तुम चले जाओगे
पर थोड़ा सा यहाँ भी रह जाओगे
जैसे रह जाती है
पहली बारिश के बाद
हवा में धरती की सौंधी सी गंध
भोर के उज़ास में
थोड़ा सा चंद्रमा
खंडहर हो रहे मंदिर में
अनसुनी प्राचीन नूपुरों की झंकार
तुम चले जाओगे
पर थोड़ी सी हँसी
आँखों की थोड़ी सी चमक
हाथ की बनी थोड़ी सी कॉफी
यहीं रह जाएँगे
प्रेम के इस सुनसान में
तुम चले जाओगे
पर मेरे पास
रह जाएगी
प्रार्थना की तरह पवित्र
और अदम्य
तुम्हारी उपस्थिति
छंद की तरह गूँजता
तुम्हारे पास होने का अहसास
तुम चले जाओगे
और थोड़ा सा यहीं रह जाओगे।
I seem to
have loved you in numberless forms, numberless times...
In life after life, in age after age, forever.
My spellbound heart has made and remade the necklace of songs,
That you take as a gift, wear round your neck in your many forms,
In life after life, in age after age, forever.
Whenever I hear old chronicles of love, it's age old pain,
It's ancient tale of being apart or together.
As I stare on and on into the past, in the end you emerge,
Clad in the light of a pole-star, piercing the darkness of time.
You become an image of what is remembered forever.
You and I have floated here on the stream that brings from the fount.
At the heart of time, love of one for another.
We have played along side millions of lovers,
Shared in the same shy sweetness of meeting,
the distressful tears of farewell,
Old love but in shapes that renew and renew forever.
Today it is heaped at your feet, it has found its end in you
The love of all man's days both past and forever:
Universal joy, universal sorrow, universal life.
The memories of all loves merging with this one love of ours -
And the songs of every poet past and forever.
“I love life. If I really wanted to
die, there is a fan, ropes, clothes that can tie myself with. Why would I do
this? If AFSPA is repealed I will take food. It is as simple as that.”
These words of Sharmila, are basically
the theme of this book. Anyway for a while keep away this thought that you are
reading some book review and just imagine, your nervous system suddenly stopped
identifying one of your organ, I don’t think I have to explain what you would
have suffered in that given condition… that’s what happening with Manipur, and North-east
states of India. And I must say author of this book, Anubha Bhonsle took a
major step to explore that unknown land and lives, and present in front of us,
make us aware about the exact situation of our so called progressive INDIA.
“Mother, Where’s My Country” is not
only a book with reports of some unconcerned state but It is an intense effort
of a lady, a responsible Indian, a person with soul before anything else. Anubha
Bhonsle, spent her 8 years amidst these people who have been just breathing
without knowing the exact definition of life.
“Like ‘self curfew’, this term was
their invention for the hostile vibes they felt on the street every time a
gun-wielding security person looked at them.”
Frankly speaking When I started the
book I have to read first chapter twice.. Just to absorb the fact that pain….spilling
on the few pages. I don’t even imagine how those people has been survived,
besides this how that brave lady Anubha Bhonsle could explore their painful lives
and inked it, honestly she tried to draw attention towards the reality of AFSPA.
IN HER OWN WORDS
When I first started exploring life
in Manipur, I wanted to understand the notion of despair here because of the
existence of what’s called the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). Since
1980, the act has given security forces unbridled powers—including the
authority to arrest and shoot a citizen on mere suspicion and to search
property without a warrant. It also protects soldiers from trial and punishment
without the sanction of the central government.
The story
captures life in a state where midnight raids by security forces are not
unusual, although they occur now less frequently than they used to. Children
walk to school amid guns while “What to do if you are raped” booklets circulate
in markets.
Over the past
nine years, I have conducted close to 200 interviews, scrutinized dozens of
documents and court testimonies, revisited places and people, and repeated
numerous questions. The excerpt here relies on exhaustive interviews conducted
over days with two women, whose identities I have protected. These women have
broken their silence; we are their witnesses.
NARRATION
Although this would not be an easy
read, filled with related reporting, documentation of tribal lives, but Anubha
didn’t forget to make it alive by adding some real factors…her experiences, stony-hearted
stories of the victims.
She says the book springs from
"reflections and notes from my reportage and fieldwork" spread over
nine years. This includes two hundred interviews and dozens of documents and
court testimonies. In her words, "My goal has been to describe the stories
and silences of people I met and spoke to truthfully and honestly."
CORE
When I started the book I thought it
was only Sharmila’s biography perhaps… but here Author explored and triggered
more brave characters and their perspective for instance Rape and Murdur of
Thangjam Manorama, Imas and their “naked protest”, debate about AFSPA BILL (1958)
in lok sabha and views of leaders. Anubha also mentioned about the
Sinam Chandramani’s poignant case, a boy once got awarded for his bravery,
couldn’t avoid the pangs of random fire by Assam Rifles jawans. Plus, she put some light of Irom Sharmila
Chanu’s life in a broader way.
"She wasn’t a big girl, she’d never
been in a fight, she avoided confrontation, or even complaint for that matter,
She never seemed heroic, she wasn’t good at sports and not much could be said
about her grades, she was just Sharmila, lanky, perhaps a little boyish, and
inclined to be just herself and by herself."
"Here was a woman infinitely
comfortable in her own skin, comfortable in her tapering fingers that ended in
long, broken nails, the delicate slope of her shoulder, her boney cheeks,
unkempt hair, her black brown eyes, sensual mouth. Without the nasal tube and
behind strong profile in photographs, she was an ordinary person, sensitive,
easily hurt."
"Sharmila, would sometimes remove the
tube attached to her nose, turn to her side and read. Or simply mumble and moan
in a slow halting voice, a voice that rarely betrayed any sense of urgency or
discomfort."
Overall, it is mirror for the
government and every Indian. A powerful attempt by Anubha Bhonsle. MUST READ !
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Anubha Bhonsle is an award winning
journalist based in Delhi, where she is Executive Editor with CNN-IBN. She has
reported extensively on politics, gender, human rights and the armed forces.
Over the last ten years much of her reportage has concentrated on the impact of
long-standing conflict. She has reported from Jammu and Kashmir and the North
East of India,especially Manipur.
Anubha is a recipient of the Ramnath Goenka Award for her reportage on the
funding of political parties. She is also a Hubert H. Humphrey/Fulbright Fellow
2015-16. In 2014 she was given the Chameli Devi Award for her body of work. The
Jury at the New York Film Festival has commended her documentaries on Irom
Sharmila and the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).
All eyes on her, she examined the
ground with her left foot, stretched her shoulder joints and glanced at the opposition
player who was buried under the instructions of coach.
A rail of thoughts started playing in
her head “It’s not some gilli-danda which you play across the lane. Its
badminton, complicated game, needs proper footwork, balance of mind...And time.
No, I can’t select an outsider...”
She watched the whole game behind the
fence that day. A petal of dream unfolded in her gleaming eyes. She had not
left with any choice but becoming another Eklavya.
It needs guts to write anything that
makes sense, it needs even more courage to write about something which
is not accepted by society while it instilled in roots of it since eras.
Past week I read a column in TOI about
Ruchira Gupta and her latest anthology. At book launch of “River of
Flesh and Other Stories” she engulfed all the emotions, her years and years of
work experience in just one line “Prostitution is not about choice. It’s
lack of choice.”
Frankly speaking I have never read anything
like this before, even I was aware of this term Prostitute and human
trafficking. When so called developed people feel evil while pronouncing this
word only… It stirred my soul that few girls suffered that undying pain
on their body. Huge Respect for the lady, Our Editor… Ruchira gupta has
spent her whole life just working for these girls, who are as normal as us and
carry same emotions into their heart unless their surrounding starts to play its
brutal game.
When I was going to explore the book I
was little hesitated…then I took a glance of index…and smiled, literally I smiled
because there were few familiar names...closer than anything my favourite
Amrita Pritam, Ismat Chughtai, Premchand, Kamleshwar, Krishna Chander, Manto,
among others. Happiness started to rush in my veins and I read…And Read until I
finished it.
Basically it has all in all, 21 stories of the
finest writers of Asia. All about the Sex workers, women’s inequality
and commercial rape… Here Ruchira Gupta did a great job just to
accumulate all and present in a book for readers.
Amrita Pritam weaved the character of singing girl
Neelam in “THE SHAH’S HARLOT” a serene lady who accepted her fate as second
woman while performing all the duties as first.
Ismat Chugtai Writes about Lajo in “The Housewife”
A lady who only knows how to give love, the norms of society made her believe
that she is not good enough to be wife of someone. But she feels helpless when
it comes a little desire “A home of my own!
Kamleshwar creates a character Jugnu In “RIVER
OF FLESH” which makes you teary eyed, The way author writes.. I think it is
blessing to read him. He gives a hint of slavery for lifetime and disease take
hold. ” A Poignant tale!
Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay writes beautifuuly in “HEENG
KACHAURI” A single story which makes you smile a bit, It is about a boy who
growing up near the world of Prostitutes and address them as Didi. I am sure
you have watched “Amar Prem” that rajesh khanna and sharmila tagore’s movie.
But the story was same and must say beautifully portrayed.
Kamala Das explored a little girl’s life in “A
DOLL FOR THE CHILD PROSTITUTE” a girl who somehow trapped in brothel, and her
innocence changed a man’s heart, heartwarming tale.
Manto’s words roared in “THE HUNDRED
CANDLE POWER BULB” I can’t even think words to precise the emotion manto
instilled into this story. Best read.
Premchand writes about of begum in “THE MURDER
OF HONOUR” whose journey ends in the brothel with news that her husband killed
himself because he couldn’t handle the truth her lady stands in whorehouse while
he didn’t hesitate to throw from her own house.
Besides these Nubendu Ghosh’s
MARKET PRICE, Niranjana’s THE LAST CUSTOMER, Quratulain Hyder’s ANCESTRY, Siddique Alam's GOD FORSAKENcaptures your mind.
This book makes you think, broaden
your mind about the suffocating environment we are creating. No these girls are
not obscene. Obscenity lies in our perception, the lack of choices, the
poverty, these are not just stories they are lives who dead but couldn’t buried
for years. There is a lot of going behind those beautiful posters of Life. Feel
It.
Highly Recommended.Worth your time
as well money.
About Editor
Ruchira Gupta is a writer, feminist
campaigner, professor at New York University and founder of the
anti-sex-trafficking organization, Apne Aap Women Worldwide. She won the
Clinton Global Citizen award in 2009, the Sera Bangali Award in 2012 and an
Emmy for outstanding investigative journalism in 1996. She has helped more than
twenty thousand girls and women in India exit prostitution systems. She has
also edited As If Women Matter, an
anthology of Gloria Steinem’s essays, and written manuals on human trafficking
for the UN Office for Drugs and Crime.
