The Outcast Heroes

" history is written by the victors "

Some great king,politician or poet said that.May be Napoleon,may be Churchill.Exact source is quite unknown.But one thing is for sure - he was great.He was great by the shear magnitude of his words.Coming to the Indian context,not only history but also the signboards of all the famous monuments and universities have been written by the victors.The Independence of India is seen to be the magical of a single party,with 'The Family' at its helm and Mahatma as its spiritual guide.So much so,that the role of Indira Gandhi as the head of Monkey Brigade has now become legendary.I too heard the story as a child.But what you don't get to hear in Independent India is the story of millions and millions of commoners who died fighting for their motherland.And their fight was not the non-violent fight preached by Mahatma Gandhi.They paid the price in blood.Chandrasekhar Aazad,the man who fought till his second last bullet,only to put the last bullet in his own temple so as to be not captured by the Britishers alive,died in the famous Company Garden of Allahabad.After Independence,the Garden was renamed Motilal Nehru Park.Only after much furore,the particular spot of Aazad's martyrdom was encircled and named after him.Veer Savarkar was never arrested and kept in the infamous Cellular Jail or Kaala Paani for petty crime like theft.He was involved in serious political activities which included a struggle against the British Empire for India's freedom.Yet he was not even given the monthly pension customary for freedom fighters until Nehru was Prime Minister.No honour was bestowed upon the man who served the gruesome jail term of eleven years under the evil British laws in a place where hell and death were things one dreamt of attaining.Not even in his death,although Indians are none to glorifying one and all after their deaths.All because he was a political opponent of Congress.Another man who never bowed to the Britishers but was soon systematically ignored by subsequent governments after Independence was Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.But he was not just a political opponent.He was the man who commanded the respect of the commoners and the mighty alike.Be it Hitler or Stalin in 1940's or the common Congress worker in the 1920's and 30's.The man who served as Congress President,winning the election only after defeating a candidate supported by Mahatma himself but had to go because of "differences" with the 'High Command',had the weight of 60000 strong soldiers behind him.And a nation which thought him as another pole of India's freedom struggle.With his slogan "Tum Mujhe Khoon Do,Mai Tumhe Aazadi Dunga (Give me blood,and I will give you freedom)" and "Dilli Chalo (Capture Delhi)" he was a man whose voice could be clearly heard and felt far and wide at a time when even Gandhi was compelled into using the term "Do or Die".And that proved to his undoing.That a man single-handedly raises a force and declares a war against the mightiest empires of its time,is quite unheard of in the entire history.And what a dedicated force!Two-third of his soldiers fought till their last breath.And those who were left alive in the war were not even accepted as freedom fighters in Independent India.They never got their due credit in the freedom struggle(in the words of NSA Ajit Doval).So much so,they were even kept out of the Indian Army.No government tried to celebrate the contribution of Netaji in freedom struggle or even tried to dig his whereabouts.He was a man whose presence or even discussion in independent India could have hurt the treatment of India's independence as the sole handiwork of the ruling dynasty.The glorious fighter was fatefully or forcefully faded into oblivion.But the harsh truth is that these freedom fighters were never fighting for petty prizes or to sit on the throne of Independent India.It was a selfless struggle for their Motherland and for the self pride which never allowed them to become allies of the Empire(Subhash Chandra Bose came fourth in the esteemed ICS Exams).Even the politicians of Bengal,who are famous for protecting and promoting the relics of its legends,only paid lip-service to Netaji.While the poets and painters continue to bash in the cultural saga of the state,Netaji is a forgotten hero.

भोपाल गैस त्रासदी : जिसे देश ने भूला दिया

वारेन एंडरसन की आज अमेरिका में मृत्यु हो गयी । आर्थिक वैश्विकरण के बाद देश में आए उद्योगीकरण और उससे जुड़े पैसे एवं खुशाली की बयार में लोगों ने इस मनुष्यरूपी दानव को भुला दिया । किसी नेता ने कभी उन मासूमों के हक़ में आवाज नही उठाई । कोई नेता इससे आजाद भारत के सीने पे सबसे बड़े बोझ के तौर पे याद नही करता । साल सन 1984 का ही था । देश में दंगे हुए थे । आज ही के दिन 30 साल पहले देश ने इंदिरा गांधी को खो दिया था । सब याद रह गया पर भोपाल गैस त्रासदी भुला दिया गया । दरअसल राजनीतिक हस्त-छेप नहीं था न । वरना मुर्दे कभी बिना गिने गाड़े नहीं जाते । 16000 आदमी या तो मारे गए या ज़िंदगी भर के लिए अपाहिज़ बना दिए गए । पंच-परमेश्वर ने सजा भी तय की थी,दो साल की । गौरतलब है की ये विश्व का अबतक का सबसे व्यापक औद्योगिक अपराध था । 2-3 दिसंबर के बीच की रात हुए इस त्रासदी के तुरंत बाद भारत आया । भोपाल की सैर भी की । सरकार की गाड़ी में उसे घुमाया गया । उसके बाद वो देश छोड़ के हमेशा के लिए चला गया । मध्य-प्रदेश में अर्जुन सिंह की सरकार थी और केंद्र में थें नवनिर्वाचित प्रधान-मंत्री और स्वर्गीय प्रधान-मंत्री इंदिरा गांधी के सुपुत्र राजीव गांधी । देश का सबसे बड़ा मुज़रिम विदेश से भोपाल पहुंचा, यहाँ तक की सरकारी गाड़ी में घुमा और फिर आराम से लौट गया । पर न अर्जुन सिंह ने ध्यान दिया और न राजीव गांधी को खबर मिली । बाद के सरकारों ने भी कुछ नहीं किया । हाँ एक तस्वीर है । बच्चे की ज़मीन में दबी एक खोपड़ी है । आत्मा को ताउम्र रुलाएगी । सिर्फ मेरी आपकी नहीं इस देश की धरती माँ पे एक ऐसा धब्बा है जो भोपाल की हवा की तरह कभी साफ़ नहीं होगा । आज जब विज्ञानं और उद्योगीकरण का ज़माना है तो युवा पीढ़ी के लिए महत्वपूर्ण है की इस घटना को याद में बसाया जाये । हाँ अगर मीडिया को ये हंगामा करने से फुरसत मिल जाये की सरदार पटेल किसकी "संपन्ति" है तो एक बार आज फिर भोपाल की काली रात को याद कर दो बूंद आँशु बहा लेने चाहिए । राजीव नहीं,अर्जुन नहीं और अब तो एंडरसन भी नहीं । जवाब देने वाला कोई नहीं । पर न्याय होगा । इस लोक में में नहीं, इहलोक में । पर फिर इस अंधे कानून का क्या काम ? और क्या काम इन ज़मीर विहीन सत्ता के बादशाहों का जिनके लिए सारा मुल्क दरअसल एक रखैल मात्र है जो उन्हें सुख देता है । अच्छा है की आज सरदार पटेल की जयंती भी है । पहली बार मीडिया इतने व्यापक तौर पे उन्हें याद कर रही है । शर्म की बात है की ऐसे राजनेता को भुला दिया गया जिसके लिए ये धरती माता थी और सत्ता जनता की सेवा का माध्यम मात्र ।

ज़मीर का द्वन्द : एक धर्मयुद्ध

जो अब भी चैन से सो रहा बेकार उसकी जवानी है

जो अब भी नही खौला वो खून खून नही पानी है 

कृष्ण राम के भूमि पे रोज़ पद्मिनी चिता चढ़ रही 

हर तरफ मोहम्मद गज़नी की ही जयजयकार मची 

खोया पृथ्वीराज का सपूत है जयचंद ने है सत्ता धरी

कब तक ये जड़ता सह लेंगे निर्बलता से मुह सी लेंगे  

पूर्वजों ने जुबान पे जान दी है फिर ये सर कैसे झुका लेंगे   

गंगा को भी लाल कर देंगे जिस दिन अपने आन पे ले लेंगे 

मेदनीपति के वसुधा पे अब और न होने देंगे पाप 

फिर उतरेंगे कई पार्थ रण में धनुष उठाने को बेताब

और आएगा एक मोहन सीखने गीता का अमर पाठ 

अतंत तो सब को एक ही जगह एक ही में मिल जाना 

पर जब तक साँस है जिंदा होने का फ़र्ज़ तो है निभाना    

तपस्वी का तपोबल न परखो धरती को फिर आज़ाद करेंगे  

मद में मशग़ूल बैठा है रावण उसे रामायण याद दिला देंगे 

सहस्त्रभुजा से युद्ध करने का माद्दा हम भी दिखला देंगे 

बहुत कर लिया फरियाद अब तो ये झूठी आस खत्म करो 

योगनिद्रा में सोये है भगवान शक्ति का ही अाह्वाहन करो 

रो रहा है खून तुम्हारा कम से कम उसका तो क़र्ज़ अदा करो

नीलाम होती है पुरुषत्व अब और सहने का धीज न धरो 

शर्मसार होते आर्यव्रत की वीर संस्कृति का नाम ले लड़ो    

जीत तुम्हारी ही है बस अपने कर्म की शुरुआत तो करो

अभी विनती कर रहे हैं अहिंसा धर्म मान गांधी की तरह

अब उठेंगे कफ़न बांधे भगत सिंह और आज़ाद की तरह  

  

The Temple and the kingdom

Mahatma Gandhi is said to have uttered 'Hey Ram' as his dying words.For a man,who spent all his life reading Quran sitting in Temple,his association with Ram can be best defined as an ideal administrator.He believed in the idea that present-day Uttar Pradesh indeed harboured what was once the Ram-Rajya described in Ramayana.As with all the attributes attached to his persona(Maryada Purshottam),the kingdom of Ram,Ayodha too like him was perfect.Invoking this sentiment was quite important in pre-independence India to show the derogatory effect of British Administration in India.Four decades into Independence,and still successive governments were promising Ram-Rajya in every election.The fifth decade proved revolutionary with right-wing politicians promising Ram temple apart from Ram-Rajya.This time the electoral was on fire.Another decade saw BJP clinging to power at the centre.The political outfit remaining mostly as an out-caste became the new band wagon for leaders of all hues who shaded themselves brilliantly under the pretext of supporting Atal Bihari Vajpayee,the most secular voice in a communal party.Economy and governance bore fruit of an stable administration,it was the first stable government after the liberalization of economy under PV Narshima Rao.However,the dream temple was never built.Then Gujarat riots took place and next election proved to be a mandate against the ruling BJP.Opinion polls had suggested otherwise and the shock was written off as anti-incumbency factor.However the opinion of the lost general,Vajpayee was ignored.He believed even after good governance and a secular image,he lost solely due to Gujarat riots.That one state determined the fate of his governance was a far-fetched cry according to many analyst.A man of much less stature,Vinay Katiyar lamented many years after the loss,we lost since we failed to fulfil our original promise.Winding quickly to the present times,exactly a deacde after the loss,the temple genie is again out.That too from the ground of Vinay Katiyar,the revered Uttar Pradesh.Nine months before,when Modi wave was still catching and he was still the grey horse,the belief of another BJP government at the center was a distant dream.His charisma and good works in Gujarat,most importantly,a three-times decisive mandate backing his development claims,ensured that this distant dream becomes the obvious.Still,his right-hand man,Amit Shah,needs to ask votes in the name of religion.Did he miscalculated or will his tactic burst the development plank of his mentor Modi.However good a leader Vajpayee was he failed to read a simple writing on the wall.If people voted for the same government for almost six out of seven decades of independent India,on the same belief of a Ram-Rajya,it was because the people never really expected the government to built an idea kingdom.Just the stories of good all times,each time said in a different clamour,was sufficient to keep people hooked to the massive political rallies.At least in Uttar Pradesh,were successive governments have given people simple choice,either I will waste your hard earned money in making my own idol(read Mayawati) or I will give you a law and order free governance(read Akhilesh Yadav),the talks of development will fall on deaf ears.Few people are interested in Ram-Rajya,the chunks will in the Temple were they can sit and pray for the Ram-Rajya.Last line,Mahatma Gandhi too belonged to Gujarat and Lord Ram from Uttar Pradesh.The roots of this country are too strong to be eroded by any individual.The situation of Uttar Pradesh forces one to cry tears of blood and Gujarat is an state which burnt continuously in the fire of riots after riots.

Tiger of Mysore

Tipu Sultan forever remained a silver lining in the modern history as the only ruler in modern Indian history who not only challenged the might of imperialist Britishers but was also able to snatch some glorious victories from their jaws.A defeat,ultimately,merged with his death in 1799.He did not led down his arms until he had breath,holding the highest ideals of bravery and kingship being followed in our country through ancient times.And his death was not only a result of fate but by the collaboration of mighty 'traitors' Maratha chieftains with the British Army.Apart his deewan too was bought by the Britishers.This as much is the recorded history of at least his last period,sufficient to earn him a place among the greatest rulers India ever had and the biggest challenge England ever faced in their colonialism of India.Only yesterday I had the pleasure of learning,after his icon was displayed in the R-Day parade that he was the 'traitor of Mysore'.Tipu Sultan ever bowed to the Britshers,no historical record suggest that.What is indeed controversial is his history before he became the nightmare of the Britishers.His zeal for his religion or conquest lead him to commit heinous crime against Hindus or Christians,including destruction of temples and ethnic cleansing of entire communities on suspect for being faithful to his enemy Hindu kings.But,Tipu Sultan was no Aurangzeb fighting for establishing the supremacy of Mughal Empire.He was a king fighting to protect India from foreign clutches.In fact,he later changed his anti-Hindu stand so that he gets enough support across the religious lines for his chivalry against Britishers.He was one of the rare Indian rulers of modern history who recognized the importance of navy in the changing world scenario and developed a powerful fleet along India's west coast.The diplomatic capacities of the ruler was exceptional in Indian history.Although Indian rulers frequently invited rulers from Afghanistan and further East to settle their scores over enemy states,Tipu Sultan read the world order right and forged an alliance with none other than powerful competitors of Britishers in world market,French.That European upstir slowing down French help should always be remembered as a lost chance of Indian independence.But Tipu Sultan was not the one who was much concerned with allies tuning hostile or stab by his own people.He fought alone against the colonization of our country when all odds had turned against him,even building probably the world's first missile.The history will certainly be kind to him while remembering the atrocious of his successors in Indian might,Britishers or even the selling of national soul by the Maratha chieftains.He may was a religious fanatic,but his exemplar and inspiring courage in India's fight against world order will certainly ensure the 'Tiger' will not be bestowed an honour below the jackal,both being wild and preying,Tiger commands respect for his valor that jackal lacks.His life is best summed in his own quote "It is far better to live like a lion for a day than to live like a jackal for a hundred years".

Far Above Lokpal

The political battle for Parliament has become hotter in December cold with AAP sweeping Delhi.Alright,not sweeping,but becoming a considerable player and ultimately forming government at the Legislature.Whatever media has to say about the revolution,for a twenty-four-into-seven coverage,from bathroom to metro is giving the feelers of a Quit India movement or closer still the political drama of post-emergency in 1977,the corruption eradication revolution is unmistakably a revolution based on knowledge,past its prime.The more important matters of real ground-check is being seriously avoided by all,from politicians to journalists.May-be debating Delhi,Modi and Kejriwal will fetch more viewers to votes.The war for Delhi was mostly a two-way affair between BJP and AAP thanks to Congress suspicion for social-media thereby making youths suspicious of it.Coming closer to the heels of political debacle of ruling party,a bill that was stated to change the course of Indian governance forever and which was derided for almost five decades now,was passed with an unanimous applause from all sides.None other than the new carved almighty of Indian politics,AAP and the old-horse SP voiced against the bill.For entirely different reasons though.For AAP,the bill was not perfect thus it gave ample space for the forever merry-making corrupt practices and for SP,another five decades of debate was needed so that the alleged disproportionate asset case against their favourite leader never calls for harsher punishment.Nevertheless,all parties agreed that the bill was a monster leap against corruption and the small changes can be addressed later.A similar,but dilute bill was promised last year too but Anna and his team,riding high on public support had opposed citing many flaws.The flaws where addressed,alright but not in an exact manner as was wished by civil society.Why they compromised on the relevant point,especially one putting PM outside the loop of Lokpal,for the technicality of calling PM is more of a safe-guard,can not be ascertained at once.May be fractured ranks has taken the sheen out of their struggle.More importantly,an all-subduing authority,in the form of Lokpal is not very safe for democracy,specially what if it itself indulges in corruption.Afterall,other powerful agencies and authorities have been marred with several cooked or who knows,startling charges ranging from CJI,PM,CEC to chiefs of nodal agencies like CVC or CBI chief.But this debate can be rested as of know,since corruption has become a nerves formula,destroying the entire central system on which the governance functions and the country runs.The most shocking aspect of Lokpal,which no parties having a stake in the corruption movement  pays a heed upon,is the rainbow federation of employees coming under purview of Lokpal.The authority is all now set posed to control five million government employees along with handful of powerful ministers.All voices talking about the mammoth work-load for Lokpal was silenced with harsh reasons,better still taunts.But its important to underline that all five millions,except the mighty few,already come under the vigil of different watch-dogs.These mighty few are the most respected and powerful occupants,the black-coat clad senior-most bureaucrats and the khadi wearer humble servant of the people.No authority or vigilance had the muscle powerful enough to fix them.All the massive corruption figures,from CWG,2G to Coal-gate,which caused so much furore in the nation,was not the work of a government clerk accepting few forgotten hundreds in some petty deal.Powerful officials from PMO to cabinet ministers were involved and business-man earning name,fame and reputation around the world were doubted.Yet a sinister attempt is being made to cover this multi-billions scam and concentrate instead on the corruption being faced by public in day-to-day life.So,there is a Lokpal.He will arrest and persecute peons and clerk,the lower-most effete of our society for taking a bribe of fifty or hundred rupees.While the people selling national asset like coal will wipe their hands clear of any black,before the Lokpal gets the time to look above the clinging corruption in lower honchos to a corruption being rising from a  government policy fixed by none other than the Telecom Ministry in accord with the Finance Minister at the Lutyens.This Lokpal is not Akbar holding a big and powerful empire but its Bahadur Shah holding an empire big enough to be weak.