Musings of 1084

Image Courtesy: The Hindu

Beyond all the uproar of Kasab’s four hour long confession, there is a small incident which couldn’t find much importance.

The court took exception to a remark made in jest by Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam. In a jibe at Ajmal’s lawyer Abbas Kazmi, Mr. Nikam said Ajmal had not mentioned “Abu Abbas Kazmi.” The court immediately asked Mr. Nikam to withdraw his comment.

What made the well learned lawyer to pass such a demeaning remark? After all, Kazmi is performing his duty just as the over excited Nikam. Was that a simple joke? Didn’t we saw how humor started with Anjali waghmare forcing her to quit? Some time later, Kazmi was ousted by Islam Gumkhana for the ‘kaffir’ act. We heard the bar council resolutions in various north indian courts that no lawyer should defend ‘Terrorists’. We saw how some lawyers were thrashed inside court premises for the ‘crime’.

Things are moving in that direction. Like how an ‘ordinary middle class man’ want to pronounce sentences in ‘Wednesday’, a hindi movie, instead of wasting time. The hate and ultra patriotism is in air.. ‘Sunny Deols’ everywhere, intolerant towards all ‘traitors’. Rules are pretty simple. Just be with us. Don’t use words like democracy, rule of law etc., We will joke. We will ridicule. At times things may go out of control. We can’t help.

Fuming Taj Mahal Hotel

The 62 hours fight has come to an end. With the dust and blood settling in, we hear the announcements of a new Federal agency against Terrorism, new home minister, Rice visiting India and Pakistan’s cooperation. Indian state is bent on convincing every one that Terrorists are from outside even with out any credible conclusion. As Tariq Ali points out in his article,

The Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, has insisted that the terrorists were based outside the country. The Indian media has echoed this line of argument with Pakistan (via the Lashkar-e-Taiba) and al-Qaeda listed as the usual suspects. But this is a meditated edifice of official India’s political imagination. Its function is to deny that the terrorists could be a homegrown variety, a product of the radicalization of young Indian Muslims who have finally given up on the indigenous political system. To accept this view would imply that the country’s political physicians need to heal themselves.

The country’s political physicians never ever thought of healing the Communalism Virus that has grown a monstrous cancer for all these years. The fascist Brahminic terrorism and the mindless counter Islamic Terrorism has left the country in a vicious cycle where we don’t see any easy answers to get rid off. Karkare Family rejecting Modi’s ex-gratia is a news that didn’t got enough attention in the Media. we are not sure whether the family declined out of a middle class apolitical anger or out of a political stand. But the political statement of declining the offer rebuking Modi’s over enthusiasm is significant as he is one of the key player of the cycle. Outlook concludes it’s poignant coverage of the mayhem this way.

As Thursday evening wore on, frantic SMSes passed around asking people to light a candle outside their window at 9 pm, as a subliminal message to the terrorists that Mumbai hadn’t accepted defeat. Some did, many didn’t. Candles make an important statement, but they don’t prevent terror attacks.

Image courtesy: Outlook

I came across a comment in Rediff which is giving a near to every minute update on Mumbai Happenings. The comment by one Mr.Bolo India follows.

Raj Thackrey!
by Bolo India on Nov 28, 2008 02:13 PM  Permalink

Guys pls give me raj thackrey and Narayan Rane’s number…don’t know where hide when all this happen. Where are their goons?…they are required in Taj and Oberoi because Army & Navy & NSG have denied participating on account of alleged regionalism of Mr. Thackrey…Waise bhi Raj ke goonde bahut kudatey hain….unhe oberoi aur taj ke top floor is kudao…militant ko maar gheerane ke liye!

I Reached to Raj Thackrey’s number. I have given the full transcript of our telephonic chat below. for the sake of readers, I have given the transcript in English as you all know he speaks only shudh(pure) marathi.

me: Hallo is it Raj?
Raj: Who’s this?
me: I am 1084 who writes a blog. can i speak to Raj?
Raj: Where r u calling from?
me: aamchi mumbai sir. but am i speaking to Raj?
Raj: ya, go ahead. but tell me do you have any links with any TV or magazine?
me: no sir.
Raj: what do you want?
me: I want to ask one question sir.
Raj: will you publish our chat?
me: No sir, it’s for sure.
Raj: okie. but be sure of not publishing it. if you publish you know what will happen. i mean generally we are non violent but my men go out of my control often.
me: oh..no..no sir…whole country knows sir..who will dare to?
Raj: okie. but strictly one question.
me: okie sir.
Raj: okie. proceed.
me: Sir, it’s not my question alone but every one is asking. Where is Raj Thackrey and MNS activists(for heaven’s sake, I was speaking to Raj Thackrey. I cannot use the correct term goondas) when Mumbai is under attack after all they are the proclaimed saviours of Marathis?
Raj: See the problem is not for marathis but for outsiders like US, UK citizens. so it is for their country men to fight and not MNS.
me: ??? but sir there was a shoot out in bazaar and hospital too, in which ordinary maharashtrians got hurt and killed.
Raj: That’s where the problem starts. The panwalahs from bihar have occupied the bazaar. They lured the innocent marathis to come to the bazaar. so it’s very big conspiracy.
me: That’s mind blowing sir. no one did thought in this angle.
Raj: ya, actually there is the problem. except me nobody thinks of the dangers that are engulfing Marathis from outsiders. but i strongly condemn terrorists for taking the foreigners as hostages.
me: That’s the spirit sir. i always knew that you are against terrorism.
Raj: ya, but that is not the crux of my statement. See, when they come all the way to Mumbai through boats with so much plans, they should have held Mumbaikars as hostages and not foreigners. That’s why we are fighting for ousting outsiders. Hence we are going to conduct a bandh tomorrow protesting for the Marathi right for being hostage. we want our share and we will achieve it. actually our brave cadres are secretly preparing  to barge in to Taj and protest to the Terrorists face to face demanding the right to held us as hostages.
me: !!??? That’s bravo sir…
Raj: Okie. We have a meeting on the issue. It’s time.
me: Ok Thank you Sir. Thank you for enlightening me.

Now Bolo India, you were saying he is hiding.. see how veer maratha(Brave Maratha) our Raj Thackrey is… Sorry Raj sir. I have published the transcript even after your warning. Actually I couldn’t bear people hurling abuse on you when you are secretly preparing for such daring attempts.

Jai Maharashtra!
Jai MNS!

While watching the blood boiling images of Mumbai, cynically I got reminded of Vidya Balan saying “Good Morninnnnnnng Mumbai” in Lage Raho Munnabhai and sadly sighed on the bad and horrific morning mumbai is facing with. I have least intetions to vent out my angst as i don’t believe in such writing. But what has happened is really breathtaking. I am not much concerned about the elites who got killed or about the praised uniformed men whose credibility is debatable, but i was shocked to see the images of the indiscriminate shooting in the street from the hijacked police vehicle and a man shouting writhing in pain with his bullet pierced hand.

This callous and brazen act of the so-called terrorist organisation and the way in which this drama has unfolded reminds me of the Parliament attack of BJP rule. I couldn’t help myself getting the doubt whether it can be an act to do away the focus the recent malegaon blasts trial is drawing. The trial first of its instance by which for the first time in their history, Indian media houses are touching the henceforth untouchable word, Hindu Terrorism. The timing, the precision of targets, for example the killing of Hemant Karkare, the chief investigator of malegoan blasts, and the unofficial reports of CBI officers getting killed which wouldn’t have been possible with out an intelligence link and leak tempt this guess. But we cannot pursue more in this guess, as we don’t belong to the goebbels school of thought efficiently practised by golwalkar school of barbarism.

Now we are in a fix. It has become extremely tough to expose and attack the Hindutva venom in the minds of majority hindus with the overshadowing recent attacks, which are in real, the political as well as physical suicidal attempts of so-called mujahideens. The so-called holy warriors are indeed putting the lives of crores of muslims in danger for whom they claim to revenge which is sheer rubbishness. we can very well guess the lok sabha elections will definitely favour Lal Krishna Advani and  with the glooming world economic crisis, saffron will darken the country atleast temporarily. Tough days are ahead and with resent we need to accept that we can expect more bad mornings. Hope progressive forces of Mumbai will help the ordinary people in this troubled day and it’s time the real revolutionary forces of this country switch the gears and fight against the fascist backlash that is to follow.

Image Courtesy: Mumbai Metlogs