SHELTER

भेद हमार लेन सथ आवा . राखिय बाँधी मोहि अस भावा.
सखा निति तुम नीकी विचारी . मम पन सरनागत भयहारी.
(सुन्दरकाण्ड: राम चरितमानस) (तुलसीदास)
(It appears that this fool has come to take our secrets, therefore he should be bound down. Then (Lord Ram said) : What you have said is good policy, but I have taken a pledge to remove the fears of the person who comes to take shelter.)

The above was the conversation between Lord Ram and Sugreeva when Demon King Ravana's brother, Vibhishana had sought refuge with Ram after being driven away from the palace by his elder brother. Sugreeva was apprehensive of the intentions of Vibhishana, apprehensions which were allayed by Ram, who had taken a pledge to give shelter to anybody who approached him in distress. The conversation proceeds, as Ram comforts his councillors,

सरनागत कहूं जे तजहि निज अनहित अनुमानी,
ते नर पावर पापमय तीनही बिलोकत हानि.
(Those who desert the persons seeking refuge by considering their own loss, are mean and low people and it is a sin to even look at them.)

The practice of giving refuge to the distressed and the needy is therefore engrained in the Indian psyche, and was particularly strong in the Rajputs of Rajasthan who dared to face the displeasure of the Mughal emperors by giving shelter to defeated Kings who were sought for by the mighty emperors.

Guru Tegh Bahadur approached Emperor Aurangajeb on behalf of the Kashmiri Brahmins, with the request to stop their religious persecution. The result: He was cut into two through a saw. But not for a moment did he back down.

Now cut to 2009, and the news report that the Government of India had extended the visa of Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasrin but had refused her permission to stay on in the country, and further advised her to come back after the 31st of May, i.e. after the general elections.

This my friends, is present day India....Refuge, shelter, mercy can take a walk, since it is election time, and apparently the minority votes might be difficult to obtain if a helpless and defenceless lady is given shelter in the country.

But expecting anything else would have a folly in view of the fact that only about a year ago, the government produced an affidavit in Court in the Sethusamudram issue wherein Ram was depicted as a 'mythological figure'. Therefore the teachings are also supposed to be part of folklore only.

Indian culture and values be damned.

Now let us delve into the heinous crimes committed by Taslima Nasrin due to which the Govt. Of India is refusing to protect her.

After the demolition of the disputed structure of the Babri Masjid in 1992, Bangladesh was rocked by an anti Hindu pogrom which was characterised by rape of Hindu womenfolk and destruction and plunder of Hindu places of worship. The government of Narsimha Rao, as if to atone for their 'mistake' did not as much raise a whimper. Furthermore no vote bank was involved in speaking up for these hapless people, so why bother?

Taslima in her novel, 'Lajja', published in 1993 wrote elaborately about this wanton acts of destruction heaped on the Hindus and was immediately ostracised by the fundamentalist mullahs in Bangladesh. The Islamists called her novel 'blasphemous' and passed the 'death sentence' on her. Nobody cared or bothered to point out the blasphemous portion in the novel which was a simple fictional narration of the acts of violence in 1993. Fearing for her life, she sought refuge in India in 1994.

Taslima, subsequent to her refuge in India was based in Kolkata, which she referred to as 'her home away from home'. She subsequently published her autobiographical novels, of which 'DWIKHONDITO' again caught the imagination of the Islamist fundamentalists. The novel which purportedly cites the anti-women stance of the Islamists based on their interpretation of the Holy Quran was circulated as 'blasphemy' . Again no reasons were forthcoming. But then these fundamentalists are not prone to reason are they?

However the dramatic turnaround was not the position of the Bangladeshi mullahs, who were atleast categorical in their stand from the very begining, but the response of the 'Secular' dispensation in India which stood by silently as Syed Noorur Rehaman Barkati, the Imam of Kolkata's Tipu Sultan Mosque, admitted offering money to anyone who "blackened" Taslima's face.

In March 2007, the "All India Ittehad Millat Council" of Bareilly U.P. offered 500,000 Rs. for her beheading Taslim. The group's president, Tauqir Raza Khan, said the only way the bounty would be lifted was if Nasreen "apologises, burns her books and leaves."

Taslima was attacked at the Hyderabad Press Club by a crowd of 100 people which included three MLA's of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen party. The attack which was captured on camera by theTV cameraman present there was barbaric. She was physically assaulted and even flower pots were aimed at her. Fortunately, Taslima survived.Akbaruddin Owaisi, also an MLA and MIM floor leader in the Assembly, justified the attacks by saying, "We are not bothered about our MLA status. We are Muslims first. And it's our responsibility to test those who have said anything against Islam in whichever way possible." All this while the police stood by and watched.

The 'liberals' in the country who cry foul of the slightest misdemeanour against people of the minority community, and nowadays initiate the 'pink chaddi' programme, maintained their eerie silence. Obviously the refuge seeker in the present day scenario must have a suitable voting power, which unfortunately for Taslima, she did not have. On the other hand lakhs of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh have that power due to the connivance of the powers that be in India and therefore they are welcome.

'Secularism' and 'liberalism' in the country comes with the condition of that elusive voting rights. Good if you have it by hook or crook. Too bad if you don't.

Incidentally the plea of Taslima Nasrin for Indian citizenship is hanging fire for years, whereas if you have the right credentials, like the ones crossing over illegally, you can have it instantly. Does the name HUJI ring any bells???Obviously with easy citizenship rights, this terrorist organisation is more Indian than Bagladeshi, officially at least!

But the incidence which takes the cake was to come in November 2007, when the city of Kolkata, the so called city of intellectuals and liberals, burnt in broad day light. The occasion was a protest called by a fringe minority organisation to protest against the writings of Taslima. The protest however turned violent. The severity can be judged from the fact that the Army had to be called in to restore normalcy in the city. The flag bearers of 'secularism' remained silent. 'Secularism' was a stick with which to brow beat opponents, not your own vote bank.

But this was not the end of Taslima's travails.

Inspite of Taslima agreeing to remove three pages of her novel 'Dwikhondito' in order to soothen frayed nerves, the fundamentalists had smelt blood and intensified their pressure on the government. Finally, Taslima was literally forced to relocate to Jaipur and finally to New Delhi, where she was kept in a safe house in the NSG quarters.

Imagine, the NSG quarters for 'three pages'.

The response of the 'Bookers' prize winners, the Magasaysay award winners, the film actresses specializing in 'Secular' movies and issues, and all and sundry movie song writers.....................SILENCE.

Taslima Nasrin has been on the move ever since. Knowing fully well that she risks elimination the moment she sets foot in Bagladesh (Naysayers may refer to the recent BDR mutiny), she has been pleading to the Govt. of India for shelter and Indian citizenship. India which prides itself on its culture of giving shelter to the needy has turned its back on a single, defenceless lady. Apparently now the issue has been postponed for the new govt. to take a call on.

If the govt. grants her citizenship, you can side with the Islamists, if it does not, you side with the moderates, and if you come to power...well that's a tricky one.

Or is it??? You can prevaricate, as usual!!!

Talking of Secularism and elections, the revered Tauqir Raza Khan of the "All India Ittehad Millat Council" of Bareilly U.P, remember him?? If you don't, read the portion about beheading Taslima, has recently endorsed the 'Secular' credentials of the ruling party at the party HQ in Lucknow. He further enlightened that his 'Secular' council will fight the next Vidhan Sabha elections in U.P, in alliance with the 'Hand that rocks the cradle rules the world' party. Tauqir Raza Khan has another feather in his distinguished cap, for he had once called for George Bush to be beheaded, for his support of the Danish cartoonist on the grounds of freedom of expression.

If the party which claims itself to be the mother and saviour of 'Secularism' has fallen back on the support of such dangerous people, the signs are ominous for the country.

Elections come and elections go, but the country and its institutions remain.

Today, we as Indians feel a certain bit of smugness when we witness the anarchy being played out in Pakistan. But we must also be aware of the fact that it was incidences like Taslima's and people like Tauqir and Abdul Naseer Madani, capitulation before whom has brought Pakistan to this mess.

Abdul Naseer Madani, the founder of the Islamic Sewak Sangh was the main accused in the Coimbatore blast in 1998, in the rally of L.K.Advani, which claimed the lives of 60 people.Madani who was incarcerated in prison subsequent to the attack was being wooed incessantly by both the Left and the Centre in Kerala.

The Kerala assembly on March 16, 2006 passed a unanimous resolution seeking the release Abdul Nasser Madani, on “humanitarian” grounds.

Never before in the annals of Indian History had such an absurd and patently anti-national resolution been passed. Subsequent to his release, which remained a formality in view of the political support, Madani is back to his usual self, and all the parties are running for his 'support'.

'Support' at what cost? One may ask!! But who will ask?

The failure to curb such atrocious and blatant acts of anti national activity combined with the harsh action of imposing the National Security Act on Varun Gandhi for his alleged hate speech, gives credence to the theory of 'minority pampering'. What Varun said or did not say (as claimed by him) could have been easily dealt by the existing provisions of law in the country. But by invoking the provision of an act, disproportionate to his alleged act raises the conspiracy theories, resulting in further allegations and counter allegations.

Punish the culprit, for heavens sake! But please do not let bigger culprits get away for the sake of votes! You cannot have a Ram Bilas Paswan moving around with an Osama bin Laden lookalike, seeking votes (last Vidhan Sabha elections in Bihar), Tauqir Raza Khan extolling the virtues of 'Secularism', Akbaruddin Owaisi getting elected, the legality of Batla house encounter questioned incessantly, Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid issuing Fatwas in favour of 'X' or 'Y' party and Varun Gandhi in jail under NSA. The same yardsticks need to be applied.

And anyway please do not let people like Mukhtar Ansari, Shahabuddin, Atiq Ahmed, Arun Gawli and people of their ilk or their proxies contest. The story of freedom of this country has been written in the blood of thousands of people who forsaked their home and hearth for the nation.

The country cannot be subjugated by criminals, terrorists and people who fail to stand up.

As Harivansh Rai Bachchan once wrote,

में हूँ उनके साथ सदा जो सीधी रखते अपनी रीढ़.
(I am with those who have a straight spine).

N.B: My apologies for any translation and typing mistake in Awadhi and Hindi.