Dangerous games people are playing..........

Manmoham Singh

PM Manamohan Singh by saying "naxals are greatest internal security threat to India" has metamorphosed a grave socio-economic problem into a question of war.It reminds me of George bush who by coining the phrase "war against terror" easily camouflaged Americas skewed economic diplomatic policies and belligerent military ope rations.The problem with these phrase is that they are provoking and close the doors of conciliation's and mutual understanding.Issue which may be some shades of grey turn into matters of black and white.So either you are with us or against.PM's famous statement often quoted by many has took Naxal problem to a stage where opinions are getting polarised.Hon'ble PM who has never cared about the economic conditions of the rural and tribal hinterlands of our country and who along with Planning commission vice chairman Montek Singh Alhuwalia is obsessed with the figures and numerals of GDP growth rate,has only visited to Chhattisgarh one or twice in his tenure of 6 years.He didn't even came in the high days of state assembly elections atleast to campaign for his party.Problem with leaders like him ,who are not elected and are situated by some powerful people behind the curtain, is that responsibility is ambiguous and the are far removed from ground realities.He looks thorough theoretical mindset and relies on reports and data provided by bureaucratic system.Naxals haven't came from outside or they want session .The support they are enjoying has been built up in a long period of time when the government was sleeping.Pigeonholing a grave problem of livelihood ,exploitation ,malnutrition and fraud in to a single phrase "greatest internal security threat" PM has played a dangerous move in already complex game.The bloodshed occuring every few days is the result ofhis lack of understanding of the issue.

Sonia Gandhi

She is the person who should have understood and intervened appropriately but she didn't cared.Political face must be saved at the cost of lives of tribals and policemen.While she has got power she is without any responsibility.As a Presdent of a 125 year old party ,which Mahatma Gandhi lead in strugge for independence,Jawahar lal Nehru was whose Prime Minister and other achievements are in its history,she has to come forward.Naxal issue is also a prblem of political marginalisation and disempowernmnet of tribals living in faroff place so a political process in utmost necessary to tackle it.As a leader of Congress party which is also in government Smt.Sonia Gandhi must have mobilised party workers ,frontal organisations MLAs M.P.s and others to intervene in the development of the naxal hit areas.But alas! the problem with congress party and its leaders is that when in power they do not see anything,do not hear anything and do not do anything(stritly follow Gandhian Maxim).

The BJP and Raman Singh

BJP has a habit uplifting every emotion provoking issue to a war mongering stage whether its babri masjid,Kashmir or 26/11,afjal guru,kasab and so on .War,killing ,extermination are patent words f this party and its leaders.They ride on high tides f people's emotion and make the complex issue even more complex.They try to profit from problems in ever possible manner.Raman Singh used Tadmetla incident as pretext to ask for more central funds .After all whom the military is going.Indian killing indians.Fascist BJP thinks that every issue can be solved with iron hands.They are taking the country to a point of no return and uncontrollable emotional state.

Digvijay Singh,Ajit Jogi

These people who are thrown out of the political canvas are trying to enter with a bang and naxal issue has provided a golden oppurtunity to them.They are also the persons who could have taken care of the problem at its nacent stage when it was not even a problem.Digvijay Singh was 2 times CM of Madhya Pradesh and Ajit Jogi was long time M.P. and C.M. of Chhattisgarh for 3 years.Instead of taking care of the socio ecnomic problems of tribal these gentlemen were busy in making profits out of their posts.

Naxals


From naxals i mean those bloodthirsty people who on the pretext of giving voice to the exploited tribals and villagers ,made it a business of extortion and earning.By depriving poor people from the Governments welfare and developmental policies and most importantly "peace" they are playing a dangerous game whose result is brutal and grotesque.Rejecting offers f negotiations and talks naxals are driving the simple problem of falied mutual understanding,rights and entitlements to a war cry.Their every ambush operation is taking them towards a dead end.

The Tribals


All though they are part of the game but their role is as much as a football in a match.First government officials like forest guards ,revenue collectors and others exploited them with connivance of contractors.Then naxals ,who promised them a golden future, made use of them.The only game they are playing is being the game.



Inellectuals

I have full sympathy with these people .They are the one who know what is wrong and why,alo they are the one who want to help and they are not getting anything profitable from this ,but still are helpless and sometimes have to face the irk of media and public.The government provides them scholarship for studying and researching about different issues but when the time comes to listen to their views and opinion government turn its ears off.Government relies more on its trained IAS and IPS officers who only care for their chair.Naxals although listen to the intellectuals but only till the music is sweet for them.They pay attenion only to have them on their side but they do not follow the intellecuals' ideas. Intellectuals too only see what the naxals want them to see.

The Media


Caught in the competition of Breaking news and TRPs the electronic and print media is basically feeding the fire through its irresponsible behaviour.Media is often called the fourth pillar of democracy but it cant be a pillar of democracy because unlike the other pillars it has no responsibility and accountability.Playing as a propaganda machine media chase the sides which is gaining in the conflict.Supporting Government ensures advertisements to them and supporting Naxals gives them public gaze(TRPs).Media should know that Governments have never liked the independence and autonomy of media today and its duty of media to not only question the moves of government but also provide the ground realities to those in the establishment.Also those in media who are acting as mouthpieces of naxals and supporting their propoganda should know that communist ideology has no place for corporate media preset in india .Maoists are offening hospitality to reporters till they are writing in their favour the days naxals have achieved in their heinous objectives the same media will have to face the music.

(contd..)

Rendezvous with history at Sirpur

History has always been a boring subject for many students especially those who do not want to get lost in remembering dates ,wars and genealogical trees.In fact i found that the subject in itself is not boring but the way it is taught in our schools has made it uninteresting.Stories are always liked by the children right from the pari katha to chanda mama ki kahanis.Children have always got a reason to sleep: they are told stories.These stories ,the paris,rakshas,prince and princesses,jadugars have always enriched their dreams.History if taught like stories will not only facilitate learning among the students but also the others .Afterall who doesnt wants to know about the past.If people knew the past and learned from it they would have not repeated the same errors.Anyways on my visit to Sirpur ,as there was annual mela there on mahashivratri,i got surprised by the findings of the archeological excavations there.History of Sirpur which was actually sripur, is the story of one Mahashivgupta Balarjuna a somvanshi king .He was so proficient in using arms (bow and arrow) in his childhood that he earned the titile of Bala-arjuna.His father was Harshagupta and mother Vasata.He was a great king and secular in his religious beliefs.His mother Vasata after becoming widow constructed a temple for god Hari the LaxmanaTemple.Thus his parents were vaishnavites he himself being shaivite Mahashivgupta didnt hesitate to donate for building many buddhist monasteries.HeinTsang describes that there were 100 monasteries,70 temples and 1000 monks living in them at Sirpur.In fact Sirpur was one of the greaty buddhist learning centres of ancient time.The monks of mahayana sect used to come from far flung areas to learn.monasteries wre buit from bricks and inscription refer to a monk named Anand Prabhu,on whose name a monastery was named.On watching the architecture of the excavated sites one cant remain unamazed by the architectural knowledge and mastery of those who had built these buildings.Well structured designs,intricate carvings of pillars well designed drainage,lavish pools etc.


















Sripur was very prosperous kingdom at the time of Mahashivgupta ,the sripur dynasty used to call themselves Kesari(lion) but after him or his old age.Sharabhpuria rules captured Sripur and Mahashivgupta's son Mahabhavagupta.Unfortunate Mahabhavagupta had to run with his family and walk along the mahanadi and conquer Kalinga from trikalinga dynasty and settle at katak(cuttak).

All the world's a stage................

The word drama comes from the Greek word to do or to act.Natya or rang , in hindi ,a microcosm of the real world created on a stage.Drama is on of our ancient art ,who doesn't knows Kalidas,the one waho has made his place among that galaxy of stars where each name represents a soul of an epoch.Drama is such a intricate and complex subject that whatever knowledge i possess it will be like a drop in ocean to comment on it.Instead i will dwell upon a little observation that i found to write something on drama though not a comment or a critique but still something important.
Like every other place in India ,in chhattisgarh Drama too has a long but living history.Famously known as NAACHA, Naacha in which predominantly act was played with dialogue in rhythmic form accompanied by tabla or dhol or harmonium.It was a part of rural social life rather than just being a thing of entertainment .But yes entertainment was important in Naacha as to attract a tired farmer or a labor out of his misery ,would not had been possible if the naach or drama could not entertain him that is uplift him out of his misery and take to a relatively happier world though for a few hours only.As my grandfather told me Naccha or Ramlila had been an important activity just more than entertaining.He told ,that Naacha was played by mostly laborers, servants , keepers and others who had so much anger against the conditions imposed on them by the contemporary feudal system.They needed a way to vent off their anger as well as show the talent they have which otherwise was not appreciated in the society.Even the Maalguzaars and Zamindars knew and understood the sarcastical dialogues in the drama.But they endured it consciously so as to thwart the greater evil, a revolt by the peasants.Theme often touched the exploitative system of Zamindari and caste but ostentatiously it looked something different.Darama was enlightened by the social issues like dowry ,approachability etc which were so critical issue that they can only be discussed in jovial environmnet of a naacha otherwise these issues had ability to strike a major riot or something like that.
Drama too was thus enriched by the feeling that the actors had in their hearts which often brought a realism in their act.My mother often tell that in Chandeni Gonda ,act showed the torments a mother-in-law undergoes in hands of her newly married daughter- in-law ,the audience would sometimes get so emotional and agitated that they would utter abuse against the actress playing the role of the daughter and often throw shoes on her across the stage.
The important thing was that people who in morning were peasants and laborers turned into a different being at evening in the Naacha.
The theater has progressed much since from then .Dedicated teams and people today glitter the field.The scope of stories has too enlarged and diversified.(continued...)