Compiled by Aradhna Wal Timeless A painting by Krishna Reddy Peter Nagy on Art Krishna Reddy is most famously known for his print works. However, when I went for his show The Embodied Image:The Art and Life of Krishna Reddy, what caught my eye was his watercolours, especially a series from 1963, which had never been seen before. These paintings were far more abstract than his other works, yet they read like landscapes to me. His watercolours are extremely rich in hue, yet subdued. And for their time, they were very participatory in the country’s progressive dialogue. Something strikes you because it speaks strongly to you. And Reddy’s paintings just blew me away. Nagy is the director of Nature Morte Gallery in Delhi AJ Thomas on Books Anatomy of a Disappearance by Hisham Matar has caught my attention. Apart from the topical importance of the theme, its style and structure are fascinating. It describes the countless ‘disappearances’ of intellectuals and dissidents during the Gaddafi regime in Libya. The story of human malice practised as State policy, bedevilling normal lives, is told poignantly.
‘It talks about dissidents who vanish ed during the Gaddafi regime’
Thomas is an Indian Poet and Fiction Writer
Bring in the stormWayne Shorter Indraneel Hariharan on Music
The ’70s was an age of revolution in music. And the American bandWeather Report, founded by saxophone player Wayne Shorter, was the pioneer in the evolution of jazz. I have to say Jaco Pastorius was the finest bassist to have lived on the planet. The band imbibed Latin and African music traditions with jazz, giving rise to world music. Hariharan is the Bassist with The Band Mrigya
Marital bliss A still from Scenesfrom a Marriage
Sumit Khanna on Film
In Scenes from a Marriage, Ingmar Bergman gives a reeling interpretation of marriage; how a diametrically opposite couple co-exists at intimate levels. Actors Liv Ullmann and Erland Josephson give the most honest performances. We share 20 years of their love, hate, anger, denial and pain. Bergman wrote and directed the film in 1973 when he was in his fifth marriage that lasted 24 years until his wife died. It is a superb, concise treatise about the nature of falling in and out of love, how to differentiate what love is, and essentially what a marriage is. Khanna is a Mumbai-based Filmmaker Kunal Kapur on Food
Five-star hotels tend to dilute the flavour of Lucknow’s delicacies. But Kangan Restaurant at The Westin Mumbai comes very close to the authentic taste. They have excellent kakori and galouti kebabs, and paranthas. The highlight is a hard-to- obtain recipe of taar korma, a lamb-based dish with lots of stock and juiced bone marrow. The place has a contemporary décor, with a window for a wall on one side and a live kit chen on the other. Not only do you watch your food being coo ked, you also get a breathtaking view of Mumbai from the 18th floor.
Kapur is the executive sous-chef at Diya, Leela Kempinski, Gurgaon
Cosmic minds, An artwork by Alex Grey
A painting, more than giving visual pleasure, connects with the vibe around one. An artist puts a part of his soul into it. And when that takes a decade, the work becomes sacred. The Sacred Mirrors series, by American visionary artist Alex Grey, takes the viewer on a journey towards their own divine nature by examining in detail, the body, mind and spirit. Started in 1979, the series took 10 years to complete. The Sacred Mirrors revolves around the context of cosmic, biological and technological evolution. Grey’s depictions of the human body have multiple layers of reality and reveal the interplay of spiritual forces. Gandhi is a Delhi-based artist and founder of Toosid
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Shreekumar Varma on Books
The Wandering Falcon by Jamil Ahmad is gently written, yet speaks of violence and unsettlement. The ‘falcon’ is Tor Baz, making Hitchcock-ian appearances in this collection of stories. Stories of nomadic tribes foxed by borders between Pakistan and Afghanistan, restricting age-old freedom. As I read this desert tapestry of a colourful, earthy people, I felt I lived among them. Varma is the author of Lament of Mohini
[/box] Soul beats: Ari Hoenig Abhishek Mangla on Music
I have some unconventional choices, and these days I follow Ari Hoenig, a contemporary jazz drummer. I’m trying to get my hands on his album Lines of Oppression. He doesn’t play traditional jazz, but focusses on a more structurally open form. It is a very different way of playing the drums. Words cannot describe it. His is not a static, hard hitting drumming. It embraces the modern form of jazz, which is harmonically simple, but rhythmically improvisatory. Mangla is a Delhi-based Bassist
[box] Charmed?: A still from Tales of the Night Fairy Debolina Dutta on Film Shohini Ghosh’s documentary Tales of the Night Fairy is based on the lives of five sex workers in Kolkata. I saw the movie in law college and it opened up new worlds for me. It is probably the reason why I work with sex workers. The film is the first of its kind in India. It goes beyond, in fact, breaks the sex worker stereotype perpetuated by films and the media; the myth of the perpetually miserable souls living in hellholes. It gives its subjects the dignity of coming across as human beings dealing with life’s problems and negotiating with them on a day-to-day basis.
Dutta is a Delhi-based lawyer and filmmaker
[/box] Puranchand Joshi on Food
I go for Ego Obsession in Delhi’s New Friends Colony. A lot of other restaurants are always crowded and noisy. It is hard to truly enjoy a meal in that kind of ambience. Ego, however, is spacious, like your drawing room. The customer feels relaxed, comfortable and at home. The cuisine is mainly Italian and Continental. The menu is extensive and reasonably priced. But what attracts me the most is that it is flexible. The waiters are more than happy to change a dish to suit the customer’s tastes. The Ego kitchen serves you food tweaked to your palate. The service is very friendly too, and best of all, prompt.
Joshi is the manager of the Living room, New Delhi
Compiled by Aradhna Wal Greek odds An artwork by Surendran Nair Yamini Telkar on Art
I would recommend the works of Surendran Nair, a preeminent contemporary Indian artist. His works are witty, sarcastic yet strongly appealing. Though his titles hark back to classical Greek mythology, his paintings explore the individual and the society in India. They are strongly rooted in, and flavoured by, local culture. The beauty of his work, however, lies in his renegotiation with the Indian imagery. His canvas always surprises the viewer and the critic by telling an old story in a brand new way. Telkar is the curator of the Delhi Art Gallery
[box] Jaishree Misra on Books One Day by David Nicholls would have been instantly branded ‘chick-lit’, had it been written by a, er, chick. But Nicholls presents a potted social history of Britain from the late ’80s onwards. Em and Dex meet on the last day of university before going their separate ways. The reader watches the progress of their lives on the 15th of July for the next 20 years. Nicholls presents a potted social history of Britain from the late ’80s onwards Misra is the author of Ancient Promises and Rani
[/box] Adil Manuel on Music
People worship rock legends, and rock legends worship Allan Holdsworth. The English guitarist and composer sets the trend for other musicians, but he himself can never be copied, especially on stage. He is 65 and the older he gets the crazier his music becomes. I’d recommend easier songs like Sand and Funnels, which I myself would like to play someday. Manuel is a Delhi-based musician with Adil and Vasundhara Trendsetter
English guitarist and composer Allan Holdsworth
[box] Stepping up A still from Dancer in the Dark Aparna Sanyal on Film
I remember coaxing my self-confessed Hindi film buff father to watch Lars von Trier’s Dancer in the Dark years ago. Telling him about von Trier and the Dogme movement wouldn’t have worked. He was also unlikely to be moved by the fact that it won the Palme d’Or in 2000. And so I told him how it was a melodramatic story of a mother’s love for her child, and her fight against all odds to save her son from a ‘dark’ fate. That it had songs. Dances too! I’m not sure von Trier would have been flattered, but he did end up having an atypical viewer that day! Sanyal is a filmmaker based in Delhi
[/box] Rachana Desai on Food
Goa has many places to dine, but my favourite is Anand Lunch Home. It is a shack-like restaurant sitting in the middle of some green fields near Anjuna and Vagator beaches. They serve Hindu coastal cuisine, which is very different from the Christian Goan food that we are more familiar with. I had a fish thali, which has a few masala-filled clams, a piece of fried fish, a bowl of coconut fish curry, some vegetables and rice. You could also opt for rawa fried prawns or rawa fried king fish. You don’t need anything else after that. Truly local, unspoilt and fresh, you won’t find any tourists here.
Desai is the partner and Coo of Cafe Zaffiro, New Delhi
Photographer Rohit Chawla, 46, likes to shoot things that move. So his new coffee-table book The Fine Art of Food is an exception. Chawla ventured into the kitchens of The Leela hotel in Delhi and captured over 60 dishes prepared by chefs from across the world. Writer William Dalrymple proclaims in his foreword that the book celebrates the “skill of new India’s chefs”. Chawla tells Aradhna Wal why it is important for good food to look appetising. Edited Excerpts Flavour of art Rohit Chawla Does food photography demand a different approach? I have a very graphic, minimalist sensibility to most things. The Leela gave me this opportunity to play with design. The food from the restaurants Le Cirque and Megu was perfect for the concept — to concentrate on the food and to not get sidetracked by props. Minimalism is like Haiku poetry. I had to evoke the taste. So I stuck to the realm of the dish, without using extra ingredients. How would you describe your transition from high voltage fashion photography to minimalist food art?
Working in advertising has instilled discipline in me. That is why I could complete this book in 15 days. No one has done food like this — focussing on its design aspect. Restaurants like el Bulli in Spain made food look sexy, but even they haven’t done such a concept. What were the particular challenges?
Since I shot the food from a top angle, it was difficult to bring out the shape and the contours of each dish. One hurdle was the powerful white light underneath the glass surface on which the food was placed. Its heat sorely affected the presentation. The ice cream would melt, so would the chocolate. We had three minutes flat for each dish. Which is perfect. Something that requires 30 minutes is boring. One person who helped me was chef Karan Suri. I could work spontaneously with him. There’s no rocket science to food or any photo graphy. What you need is a brain, and you also need to be quick on your feet. Rohit Chawla What dishes made the best and the worst models?
The cover dish — Le Cirque’s vegetable garden — is my favourite. I’ve framed and hung it in my house. Another memorable one was the crispy fried red snapper with spicy mango sauce. William Dalrymple took one look and pronounced that it resembled the ‘Unswept Floor’ mosaic from 2nd century BC Greece. That was a happy coincidence. Indian food was hard. How do you make poori bhaji look stylistic? I had to pick food that was malleable, that I could set up aesthetically. This entire shoot is a tribute to Nouvelle cuisine that states good food should also look good. Which international food photographer do you admire?
No one in particular. Looking at food bores me. This is the last time I’m shooting food. I respond to design, whatever the subject. The digital age has forced us professionals to reinvent the eye. Some stick to simple document ation and call it a pure art form, but that’s bland and lazy. We need to incorporate our style and personality into our photographs to push the boundaries. Aradhna Wal is a Trainee, Features with Tehelka. aradhna@tehelka.com
Compiled by Aradhna Wal Elephant in the room An artwork by Bharti Kher Geetha Mehra on Art
One of my favourite pieces is Bharti Kher’s now famous baby elephant sculpture, The Skin Speaks a Language Not Its Own, exhibited at Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in Delhi. The museum itself is audacious enough to be located inside the DLF South Court Mall in Saket, and provides the ultimate accessibility for travellers and tourists. The museum is dedicated to Indian art and introduces visitors to what the country has to offer. The display is personally selected by Kiran Nadar. It is an eclectic collection of old masters and cutting-edge contemporary art. This juxtaposition makes it all the more fascinating. Mehra is the director of the Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai
[box] Arpita Das on Books
The one book I’d recommend to any reader is WG Sebald’s The Rings of Saturn. It is an account of the narrator’s journey, on foot, through Norfolk and Suffolk. It blurs the line between past and present, and fact and fiction with dexterity. It is a fascinating exegesis on living quietly in suffering. Personally, I would call it a literary masterpiece. Das is a Delhi-based publisher with Yoda Press
[/box] City beats Robin Mathew from Five8 Faith Gonsalves on Music Five8 is a great Indie band. Their funk-based songs resonate with the stories of people like me, the quintessential Dilliwalla, who braves the traffic, enjoys the food, and battles relationships every day. The self-titled album’s artwork highlights Delhi’s concreteness as a Commonwealth Games jungle. At the same time, their mellower songs such as Believe capture a totally different audience. Gonsalves is the founder of Music Basti,Delhi
[box] Fatal attraction A still from Año Bisiesto Aamir Bashir on Film
One of the most hard-hitting films I’ve seen is the Mexican art filmAño Bisiesto (Leap Year). It is Australia- born Michael Rowe’s directorial debut, and won the Caméra d’Or at Cannes Film Festival 2010. Shot in a single apartment with a fixed camera, the film uses the theme of lack of space to tell a deeply layered and complex tale. The graphic sex, violence and nudity tend to make viewers uncomfortable. But that is the purpose of the film. Rowe tells the story of a city through one woman’s claustrophobic isolation. For those who can stomach it, it is a must watch. Bashir is a Mumbai-based actor and director of Harud
[/box] Dennis Francis Dheo on Food
One of my favourite breakfast places is a nondescript little joint in Koramangala, Bengaluru. The restaurant is very aptly called The Hole in the Wall Cafe. It’s a tiny place that is always jampacked. You’d be hard-pressed to get a table on weekends. The menu offers standard breakfast fare such as bacon, burgers and pancakes, all of which are truly sumptuous. My personal choice is the excellent waffles. Order a plate along with the coffee or your choice of fresh juice. It has a very inviting interior. Warm and cozy, it is built like a living room. All in all, a meal here is a great way to start the day.
Dheo is a dessert consultant with the Grey Garden, Delhi
Aastha Atray Banan meets Aki Narula, the fashion designer who has given Bollywood a new fashion idiom The mentor Narula ponders during Lakmé GenNext fittings Photo: MS Gopal BEFORE HE began to shoot for Rockstar, filmmaker Imtiaz Ali had been having nightmares of an unusual kind. He had been worried about the styling of his characters. Ali wanted a designer, who could be the “soul of a filmmaker, and one whose clothes add a history to your story”. The filmmaker soon realised that his vision could be brought to life by Aki Narula. “Recently, I had an emotional chat with Aki and told him that his clothes made my characters believable. He pulls out things from thin air, without much cost, and dazzles you with his vision. Despite being so intensely involved in fashion, he hasn’t lost interest in people, and that’s super important,” says Ali.
Designing for Rockstar was a day’s work for the 41-year-old designer. The trailer has a young Ranbir Kapoor sporting the small-town denim-and-sweater combination and later, pathani-style kurtas with arm bands in his rockstar avatar. One can’t miss the modesty with which Narula says, “I dress the character in what the character can afford. Maybe the character has a pushy mother who buys his clothes — so I become that pushy mother.”
Bollywood styling also needs a pushy mother every now and then to raise the bar. With his simple yet hard-to-pull-off design aesthetic, Narula has played an important role in defining the new Bollywood chic, a contribution that has made him one of the most sought-after fashion designers in the industry. This explains a rather elaborate film calendar that includes forthcoming releases such as Rockstar, Agent Vinod, Ladies vs Ricky Bahl,Barfee and Housefull 2.
Rani Mukerji in Bunty Aur Babli
Ranbir Kapoor and Bipasha Basu in Bachna Ae Haseeno
Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif in Tees Maar Khan
Narula, though, is no stranger to such popularity. He began his career as a fashion designer in Kolkata in 1994 and launched his own brand, Aki, in 1996. It was known for its unusual and out-of-the- box collections (in 2003, his models walked the ramp in ribbed shirts and embroidered underwear, and kissed each other). In 2000, he participated in Lakme India Fashion Week (a year after which his whole collection was lapped up by Selfridges UK) and, in 2002, he was appointed the design director at Sheetal Design Studio. By then, Bollywood had come calling. In 2005, he designed clothes for Yash Raj Films’ Bunty Aur Babli, a film that changed the way we saw Patiala salwars and kurtis.
Ranbir Kapoor in Rockstar
Amitabh Bachchan in Jhoom Barabar Jhoom
Abhishek Bachchan and John Abraham in Dostana
Cut to present. As he sits in a Bandra café, sipping beer, his mind still seems to be ticking. A few minutes later, he tells hairstylist Sapna Bhavnani the vision he has for her mannequins at her salon. “I think we should use that blue jumbo bags that all stylists use, the typical theli to create an outfit.” One wonders how a designer, who spots beauty in a blue plastic bag, can design for Bollywood where conforming to average glitter is often the only way to succeed. “It all depends on how you start. I did Bunty Aur Babli because Aditya Chopra believed in me. He convinced people to work with me, and then actors realised that the out-of-the-box stuff I suggest does work. I bought fake Nike tees for Abhishek (Bachchan), and for Shah Rukh (Khan) in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, I only shopped from Sarojini Nagar. But that’s the way I see the character. And I am a fighter on the sets — there is no bling if it’s not needed,” he says.
‘Aditya Chopra convinced actors to work with me. They soon realised the out-of- the-box stuff does work. I’m a fighter on the sets — there is no bling if it’s not needed,’ says Narula
Although he won’t conform, he admits keeping away from movies to protect one’s art is a silly notion, one that could set limits to a designer’s imagination. Anjana Sharma, head of Fashion, IMG, puts it succinctly, “Aki’s edgy, and very real. He’s not over the top. And that’s why he works so well in Bollywood. He can cater to the masses very well.” There is truth in that admiration: one does remember the tailors across the country busy stitching the patialas and tight shirt kurtis worn by Rani Mukerji in Bunty Aur Babli. With Kareena Kapoor in a lime green bikini in Tashan and Priyanka Chopra in a disco-inspired silver mini in Don, who can possibly deny that Narula has given us images that people won’t forget in a hurry.
Does that mean he has abandoned the fashion industry for Bollywood? “They are equally challenging. But if I have to design a line, I need to take three months off, and I don’t have that kind of time. Maybe next year,” he says. He did return to his roots this year as he agreed to play mentor to the Lakmé GenNext designers. It’s been two seasons now, and the shows have been touted as the best ever in the history of Lakmé Fashion Week. Sharma says, “He is so young and child-like that the new designers don’t get intimidated. And he pushes the boundaries for them.” An evidence of this could be seen in this year’s show where he choreographed designer Urmi Ghosh’s show inspired by artist Pablo Picasso’s muse Dora Maar, in which models walked like schizophrenic rag dolls. He also layered to perfection designer Mohammed Javed Khan’s shabby chic collection. Khan says he was sceptical about Narula’s methods at first but when he saw the final product, he knew it was going to be fine. Ghosh says, “He understood my thought process and brought it out in his choreography. He was also available the whole time I was designing the line. I could call him up in the dead of the night with my anxious thoughts. He became a friend.” FOR NARULA, being there for Ghosh at midnight is a way of giving back to the industry. As you watch him culling out the details meticulously and tirelessly at the dressing room, and then later at fashion week, standing by watching the GenNext models walk down the ramp, you realise fashion is a serious business for Narula. “I had no formal training when I started. I learnt everything on the go. But people were supportive and I was appreciated. It’s my time to give back. I love playing mentor because it excites me to see this kind of talent in India. It makes me believe in the future of fashion.” But what about its current standing in international fashion? “Japanese designers are big in Europe as they mix Japanese sensibilities with modern designs. They don’t say: this is a kimono and now that’s the design. Indian designers need to learn from that. I only see a handful of designers who sell well abroad, because Indians still can’t do prêt. My question is ‘what is so damn exciting about you?’ Here, there is great fabric and finish but that just translates into great pricing. When will we do chic $10 tees?”
Shah Rukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra in Don
Narula styled Kareena Kapoor in Kambakkht Ishq
Saif Ali Khan, Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor in Tashan
The walk, though long, has been sweet so far for Narula. From being a child who would tell his mother which chiffon sari to wear with her pearls, a young adult who wore ties to meetings (he still can’t believe he did) during his advertising phase to metamorphosing into a fashion maverick, Narula has come a full circle. To wear an Aki Narula, you have to think like Aki Narula. As Imtiaz Ali asserts, “Aki doesn’t design clothes. He designs people.” Aastha Atray Banan is a Senior Correspondent, Mumbai with Tehelka. aastha@tehelka.com
Shibani Dandekar 31, Singer & Dancer WHO Singer, dancer and anchor, Shibani Dandekar has been performing since the age of four. Most recently, she hosted IPL 4. She also has a band with her sisters Anusha and Apeksha Dandekar called Dmajor. In between, she relocated to New York where she hosted the TV shows Namaste America, V Desi and Asian Variety Show. Dandekar grew up in Australia where she has performed at many places including the Sydney Opera House. What was it like growing up with three sisters having same interests? We are all of different ages so we weren’t competing. We always watched each other on stage and were supportive. Even when we worked together and formed a group, we kept our individual careers going. So, it was never a problem. How did you retain your roots even though you grew up in Australia?
My parents were liberal. Yet, we knew we were different from other kids. We were Indians. We only spoke Marathi at home till we were 15. Our parents were stricter than most parents. They wanted us to know that we have traditions and cultural ethics to follow. What was different about working in New York?
In New York, 100 girls fight for that one Indian role. Here, it is much easier. The industry accepts you for what you are. Luck, talent and hard work are important. It is getting hard here too because everyone wants to be in the industry. I have been on stage since I was four. Some people just want fame, that’s sad. For me, it is a part of my life What does being called “hot” mean to you?
With my family, I feel normal. If you are pretty and have zero personality, it doesn’t mean a thing. You need to have that zing. What do you think is your worst quality?
I have a really bad temper and when I get angry, I get out of control. My temper takes a whole form outside my body. But it comes down quickly as well and I feel super bad after that. It is something I am working on. How would you react if you walked in on your kid smoking a joint?
I would be upset if the kid is 12. If he or she is 16, I would see it as an experiment and talk about it. Our generation knows how to react to such situations. You can’t lock kids up in a room. It’s natural for them to try out new things.
Aastha Atray Banan is a Senior Correspondent, Mumbai with Tehelka. aastha@tehelka.com
CHENNAI FILMMAKERLeena Manimekalai’s films deal with issues others sweep under the rug — violence against Dalit women, child marriage in Tamil Nadu. Her latest film, Sengadal: The Dead Sea, based on the ethnic war in Sri Lanka that affected the lives of fishermen in Dhanushkodi in Tamil Nadu, has been refused a clearance certificate by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). The Censor Board says that it made denigrating political remarks about the governments of Sri Lanka and India.The 33-year-old documentary filmmaker tells Aastha Atray Banan why she will remain a non- conformist when it comes to her art. Edited excerpts: Deadlock A still from Sengadal: The Dead Sea How did the fishermen’s lives inspire you as a filmmaker?
The fishermen community is very compassionate. Be it refugees or rebels who come to them, they help everyone, often inviting problems from the State. Almost every household in Dhanush kodi has a story of their men being shot randomly by the Sri Lankan Navy in the sliver of water between India and Sri Lanka. Fish ermen get dumped as spies and smugglers and are punished. Sengadal will expose how every institution of power oppresses them. Deadlock Leena Manimekalai The Censor Board wanted to cut some parts of your film. But you have released the film independently. What is your take on censorship?
The Censor Board is a shame to our democracy. Institutions controlling content and deciding what their ‘subjects’ should see or think are a result of some colonial hang-up and a fascist attitude. I have gone to people directly with my films and there has been no law and order situation as the CBFC had feared. In fact, the films demanded intervention for the community. I can’t allow agencies like the CBFC to limit me. Your non-conformity dates back to your childhood. How did caste prejudices lead you to rebel?
In Maharajapuram, my village, Dalits live in ghettos and the landlord class lives on better streets. Though my family had Leftist leanings and was seen as a traitor in our upper-class landlord community, we still lived on the better streets, owned lands and married within the community. My desire for equality, which I acquired through my early exposure to Russian literature and Periyar EV Ramasamy little books, was constantly battered by the caste stereotypes. As a child, I once entered the village temple when I was menstruating. And when I came back, I told my family members that I’d rather die staying in my Dalit friend’s home. You were raised by a single mother. How did it form your childhood?
At 14, my mom married my father who is her maternal uncle. She used to say that I was born to her when she didn’t even know how a baby comes out of a woman’s body. I have heard her cursing my grandparents for dooming her to marriage when she was still playing kitti-pullu (village game). She wanted me to learn everything she didn’t — Bharatanatyam, Carnatic music, Sanskrit, etc. Being what she could not be was a task for me. Your film Goddesses had Dalit women taking on typically male roles in society and questioning them. Do you relate to these aspects of your protagonists?
Lakshmiamma (mourner and beef seller), Sethurakuamma (fisherwoman) and Krishnaveniamma (gravedigger) are shamans to me. The extraordinary lust these women have for their lives made me feel so good about my own trials and challenges. I think, I question and I live and I owe this quality of mine to people like these three goddesses. Aastha Atray Banan is a Senior Correspondent, Mumbai with Tehelka. aastha@tehelka.com
Discordant note: Jama Masjid’s Imam Bukhari Photo: AP THE CALL by Jama Masjid’s Imam Bukhari asking Muslims not to join Anna Hazare’s campaign is symptomatic of a much larger malaise afflicting the community since Independence. It has nothing to do with the merits or demerits of the anti-corruption movement. One may have reasons to join or stay away from Hazare’s campaign irrespective of what community one belongs to.
Bukhari’s call signifies the essential character of what is referred to as leadership of India’s largest minority. It is no less significant that this minority is increasingly becoming marginalised, poor, educationally and economically backward, alienated and brutalised, forced to live in ghettos, cut off from the rest of society with hardly any political representation or voice. While the blame lies foremost at the doorstep of the government, the so-called leaders of the community must take their share of the blame too in equal measure.
Bukhari has opposed the anti-corruption campaign on the grounds that slogans like ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘Bharat mata ki jai’ are not permitted by Islam. Islam doesn’t permit worship of motherland or even mother, he says. It is obvious that this is just a pretext. He is plain scared by visuals of Muslims offering namaz or doing iftar at the Ramlila Maidan. Self-appointed leaders feel threatened by demonstration of any initiative on the part of those they are supposedly leading. His ilk is threatened by any spontaneous move or democratic gesture by the community they claim to represent. These leaders have never initiated any democratic movement around issues faced by Muslims. But they always veto anyone else’s effort as un-Islamic. They have no recognition of a citizen’s democratic rights.
Since 1947, they have manufactured a long list of un-Islamic acts, going by the various fatwas. Women being divorced instantly and unilaterally, women going out of homes to work, girls without heads covered, divorced wife getting maintenance, divorced wife getting custody of her own children, raped woman asking for justice — a long open-ended list to be expanded at will and as per convenience.`
We have seen these leaders raise only emotional or identity- related issues. They don’t take positions on substantive issues facing the community and the larger society. We all remember the Shah Bano case but never heard of any campaign demanding education or jobs or condemnation when Dalits get burnt alive. The poverty and marginalisation of Muslims have not developed overnight. There has been a failure in genuine representation and political participation. And those who claim to be leaders must take the blame.
Genuine solidarity and support to other poor and marginalised groups is also not forthcoming. If only concerns such as education, jobs, women’s empowerment were given attention, the situation would be different today. No doubt, there is a sustained onslaught of communal forces in all spheres of life and discrimination and demonisation that every Muslim faces today. But s/he has to face it alone with no help from the leaders. The fight against communalism has also been very piecemeal and fragmented. The competence and commitment of the leadership is far from satisfactory. The utterances and actions of the leaders only alienate ordinary non-Muslim citizens, pushing them to believe the canards of the communalists.
At a time when masses are rising up across the Arab world making secular demands such as freedom, human rights, price control, employment, the leaders in India are preoccupied with what is un-Islamic or Islamic. It speaks volumes that the Muslim leadership made no public pronouncement supporting the mass movements in Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, Syria and other Arab countries. It raises questions about fundamental belief in democracy and faith in people. How can recognition of people’s aspirations happen without recognition of people’s rights?
Corruption is an issue for every Indian as are poverty or rising prices or jobs or education. Whether corruption will be curbed with Jan Lokpal or any other mechanism can be discussed and debated. Today we are witnessing an anti-corruption stir, tomorrow it can be a people’s movement on any other issue. And Muslims too have a right to join any democratic agitation. It is a right given by the Constitution of India. The Muslim leadership cannot take away this democratic right in the name of religion. Zakia Soman is a Founder member, Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan. zakiasoman@yahoo.com
Tushar Joag, 45, is a Mumbai-based self-proclaimed “public intervention artist” who wants to encourage public debate. In a conversation with Aastha Atray Banan, he talks about epiphanies and effectiveness Pathfinder Tushar Joag en route to Shanghai What does it mean when you say you are a ‘public intervention artist’? When I came back from the International Human Rights Academy in the Netherlands, I was disgusted with the art world. I felt this art was equal to navel-gazing. I destroyed all my artworks and became an activist. It was also such a slap of reality coming back to India. In Europe, I’d gotten used to opulence. I mean kids here don’t get food! The art I do now is not limited to a gallery, but addresses large public gatherings directly. You see Sardar Sarovar and the Three Gorges dams as symbols of the frenzied development in India and China and have visited both places. What were your key observations?
This time I interacted with more people in India and blogged all through. I spoke to people about the repercussions they’d face. We think building a dam is progress, but what do the displaced get? They need to get their share of benefits too. In that respect, does China act any differently than India?
In India, we have a voice, even a dissenting one. It’s not allowed in China. It’s very oppressive. Nobody spoke to me there. The locals ran away. My blog posts were blocked. I felt like I was being watched. Che Guevara is your hero. But he is also accused of being a totalitarian. Isn’t that ironical?
There are always positive things you can take from a person. Even Gandhi wasn’t liked by everyone, was he? Earlier this year, you locked yourself up in a 150×91 cm space for five days to protest against Binayak Sen’s arrest. Was it effective? What do you think about Anna Hazare’s form of protest?
My intervention may not have caused policy change, but my aim is to get people to debate key issues. On the last day, Binayak and Ilina Sen came over. The kind of response Anna has been getting is overwhelming. And if the public has been held to ransom by the government for so long, it’s okay to hold them to ransom now. How has your project Unicell helped your endeavours?
Unicell aims to raise awareness about the immediate issues people face on a daily basis. One of our projects was held when the Maharashtra government demolished a number of slums. I started the Venice of the East project and delivered eviction notices to residents of upper middle-class households, saying that Mumbai was being converted into a city like Venice and their houses were in the way of canals. I delivered letters to almost 6,000 homes. So I touched almost 30,000 people. What is up your sleeve next?
A solo show in Delhi in October where I’ll showcase drawings with objects made of paper pulp. It’ll be inspired by my journey from Mumbai to Shanghai. Aastha Atray Banan is a Senior Correspondent, Mumbai with Tehelka. aastha@tehelka.com
AJ Thomas on Books 
The Imam’s wrong call
Photo: AP
THE CALL by Jama Masjid’s Imam Bukhari asking Muslims not to join Anna Hazare’s campaign is symptomatic of a much larger malaise afflicting the community since Independence. It has nothing to do with the merits or demerits of the anti-corruption movement. One may have reasons to join or stay away from Hazare’s campaign irrespective of what community one belongs to.
Bukhari’s call signifies the essential character of what is referred to as leadership of India’s largest minority. It is no less significant that this minority is increasingly becoming marginalised, poor, educationally and economically backward, alienated and brutalised, forced to live in ghettos, cut off from the rest of society with hardly any political representation or voice. While the blame lies foremost at the doorstep of the government, the so-called leaders of the community must take their share of the blame too in equal measure.
Bukhari has opposed the anti-corruption campaign on the grounds that slogans like ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘Bharat mata ki jai’ are not permitted by Islam. Islam doesn’t permit worship of motherland or even mother, he says. It is obvious that this is just a pretext. He is plain scared by visuals of Muslims offering namaz or doing iftar at the Ramlila Maidan. Self-appointed leaders feel threatened by demonstration of any initiative on the part of those they are supposedly leading. His ilk is threatened by any spontaneous move or democratic gesture by the community they claim to represent. These leaders have never initiated any democratic movement around issues faced by Muslims. But they always veto anyone else’s effort as un-Islamic. They have no recognition of a citizen’s democratic rights.
Since 1947, they have manufactured a long list of un-Islamic acts, going by the various fatwas. Women being divorced instantly and unilaterally, women going out of homes to work, girls without heads covered, divorced wife getting maintenance, divorced wife getting custody of her own children, raped woman asking for justice — a long open-ended list to be expanded at will and as per convenience.`
We have seen these leaders raise only emotional or identity- related issues. They don’t take positions on substantive issues facing the community and the larger society. We all remember the Shah Bano case but never heard of any campaign demanding education or jobs or condemnation when Dalits get burnt alive. The poverty and marginalisation of Muslims have not developed overnight. There has been a failure in genuine representation and political participation. And those who claim to be leaders must take the blame.
Genuine solidarity and support to other poor and marginalised groups is also not forthcoming. If only concerns such as education, jobs, women’s empowerment were given attention, the situation would be different today. No doubt, there is a sustained onslaught of communal forces in all spheres of life and discrimination and demonisation that every Muslim faces today. But s/he has to face it alone with no help from the leaders. The fight against communalism has also been very piecemeal and fragmented. The competence and commitment of the leadership is far from satisfactory. The utterances and actions of the leaders only alienate ordinary non-Muslim citizens, pushing them to believe the canards of the communalists.
At a time when masses are rising up across the Arab world making secular demands such as freedom, human rights, price control, employment, the leaders in India are preoccupied with what is un-Islamic or Islamic. It speaks volumes that the Muslim leadership made no public pronouncement supporting the mass movements in Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, Syria and other Arab countries. It raises questions about fundamental belief in democracy and faith in people. How can recognition of people’s aspirations happen without recognition of people’s rights?
Corruption is an issue for every Indian as are poverty or rising prices or jobs or education. Whether corruption will be curbed with Jan Lokpal or any other mechanism can be discussed and debated. Today we are witnessing an anti-corruption stir, tomorrow it can be a people’s movement on any other issue. And Muslims too have a right to join any democratic agitation. It is a right given by the Constitution of India. The Muslim leadership cannot take away this democratic right in the name of religion.
Zakia Soman is a Founder member, Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan.
zakiasoman@yahoo.com