Prem'sJourney

I started reading “Curfewed Nights” by Basharat Peer after reading “Our Moon Has Blood Clots” by Rahul Pandita. Both are of about the same age and are talking about the same time, landscape, and issue. But what struck me like a thunderclap on my head is, I was looking at two different windows into their world which show completely different scenes. I know it is the same land they are talking about, Kashmir. But the views they presented were completely diverse. While Rahul Pandita chooses to focus only on the issues of Pandits and pointing to religious bigotry of the Muslim brethren as a crux of the issue, without any larger context thus blinding out the organisational apathy and atrocities on Kashmir on whole, Peer tries to cover a larger picture. Both choose to go silent on the pains, atrocities, and ravages the other side faced. To be fair to Peer, he tries to walk around the Hindu Pandit issue with fragility and tenderness it requires, but he never delves into what triggered it or

Today Kashmiri Pandits are in the crossfire of the National Political battlefield, becoming the subject of Electoral fortunes. The government and its right-wing propaganda mills have started grinding them suddenly after eight years of just making cosmetic noises. Today it is the fodder for ultra nationalist fervour, like many others before it. The Left is also briskly shooting from the hip trying to reduce the issue to a minor statistical detail, to suit its narrative and broad brushing of the issue. Between these two sides, the issue, and the plight of the Kashmiri Pandits are being torn like a rag between the mouths of rabid dogs, without any empathy or kindness that it requires. Unfortunately, masses on either side of the divide, are fed on steroids of social media with little patience to do real reading and informed decisions... While the issue is very complex and solution is nowhere near the horizon, it is important to first listen to the Kashmiri Pandit view of their issue withou

The death anniversary of Gandhi is finally done for this year. All the posts that sang his praise on the 30th are now laid to rest. All those saffron ‘Desh Bhakths’ have sung a customary hymn for him & moved on with a huge Sigh of relief. They now would go back to collude their ways with the Killers of Gandhi and pretend it is just like any other death of old men, not an heinous murder and act of terror it really is. They rest in the thought that their numbers have grown and only little more time needed before they can give the final burial to his memories and dreams, like they did for his mortal remains 74 years back. So it becomes all the more important that we do not just talk about Gandhi on his birthday or anniversary, but every day to remind that the murder of that man was not like just any other murder, but an attack on the soul of India that was built over the years fighting against oppressors and on a nation that was forged in the fire of sacrifice. A fire and dream so pow

  விவசாயிகளின் போராட்டத்தின் முடிவில், மூக்கில் வழியும் ரத்தத்தை துடைத்தபடி, அடுத்த அடக்குமுறைக்கு தயாராகிக்கொண்டிருக்கிறது இந்துத்துவ தரப்பு. தொடர்ந்து பலவகையிலும், விவசாயிகளின்  மீது வரலாறு காணாத அடக்குமுறை, பொய்ப்பிரச்சாரம் என்று மாறிமாறி கட்டவிழ்த்தும் மண்ணைக்கவ்விய நிலையில்,  அது தந்த  அதிர்ச்சியில் இருந்து எழுந்து அடுத்த அடக்குமுறைக்கு அது  தயாராகிக் கொண்டிருக்கிறது. அருஞ்சொல்லில் வெளிவந்த அருணா ராயின் கட்டுரையில் குறிப்பிட்டது போல், சமீபத்தில் ஹைதராபாதில் உள்ள தேசிய காவல் துறை அகாடமியின் பயிற்சி முடிப்பு அணிவகுப்பு நிகழ்ச்சியில் அஜித் தோவல் தன உரையில் சமூக செயல்பாட்டாளர்கள் மீது “நான்காம் தலைமுறைப் போர்" என்று சூசகமாக குறிப்பிட்டுள்ளார். இதன் விளைவு இன்னும் சிலநாட்களில் தெரியவரும் என எதிர்பார்க்கலாம் . சிலவருடங்களாகவே வெகுஜன வாழ்விலும், சமூக செயல்பாட்டாளர்களின்  மீதும் தொடர்ந்து முன்னெடுக்கப்படும் அடக்குமுறையும், வரலாறு காணாத பொய்ப்  பிரச்சாரங்களும் ஒரு தொடர் நிகழ்வாகவே இருந்துள்ளது. நண்பர் அரவிந்தன் சிலநாட்களுக்கு முன் டிரம்ப்பின் முன்னெடுப்புகளும், அரசியல் செயற்பாடுகளையு

  Travel is something that tests all our limits of theories, learnings and ideas by opening up experiences that challenge and change one's perception, unlike any book.. Travelogues in that sense are always a window to those experiences and can be very interesting at times.   In this Travelogue, Stephen Alter seems to have followed through an emotional thread of tracing his and his spouses roots and in that process has opened up a window that lets us, readers who read it, to a unique and profound viewpoint on subtlety of Pakistan and India relationships. With his easy and smooth flowing language, he captures our attention for keeps.   Stephen Alter, who is a Son of an early American Missionary to India, Rev.Robert Alter, Cousin of Charismatic late Tom Alter, was born in Mussoorie  and an alumni of Woodstock School there. He is passionate about India and particularly about his neck of woods in Himalayan region.   The narration starts with him returning to Landour, to his fa