I have grown up in a city, the final destination of Communism , Calcutta ( I do not call it Kolkata)
I have always detested the ideology, but unlike many Bengalis who practice the doctrine with having a clue of its principals, i would pat own back for criticising after studying it. Its Karl Marx who to me had foreseen the end himself, but wisely enough he did not pen it down, if he had then might have been different for his Marxist follower. He had seen the cycle, Royalty - Aristocracy- Bourgeois-Proletariat, was his cycle, The thing thats common between all the predecessors of Proletariat were, they started with a revolution, with a good cause in mind( or at least they thought so) but once in power got corrupted.. and hence new form of doctrine in brief the theory of Dialectic materialism.
Whatever i guess i am deviating from my point.
I have grown up in the final resting place of Marxism .. with the longest serving incumbent government in history of modern politics his still serving its tenure.
I hated their policies till recently , as even though i was always in favour of a welfare state, I always thought of the economic viability of the result.
Any way for many things that i have hated the left, there is one thing that i do like is abouts its one positive externality , annihilation of communal fanaticism.
Why i say its an externality is because, one of the few principle of communists is opposing the faith in god.
The the cadres, their party men were just left comrades.. their religion was communism
With wide advent of naxalism ( read firebrand vandalism) in the 70s gave onus to this communist doctrine .
Everytime their was a communal disharmony.. there would have been a clash of three.. The two communal groups and the communists... and no points for guessing who won. Its was like if you guys fight on communal grounds ,ill slaughter you both.. cant you see you guys are killing our cadres and vote banks.
So there you go..
I wont say riots never erupted in Calcutta, it e3rupted only in very few parts of the city, and cool down within a day or 2.
Even in 92 when India through out was burning.. Calcutta was relatively quieter. it was very weird for a state with a demography of a 50 -50 share in numbers. Whats funny was even though areas like Park Circus a pre-dominantly Muslim locality did see communal violence 1992.. yet the next year it again hosted one of Calcutta's one of the largest Durga Pujas.
thats one of the essence that communist have brought into Communal part of Calcutta.
Even though with its fair share (near 40%) Muslim Population, West bengal has never been very communal apart from the partition time which also stopped with Gandhi intervening .
Well the communal harmony has another reason to it. Bengalis are always Bengalis first and their religion are always secondary and communism has enhanced that as well. (Bangladesh breaking away from Pakistan on linguistic grounds remember)
Durga Puja is now not a Hindu festival but a Bengali Festival. and hence there are many large Puja like Park Circus, and Mohammad Ali Park which are to large extent funded my Muslims.. and hence that makes me a proud Calcuttan ( and under my breath i dont want people to hear, i am thanking the communists for that)
The Devils Advocate:
Calcutta with a secular mindset . and a soft corner for fellow Bengali's on the other side of the border , because they are Bengalis first , might become a safe haven for terrorists, in recent past we have noted, Bangladesh is becoming a breeding ground for them. Its easy for these louts to cross the volatile border and take shelter in Calcutta, as no body will question them.
Its weird how Communal Harmony is being used for Communal fanaticism .. and yet Indian Government might be in a fix to take any strong measure against Bangladesh.. as Bengalis will resist such decision.. This why I hate Bengalis being Bengalis first
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
14 comments:
good one dude...though i don't know if its communism that has annihilated communalism... coming from erstwhile Bihar, i can tell you that it is one of the lesser aggressive states on the communalism front despite having nothing to with communism...it would require deeper insight into the demographics of people there man... thats what i feel...
but you made a good point and have left me thinking...
Good article - makes a lot of chings clearer in my mind - gives meaning to a lot of the seeemingly meanless behavioral traits I have grown up witnessing.
But also, a couple of questions - why do you think Calcutta is the final destination of Communism? And how come Kerela isn't included? Even if they aren't as loud, they're equally active. Or are they?
And finally what's brought about this sudden revelation - you said you hated the Leftists earlier, but now you don't. It surprises me, being a supporter I think it'll make an amazing read to find out just how a non believer became otherwise.
I still hate leftist behaviour, but the fact a leftist government seeking FDIs and Private funding, will no longer be a communist or socialis government.. it woul be right central liberal in the political definition. Hence my support for globalisation makes me support this quasi capitalist government which by virtue is called CPIM. Why i say Bengal as the final resting place is because, in Keral even though communists are apotent force, they have a considerable strong opposition who come to power every second term... so the incumbency factor is very small for Kerala when Considered to Bengal
I am still wondering at the relation of communism with religious harmony, as that is the direction the passage takes towards the end. And why Bengalis are Bengalis first and a Hindu, Muslim or Christian second is probably a matter of personal vindication and not necessarily a factual substantiation. I see nationalism as a good thing but not regionalism, as this passage indicates.
More-so, I see no connection to communism besides the belief that they didn’t have a religion? Not sure what that proves?
And if I might add a little footnote that some parts were hard to follow since the English was a little disconnected!
Well Asif you missed the point, the fact is What meant was Nationalism does not mean patriotism , they are 2 different things but thats a whole new argument all together.
What iam against is Bengalis are always Bengalis first not Indians, and it has negative impact as well.
I thought it was subtle enough to be understood, thats why i did not write it in bold lines ( read the caveat Devils advocate at the end).
Coming to the next point how communism has lead to communal harmony, its quite simple around 60 % of bengal has a communist mind set, communism is a doctrine against religious faith, but the socio economic ethos of India can not annihilate, that mind set, hence in Bengal the religious feel is a very more secular in the true dictionary word of it ( it a bit different from Indian Constitution portrays it)
What has happened also ithe communist are so powerful, they call the shots in bengal, and as its party lines has equal numbers of people from both religious faiths, Communist do not allow a clash. This was to begin with.. but over a period of time this has become a part of life, as simple as that.
I can go on saying how Being Bengali first can be a centripetal force and a centrifugal force at the same time .. but at the end its alway good to see which on overwhelms the other.
Oh yes, I missed the caveat. My apoligies for that. But on going through it, I agree with your points of being against Bengalis for the reasons you have mentioned.
A question, on which you may care to enlighten me. Do you consider Communism to be a Nationalist Movement or a Patriotic one? Or neither? Or is it that you are implying that religious harmony is a result of communism and not a moral choice of the social elements? Your passage, inspite of being intriguing, does not seem to flow in a cohesive word process and hence the slight confusion. But your reply makes sense and I thank you for that.
From what I understand, you are anti-communist. Which pretty much settles the discourse we are having.
Good one! Keep it going.
firstly i would apologise, that i did not post an edited version of the blog but went with the flow of thoughts, and hence the typos, from next time i would try to edit my flow as well, so that some people will noy have to overlook the typos.
For people who have followed Bengal Politics will know that is more than 30 years now since the Left government is in power.
And for those who follow or understand Communism, would realise, communism can nither be patriotic nor nationalist as they do not believe the concept of State.. the follow the concept of society.To them State(read country) exists for the society and not society for the state, so there is a basic flaw in the question. Secondly Its very Important how you define a antion in the concept of Bengal Politics.
Nation by definition is is not a state, and while traditionally monocultural, it may also be multicultural in its self-definition. The term nation is often used as a synonym for ethnic group (sometimes "ethnos"), but although ethnicity is now one of the most important aspects of cultural or social identity, people with the same ethnic origin may live in different nation-states and be treated as members of separate nations for that reason. National identity is often disputed, down to the level of the individual. So A Bengali nation will include all bengalis , of what ever country and what ever religion .So there is a hitch if you are Bengali first.. because then a bangladeshi is closer to you than a maharashtrian, eventhough the Maharashtrian is from your country.
Now to your question religious harmony as moral choice, It depends to an extent on your government.. gujrat is a good Example of that, even for ages when ppl followed their moral choice, one initiation of act communal hatred from the Government ruined it..Not only that even in History Racial genocide by Nazi Germany could not be stopped by moral choice of people. People have always been influenced by Government policies, and in bengal with the longest serving incumbent government the policies have been more conducive to communal harmony making people make that moral choice
Lastly i would really like to thank you for keeping this debate.. and its good to see young Indians taking more interest in politics thanks a ton
Some really good discussions guys!
One point I really appreciate is the fact that youth like all of us are probably on the brink of realizing that what WE all need to be first is an INDIAN and then get into the regionalism.
Immediate reminisce is from the movie Chak De... where the girls start speaking out their States' name... rather than INDIA!
Being a muslim, I need to be very honest about the fact that I have been pissed of quite a couple of times due to the treatment meted out just because I am a MUSLIM... in the land of HINDUS... which is unfortunate enough coz I myself am an INDIAN first!
The concepts like communalism, communism, etc etc etc... need not be a point of discussion... what needs to be a point to ponder is that WE - THE YOUTH of this generation... need to makes everyone else understand that being an INDIAN... and a good human... is significantly more... much much more important than being a communalist or communist... or whatever! Whether we are from Calcutta or Kerala or Chennai or Bihar or elsewhere... what matters at a global scale is that we all represent one nation - INDIA !
I might have deviated the topic slightly... but it aint that deviated :)
Cheerzzz.
Aadil.
AMEN AAdil.. i firmly believe what you say
And through my blogs i am trying to make an effort if u read my previous posts you will realise
I can understand the sentiments of Aadil, of having being singled out in a so called land of the "Hindus"
Well..it is in this context, we as a society need to (re)educate ourselves in a more scientific manner, unlearn a lot of things (legacies)..one such being the concept of land of the Hindus - Hindustan.
Whatever, little history & geography I have studied, has left me with the understanding that Hindustan isn't necessarily a land for the the so called Hindus(people who are Hindus by religion), but it is a rather a terms which was coined by invaders (who invaded the peninsular land east of the Indus river & the Hindukush Mountains. So, these invaders would broadly refer to this piece land, having its own & unique cultural identity/ethos. So, anybody and everybody would be residing in this land, wouldbe refered to as a "Hindu"...and yes..this is the root...and makes perfect sense. Its a age old human tendency to classify/categorise things (any & everything). So my dear pals...many more invations & empires later, this land started getting considered as having some distinct religous identities such as Islam, Hindu, Jain, Sikh, Christianity, Budhdhism...
But then we all , if we cjhosse to look at out origin, are all Hindus ( a mix of Aryan, Mongoloid, Dravidian, and some other sub-human races)..I wish I could be technically not as accurate as an Anthropologgist. So, we are "Hindus"...that's what we are..
So, Aadil, please forgive those ignorant fools, who had never been serious in Geography & History Classes in their school days. You may however, choose to educatye them..
I am liking this column "A Big Yawn" Keep this going...
Thanks Uddi.. i am amazed by your knowledge of Anthropology.( i usually dont expect it from a techie..hahhaha)
you are absolutely right in your deduction its ppl residing on the the other side of sindhu (indus) are hindu
so ita matter of fact a way of life.. Correct me if i am wrong here , the way Islam has been followed in this part of the world is much different from the rest
well its an Indianised format.. Such that urdu is an Indian Language, Biriyani is an Indian food. so Islam in Indian culture is inseparable.. some thing that i have maintained in all my blogs ..The Indian Ethos are determined more by Indian festivities and food and culture rather than a religious one.That makes us Unique. so its upto us now to uphold the same.
You know what...even the Cinese food available here is "Indian Chinese", the ever popular Chicken Manchurian, is an Indian delicacy (an Indian Invention, by a person of Chinese origin)..Travel & Living recenlty had featured a program on this.
Indian Chinese, the program says, is one if the fastest growing food categories in the US
actually i tht the veg manchurian and the chilli checken were indian in origin.. same as chicken tikka masala is British origin.
I did not know even chicken manchurian was Indian
methinks there is a bit of confusion here...we had started with communism and communalism with reference to bengal (politics) and we have now moved into unchartered waters and have started (re)defining hindoo, hinduism and hindustan. am i missing out something in between?
i believe the way bengal politics have shaped up go beyond just communism or communalism. bengalis have, over the centuries, been bengalis first and anything else later. this holds true during the times of sen empire, pathans, british, free India, partition and the Bhasha andolan in Bangladesh. this has nothing to do with religion or the lack of it. communist movement in Bengal started way back in 1920's as a freedom movement, by comrade Muzaffar Ahmad and other muslim intellectuals. communism then had at its base, not to remove religion, but to come out of the confines of the nationalist movements dominated by bengali hindu property owning classes. mind you, even then, a bengali, a Calcuttan, had the same bonding as they do now. class, religion and political identity stood second to regional exclusivity.
the communist movement took various shapes from there, changed their agenda, and at one point of time it was understood that the agenda is not to form a class-less society, but to maintain the identity of bengal and bengalis. i am talking about the days when there were numerous merchant companies in bengal, with their head quarters somewhen in the united kingdom, the days when calcutta clubs and bengal clubs flourished, when RCTC was home to regular derbies. bengalis faced a strong sense of identity crisis then and decided to hold on to the communist movement - then the only true "bengali" socio-political forum, to uphold their identities. this was, mind you, a hindoo indentity and not one influenced by western ideas. by hindoo i mean essentially something that belongs to hindustan. all bengalis are, and will always be Indians, but that does not automatically grant you the right to take from the bengali what they think is essentially theirs. bengalis take part in all festivals, be it Eid, Holi, Diwali or Sankrantis, but Durga Pujo is essentially bengali. from your nationalist platform, how can you justify uniting a marathi, who knows next to nothing about pujo, with a bengali, for whom lord Ganesha is just Ma Durga's son, and there is no pomp and show during Ganesha chaturthi? yes, we have our national festivals, and you can spread the nationalist word out from those fora, but can you eradicate pongal or bihu? no mate, i think the regional identity needs to remain, as i believe the regional identity is the one singular bond that binds us to the great nation. unity in diversity is not just a phrase we mugged to fill our independence day essays....if you think about it you will appreciate that multiculturalism is the only answer to a nationalist India.
Post a Comment