SAHMAT Statement
10 February 2021
We strongly deplore the raids by the Enforcement Directorate on the independent online news portal, NEWSCLICK. This is in continuation of the attacks on journalists and media persons, including Mrinal Pande, Rajdeep Sardesai, Zafar Agha, Siddharth Varadarajan, Mandeep Punia, Vinod Jose, Aman Nath, Paresh Nath and others, who have been vocal in their support of the farmers’ agitation.
In solidarity,
A N DAMODARAN, janasamskriti
A.G.K. Menon, architect/urban planner
Aban Raza, artist
Abhilasha Kumari, former director, KIIT University, professor, communication ISID,
Achin Vanaik, retd. professor, Delhi University
Aditi Chowdhury, citizen
Aditya Mukherjee, professor retd., JNU
Ajay K. Mehra, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Senior Fellow, NMML
Ahmar Raza,
Ajith Pillai, independent journalist
Albeena Shakeel, former president, JNUSU
Amitabha Basu,retired scientist, CSIR – NPL
Amitabha Pande, IAS retd, former secretary, Government of India.
Amitava Das, artist
Amitava Sanyal, journalist
Anil Bhatti, professor emeritus, JNU
Anil Chandra, activist
Anil Rai, retd. professor, NIUA
Anisha Shekhar Mukherjee, conservation architect and writer
Anita Rampal, educationist
Antara Dev Sen, journalist
Anuradha Kapur, theatre worker
Apoorvanand, writer, teacher
Archana Prasad, JNU
Aruna Roy & Nikhil Dey, MKSS
Avinash Kumar, assistant professor, JNU
Ayesha Kidwai, JNU
Baankaahi
Badri Raina, author, columnist
Basanta, editor, Tulika Books
Bishnupriya Dutt, JNU
Deepak Sanan, retd. civil servant
Dhanu Swadi, concerned citizen
Dinesh Abrol, retd scientist, CSIR
Dr Anis Ansari IAS (r), president, All India Professionals ‘ Congress, UP
Dr. S.Krishnaswamy, retired senior professor, ex Madurai Kamaraj University
Estell Desai, activist
Gautam Mody, general secretary, New Trade Union Initiative
Geeta Kapur, independent art critic and curator
Gigi Scaria, artist
Harsh Mandar, activist, writer
Indira Chandrasekhar, publisher
Indranil Chowdhury, assistant professor, Delhi University
Irfan Habib, professor emeritus, AMU
Jagmohan Singh, general secretary, Association for Democratic Rights (Punjab)
Jahar Kanungo, filmmaker, writer
Joe Athialy, New Delhi
K. L. Sharma, former professor, JNU
Kalyani Menon Sen, independent researcher
Karuna D.W., assistant professor, Azim Premji University
Kausar Wizarat, former assistant professor, NIEPA
Kumar Shahani, independent film maker
Latika Gupta
Lima Kanungo, retd teacher, DU
Lt Col Anuj Srivastava, retd.
M.G. Devasahayam, chairman, People-First
M.K. Raina, actor, theatre director
Madan Gopal Singh, writer, singer
Madhu Prasad, retd. teacher, Delhi University
Madhusree Dutta, filmmaker, curator
Maitrayee Chaudhuri, professor, JNU
Mandira Sen, Director, Stree, Samya
Manini Chatterjee, journalist and author
Mani Shankar Aiyar
Maya Krishna Rao, theatre artist
Meera Sanghamitra, National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM)
MG Devasahayam
Mohan Rao, retd. professor, JNU
Moushumi Basu, JNU
Mridula Mukherjee, retd. professor, JNU
N.D.Jayaprakash, social worker
N.K. Sharma, theatre director
Nancy Adajania, cultural theorist and curator, Bombay
Nasir Tyabji,former director, professor, Jamia Millia Islamia
Narayani Gupta, retd. professor, JMI
Navsharan Singh
Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, independent journalist
Nuzhat Kazmi,
P. Sainath, journalist
P.K. Shukla, former secretary, ICHR
Padma Velaskar, retd. professor, TISS (Mumbai)
Pamela Philipose, independent journalist
Parthiv Shah, designer, photographer
Prabhat Patnaik, professor emeritus, JNU
Pradip Kumar Datta, retired professor
Puneet Nicholas Yadav, journalist
Pushpamala N, artist
R. Ramakumar
Rajendra Sharma, writer, activist
Rajinder Arora, writer, designer, publisher
Raka Chakravarty, architect
Ram Rahman, designer, photographer
Ramesh Dixit, retd. professor, Lucknow University
Ras Bihari Das, retd., IRTS
Rashmi Doraiswamy, professor, Jamia Millia Islamia
Renu Gupta, entrepreneur
Rimli Bhattacharya, writer, teacher & translator, University of Delhi
Ritambhara Shastri, journalist
Ritu Menon, publisher
Rupinder Kaur, social activist
S.N.Sahu, retd. IAS officer
Saeed Mirza, writer, filmmaker
Saif Mahmood, advocate, Supreme Court of India
Sajid Raza Khan, retd civil engineer, DDA
Sarita Sabiruddin
Shabnam Hashmi, Anhad
Sehba Taban, Activist
Sharmila Samant, artist
Sherna Dastur, designer
Shireen Moosvi, retd professor, AMU
Smita Gupta, independent economist
Sohail Hashmi, writer, filmmaker
Sucheta Mahajan, professor, JNU
Sudhir Chandra, retd, professor
Tejal Kanitkar, associate professor, National Institute of Advanced Studies
Thomas Franco, People First
Utsa Patnaik, professor emerita, JNU
Valay Singh, writer, journalist
Vivan Sundaram, artist
Zoya Hasan, professor emerita, JNU.
Celebrating Foundation Day of SAHMAT in a Novel Way, 1-1-2021
The year gone by would be remembered in human history for the havoc that COVID19 created in the lives of one and all. The epidemic that began sometime in late December soon turned into a pandemic making its presence felt in all the continents, including Antarctica. While countries like Cuba, China and Vietnam were able to successfully control the spread of the disease with timely intervention majority of the European and Latin American countries including Brazil and above all United States of America— the so-called super power— became its worst victims. The virus indeed exposed the harsh realities of the health care systems in place in these ‘developed’ nations.
Like other
parts of the world India too was not able to escape this menace. Tragically
people here, especially the poor and the downtrodden, due to the delayed and
reckless response by the incumbent government, had to pay a heavy price. And
while states like Kerala did make sincere attempts in reducing the pain of
these people majority of the states governments failed them miserably.
The pandemic has
brought about far reaching changes in our lives. It has forced people to go
beyond their comfort zone and explore avenues which have hitherto remained
under-explored. One such avenue is that of the virtual world. In last one year
virtual platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, Youtube, Facebook et al. have become
an important part of human lives and have changed the manner in which day to
day human interactions take place. While some have found it difficult to adjust
to this change others have found such platforms quite convenient. Safdar Hashmi
Memorial Trust (SAHMAT) too, as this past 1st January showed, experimented
quite creatively and with gusto with the virtual platforms.
Traditionally
the cultural evening organized by SAHMAT is marked by riveting performances and
camaraderie and bonhomie among long associates and
friends. However, since the proceedings of the 32nd Safdar
Hashmi Memorial took place virtually, it, unfortunately, meant the absence of
the latter element.
The theme of
this year’s event, depicted aesthetically on the SAHMAT brochure titled ‘Dukh
Likha Jana Chahiye’ (‘Sadness should be Documented’), was the plight of the
downtrodden, particularly the migrant labourers— people who were let down by
the Indian state.
The
proceedings of the evening began with moving tributes to Astad Deboo, Arjun
Dev, Kumi Chandra, Manglesh Dabral and Anjum Singh all of whom were closely
associated with SAHMAT and its workings and whom the organization lost in the
year gone by M.K. Raina talked about Astad Deboo’s long association with SAHMAT
and his life-long commitment to the ideals of the organization. Raina while
remembering Deboo’s contribution in the field of dance threw light on the fact
that even though he was a trained classical dancer he had over a period of time
created his own dance form influenced by several ideas from around the globe.
Rajesh Joshi
in his tribute to Manglesh Dabral talked about his immense contribution in the
field of literature. The mark that he has left in Hindi journalism was too
underlined by Joshi. That Manglesh Dabral was a master of protest poetry was
also pointed out by Rajesh Joshi. His poetries reflected the problems
encountered everyday by the urban dwellers. He also spoke about Dabral’s close
association with SAHMAT. His untimely death has left a vacuum in the literary
world which will be hard to fill. In Manglesh Dabral’s memory extracts from one
of his works Ghar Ka Raasta (co-authored with Mannu Bhandari) were also
narrated.
Tributes to
Kumi Chandra were paid by Madhu Prasad. She in her tributes narrated not just
her personal relationship with Chandra but also her contributions to the Safdar
Hashmi Memorial Trust. Prasad talked about the enthusiasm that Kumi Chandra and
her husband Anil Chandra showed in bringing out a weekly newspaper, Mongolpuri
Samachar in 1990 during the days when the first Janotsav was organized in
Mongolpuri, Delhi. An interesting thing of this weekly newspaper was that all
the work associated with its publication was done by the local population of
Mongolpuri itself. She also spoke about the proactive role that Kumi Chandra
played in organizing the musical concert Muktnaad in Ayodhya in 1993 in the months following the
demolition of the Babri Masjid. That her loss to SAHMAT is immense was underlined.
Year 2020
also saw the passing away of eminent historian Professor Arjun Dev. Tributes to
him were paid by two of his closest colleagues Professor Harbans Mukhia and Dr.
P.K. Shukla. While Mukhia in his tributes remembered the immense contributions
of Arjun Dev in the project which was undertaken in 1950s and 60s of re-writing
school textbooks by NCERT. As a member of NCERT and part of this project Dev
ensured that the school textbooks being written did not carry the colonial
perspective. Even though the project faced a lot of opposition by the right
wing organizations Arjun Dev’s efforts made sure that the textbooks survived
the onslaught. And his demise, Mukhia underlined is more than just a personal
loss. It is a loss to the entire education fraternity which is today under a
grave threat.
Dr. P.K.
Shukla spoke about the close bond that Arjun Dev shared with SAHMAT. The values
and ideals that Dev and SAHMAT stood for complimented each other. Shukla too
recounted the firmness that Arjun Dev showed in dealing with the right wing
groups’ opposition to the NCERT textbooks written by him and other historians.
Shukla narrated how SAHMAT provided a platform in those decades to historians
like Arjun Dev and others to voice their anger against such ‘intellectual’
attacks. That Arjun Dev from the platform of SAHMAT voiced his protest against
politics guided by communal and fascist agendas was also highlighted in P.K.
Shukla’s tribute. The important part that Arjun Dev played in opposing, along
with SAHMAT, the irrational approach in history writing cannot be ignored. His
staunch support to SAHMAT in its fight against ‘saffronization’ of various
educational institutions as well as right wing organizations’ repeated attacks
on the essence of Indian Constitution was also spoken about by Shukla.
Tributes were
also paid to Anjum Singh. Her long and close association with SAHMAT was fondly
recalled by Parthiv Shah.
Following
this Danish Hussain, well known film artist and dastango presented a poem penned by Faiz Ahmed Faiz titled
‘Intisaab’. The poem incidentally was dedicated by Faiz to the farmers of the
country. Though written quite a long time ago it remains relevant even today.
And, moreover, given the current scenario in which farmers are fighting for
their rights the addition of this poem in the evening’s proceedings was quite
apt. Another poem by Gauhar Raza about the ongoing farmers protest and titled
Kisan was also recited by Danish Hussain.
The
recitation of the poem was followed by a reading of a message by Professor
Irfan Habib. In his message Habib remembered the martyrdom of Safdar Hashmi and
paid tribute to him. He underlined Hashmi’s dedication and steadfast approach
in supporting the cause of poor and the oppressed. The Safdar Hashmi Memorial
Trust, he highlighted, has, since its inception, stood for the protection of
secular traditions of India and has fought vehemently against groups that have
made attempts to divide India on lines of caste and religion. SAHMAT has also
through various mediums including publications, plays, discussions et al. has
made successful attempts over the years to pursue the cause of the people apart
from making them aware of the Indian culture. SAHMAT in its three decades of
existence has played a pivotal role in fighting communal forces. It has never
bowed to the communal agendas. He also recounted the active role that SAHMAT
played in spreading messages of peace in places like Ayodhya in the months
following the destruction of Babri Masjid through various means. SAHMAT has,
through lectures and publications, made sincere attempts to present an accurate
account of the Indian national movement and has thus tried to protect the
heritage of the Indian national movement. He concluded by saying that at a time
when Indian Constitution’s ideals are under attack from the dark forces of the
right wing groups an organization like SAHMAT which is at the vanguard should
get support from one and all.
The message
was followed by a melodious performance by Avahan— a musical group comprising
of young students from University of Delhi, Delhi. The group presented some
moving Sufi compositions centring on the teachings of Sufi saints.
M.K. Raina
and Sohail Hashmi ably assisted by Anjali Raina and Saif Mehmood shared their
memories of SAHMAT. Talking about their experiences they reflected upon the
colourful history of the last thirty two years of the organization. They also
stressed upon the fact that SAHMAT’s foundation is based on ideals of
secularism, peace plurality of cultures. In this context they spoke about the
important role that it played in strengthening communal harmony which was under
grave threat in the decades following the wilful destruction of the Babri
Masjid. Raina and Hashmi also underlined the commitment shown by the younger
generation in recent years towards the ideals of SAHMAT and the active role
they played in taking forward its legacy.
A book on the
seventy years of Indian Constitution was also released on this occasion. The
book which is a result of an exhibition curated by Aban Raza which was put up
on the occasion of the SAHMAT celebrations by seventy artistes was released by
well-known artist Ghulam Sheikh. While releasing the book Sheikh briefly
discussed about his long association with SAHMAT.
Professor
Romila Thapar in her short but crisp message recalled some of her past memories
from the days when she was a school student in 1940s. It was a period when
national movement was at its peak. She recalled the struggles and sacrifices
which were made to achieve some of the fundamental rights. And since today many
of such rights are facing threat of being obliterated it is, she was of the
opinion, time for another national movement akin to the one in the past. Such a
movement is needed to secure the equal rights of all Indians and establish an
unshakeable secular democracy.
Professor
Prabhat Patnaik in his message highlighted the fact that virtually from the
time of its formation, SAHMAT has constantly campaigned against the rising tide
of communalism. He reiterated the fact that SAHMAT has played a pivotal role in
fighting communal and fascist forces. Its unique style of fighting communal
agendas by bringing together people from all walks of life on a common platform
was also highlighted by Patnaik. The all-India character of SAHMAT was also
underlined by him. That unlike many other NGOs, SAHMAT is political in nature
and that it straddles the two worlds of politics and culture is also something
which needs to be borne in mind. In this sense it is a unique organization and
one of its kinds in India. He concluded by saying that SAHMAT needs to reach
out more to the people outside of Delhi and that the pan- India character that
it already has should be strengthened further.
This was followed by a
book release of a collection of poems written in Hindi and Urdu titled Dukh
Likha Jana Chahiye. The title of the book has been adapted from one of the
poems of Suryakant Tripathi ‘Nirala’. The collection was released by Ashok
Vajpeyi. He also read extracts from some of the poems.
A couple of members of
BIGUL, a young theatre group, recited poems like ‘Rail Gaadi’ and ‘Shikari Kaun
Hai’. On the occasion Hussain Haidry, film maker, too presented some self
composed poems which touched upon a range of themes.
The evening also
witnessed an array of musical performances by Ananya Gaur, Priya Kanungo,
Parvathy Baul, Vidya Shah and Madangopal Singh. While Aanya Gaur put on a
musical performance of Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s poems, Priya Kanungo sang some
compositions of the Bhakti saint Meera. Vidya Shah sang some traditional folk
songs centring on the city of Benaras and Ganga. Parvathy Baul, known
throughout the country as well as outside as one of the most outstanding baul
singers, presented some pieces from this great singing tradition. Madangopal Singh, the famed Sufi singer
took the audience on a memorable musical journey. He sang about the Jallianwala
Bagh and also a song that he had composed from a Jan Natya Manch in 1985.
When the People are Not ‘We
the People’ a book comprising of articles by
various journalists documenting experiences of their own as well as of migrants
during the misconceived countrywide lockdown was also released on the occasion.
The book was released by Sashi Kumar, a senior journalist.
A poem recitation by
Navin Chaura and a dance performance by Aditi Mangaldas were also part of the 32nd
Safdar Memorial.
The evening’s proceedings
came to an end with an enthralling musical performance by Shubha Mudgal. Mudgal
a close associate of SAHMAT put on a riveting performance of Dushyant Kumar’s
powerful poem titled ‘Ho Gayi Hai Peer Parvat Si Pigalni Chahiye’ which focuses
on bringing about a radical change in the social justice system.
With this the 32nd
foundation day celebrations of SAHMAT culminated. Though the whole experience
of attending virtual session of SAHMAT was quite exhilarating it is sincerely
hoped that it was the first and last of its kind.
SAHMAT
10.12.2020
ASTAD DEBOO
The greatest modern dancer that we have had the privilege of knowing is no more. Astad Deboo was a phenomenally talented dancer and choreographer, He had learnt Kathak as a child in Jamshedpur, was exposed to modern western dance in his college days at Bombay and travelled to the UK and enrolled at the Martha Graham academy, retuned to India to learn Kathakali under Guru E. Krishna Panikar and then he combined all this and more, everything that he had learnt through his journeys through the US, Japan, Europe and Indonesia into a form that was uniquely his own.
What made him really great was his ability not only to combine diverse dance forms, vastly different rhythm patterns and choreographic movements into a comprehensive whole that was creatively stunning but also his engagement with the world all around. His deep concern for the world of the deprived, marginalised and ignored made him draw the children of the Salam Balak trust, and hearing impaired students of the Clarke School of the Deaf and travelled with these students all over the world. He drew in the Thang-Pa drummers from the secluded monastic traditions from Manipur and presented then on the world stage. Through his work he showed that all that is needed for creativity to flourish is an opportunity and he made it possible for many of these children to realise their dreams.
Astad was constantly travelling conducting workshops, performing, choreographing mega events and yet he made it a point to be in Delhi on 1st January, to perform at the Safdar Hashmi Memorial. Astad Deboo’s association with Sahmat is as old as Sahmat, he was among the artists who performed at the Safdar Samaroh on 12th-16th April 1989. Beginning with that first event Astad stood with Sahmat unwaveringly, because he would not compromise with his commitment to an inclusive, democratic, secular and creatively free India.
Sahmat pays its tribute to Astad.
Good Bye Friend and Brother____
M.K.Raina
Losing a friend and brother Astad Deboo has shattered me and my family. We were family in Delhi for him for the last 40 years or more. Wherever he was on this planet, he made sure to be in touch with each one of us. I fondly used to call him HAMAAL JAMAL KAMAAL, because he was his own peon, performer and persuader. He was a creative giant, who danced everywhere from the Great Wall of China to the Alps and made friends in all the five continents. Today there will be mourning all over, his loss will be felt personally by each one whose life he had touched and he touched everyone he met because his very being was infectiously friendly. People in high art will mourn him, his Manipuri dancers will be praying for his beautiful soul, his Delhi Dancers from among the economically marginalised will be in shock to lose him; the physically challenged children he helped grow into accomplished dancers will feel his absence.
All these beautiful people whom he had trained into becoming world class dancers had travelled with him to high art venues of the world to perform and show how the weakest can conquer the world with their talent.
Astad constantly worried about the wellbeing and survival of these young dancers, the spread of the covid pandemic saw Astad raising funds for his dancers and supporting them through the Astad Deboo foundation. He was a true Guru in the Indian sense, constantly caring and providing for the welfare of his Shishyas. He was pained at the plight of the Indian performers and about the absence of support systems in our country and he did all he could on his own.
The Last chat I had with him was when he was in hospital, he had recovered some of his strength and made a video call from his bed and he said “yes yes I am composing a dance piece here from my hospital bed”.
He danced till the very end, his energy seemed inexhaustible. The pieces he composed and performed with his group of young dancers on all kind of locations inspire a sense of awe and wonder. He could not get his tests done during this lock down and he must have been in great pain and yet he continued. He never rested.
Now rest my brother and friend I will miss you I still remember the time more than 4 decades ago, as if it was only yesterday, when you came home and cooked Dhansak for all of us on Diwali.
Good bye Astad my Brother.”
We strongly support the demand of the farmers -SAHMAT Statement, Date: 7-12-2020
We the undersigned members of the artists community and academicians stand firmly in solidarity with the country's farmers, lakhs of whom are protesting across different states and gathering in strength at the borders of the national capital to express their rejection of the three Farm Acts and the Electricity Amendment Act 2020. These Acts seek to regulate the entire system to promote the corporatization of the agrarian sector and contractualization of farming to benefit corporate investors. Exploiting the surging Corona pandemic, the central government brought ordinances that speedily received presidential assent, and passed the Acts in a completely undemocratic manner and with no respect for the strong opposition of the farmers and workers.
Further, the Acts themselves are anti-constitutional as agriculture is a concurrent subject and cannot be legislated on without the involvement and consultation of the state governments. However, this shocking behaviour is no longer even a surprise with the present government.
Hence we strongly support the demand of the farmers that the three Farm Acts and the Electricity Amendment Act 2020 must be immediately repealed. We support the call for all citizens to observe 'Bharat Bandh' on 8th December 2020.
Vivan Sundaram
M.K.Raina
Ram Rahman
Geeta Kapur
Parthiv Shah
Sohail Hashmi
Madangopal Singh
Indu Chandrasekhar
Veer Munshi
C.P.Chandrasekhar
S. Kalidas
Vidya Shah
Saeed Mirza
Irfan Habib
Jasbir Jassi
N.K.Sharma
Atluri Murali
P.K.Shukla
Zoya Hasan
Shireen Moosvi
Rajinder Arora
Rajni Arora
Nalini Malani
Aban Raza
Valay Singh
Simar Puneet
Pallavi Gaur
Arushi Vats
Ahmar Raza
Nuzhat Kazmi
Shriyam Gupta
Vishwaraj Mohan
Shatam Ray
Shreya Varma
Maitreyi Sinha
Priyanshi Saxena
Samira Haksar
Shreya Varma
Gopa
Rishabh Arora
Tsering Negi
Kumaraswamy Pashikanti
Deepani Seth
Subrat Beura
Prerna Kapur
Ramesh Dixit
Badri Raina
Prabhat Patnaik Economist
Utsa Patnaik Economist
Astad Deboo Modern Dancer
Prerna Sharma Artist
Gigi Mon Scaria Artist
Aviral Scaria Artist
Sania Hashmi Film Maker
Moggallan Bharti, Academician
Kausar Wizarat Retired Lecturer
Zafar Agha Journalist
Sarah Hashmi Actor
Salman Khan Producer
Rahul Verma Journalist
Anjali Raina Doctor
Jaishree Shukla Photographer
Abhilasha Kumari Academician
Ras Bihari Das retired IRTS
Namita Unnikrishnan
Deepak Sanan Retired IAS
Manohar Nayak Journalist
Sushil Singh Journalist
Puneet Nicholas Yadav, Journalist
Medha Dutta, Journalist
Himanshu Joshi, Travel writer Photographer
Namita Jain, Free Lance Writer, Editor
Vibha Galhotra Artist
Rahul Aggarwal Graphic Designer
A STATEMENT
The Union government has of late adopted a number of measures which seek to undermine the Constitution in letter and spirit, to divide the people on the basis of religion, to reduce the Muslim minority to second class status, and to suppress all dissent against these divisive policies.
The unilateral abrogation of Article 370 in August violated the clear understanding of the Constitution that any change in J & K’s status could only occur with the concurrence of the representatives of the people of that state. And now the government has enacted a Citizenship (Amendment) Act, which not only violates the Constitutional provision of equal rights, but would lead, when its sequel the National Register of Citizens is drawn up, to the languishing of large numbers of people belonging to the Muslim community in detention camps. In fact millions of poor people belonging to all communities, who lack the requisite papers, would be subjected to immense hardships, uncertainty and terrorization.
While the country has erupted in opposition to the CAA and the NRC, with lakhs joining protest demonstrations, the response of the BJP government both at the Centre and the States, has been to weave a tissue of falsehoods, and to unleash unprecedented police brutality on the protestors, among whom again those belonging to the Muslim community have been singled out for particularly vicious treatment.
This assault on the right to dissent is unacceptable to us. This assault on the basic premises of our Constitution which express the values upon which modern India is founded is unacceptable to us. We demand the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners in J&K, and the restoration of normalcy in that state through discussions. We demand that the government which holds office by swearing loyalty to the Constitution announce clearly that the NRC exercise is permanently abandoned. We demand that the CAA which discriminates between people on religious grounds is withdrawn. We demand that the basic right of the people to hold peaceful demonstrations is unconditionally respected.
The unilateral abrogation of Article 370 in August violated the clear understanding of the Constitution that any change in J & K’s status could only occur with the concurrence of the representatives of the people of that state. And now the government has enacted a Citizenship (Amendment) Act, which not only violates the Constitutional provision of equal rights, but would lead, when its sequel the National Register of Citizens is drawn up, to the languishing of large numbers of people belonging to the Muslim community in detention camps. In fact millions of poor people belonging to all communities, who lack the requisite papers, would be subjected to immense hardships, uncertainty and terrorization.
While the country has erupted in opposition to the CAA and the NRC, with lakhs joining protest demonstrations, the response of the BJP government both at the Centre and the States, has been to weave a tissue of falsehoods, and to unleash unprecedented police brutality on the protestors, among whom again those belonging to the Muslim community have been singled out for particularly vicious treatment.
This assault on the right to dissent is unacceptable to us. This assault on the basic premises of our Constitution which express the values upon which modern India is founded is unacceptable to us. We demand the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners in J&K, and the restoration of normalcy in that state through discussions. We demand that the government which holds office by swearing loyalty to the Constitution announce clearly that the NRC exercise is permanently abandoned. We demand that the CAA which discriminates between people on religious grounds is withdrawn. We demand that the basic right of the people to hold peaceful demonstrations is unconditionally respected.
Saying No to NPR and CAA, the SAHMAT Way
What do you do on an evening of dissent, especially at a time when the very essence of the Indian Constitution is under grave threat? You dance, you draw, you perform and yes, you sing. For as the vibrant banners, strung at the annual SAHMAT cultural event, reminded us of Bertolt Brecht’s iconic words, “Yes, there will be singing about the dark times”. But you also speak as Faiz Ahmed Faiz wrote in a beautifully composed poem, “Bol ke lab azaad hai tere, bol zabaan ab tak teri hai.” If it is true that the commissions of the first day of the year carry the signs of the coming year then the 31 Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust event on 1st January, 2020 promises that the coming year will only strengthen our resolve to protest and hold on to freedoms that we cherish.
SAHMAT’s beginning of the year event barely needs an introduction. Thirty one years ago the well-known political activist and a stalwart of street theatre Safdar Hashmi was brutally attacked by a group of goons while he and his colleagues belonging to the street theatre group Jan Natya Manch were performing a play in a worker's colony near Sahibabad. Hashmi was not able to survive the brutal assault and he succumbed to his injuries twenty-four hours later on 2 January 1989.
The untimely death of Safdar led to a series of protests in different parts of the country by artists, intellectuals, students as well as workers of different hues. One of the most important outcomes of these protests was the founding of SAHMAT or the Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust. Formation of SAHMAT was in a way a spontaneous and an organic response to an uncalled for death of a young political soldier who was committed to the ideals of democracy and secularism. SAHMAT since its establishment has played an important role in bringing together people from different walks of life including artists, intellectuals and students on a single platform. And in the process it has re-affirmed time and again its commitment to upholding the principles of Indian Constitution including those of secularism and freedom of expression.
This year SAHMAT evening was all about registering protest against Union government’s undemocratic and authoritarian move of introducing Citizenship Amendment Act, National Register of Citizens and National Population Register. In keeping with this theme a creatively conceived badge carrying the message—NO NRC, NO NPR, NO CAA, KAAGAZ NAHIN DIKHAYENGE (We will not show papers) — in bold letters was handed out to all the attendees.
The proceedings of the day began with short skits by the street theatre groups Jatan Natya Kendra and BIGUL. The skits of the two groups one from Haryana and the other from Delhi were besides being entertaining extremely thought provoking. Basically a satire the performers through their acts tried to throw light on the issues that have wreaked havoc in the society since the BJP led NDA government has come to power. The plays were a report card of a different kind in that they highlighted the policies of the present government that have created problems not just for the deprived sections of the society but also minorities as well as intellectuals.
As the evening and became more chilly a slew of riveting performances by T.M. Krishna, Vedi Sinha, Pakhi Sinha and Ujjwal Raj Sen of Avahan, Dhananjay Kaul, Priya Kanungo, Madan Gopal Singh and others took place. While the members of Avahan sang songs of dissent drawn from the works of legendary poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz like 'Hum Dekhenge', Krishna mesmerised the crowd with his Kannada rendition of the Vaisnava bhajan. Typical of his style he incorporated in this recital hymns from the various schools of Sufism. The amalgamation of the two strands— Vaisnavism and Sufism— provided for an exhilarating experience. T. M. Krishna interposed his performance with short comments on such themes as nationalism, importance of dissent, secularism and et al.
Madangopal Singh, the famed Sufi singer took the audience on a journey of Sufi poets. Led by Syeda Hameed an ensemble of performers brought out ecstacy of freedom through the speeches of Maulana Azad around 100 years ago underlining how Muslims, Christians and all others have contributed to the making of Modern India and belong to it as much as anybody else.
Rahul Ram and stand-up comedian Sanjay Rajoura regaled the audience with their satirical comments and songs on the current times through their famed programme “ Aisi Taisi Democracy”
The organizers also did not forget to remember and pay homage to those intellectuals and political activists who passed away in the year gone by. Among those to whom tributes were paid were Girish Karnad, Shaukat Azmi, Gita Siddharth, Ramakant Gundecha, Haku Shah, Salim Bhai, Zahoor Siddique among others.
The cultural performances were also accompanied by the release of the book Once Upon a Time There Lived a Man.A book of critical media articles on the Supreme Court judgement on the Ayohdya dispute Justice Denied was published earlier.Another book, a collection of essays, Pune Pune Gandhi, edited by Rajendra Sharma in Hindi was also released.
A statement which was read by Prabhat Patnaik and endorsed by all those present underlined the fact that since the present regime of BJP led NDA has come to power it has only indulged in politics which has wreaked havoc in the country. And it has specifically targeted those groups and individuals who are not in agreement with their outlook. It noted that the policies of the present government should be condemned in strongest of words and that in order to secure and safeguard the secular and democratic credentials of this country— which are being repeatedly attacked— individuals of all hues should unite and fight back.
Yet another highlight of the event was the exhibitions addressing different themes which were put up. While Parthiv Shah’s photo exhibition threw light on the Hashimpura massacre tragedy by capturing the struggles of the survivors and relatives of the deceased to survive in the aftermath of the massacre, Javed Sultan’s portrait collection pertained to the two day massive farmers’ march which took place in Delhi in the year gone by which highlighted the twin issues of agrarian crisis and farmers’ suicides. The exhibition which was curated by Vertika Chaturvedi and Kanishka Prasad was all about bringing to light the important aspects of the preamble of the Indian Constitution. There were over 200 photographs in the exhibition. Through the exhibition aptly titled ‘We the People of India’ the photographs laid bare the fact that CAA, NPR and NRC are a direct attack on the Constitution. There were ten blown up photographs of the detention centres in Assam by Partha Sen which showed the horrors of the detention centres.
Along side an exhibition on the genocide of 1984 was also put up by Vijay S. Jodha. The exhibition which was conceptualised in the form of commemorative stamps carried portraits of some of the many victims of the anti-Sikh genocide.
An exhibition on the plight of Sonbhadra farmers who are waging peaceful battle against the incumbent government in order to secure their land was also put up on this occasion. An interesting exhibition by Riyas Komu featured a series of woodcuts which documented the history of India since independence. The idea of this exhibition was to highlight the fact that violence has played an important role at many junctures of this country’s history.
Photo exhibitions which captured the unwarranted violence by Delhi police against students of Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi and the ongoing students’, intellectuals’ and other individuals’ protests against CAA, NRC and NPR was also put up at the venue. Some of the images which had protesters holding placard and banners with eye-catching slogans were blown up in size and put up.
The cultural evening organised by SAHMAT remains very hard to explain to those who have not had an opportunity to experience it. Besides a list of talented and motivated artistes performing one after another, this evening is also marked by camaraderie and bonhomie among long associates and friends.
Indeed it will not be too off the mark to quote Mulk Raj Anand to describe the spirit of the hundreds that gathered at the slightly chilly SAHMAT as “…(a) membership so large that it forms, quantitatively, one of the largest blocks for the defence of culture in the world.”
Amol Saghar
SAHMAT’s beginning of the year event barely needs an introduction. Thirty one years ago the well-known political activist and a stalwart of street theatre Safdar Hashmi was brutally attacked by a group of goons while he and his colleagues belonging to the street theatre group Jan Natya Manch were performing a play in a worker's colony near Sahibabad. Hashmi was not able to survive the brutal assault and he succumbed to his injuries twenty-four hours later on 2 January 1989.
The untimely death of Safdar led to a series of protests in different parts of the country by artists, intellectuals, students as well as workers of different hues. One of the most important outcomes of these protests was the founding of SAHMAT or the Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust. Formation of SAHMAT was in a way a spontaneous and an organic response to an uncalled for death of a young political soldier who was committed to the ideals of democracy and secularism. SAHMAT since its establishment has played an important role in bringing together people from different walks of life including artists, intellectuals and students on a single platform. And in the process it has re-affirmed time and again its commitment to upholding the principles of Indian Constitution including those of secularism and freedom of expression.
This year SAHMAT evening was all about registering protest against Union government’s undemocratic and authoritarian move of introducing Citizenship Amendment Act, National Register of Citizens and National Population Register. In keeping with this theme a creatively conceived badge carrying the message—NO NRC, NO NPR, NO CAA, KAAGAZ NAHIN DIKHAYENGE (We will not show papers) — in bold letters was handed out to all the attendees.
The proceedings of the day began with short skits by the street theatre groups Jatan Natya Kendra and BIGUL. The skits of the two groups one from Haryana and the other from Delhi were besides being entertaining extremely thought provoking. Basically a satire the performers through their acts tried to throw light on the issues that have wreaked havoc in the society since the BJP led NDA government has come to power. The plays were a report card of a different kind in that they highlighted the policies of the present government that have created problems not just for the deprived sections of the society but also minorities as well as intellectuals.
As the evening and became more chilly a slew of riveting performances by T.M. Krishna, Vedi Sinha, Pakhi Sinha and Ujjwal Raj Sen of Avahan, Dhananjay Kaul, Priya Kanungo, Madan Gopal Singh and others took place. While the members of Avahan sang songs of dissent drawn from the works of legendary poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz like 'Hum Dekhenge', Krishna mesmerised the crowd with his Kannada rendition of the Vaisnava bhajan. Typical of his style he incorporated in this recital hymns from the various schools of Sufism. The amalgamation of the two strands— Vaisnavism and Sufism— provided for an exhilarating experience. T. M. Krishna interposed his performance with short comments on such themes as nationalism, importance of dissent, secularism and et al.
Madangopal Singh, the famed Sufi singer took the audience on a journey of Sufi poets. Led by Syeda Hameed an ensemble of performers brought out ecstacy of freedom through the speeches of Maulana Azad around 100 years ago underlining how Muslims, Christians and all others have contributed to the making of Modern India and belong to it as much as anybody else.
Rahul Ram and stand-up comedian Sanjay Rajoura regaled the audience with their satirical comments and songs on the current times through their famed programme “ Aisi Taisi Democracy”
The organizers also did not forget to remember and pay homage to those intellectuals and political activists who passed away in the year gone by. Among those to whom tributes were paid were Girish Karnad, Shaukat Azmi, Gita Siddharth, Ramakant Gundecha, Haku Shah, Salim Bhai, Zahoor Siddique among others.
The cultural performances were also accompanied by the release of the book Once Upon a Time There Lived a Man.A book of critical media articles on the Supreme Court judgement on the Ayohdya dispute Justice Denied was published earlier.Another book, a collection of essays, Pune Pune Gandhi, edited by Rajendra Sharma in Hindi was also released.
A statement which was read by Prabhat Patnaik and endorsed by all those present underlined the fact that since the present regime of BJP led NDA has come to power it has only indulged in politics which has wreaked havoc in the country. And it has specifically targeted those groups and individuals who are not in agreement with their outlook. It noted that the policies of the present government should be condemned in strongest of words and that in order to secure and safeguard the secular and democratic credentials of this country— which are being repeatedly attacked— individuals of all hues should unite and fight back.
Yet another highlight of the event was the exhibitions addressing different themes which were put up. While Parthiv Shah’s photo exhibition threw light on the Hashimpura massacre tragedy by capturing the struggles of the survivors and relatives of the deceased to survive in the aftermath of the massacre, Javed Sultan’s portrait collection pertained to the two day massive farmers’ march which took place in Delhi in the year gone by which highlighted the twin issues of agrarian crisis and farmers’ suicides. The exhibition which was curated by Vertika Chaturvedi and Kanishka Prasad was all about bringing to light the important aspects of the preamble of the Indian Constitution. There were over 200 photographs in the exhibition. Through the exhibition aptly titled ‘We the People of India’ the photographs laid bare the fact that CAA, NPR and NRC are a direct attack on the Constitution. There were ten blown up photographs of the detention centres in Assam by Partha Sen which showed the horrors of the detention centres.
Along side an exhibition on the genocide of 1984 was also put up by Vijay S. Jodha. The exhibition which was conceptualised in the form of commemorative stamps carried portraits of some of the many victims of the anti-Sikh genocide.
An exhibition on the plight of Sonbhadra farmers who are waging peaceful battle against the incumbent government in order to secure their land was also put up on this occasion. An interesting exhibition by Riyas Komu featured a series of woodcuts which documented the history of India since independence. The idea of this exhibition was to highlight the fact that violence has played an important role at many junctures of this country’s history.
Photo exhibitions which captured the unwarranted violence by Delhi police against students of Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi and the ongoing students’, intellectuals’ and other individuals’ protests against CAA, NRC and NPR was also put up at the venue. Some of the images which had protesters holding placard and banners with eye-catching slogans were blown up in size and put up.
The cultural evening organised by SAHMAT remains very hard to explain to those who have not had an opportunity to experience it. Besides a list of talented and motivated artistes performing one after another, this evening is also marked by camaraderie and bonhomie among long associates and friends.
Indeed it will not be too off the mark to quote Mulk Raj Anand to describe the spirit of the hundreds that gathered at the slightly chilly SAHMAT as “…(a) membership so large that it forms, quantitatively, one of the largest blocks for the defence of culture in the world.”
Amol Saghar
Exhibition: We the People?
The preamble to our Constitution is a collective pledge in the name of the People of India, all of those who cohabit this land. However, events of the recent months have led us down a path where the very definition of 'the People' is sought to be altered by various arms of the state. The bifurcation of the state of Jammu and Kashmir and its demotion to a union territory in contravention of undertakings given by the newly formed Union of India post independence and without any word of consent from its people, the similar exercise of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam that has delegitimised close to 19 lakh people resident here for generations, the linking of religion with citizenship under the newly amended Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the looming threat of these two being applied across India forcing all its 1.3 billion citizens to prove their identity and the recent attacks by the state apparatus upon institutions of higher learning for their voices of dissent, all represent acts by the executive that dilute the relevance of certain types of people from India. The judiciary too appears complicit with these transgressions or at the least appears reluctant to disagree presently with the executive.
It is in this context, that SAHMAT created at the 31st Safdar Hashmi Memorial, a space for each individual to confront the faces of these marginalised and disenfranchised peoples who in fact constitute the core of this country and its pluralistic base. It was in this “confrontation” with the portraits of these people, that the viewer was forced to co-habit the space of the victimised. The resultant face-to-face interaction staged in a constricted space was designed to raise unasked questions within each viewer. The experience of being contained was to exaggerate the discomfort of being surrounded with these questioned identities.
The contributing photographers included Vijay S. Jodha, is a writer, photographer and filmmaker who has produced five books and has shown extensively in galleries, museums and festivals worldwide. His contribution was drawn from a recent series titled Most of My Heroes that presented commemorative ‘stamps’ of the victims of the 1984 Anti Sikh Riots in Delhi as well as from a set of portraits from Arunachal Pradesh taken in 2016. Parthiv Shah, is a photographer, filmmaker and a graphic designer. He has made several documentary films, curated exhibitions and has several photo-books to his credit. He has been particularly engaged recently, in working on the issue of image perception and representation. His visual journeys have led him to work with communities which are finding a mainstream voice and identity, including the transgender community and street children. His contribution was drawn from his 2008 portrait series of survivors of the massacre at Hashimpura, UP.
Partha Sengupta, who is a documentary photographer committed to working on some of the “unresolved issues” pertaining to Partition, particularly of Bengal. He has worked on a series on the atrocities by the BSF at the Bengal border as well as on Bhumiputra, a series that documents the linguistic and cultural problems of the Bengalis in Assam. It is from this series that his series of portraits was drawn.
Javed Sultan, is a self taught photographer, who is presently engaged as a free lance photographer with the Anadolu Agency as well as pursuing his Ph.D from Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi. He has contributed to numerous national and international print journals as well as being nominated to various international competitions. His contribution was drawn from his series of improvised studio portraits at the Rohingya refugee camp in Delhi with the subjects having their eyes closed. Additionally, he contributed portraits from the Farmer Protest March in Delhi in November 2018 and the aftermath of the recent police action in the Central Library at Jamia. Tamara Anand, is an experienced commercial photographer with work in diverse genres like Commercial Photography, Digital Photography and Photojournalism. In her recent role as consultant to Citizens for Justice & Peace (CJP), Mumbai, she has immersed herself in chronicling via photo and video, the many grass roots movements and struggles that the CJP represents legally and socially. Her contribution was drawn from her series of portraits of Adivasis and Dalits engaged in a peaceful struggle for their lands.
It is in this context, that SAHMAT created at the 31st Safdar Hashmi Memorial, a space for each individual to confront the faces of these marginalised and disenfranchised peoples who in fact constitute the core of this country and its pluralistic base. It was in this “confrontation” with the portraits of these people, that the viewer was forced to co-habit the space of the victimised. The resultant face-to-face interaction staged in a constricted space was designed to raise unasked questions within each viewer. The experience of being contained was to exaggerate the discomfort of being surrounded with these questioned identities.
The contributing photographers included Vijay S. Jodha, is a writer, photographer and filmmaker who has produced five books and has shown extensively in galleries, museums and festivals worldwide. His contribution was drawn from a recent series titled Most of My Heroes that presented commemorative ‘stamps’ of the victims of the 1984 Anti Sikh Riots in Delhi as well as from a set of portraits from Arunachal Pradesh taken in 2016. Parthiv Shah, is a photographer, filmmaker and a graphic designer. He has made several documentary films, curated exhibitions and has several photo-books to his credit. He has been particularly engaged recently, in working on the issue of image perception and representation. His visual journeys have led him to work with communities which are finding a mainstream voice and identity, including the transgender community and street children. His contribution was drawn from his 2008 portrait series of survivors of the massacre at Hashimpura, UP.
Partha Sengupta, who is a documentary photographer committed to working on some of the “unresolved issues” pertaining to Partition, particularly of Bengal. He has worked on a series on the atrocities by the BSF at the Bengal border as well as on Bhumiputra, a series that documents the linguistic and cultural problems of the Bengalis in Assam. It is from this series that his series of portraits was drawn.
Javed Sultan, is a self taught photographer, who is presently engaged as a free lance photographer with the Anadolu Agency as well as pursuing his Ph.D from Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi. He has contributed to numerous national and international print journals as well as being nominated to various international competitions. His contribution was drawn from his series of improvised studio portraits at the Rohingya refugee camp in Delhi with the subjects having their eyes closed. Additionally, he contributed portraits from the Farmer Protest March in Delhi in November 2018 and the aftermath of the recent police action in the Central Library at Jamia. Tamara Anand, is an experienced commercial photographer with work in diverse genres like Commercial Photography, Digital Photography and Photojournalism. In her recent role as consultant to Citizens for Justice & Peace (CJP), Mumbai, she has immersed herself in chronicling via photo and video, the many grass roots movements and struggles that the CJP represents legally and socially. Her contribution was drawn from her series of portraits of Adivasis and Dalits engaged in a peaceful struggle for their lands.
Babri lawyer: What if…?
Babri lawyer: What if…?
A majority was converted into the most odious majoritarianism that we know: Rajeev Dhavan
Senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan, who had represented the Sunni Central Wakf Board in the Ayodhya title suit, said on Tuesday citizens need to “retrieve” the Constitution from the political executive and courts.
Dhavan, who was speaking at an event to mark the 70th anniversary of Constitution Day, dwelt upon a range of topics, including judgments on defections of legislators, President’s rule in states and “majoritarianism”, as well as attempts to gag criticism through official agencies.
But he spoke at length on the November 9 Ayodhya verdict too that saw a constitution bench hand the entire disputed plot to Ram Lalla Virajman (baby Ram), represented by a Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader.
“Majoritarian nation and to acquire a majority are two entirely different things. A majority was converted into the most odious majoritarianism that we know…. What happened to Indira Jaising, what happened to Amnesty India? The moment they said something about Babri Masjid… immediately the troops of the FCRA went to them,” Dhavan said in a lecture at the event organised by the CPM-backed Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust.
Senior advocate and activist Jaising and Amnesty India, who had criticised the Ayodhya verdict, are being investigated for alleged violations of the Foreign Contributions Regulatory Act.
“The effort of this exercise is not just an example of suppressing voices. The object of the exercise… is to make you lose your motivation to fight because that is the ultimate loss, not a censorship here or a censorship there. The ultimate loss is to silence activists so that these activists lose their motivation to fight…. This is the Constitution as it is working today,” Dhavan said.
Speaking about the murders of rationalists and outspoken journalists, he said: “Look at the lives that have gone since 2015. (Govind) Pansare, (Narendra) Dabholkar, (Gauri) Lankesh. Now you can’t have a secular Constitution without a secular people. If people are being murdered because of their free speech, pretty little has in fact been done for that.”
Dhavan questioned the court’s Ayodhya verdict. “Those stones in Babri belong to Muslims. The land was given away but the stones in Babri belong to the Muslims,” he said.
“It (the judgment) is a mandamus to destroy…. Assume that in 1992 the masjid was not destroyed and it was still standing today. The title in 1992, according to this judgment, would be with the Hindus. If that monument was standing today, but for this destruction, the order of the SC properly read, in fact, means: destroy it and move it.”
He explained: “They say between 1528 and 1857 you have no evidence to prove that you prayed there. A wakf is a wakf. If tomorrow I don’t pray there for a century it doesn’t cease to be a wakf. But the fact being from 1528 onwards, first the Mughals and then the nawabs ruled there. Why on earth would there be on the balance of probability a masjid that was not prayed to, while Muslims were in power.”
Dhavan said a review petition should be filed against the verdict. “Review is a way in which the people who were before the court will state their problems with this judgment. It is the only authoritative way in which the Muslim community can tell the court, not the media… this is wrong with the judgement…. It will be authoritative statement on record.”
The 72-year-old legal veteran added: “But why do people not want a review to be filed? Peace? Can there be peace without justice?”
Dhavan concluded his lecture by asking the audience to “retrieve” the Constitution, which he classifies as a collection of legal and political texts.
“There has been a tendency on our part, in what could be called classical constitutionalism, to find two answers for democracy. The first answer has been that the political texts are located with the PM, cabinet and Parliament. You concentrate on those political texts…. Then, if you have problems with the justice texts, you go to the judiciary…. Now, this is in my view, an entirely mistaken view of the Constitution.”
Citizens, Dhavan said, need to defend the Constitution. “We have surrendered our power to our rulers…. We are lucky that we have a Constitution at all. If tomorrow, a Constituent Assembly meets, we may not be able to agree to have a Constitution. This is what we have and this is what we have to work with…. My understanding of the Constitution in our times in 2019 is the Constitution is a site of struggle, not necessarily a site of welfare and justice... This constitution does not belong to them it belongs to us, and how is it that we are going to retrieve this Constitution,” he added.
Dhavan and economist Prabhat Patnaik released a collection of news columns on the Ayodhya verdict titled “Justice Denied”.
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