[Reader-list] The Epitaph of a Mind: Vir Sanghvi

[Yousuf]

I completely disagree with the author.



--- On Thu, 4/2/09, Rahul Asthana <rahul_capri at yahoo.com> wrote:

> From: Rahul Asthana <rahul_capri at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] The Epitaph of a Mind: Vir Sanghvi
> To: "Sarai" <reader-list at sarai.net>, "Wali Arifi" <waliarifi3 at gmail.com>, ysaeed7 at yahoo.com
> Date: Thursday, April 2, 2009, 7:19 PM
> Dear Yousuf,
> It isn't clear from your email whether you agree or
> disagree with the writers contention. Can you please
> clarify?
> 
> Thanks
> Rahul
> 
> 
> --- On Thu, 3/26/09, Yousuf <ysaeed7 at yahoo.com>
> wrote:
> 
> > From: Yousuf <ysaeed7 at yahoo.com>
> > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] The Epitaph of a Mind: Vir
> Sanghvi
> > To: "Sarai" <reader-list at sarai.net>,
> "Wali Arifi" <waliarifi3 at gmail.com>
> > Date: Thursday, March 26, 2009, 12:13 PM
> > Thanks Wali Arifi for posting this write-up.
> > I am amazed at the shallowness of the analysis made by
> such
> > an experienced journalist. If one can get to know
> about the
> > people of a certain country simply by observing the
> most
> > apparent signs (as seen on TV) of last few days and
> > generalize that they are evil or different or
> whatever,
> > compared to us, then I think Vir Sanghvi is right. But
> I am
> > sure such a simple generalization could even be made
> by a
> > 6th grade school student brought up on a diet of TV
> news.
> > 
> > If Pakistanis are not the same people as us (Indians)
> > simply because over last 60 years they have grown to
> become
> > something else (something of an evil), haven't we
> > Indians grown to become something else? What makes
> > Mr.Sanghvi think that among the twins separated at
> birth one
> > has gone in the right direction while the other one
> has been
> > spoiled.
> > 
> > But talking about the same-ness, at one level even the
> > residents of Amritsar and Lahore have been very
> different
> > (even before 1947), and at another level, the people
> of
> > Kabul and Kandhamal are the same, even today. Am I not
> > right?
> > 
> > Yousuf
> > 
> > 
> > --- On Thu, 3/26/09, Wali Arifi
> > <waliarifi3 at gmail.com> wrote:
> > 
> > > From: Wali Arifi <waliarifi3 at gmail.com>
> > > Subject: [Reader-list] The Epitaph of a Mind: Vir
> > Sanghvi
> > > To: "Sarai"
> <reader-list at sarai.net>
> > > Date: Thursday, March 26, 2009, 11:07 AM
> > > Vir Sanghvi, Hindustan Times
> > > March 07, 2009
> > > First Published: 21:47 IST(7/3/2009)
> > > 
> > > The same people? Surely not
> > > 
> > > Few things annoy me as much as the claim often
> > advanced by
> > > well-meaning but woolly- headed (and usually
> Punjabi)
> > > liberals to the
> > > effect that when it comes to India and Pakistan,
> > > "We’re all the same
> > > people, yaar."
> > > 
> > > This may have been true once upon a time. Before
> 1947,
> > > Pakistan was
> > > part of undivided India and you could claim that
> > Punjabis
> > > from West
> > > Punjab (what is now Pakistan) were as Indian as,
> say,
> > > Tamils from
> > > Madras.
> > > 
> > > But time has a way of moving on. And while the
> gap
> > between
> > > our
> > > Punjabis (from east Punjab which is now the only
> > Punjab
> > > left in India)
> > > and our Tamils may actually have narrowed, thanks
> to
> > > improved
> > > communications, shared popular culture and
> greater
> > physical
> > > mobility,
> > > the gap between Indians and Pakistanis has now
> widened
> > to
> > > the extent
> > > that we are no longer the same people in any
> > significant
> > > sense.
> > > 
> > > This was brought home to me most clearly by two
> major
> > > events over the
> > > last few weeks.
> > > 
> > > The first of these was the attack on the Sri
> Lankan
> > cricket
> > > team on
> > > the streets of Lahore. In their defence,
> Pakistanis
> > said
> > > that they
> > > were powerless to act against the terrorists
> because
> > > religious
> > > fanaticism was growing. Each day more misguided
> > youngsters
> > > joined
> > > jihadi outfits and the law and order situation
> > worsened.
> > > 
> > > Further, they added, things had got so bad that
> in the
> > > tribal areas
> > > the government of Pakistan had agreed to suspend
> the
> > rule
> > > of law under
> > > pressure from the Taliban and had conceded that
> sharia
> > law
> > > would reign
> > > instead. Interestingly, while most civilised
> liberals
> > > should have been
> > > appalled by this surrender to the forces of
> extremism,
> > many
> > > Pakistanis
> > > defended this concession.
> > > 
> > > Imran Khan (Keble College, Oxford, 1973-76) even
> > declared
> > > that sharia
> > > law would be better because justice would be
> dispensed
> > more
> > > swiftly!
> > > (I know this is politically incorrect but the
> Loin of
> > the
> > > Punjab’s
> > > defence of sharia law reminded me of the famous
> > Private Eye
> > > cover when
> > > his marriage to Jemima Goldsmith was announced.
> The
> > Eye
> > > carried a
> > > picture of Khan speaking to Jemima’s father.
> “Can
> > I
> > > have your
> > > daughter’s hand?” Imran was supposedly asking
> > James
> > > Goldsmith. “Why?
> > > Has she been caught shoplifting?” Goldsmith
> replied.
> > So
> > > much for
> > > sharia law.)
> > > 
> > > The second contrasting event was one that took
> place
> > in Los
> > > Angeles
> > > but which was perhaps celebrated more in India
> than in
> > any
> > > other
> > > country in the world. Three Indians won Oscars:
> A.R.
> > > Rahman, Resul
> > > Pookutty and Gulzar.
> > > 
> > > Their victory set off a frenzy of rejoicing. We
> were
> > proud
> > > of our
> > > countrymen. We were pleased that India’s
> > entertainment
> > > industry and
> > > its veterans had been recognised at an
> international
> > > platform. And all
> > > three men became even bigger heroes than they
> already
> > were.
> > > 
> > > But here’s the thing: Not one of them is a
> Hindu.
> > > 
> > > Can you imagine such a thing happening in
> Pakistan?
> > Can you
> > > even
> > > conceive of a situation where the whole country
> would
> > > celebrate the
> > > victory of three members of two religious
> minorities?
> > For
> > > that matter,
> > > can you even imagine a situation where people
> from
> > > religious
> > > minorities would have got to the top of their
> fields
> > and
> > > were,
> > > therefore, in the running for international
> awards?
> > > 
> > > On the one hand, you have Pakistan imposing
> sharia
> > law,
> > > doing deals
> > > with the Taliban, teaching hatred in madrasas,
> > declaring
> > > jihad on the
> > > world and trying to kill innocent Sri Lankan
> > cricketers. On
> > > the other,
> > > you have the triumph of Indian secularism.
> > > 
> > > The same people?
> > > 
> > > Surely not.
> > > 
> > > We are defined by our nationality. They choose to
> > define
> > > themselves by
> > > their religion.
> > > 
> > > But it gets even more complicated. As you
> probably
> > know,
> > > Rahman was
> > > born Dilip Kumar. He converted to Islam when he
> was
> > 21. His
> > > religious
> > > preferences made no difference to his prospects.
> Even
> > now,
> > > his music
> > > cuts across all religious boundaries. He’s as
> much
> > at
> > > home with Sufi
> > > music as he is with
> > > bhajans. Nor does he have any problem with saying
> > ‘Vande
> > > Mataram’.
> > > 
> > > Now, think of a similar situation in Pakistan.
> Can you
> > > conceive of a
> > > Pakistani composer who converted to Hinduism at
> the
> > age of
> > > 21 and
> > > still went on to become a national hero? Under
> sharia
> > law,
> > > they’d
> > > probably have to execute him.
> > > 
> > > Resul Pookutty’s is an even more interesting
> case.
> > Until
> > > you realise
> > > that Malayalis tend to put an ‘e’ where the
> rest
> > of us
> > > would put an
> > > ‘a,’ (Ravi becomes Revi and sometimes the
> Gulf
> > becomes
> > > the Gelf), you
> > > cannot work out that his name derives from
> Rasool, a
> > fairly
> > > obviously
> > > Islamic name.
> > > 
> > > But here’s the point: even when you point out
> to
> > people
> > > that Pookutty
> > > is in fact a Muslim, they don’t really care. It
> > makes no
> > > difference to
> > > them. He’s an authentic Indian hero, his
> religion is
> > > irrelevant.
> > > 
> > > Can you imagine Pakistan being indifferent to a
> > man’s
> > > religion? Can
> > > you believe that Pakistanis would not know that
> one of
> > > their Oscar
> > > winners came from a religious minority? And would
> any
> > > Pakistani have
> > > dared bridge the religious divide in the manner
> Resul
> > did
> > > by referring
> > > to the primeval power of Om in his acceptance
> speech?
> > > 
> > > The same people?
> > > 
> > > Surely not.
> > > 
> > > Most interesting of all is the case of Gulzar who
> many
> > > Indians believe
> > > is a Muslim. He is not. He is a Sikh. And his
> real
> > name is
> > > Sampooran
> > > Singh Kalra.
> > > 
> > > So why does he have a Muslim name?
> > > 
> > > It’s a good story and he told it on my TV show
> some
> > years
> > > ago. He was
> > > born in West Pakistan and came over the border
> during
> > the
> > > bloody days
> > > of Partition. He had seen so much hatred and
> religious
> > > violence on
> > > both sides, he said, that he was determined never
> to
> > lose
> > > himself to
> > > that kind of blind religious prejudice and
> fanaticism.
> > > 
> > > Rather than blame Muslims for the violence
> inflicted
> > on his
> > > community
> > > — after all, Hindus and Sikhs behaved with
> equal
> > ferocity
> > > — he adopted
> > > a Muslim pen name to remind himself that his
> identity
> > was
> > > beyond
> > > religion. He still writes in Urdu and considers
> it
> > > irrelevant whether
> > > a person is a Sikh, a Muslim or a Hindu.
> > > 
> > > Let’s forget about political correctness and
> come
> > clean:
> > > can you see
> > > such a thing happening in Pakistan? Can you
> actually
> > > conceive of a
> > > famous Pakistani Muslim who adopts a Hindu or
> Sikh
> > name out
> > > of choice
> > > to demonstrate the irrelevance of religion?
> > > 
> > > My point, exactly.
> > > 
> > > What all those misguided liberals who keep
> blathering
> > on
> > > about us
> > > being the same people forget is that in the
> 60-odd
> > years
> > > since
> > > Independence, our two nations have traversed very
> > different
> > > paths.
> > > 
> > > Pakistan was founded on the basis of Islam. It
> still
> > > defines itself in
> > > terms of Islam. And over the next decade as it
> > destroys
> > > itself, it
> > > will be because of Islamic extremism.
> > > 
> > > India was founded on the basis that religion had
> no
> > role in
> > > determining citizenship or nationhood. An Indian
> can
> > belong
> > > to any
> > > religion in the world and face no discrimination
> in
> > his
> > > rights as a
> > > citizen.
> > > 
> > > It is nobody’s case that India is a perfect
> society
> > or
> > > that Muslims
> > > face no discrimination. But only a fool would
> deny
> > that in
> > > the last
> > > six decades, we have travelled a long way towards
> > religious
> > > equality.
> > > In the early days of independent India, a Yusuf
> Khan
> > had to
> > > call
> > > himself Dilip Kumar for fear of attracting
> religious
> > > prejudice.
> > > 
> > > In today’s India, a Dilip Kumar can change his
> name
> > to
> > > A.R. Rahman and
> > > nobody really gives a damn either way.
> > > 
> > > So think back to the events of the last few
> weeks. To
> > the
> > > murderous
> > > attack on innocent Sri Lankan cricketers by
> jihadi
> > fanatics
> > > in a
> > > society that is being buried by Islamic
> extremism. And
> > to
> > > the triumphs
> > > of Indian secularism.
> > > 
> > > Same people?
> > > 
> > > Don’t make me laugh.
> > > _________________________________________
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> > 
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