हाय रे! दिनकर की पोथि ...

हाल के दिनों में मेरा झुकाव हिन्दी की तरफ बढ़ गया है | कारण तो स्पष्ट नहीं लेकिन जैसे की एक स्तंभ में, कल पढ़ रहा था - हिन्दी अपने अवसान में है ! आज कल देख कर मन पीडित हो जाता है इसकी दुर्दशा को |

 युवा पीढ़ी अपने आप को अँग्रेज़ी का चोला ओढ़ कर भले ही ' कूल ' दिखाए लेकिन इस तथ्य को कभी दरकिनार नहीं किया जा सकता की भारत की स्व-अभिव्यक्ति हिन्दी ही है | सिर्फ़ रेलवे स्टेशन्स पर और कुछ सरकारी दफ़्तरों में हिन्दी की महत्ता पर लिखे चाँद वाक्यों से मन तो बहल जाता है लेकिन घाव नहीं भरता | १४ सितंबर को हिन्दी दिवस पर अँग्रेज़ी अख़बारों से नदारद और हिन्दी अख़बारों में छपी एक संपादकिए से ज़्यादा स्थान हमने इस महान भाषा को देने ही नहीं दिया |

मुद्‌दा अंग्रेज़ी विरोधी होने का कतई नहीं है, वरन हिन्दी को उसका स्थान दिलाने का है | इस स्थिति के लिए हम क्या कम ज़िम्मेवार हैं ?? टीवी पत्रकारिता हो या प्रिंट मिडिया,गिरता स्तर सूचक है इस प्रश्न का- आख़िर क्यों जा रही है हिन्दी गर्त में | कक्षा आठवीं तक विषय में शामिल तो कर दिया लेकिन इसे अनिवार्य बनाने की पहल आज तक हमारे पदासिन नेताओं ने नहीं किया | आख़िर करें भी तो क्या ! 

दिनकर और नीरज के साथ सहित्य भी चौपट हो गया | जो कुछ गिने-चुने बच गये, उन्होनें भी पापी पेट के लिए इसका परित्याग कर अंग्रेज़ी को अपना लिया! अवशेषों में अगर कुछ युवक प्रेरित भी हुए तो,उन्हें अपने तथा-कथित 'गेंग' से बहिष्कृत होने का डर ने जकर लिया | समाज और सत्ता की लड़ाई में हम अपने मातृभाषा को भूल गये....क्या विडंबना है !! सरकार ने प्रोत्साहन के नाम पर कुछ छात्रवृतियाँ शुरू तो करती हैं लेकिन नियती के रंग तो देखिए,उन पर भी हक विदेशी जमा लेते हैं | आख़िर हो भी क्यों ना , बदले में मिलती है उन्हे दो वर्ष का वीसा और हिन्दी के पतन पर शोध करने का मौका | अब इस परिवेश में हम कितनी भी सफाई दे दें , ग़ौर फ़रमाने लाइक बात यह है की हमने इस भाषा का गला घोंट कर रख दिया है ||

मैं इस पक्ष में नहीं हूँ की इससे ज़बर्दस्ती कार्य-चलन की भाषा बनाकर आने वाले पीढ़ियों के लिए,भाषा विचार की अभिव्यक्ति ना हो कर जटिल समस्या बन जाए | ज़रूरत इस बात है की आम जनता समझे,हिन्दी सिर्फ़ अष्टम सूची की भाषा ही नहीं,हमारे विचारों की गंगा है और स्तिथि एक ऐसे मोर पर ना पहुँचे जहाँ दिनकर की पोथि और सांस्कृत्यन की गठरी सिर्फ़ धूल फाँक कर रह जाए !!

शत शत नमन - shat-shat naman Shastri jee

Today we remember the day as Bapujee's birthday but often overlook his avatar- Lal Bahadur Shastri. Two tiny tidy figures who challlenged the global mights.

Here is a peek into various facets of Shastrijee's life and intereseting accounts from his fantabulous tenure. Shat Shat Naman !!

N.B.- These has been collected from various blogs and personal accounts.

Public Policy & Governance:

• He said: "I'll tell them that during my tenure there will not be any increase in food price and as PM of India I would ask members of the Planning Commission to have one more column in their charts to show me how many jobs will be created after spending thousands of crores of rupees."He was a man concerned about the common man of India. Can these values return to this country?

• When under the PL 480 programme, America was going to send inferior quality of wheat to India, he opposed it. He asked the nation to go hungry once a day than accept poor quality food from US.

• The man who ushered in the Green Revolution (grain) – and the White Revolution (milk).

1965 Indo-Pak War & Foreign relations:


• "Hathiyaron ka jawab hathiyaron se denge. (Force will be met with force.) Hamara desh rahega to hamara tiranga rahega. (Our flag will survive only if our country does)".

• After Shastri became PM he had to face the war with Pakistan. When the Chamb border was attacked Shastri was asked to take a tough decision whether to cross the international border. The army chief said it would be difficult to hold on for long at Chamb. Shastri gave the order saying -- before they can capture Chamb you should capture Lahore.After the war was over, I asked Indira Gandhi if Nehru would have allowed the crossing of the international border. Mrs Gandhi said, 'Whatever the generals would have advised him he would have followed."


• China's allegation is untrue. If China attacks India it is our firm resolve to fight for our freedom. The might of China will not deter us from defending our territorial integrity."

• It does not matter if we are destroyed. We will fight to the last to maintain the high honor of the Indian nation and its flag."


• His toughness was evident at Tashkent. He insisted on "never again will weapons be used to sort out problems between India [ Images ] and Pakistan."Ayub was maintaining a vague stance by quoting UN resolutions. "Then you will have to find another PM," said Shastri during the arguments. In the final agreement General Ayub Khan had not mentioned those words but Shastri continued to press for it.Ayub finally wrote it at the very last moment. General Ayub's handwritten assurance is still preserved in the Indian archives. Shastri was a slight person but with a strong mind.

Austerity & Humour:

• Shastri never made money. In 1963, on the day when he was dropped under the Kamaraj plan I went to meet him. He was sitting in his home without a light."Why are you sitting in the dark?" I asked. He said, "From today all expenses will be borne by me." He told me as a MP and minister he didn't earn enough to save for his rainy day.On that evening, I told him to turn a columnist to earn some money. So he wrote a column on Lala Lajpat Rai. That was the first syndicated column in India.


• During Shastri's tenure his home in Janpath was upgraded quite a bit to suit the status of a PM.After his death, while searching for a suitable home Mrs Gandhi went to see Shastri's home. She entered the home, had a round inside and said, "middle class!"

• The most cherished memory I have is the verses of Guru Nanak, which were displayed on his table. As Nehru kept Robert Frost's lines -- 'Miles to go before I sleep', on his desk, my father kept Nanak's quotes in Gurmukhi.When translated into English they mean -- 'O Nanak! Be tiny like the grass, for other plants will whither away, but grass will remain ever green.'


• Lal Bahadur was a lover of cricket. Once he was watching a match at Kanpur. Trouble broke out among the spectators. The Police and young men came to blows. Since Shastriji was on the spot thesituation did not go out of control. The young men demanded that the red turbans' (thepolice) should not be found on the cricket ground and Lal Bahadur agreed. But the police were there the next day. The young men became angry with Shastriji and protested. Lal Bahadur laughed and said, "I fulfilled my promise to you faithfully. You did not want red turbans to be here. You see the police are now wearing khaki turbans." The spectators laughed and dropped the matter.

Courtesy:
Kuldeep Nayyar
Anil Shastri
http://www.freeindia.org/
http://in.rediff.com/news/2004/oct/06spec1.htm

               

Ayyo!dhya...

It has been quite some time that thoughts were bubbling inside but the happening India has given a ‘food for thought’.

Allahabad High court’s Lucknow bench is all set to give its verdict in much awaited Ramlalla case and by the time you read this, verdict would already have been given or deferred. As I still yearn to go to Ayodhya to see how disputes site still holds nerve of pilgrims and tourists as this satellite town boasts of a centre of disputed attraction. Verdict and its associated security has marred my prospects nevertheless there are zillions of implications that hover over the issue.

Babri Masjid demolition and its after fallout has been a major agenda for the electoral process in India. As we take strides, it is indeed imperative to know that the process of liberhan commission (along with its controversial extensions), Advani’s Rath Yatra that saw rise of BJP as a prominent opposition in Lok Sabha which registered an astronomic rise in seats from 2 to 89 in 1991 general elections, Stoppage of rath by Lalu at samastipur which made him a champion of Bihari secularism, colourful growth of Indian saffrionism, growth of organisations like Vishwa Hindu Parishad , Bajrang Dal (Unknowingly Lord RAMA has become the brand ambassador for them), and many more has been unseen but historical implications of the movement. Many ‘so-called’ secular forces – Rajiv Gandhi & Narsimha Rao had a major role as they nudged the state of affairs.

Not only Hindus, this undoubtedly gave a thrust to Muslim Politics, political overtones turned as we saw a shift form Minority politics to Babri Rajneeti. Deoband Samaj, Wakf Board, and Muslim lam bards could finally locate themselves on the political radar. However, it failed to register a presence in Volatile Indian politics as we don’t have a dedicated Muslim Party except IUML which thrives more due to history than its politics. Muslims could never buy the the Babri Masjid Logic & always insisted on its minority woes which saw them sandwiching between the political propagandas.

Six elections since 1991 has been fought on Ram Mandir construction issue as BJP and other Hindu outfits try to capitalize the Hindu votes, though with Fractional success. Rise of BJP was indeed a great experience for the adult franchise as it saw death of Political monopoly for a while and voters had choices that strengthened the democracy.

No doubt, ayodhya spotted itself on the map & economy of this satellite town boomed for a decade. I remember, sadhus coming to my village who used to seek donations in name of Yagnya at Ayodhya to pray for Ram Mandir. Faith Unbounded…

What if verdict is in favour of Nirmohi Akhara that is seeking construction of Ram Mandir! What about existence of Bajrang Dal & VHP, will so called ‘saffron-terror’ and Moral Policing improve its brand image, will muslims seek an Indian refusal, what about resurge of BJP,how about Nepal moving to being a Hindu-Rashtra,, terror in Kashmir…will Secularism re-define its boundaries in India, what about those Yagnya-sadhus apart from the communal tension unleashed ?? What if it is for Babri Masjid, umpteen questions are still there to be answered.

20 years down the line, we have matured and changed indefinitely. Whatsoever, verdict is so critical as the timing of verdict after Friday’ s zumma namaj in itself emphasizes faith in system of India’s living …and comes with a zillions of doubts still to be clarified.

70 mm

When Shammi Kapoor romances the gorgeous Sharmila Tagore in ‘Isharon Isharon mein’ in the classic Kashmir ki kali, nature’s romanticism is at its best that will even set anyone to tap the feet. And now, SRK in the much hyped, Dard –e-disco’, the septuagenarian Indian Cinema has come a long way.

Technology has been a king-pin as every aspect of cinematography, sound, music has seen a land slide transformation. Music is especially note worthy as we have seen Naushad in Pakeezah and Khayyam in Kabhi-Kabhi humming some great voices of human emotions to the contemporary A R rehman [do I need to mention one] and Jatin-Lalit in the iconic ‘ Pehla Nasha’.

Lyrics have very well adjusted itself with the sand clock of time , ‘Main Pal do pal ka shayar hoon’ has very well graduated to the lingo of present day when Akshay Kumar sings ‘ Tu Paisa Paisa karti hai’ , it is very well reverberant with the fluid time. Emotions are taking a back seat as songs have become more of a promotional strategy.

The aesthetically pleasing Dal Lake in the movies of 1960s, valley of flowers in ‘Himalaya ki god mein’ and the lush green tea gardens with the Sherpa guard has become extinct from the cinematoscope. 70 mm screen has become more of the busy city life, chaotic human emotions and happening traffic dotted with shots from Venice, Australia – a clear reflection of the viewer’s choices.

Surely, the changes have been a corner stone in changing the dynamics of the game. For the Mall-plex generation, movies are a break from the cob-webs of life unlike the family holidays till late 90’s.Last six decades has witnessed a host of directors like Hrishikesh Da [ Anand, Chupke-chupke] , Satyajit Ray to the big guns of parallel cinema like Shyam Bengal and Vimal Roy.

Directors like Vishal Bhardwaj have brought out a transmutation in the way we perceive movies through pieces like Omkara and Kaminey while some yeomen have struck to their cause like Prakash Jha and Madhur Bhandarkar.The inevitable contrast has not been like the dubbing of Md. Asif’s legendary Mughal-e-Azam but we do miss a lot. The iconic Pran and Prem Chopra could not be substituted as goes the case with Big B’s baritone that has become a legacy.

Some beautiful moments have been picturized on the 70 mm screen. Coffers have been coughed up with money but the modern ‘BAWARCHI’ is missing. As we relish through the times, a revolution is taking place underneath and I look at my playlist, next song is an all time classic ‘Ude jab jab zulfein teri ‘Naya Daur \m/. Omen!!

JINXED or JUXTAPOSED??

We are at the crossroads of the 60th republic anniversary. Despite the tall claims, nascence still prevails. What did we get??That’s not a question, but an allegation!!

Saints of development may argue that but on the documents only. Entangled between the political warfares, every new change has faded in the beats of the political corridors. People may argue that MALLS, MULTI-PLEXES and parallels are symbols of change but the point is that they aren’t & can’t ever be gauged as the barometers of development...

All this six decades hasn’t been the progress of common masses rather the NEHRU-GANDHI scion& perpetrators of fraudulent ethics like Ambani and of course our crooked politicians. We have not managed to come out of that oblivion!!

Issues that needs concern is far cry from reality. Rural electrification& availability of pure water is like a distant dream in many places.BISLERI has been a life saviour in those areas and if you call advent of Bisleri ,MNCs like Aquafina –development then the debate ends there only!@!

25 years post Sikh riots...victims still feel cornered, thanks to the Indian jurisprudence. Can you justify the1984 anti-Sikh riots, 1989 Bhagalpur riots, and 2002 Godhra riots anyhow??You simply can’t because it’s a tight slap on our own judgemental errors.

Naxalism, insurgency is poisoning the blood of the socio-political system. What is being done??Ignorance, unemployment, poverty forces them to seek refuge.Naxalbari wouldn’t have spanned wings had it been tackled in the early 70s only...but we deprived them, allowed them to create menace till it got over us.

Agreed that, Urban India has progressed but slow pace of metamorphosis in rural hinterlands will create that divide which can’t be ever patched! Along the highways, it all seems fancy, just descend 2 kms down the road and the muds, thatches, huts are enough to tell the tale!!

Regional, linguistic clashes have of course been our achievement!!We have enemies in our own brethren, that too on such shameless grounds.

Economy is booming...growth rate is well 7.4%...but for a common man...inflation still flying at the mast!! The whole concept of mixed economy is crippled in the hands of the capitalist powers...INDIAN AIRLINES is bleeding...Kingfisher is glowing,Doordarshan is in shambles, private broadcasters raking in millions...Every wing of the public hierarchy is unable to sustain anarchy, misfits and corruption!!

When it comes to do something good for the public in general, government cites rising burden on the exchequer & fiscal deficits. We seriously need to understand that the quality that matters for the country can’t be obtained through granting reservations & adopting a dual interference policy in the matters of strategic importance be it petroleum or corporate affairs for that matter. Aren’t we guided by the age old whims & fancies when it comes to move toward something better? Despite all the promises, we do still value value our own complexes with reference to environment protocols, social pollution & water mismanagement. Demands to create multiple state& their political afflictions will take us to that level of ultimate factionalism wherein the very essence of the statehood will simply shy away.

The entire educare system is simply unable to stand on its own due to the rampant corruption in a bottom up approach…..the bridge to a dream to elementary education is shaken by mean approaches of having a politicalised syllabus & linguistic study. Higher education system seems to have downplayed the agenda of a quality based education system. Health & sanitation is getting out of the reach of the poor people along with the education with all its sinister designs, the wings to change are getting higher & higher. Adopting a jaundiced eye in the urban –rural spate won’t do good. Instead the scope of programme like Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission & National Rural Health Mission needs to be widened.

Only one stop solution—INDIA doesn’t need that cribbing, sympathy or the reasons...it needs change. Join the league of pro-changers, break the jinx and open cross roads for avenues.

Just for the sake that next R-DAY, there are no more articles on problems facing us but initiatives to solve them!!

CHANGE WE NEED!!

“It’s not for us to criticise India for being unable to modify its age-old legacy. The beauty, complexity, richness & pluralism of traditional India in all its myriad forms are unique.Global culture is taking root everywhere now, I came away feeling that India’s the only place that has incorporated the modern without rejecting the old.That makes it a rich experience to be there. Change is coming fast & inevitably. There’s poignancy in that .But I have no doubt that India will continue to incorporate its past into the present.”


These are the views of popular British Historian Michael Wood who was recently in India for the making of colourful six-part TV series , ‘The Story of India’.

Well, quoting that the thing that sprangs to my mind is - do we have the same feeling despite being its citizens? Somewhere down the line I feel that we are losing that Indianess…not in our appearance but in our intentions & commitment. We only do have feeling that –India has nothing to offer us..this is a nation paralysed with political clashes,caste conflicts and other vested interests….
Why is that some seasoned politicians speaks something that is offensive for the fairer sex but everyone just sees the remark against dalit.Our politicians has grown highly optimistic, they see spark in every moment to encash their reservation propaganda.And!what an irony when everyone makes tall claims regarding Women reservation,the other day political honcho is talking of repeating the great Greek mythology& the legendary Socrates death over the issue.Amidst efforts to glorify oneself Behen Jee is putting a good use of the debt ridden middle class people by erecting the role models. Politics seem to be a state affair & there cant be a better testification to this than the last rail budget.Why is that every time we people have to suffer only.
Its high time to understand that ‘government should bring programs that aims to revolutionalise masses as that of Pradham Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna by the Vajpayee Government & NREGA by the Manmohan Govt’.as was quoted by Rahul Gandhi in lok sabha. Political leaders should see it as their mission to reform not as their ancestral right to loot the helpless. ‘Dear Countrymen, we have given up office, but not our responsibility to serve the nation. We have lost an election, but not our determination. Victory and defeat are a part of life, which are to be viewed with equanimity.’-This is what Vajpayee said while accepting the defeat in 2004 elections.But truth is what all you see.

Words will not suffice…we need action to see a India who thinks progressively, plans proportionally & works accountably.

EXCELLENT LESSON :: Non-violent parenting

Dr. Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and founder of the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Non-violence, in his June 9 lecture at the University of Puerto Rico , shared the following story as an example of "non-violence in parenting":

"I was 16 years old and living with my parents at the institute my grandfather had founded 18 miles outside of Durban , South Africa , in the middle of the sugar plantations. We were deep in the country and had no neighbors, so my two sisters and I would always look forward to going to town to visit friends or go to the movies.

One day, my father asked me to drive him to town for an all-day conference, and I jumped at the chance. Since I was going to town, my mother gave me a list of groceries she needed and, since I had all day in town, my father asked me to take care of several pending chores, such as getting the car serviced. When I dropped my father off that morning, he said, ' I will meet you here at 5:00 p.m., and we will go home together. '

After hurriedly completing my chores, I went straight to the nearest movie theatre. I got so engrossed in a John Wayne double-feature that I forgot the time. It was 5:30 before I remembered. By the time I ran to the garage and got the car and hurried to where my father was waiting for me, it was almost 6:00.

He anxiously asked me, ' Why were you late? ' I was so ashamed of telling him I was watching a John Wayne western movie that I said, ' The car wasn ' t ready, so I had to wait, ' not realizing that he had already called the garage. When he caught me in the lie, he said: ' There ' s something wrong in the way I brought you up that didn ' t give you the confidence to tell me the truth. In order to figure out where I went wrong with you, I ' m going to walk home 18 miles and think about it. '

So, dressed in his suit and dress shoes, he began to walk home in the dark on mostly unpaved, unlit roads. I couldn ' t leave him, so for five-and-a-half hours I drove behind him, watching my father go through this agony for a stupid lie that I uttered. I decided then and there that I was never going to lie again.

I often think about that episode and wonder, if he had punished me the way we punish our children, whether I would have learnt a lesson at all. I don ' t think so. I would have suffered the punishment and gone on doing the same thing. But this single non-violent action was so powerful that it is still there in my mind as if it happened yesterday. That is the power of non-violence."


--
"It is very simple to be happy, but it is very difficult to be simple."
-Rabindranath Tagore