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Shyam Benegal ready with his biopic on Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

Mujib – The Making of a Nation, a biopic on Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of the nation of Bangladesh is a co-production agreement between India and Bangladesh

India and Bangladesh had announced a biopic directed by Shyam Benegal who earlier helmed a biopic on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, on Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, during the commemoration of the birth centenary of Rahman on March 17, 2020.

Speaking about the film, Benegal said that it has been a tough task for him to bring Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s towering life on the screen. “Mujib – The Making of a Nation remains a very emotional film for me; to bring Bangabandhu’s towering life on the reel is a tough task; we have portrayed his character in an uncompromising way. Mujib remained a great friend of India.”

Speaking about collaborating with National Film Development Corporation, India and Bangladesh Film Development Corporation, Benegal said: “I am glad to be working on this feature film. It has always been a fruitful association working with NFDC since its inception and now collaborating with BFDC was a joyful experience.”

Bangladeshi Actor Arifin Shuvoo, who plays the role of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman said: “Fascinated to be playing the role of Mujib. This is a dream come true. I am honoured to be a part of this iconic project and to be directed by the legend himself, Shyam Benegal Ji. No words to express how big this feature film is for me and for my nation. I felt the warmth and great hospitality during the production of the film in India. Hopeful that I have justified the role and the audiences will connect with me and love the film, the way they love Bangabandhu.

Courtesy: NH | Subhash K Jha

सीतामढ़ी दंगा: लाश पर सियासी मसीहा खड़ा करने की कोशिश

 लगभग एक महीने और 40 दिन बाद भी सीतामढ़ी में मारे गए ज़ैनुल अंसारी के हत्यारों की गिरफ्तारी न होना अपने आप में समाजसेवियों से लेकर प्रशासन और विशेषकर राजनीतिक दलों के नेताओं के सारे दावों को झूठा साबित कर देता है। वैसे भी सीतामढ़ी दंगे पर हफ्तों हफ्ते तक राजनीतिक कार्यकर्ताओं, दलों के पदाधिकारियों और स्वघोषित क़ौम के नेताओं का कोई अता पता नही था। यहां तक कि उर्दू अखबारों ने खबर तक नहीं लगाई। खैर, मुसलमानों की सबसे हितैषी कही जाने वाली पार्टी के मुखिया और नेता प्रतिपक्ष का पहला ट्वीट, मैं फिर दोहरा रहा हूँ ट्वीट 25 दिन बाद याद 14 नवंबर को आता है। जो नेता अपने पिता के धुर विरोधी पूर्व भाजपा नेता और पूर्व प्रधानंत्री के प्राकृतिक मौत की खबर पर ट्वीट करने में मिनट नही लगाता और लिखता है कि ‘वो हमलोगों के पिता समान थे’ वही नेता एक 80 साल के वृद्ध की हत्या पर 25 दिन लगाता है। और उनकी पार्टी के तथाकथित बुद्धिजीवी सांसद जो लेक्चरर/प्रोफेसर हैं उन्हें भी समझ नही आता कि इस मुद्दे पर बोलना चाहिए।

27 नवंबर को बिहार विधानसभा में विपक्ष ने सीतामढ़ी के दंगे पर सवाल किये, अच्छा किया। लेफ्ट के तीनों नेताओं ने भी सवाल उठाए। तेजस्वी यादव का सवाल उठाना उतना महत्व नही रखता जितना सीतामढ़ी के कुछ लोगों द्वारा तेजस्वी के सवाल उठाने को मसीहाई अंदाज़ में पेश करना। उसपर बात करना महत्वपूर्ण है।

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An Open Letter to Indian Muslims

DEAR Muslims,

I am writing this with full responsibility and knowledge of the situation on the ground. I live thousands of miles away from Indian shores but visit thrice in a year and closely follow events and remain in touch with friends and acquaintances.

Please do not get me wrong, this shouldn’t be interpreted as a patronising lecture. I understand the sentiments you express on social media and share the anger and frustration over events taking place in several states. However, please understand that nothing is permanent and what goes up is bound to come down. The prevailing climate will change very soon. I can see that happening. Things that happened six months ago are no longer happening. There are signs of change in every sphere of Indian society. Issues of bread and butter are a great leveler and hurt indiscriminately, regardless of your caste and religion. It has started to hurt people — businesses are suffering, jobs are vanishing, sources of livelihood are shrinking. In a short span of time, these issues will consume all the sections of the society. Religion or ideology can’t fill tummies, create jobs or propel growth. People will understand this very soon, they have begun to understand — protests by farmers in Maharashtra and anger of Patels in Gujarat are good examples. Continue reading “An Open Letter to Indian Muslims”

Time for the broader Hindu community to speak up

DEAR Hindus,

The brutal murder of a poor Muslim labourer recently is not intended to terrorise Muslims, a community that is becoming immune to such threats after a series of targeted killings. In the last three odd years, they have seen many such killings by mobs and individuals in the name of Hinduism.

The real motive behind these killings is to terrorise you, Dear Hindus. Yes, don’t be surprised, Muslims are just a pawn — to add muscle and momentum to a specific political narrative.

For those who propagate the ideology of hate, their real enemy is the moderate, well-meaning Hindu who believes in the idea of India, an India that is home to 1.25 billion plus people of diverse faith, race, languages and appearance. Continue reading “Time for the broader Hindu community to speak up”

Romanticisation alone is not helping our heritage

In 2003, during a visit to Fatehpur Sikri, we were taken to the private residence of the caretaker of the Saleem Chishti Dargah located inside the complex. Once inside, we were warmly received by the caretaker, an elderly gentleman and his family. We were served sharbat and shammi kababs. Soon after, in our presence, the caretaker received another group of Indian men and women, all dressed in expensive clothes and they spoke to each other in English with a distinct American accent.

“Ye sab sap hi logoN ka to hai,” [This all, is all yours only] the caretaker said to them before introducing the family to us. We were delighted to discover that they were direct descendants of Akbar, the emperor who built the magnificent complex.

We spent some time with them and left the residence to take a round of the complex. In the central courtyard, I was horrified to see carts of vendors selling bangles, cosmetics and cheap snacks. The carts were stationed in front of the Dargah and all the vendors were Muslims. In another section of the complex, I saw banana peels, discarded footwear and paan stains on the walls. I left the complex disappointed. Continue reading “Romanticisation alone is not helping our heritage”

New research finds Allah and Ali in Viking Age patterns

Viking age patternsWHAT was previously thought to be typical Viking Age patterns in silver on woven bands of silk in Viking Age graves are actually geometric Kufic characters as per a new research at Sweden’s Uppsala University. The Arabic characters appear in burial costumes in Viking Age boatgraves, as well as in the chamber graves clothing of central Viking Age sites such as Birka in Mälardalen.

“One exciting detail is that the word ‘Allah’ is depicted in mirror image,” says Annika Larsson, researcher in textile archaeology at the Department of Archaeology and Ancient History at Uppsala University. “It is a staggering thought that the bands, just like the costumes, was made west of the Muslim heartland. Perhaps this was an attempt to write prayers so that they could be read from left to right, but with the Arabic characters they should have. That we so often maintain that Eastern objects in Viking Age graves could only be the result of plundering and eastward trade doesn’t hold up as an explanatory model because the inscriptions appear in typical Viking Age clothing that have their counterparts in preserved images of Valkyries.”

It was while working to recreate textile patterns for the Viking Couture exhibit at Enköping Museum, Enköping, Sweden, that the researchers discovered that the woven bands contained ancient Arabic script, Kufic characters, invoking both Allah and Ali. The Kufic characters were found in the Viking Age in mosaics on burial monuments and mausoleums, primarily in Central Asia. Similar Kufic characters appear in the grave costumes in Viking Age chamber graves in central sites such as Birka in Mälardalen, as well as in boatgraves in the area around Gamla Uppsala. Continue reading “New research finds Allah and Ali in Viking Age patterns”

Minus the politics, triple talaq verdict is a welcome move

An Muslim wedding in IndiaTHE HISTORIC judgement by the Supreme Court striking down the ridiculous practice followed in some sections of the Muslim community is commendable. About time it was done away with. It is noteworthy, however, that the same has already been banned years back by several Islamic nations, including our favourite neighbour.

Triple talaq or should I say the instant triple talaq had of late become everyone’s favourite whipping boy (comes second only to the four wives conundrum) and though as a Muslim woman I do find it an extremely regressive and outdated practice, I know it has more to do with the patriarchy deeply embedded in our society than anything else! When I say our society I do not mean Muslim, I mean Indian. So while I’m glad it is out of the way, can we be as bothered about ‘all’ women across religions, castes, and  economic demographics? Because, frankly, I think the status of women is elevated only by a single factor – economic independence. No religion, no law, no sharia, no nothing!

Continue reading “Minus the politics, triple talaq verdict is a welcome move”

भारतीय मुसलमान: डर के साये में?

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पूर्व उपराष्ट्रपति श्री हामिद अंसारी के एक हालिया बयान से जिस प्रकार मीडिया ट्रायल हुआ और उसको राजनितिक मोड़ दिया गया वो गिरते वैचारिक मानसिकता और मुद्दों को संवेदनशील बनाकर राजनीति करने के नए तरीके का परिणाम है। हामिद अंसारी के कथन को समझने के लिए सिर्फ बीजेपी के इस तीन साल का ही विश्लेषण नहीं होना चाहिए वरना ये राजनितिक विश्लेषण होकर रह जाएगा। इसको समझने के लिए हमें कम से कम एक सदी और उसके बाद के मुसलमानो के हालत को नज़र में रखना होगा।

स्वतंत्रता संग्राम में हिंदुस्तानी मुसलमानो की भागीदारी और बलिदान को किसी के सनद की आवश्यकता नहीं। मुसलमानो ने अपनी आबादी और हिस्सेदारी से अधिक बढ़-चढ़ कर इस लड़ाई को लड़ा और जीता। लेकिन पाकिस्तान के बंटवारे ने जिस प्रकार भारतीय मुसलमानो को मानसिक, सामाजिक, आर्थिक और राजनितिक रूप से तोड़ा उससे हम दशकों निकल नहीं पाये। शिक्षित, आर्थिक रूप से संपन्न, सरकारी नौकरियों के बड़े ओहदेदार भारत छोड़कर एक नए देश में अपना सुख तलाशने जा चुके थे। बचा था दबा, कुचला , पिछड़ा और अशिक्षित मुसलमान जिसको अपने पुरखों की विरासत को छोड़ना किसी हाल में गवारा नहीं था।

पकिस्तान बनने की आत्मग्लानि, जातीय राजनीति के बढ़ते ज़ोर में बिना नेतृत्व के खौफ के माहौल से मुसलमानो को उबरने में एक लंबा समय लगा। जब उबरने लगे तो पाकिस्तान की भाँती ‘धर्मांधता’ की राजनीति भारत में भी शुरू हो चुकी थी। हमें इस बात को महसूस करना होगा की पाकिस्तान में बचे अल्पसंख्यक भी इसी पीड़ा से गुज़रे होंगे। फ़र्क़ इतना ज़रूर है की भारतीय मुसलमानो के अधिकार की बड़ी बड़ी लड़ाई यहाँ के बहुसंख्यक समाज ने लड़ा और आज भी वो लड़ते हैं।

मुझे हामिद अंसारी साहेब की बातों को समर्थन करने में कोई हिचक नहीं। आज भारतीय मुसलमान डर में है। वो पाकिस्तान बंटवारे के बाद भी डर में थे और आज भी डर के माहौल में जी रहे।

इन सब चीजों में जो एक चीज़ छूटी वो है मुसलमानो की समाज निर्माण में हिस्सेदारी की कमी। उसके कई कारण हैं जिसपर एक लंबी चर्चा की आवश्यकता है। 70 साल का अंतराल किसी समाज को सम्भलने और अपने हालात को सुधारने के लिए कम नहीं होता। आप सिर्फ दूसरों पर इलज़ाम लगाकर अपनी ज़िम्मेदारी से नहीं बच सकते। मुसलमानो में शिक्षा के प्रति रुझान बढ़ा है। ज़रुरत है अपनी सामाजिक ज़िम्मेदारियों के प्रति सोचने, इसपर निरंतर चर्चा कर एक दिशा देने की। मैं आओ सबको आमंत्रित करता हूँ इसपर एक बहस शुरू हो और मुख्यधारा से जुड़कर काम आगे बढे।

 

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Leave Cricket of all the sports alone!

INDIA-PAK cricket showdown was there before also. And those matches were not played during peaceful times either. The matches were prone to hyper nationalism ventilation as well. Just like the present, but with a difference. The sports page handlers of media houses then were sane enough to separate the chaff from the wheat. The winners were given prominent coverage, the perennial hostilities not withstanding. The editorial policies were relatively fair when it came to sports.

Now, we are in a more hyper sensitive era with media playing the three-in-one tone with finesse. Aggrieved, aggressor and the clueless. This two ‘A’ and one ‘c’ mode is incongruous with the five ‘W’ notion that’s the bedrock of journalism. The perfect example is india’s leading English paper’s coverage of Pakistani team. The insiders say the desk hands were told not to give significance to Pak players. Yeah, you heard right! Even if they had the best day on field. Continue reading “Leave Cricket of all the sports alone!”