COMMENT: I wonder if the Heraldo has lost its standards. Cannot explain How such a crappy alleged-article by a senior alleged-journalist was printed.
It is now, well accepted that while ALL of us make occasional errors, this Eugene Correia makes them in almost every post. His oft repeated excuse is that he does not read what he writes before submission. That, he assumes, I believe, is the task of the (say) Heraldo editors. RICH....VERY RICH ! This Correia article refers to an allegedly STEERING Speech delivered by Nehru....and refers to Lata's song at the NATIONAL STADIUM (Was it at the National Stadium? or at another ground circa 4 miles to the North ?) The rest of Eugene's post is replete with his usual circular nonsense. Will not comment at this time on the alleged Peace & Sweetie loving chap who invaded Hyderabad and Goa. jc On 15 August 2016 at 08:14, Eugene Correia <eugene.corr...@gmail.com> wrote: > Independence and its discontents > > Eugene Correia > It was on the eve of Independence Day that Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru delivered his memorable speech, A Tryst With Destiny, to the Constituent Assembly, and the next day he triumphantly proclaimed from the ramparts of the Red Fort that India has woken up to a new dawn. It was a STEERING speech which till today brings tears to my eyes, just as the tune of " Aye mere watan ke logo", which translates into English as " O! the people of my country. The soulful lyrics and the emotional rendering of the patriotic song by none other than one of the greatest Goans, Lata Mangeskhar, in the NATIONAL STADIUM in 1963, brought tears to Nehru's eyes. Moved by the song, Nehru is said to have remarked, “ Those who don't feel inspired by ' Aye mere watan ke logo' don't deserve to be called a Hindustani.” This patriotic song is revered and reverberates across the length and breadth of India on every Independence Day. On this auspicious day, we pledge our allegiance to our motherland and celebrate the freedom that many Indians, though Goans in Goa were still under colonial rule but some had their hearts and soul in British India, fought for and died for. The deep, thoughtful words of the Mangeshkar song and the stirring words of Nehru’s speech will forever remain in my memory till I die. I will die an Indian, though TECHNICALLY I am now a Canadian citizen. I was called an anti- Indian by some Hindu Indians in Toronto after I wrote a denunciatory report on the then India’s consul- general Chandra Mohan Bandari whose act of filming an exhibition at Toronto’s famous tourist landmark, Harbourfront, put up by the group owing loyalty to one of India’s progressive leftist group. It was only because some Hindu friends of mine informed these pro- consulate Hindus that I am a thorough Indian and what I wrote is right in the context that Harbourfront officials were angry at the consul’s behaviour. It diminished the status of India’s consular representative who could easily have asked any person from the groups who are close to the consulate to do the filming instead of himself going there with a camcorder in hand. Criticising Indian consular staff or also the Indian government should not be considered as same as criticising India. We have seen the way the present government and its legion of supporters, including some hard line groups that owe allegiance to the BJP, accuse those who cross swords with those in power are termed “ anti- national.” No wonder that the now demoted minister, Smriti Irani, has been mockingly called “ aunty national.” To me, it seems that Ms Irani had become too big for her shoes. The way she was going about “ saffronizing” the educational system, it could be a national tragedy if she had continued in the position as HRD minister. No wonder the Twitter world went buzzing when Modi, prodded by BJP president Amit Shah, had this heavyweight of a minister shifted to mind India’s textile policy. Maybe she was turning out to be a political “ hot potato” and was possibly seen as a liability to BJP’s political future, particularly when the party is gearing for the assembly elections in some states, including Goa. Where I live, some trees are showing early signs of shedding their green colour. Eh, as they say in Canada, Autumn is approaching. It seems Autumn has already set in the BJP government, with Modi having changed colour. He is now suddenly appearing to be close to the Dalits. If Modi is wooing Dalits, Amit Shah was having lunch with a Dalit family. Shah was obviously looking for a photo- op. In the beloved Gujarat of both Modi and Shah, the Dalits are in arms. The atrocities committed against Dalits are nerve- wrecking. Now appeasement seems to be a political tool. Wasn’t it was the same BJP who berated other political parties, especially the Congress, for appeasing the minorities? To me, the Unity in Diversity slogan is just that — a slogan. Today, Narendra Modi will climb the ramparts of Red Fort and thunder away, praising the government’s achievements, particularly the social schemes with varied names. He has asked people for suggestions to incorporate them in his speech. Known for his oratory, Modi must be reminded what Benjamin Frankline said, “ Well done is better than well said.” True, people have short memories. The Dalit issue in Gujarat only brings back the memory of the Muslim carnage there. One cannot whitewash history. Modi has perhaps learnt from twin Gujarat events and want to mend his ways. Rooting out the rotten apples, as in the case of Ms Irani, is a good move. Public cynicism seems to be very high now and whatever the government does or tries to do is met with justifiable censure or disdain. No doubt the government is trying to win back the trust of those who see the party as pandering to hardliners in the Sangh Parivar family. The cow vigilantism is a current example, and it’s apparently aimed at the Muslims who seem to be more often the BJP target. The un- acknowledged communal war between the Hindus and Muslims, which erupts across India now and then, reminded me of Saadat Hasan Manto, the writer whose short stories, as one Indian newspaper said, “… will endure as perhaps the best work of fiction on the Partition and its painful impact on the Indo- Pak ethos…” The frequent on- off diplomatic wrangling between the two countries, which are on the warpath ever since India was divided into two countries, Manto’s stories encapsulates the division of the country that still impacts the two counties today. The tragedy of the Hindu- Muslim killings that raptured the heart — and soul — of India continues to lie on the surface of the communal tensions in India. Manto was sad at the 1947 holocaust, and moved from Mumbai to Lahore. He wrote some poignant sketches in a slim book called Siyah Hashye, which means “ black fringe.” Freedom for him seemed to look bright but it was fringed with black. It was his dream, like that of Mahatma Gandhi, that all should live as one people, irrespective of caste and religion. It seems Manto’s dream has remained a dream as India enters its 70th year of Independence. ( Eugene Correia is a senior journalist, who worked for the Free Press Journal, and The Hindu)