[Reader-list] Jamia Millia University should be prosecuted

[Lalit Ambardar]

Dear Inder & Dear Nazo,
 
That was quiet intense. Thought provoking & too close to life. 
 
Talking about colours, Dear Inder, what about that green that was splashed in the streets of Srinagar recently & that white of the shrouds that Islamist zealots wore brandishing  kalashnikovs when they paraded in the streets in Kashmir 19 years ago ranting 'e zalimo e kafiro Kashmir hamara schod do' & 'yahan kya chalega- nizame Mustafa' directed at the then beleaguered Hindu Pandits.
 
Life, death & the mask of course have become just the tools. Who actually die is immaterial , but how many have, becomes an issue - a tool. 
You should hear that  author of 'azadi- bara- e- Islam' in that  propaganda  stuff 'J -e -A' where in  he quiet brazenly  justifies death quoting holy scriptures, of the credulous Kashmiri masses in encounters with the security forces as martyrdom while he himself availed of the services of a state owned aircraft to have him airlifted from a Ranchi jail to Mumbai for treatment. He continues to be on 'sick, leave' from the jail since then while the number of the dead masses in the jihad at his behest  keeps increasing day by day............
 
And that other 'used' & 'abandoned' by his 'foreign masters' terror commander also a protagonist ( & possibly a promoter as well)of that  propaganda stuff J -e -A(who also turns into a Gandhian to appease the compulsive peaceniks when  in Delhi ) who lead so many young into the death trap gets himself treated abroad & so lives on .
Regards
LA 



> Date: Sun, 28 Sep 2008 19:57:50 +0100> From: nazoshmasi at googlemail.com> To: indersalim at gmail.com> CC: reader-list at sarai.net> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Jamia Millia University should be prosecuted> > On Sun, Sep 28, 2008 at 7:19 PM, Nazneen Anand Shamsi <> nazoshmasi at googlemail.com> wrote:> > Dear Inder,> > Thank you for your mail. It was a pleasure to read all those quotes> inter meshed with your thoughts. The foreground/background dialectic again!> I often think about death in relation to time and memory. As we grow older> we are burdened with the memory of times gone by. Yet when we are living a> moment we are so unaware of the weight we are producing for ourselves. We do> things because we want to. Yet that want seems so hollow after a while.> Bereft of any meaning. Devoid of any essence. We want to move on. Change> with times. Time of course, is experiential. I think about the intensity of> the present which consumes all other moments. The one which has just gone by> and the one which is yet to come.> > Why is it that there is no memory of immediate present? We remember time> only through events. In this respect that quote from Socrates seems so apt,> ' my face is merging with the mask'. He did not die a natural death. He> choose his time and place. He choose his event. He knew. He was aware.> Suicide for me, is perhaps much more than theologically inspired concept of> 'weakness'. It is a moment of truth. In this world of appearances, where we> are always told to be someone, a toast of hemlock seems like a final> acknowledgment of one's being. That I will not negotiate. I will not be. I> remember, when I was a child, I used to freeze when someone would ask,> 'badhe hoke kya banoge' (What will you be when you grow up?). I didn't know> it then. I don't know it now. Somewhere along the way I have stopped> searching.> > We live in multiple times. Dream, fantasy, anxiety, desire, angst, anger> are all states of experiencing time while being at someplace else. Death in> a sense is perhaps the most pure experience of time. I think it is in the> moment of death perhaps we solve the problematic of time. But what about> other states of death. Like Jamia encounter. or the Delhi blasts. The> inspector didn't know. The students didn't know. The victims didn't know.> Death signified horror. The time code was interrupted. Or may be, on the> last day of their lives they didn't know. They died with their masks on. Or> perhaps the mask was never there. We will never know. 'Sar par kafan bandh> ke chalna' is only a contingent practice. We are trapped in this profound> fiction of normality. Floating in a river of fire. Sometimes we consume. At> others we are consumed. We want to believe that when we grow old we die.> Like four stages of life. We demand temporal stability. We dream about life> as if it will be fair to us. We forget that a still born baby also dies a> natural death. In an earlier post Jeebesh mentioned something about> 'thanatocracy' with respect to Kashmir and the Indian state. Death signifies> power in this regard. The naked vulnerability. Death is an essential> condition for any state. Sovereign or otherwise. Yes death is political in> its nakedness. You observed about signifier and signified with respect to> that ramp walk of model terrorists. May be terrorism has become a new> pornography of our times. We have finally arrived at a live TV formula to> keep people/audiences/citizens/consumers/voters/individuals glued so that> they can see some soap and soft drink ads. A report in outlook (> http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20081006&fname=BDelhi+Encounter+(F)&sid=1)> describes how a Delhi police special cell inspector was dressed as a> salesman when he knocked on the doors of student/'terrorist'. He had don a> mask perhaps to fabricate death. Death becomes a lure, a performance, to be> enacted convincingly in front of live TV.> > And Kabir says, 'Aayein hain soo jaayenge rajah rnk faquir'.> > Best> > Nazo> > > > > > > On Sun, Sep 28, 2008 at 2:17 PM, inder salim <indersalim at gmail.com>> wrote:> > through Montaigne's own Stoicism, that> "to philosophize is to learn to die" ,> > For Deluze/Blanchot ' any death is double'> > 1. but it is not 'I' that dies and it is not 'my death' either> 2. we never cease and we never finish to die. In this sense, living> is inseparable from the partial deaths that it goes through, up> until> the disintegration, in "the other" death, of its individualized> living> shape. This another Death is ahead of us.> > Dear Nazo, thanks for a great and profound response. Death is> certainly where foregrounds meet backgrounds. They indeed collapse.> As Socretes, famously, said, while drinking Hemlock, ' my face is> merging with the mask ' . It is true that this 'event' can be> experienced only when one dies, but certainly that experience too> becomes part of that 'event'. All we have is THIS. This what the> learned heads say is OUTSIDE.> > They also say, I quote, The Outside is a pre-individual intensive> universe of forces and unshaped matters that is "more distant than> any external world." On the other end, life as an intensity is> inseparable from shapes of life that appear in the folds or as the> folds of the line of the Outside'.> > At this point, "death is rather the ultimate shape of> the problematic, the source of all problems and questions, the mark> of their> permanency above every answer, the "Where?" and "When?" that> designate> this (non)-being whereby every affirmation finds its energy" Death> as an event in "history" is only a point where two kinds of death> meet. But> it also reveals that death or "to die," as a pure Event, as an> incorporeal, is> essential to the creation and proliferation of life and thought. As> Deleuze and> Guattari stated in What Is Philosophy?:> > In fact, artistic creation is often presented by Deleuze as a> counter-effectuation of a line of death.> > Through this, all what I want to see is that the coded signs in our> life and thought are basically full of that emptiness of time. So,> collapsible. Whatever that be, and that actually gives us some> feeling> of change, else as the Greeks say, there is nothing new under the> sun.> > Right now, the only thing which prompts me to write is, for myself> and> for those readers on the list who quickly lapse into malice and> personal abuse, if we can intensify the questioning keeping in view,> I> quote again, " death is rather ultimate shape of problematic, the> source of all problems and questions".> > Recently, one of the active participants mr. Kshmendra wanted to> know> the territory of would be nation- Kashmir.> My answer was that how we are in a position to draw territories when> we have lost the earth collectively, sadly.> > Now here again, if we don't intensify the discourse on the problems> of> environmental death/dying of earth, we actually remain fighting on> issues that are either irrelevant or shallow in nature.> > For example, Sadanand Menon's piece on the Arab Scarves provided to> the three arrested from Jamia, made me to think again that what is> the Mask. So in that sense, the identity of a community or a person> represented by a sign or code is more lively than the person> underneath. amazing, how signs function between signifers and> signifieds.> > The whole Muslim community was paraded naked by the red and white> Arab> scarves, intentionally.> > It is indeed strange to see how subjectivities can be manipulated in> a> particular situation, by those who don't think that ' death' is> overpowering a subject which can turn the tables at any given point> of> time. That indeed is political, here.> > But in poetic sense also, if we consider a saint like Kabir who> always> kept us reminding the futility of being too attached to materiality> of> this illusory world.> > Love> is> > p.s needless to say, that I am not a student of philosophy, even.> > Thanks Tapas, i too read different reflections with this intention> that it liberates, educates....> > > > > > > > On Sun, Sep 28, 2008 at 1:08 AM, Tapas Ray <tapasrayx at gmail.com>> wrote:> > It's exchanges like this that make it worthwhile to stay on here.> >> >> >> > 2008/9/27 Nazneen Anand Shamsi <nazoshmasi at googlemail.com>:> >> Dear Inder,> >>> >> Certain words, phrases crop up in my mind when I read your> response- reverse> >> engineering, hacking, hermeneutics, reading, translating. These> words are> >> fairly well circulated in our social life. All of these words> convey, in a> >> sense, perhaps, exercises in code making and code breaking.> Meaning making> >> as a hobby, I feel, is slowly fading away. I agree with you when> you say> >> that 'people want instant results'. Perhaps this is just one more> sign of> >> our times. We are not interested in processes anymore. We are not> interested> >> in exposing ourselves to a knowledge, which tells us in all its> rawness, how> >> a thing was arrived at. In this rush to consume, be it a national> identity> >> or a candy bar we have grown to appreciate just the product. In> its final> >> form. Packaged. Sealed. Sterilized. And yes with a price and that> crucial> >> date of manufacture and expiry date intact.> >>> >> Change- they say, is the essence of our common human existence.> But is it> >> not that the more people change the more they remain the same. I> still feel> >> sometimes, that even in this day and age we are essentially> hunter gathers.> >> Always out of our caves in search of something. Jobs. Spouses.> Causes.> >> Lifestyles. Thoughts. Ideas. And once we find something that> gives us a> >> little meaning. We stop. We demarcate. We build small fences> around and like> >> that dog on the street who pisses on four poles and thinks that> it is his> >> territory and we bark and we bite, sometimes we fight too against> all those> >> who contest and dares to question us. Present takes over. Truth,> or that> >> thing called truth! Takes over. When the only truth of our frail> existence> >> is of course death. That one day we will all be gone. And with us> all our> >> memories, desires, aspirations, bitterness, hunger, food, sex,> >> companionship, conversations, life plans, rights/wrongs,> smartness, style,> >> cleverness will go. Natural death, for me, is a calming thought.> The> >> calumniation of a journey. A full stop. The greatest leveler.> And the irony> >> is that in the moment of death we will take away with us its> memory and its> >> experience. The code will cease to exist. The translation will> stop. The> >> foreground will merge with the background.> >>> >> Regards> >>> >> Nazo> >> On Sat, Sep 27, 2008 at 4:31 AM, inder salim <> indersalim at gmail.com> wrote:> >>> >>> well said, "we want to deliberately create that distance to> make> >>> meaning? " Dear Nazo> >>>> >>> certailly,the image in front of our eyes is illusion, beret of> that> >>> madness which created it in the first palce.. i am not only> talking> >>> about a photograph, but about the various derived meanings which> >>> resemble an image> >>>> >>> .what we get ? we are certainly struggling to make some sense> of what> >>> we see, feel, her and even touch.> >>>> >>> anything becomes a backgroound, in a situation. of image or> otherwise.> >>> what violence is happening in the background is struggling for a> >>> language, which is perhaps not there. It might be discovering> one> >>> only when someting replaces its own background. There is deep> flux> >>> going on between this background-foreground of reality. I am> >>> personally wondering if we could ever get a right picture of '> what it> >>> is' . since background instantly lapses into silence, without> those> >>> essential codes which occupy the meaning.> >>>> >>> we certainly create meaning of a history only when we distance> >>> ourselves from it. otherwise there is no way we can talk ' the> >>> hysteria of history' .... this is the paradox, which often keep> us> >>> busy, chasing the other, so distortions, wittingly or> unwittingly.> >>> the saner thing appears, here, is that we need to emancipate> ourselves> >>> from time to time, keep ourselves open to doubt. this is> perhaps, too> >>> much to demand, since people want instant results, both in> their> >>> private and public life. But we know how changes occur,> sometimes> >>> nothing seems to change. particularly when the word '> revolution' is> >>> passe.> >>>> >>> you have rightly said that social reality is coded, but how much> >>> quantum of the coded reality gets its ' time ' to occupy the> sapce for> >>> a meaning. ( i am perhaps vague ) . the impermenance of> whites,> >>> blacks and blues in the sky makes it all time grey.> >>> but then perhaps, we need a contrast to realise our own beings,> our> >>> identities, genders so that background ( greys ) are not talked> about,> >>> literally a grey is colour a coded shade too. an illusion> again. but> >>> something is more rapid than eye which thinks it catches full.> >>>> >>>> >>> in another post, i was thinking about a 10000 year old histroy> to> >>> begin with, where we can certainly make this grey more visible.> but> >>> since we have to talk and talk , so we need codes which are> available> >>> to us from our recent history only. so 1947 is coded in that> sense,> >>> but since we have moved far ahead of 1947 it strangely becomes a> >>> background reality. the pain of it atleast. even the recent> delhi bomb> >>> blasts become coded realities, but much happens always than we> can> >>> talk about> >>>> >>> love> >>> is> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>> On Sat, Sep 27, 2008 at 6:55 AM, Nazneen Anand Shamsi> >>> <nazoshmasi at googlemail.com> wrote:> >>> > Dear Inder,> >>> >> >>> > Thank you for a wonderful post. It made me think. Wasn't codes> always a> >>> part> >>> > of our reality? I don't see any harm in that. What makes me> wonder is> >>> this> >>> > whole background/foreground dichotomy. I think to see a> picture as an> >>> image> >>> > composed of backgrounds and foregrounds is to engage in an> exercise in> >>> self> >>> > delusion.> >>> >> >>> > Are there any backgrounds or foregrounds in a two dimensional> frame. Or> >>> is> >>> > it that we want to deliberately create that distance to make> meaning?> >>> Would> >>> > it be wrong to say that a picture is only composed of> backgrounds etched> >>> in> >>> > time and as we move along we call, for the sake of> convenience, some of> >>> > those backgrounds foregrounds? Or that every foreground was a> background> >>> > first, till we re-frame our perspective? Is 1947 really the> background or> >>> is> >>> > it a foreground, we are revisiting as in a state of deja vu?> >>> >> >>> > The social world will always unfold in front our eyes and will> always> >>> seem> >>> > like a code, for we will never know what it was. We will> always try to> >>> > interpret it. Grasp it. Clinch it. Manipulate it. There are no> blacks or> >>> > whites, only shades of gray. Constantly changing its color> like those> >>> dense> >>> > over cast clouds on a windy day. Which shade of gray that> cloud will take> >>> > depends only on the wind.> >>> >> >>> > I do not know whether the Jamia incident can become a national> issue, for> >>> I> >>> > truly believe that public memory is short. Between September> and may,> >>> > between winter and summer, a lot may happen. Lets hope and> keep hoping> >>> that> >>> > it happens for the best.> >>> >> >>> > Warm regards> >>> >> >>> > Nazo> >>> >> >>> >> >>> >> >>> >> >>> > On Fri, Sep 26, 2008 at 3:29 PM, inder salim <> indersalim at gmail.com>> >>> wrote:> >>> >>> >>> >> Dear Nazo> >>> >>> >>> >> you have a point, it is now very intersting. thanks for very> good> >>> >> reflections...> >>> >>> >>> >> yes, where ever there is free health care , people tend to> consume> >>> >> more medicine. .... yet another paradox.> >>> >>> >>> >> it was not just another case of an arrest where student was> arrested> >>> >> say on charges of rape etc. but the situation is quite> political here.> >>> >> i still see 1947 kind of reality. I still see kings and> princes> >>> >> around, in that sense, i feel there were always prime> ministers and> >>> >> elections.> >>> >>> >>> >> i quote ronald barthi , The stadium is always coded, the> punctum is> >>> >> not. He is talking about photographs, where the backgroud is> almost> >>> >> insignficant, thus giving a mysterious presence to the> figures in the> >>> >> foreground. I am just learning myself, here, to understand if> we can> >>> >> talk about the background reality of the muslims. Li ving> on yumana> >>> >> pushta, i once asked a man what is your name, he politely> replied,> >>> >> mein to musalmaan hoon ( i am just a muslim ) . so the issue> of> >>> >> minority comes to the fore, the whole cane or worms begin to> swarm the> >>> >> surface which was meant for words, words which hold the> meaning....> >>> >>> >>> >> The media, the red and white scarf around the faces of the> arrested> >>> >> students, the muslim terrorism, the necessary and> un)necessary roles> >>> >> played by police, the shaheed police officer, and the> opposite side of> >>> >> the muslims fundamentalsim: RSS Parivar, Everything is coded,> and we> >>> >> readiilyy see green as muslim and orange as Hindu and so> on...> >>> >>> >>> >> But here, the punctum is the large background of human mass,> who are> >>> >> suspicious... ........ the term ' jamia, which was not a> major> >>> >> foreground part of the image till recently is begining to> become> >>> >> coded, Thus its VC who happens to be a muslim. Everhing is> becoming> >>> >> like a stadium.> >>> >>> >>> >> the palyers are playing the game. But there is unpridicatable> nautre> >>> >> of game,, a strange dynamics in the audience, hapening all> the time,> >>> >> outside the stadium too, beyond the hills too, beyond> terrotiers too.> >>> >> the air and sun mixed with history is such that the> background happens> >>> >> withoiut a representation, and thus a mysterioius, and> unpridictable.> >>> >>> >>> >> The entry of HRD in all of this has again added a code to the> existing> >>> >> codes. That was inevitable, because the stadium was bigger> than it> >>> >> looked before.> >>> >> NOt surprising , the jamia issue can become a national issue> for anti> >>> >> BJP campaing, who tried their best to catapult Amanath Land> issue into> >>> >> national election issue......, and thus all kinds of> distortions. One> >>> >> of the distortion is : creating legal cell, but how to see> that not> >>> >> happening, given the nature of coded presence, which is too> >>> >> overwhelming. we are caught in the laybrinth of paradoxes, i> quote> >>> >> Focualt> >>> >>> >>> >> The background is what sometimes, looks more deeper than the> the> >>> obvious.> >>> >>> >>> >> love> >>> >> is> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >> On Fri, Sep 26, 2008 at 5:56 PM, Nazneen Anand Shamsi> >>> >> <nazoshmasi at googlemail.com> wrote:> >>> >> > Dear Radhikarajen, Dear Iram, Dear all> >>> >> >> >>> >> > This is exactly what I was fearing. One incident happens in> a> >>> localized> >>> >> > setting, and people want to set up an institution to 'deal'> with it.> >>> >> > Creating one more category to trap a section of the society> which is> >>> >> > already> >>> >> > struggling with other categories. This is far more> alienating. I would> >>> >> > not> >>> >> > be surprised, that given the timing of this benign act,> some people on> >>> >> > this> >>> >> > list would be extremely happy, for their wishes were> answered. But the> >>> >> > larger fallout, in this case would be, that other> communities would> >>> >> > begin to> >>> >> > ask for such institutions as well. Which in turn would do> more harm> >>> than> >>> >> > good to vulnerable sections of society. I would expect the> members of> >>> >> > the> >>> >> > state to act with more impunity, in cases to come, for now> they can> >>> >> > always> >>> >> > say to members of minority community, yes we are doing this> but you> >>> may> >>> >> > go> >>> >> > to this institution and register your protest. This is> exactly what> >>> >> > happened> >>> >> > in East Germany, which allowed Statsi to harass people at> will as they> >>> >> > have> >>> >> > compensatory institutions at place.> >>> >> >> >>> >> > I find this act by HRD Minister deeply anguishing. This is> not called> >>> >> > for at> >>> >> > all. I register my protest in the setting up of this legal> cell in the> >>> >> > strongest possible manner.> >>> >> >> >>> >> > Best> >>> >> >> >>> >> > Nazo> >>> >> >> >>> >> >> >>> >> > On Fri, Sep 26, 2008 at 12:30 PM, <radhikarajen at vsnl.net>> wrote:> >>> >> >> >>> >> >> STOP PRESS> >>> >> >>> >>> >> >> expect the vily old fox to encash the votes, Shri, Arjun> Singh, HRD> >>> >> >> minister visited the VC of Jamia Milia University to> extend all help> >>> to> >>> >> >> all> >>> >> >> terror accused, now Bhajrang dal also can expect all help> for the> >>> >> >> activities> >>> >> >> from HRD minister. A special legal cell has been> constituted to> >>> >> >> encourage> >>> >> >> obstruction of judicial proceedings with reputed> "criminal" lawyers> >>> >> >> and the> >>> >> >> panel will be headed by R K Anand, legal illuninary who> can obstruct> >>> >> >> all> >>> >> >> proceedings for the right fee, able assisted by minister> of Law, H R> >>> >> >> Bharadwaj, who was instrumental in obstruction of> impeachment of a> >>> >> >> judge in> >>> >> >> Parliament, Mr. Jce. Ramaswamy. Mr. Kapil Sibal will be> this time> >>> >> >> arguing> >>> >> >> both i and out of parliament for the legal aid cell. ( In> impeachment> >>> >> >> proceedings being non member of parliament, Mr. sibal had> argued at> >>> the> >>> >> >> entrance of the hall of parliament.)> >>> >> >>> >>> >> >> All the universities will be provided budgetary> allocations on caste,> >>> >> >> faith> >>> >> >> based estimates with funds to extend legal aid., the> minister> >>> assured,> >>> >> >> and> >>> >> >> particular care will be taken of the faith based> terrorists and all> >>> >> >> help> >>> >> >> will be extended to improve law and order and the accused> can have> >>> all> >>> >> >> the> >>> >> >> help from various minstries also like railway passes for> going to the> >>> >> >> courts, subsidised fertisiser, ammonium nitrate for the> needy.> >>> >> >>> _________________________________________> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city.> Critiques & Collaborations> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header.> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: &lt;https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/>
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