid, =B3the earlier intense appeal has lost=20
some of its drawing power. Of course, the appeal still can be=20
revived=B2. He helpfully listed other issues. General elections are due=20
=B3in two years=8A therefore the BJP will have to review its three-year=20
rule=8A and make a determined effort to avoid the past mistakes or any=20
ones in the future=B2.

Evidently, neither Vajpayee=B9s infamous speech at Goa on April 12, nor=20
Advani=B9s sudden praise for Savarkar, on May 4, sufficed to mollify=20
the RSS. But their two speeches coupled with their stand on Narendra=20
Modi warned us of what is in store for the country as it heads=20
towards a bitterly fought Lok Sabha election. The duo will fight on=20
an explicitly communal plank and will fight rough.

Advani would do well to curb his enthusiasm. To claim, as he did on=20
May 4, that =B3the pioneers of Hindutva, like Veer Savarkar and RSS=20
founder Hedgewar, kindled fierce, nationalistic spirit that=20
contributed to India=B9s liberation=B2 is to do worse than invite=20
attention to their communal record. It compels recall of their sordid=20
past whose record lies buried in the archives. Here is one from the=20
archives, to begin with:

Savarkar told the arch imperialist Viceroy, Linlithgow, when they met=20
in Mumbai on October 9, 1939: =B3Our interests were now the same and we=20
must therefore work together=8A Our interests were so closely bound=20
together the essential thing was for Hinduism=B2 =8B not India =8B =B3and=20
Great Britain to be friends=B2.

That very month, the Congress asked its ministries in the provinces=20
to resign. It pressed the Quit India resolution on August 8, 1942.=20
Gandhi said in his famous speech that day: =B3Those Hindus who, like Dr=20
Moonje and Shri Savarkar, believe in the doctrine of the sword, may=20
seek to keep the Mussalmans under Hindu domination.=B2

Advani=B9s praise for Savarkar in the wake of Gujarat reveals more than=20
he realised.

____

#5.

The Indian Express
Monday, September 16, 2002

=8CWe can=B9t resolve Gujarat tensions just by preaching love=B9

Gujarat=B9s caretaker Chief Minister Narendra Modi=B9s alleged offensive=20
remarks about Muslims during his Gaurav Yatra provoked a storm of=20
protest from several quarters, and prompted the National Commission=20
for Minorities to demand tapes of his speech from the Gujarat=20
government. The government, of course, has claimed that it neither=20
has the tapes, nor any transcript of Modi=B9s speech. But Modi-watchers=20
aren=B9t exactly surprised: noted Gujarati activist Prof J S=20
Bandukwala, who teaches nuclear physics at the M S University in=20
Vadodara, tells Syed Khalique Ahmed that Modi=B9s speech only reflects=20
his =8C=8Cdeep-seated bigotry and hatred=B9=B9, and that as long as Modi is=
=20
in the chief minister=B9s chair, peace will remain elusive in Gujarat.
http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=3D9536

____

#6.

The Hindustan Times, , September 17, 2002

Night of the long knives
Shoma Chaudhury
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/printedition/170902/detPLA01.shtml

_____

#7.

Outlook Magazine | Sep 23, 2002

REVIEW
That Magical Tapwater
A transmogrifying Rushdie still hits familiar tunes in a realigned world
ALOK RAI

STEP ACROSS THIS LINE: COLLECTED NON-FICTION 1992-2002
by Salman Rushdie
JONATHAN CAPE
RS 895; PAGES: 454

The day I got my PhD I dashed out and bought myself a hardback copy=20
of Midnight=B9s Children, eager to consume his extravagant articulation=20
of the mingled idealism and disillusionment, the anger and despair of=20
our "less deceived" generation. Now, years on, the book is much=20
thumbed, and scrawled over by children who are no longer children.=20
And Rushdie too is transmogrifying...

But first, the facts. The latest from Salman Rushdie is a=20
miscellaneous grab-bag of bits and pieces by the great man.

There are essays here, and newspaper columns, and prickly public=20
correspondence dating from what Rushdie identifies as "the plague=20
years", when he lived in the shadow of the famous fatwa. Finally,=20
there is the text of two lectures on =8CHuman Values=B9 that Rushdie=20
delivered at Yale earlier this year=8B=8CStep Across This Line=B9. Many of=
=20
the essays are familiar from earlier incarnations: the Wizard of Oz=20
essay introduced the book of the film; the infamous =8CDamme, This is=20
the Oriental Scene for You!=B9, about the greater worth of Indian=20
writing in English, as against that in other Indian languages,=20
appeared in the New Yorker...I suspect there is very little here that=20
has not been published before, though some of it needn=B9t have been.=20
Still, it=B9s good to have these essays collected in one volume.=20
=8CColumns=B9, spanning the period from December 1998 to March 2002,=20
offers a kind of melancholy commentary on these years=8Bfrom the=20
deliberately sabotaged prosecution of Pinochet to the horrors of=20
Gujarat, on which Rushdie=B9s plainspeaking is particularly salutary:=20
"...in India, as elsewhere in our darkening world, religion is the=20
poison in the blood....Yet we go on skating around this issue,=20
speaking of religion in the fashionable language of =8Crespect=B9. What=20
is there to respect in any of this, or in any of the crimes now being=20
committed almost daily around the world in religion=B9s dreaded name?"

These are also the years of Rushdie=B9s own move to America=8Ba move, it=20
appears, somewhat more than merely geographical.

Rushdie is a poet of migrancy, of the joy of leaving=8Bas also of the=20
permanent homesickness of the exile. He invented the romance of=20
border-crossing, so that the unglamorous act driven by material=20
necessity=8Bwhether it be the Filipino who consents to be smuggled into=20
"affluence" (and sometimes death) in a sealed container, or the=20
technocrat, chasing big bucks=8Bis transformed into an existential=20
adventure, a life-long high. Even bread and water=8Bthe classic diet of=20
denial, voluntary and involuntary=8Bis transformed into something=20
magical as, moving to the West, Rushdie discovers varieties of bread,=20
and the sheer freedom of being able to drink tap water!

The Yale lectures, rather more grandly, reiterate familiar Rushdie=20
themes about the value of transgressing the lines that bureaucrats=20
and other terrorists, secular and religious, are so fond of laying=20
down. In a similar vein, Rushdie writes with eloquence and passion=20
about the calling of literature. Clearly, he is drunk on the idea of=20
literature=8Bin addition to the tap water! It seems callow to remark=20
that, despite occasional flourishes, Rushdie=B9s recent fictional=20
performances do not quite rise to this high conception. Perhaps this=20
is a risk that comes with the presumption of creativity. Still...

In a column not included in the present volume, Rushdie describes the=20
several kinds of unacceptable anti-Americanisms rife in today=B9s world=20
=8B"shallow name-calling", "contradictory", "hypocritical",=20
"misguided", "ugly".That=B9s quite an indictment. Apparently the world=20
is full of people who love blue jeans and hamburgers, jazz and=20
American movies, and are still critical of American war-lust, or=20
Americans=B9 callous disregard for the lives of those who are neither=20
American nor White. Surely Rushdie is too clever to be making such a=20
silly argument. So what is going on? This volume is dedicated to=20
Christopher Hitchens, who=B9s developed a nice line in=20
anti-anti-Americanism in the shadow of the trashing of Afghanistan.=20
Clearly Rushdie is signalling some kind of a realignment. To be fair,=20
he does conclude in that column that "a sober look at the case=20
against America may serve America=B9s interests better". But there is=20
all kinds of fudging possible here, depending on what content is=20
smuggled into the "case against America". And Rushdie must know this.=20
So what is going on?

I clutch my much-thumbed copy of Midnight=B9s Children close, and=20
prefer to listen to the Rushdie who writes with grace and insight on=20
some of the most delicate "passages" of our earthly transit.=20
Revisiting Oz ten years after the first publication of the essay, now=20
himself a father with grown-up children, he says: "Now...I have=20
become the fallible adult. Now I am a member of the tribe of=20
imperfect parents who cannot listen to their children=B9s voices. I,=20
who no longer have a father, have become a father instead, and now it=20
is my fate to be unable to satisfy the longings of a child. This is=20
the last and most terrible lesson of the film: that there is one=20
final, unexpected rite of passage. In the end, ceasing to be=20
children, we all become magicians without magic, exposed conjurers,=20
with only our simple humanity to get us through. We are the humbugs=20
now."

Anyone who can think that thought deserves a reduced sentence!

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