Tsunami of aggressive nationalism
Across USA, Europe and beyond
Internationalism is my creed; patriotism acceptable
But not the sedition law
My ancestors born in Pakistan
Part of undivided India
Communal partitioning in 1947
Affected lives
My mother born in 1921
At Suri Mohalla, Rawalpindi
Completed her studies
At middle school, Rawalpindi
At school she learnt needle work
Hygiene, domestic science, cooking
Practical physiology, arithmetic, laundry
Three languages, history, geography
My father born in 1914
In village Amar Kalan, Gujrawalan
Studied at Dayal Singh College, Lahore
After B.A. headed Delhi
Job obtained, came marriage proposal
From a slim, sharp featured girl
Exchange of Rs. 5 and sweets
Sealed their future at Montgomery
Father earned rupees thirty-five per month
At Viceroy’s Office
Household expenses got managed
Courtesy mother’s skills honed at school
Nanak’s Sufism helped too
Nanak born in 1469
In Nankana Saheb
Founded Sikhism
Russian revolution and Lenin inspired revolutionaries
Sukhdev, Rajguru, Bhagat Singh
Hanged by British in 1931
At Shadman Chowk, Lahore
In 1762 Sikhs occupied
Abdullah Khan Masjid, Lahore
Built Gurudwara housing priests
In the mosque building
When Muslims filed cases for recovery
Courts under British rule
Maintained status quo
Denied justice, Muslims got no relief
In 1935 Sikhs demolished the Mosque
Bombay High Court ruled in 1940
Building was indeed a mosque
But Limitation Law merited its use as Gurudwara!
The upheaval of 1947
When Muslim neighbours escorted safely
My ancestors to military vans
On journey to India
Coming from different parts of Pakistan
My ancestors, relatives got scattered in India
To Delhi, Punjab including present day Haryana
And Jammu & Kashmir!
My aunt hailing from J & K
Taught us love for all living beings
Often times I would see her
‘Talk’ to house sparrows and hens
In 1971 Bangladesh was born
We left Delhi
As part of medicos team
To render services
Medical camp based in
Village Matikunda, Uttar Dinazpur, West Bengal
Having eighty thousand refugees – Hindus, Muslims
Their plight similar to those of 1947
At St. Columba’s school, New Delhi
I studied for eleven years
Christian Brothers inculcated: Love thy neighbor
Can one go against their teachings?
Babri Masjid demolished in 1992
Resulted in widespread violence
We worked amongst victims
At Janta Mazdoor Colony, Seelampur, Delhi
A dispensary based in Hanif’s house
Abid and his ammi ever helpful
Child Noori bringing home-made tea
Bashir Chacha’s wisdom guiding us all
In struggle for their rights
Our brush with Marxism goaded us
To launch dharnas and rallies
Braving police brutalities
Globally forces of reaction bull-dozing people
To hate other countries
Were I to falter for a moment
I’d become a living corpse.
[Endnote: My classmates of 1969 batch for MBBS course at Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi nicknamed the eight of us – who worked at refugee camps in Bengal – as “Bangladeshis”. Even fifty years later if an old friend spots me on the streets of Delhi he/she would use the tag “Bangladeshi”! For me this is recognition one would aspire for in such troubled times when Bangladeshi migrants are being hunted and hounded in India.]
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