202. From Narmada Valley ... (2)

Part (1)

Myth of Rehabilitation

For many years I have been reading (and listening to) about ‘Zero balance’ in Rehabilitation –meaning 100% households are rehabilitated. From experience I have learnt to assume a certain percentage of success of any reported success – however even those assumptions failed here. In Madhya Pradesh 193 villages are in submergence area – out of that in 150 villages people are still living as they do not have any option. “When Government reports ‘Zero balance’, it is not only a lie but we are treated like a non-entity” remarked one villager sadly. Chota Badada, Pipari, Pichodee, Kadmal, Khaparkheda, Bhitada, Bilgaon …. Villages are different, districts are different, states are different – but the situation is the same. Farmers rejecting cash and demanding ‘land for land’ compensation; people living in the fear of floods; people visiting courts regularly in the hope of justice; people changing together “aamu aakhaa ek se” (we all are One) and “ladenge – jeetenge” (we will fight and win) – keeping alive the hope.

Initially Madhya Pradesh government had asked people to “accept money (as compensation for land) and manage your life” – but people have rejected this policy. When people insisted on “land for land” – they were shown on which farming was not possible. In some villages people have planted and cultivated crops on “Krishi Seva Kendra” land (a government property) and distributed the crop among them.

With many such efforts finally Madhya Pradesh government accepted the demands and 21 families have been given land (five acres each) at Khalbujurg. 10 families from Pichodee and 11 families from Bhadal have received land. When we visited the place the farm was filled with green Soybean. The success of these 21 families has motivated large number of people in the area. Even though farmland has been provided, these families are yet to receive land for construction of house. In Khalbujurg nine to ten families are sharing one residence.

This is Khalbujurg Rehabilitation

This residence is shared by 9 or 10 families. Is this proper and adequate rehabilitation?

Prior to this, in 2000, nine families from Bhitada (the village has more than 300 families) was given five acres of land (each family). The distance between Pichodee and Khalbujurg is about 150 kilometers. Out of 700 + families in Pichodee only 11 have received ‘land for land’ – this clearly speaks about status and speed of rehabilitation. According to Madhya Pradesh government, 5257 families are affected by dam and need to be rehabilitated. All these will need land for construction of house; and there are 10000 landless families, which need to be allotted land for construction of house. The quality of construction is another issue.

How many families are affected by dam and need to be rehabilitated? The numbers are not clear. The number 5257 (of the families affected by dam) accepted by Madhya Pradesh government does not include “adult sons”. It is all a number game. For example, Bhitada was submerged in 2006. But the “cut off” year for Bhitada is 1993. So the minor sons in 1993 are still treated as part of the same family in 2006. Government has not considered the reality that the sons will grow up, they will marry, they will have progeny, and they will need a separate house …..So, for many villages the land for necessary rehabilitation is not available.

Even for declared number of affected families by state government, there is no sufficient provision. In Kadmal – Khaparkheda there are 700+ families. The plan is to rehabilitate them into eight different locations. So according to local people, government is not only drowning their village, but it is also destroying their relations with the community. One village getting divided into eight different locations means people have to leave behind their relatives and support groups. People are not sure that they will be accepted and provided support by the villages they would be rehabilitated into. If government discusses with people, even these eight groups can be properly re-arranged. But for many government officers ‘discussion’ means ‘they speak and others accept’ – this must have happened here as well is my guess.

I came across a very interesting term while discussing rehabilitation with the local people. They were easily talking about ’60 meter wale’, ’70 meter wale’ ’80 meter wale’ ….. “80 meter wale” means people/families expected to be rehabilitated before the dam reaches the height of 80 meters, “70 meter wale” means people/families expected to be rehabilitated before the dam reaches the height of 70 meters and so on.  People accused that “even when ‘80 meter wale’ families are not yet habilitated, governments (state governments) are claiming “Zero balance” (meaning nobody remains to be rehabilitated, 100% rehabilitation complete), providing affidavit in courts (since 2008), the dam height was increased up to 122 meters. I was amazed by the knowledge local people had about this situation. Now villagers at least want the height to remain at 122 meters and not to increase it. But I wonder why Government hurried to say that the rehabilitation is 100% complete. With the experience of working with Governments, I know that government is no more a “welfare” institution or mechanism – but how can it work against welfare of its own people?

 Sand Mining: a new way of looting

Next morning we went to Pichodee. Andolan has stopped illegal mining in this village by demonstrations and stopping the sand filled trucks and sending some of the culprits to the jail. In our group there was substantial discussion on “Sand mining”. Some of us argued: to construct new buildings we need sand. If we stop sand mining altogether development will stop and it would possibly create ecological imbalance. (In short the question was: why are you always against development?) The most important question we hardly discuss is: why only a certain group of people have to pay the price for development of others? Why one has always to renounce and others always get fruits (i.e. facilities) of development? So, we kept on discussing these two perspectives. We had discussion on what is legal sand mining and what is illegal sand mining.

As Pichodee village in the submergence area of Sardar Sarovar, it is under Narmada Control Authority; local authorities are not entitled to provide permissions for sand mining. That means the whole field is open to those who have connections.

When we reached the banks of Narmada in Pichodee, we realized how destructive illegal sand mining could be. No theories were necessary; no convincing was required as we stood on the spot. Words lost its meaning and only a feeling of destruction was around us.

Looking at all the three photographs, one realizes how deep is the river and how the illegal sand mining has allowed the river to rush in. The line of water at the back is Narmada. The green patch at the height is the land level – that was two months ago. The photographs show how deep the mining was done. These photographs were taken when it was not raining – you can imagine how devastating it would be in monsoon. Narmada rushes in bringing in huge volumes of water – she is like a Sea then. She has taken all the silt with her and deposited it in Sardar Sarovar. It is not fault of Narmada – it is the fault of human beings who are playing with the river.

Like the canal story, the illegal sand mining is seen for miles. There are alliances across political affiliations, involved in this destruction. One wonders whether the police are taking action against the sand mafia. 

To be continued ...

201. Light

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 43; the forty-third edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. The theme for the month is "LIGHT"

“You know the code?” asked the chief.

He nodded.

“Repeat the code”, the next guy spoke in a low voice.

“Sir, one light: “stay where you are”, two lights: “move forward safely” and three lights:  “move back”.

The chief laughed like Gabbar Singh!

The young man had a question, but sensing the antagonism he kept quiet.

They started towards the forest.

“What if there is no light?” he asked slowly.

“There will be no light today. That will end the darkness” an old man uttered smilingly.  

He realized that they had a plan to surrender the chief to the authorities.

(*This is a Drabble)

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200. Color

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 42; the forty-second edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. The theme for the month is "COLOR"

Every evening Grandpa holds my hand and takes me to the garden.

I like it.

Today children are playing some new game.

“Tipi Tipi Tip Top”, one girl shouts.

“What color you want?” responds the chorus.

“Blue” the girl says and everybody rushes around.

They catch something and laugh.

The laughter is joyful and clear like a sea wave.

Now it is another girl, her voice is different.

“Tipi Tipi Tip Top,” she shouts.

“What color you want?” the chorus.

“Grandpa, what is color” I ask with curiosity.

Grandpa sighs. He holds me close.

His tears fall on my face. 

(This is a Drabble) 

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199. From Narmada Valley ....(1)

I have been reading Marathi monthly Andolan  for last few years and hence I am aware of the issues related to “Sardar Sarovar”. I had an opportunity to interact with dam affected people in Gujarat and Maharashtra. In May 2012, I visited Narmada district, Sardar Sarovar and had interaction with government officials. During that visit I felt the need to visit Dam affected area once again; but with someone who has been part of People’s Movement. So, when in the second week of August I received an invitation to join “Narmada Valley Journey”, without thinking for a moment, I registered myself.

On the morning of 17 August, we reached Khalghat, where 50 other friends from various places like Delhi, Patiala, Indore, Rajasthan, and different parts of Maharashtra joined. It was heartening to see so many youngsters who are already involved in making social change and were ready to learn about new issues. We were also accompanied by four journalists and the discussions continued for the next three days. Medhatai (Medha Patkar) was always ready to answer any questions and that made the group to keep on asking questions and generate learning. For the first two days we visited areas in Madhya Pradesh and on the third day visited areas in Maharashtra. We were not able to visit Gujarat but learnt about the situation there through discussions.

During these three days, from the interaction with various villagers and volunteer activists of NAPM (National Alliance of People’s Movement), following five points emerged and were underlined.  

1.  Even when Governments are claiming that the rehabilitation in Sardar Sarovar affected area is complete, in reality this is not the case.

2. The benefits of Sardar Sarovar are much lesser than was the projection and expectation.

3. In Sardar Sarovar affected area in Madhya Pradesh, a canal network is being implemented. For canals, land is being acquired; rehabilitation is not planned and corruption is rampant.  

4.  Narmada is witnessing a massive illegal sand mining; which  is causing havoc in the adjoining villages. These villages are rehabilitated on paper – but actually they are living villages. The silt Narmada is carrying into Sardar Sarovar is certainly going to reduce life of the dam.

5.   Villages which in reality are not yet rehabilitated face issues like lack of roads, lack of access to health services, lack of education, and lack of safe drinking water – in short, lack of basic necessary amenities.

Mystery of Canals

We started our journey together from Khalghat. This is a city on Mumbai- Agra highway and an important junction on the banks of Narmada. This area is almost 200 kilometers away from Sardar Sarovar. I knew that whatever I observe in this area, the situation would be much worse in the areas nearer to the dam.  Khalghat is also an important location for Narmada Bachao Andolan. Fifteen villages in the vicinity of Khalghat are going to be submerged. In 1990, residents in the area had stopped the traffic on this highway for 28 hours ( Rasta Roko as a protest). People also told us about Tractor Rally they had organized. The movement has used various innovative and non-violent ways to register their protest for their rights.

Mr. Dayaram Patel informed us, “On 4^th July this year, the canals broke in Badwah block and about 500 acre agricultural land and houses were under water for considerable time.” Recently on 14^th August, Gram Sabhas were conducted and one of the agenda was to take a decision about “Whether people want canals.” I do not know how such an important issue could be decided on a sort of voting without having a comprehensive discussion on the issue. Why these canals? Who is going to be benefited by these canals – I was wondering.

Then we travel to Amalatha in Khargon district and the canals we see shocks us. At a glance we could see a canal which is broken at ten different spots. We walked (with local people) for about one and half kilometers and the scene was ruthlessly repeated.

This was Main Left Canal of Omkareshwar dam. Its length is 15687 meters. As I said, what we saw in couple of kilometers, gave us idea about what could be the status of the canal. Later in the villages Nandra and Chota Badada (where the meeting went on till 9.00 pm), people passionately talked against these canals. For the last 28 years they are fighting for their rightful existence; for saving their village, their land, their home from the effects of Sardar Sarovar. That struggle is not over yet; and another struggle is imposed on them. Why the same community has to renounce their resources for the development – whose fruits will be enjoyed only by others?

Listening to people was disturbing. The plan canals for Omkareshwar and Indira Sagar dams will need 1000 hector of land and about 1100 villages will be affected by it in various ways. What I found irritatingly interesting was that the command area of these canals is the same area which is going to be submerged in backwater of Sardar Sarovar. Why a submerged area would need canal water for “surface irrigation”? Provision of “drinking water” is another purpose of these canals – but why do we need canals for drinking water for the area near the mighty river like Narmada? One villager said, “Half of our village has Sardar Sarovar backwater and half the village is covered by canals” – it sound ridiculous but in fact it is more serious as the canal planning is completely misguided and based on wrong assumptions.  What could be the purpose? Who is going to benefit by this?

Nandra villagers had another story to tell. They don’t want canal in their village (because they don’t need it!). When the contractor approached the village for canal construction, they asked him to complete the work in the earlier phase first. However as they opposed the work (this was sometime in March, around Holee), police arrested the local leaders of the movement, declared curfew (144 A); contractor brought 15 huge machines and the work in the village was complete overnight!  Listening to Lalubhai’s (a local protest leader) narration of this experience made me think about “what democracy is about”!  The canal is dividing lands, and in some cases the farmer has to walk for kilometers to approach his piece of land (divided due to canal) as there are no roads to cross canals. The government and contractors have neither consulted farmers before planning canal work nor do they bother to inform farmers in advance.

The quality (rather lack of it) of canal construction was obvious.

 It is clear that the alliance of government officials and contractors is ruthlessly working to increase their profit margin – at the expenses of local farmers.

Now both Omkareshwar and Indira Sagar dams do not enough water to release it in canals. The canals are destroyed by heavy rains. What will happen when the water is released in heavy rains? There is no system to manage drainage of overflowing canals. Those who are affected by canal work should be paid compensations – but nothing is being done in this regard.

It looks like local people get favorable judgments in the courts, but as the judgments are not implemented; the struggle does not end.

All the villages we visited on the first day; are still LIVING villages. Once Saradar Sarovar builds 17 meters Gates, all these villages will be vanished – they will be drowned. That thought made me feel extremely uneasy. We still can save those. Why government ends in planning schemes that are ultimately against its people – I fail to understand. The rosy picture of benefits of Sardar Sarovar has another side – and after seeing it one knows that for “India Shining” there are people who are paying the cost – the cost of their livelihood!

(To be continued)

198 Acceptance

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 40; the fortieth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. The theme for the month is "MAKE A WISH"

“Make a Wish to Mother,” ordered the Master.

The young disciple faced harsh realities of life. Initially he had requested his Master to pray for him. He was a beloved disciple of the Master “I cannot ask Mother for mundane things,” replied he.

Disciple went inside the temple. He felt the presence of the Mother. He understood why his Master could not “ask for him”.

“Mother, Give me  Knowledge and Devotion” – he prayed.  

Second and third time.

“Your people will never be in want of plain food and clothes” said the Master.  

“Naren has accepted Mother”, Sri Ramkrishna beamed joyfully.

*****

This is a Drabble. 
Reference: 

http://www.kalimandir.org/library/swami-vivekananda-on-mother-kali/

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197. Mediation

It is good to know that people are concerned about other people
However, an uninvited concern is irritating.
For last few days, suddenly from nowhere else, I started getting messages from an organization which cares for people's spiritual enlightenment. At least that is what they claim.

I ignored first few mails in the hope that if I did not respond, they would be discouraged enough.
But the messages kept on coming. About Rajyoga Mediation and all that.
It always had the boasting last liine: We are at 140 countries with more than 9000 Meditation centre's since 1937 

I wrote to them requesting "not to send such mails."
No effect.
Then after few days I wrote, "Kindly stop sending these mails to me. Note that you are invading my privacy."

This was a clear message to any person in right mind.
But no, not to this organization! They wrote back:


Om Shanti Divine Soul, 

Our aim is not to disturb your privacy of life, we just want to inform you about Godly meditation which is need for very human being to maintain balance of life. crores of family's are enjoying this, this meditation is like to recharge your soul. GOD BLESS YOU.

I wonder what makes these people think that I need a mediation. 

And what makes them to think that they are eligible to mediate between me and God!

 By the way, what is your guess? Which organization is this? :-)

196. Translators

Some jobs needs more than what they mean.
Look at the translators; for example.
Apparently it is about a set of skills but it is also about what kind of human being you are.

People have different ideas - not  only about others but also about themselves.
The personality exhibits salient features more in certain professions.
And I have come to believe that "translation" is one such profession.

Being born and brought up and working in a multi-lingual society like India has its advantages. However it also means that most of the times I have to depend on translators. I have done "translation" tasks a number of times and know how difficult it is. I keep on wondering why translators think that 'knowing two languages makes them automatically eligible for the job of translation."

Once I had a translator who had opinion on each and everything under the sky. Each time he would translate very briefly what other person had said and elaborate on how he disagreed with that opinion. I had hard time in separating his opinions and the opinions of the people. I had to assure him that I would interview him later and at length.

There was another translator who made it look so easy for himself. The tribal women spoke for about ten minutes and he translated it in one minute. When I protested that the woman had spoken many points, he shrugged shoulders and bravely said that he was helping me by filtering the talk. I had to remind him that it was for these tribal women that I had come so far.

Once I was asking few questions and the translator kept on answering those without consulting local people. When I reminded her that I needed to get those answers from local communities, she simple said, "Oh! But I know those answers. What is there to ask? In fact you should be thankful that I am saving lot of your time."

One translator always forgot to translate the response. After listening to the response, she would keep on asking her own questions (totally irrelevant and misleading the whole process) until my interference.

Once I provided an example of how the lack of quality assurance destroyed the enterprise of one Self Help Group of women. The idea was that the participants should pay more attention to quality assurance. What I spoke for five minutes, the translator told them in one sentence. I asked  what he had told them. He had plainly told that "don't go into this enterprise, you will fail."

Do you see a pattern? Translation is not only about skills, they are highly important. It is also about what kind of person you are. Are you ready to hide yourself? Are you ready to forget your likes and dislikes for a little time? Are you ready to treat yourself insignificant in the whole process? Are you ready to communicate what you have been told without adding spice in it? Are you ready to help others? Are you willing to learn?

We need good translators; not only linguistic translators but also those who can translate ideas into actions.
For that one needs to treat her/himself as an instrument - are we ready for that?

I look back at my experience and realize that half of the work gets spoiled due to bad translators!
Both idea-action translators and language translators.

195. Wrong Message

I hardly watch Television.
And when I watch, I have learnt the art of doing some important tasks during the 'break'.
That means I hardly watch advertisements.

However, this one I watched and was amazed.

A bell rings.
Father opens door.
Son enters - he is obviously a cricket player.
Father asks, "Is the match over?"
Son says, "Everybody has gone out on vacation. When will we go?" (As if the boy did not know that others are not there and went in to play match with full preparations! The kids today are not so dumb!!)
Daughter says, "I too want to go Papa."
Father promises, "Ok, we too will go on vacation (and visit some places)".

Then the wife (mother of kids :-))  says,"Why did you give such a false promise to kids? We don't have any saving after we pay y EMI (Equated Monthly Installments)"
And the man replies, "Don't worry, now I have transferred the housing loan to State Bank of India" (The EMI is less and so the family can save).

And then a photograph of the family on tour.

However, there is one absolutely fundamental wrong message in this advertisement,

Can you guess what it is?

194. Break

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 39; the thirty-ninth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. The theme for the month is "Break"

As the teacher enters the class, we all become silent, not out of fear but out of expectation of another time for entertainment.

“Let us discuss the word BREAK today,” she announces.

We know the game. We have to use the word in as many ways as possible.

“I want to break the silence”, Rashmi says cleverly and everybody laughs.

“Our car break is not working, so the silence is already broken” Aditya adds.

“So, did you break traffic rules?” Mohit asks.

“No, the traffic police had a break then,” Sudha adds with smile.

“Turn the break  ...” someone says and we are puzzled, is this term right? Can we turn the break?  

“My elder brother joined another company. He has a good break, he says,” Sumit adds.

“Is he the one who is good in code-break?” asks Hema.

“Oh! He is the record breaker of our school, remember?” Maya added.

“Hmm, how clever you all are! I have to break my head to use the word,” Deepankar says and again everybody laughs.

“Better break a glass than a break down,” Nandita. Her mother is psychiatrist

After few minutes the fun is over. Everyone is thinking hard to find uses of the word ‘break’

“Give us a break,” I say loudly and laughter breaks around.

This teacher has taken a break from tradition, but how effectively can she break the age long habit of other teachers?

So, her session is a good break for us – nothing more than that!  

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193. Abandoned

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 38; the thirty-eighth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. The theme for the month is "The Woman on Platform Number 10"

This is the time when millions come here; to bathe in the famous confluence.

She must be one of those; nameless, faceless Indian.

She must be above 70; frail and lonely.

The woman is here on platform number 10 for almost five hours.

 “Mother, where are you going?” I ask politely.

“Ramgadh”, she smiles.

 “What time is your train?” I ask.

“Babu, my son, knows” she replies.

“Where is Babu?” I ask.

“He is bringing a cup of tea for me”, she answers.

 I sigh.

That rascal Babu has abandoned his mother.

Will she be able to accept the truth? 

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(This is a Drabble.) 

192. Painting

I am visiting his office after a long time.

The room looks cleaner and beautiful.

There is a new painting on the wall.

It is enchanting.

He is happy to note that it has attracted my attention. 

I ask him about the painting.

For half an hour he elaborates – the artist, the other paintings, and the exhibition.        

With love, with enthusiasm that is uncharacteristic of him.

I keep on wondering.

If he likes the painting so much, why is it at his back?

Is it a process that helps to show him in a different light?

Is he ‘Painting’ himself?  

(This is a Drabble.)

191. Twinning

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 37; the thirty-seventh edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. The theme for the month is "and then there were none"

The twins come from that indescribable core,

Beyond darkness and light.

One  moves amongst people;

Covers itself with different passions;

It wears colors, masks, sips the emotions;

Takes positions, assumes thoughts;

It presents itself in an exciting manner;

People are more comfortable with It.

The other observes relentlessly.

It does all that the first one does.

It flows and maintains its identity.

It is naked.  It stares calmly.

So it never attracts human beings.

 It frightens.

One always feels strange to face it.

For ages they say: truth is stranger than fiction.

Indeed it is.

The Twinning seems ridiculously insane.

****

(This is a Drabble.)

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190. Wait

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 36; the thirty-fifth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. The theme for the month is "and then there were none"

Every time he came home, crowds came home.

Proud. Jubilant.

Everybody enjoyed the connection.

One day, he died. On the battlefield.

They came in large numbers. Officials, Reporters, Cameramen, Politicians.

They spoke about bravery, about legacy, about patriotism.

And then there were none. Nowhere. Never.

She waits in agony. For end of one more life. 

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189. Delhi: A Perspective

I always believe that places reveal very little to us when we are not interested in them; but open up for those of us who are interested. In other words, it is not only that we choose a place, but the place also chooses us.

I have chosen Delhi as ‘my place’ for last couple of years and I always wonder whether Delhi has accepted me or not. Some signals are positive and some are neutral. After visiting many ‘spots’ and ‘sites’ and crossing the road at least 500 times; after experience the fog and the burning summer, I am still clueless about Delhi. Not only about its past; about its future; but also about its present.

How is Delhi?

It is beautiful and ugly. It is enthusiastic and depressive. It is aggressive and tolerant. It is filthy rich and extremely poor. It is cultured and vulgar. It is supersonic and slow. It is religious and mundane. It is lazy and consumerist. It is flowing and it is stagnated. It is in 21^st century and also in 16^th century. All these ‘Delhis’ coexist, hand in hand. Every time I experience it, it is different. Delhi by all means is a mystery.

Frankly speaking, Khushwant Singh is not my favorite writer. It was only after strong recommendation by one of my young friends that I touched the novel Delhi. However, I was stunned by the first paragraph itself. The narrator compares Delhi to his mistress. He says, “Delhi and Bhagmati (narrator’s mistress) have a lot in common. Having been long misused by rough people they have learnt to conceal their seductive charms under a mask of repulsive ugliness. It is only to their lovers, among whom I count myself, that they reveal their true selves.” 

So true, I felt – though I did not know about Bhagmati, I certainly knew that much about Delhi.

The principle narrator of the novel is a man. He is a Sikh. He visits foreign countries and works as a guide for foreign tourist. Through them he narrates material richness of Delhi and through Bhgamati, he shows us the poor, the vulnerable. Both enrich Delhi’s personality.

The narrator takes the readers to various places and its history. That is a fantastic journey. Places like Nigambodh Ghat, Tilpat, Suraj Kund, Okhla, Qutub Minar, Hauz Khas, Purana Quila, Red Fort… and so many others! Delhi comes alive through the narration.

What I enjoyed most is the history of Hajarat Nizamuddin – who so far was just a name of Railway Station for me. The life of this Sufi Saint is indeed inspiring. “Kings come and kings go. The will of Allah is eternal” – the words of Nizamuddin ring so true even today. So, is the story of Rakab Ganj Gurudwara. I am sure, when I visit both these places, I will have a better understanding of those and hence a far meaningful relationship with those two places. Other readers will find more such places to get the connection. The strength of the book lies in these kinds of narrations. There might be more fiction than the truth even in these narrations, but the truth that appears is blazing. One understands that Delhi has lived more life than we can imagine, Delhi has experienced more pain than one can endure and Delhi has seen so many power shifts that she hardly is affected by any power.

There are some interesting mythological stories (though not in details) spread across the pages. For example the names of the five villages that Pandavas are believed to have asked for to avoid war; how Balarama made river Yamuna zigzag. That was something which I did not know. Now I have more questions and I will seek more light on these mythological aspects as well.

His remarks on contemporary Delhi are also fascinating. For example the custom inspector, the cab driver, the crowd gathered to watch foreigner lady, the diplomatic office circle in Delhi, Republic Day Parade atmosphere.. .. Hilarious; and painful at the same time.

Being a Khushwant Singh novel, there are many women and sexual descriptions run parallel to journey of Delhi. This is one more example where an author is not able to break his image.  But his story of Delhi is so interesting that it did not stop me from reading the novel. 

And the human face of Khushwant Singh, the author makes a strong appearance through the pages. In Chapter 18, the narrator talks about ‘Builders’ – a narration spread over 30 pages. The narrator of this chapter is a contractor of Lutyens' Delhi. The contractor is none else but father of Khushwant Singh – Sobha Singh!! The author who cannot write without sex even when he is describing the life of Hajarat Nizamuddin or while a young man is watching Gandhijee’s prayer his mind thinks about Dr. Sushila in no less vulgar terms. But it only when the author is narrating the story of his real father, he abstains from any mention to sexuality. This only shows that one thinks  about ‘our own people’ in a different way !!

If you know when and how to ignore Khushwant Singh, this book makes one of the best reads. If you allow the author to irritate you, you will certainly not enjoy the book. However, with his knowledge of the city and the history of the city and the command on the language, I would  recommend that Delhi is worth reading! It is an interesting perspective about Delhi. 

Delhi- a novel: Khushwant Singh

Penguin Books, India

1990

Price: Rs. 250/- (paperback)

188. Fear

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 35; the thirty-fifth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. The theme for the month is "...and the world was silent again"

16 December 2012.

New Delhi. India

News spreads

Helplessness, Agony, Outcry, Anger,

Protests, Street March, Slogans, Candles, Fasts

Debates, Discussions, Editorials, Media coverage

Tweets, Facebook updates, Blogs

Poems, Articles

Commitments, Oaths, Schemes, Improvements

Calls for life punishment.

Calls for changes in the system.

Calls for changes in law.

Will history repeat itself?

That is the question.

Mathura. Suryanelli. Soumya

Helplessness, Agony, Outcry, Anger,

Protests, Street March, Slogans,

Debates, Discussions, Editorials,

Calls for changes in the system.

Calls for changes in law.

And the world was silent again.

Tulasa Thapa, Thangiam Manorama

Helplessness, Agony, Outcry, Anger,

Protests, Street March, Slogans,

Debates, Discussions, Editorials,

Calls for changes in the system.

Calls for changes in law.

And the world was silent again.

Jalagaon, Khairlanjee, Ajmer

Helplessness, Agony, Outcry, Anger,

Protests, Street March, Slogans,

Debates, Discussions, Editorials, Media coverage

Calls for changes in the system.

Calls for changes in law.

And the world was silent again.

Anjana Mishra, Bhanvari Devi,

Helplessness, Agony, Outcry, Anger,

Protests, Street March, Slogans,

Debates, Discussions, Editorials, Media coverage

Calls for changes in the system.

Calls for changes in law.

And the world was silent again.

Soni Sori, Nayana Pujari, Jyoti Kumari Chaudhari
and so many others,

Helplessness, Agony, Outcry, Anger,

Protests, Street March, Slogans,

Debates, Discussions, Editorials, Media coverage

Calls for changes in the system.

Calls for changes in law.

And the world was silent again.

Aruna Shanbhag?

Who was she?

Oh..right. Unfortunate indeed.

And the world was silent again.

Jammu and Kashmir.

Hmm! It is easy to talk about it,

But you know,

Our soldiers are doing a good job there.

Don’t discuss.

Aren’t you patriotic?

Someone has to pay the price. Keep quiet.

And the world was silent again.

North East?

What happened there?

Oh! It must be some foreign hand.

Who knows what the fact is!

The media has no other story

Let it be, who cares?

And the world was silent again.

Thousands, nay millions of

'Nameless' and 'Faceless'

Go through the agony.

Four year young and seventy year old,

Poor and Middle class and Wealthy,
Dalit and tribal and the upper caste,
Educated and uneducated,
Working in the public sector, private sector, unorganized sector, domestic workers.

Everyday. Every moment.

Some have courage to say it loudly.

Many die a silent death.

Pending cases.

Conviction rate?

Social taboo.

Police attitude,

No help from passers by ....

Well, it is still a concern. 

And the newspaper writes about one more rape.

From somewhere, around the corner.

“Women! “

“You know, it is not actually rape.”

“When they are caught red-handed, they want to save their skin by framing the man.”

“Why do they wear such provocative clothes?”

“Why do they move out in the evening?”

“Don’t they understand the world around is not good.”

“Women – they want independence!! These are the fruits of their independence.”

“This is all impact of westernization.”

“This is not our culture. We need to go back to our culture.”

“It does not happen to us because we are good.”

“Rape happens to only those who are ‘characterless’”

“Leave it. It is not our problem.”

And the world becomes silent

Again and again.

16 December 2012.

New Delhi. India

Agony, Outcry, Anger

Continue to grow.

29 December, Singapore.

The last breath.

I wish; we all wish that

At least now

The world would not remain silent!

However, I fear that the world will be silent again! 

The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective posts can be checked here. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. Introduced By: Vipul Grover, Participation Count: 30