Shiban Khaibri
shibankhaibri@gmail.com
Tambourine or Dafli, we know, is played at, only on occasions of joy, merry making, singing hymns, patriotic events and the like. We still proudly relish the famous patriotic song —“Hum uss desh kay vasie hain, jis desh main Ganga behtee hai” from the famous movie -“Jis desh main Ganga behtee hai” where, while singing this song, as shown on the screen, Raj Kapoor was playing at the Dafli. It is another thing that many years later, a theme was nonchalantly, if not mischievously, chosen for yet another movie referring to the Holy Ganga as ” Ram teri Ganga Mailey” . Here an analogy was not drawn in respect of the revered river with pride, with glory, with eternity, with traditional devotion or even with blissfulness and a unique gift from the nature but using the derogatory prefix of “Teri” instead of “Aap kee” with Maryada Parshotam Shree Ram followed by “Ganga Maile”. It is a mystery as to what for was Shree Ram referred to in the movie. If according to the version of the movie, Ganga (even if personified) had become “Mailey”, it was purely the fault of human beings, their sins, their misdoings and their total insensitivities and never as portrayed in the movie. Taking liberties with extreme levels of traditional tolerance of Hindus, especially towards matters of faith, those who made the above mentioned movie only know the rationale and the ”compulsions” behind begrudging or ”blaming” Shree Ram for Ganga having become ”Mailey”, hence choosing the name or the title of the movie.
Coming back to playing at the musical instrument of tambourine while raising slogans, we have been watching with repugnance and standing aghast at those unfortunate and increasingly unpleasant sights in Jawahar Lal Nehru University (JNU) where some over – matured students, occasionally keep raising unsolicited and unpleasant slogans, at times smelling of anti India sentiments. Recently, a few students raised obnoxious, provocative, distasteful and abusive slogans against our Prime Minister and Home Minister wishing death to them while playing on the Daffli with their clumsy hands. You are wishing such an extremely shocking fate to the PM of the country and simultaneously rhythm(ing) it by playing on Daffli, the two quite opposite to each other depicting a diseased mind hungry for getting some sort of the sadistic pleasure. The occasion demanded, instead, pulling their hairs, slapping their faces themselves and beating their chests .Wishing digging of graves “Qabar” for both of them and in the JNU campus coupled with the mysterious silence of the opposition leaders, depicts yet another episode of extreme hatred to the extent of wishing straight death for Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, Prime Minister and Home Minister respectively . But why ? By any standards of civility, reason, cause, propriety, morality and even extreme opposition, if any, raising slogans of “Terey qabar khudey gee” is totally uncouth, mischievous, vulgar, criminal, violent and unmannerly. Can educated ones, and still in the process of receiving education, be expected to stoop so low ?
Imagine same lot coming out of the institution with degrees in hands could prove disastrous in discharging their duties in Government services . Even as teachers, such a brand of the people could mislead instead of educating their students. Why should they not brainwash their students to pursue their ideology and distance themselves far away from the culture, traditions, rituals, heritage and greatness of this country and instead take part in negative and extremist politics . Intoxicated with a unique type of extremist ideology injected in them leaning towards militant communism, Maoism and Naxalism could prove disastrous in many ways. The immediate “provocation” felt by these students to fall so cheap in discourse and even in indulging in the type of protest is reported to be on account of not getting bail by two accused persons on January 5 as Honourable Supreme Court refused to grant bail, in 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case, to Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid saying that there was prima facie case against the accused under the Unlawful Activities (prevention) Act or UAPA.
The same bench of the Supreme Court, however, granted bail to five other co-accused, observing that the allegations against them indicated conduct of a subsidiary or facilitative nature, thereby warranting differential treatment. If bail was rejected to two accused persons, as thousands of accused are granted and denied bail in courts every day in the country, that being the routine judicial process, why so much discomfort and feeling of ill at ease by these few students including some of the leaders of a students’ union in respect of the two particular accused that the country’s Prime Minister should, in such a disgustingly cheap bizarre manner be abused ? A new trend, a dangerous trend is creeping into and engulfing rather clouding the reasoning and the logic of many people, political leaders in particular, that the judiciary should act in the manner such leaders etc want, else motives are attributed- political affiliation, religious bias and what not. If judicial orders and decisions are treated in such manner and as catharsis against some unjustified and unwarranted feelings, and unlawful recourses and modes chosen, it augurs well neither for the established precedent nor for any other individual or institution even if having things at stake. Judiciary has to be respected and judicial orders followed in letter and spirit, there being no option and any option chosen like the one under reference, could put the offenders in hot soup.
Prior to this “Teri Qabar” incident, some students, hard core Naxal supporters, hailed and glorified one dreaded Maoist Madvi Hidma mastermind of more than 26 attacks on security forces and civilians and protested against the Government as he was neutralised in an encounter. He was no hero but a dreaded criminal killer who, from mass killings to stunting development, inflicted irreparable harm on the country. Should, killing in an encounter of such a criminal, be protested against and by students of an elite top educational institution? Is it patriotism or simple hostility towards one’s own country? Left wing extremism, it may be reiterated, has no place in the society and sooner the society is rid of this menace, the better. It may be stressed upon that raising seditious, anti national and unpatriotic slogans by few students for no reason, no cause, for nothing of the sort remotely connected with their studies, the facilities at the hostels, the university, the highly subsidized fees and charges and the like cannot be justified at all. It may be 2016 contemptuous and condemnable slogans of “Tukdey tukdey”, ”teray qatil zinda hain”, etc and playing at Dafflies simultaneously, giving the details of which again leads to lot of emotional disturbances, cannot be condoned. We also know about how many “secular and democratic” leaders eulogised and patronised such slogan raising students, a few of them getting shot to stardom, into a particular type of ”fame” thanks to extensive media exposure and political parties inviting and admitting those in their fold, offering even election tickets. It is another thing that such students, overnight turned leaders,repeatedly were vanquished right at the hustings not making it to the legislatures thanks to our matured patriotic electorate.
We also know the alleged move by some students in the year 2000 vide a Mushayra by raising slogans, distributing pamphlets and other material about praises for Pakistan . Holding events demanding and justifying some elusive ”Aazadi” is beyond comprehension. We also know how the martyrdom of our valiant 76 members of security forces at Dantewada Chhattisgarh in 2010 at the hands of Naxalites was not mourned, not even condemned least remaining neutral but was impliedly justified in a meeting organized by the ”JNU Forum Against War on People ” vehemently opposing the Government’s Operation Green Hunt . It was fairly claimed by student groups like the NSUI and ABVP that many attendees virtually celebrated the ambush and massacre of our 76 members of the CRPF. Slogans allegedly were raised against the country and in favour of Maoism thus openly opposing the Government’s anti Naxal operations.
It is beyond comprehension as to why should in the campus of this famous and prestigious educational institution, breed such mentality and mindset so as to support secessionism, separatism, violence through armed insurgency like Naxalism and Maoism. Who has fostered this kind of ideology in the university and whence and why it has not been curbed with an iron hand . The other face of the problem is that such an ideology initially very thin and negligible, has gradually been attaining the gigantic form and Left leaning with extreme views becoming manifest through periodic sloganeering and protests, writing slogans on walls and the like . While most of the students concentrate on their studies and building individual careers, some others have ambitions other than for learning and leaving the institution as refined learned scholars . Should the entire campus become a den for unwanted, unwarranted, extreme wing politics bordering on anti India narrative and how long, must be clarified by not only those in power but by those opportunist politicians encouraging such a repulsive and intolerable scenario.
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