The Khichdi Blog: February 2015

Sufi Amba Prasad: A Freedom Fighter Forgotten

February 28, 2015
By Abu Turab Naqvi
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I will be glad to bring forward the story of this soldier of Indian revolutionary movement that had set off in the early 1900 in Punjab. It will be honest to accept my ignorance about the impressive personality of this soldier of Indian freedom movement who gave away his life for the cause before I came across some books recently. This piece of text is the first part of the series of writings, short notes, excerpts from the books that are written about Bhagat Singh and the people somehow associated with him during his revolutionary life. Accepting the immaturity of my writing skills and my inability to express the personality of that great freedom fighter, I will be narrating this story in Bhagat Singh's words, that he had penned down to commemorate the martyrs of Indian freedom movement while his association with Kirti.

Bhagat Singh narrates the story of Sufi Amba Prasad in his article "Upsurge in Punjab- 1907". In the opening phrases he speaks on a very emotional note,

"Does anyone in India knows (know) his name? Is there anyone who sheds tears in his memory? The ungrateful people have forgotten many such gems, and yet do not have any feeling of remorse.

He was a patriot to the core. He felt the agony of the country in his heart. He yearned for the glory of Bharat. He wanted to take it to the pinnacle of progress. Even then only a few people are familiar with his name. Ironically, it was only in Iran where his worth was appreciated till date he is revered here.

It was his strategy to bring about the stories of freedom fighters in light to influence the minds of youth. He further writes about the personal life of Sufi,

Sufi ji was born in 1858 at Moradabad, U.P. He had lost his right hand since his childhood. He used to joke about it, saying, "We fought against the British in 1857; hand was cut off; death occurred, and rebirth, the hand was missing." He did his Law but did not practice. He was an excellent writer in Urdu, and this is what he took to.

In 1890, he started an Urdu weekly from Moradabad, 'Jam ul Iluq'. Each phrase in the paper reflected his thought and feelings. He was a master humourist, yet deeply thoughtful, never afraid of criticizing the authority.

Though the reasons behind the Sufi's leaving Moradabad are not mentioned in the article. But it can be assumed that there may some concrete issues forcing him to leave his motherland. Bhagat Singh, in the following phrases writes about Sufi's association with Sardar Ajit Singh and his involvement in the active revolutionary movement,

He came to Punjab and took a job in 'Hindustan' paper in which he could not continue for long because of differences with the Editor. Those very days Sardar Ajit Singh had founded ‘Bharat Mata Society’, which was soon followed by agitation against the Colonies Act. He joined Sardar Ajit Singh. In view of indiscriminate arrests Sufi ji left for Nepal along with Sardar Kishan Singh (Bhagat Singh’s Father) and Mehta Anand Kishore. There the Governor Jang Bahadur looked after them very well. But he had to pay the price; soon he was dismissed to Lahore. He was arrested for his articles published in the paper ‘India’ run by Lala Pindi Das, but was acquitted for lack of proof.

By then Sardar Ajit Singh too was back from Mandley –Barma. “Bharat Mata Book Society” was founded in 1908. Most of its functioning depended on Sufi ji. He got a book published Baghi Masih or Vidrohi Masih which was proscribed.

The budding activities of revolutionaries were causing trouble for the Government. They were clearly afraid of establishment of open revolt against the British Empire. There were fair chances of Sufi to be arrested. Bhagat Singh mentions his migration to Iran to dodge the arrest,

In 1909, he published a paper Peshwa. Those days revolutionary movement became activated in Bengal. The Government feared the Punjab may also follow suit. Repression followed. Both he and S. Ajit Singh left for Iran to evade arrest.

Not much is known about his life in Iran except that, he started a paper Aab e Hayat and started taking part in the freedom of Iran. When the British tried to occupy Iran in 1915, there were lots of disturbances in opposition to the move. Sufi ji was in Shiraz where he was encircled by armed soldiers, whom he resisted by firing from the revolver with his single hand. Ultimately he fell in their hands. It was decided to shoot him the following day. He was confined in a cell. When the door was opened next morning, he was no more and was found in a state of trance!

Reference : Bhagat Singh: The Eternal Rebel, Malwinder Jit Singh Waraich, pg 112-114.

Delhi

Inside the Tomb of Khan E Khanan

February 10, 2015
By Abu Turab Naqvi
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Delhi

Tragedy that is Suicide

February 09, 2015
By Abu Turab Naqvi
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The news of Jamia student, Bharat Nagpal’s suicide a couple of months ago, was so unexpected and so hard to believe that people thought it was false in the beginning; it was only later it turned out to be true. The news had left everyone shocked, for something like this was unheard of in the Jamia community. He was too young to die and had a lot yet to see in this world facing all the challenges of routine life that everyone has to face at any extent. We don’t know his reasons for ending his life. But even if we did, we could neither never truly understand the burden he carried, nor the pain he must have felt.

Suicide remains the most serious of all the troubles found in our society. It has eaten up millions of lives. Extinguishing one’s life is considered a solution to all the miseries and problems of material life, though nobody knows its fecundity.

It will be appropriate to quote here a couplet of Shaikh Mohammad Ibrahim Zauq, the poet of Mughal Court and the mentor of Shah Zafar (the last Mughal Emperor) in poetry, while elucidating the tragedy of this unfortunate act taken as a solution in our society to escape from the miseries of life. In this couplet he states his desire to end his life, later refuting his own idea because of its bewildering outcomes. He writes:

Ab to ghabra ke ye kahte hain ke mar jaenge
Mar ke bhi chain na paya to kidher jaenge

Suicide is one of the major unresolved problems of our society. It has plagued us along with all the worldly problems that act as the force pushing us into the cold grip of death.

Psychologists, anthropologists and sociologists are constantly working to find concrete solutions and establishing assistive preventive measures to prevent people from committing suicide. Several human welfare organizations like SAVE, WHO and other NGOs having a similar agenda and are working globally and locally to eliminate this malady out of the society by spreading awareness among the masses.

According to the data provided by Suicide Awareness Voices of Education (SAVE), nearly 40,000 thousand Americans commit suicide every year. For the age group of 15-24, this is the second major cause of death (www.save.org/facts). Another report published in 2014 by WHO tells that about 800,000 thousand people end their lives by committing suicide on the globe every year. Out of these cases about 75% are recorded in the countries facing economical problems. Hence, poverty is one of the major reasons for people committing suicide. The report also states a comparatively higher rate of suicidal deaths in the age group of 15-29 years. This is more than horrible. This means, every 40 seconds a person on the globe cuts off the chord of his life with his own hands. Apart from the statistics this report is also provides with some preventive measures to be applied to subside possible suicide cases globally. (www.who.int/mental_health/suicide-prevention/en/)

Suicide holds equal importance with other national problems in India. Seventeen percent of total cases of suicides registered globally come from India. Statistical inferences help us to state that a majority of the people committing suicide are either students or farmers. Major problems in both the cases are more material than indigenous. The problem of unemployment is one of the main reasons for suicide among the youths. Other reasons are social relationships, family problems, failure in love, and pressure evoked by school examinations; while all other problems hold a secondary place.

In addition to these facts, the emotional aspect of this issue is much more disheartening. We can understand how hard it is to cut through the whole system of the living world, society, family and other social relations. Psychological studies say that about 80 percent of the persons who commit suicide or attempt to commit had some kind of psychological problems, mainly depression. At times life brings some moments that force us to lose our will to live, the eternal power working behind that constant struggle to keep the pace up. On losing this intense will to live, we start heading towards self destruction.

Talking about preventive measures of suicide, psychologists suggest that it is possible to stop someone who is thinking of self harm if certain behavioural changes in his routine are observed at the right time of its occurrence. This is the most crucial time to monitor the behaviour of that person. Parents have a major responsibility of observing their children in this manner. They must have proper awareness and should be trained to deal with such kind of situation following all the preventive manners.

It can be prevented if preliminary observations are made about the people considering suicide. There is a need for effective educational programs to spread awareness about this social malaise. We must realize that this is not the solution to any problem. Problems cannot be solved by ending our lives. We have to live with them. We must have the courage to face them. We should know – suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.

(Published @ http://jamiajournal.com/2015/01/20/tragedy-suicide/ )

Delhi

Ill-Mannered Jamia Staff Members Urgently Require a Class in Jamia Tehzeeb

February 09, 2015
By Abu Turab Naqvi
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It was a good day to start with, doing workout at the Jamia Sports Complex, some brisk walk and running on the track. After completing my span of workout, I headed towards the badminton court planning to play for a while. I asked the guard outside whether the badminton court was open or not. He responded by asking me in a very rough and rude way whether I was a staff member (Gym inside the sport complex is only meant for the staff; the rule book says so) or a student? When, I told him that I was a student, he fired back that I was allowed only to use the running track. Then I asked if I could play badminton? He again replied very rudely, with no sense of decency, that it was only accessible when the games were happening. To that I replied, I have seen students playing there. And then also requested him to talk to me politely. I said:“Thora tehzeeb se to baat kije.” To which he angrily yelled back: “Tumse seekhenge hum tahzeeb!” (Now I have to learn manners from you?!).

Instead of getting into an altercation with him, I felt it better not to get into an argument and not say anything back. I did not want to ruin my mood and rest of my day because of it. The whole experience was unexpected and quite disturbing.

I wish I could say this was a one-off incident in my time at Jamia; but unfortunately it is not. I can cite many examples of such bad behavior by Jamia employees. Guards appointed at the library entrance, guards at the main gate, clerical staff in Dean’s office, clerical staff in the office of the controller of examinations, clerical staff in the office of director physical education and then a guard at the sport complex are all instances of my being treated badly by a Jamia staff member. But this is nothing unique to me. I have seen several times, Jamia employees (Clerical staff and Guards) treating students unkindly.

In all fairness, I know and can understand that a hectic work-schedule and workload, sometimes, may leave staff members tired and frustrated, which can lead them to take it out on students. But no matter how tired or frustrated they might feel, it gives them – No Right – to treat us badly. We are as much deserving of respect as they are.

I am reminded of a similar incident as the one that took place in Jamia sport complex. This one took place in the office of director of physical education. In an intense debate on some issue, this person started to shout at me and my friend. When I objected to his deed and asked him to at least not to behave like this while he was part of Jamia Millia Islamia, he repulsively replied: “What Jamia Millia Islamia?” What does this have to do with “Jamia Millia Islamia?”

I was so disappointed to hear him ask such a question that it brought an iota of doubt in my mind about the courteousness of Jamians, though only for a fraction of time. The man had no idea of Jamia’s inherited tehzeeb (discipline and etiquette). The founders of Jamia were highly sophisticated and cultured people having great respect for kindness, generosity and politeness in daily social interaction, a legacy Jamia has inherited as part of its culture. However, this man was completely unaware of it.

In another incident, I remember a day when I fell into a quarrel with an office clerk at Jamia. When I entered his cabin, I found him engaged on Facebook. I was there just to get a form signed and wanted to inquire about something. He apparently did not like me interrupting his Facebook time with my questions, so like a brute, he yelled back the answers to my questions.

Another incident happened in the office of the controller of the examination (Natural Science section). When I asked the clerk about my friend’s documents, he said: “Ek baar poochhne aaoge phir lene aaoge, Jaan kha rakhi hai tum logon ne” (First you will come to inquire then you will come to receive the documents; this attitude of you people is parasitical).

I can cite several similar instances of Jamia employees behaving foully with me and with other students including my friends. I am sure if asked, many students can relate similar personal stories of harassment they have suffered at the hands of Jamia staff members. Nonetheless, above-mentioned incidents are enough to judge their behaviour, and to get a sense of how prevalent this problem is at Jamia.

Let it be known, I don’t have any personal issue with any one of them. I am speaking on behalf of others who face similar moments of disgust in Jamia offices.

It should also be stated, most Jamia employees are good, well-mannered people. I have seen several staff members with a very generous demeanor and with good humour. They always behave in a very gentle way with a pleasant smile on their face. But there is a significant number of them who are ill-mannered and lack the most common of courtesies. For such employees, I request the Jamia administration to take them to task. They urgently require a class in Jamia tehzeeb.

(Published @ http://jamiajournal.com/2014/12/20/ill-mannered-jamia-staff-members-urgently-require-class-jamia-tehzeeb/)

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The Khichdi Blog

Sufi Amba Prasad: A Freedom Fighter Forgotten

Inside the Tomb of Khan E Khanan

Tragedy that is Suicide

Ill-Mannered Jamia Staff Members Urgently Require a Class in Jamia Tehzeeb

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