A Reminder: Dr Faisal

(This is a rejoinder to Farzana Versey's article and her response to my post on her blog.)

I agree that the comparison was odious. But it was not unwarranted. The fate of two Faisals’, both of same ethnic origin, underpins the path the two countries have taken since partition. Your article would have been marvelous had it taken the effort to point this out to Pakistanis. Instead, you chose to deconstruct the achievements of Dr Faisal, and made it sound as if it was out of petty careerism.

The example of Dr Faisal, even if in a small way, has energized the self-image of Indian Muslims, which has been at the receiving end of negative social perception for some time now.

Even a cursory detour of the IM blogs and the urdu press; or even a random chat with the local abdul, highlights the effervescence in the community emanating from doctor’s achievement.

In short, the idolization of Rukhsana & Dr Faisal is not because they are brave or super-intelligent, which they are. It is because they had the wisdom to choose the right path.

Wailing A Kashmiri's Choice

An Article by Farzana Versey in Paktribune inspired the Bappi Adams in me. Nosh Farmaiye.

Faisal, the Kashmiri versus Faisal, the Kashmiri

My Islamist heart wails copious tears,
Wants to believe that change’s not near.
It moans the words that Faisal spoke,
That shameless, ingrate, faithless bloke.

Faisal! Rue your slavery ‘they’ will buy,
Promote you high-up to ‘Paaacify’.

You innocent, thoughtless, spineless lamb,
Can’t you see the bania’s plan,
So willing a tool in the Brahmin’s hand.

Can’t you see the hardships forced?
So what’s the challenge that you rose.

Learn from Faisal across the ‘line’,
Brave and Handsome and views Divine.
He gave his golden spoooooon away,
And lives in the penitentiary in USA.

Oh he, the Glorious martyr of faith,
So tiny you, in his shadow rake.
Never shall the Jihad die,
Mumbai, New York, Beslan pry

Adopt the ways of ‘Pure’ ‘Fair’ n ‘Tight’,
Blow a bomb on a square on Right.
That is what best represents your Fight,
Degree Vegree all so Trite.

Liberty Shiberty & Phonetapping

Yesterday Plato woofed a very interesting point about the Indian democracy। He philosophised that, “the price Indian men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by Congressmen”।

Now, to be fair to Kangressis, Plato, my rabid dog with profuse anal wisdom and sensitive political nose, was actually applying analogism on the quote of a more famous Greek namesake of his.


But is that entirely untrue?

The recent public apathy witnessed in the aftermath of the desi watergate scandal is pretty revealing in this context. Despite my shameless hindu skin, I remain amazed at the nonchalance of the Indian middle-class regarding the circumstances surrounding the phonetapping incident. Just the thing Plato was talking about.

The governmental impropriety in infringing the sanctity of the political opposition is most blatant. That’s because, the essence of a genuine democratic polity is the ‘right to organisation’ for all its dissidents. And the phone-tapping incident clearly points out the fear and the eagerness of the establishment to set these dissenters in their places.

In a political system, wherein the establishment does not shy from undermining its dissenters using immoral means, it doesn’t take too much to imagine the fate of the mango-man who is devoid of any political influence; and has had an unfortunate brush with the system.

Case point: Ruchika Girhotra. The tyranny mounted on her is indicative of vehemence which the neo-colonial system extracts on its hapless victims. It also underlines the fact that India is an autocratic police state with quasi-democratic façade that wants’ to perpetuate the interests of the ruling class.

So, in a setup where the predominant resource of the intelligence apparatus is dedicated to political intelligence (Read: espionage and covert action on opposition), we can hardly clamour about us being a liberal democracy.

As for the mango-men, we shouldn’t be protesting about the seeming unstopability of the terror attacks from now on. After all, our agency is all too hard-pressed and undermanned in eavesdropping on Advani & Karat to get distracted by the Hafiz Saeeds of the world.

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P.s:

To Quote Desi version of Patrick Henry: “…..I don’t know what you people may decide, but as of for me, give me dollars and give me H1B”.