Whatever Urdu poet Firaq Gorakhpuri’s intention while writing this couplet, fans nowadays used it to remember his genius that influenced an entire generation of Urdu lovers. Even 39 years after his death, Gorakhpuri – born as Raghupati Sahay – is a beloved treasure of the Urdu community. The writer, critic and poet was born amongst other Urdu personalities like Muhammad Iqbal, Jigar Moradabadi, Josh Malihabadi, Faiz Ahmed Faiz and others. Yet, from an early age, he made his mark in the Urdu literary community.

Born on August 28, 1896, Gorakhpuri’s father Gorakh Prasad was a landlord and practiced law in Gorakhpur. He was also the one who taught young Raghupati about poetry. Despite being born in a Hindu family, he read Urdu and Persian. As a result, he got a sense of traditional metrical forms such as ghazal, nazm, rubaai and qat’aa from a young age.

Following his bitter marriage at a young age, Gorakhpuri developed a passion for Urdu poetry. However, his thoughts still centered around Hindu motifs like Hindu Gods and traditions. His works thus created an amalgamation of the two cultures using Khadi boli. He recited his first ghazal as a B.A. student. Hindi writer Premchand, who was close to Gorakhpuri at the time, sent his early works to the Diya Narain Nigam.

Unfortunately, his life took a dire turn in the same year when his father died. After this, Gorakhpuri became steadily interested in the country’s freedom struggle. Even when he received an opportunity to enter the Provincial Civil Service and the Indian Civil Service-British India, he resigned to follow Mahatma Gandhi’s Non-cooperation movement. He was jailed for 18 months due to this decision.

He even wrote couplets of revolution like the following: 

“dekh raftār-e-inqalāb ‘firāq’/ kitnī āhista aur kitnī tez” 

(Translation: Behold the pace of revolution Firaq, How gradual yet how fast!) 

His role in the Independence struggle was crucial to fight the then government’s effort to label Urdu as a ‘Muslim language’. 

After Indian Independence, Gorakhpuri joined the Allahabad University where worked as a lecturer in the English literature department. During this time, he wrote many poems including Gul-e-Naghma that earned him the Jnanpith Award – the pinnacle of Indian literary awards – and the 1960 Sahitya Akademi Award in Urdu. In 1968, he received both the Padma Bhushan and Soviet Land Nehru Award. Over time, he worked as a Research Professor at the University Grants Commission and Producer Emeritus by All India Radio.

Apart from his poetry, he was also known for his love for Wordsworth, his presence of mind and his intelligence. His supporters even today fondly remember his works and contributions for a secular India.

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The post Firaq Gorakhpuri and his revolutionary legacy appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Kalyan Singh, the 89-year-old former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, who hailed from Aligarh, has left behind a legacy that will be adequately used by the Bharatiya Janata Party in the upcoming elections. The first big indicator came soon after Singh’s demise last week, when the UP Deputy CM KP Maurya announced that major roads in Ayodhya, Lucknow, Prayagraj, Etah, Bulandshahr and Aligarh will be named after him. Singh was hailed as a “Ram Bhakt” who “gave up power for Ram Mandir but did not fire on the kar sevaks” 

राम भक्त स्वर्गीय #kalyansinghji बाबू जी के नाम लोक निर्माण विभाग अयोध्या अलीगढ़,एटा,बुलंदशहर प्रयागराज में एक एक मार्ग के नाम होगा
बाबु जी ने राम मंदिर के लिए सत्ता छोड़ दी परंतु कारसेवकों पर गोली नहीं चलाई !!
अधिकारियों को जल्द प्रस्ताव प्रस्तुत करने के निर्देश !!

— Keshav Prasad Maurya (@kpmaurya1) August 23, 2021

It was expected of the BJP, especially the Uttar Pradesh unit to hail their leader, who was UP’s chief minister when the Babri Mosque was demolished on December 6, 1992. Singh, along with BJP veterans LK Advani and M M Joshi, Singh was among the 32 people acquitted in the demolition case in September 2020.

Controversy over condolences

Now a fresh controversy has erupted, involving vastly different people. Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav who chose to stay away from attending the public condolence to Kalyan Singh when his body was kept at his Mall Avenue residence in Lucknow on August 22. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President JP Nadda were in attendance leading the party in paying final respects to their departed leader. According to news reports no one from the SP turned up at Singh’s residence, including former CMs Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh yadav.

BJP state president Swatantra Dev Singh raised the issue accursing Akhilesh Yadav of deliberately staying away, asking, “Was it the love of Muslim votes that stopped him from paying his last respects to the tallest leader of the backward community?” The Deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya added that Akhilesh “had lost the moral right to speak for the backward community by not paying last respects to Kalyan Singh,” stated news reports. However, the SP said that Yadav had condoled Singh’s death and had issued a statement. But that is how politics plays out, in life and death.

However, a bigger controversy has errupted on the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) campus where posters, reportedly ‘signed’ by “Students of Aligarh Muslim University” have come up and condemned Tariq Mansoor the Aligarh Muslim University Vice-Chancellor for condoling former chief minister Kalyan Singh. According to news report, the posters, reported NDTV, and other news media, were displayed on the AMU campus state, “Praying for a criminal is an unforgiving crime” and accuse the VC that his words of condolence on Singh’s demise “are not only a matter of shame but also hurt the religious sentiments of our community.”

The poster reportedly alleged, “Kalyan Singh is not only the main culprit in the demolition of Babri Masjid but also an offender for not obeying the Supreme Court’s order” adding, 

“The VC’s condolence has brought disgrace to the entire AMU fraternity, its traditions and the Aligarh Movement that believe in justice and fairness. We strongly condemn our VC for his shameful act.”

Talibani thinking, says UP minister

Soon, the Uttar Pradesh government reportedly warned of strict action against people they accused of having “Talibani thinking” and according to news reports a probe has been initiated. The BJP’s minister Mohsin Raza, UP’s minister of state for minority welfare, Muslim Waqf and Haj, condemned the posters on the AMU campus saying the V-C was acting according to “our culture” adding that putting up such posters was an attempt to spoil the atmosphere, “If some persons of Talibani ”soch” are there, we will also treat them accordingly,” he stold the media. According to reports, the matter will be probed and strict action will be taken so that it will set an example for others, said the minister adding, “This is a university of Hindustan. The Taliban is not here. This is an attempt to vitiate the atmosphere.” 

What is Kalyan Singh’s legacy?

A must read to understand what Kalyan Singh’s legacy was and how it evolved over time is this analysis titled: Newsrooms, Living Rooms and Class Rooms: Evolution of the Ayodhya Narrative by Teesta Setalvad. It shows how, over time, “a corrosive refashioning of India took place in our personal and social spaces.”

These excerpts from Communalism Combat and SabrangIndia archives which report the observations of the Justice Liberhan Commission, that probed the sequence of events that led to the Babri Masjid demolition in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992. It observed that the chief minister of the state of Uttar Pradesh, “Kalyan Singh, his ministers and his handpicked bureaucrats created man-made and cataclysmic circumstances which could result in no consequences other than the demolition of the disputed structure and broadened the cleavage between the two religious communities, resulting in massacres all over the country. They denuded the state of every legal, moral and statutory restraint and wilfully enabled and facilitated the wanton destruction and the ensuing anarchy.” 

Nearly two decades later, on September 30, 2020, a special CBI court in Lucknow acquitted all the accused in the criminal conspiracy case surrounding the demolition of the 16th century Babri mosque in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992. Special CBI judge SK Yadav delivered the judgment that ran into over 2,000 pages and held that there was no criminal conspiracy behind the demolition. The court further held that the demolition wasn’t planned and that the accused persons were trying to stop the mob, and not inciting violence. The court further said that it could not probe the authenticity of the audio and video evidence provided by the CBI. It said that those who climbed the dome were anti-social elements. The 32 accused included political heavyweights such as Lal Krishna Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharati, Sakshi Maharaj, Kalyan Singh, Vinay Katiyar among others. Three key accused; VHP’s Ashok Singhal, Giriraj Kishore and Vishnu Hari Dalmia had died before the verdict.

Hindutva’s large–scale takeover of educational institutions

In 1999 SabrangIndia had analysed, “Hindutva’s large–scale takeover of educational institutions”. The report titled Right in action showed how this was then a “little–known but major achievement of the Kalyan Singh government in U.P.” In September 1998, the Kalyan Singh government introduced a unique policy initiative in the area of state education called the “kulp yojana”. This was a compulsory initiative to link every single state– run school in the state to the RSS shakha. The brainchild of the  UP state education minister, Narendra Kumar Singh Gaur, this scheme was made compulsory for all primary schools in the state. It was, according to the government circular, aimed at the “moral and physical development of the child.” Through it, schools have been directed, especially in rural areas, to involve the RSS  pracharak in ‘naitik shiksha’ (moral education), SabrangIndia had then reported. “The aim of the scheme is to orient all state–run schools in UP along the lines of the RSS–run Saraswati Shishu and Bal Vidya mandirs. While announcing the scheme in Uttar Pradesh, the minister said that kulp was being introduced to “enhance the qualitative standard of education” in schools and to ensure that “teachers are an intermediary between school, family and society”. 

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The post Uttar Pradesh: Will Kalyan Singh’s controversial legacy help BJP retain power? appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Dear Fr. Stan Swamy,
On July 5, you completed your pilgrimage here on earth! Thousands feel your loss everywhere; a light has gone out of our lives and there is darkness everywhere! There is spontaneous outrage because of what led to your death; most regard it as institutionalised murder! I am sure that you will not want us to mourn your death; as we look back, we also celebrate your life of commitment; the rich legacy you have left us all. We are overwhelmed with emotion; our hearts are full as we say “Thank you, dear Stan, you will live Forever!”

“Thank you, dear Stan, you will live Forever!”
We thank the Almighty for the Gift of You to so many people everywhere: particularly the excluded and the exploited, the Adivasis and Dalits, the poor and the marginalised, the voiceless and the unlettered; to all those who are denied their legitimate rights; and also, to the Country, the Church and the Society of Jesus.

“Thank you, dear Stan, you will live Forever!”
We cannot help but think of your incredibly committed and simple life-style. Your frugality was known to all. You lived your vow of poverty to the fullest and in a most edifying manner; your material needs were few; your actual possessions were even less. The media had a field day, when some time ago, the ‘authorities’ came to seize your possessions- they got almost nothing!

“Thank you, dear Stan, you will live Forever!”
You were an extraordinary person; in a selfless manner, you gave and did not count the cost! As a young priest, you lived in an interior Adivasi village sharing a small room with one of the local families. During that time, you mastered the Ho language, studied their culture and customs, ate their food and even sang and danced with them. Insertion into the tribal way of life was always paramount to you and also ‘your forte’! You believed in youth, gave them a sense of identity and helped them to critically analyse what was happening to their tribal society. With the generosity and help of the locals you also built your own residence which was an ‘open house’ to one and all! All through your life you mentored, trained and accompanied many women and men!

“Thank you, dear Stan, you will live Forever!”
The world today celebrates your amazing work on this earth! You were an Adivasi rights activist, working on various issues: land, forest and labour rights; questioning the non-implementation of the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, which stipulates setting up of a Tribes Advisory Council with members solely of the Adivasi community, for their protection, well-being and development; your work also involved opposition to the setting up of  ‘land banks’, which  you believed would free up land belonging to the community in favour of the corporate sector Besides, you helped form a group called the ‘Persecuted Prisoners’ Solidarity Committee’ that sought  to do a study of the nature of undertrial prisoners (3,000 Adivasis illegally put in jail) and to have recourse to justice. Your work necessitated expressing dissent with several official policies and laws, which you were convinced were violative of the Constitution. The Adivasis and other excluded, who have been consistently denied their legitimate rights, saw in you a person who left no stone unturned, to champion their cause.

“Thank you, dear Stan, you will live Forever!”
You have taught us all, the true meaning of ‘solidarity’ what it means to actually walk the talk; that to meaningfully empower the exploited and the excluded, one has to be in solidarity with them, in their struggles and to accompany them visibly and vocally, with prophetic courage for a more just and humane society. You did this unreservedly to the very end! You worked together with other women and men of goodwill who believed in the values enshrined in the Constitution of India and the Gospel of Jesus; these were your comrades, your companions, your collaborators!

“Thank you, dear Stan, you will live Forever!”
We listen to those heartfelt words which you said shortly before your arrest on 8 October 2020 “What is happening to me is not something unique- happening to me alone. It is a broader process that is taking place all over the country. We are all aware how prominent intellectuals, lawyers’ writers, poets, activists, students, leaders, they are all put into jail because they have expressed their dissent or raised questions about the ruling powers of India. We are part of the process. In a way I am happy to be part of this process. I am not a silent spectator, but part of the game, and ready to pay the price whatever be it.”  Yes, you were never a silent spectator!

“Thank you, dear Stan, you will live Forever!”
On May 21, you told the Bombay High Court the suffering you were going through in prison; you said, “I was brought here eight months ago. When I came to Taloja, my full system, my body was still very functional. But during these eight months, I have gone through a steady regression of all bodily functions. Eight months ago, I could have a bath by myself and also do some writing by myself. But these are disappearing one after another. Taloja jail brought me to a situation where I can neither write nor go for a walk by myself or even eat. I am not able to meet this demand. Eating has become a real difficulty; someone has to feed me with a spoon.”  You also highlighted the dire conditions in Taloja jail that prompted prisoners to help each other in the face of acute economic deprivation. You were profoundly touched by the help you received from your fellow prisoners. You seemed to have an intuition of your impending death: you wanted to be given regular bail and to go back to Ranchi to be in the midst of your people “I want to go to Ranchi to be with my friends…. Whatever happens to me I would like to be with my own”.; if not that, you were very clear about your option: to continue to be in Taloja jail “I would rather die here very shortly if things go on as it is”.

“Thank you, dear Stan, you will live Forever!”
Your death seems to have united the major opposition political parties of the country. In a strongly worded letter to the President of India they write, “We are urging your immediate intervention as the President of India to direct ‘your government’ to act against those responsible for foisting false cases on him (Stan Swamy), his continued detention in jail and inhuman treatment. They must be held accountable. It is now incumbent that all those jailed in the Bhima Koregaon case and other detenues under politically motivated cases, misusing draconian laws like UAPA, sedition etc be released forthwith.” Ironically, these political parties could not come together on several key issues which plague the nation; some of them have been responsible for introducing draconian laws like the UAPA! But then your death has provided them at least a cosmetic unity to address a serious reality!!  

“Thank you, dear Stan, you will live Forever!”
Tributes that have come in from the highest echelons of power globally. A statement from the United Nations said, “High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet and the UN’s independent experts have repeatedly raised the cases of Father Stan and 15 other human rights defenders associated with the same events with the government of India over the past three years, and urged their release from pre-trial detention; The high commissioner has also raised concerns over the use of the UAPA in relation to human rights defenders – a law Father Stan was challenging before Indian courts days before he died.” The US State Department through its Office of International Religious Freedom tweeted, “We are saddened by the death of Father Stan Swamy, a Jesuit priest & tribal rights activist, who died in Indian custody under charges of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. We call on all governments to respect the vital role of human rights activists in healthy democracies.” All this has obviously raised the hackles of those who illegally incarcerated you! They were afraid and insecure for what you stood for. They tried to do away with you, not realising that your spirit will never die!  

“Thank you, dear Stan, you will live Forever!”
The powers that tried to put you away, to annihilate you, have failed miserably in their evil design. They did not realise that doing away with you would spawn hundreds and thousands of ‘Stan Swamys’ everywhere. Since your death, there have been numerous programmes all over the world: rallies and demonstrations; candle light vigils and processions; memorial prayer meetings and Masses; webinars and articles. Leading dailies and magazines have you on the cover with powerful editorials and op-eds; social media has not stopped talking about you. In several ways you have galvanised people across the board, to celebrate your life and mission; and to condemn the way you were made to die! The underlying refrain everywhere is “I am Stan”; no longer the hashtag #StandWithStan, it has gone way beyond.

“Thank you, dear Stan, you will live Forever!”
A new cohesive, vibrant national campaign is emerging and gaining momentum- ‘The Joint National Action to Defend Democracy; Defend Right to Dissent’. The campaign calls for a “repeal of Sedition Laws, UAPA and Repressive State Laws; and demands for the Restoration of the Citizens Right to Bail”. Already on Friday 23 July there is a ‘Day of Action’ planned called ‘Justice for Father Stan Swamy’ which will lead up to a fortnight’s National Action Programme from August 15- 28. Thousands from all over the country are expected to participate. We demand the immediate revocation of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA); the unconditional release of all the Bhima-Koregaon fifteen and all others illegally incarcerated under the draconian UAPA; we demand prison reforms and better conditions for prisoners. All that you relentlessly worked and died for! Strangely enough, in a lecture on 13 July, Supreme Court Justice D.Y. Chandrachud emphatically stated, “criminal law, including anti-terror legislation, should not be misused for quelling dissent or for harassment of citizens; the Supreme Court plays the role of a counter-majoritarian institution and has the duty to protect the rights of socio-economic minorities. Powerful words, a vindication of what you lived and died for; we need to see now what happens in practice!

Even in prison and from the moment you were hospitalised, you reached out to others -the less fortunate prisoners, your caregivers, in every possible way! You tell us with such conviction and positivity, that even a caged bird sings.  As a prophet of our times, you epitomised compassion, courage and commitment. You had the audacity to dare: to walk with the excluded and the exploited and to make their struggles your own. Today you are a martyr for justice and truth. The Adivasis and many others already regard you as a ‘Saint’ But you have not died; you will continue to live in each one of us. Many more ‘Stan Swamys’ will continue to rise until that day when your vision of a more humane, just, equitable, fraternal, free and dignified society becomes a reality for the poor and underprivileged, the excluded and the exploited of India!  Yes, you were murdered by the State – we are sorry and sad about that! We hang our heads down in shame but at the same time, pledge to live your legacy in our lives! You have gone to that eternal reward you so richly deserve and from the depths of our hearts we say “Thank you dear Stan: You will live Forever!”

Your brother,
Cedric

*Fr Cedric Prakash SJ is a human rights, reconciliation and peace activist/writer.

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The post Thank you, dear Fr. Stan, you will live forever! appeared first on SabrangIndia.