{"id":349805,"date":"2024-08-18T07:54:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-18T13:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/?p=349805"},"modified":"2024-08-19T08:00:43","modified_gmt":"2024-08-19T13:30:43","slug":"beyond-medals-the-inspiring-bond-of-neeraj-and-nadeem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/beyond-medals-the-inspiring-bond-of-neeraj-and-nadeem\/","title":{"rendered":"Beyond medals: The inspiring bond of Neeraj and Nadeem"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The statements of the mothers of the two podium finishers at Paris Olympics oozed maturity and grace, as they said that winning gold or silver medal would never come in the way of their bond by Humra\u00a0 Quraishi<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Two positives stood out last week. Foremost, the statements of the two Olympic stars, India\u2019s Neeraj Chopra and Pakistan\u2019s Arshad Nadeem and also of their mothers greatly impressed. Their statements dripped with maturity and grace, relaying sentiments along the strain that winning gold or silver medals wouldn\u2019t ever come in way of their bonding. Both the Javelin throwers worked very hard and so it\u2019s okay if one won silver and the other gold\u2026both are like brothers. Nationalities or regions or religions shouldn\u2019t come in the way of human bonding and definitely not in the lives of true sportsmen! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, the interim prime minister of Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus, also held out some hope for humans, when in his address he dwelt on protection of the minority population in Bangladesh and to halt violence \u2026refrain from all kinds of violence. And the way he emphasized on this, showed the much required urgency. Minority population and properties ought to be protected in every civilized country. Vulnerable, they find it difficult to protect themselves from mob attacks coupled with destruction and loot. It\u2019s the establishment\u2019s foremost duty to save lives and livelihoods of the minority communities. Otherwise there\u2019s little point in having a government!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting back to our country, let us dwell on the dark realities that continue to stand out. Little point repeating that infrastructures are failing and falling apart, and to compound the gravity, the much hyped assurances by the sarkar <\/em>of the day too seem failing. And this holds out in almost every sector; and definitely vis-\u00e0-vis the farmers. They haven\u2019t got their much promised dues. The sore fact is that we, sitting in the urban locales, are not even aware of the disadvantages faced by our farmers as they suffer huge setbacks and risks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The last week\u2019s documentary film – Seed Stories – was screened at the IIC here in New Delhi. The documentary, directed by Chitrangada Choudhury and Aniket Aga, focuses on a particular village in the Niyamgiri mountains of the Eastern Ghats of Odisha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It highlighted how this village and the wider region are \u201cchanging irreversibly due to the arrival of genetically modified cotton seeds and their associated agrochemicals\u2026how this is reshaping a geography and people immersed in agro-ecological knowledge, and altering their attitudes towards agriculture, food and ecology.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dwelling on the aftermath caused by the usage of pesticides and also the moving away from the cultivation of the traditional crops, it was indeed an eye-opener.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only hope for this region and its farmers is that there\u2019s an effort underway to counter this: Ecologist Dr. Debal Deb and his 3-member team are conserving over a thousand endangered ancient rice varieties. Not to be overlooked the fact that the Eastern Ghats region of Odisha is one of the surviving biodiversity hotspots in the world, where (indigenous) Adivasi communities, such as the Kondhs, possess knowledge that allows them to grow multiple crops with their seeds, which have evolved over the centuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Celebrating August icons<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Come August and stand out the birthdays of  three extraordinary  persons – writer Khushwant  Singh,  poet Gulzar and veteran actress Vyjayanthimala<\/em> Bali.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Khushwant\u00a0 Singh <\/strong>– Khushwant\u00a0 Singh celebrated two birthdays –\u00a0 February 2 and\u00a0 August 15. Before I write any further, let me hasten to add the \u2018why\u2019 to the two birthday celebrations. As he would explain: My father was certain that I was born at the start of spring, so February 2, my birthday date. But my paternal grandmother was more than sure that I was born in the midst of bhandon<\/em>\/ monsoon, so August 15th<\/sup> my second birthday!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Born in 1915, in village Hadali in the undivided Punjab, Khushwant lived life at his own terms. He spoke fearlessly. He wrote along the same strain. No contradictions. Just no hypocrisy. None of the modern day complications nor gadgets. Till the end, he hadn\u2019t got himself a computer nor a secretary and not a mobile phone. As he would say, \u201cMere  bas  ka  naheen  hai  yeh  sab<\/em> \u2026I\u2019m  happy  writing  on a  notepad.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The years that I\u2019d been interacting with him, there were several of those offbeat aspects that had stood out. There were never any sermons. Only subtle relays — No wasting time in gossip or in those useless wanderings. No facades, no communal biases, no lies and no deceit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Khushwant detested the communal lot. \u201cToday, my  only  worry is the rise in Right-wing  fascist forces  in the  country \u2026 the present  generation  should  be  aware of the rise in communal politics and the  dangers  involved.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In  an  interview  given to  me  shortly after  his book \u2018The End of India ‘( Penguin) was published in the spring of  2003, he  had said,  \u201cIf   we  love  our country   we have to   save  it from communal  forces. And though the liberal class  is shrinking, I do  hope the  present  generation rejects the communal and  fascist  policies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Khushwant\u2019s views on death were stark, \u201cI\u2019m  not  scared  of   death. Death  is  inevitable, so no  brooding  about  it, be  prepared for  it,  as Asadullah Khan Ghalib has aptly put  across – \u2018rau  mein hai  raksh-e-umar kahaan deykheeye thammey \/nai  haath  baag  par hai nah pa  hai  rakaab  mein<\/em>  (age travels at a galloping  pace \/who  knows  where will  it stop  \/we do  not  have the reins in our  hands \/we do  not  have our feet in the  stirrups.)\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I see death as nothing to be worried or scared about. Earlier whenever  I ‘d feel  upset  or  low  I used to  go to the cremation grounds. It  has  a  cleansing effect, worked  as a  therapy  for me\u2026Yes,  I do think of death \u2026No , don’t  believe  in the  any of the  rebirth theories   \u2026Often I  tell  Bade Mian (God) that  He\u2019s  got to  wait  for  me, as I still  have  work to  complete!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, I  do  fear  incapacitated by old  age  – high  blood  pressure,  prostrate, deafness, loss  of  vision  \u2026What I dread  is  thought  of  if I go blind or stone deaf or end  up with a  stroke.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cWhy I was keen for  burial,  because  with that  you  give  back to the  earth what  you have  taken  \u2026now  it will be  the electric crematorium.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gulzar<\/strong> – It\u2019s rare to come across a poet whose eyes relay poetry. Look\u00a0 towards\u00a0 Gulzar saab\u2019s emotion\u00a0 laden\u00a0 eyes \u2026there\u2019s\u00a0 something\u00a0 about\u00a0 his\u00a0 eyes, his\u00a0 very personality that impacts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u00a0more I\u00a0 read\u00a0 his\u00a0 verse,\u00a0 I am left\u00a0 amazed\u00a0 by the expanse,\u00a0 that sheer\u00a0 sensitivity\u2026.\u00a0 Also, there\u2019s that stark simplicity in his words and verse. With that, that instant connect\u2026 Little wonder, his fans are spread out, right from our land to those other lands. After all, poets don\u2019t believe in boundaries or barriers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The very first time I met Gulzar saab, it was an experience in itself.  This was almost twenty  years back, around  the summer of  2005, when I met him  for an  interview  for  a  national daily. He was  putting  up  at New  Delhi\u2019s India  International Centre, so it was decided that I would meet  him over breakfast  at the tea  lounge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And within minutes as our conversation moved towards the Kashmir Valley, Gulzar saab was  quietly crying in that emotional way. Telling  me,  \u201cThe Kashmir Valley  had  always  fascinated me  to such an extent that  Raakhee and I decided   to  go to Srinagar for our  honeymoon \u2026Raakhee and I often tease  our daughter Bosky  that she was conceived there in the  Kashmir valley\u2026 In Srinagar, we stayed at the Oberoi hotel and the garden had  two majestic Chinars. I called them Badshah and Begum, or Jehangir and Noorjehan,… I saw them  again and  they looked so forlorn \u2026Kashmir is an integral  part of my emotions, it\u2019s a region  close to the region of  my heart. I was earlier even planning to make a film on the Valley. I\u2019d  even named the film \u2013 it was to be titled \u2018Iss Vaadi Mein\u2019 and it was  based on Krishna Chander\u2019s short story collection \u2018Kitaab ka  Kafan\u2019,  and  it  dealt with two lovers in the two parts of the Valley and how  they try to overcome the military barriers. Sadly, the film could not be made as the Kargil war had broken out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And several years back when Gulzar\u2019s story  collection  – \u2018Half  a Rupee Stories\u2019 ( Penguin)  was launched  in New Delhi,  I couldn\u2019t attend  its  launch as one of  my cousins had met  with a fatal  road  accident  in Uttar  Pradesh  so I  had to rush there. On  getting  back, it  was  touching to see Gulzar  saab dedicated  one of  his short  stories in this collection,  to me, with this accompanying one-liner  – \u201cWe shared  a lot of Kashmir though  neither  of us is from there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vyjayanthimala Bali<\/strong> – After more than 54 films, Vyjayanthimala Bali quit films, when she opted for marriage. As she\u2019d quipped, \u201cThereafter, I did not retire but relinquished films.\u201d Later, she made inroads into the political sphere and as Member of Parliament she represented the South Madras constituency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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During the course of an interview, when I\u2019d asked her why she moved towards the political sphere, she\u2019d detailed: \u201cWell, my husband thought that I had the makings of a politician, so he wanted me to join politics. In fact, it happened slowly — in the beginning we toured Tamil Nadu and saw the then ground realities and that people were disillusioned \u2026.Wherever we toured, we saw for ourselves another reality: how people loved Mrs Indira Gandhi and so when we visited New Delhi, we met Indira Gandhi and told her the state of affairs in Tamil Nadu, and even told her about my own inclination towards joining politics. She\u2019d smiled encouragingly \u2026and that\u2019s how I joined politics.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The statements of the mothers of the two podium finishers at Paris Olympics oozed maturity and grace, as they said that winning gold or silver medal would never come in the way of their bond by Humra\u00a0 Quraishi Two positives stood out last week. Foremost, the statements of the two Olympic stars, India\u2019s Neeraj Chopra […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":349806,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[36],"tags":[18436,17127,18435,18430],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349805"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=349805"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349805\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":349810,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349805\/revisions\/349810"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/media\/349806"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=349805"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=349805"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=349805"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}