A race abandoned

By Samir Sen

The people of Indian origin did not find even a passing mention in Alan Paton’s first Author’s Note to his bestseller, Cry, The Beloved Country. The novel, published in 1948, awoke the world to the life of non-whites in South Africa.

"I did not mention the Indians largely because I did not want to confuse readers unnecessarily," South Africa’s best-known writer explained in his note to the 1959 edition. "The existence of this minority is now much better known throughout the world because their position has become so desperate under apartheid legislation."

Four decades down the line, Indians in post-apartheid South Africa feel desperate as ever. "The mindset of Indians is partly responsible for this," said retired school principal Gouden Gopalsamy, a community leader in Verulam. "They do not want to integrate with the natives." Verulam, the third oldest township in the eastern province of KwaZulu Natal, was the first settlement of Indians who arrived here as indentured labourers in the second half of the 19th century.

The Indian community in Verulam consists of two types – the descendants of indentured labourers from North and South India and the better-off traders, mainly Muslims, from western India. Over 80 per cent of Indians have settled in KwaZulu Natal, 15 per cent in Transvaal and the remainder in Cape Province. "Over the last four generations we have been enjoying a harmonious relationship between ourselves," said Amichand Rajbansi, leader of the Minority Front (MF), the only political party representing the Indians.

The problem arises when it comes to identifying with the black Africans, the people of mixed descent called ‘coloureds’, and the whites. Charoes (a slang for people from Indian and Pakistan) make up 3 per cent of South Africa’s 43.4 million people.

The coloureds, referred to as ‘Lighties’, are 10 per cent, whites or ‘Vetoes’ 18 per cent and the blacks or ‘Darkies’ 68 per cent.

"We were better off during the white regime," is the refrain of most Charoes, who appear to despise the ruling African National Congress (ANC) policies like ‘Affirmative Action’ and ‘Land Restitution’. Bartender Jeffry Chetty complained that young Indians were largely unemployed were bleaker than those of the blacks and whites.

The whites still control the financial institutions, and the ANC’s Affirmative Action policy promotes blacks in both government and private jobs. "Our children are left in the lurch," said Jeffry. The Indian business community has its own grouse. Shanti Fakeera, who runs a laundry business on Todd Street, Verulam, said the ANC was imposing heavy taxes on them to make up for South Africa’s financial mess under the new regime. "Our businesses are crumbling," said Shanti.

Not all agree. "We have no communal or caste clashes here," said Bindhoo Rajcoomar, a secretary at the law firm Rindell and Company. "We are generally happy. It is only when we go overseas that we realize how spoilt we are here!" Bindhoo, a mother of three, has visited India and the United States.

But the repulsive feeling the relatively prosperous and better educated Indians generate among the natives is too obvious to ignore. "We may have to drive out your people from our country," a black youth told The Week. "Within five years South Africa would witness a Zimbabwe like situation (where whites are being driven out by the natives)."

Even a subdued Petros Zikalala complained that Indians did not want to be equals with blacks. Ironically Petros serves as a security guard at an abandoned prison in Verulam, which stands witness to the Indians’ solidarity with blacks in their passive struggle against the infamous Ghetto Act. Thousands of Indians, treated as criminals and not political prisoners, served hard labour here in 1946.

It is not as if South Africans do not acknowledge the contribution of Indians.

Mahatma Gandhi is widely respected by all for teaching the world, South Africa in particular, the power of peaceful resistance. Gandhi’s bust stands in the middle of a Verulam park, 40 miles North of Durban," dedicated to the memory of all indentured labourers for their sacrifice and contribution in enriching the lives of all South Africans".

Prominent Indians like Rajbansi, whose party shares power with the ANC in KwaZulu Natal provincial government, were surprised to learn that caste-based discrimination continued in the Mahatma’s homeland. "It is a rude shock that a country that stands for values and high principles calls it an internal problem," he said. "South Africa, on the other hand, dared to look racism in the eye. We do not tolerate discrimination on any grounds, though socio-economic freedom has not been attained. It will take time for a broad mass of people to be freed."

According to Rajbansi, the abolition of apartheid in 1994 was a miracle of Africa and credit should go to the vision of ANC leaders Nelson Mandela and Govan Mbeki, father of President Thabo Mbeki, who ensured a peaceful transition.

"We need to be considerate ad patient when it comes to the blacks who were previously disadvantaged," he said. The blacks are also competing with Indian businesses today, freely operating street stands and occupying places in the flea market, hitherto a monopoly of Indians. "We need to empower the blacks," said Rajbansi.

The people of Indian origin are under pressure to identify themselves as equal South Africans. They are advised to stop speaking in terms of ethnicity, majority or minority. The Minority Front, though, is lobbying hard for the establishment of a ‘minority desk’ in the government to look after the interests of the Indians, coloureds and other minorities. Rajbansi recalled Mandela as stating that ethnicity could not be ignored.

"But for that to happen, Indians should come out of the influence of the former white political parties," said Rajbansi. "In the 1994 elections 65 per cent of the Indian electorate chose to go with the whites. We are very disturbed with this trend and my party is committed to ensuring that the trend is reversed."

Easier said than done. With growing unemployment the younger generation is turning to crime. The country’s racial history complicates enforcement of law. The whites and Indians complained that the police refuse to crack down on black offenders.

An Indian trader, who alleged several shop breaking attempts at his premises, termed them as hate crimes.

Former United Democratic Movement MP S. Manna Naidoo, the first Indian to represent Verulam constituency during the white rule, said the Indians in South Africa are soft targets. "We are not militant as the other minority groups and remain law-abiding citizens," he said.

A large section of Indian subsistence farmers have chosen to abandon their lands and migrate to urban locations thanks to rise in racist murders of farmers, mostly whites. Finances are hard to come by and fresh agriculture taxes are being imposed. The Cottonlands, where a majority of the Indian farming community was concentrated, has been taken over by blacks. The Indians fled because of the bloody rivalry between the ANC and Inkatha Freedom Party during 1984-94.

The Land Restitution policy hardly benefits the Indians. In Waterloo, the biggest confirmed settlement in KwaZulu Natal, there are hardly any Indians though the government claims it is multi-racial. Brothers Phillip and Simon Appanna are among the few Indians who ‘dared’ to make Waterloo their home. "We moved here a month ago," said Philip, who participates in the community policing effort. "So far there has been no problem, though stealing is a fact of life here.

But we try and make conscious efforts to associate with the majority."

Though they were born and brought up in a black-dominated locality, the brothers are wary about sending heir children to schools dominated by blacks. "It will affect their upbringing," they said.According to Rajbansi, Indians are going through a transition period. "You cannot be fence-sitters even in your own country," he said. Majorities of the Charoes, who cannot even faintly recall which part of India their ancestors came from, know their destiny lies in South Africa. Said grocer Moonera Sheikh: "We still think of India as the land of our origin. But in reality it is a distant land." INAV

Tonga in Hindi films

By A C Tuli

There was a time when life even in big cities moved at a leisurely pace. There were very few vehicles on roads; to own a car was status symbol that only a handful of rich people could afford. Scooters and autos had not yet made their appearance on roads. It was the horse-driven 'tonga' that was the king, and sometimes the only mode of transport available to the common man. In small towns and villages, one used the 'ikka', a crude country cousin of tonga, to reach any place.

A journey by tonga had its own charm. It was a rewarding experience for those who had an observant nature and a reflective bent of mind. A bus moves at a speed that does not allow you to contemplate your surroundings leisurely. But a tonga, neither as slow as a bullock-cart nor as fast as a bus, was an ideal ride. As the horse trotted along, one could observe all that one passed by — the azure of the open sky, the trees along the road, the green fields, the birds twittering overhead, and so on.

Our film-makers, of course, were fascinated by the popularity of the tonga. So in many films, a tonga ride by the hero or the heroine or by both was skillfully woven into the storyline. Thus, there are hundreds of Hindi films in which we find the hero and the heroine singing their romantic songs as they canter along in a tonga. In quite a few films, however, a tonga-ride was also a sad and gloomy experience for the love-lorn hero or the heroine.

As early as 1940, a film titled ‘Doctor’ was made by New Theatres. Great singer-composer Pankaj Mullick was its hero. The film had a few thrilling scenes of tonga-ride by the hero. Although in those days cinematography was not very sophisticated, the tonga scenes in ‘Doctor’ were really good.

Sometimes the romance between the leading pair also centered around a tonga. In ‘Rattan’ (1944), the hero (Karan Dewan) comes along in his tonga and the heroine (Swarnlata) intercepts him, pleading that he should not go away leaving her behind in the village. So she sings, Akhiyan mila ke jiya bharma ke, chale nahin jana...'. The hero agrees and soon the duo go together for a joy ride in the tonga.

In ‘Bawre Nain’ (1950), the heroine (Geeta Bali) lives in a small village with her widow mother. They are so poor that the heroine has to ply the tonga to make ends meet. It is in her tonga that she goes to the station to receive the hero (Raj Kapoor). And while they are on their way back to the village, their eyes meet and they start falling in love with each other. The open countryside, the rhythmic movement of the tonga, and the seductive charm of the chirpy heroine — all these combine to make the tonga scenes in ‘Bawre Nain’ a delightful visual feast for the viewers. Then, there is a lilting song, Ghir ghir ke aasman par chhane lagi ghattain, keh do koi piya se pardeswa na jayen ... ', that the heroine sings as the tonga rolls along.

It is, however, not only the hero or the heroine who can enjoy a tonga journey. A film’s funsters too can go for a ride in a tonga and sing a jovial song. In the Dev Anand-Madhubala starrer ‘Nirala (1950), three comedians — Yakub, Mumtaz Ali and Radhakishen — go to the countryside in a tonga Yakub sings. "Mera dil hai nikhatoo, jaise tonga ka tattoo ... ".

"Aah" (1953) was a tragic film with Raj Kapoor and Nargis in the lead. The hero, suffering from tuberculosis, is approaching his tragic end. He is in a hurry to reach the heroine’s house before breathing his last. No other mode of transport except tonga is available to him for completing the last lap of the journey.

The tonga-driver’s role in the film was performed by singer Mukesh. As the tonga trundles along, Mukesh sings, Chhoti si yeh zindgani re chardin ki jawani teri..' The tonga scenes in ‘Aah’ very effectively build up the tragic climax.

Mark Twain said cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education. On the same analogy, one can say a buggy is tonga very well educated’. In ‘Aan’ (1952), the heroine (Nadira) is a princess. She goes for a buggy ride, little knowing that its 'kochvan', is none else but her lover, Dilip Kumar.

So when Dilip Kumar removes his false beard and reveals his identity to Nadira, he sings, ‘Dil mein chhupa ke pyar ka toofan le chale, hum aaj apni maut ka samaan le chale..'.

In B. R. Chopra's ‘Naya Daur’ (1957), the hero Dilip Kumar is a tonga driver, ferrying passengers from a small, wayside railway station to his village a few kilometres away. One day he sights a charming young girl along with her mother emerging from the station. Before any other tongawala could persuasively push them into his tonga, Dilip Kumar grabs their bedding and suitcase to dump them in his own tonga. From there starts a tender relationship between the two — a relationship that soon ripens into love. One day both of them-go to a temple sitting in the tonga. Vijayanthimala, the heroine of the film, sings, "Maang ke saath tumhara maine maang liya sansar.."

In the climatic scenes of ‘Naya Daur', there is a race between Dilip Kumar, the tongawala, and Jeevan, the lorry driver. Of course, it is Dilip Kumar’s tonga that wins the race. In the 1950s, a film titled Tongawali, was released, starring Balraj Sahni, Nirupa Roy and Shammi Kapoor. Balraj Sahni earns ‘his living by plying a tonga. One day he is killed by some goondas. To bring up her little son, his widow, Nirupa Roy, starts plying the tonga herself. Hence the title of the film 'tongawali'.

Till the 1970s, tongas were seen often in Hindi films. ln the early 1970s, a film titled tongewala with Rajendra Kumar and Mumtaz in the lead was made. In ‘Prichay’, Jeetendra was seen riding a tonga. Quite a number of other films also had tonga scenes in them. But rapid economic progress and technological advancement has pushed tonga into oblivion.

In today’s life, tonga appears to be an anachronism. It is now vanishing even from small towns. Buses, autos and scooters are now more popular than tongas on rural roads. Perhaps the day is not far when the tonga shall become a curio in museums.

PTI Feature

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