MAYABINI— The Sorceress' Sorcerer

                      "Paint me black, I am black"— wishful words to @neelim_mahanta_livingart from the Zubeen Da.

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Once, the famous Indian comedian Zakir Khan said in his stand-up, “Humari pehchaan chala gaya,” while remembering the funeral of his Abba (grandfather), Ustad Moinuddin Khan. Since childhood, I have heard this phenomenon from my elders that — when great personalities leave us, we don’t just lose a person, we lose a part of ourselves. On television, in newspapers, and now on our phones, I have seen countless such moments — the funerals of legendary figures, the way people reacted to their passing, how lives were shaped afterwards, and how entire fields realigned themselves in their absence.

And today, one such story has compelled me to write. A story I have been witnessing for the past three days, here in Assam.

Zubeen Garg has passed away.

Lovingly called Zubeen Da — “Da” meaning elder brother in Assamese — his death on September 19 has shaken the entire state. Since the day I joined the Indian Institute of Information Technology Guwahati, my friends have never stopped talking about him. A hustler, witty, glamorous, outspoken, loud, yet deeply loved — he was more than just a singer. Of course, not everyone adored him equally, but no one was untouched by his music. Everyone had grown up with it, lived moments of joy, heartbreak, laughter, and pride through his songs.

Being a non-Assamese, I cannot fully claim that journey. But wait — I too have my own small story. As the coordinator of Bohag Bihu in this campus, I have felt the pulse of Zubeen Da’s music countless times. Whenever we invited artists to perform, no matter who they were, there was always a section of the audience that would break into chants, requesting Zubeen’s songs. And graciously, those artists always obliged — a clear sign of the respect and reverence Zubeen Da commanded, both among the people and within the industry.

But now, Zubeen Da is no more.

And what I am witnessing here in Assam is not just the mourning of a singer. People are crying unbearably, shouting painfully, sitting in silent shock — not only because they loved him as a person, but because a huge part of their own lives has vanished with him. Their memories, their emotions, their aspirations of one day meeting him — all suddenly cut short. Sadly, even after creating a record gathering on his demise (the fourth largest funeral gathering ever in the world after Michael Jackson, Pope Francis, Queen Elizabeth)—Limca Book of Records, the media and people of India are unaware of this irrevocable incident. 

The grief in people’s hearts has spilled into the streets, reflecting the essence of his song “Mayabini” (the sorceress). It feels almost magical, how everyone has their own story to share. Painful stories, yes, but expressed in artistic ways — through social media posts, reels, murals, graffiti, and even impromptu performances. Over and over, people chant:
“Zubeen Da! Zubeen Da! Zubeen Da!”
as if calling his name could bring him back, as if one final spell of Mayabini could resurrect their beloved Dada and enchant them once more, just as he always did — on stage and off it.

For the past two days, I have been collecting such stories from friends, seniors, colleagues, and acquaintances. And what I see is that grief, though devastating, has also sparked creativity. It reminds me of a famous dialogue from the Hindi film Rockstar (2011):
“Bada kalakar ban’ne ke liye dil tootna zaroori hai.”
(To become a great artist, heartbreak is necessary.)

Here in Assam today, I feel like I am watching a reversal of that line:
“The death of a great artist has given birth to thousands of new artists.”

Because everywhere I look — in songs, statuses, murals, speeches — I see broken hearts reshaping themselves into art, into expression, into remembrance.

And today, the whole of Assam says, “Humari pehchaan chala gaya!”
Yet, in the same breath, I am reminded of a line from the song Zinda in the film Lootera (2013):
“Kabr par meri sar utha ke khadi ho zindagi, aisa marna hai mujhe.”

And so, for sure, it is…

MAYABINI 🎕

HIJAB UNDER THE 'Veil' OF 'HINDUISM' AND 'SECULARISM'

Hijaab... hahaha!  What next Turban or Tilak/Bindi

It is not difficult to judge Hijab row consistent with the elections in the three states in India. But what raises our eyebrows is how again so-called liberals aren’t occupying the spaces they left to prove their ‘ego’ or ‘intellectuality’. Following events in the past week in Karnataka like encouraging or influencing school going children to wear saffron muffler and tilak against the hijab wearing girls haunting number of questions from the past and has potential to create mayhem in the future as well. But if we observe in today’s politics, the idea of secularism and the religion per se is not more than a ‘guinea pig’ for the people in power comparatively. Again, if we are thinking there is no alternative to this series of unsustainable laws and policies, then again we are not in the ‘Frostian’ Road rather our corpse is yearning for the ‘Ibn-Idris’ Vulture. Are we as a human being matured enough as society in a so-called 21^st century to counter or in this case to establish a more ‘tolerant’ community?

                                              Credit: thehindu.com

Turban, Crucifixion... what next? Bindi/ Tilak... Ohh...! They are Cultural Symbols

Unlike Europe, historically a monotheistic society has seen deaths and blood spilled in the name of god, for ex. Blood bath done by Christian crusaders, until politics over religion has been countered by the modern thinkers. Whereas, India which is naturally a pluralistic society hasn’t seen many such things happened here only on religious grounds, the reason most of the scholars has observed is ‘Tolerance among its people’. What is ‘Tolerance’? The idea Gandhi propagated throughout his life, against dystopia, but how come the practice of ‘Tolerance’ hasn’t been followed thereafter/ or how or why it has been discontinued with the time? Is a question that is needed to be debated.  These questions speaks in volume and in a diverse country like India, which is immersed deeply into the blend of religion (of its own type) and culture, policies like banning Hijab or turban are prone to face devastating consequences if categorical approach isn’t followed while dealing with the issues like Religion and Secularism.

       (Sikh students wearing turban in a catholic school) Credit: Sikhnet.com                                            

Since, the inception of India as a republic, there has been a confusion over the idea of religion and the interpretation of the idea of ‘Secularism’, how it could be implemented in India, the idea is great, but due to absence of discourses on this idea at the ground created unfavorable consequences on its implementation. This lacuna creates space for the rise of Fascism. Not just in India, this lack of space for the democratic discussions on the ground are the major reasons for all major political turbulences that we as a civil society are facing.

However, would France moment happen if all religious symbols are banned in India? Would the same ban in the educational institutions get extended to bindi/tilak for hindu students or teachers? How it would impact the social fabric of India? Or whether our current task of achieving a lurid society would be successful?

                                   

                                                                                   

 Secularism in India

There has been a long standing campaign in India against the idea of secularism, which is being considered as an attempt by the Communists/ Christians/ Islamists to transform the world into the communist states/ Church state/ Taliban state. They portray this movement preposterously in a way where they claim it would diminish the stature of Hinduism as a Pagan religion.

But conveniently, they don’t argue over reasons, why those Pagan religions overpowered or lost their importance in the society the major one among them are like, first, the reasons why those conversions happened? Second, what advantages were given by these religions/ ideas? Third, what was/ is the problem in the existing religions, today or at that time? What is the problem with the rectification or reformation in the  religion? How the idea of Hinduism, which has been interpreted multiple times over the thousand years isn’t flexible enough today to take questions from within the community, leave aside the rational interpretations from the people who are alien to the very idea. Most significant reasons (especially in Hinduism), which made people to jump to other options are like rigidity in its structure, like caste system (vertical power structure based on purity and impurity), gender biased, skewed opportunities to gather resources and etc.

Apart from the core idea of secularism, i.e. the separation of church and state, India had/ has challenges to adopt or adjust that alien idea, as here it is difficult to completely separate the religion and the state, as here our social practice is highly intertwined with the religious practice, and on some instances it is difficult to segregate religion and culture. So, in this kind of diverse complex society, it is important to talk, teach, debate over the religious ideas and the practice of Tolerance should also prevail over the society with the help of culture, traditional festivals, competitions, all these practices bind masses with activities like folklores, story-telling, drama, music, arts and etc. and it can be used to democratize the idea of secularism and can help in prevailing the practice of ‘Tolerance’. Creating these pockets of democratic platforms are essentially required in today’s situation.

 

                                                   Credit: alamy.com

                                           

Global Exposure

India is among the rarest of countries which is naturally diverse and it is the very reason that it has never faced situations like existential crises on a global platform. Recent sociological research has given a groundbreaking explanation on the problem of uniform society. They observed that over a period of time uniform society become obsolete, people in those societies are more hostile than the habitants who have lived in diverse neighborhood, and even economically diverse communities creates more opportunities and etc., resultantly we can observe that most countries like Australia, Canada, New Zealand and etc. are encouraging immigration and making their society ethno-culturally sound.

This can also be seen as a contemplation of the very idea of ‘modernity’ by the west. The problem is, today both are approaching in the opposite direction, western countries who have attained saturated position both economically and socially are moving towards the east, to quench their cultural thirst, where as the eastern countries are moving toward the western model, which is more greyish in their taste and choices, which lead us to nowhere.

 

                           Credit: American Centre Mumbai

Way Forward

My simple take over this issue is not an alien or a westernized thought. Today, as always stated, we need to focus and democratize the idea of Toleration among the society and most importantly in virtue of that we need to learn to celebrate our culture, music, arts, literature along with the global works. This exercise wouldn’t make people who are emotionally connected to this land and cultural, and can be protected from getting influenced by the fringe groups. And also, this approach can be used to counter the unsustainable model of growth/ development by the west under the garb of ‘modernity’. Something, sadly, we are approaching ferociously, despite getting fatal responses from nature, society and economics.

                                       Credit: deccanherald.com

So, creating a society indulged deeply into the rich Indian culture is the only solution in front of us today, where we celebrate our traditions together irrespective of caste, religion, sex and communities. Tradition, which has flourished the idea of criticism; where ideas used to flow through the ink of birds feather: where every tea shop is not less than a parliament; where truth matters, logic, physical and metaphysical were debated and fought with reason over a dinner or under 'a Banyan' tree. 

In that India, WE as a children of this beautiful nation want to live...

POLICY MEASURES ON INTERNAL MIGRANT ISSUE

       Migration: The most nomadic exercise but the most modern problem

      Before coming to the solutions for internal migration, we need to comprehend the elementary complexities hovering around the issue concerned. So here, Migration seems like a ‘Big Elephant in a room’ squarely for more than three decades. Inter-state migration in India took pace with the liberalization policy and it has negatively impacted the most people from the lower strata of our society. There are layers of exploitation connected to each other, which are important, to understand the gravity of the problem and for bringing out the proximal solutions to these problems.

              

PC:DEUTSCHE WELLE

        Anecdotal image of the context

So I will start with an anecdote, where a man, Manguram, belongs to a big family of erstwhile zamindars, has acres of land in his home state Odisha. He had to forcefully leave his village for a metro city called Mumbai to work as a rickshaw puller in a vegetable market, so that he can feed his family of thirteen members, a square meal. Amidst these tumultuous hardships, he has to pay the school fees for his six children who are studying in a private school in a nearby town.  Kids have to walk nearly fifteen kilometers daily to their school as his village has no proper roads to access transportation facility. While talking over phone, his eldest daughter Kaveri asking about his return said- Seema, my classmate, sadly said to me “my father working as a mazdoor in a ‘big city’ has not turned down to home for about three years”. Manguram calmly listening to her daughter, giggled and solaced her by saying “don’t worry I am not a mazdoor and I will reach home by next month”. But when I asked about agriculture and settling down in the village with his family, the only response he has is “not ample productivity and poor returns”.

                        

PC: THE HINDU

But beyond productivity there are many issues that Manguram’s story speaks in volume, which ranges from poor infrastructure development to government policy failure; disproportionate rise in rural population to opportunity stagnation; high rate of rural unemployment to poor channeling of non-farming activities. In addition, there is one more dimension to this, which makes the whole scenario more complex and needs a cognitive approach for its addressal. This latent dimension can be a probable reason for their migration but the real question remains if city is a safe haven for them.

Contextual analysis of the subject

These shackles can be gazed through the garb of gender. When it comes to the type of labor or employment the only choice women laborers are left with is to either suffer or challenge the preconceived patriarchal notion. This compels the policy makers to delve into the feminist notion on migration, whose demand is to constitute an establishment of a regulatory body for tackling the issues concerning the unorganized women workers such as gender neutral remuneration for their labor, health and educational facilities for their children, and safe and hygienic sanitation facilities, tackling sexual assault and etc.

This regulatory body should constitute of a retired judge, representatives of unorganized migrant women laborers, and representatives of unorganized migrant men. This body should have link with all municipal bodies, civil society organizations and NGO’s for timely redressal of their grievances.

                                       

       

PC: QUARTZ

Another important issue that evidently impacts the migrant laborers appertains with the caste, which appears to be the focal point for many of their exploitation in the urban centers. Many tribal people and dalits or people from the lower rung of the caste system, have a limited choice available to them, mostly manual or cleaning job, leave aside their skills or expertise in a particular profession. This really downturn their self- esteem and confidence to upgrade their living standard. Hence the aforesaid regulatory body for managing the migrant labor would help in enabling them to do their respective jobs. This body would have power to allocate, alter, or manage the laborers on the basis of their eligibility and qualification. Through this there are chances that the urban to rural migration may fulfill the demand for manpower in the rural sector as well. And ultimately this may reduce the instances of caste-based ‘selective employment’. This high level of irrationality needs to be resolved through proper learning system.

Physical analysis of the subject

When it comes to education there is a need for more holistic and alternative curriculum which has to be integrated with the laboratories, think tanks, NGO’s, and other tech groups. There prime focus should be on the development of the technical skills of the migrant students, concerning majorly their rural problems, such as animal husbandry, dairy farming, agriculture and etc. and urban tools, such as technological and service sector skills. Along with that there is a need for systematic change in the education system as well, which includes provision such as education up to higher secondary should be free of cost for the girl child of these sections of the society; there should be a trained consultants for these children, who can attend to them, whenever they need any assistance.

Further, it is important to understand that migration happens out of compulsion, and majorly that is due to the financial insecurity resulting out of the unbalanced rural-urban development; this failure urges us to look at the reasons which lead to the unparallel development in the rural society, such as, rather than big industries, we need numerous sub-units in the multiple regions of our country, especially in the rural parts, which can be compounded with the agricultural and rural employments. Consequently, there would be more integration between the urban and the rural parts of our society, where both factions may develop respect for each other’s labor.

               

PC: THE HINDUSTAN TIMES

In addition to the financial insecurity there is another issue which is integral to this is rural unemployment. There is a need to revive the rural market culture with more skill-based product that can be sold not just in rural market but also in urban stores. But sadly, due to the poor product quality and inefficient training many traditional occupations are dying and left artists economically paralyzed, and compelling them to work as a labor or sometimes as a ‘bonded labor’, like Seema’s father, in a big crowded city. Hence there is a high need to develop albeit polish these skilled artists

with modern tools and knowledge, so that their market can be rejuvenated and get aligned with the world as most countries like China, Taiwan, and Germans are doing with their rural population and their traditional skills for years. And when it comes to forced labor, there should be a registration mechanism for these migrant laborers with annually renewal program to tackle issues like bonded labor, forced labor, labour trafficking and etc.

But one thing which we should not appreciate is the policy of ‘urbanization’; I believe this is not the solution of the problem of internal migration that we are looking for. As these people are not moving to work in an air conditioned office of a concrete tower in the centre of the city, nor they are going to shop in a big mall, all they want is an opportunity to work, to live a standard life, and to develop a respectful relationship with their fellow citizens. Thus, these opportunities which are stagnated for years in their place, needs to be revived with more inclusive policies such as infrastructure development, with well connected roads, so Kaveri in that remote village of Odisha don’t have to walk twenty-five kilometers daily to reach her school. This would channelize the movement between the city and the village; a standard medical institution decked up with required equipments in their place, so that they don’t have to travel hundreds of kilometers for a basic treatment. Universal card, similar to PDS facility, should also be made available for the medical treatment.

          

                                                    PC: THE TRIBUNE

At last, it is the food insecurity that has all the ears in recent decades and is considered one of the most severe problems in front of migrant laborers. For the past decade this issue is also on the executive table for bringing the pan India ration card so that migrants can avail the benefits of PDS, anywhere in India, this seems to be a promising idea, but along with this, there should also be a financial assistance program for people to go after their personal needs and to increase their purchasing power or alternatively their minimum wage should be decided by the respective state where they are working on the basis of labor time they are offering. This will also effectively reduce the poverty rate in India.

Psychological analysis of the subject

Finally, the psychological implications on the children of frequent migrants is also needed to be taken care of, for whom it is both mentally, emotionally and physically frightful that can’t be repaired with financial assistance. Due to frequent migration children encounter numerous changes in their surroundings, climatic extremes and people who they find difficult to acclimatize with again and again, this eventually impedes their physical and mental growth, and subject them to a risk of psychological disorder for their life, hence for them, there is a need for constructive psychological exercises to be engaged in, so that children like Seema and her friend Kaveri can find some new topic to discuss, which can progressively develop their mind, family and society as a whole.

PC: WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM

Way ahead…

Thinking about the migrant issues, I think, we are also obliged to think about the reasons that lead to a situation of unilateral migration. My view also highlights the ways by which we can pullback this kind of situation and focuses on the approach which enables these poor migrants to develop their capacity to live a healthy and respectful life in whichever place they are willing to live in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

WHY BLACK LIVES MATTER? AND WHY IT IS FINE TO AGREE WITH DISAGREEMENT.

Hypocrisy of egalitarianism in a highly unequal society

Historical evidences prove that clash of movements is the most significant milestone in the development of the society. Historically speaking, it is absolutely natural and organic process, where history counters with the contemporary human actions. Coming to the ongoing movement for the rights of black community; their movement has a history of more than one and a half century, and over a period of time they have achieved a number of rights and entitlements, but if those are pertinent enough to take into consideration or if they are not consistent with the idea of “equality”? This is the core question of this movement, which is what every young citizen on the streets trying to ask to the people in power. Interestingly, this very language in itself seems unfair in an “egalitarian democratic society”, where we have to talk a language of ‘give’ and ‘take’, as a society we are supposed to live and enjoy the rights we are entitled for by our constitution equally, irrespective of color, caste, creed, and sex.

PC:theprint.in

The movement going on in the north (and now almost across the world) against the racism,  whose impetus was the murder of George Floyd, an African-American, by a police officer who pressed a knee to his neck in Minneapolis on May 25. Hard to believe is that it is one of the many such murders that are happening because of the police brutality, on  yearly basis. Across the Europe and America people are marching with placards and sloganeering for the justice and demanding reform in the constitution to prevent from the systematic lynching of a community. As a part of the movement they have reminisced the incident with number of historical occurrences, which resulted in vandalism, plundering and looting. This is worrisome because these instances have the potential to divert the path of the movement, as already witnessed in some places, where it led to a conflict between ‘whites’ and ‘blacks’, this is something which is or has never been the objective of “Black Lives Matter Movement”.

PC:chicagocrusader.com

Historically speaking, there has been a range of ideas from theoretical evidences which strenghtens the idea of institutional racism, especially in “settlers countries” like US, Australia and New Zealand, which share the common past. This movement is a reminiscent of what W.E.B Dubois called “the most threatening problem of the twentieth century is the color line.” And even after the expedition of democratic political movement across the world, the social institutions and its prejudices has not changed its deep discriminatory practices which stemmed in the society traditionally. Its more coaxed form emerges from what Dubois said, “…the black or colored man is being more and more confined to those parts of the world where life for climatic, historical, economic, and political reason is most difficult to live and most easily dominated by Europe for Europe’s gain” this statement explores the deep theoretical debate of colonialism and capitalism.

Hence, capitalism is less to do with political system for its regulatory purposes and more to do with social institutions, which somehow works in favor of the capitalism to run unquestionably. It is like, political support is just the one time investment but social backwardness is the life time profit. Because of the degree of diversity in a liberal world and the ‘backwardness’ of the majority of the state and communities, where high level of dogmatism exists, strengthens the position of capitalism. This is exactly the reason for their prejudices, stigma, backwardness, and oppression for the ages. 

PC:thecitizen.in

A comparative view would help us to understand the kernel of the problem that blacks are going through, one can compare it with the plight of Dalits in India, which is well elaborated by Jyotibha Phule in his book “Slavery”. In the book he emphasized on the idea of ‘informed citizen’ which he claimed is the only solution to counter the oppression of the oppressed, which in turn is only possible through the institution of education, accessible to all irrespective of caste, class, color and sex. This is what later liberal and Dalit scholars have proposed and formulated.

This is exactly where, democratic rights can base itself in the reciprocal effect of the socially endorsed duties based on the moral principles, where we all should be duty bound to protect ourselves and our fellow being from the act that is popularly considered as immoral. And that ethical ground has to come out of the social efforts through its ‘informed citizens’ which must be inculcated from the passionate and revolutionary readers and thinkers.