Just now I heard in Manorama news that the CPM govt. in Kerala have inivited Amitabh Bachan to *be the* brand ambassador of Kerala. Of course,may be gr8 ppl think alike- Modi and Kodiyeri/VS. Same person selling Mod's Gujarat and CPM's Kerala !
On Sat, Mar 6, 2010 at 10:41 AM, Afthab Ellath <aftha...@gmail.com> wrote: > * > http://www.tehelka.com/story_main44.asp?filename=Ne060310be_your.asp# > * > > *Be Your Father’s Son* > > *AN OPEN LETTER TO AMITABH BACHCHAN* > > *Main hoon unkey saath, rakhte jo seedhi apni reedh...* (I am with those > who keep their spine straight) FROM *MADHUSHALA* BY HARIVANSH RAI BACHCHAN > > *Najid Hussain** > The writer is the son-in-law of late MP Ahsan Jafri who was killed in mob > violence in Ahmedabad* > > *Dear Amitabh,* > > I remember the day in 1982, when the news of your serious injury on the > sets of Coolie broke. It said you may not survive. The country was shocked. > Millions cried. Special prayers for your good health and long life were > offered in temples, mosques, churches and gurdwaras. I joined the prayers > for your health and long life. > > The writings of your father, the late Shri Harivansh Rai Bachchan, had a > great influence on me. From early childhood, I have read his poetry and > prose that combined Kabir, Keats, Tagore, Omar Khayyam and Shakespeare into > artful construction of ideas with deep reflections. *Kya bhooloon kya yaad > karoon* made me stand up and speak the truth — without fear, or favour — > however difficult or awkward it may be. Inspired by his writings and fully > subscribed to his views, admiration and love for you was natural. > > Natural is also my shock and dismay at your acceptance of the offer from > Narendra Modi of Gujarat to be his brand ambassador. > > I want to think that you don’t know much about Modi. And so, I must tell > you what Modi is and what he has done in Gujarat, which has invited global > condemnation, international sanctions and even calls for his arrest. > > On February 28, Zakiya Jafri will relive the agony of witnessing the brutal > massacre of her husband, former Congress MP Ahsan Jafri, and scores of other > women and children in her house. On that fateful day, as the crowd chanting > *Jai Shri Ram *started gathering around her society in Ahmedabad, waving > swords,* trishuls *and torches, and frightened people from the > neighborhood started pouring into her house seeking protection, Ahsan * > saheb* asked her to go upstairs to the bedroom and stay there until > called. From upstairs, Zakiya Jafri could not see what was going on > downstairs in her house, but from the unruly crowd outside shouting ‘* > jalao* (burn)’, ‘*kaato *(cut)’, ‘*maaro* (kill)’, the cries of women and > children from inside, and heat from the walls of her bedroom, she could > guess what was taking place and was fearful of what was to come. The immoral > dance of brutality, cries, fires, and more cries, continued for three hours. > Three hours later, police arrived. As the survivors were taken down and out > of the house, which was still smouldering, Zakiya saw, for the first time, > several corpses burning inside her house. Mutilated body parts burning > outside her house. Little bodies of children floating in her water tank, who > having been set afire may have jumped into the tank. She saw one blue rubber > slipper — the one Jafri *saheb* always wore in his office — lying outside. > It was soaked with blood. The other one was missing. > > Eight years have passed. Zakiya’s memory of that day does not fade — the > day when the world she had built, brick by brick, with a lifetime of hard > work, full of aspirations, dreams and love was ruthlessly and deliberately > destroyed before her own eyes. The most important person of her life, to > whom she had completely dedicated her life, loved, adored and revered, and > like any traditional Indian woman, could not imagine life without — had been > brutally killed. She was shattered. Her deep shiny eyes, full of sparkle and > love, went lifeless. > > There were 2,000 similar stories that month in Gujarat. > > Modi, as the Chief Minister of Gujarat, presided over and orchestrated that > massacre of innocent Muslims in his state, which is widely regarded as a > genocide. Modi’s culpability and crime has been well established. Although, > to date, he has succeeded in circumventing the legal system, the law is > slowly closing in on him. Modi and 61 others, which include Cabinet > colleagues, policemen and civil servants, are under criminal investigation > by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) specifically constituted by the > Supreme Court of India for their role in the mass murder and criminal > conspiracy. > > You may ask why Modi did this. We are told that the burning by a few > Muslims of the Sabarmati Express coach carrying *kar sevaks* was the > reason. But many believe that was just an excuse. Investigations led by the > Centre concluded that the fire in the coach was accidental. However, > regardless of the truth, can there be any justification for killing > innocents en masse? In the minds that are touched by Harivansh Rai Bachchan, > killing innocents is never right. > > The Gujarat massacre of 2002 was not an act of war in which “collateral > damage” of innocent lives occurred. Instead, it was a well-planned operation > to systematically target, kill and destroy members of a particular community > — the Muslims of Gujarat. > > The subsequent speeches of Modi, spewing venom and hatred against Muslims, > are on public record. Although Modi would like us to believe he is a Hindu, > neither his ideology nor his actions fit our values or Hindu philosophy. > Instead, his profile matches that of an extremist and a religious bigot. > Noted social scientist Ashis Nandy, who had interviewed Modi long before he > became the Chief Minister of Gujarat, had concluded that Modi was a textbook > case of a fascist. > > You have very effectively played the roles of JCP Dev Pratap Singh and > Subhash Nagre — two diametrically opposite characters — one filled with > humanity and the other totally devoid of it — for the silver screen. But > bringing that change of characters in your real life would be a tragic > mistake. A transformation from Dev to Sarkar, if and when complete, would > change Harivansh Rai Bachchan’s legacy — from that of a Mahatma to Modi. > > Historically, religions have killed more people than all other unnatural > causes combined. In his epic poem *Madhushala,* Harivansh Rai Bachchan > asks us to rise above the narrow definition of religions. However much > fascists and fanatics dress sectarianism as patriotism, we know your father > would never have approved the spilling of innocent blood. > > At a time when in their pursuit of profit most business tycoons, including > Ratan Tata, are disregarding Modi’s crimes against humanity, if not feigning > ignorance about them, in your father’s footsteps you can choose to stand by > declining Modi’s offer to be his brand ambassador. You can set an example > and a Harivanshrai legacy — a legacy that he and the generations after us > can be proud of. > > Dale E Turner says: “We are born with our eyes closed and our mouths open > and we spend our whole lives trying to reverse that mistake of nature.” Your > father opened our eyes. Yours too. Zakiya Jafri and I pray they never close. > > *From Tehelka Magazine, Vol 7, Issue 09, Dated March 06, 2010* > > > > > Print this > story<http://www.tehelka.com/story_main44.asp?filename=Ne060310be_your.asp#> > Feedback<http://www.tehelka.com/story_main44.asp?filename=Ne060310be_your.asp#> > Add > to > favorites<http://www.tehelka.com/story_main44.asp?filename=Ne060310be_your.asp#> > Email > this > story<http://www.tehelka.com/story_main44.asp?filename=Ne060310be_your.asp#> > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Green Youth Movement" group. > To post to this group, send an email to greenyo...@googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > greenyouth+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com<greenyouth%2bunsubscr...@googlegroups.com> > . > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send an email to greenyo...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to greenyouth+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB.
