[Reader-list] RE: Reader-list digest, Vol 1 #512 - 1 msg

[Manisha Khosla]

What is happenning? Why is it happenning? When will it all end?

Day after day, I can hear myself repeating these questions but is anyone
listening....I have my doubts. And although the carnage and the gory stories
upset me, what worries me more is the fact that not many people are
bothered. Most Indians [ and especially the educated ones] seem to have
developed the classic tortoise-like response to the situation. A lot of
people have infact stopped reading the news altogether, as it has ceased to
be new and hence no longer carries the appeal say of some socialite being
found dead in a hotel.

Zamrooda is anxious, as are the other members of the various minority
communties inhabiting India ,and what we need today is a soul searching
debate on the issue. But the problem confronting most of us   is that our
integrity, secularism and patriotism, will be determined on the basis of the
opinions which we voice and so we choose to be quiet and look the other
way--of course it helps that I am a Hindu!!




Today's Topics:

   1. I am Insecure (zamrooda)

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Message: 1
From: zamrooda <zamrooda at sarai.net>
Reply-To: zamrooda at sarai.net
Organization: sarai
To: reader-list at sarai.net
Date: Thu, 9 May 2002 16:21:19 +0530
Subject: [Reader-list] I am Insecure


Farmer by birth, civil servant by education, and a Muslim by religion.
An Indian man of 56 years, satisfied and contented with life.

Kashmir is his passion.

Evening of December 1992 jolts his senses. He sits by his television set
numb 
watching the mosque being torn apart brick by brick. 

Bombay riots followed soon after.

Political situation in the country deteriorated. All that the
politicians 
seemed to be interested only in `POWER.' This was not new. The only 
difference now was that earlier there was a sense of hiding or being 
conscious of keeping things under cover. This  scene of shame seemed to
have 
vanished.

Yet somewhere the dream of democracy and secularism allowed this man to 
maintain his sanity. There were times when he wondered that was he the
only 
one............ worried, scared, alone in this country ?

Life continued........

February 27th the dream was shattered.

The news of the burning of the train somewhere left a hollow feeling in
his 
stomach. Sleep was not easy to come by.
His apprehensions were proved right. What followed and continues to
follow 
shattered his life.

Farmer by birth, civil servant by education, and a Muslim by religion.
An Indian man of 56 years. Did it hold any meaning?

For the first time in life he senses insecurity .
Retirement is round the corner. Delhi is where life is for  
him....................

Delhi where in Delhi ?

The biggest question of his life is to find a house for himself. Where
does 
he go. Which part of Delhi or for that matter India will be a safe haven
for 
him ? Where will he be sure that he, his family and all that he has
struggled 
for the last 56 years of his life will not be taken away in a matter of
5 
minutes.

Is there a place ?

Delhi could have been the answer, but for the happening of 2nd May 2002.
Morning dailies on the next day had pictures and report of traffic chaos
on 
the outer ring road of Delhi for 3 hours due to which law students were
not 
able to appear for their exam.

There was no previous intimidation of this rally. No one had expected
such a 
large gathering.....(as reported). A gathering of 10,000 people
(estimate) of 
the minority community was not big enough to be able to capture the
notice of 
our media.  

Trying to reach her  destination 15 Km's away was a woman trapped in her
car. 
The sight of  crowds on the street in traditional Muslim attire with
chains, 
bottles, lathis.... in their hands ran her imagination wild. Shops by
the 
street were closing. The roads of Darya Ganj which are impossible to
cross at 
this hour were empty. Looking around her for some solace all that she
could 
see was her own fear being reflected in the eyes of the strangers. 

Pictures of Gujarat loomed in her face.

The "helpless" policemen on the roads only increased her discomfort. She
was 
able to maintain her sanity thanks to the cellular phone, with which she
was 
able to maintain contact with her family.

By the evening the rally was over with no signs of it. Evening news had
no 
mention of it. If it had not been a solitary picture of the rally in the

morning dally she had almost convinced herself to believe that it was
all a 
nightmare.

Is there a safe haven for the minority community anywhere in
.................













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