The Shiv Sena’s student wing complains to the Vice-Chancellor of Mumbai University that it is offended by the novel Such A Long Journey. Copies are burnt at the University gates. Needless to say, no one has actually read the book. The mob leader, speaking in Hindi to a television camera, says: The author is lucky he lives in Canada – if he were here, we would burn him as well. The mob demands the book’s removal, within 24 hours, from the syllabus. The good Vice-Chancellor obliges the mob.
All this happened in September. Subsequently, the Shiv Sena sent fulsome congratulations to the Vice-Chancellor on his prompt and wise decision. Students and faculty protested the abomination unwilling to accept his abuse of power, his invoking of emergency measures unused in the University’s 153-year history, circumventing the process for syllabus change, damaging the University’s reputation, succumbing to political pressure. For days, the Vice-Chancellor said nothing, offered no explanation. He is, we are told, a PhD in statistics – a useful subject for dealing with permutations, combinations, probabilities but silent on the matter of moral responsibility.
In this sorry spectacle of book-burning and book-banning, the Shiv Sena has followed its depressingly familiar, tediously predictable script of threats and intimidation that Mumbai has endured since the organisation’s founding in 1966. But it is the expeditious decision by Mumbai University which causes profound dismay. After his long silence, the Vice-Chancellor has now stated that he, in fact, followed the correct procedures, and the decision was taken by the Board of Studies. The outgoing Board of Studies, to be precise. More bobbing, weaving and slippery behaviour is no doubt in the offing. But one thing remains: a political party demanded an immediate change in syllabus, and Mumbai University provided de luxe service via express delivery, making the book disappear the very next day. The University, in the person of the Vice-Chancellor, occupies an exalted position in civilised society, the champion of academic independence and freedom of expression. Instead, Mumbai University has come perilously close to institutionalising the ugly notion of self-censorship. The Vice-Chancellor knows what he must do to remove the stain.
This sordid story, however, does have a bright spot. Civil society has responded, in Mumbai and elsewhere, with outrage, questions, petitions; it is inspiring to see. The stand taken by teachers, citizens’ groups, bloggers, journalists is exemplary. Who knows, it may even educate the main actors about the workings of a real democracy.
As for the grandson of the Shiv Sena leader, the young man who takes credit for the whole pathetic business, who admits to not having read the book, just the few lines that offend him and his bibliophilic brethren, he has now been inducted into the family enterprise of parochial politics, anointed leader of its newly-minted “youth wing.” What can – what should – one feel about him? Pity, disappointment, compassion? Twenty years old, in the final year of a BA in History, at my own Alma Mater, the beneficiary of a good education, he is about to embark down the Sena’s well-trodden path, to appeal, like those before him, to all that is worst in human nature.
Does he have to? No. He is clearly equipped to choose for himself. He could lead, instead of following, the old regime. He could say something radical - that burning and banning books will not feed one hungry soul, will not house one homeless person nor will it provide gainful employment to anyone (unless one counts those hired to light bonfires), not in Mumbai, not in Maharashtra, not anywhere, not ever.
He can think independently, and he can choose. And since he is drawn to books, he might want to read, carefully this time, from cover to cover, a couple that would help him make his choice. Come to think of it, the Vice-Chancellor, too, may find them beneficial. First, Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, in order to consider the options: step back from the abyss, or go over the edge. Next, the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s Gitanjali. And I would urge particular attention to this verse:
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
...Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Thursday, January 7, 2010
dilip chitre
the poet with longest biodata
this is one of many anecdotes about deelip chitre ‘one of his relatives meghanad kulkarni was trying hand at several thngs painting scritpting story writing etc.one day deelip told him ‘look meghnad dont do so many things at atime.concetrate on something ,one topic and do that.coming this from dipu(as people used to call him)it was very strange.meghnad asked him ‘but dipu you do many things at time"deelip said’yes,but my case is differant.’
among these 'many things's dipu chitre wrote scripts ,plays. directed movie (and won national award for that ‘godaam’) ,he translated poems from marathi to ienglish and vice versa.he taught lituratere in ethiopia nad usa.,he wrote stores,travelogue(shibaranichy shodhat),he was a painer and singer(too).he got scgolarship to interpret 700 old poetic work ‘amritanubhaw’by saint dnyaneshwar.he edited little magazine and wrote advt,copies.
being contemporary of poets like aruun kolatkar and bhalachandra nemade and ashok shahane,namdeo dhasal thre major figures whowho were part of marathi literary scene,he had different task too..that of putting gratness of kolatkar dhasal in perspective.and also doing ‘mastaraki"teching and explaining modernity to common marathi reader who was alien to world greats.40 years ago he wrote series in marathi about rimbaud,mallarme,rilke,neruda,octovio paz,wallace stevens,hopkins etc.he translated their poems too.his translation of sunstone made impact on one generation of potets.but it took almost 40 years to appear these essys in book form.he calls wallace stevens angel in the lift as he was poet from corporate world.he translated ceasr vallejo’s poetry collection ,tukaram too.in his writing about tukaram and dnyaneshwar he keep saying that world do not knoe these poets inspite of being ‘waishvik’.while writing about dnyaneshwar he say’s dnyaneshwar’s work has similerities in shakta lituraure.while writing about tukaram he keep telling usabout his ‘alienation’.
he wrote script of ‘godam’ and’ vijeta’.and I think it is the only movie which describe myastical expirince in the life of common man.hero is almost dying in the desert and he gets vision which make him comeback to life.his copies for sewer swish blade were in script like form.
billingual poets like him and kolatkar are influnced by world poetry and prose and they have firsthand knowledge ofindian language.indian tradition fom sanskrit to middleage liturature deascribe god .and god is sublime so naturally thisis the wasy to take reader to sublime where as wetrn tradition describe ordinary,everyday thingssometimes in too realistic ways.secondly marathi poem has tradition of chhand and alankaar like anupras but poetry seldom use cadance.so for marathi poet this cadance ins new discovery(thogh writer in marathi use sound of words).in earlier poems and later too this use of cadance and influnce (esp that of pablo neruda) is quite evidant.but thisuse of sound (and love of music) made him unique writer .his stories in chaturang proves
it.in his essay about indian music he says’maharashrian singers are follwing one main line tradition of northern music.(in essay collection named ‘chaawi’ ) though he was a prolific writer most of his work is not available.his story collection,his travalogue"shibaranichya shodhat’ in that book he tells about clairvonce expieirinnce.he used to play jugar every day and used to win almost everyday.his plays.the fact that collection of his writing about poetry took 35 years to get printed(someone was writing preface and script was with him for 30 years)tell something about this inertia.he wrote about almost anything.he wrote a paper about urban planning under the title ‘city is not a machine’
chitre did painting 2 shows in mumbai one in gallery solo, and another in pundole.his painting has this 60s jj school of art quality and in vibrant world of today’s they almost unnoticed.thoghh attneded by all important critics in the city noone wrote about it. writers who made sixties in marathi world possible were separated by time and egos.nemade become staunch nativist.and chitere became global.in 2000 he wrote column in ‘sakal’shatakancha sandhikal and in one passage he gives list of american poets and says’all these poets are my friends’.this exhaggration and smartnesswas also chitre’s trait.in his long interview in ‘samakalin sanskriti ‘diwali issue he coments almost on everything.and there is too much narcisism.he tells us how his painting was hanged in some western corprote establishment.there is brilliant portraits of people from sixties in nemade’s novel ‘bidhar’.ashok shahane becomes shankar and there is beer sipping edvertisement guy.that is chite .his biodata is 9 pages long in his recent potry collection.’as is it is’ .his death adds one more line to it.
trevelling in a a cage
in the dark smell of cooking meat
blindly i lick you with the tongues
of plasure and the fingures of fear
in my memory you are treasise on light ,
written in braille
we rocked in the aftrnoon' empty craddle
swinging across the night
'O' my unbeliving lover 'you said
sky has opened in my blood;
fly
now i find that love has taught me nothing
i am unable to escape myself
my senses are beasts without the forest
my soul is bird without the sky
this is one of many anecdotes about deelip chitre ‘one of his relatives meghanad kulkarni was trying hand at several thngs painting scritpting story writing etc.one day deelip told him ‘look meghnad dont do so many things at atime.concetrate on something ,one topic and do that.coming this from dipu(as people used to call him)it was very strange.meghnad asked him ‘but dipu you do many things at time"deelip said’yes,but my case is differant.’
among these 'many things's dipu chitre wrote scripts ,plays. directed movie (and won national award for that ‘godaam’) ,he translated poems from marathi to ienglish and vice versa.he taught lituratere in ethiopia nad usa.,he wrote stores,travelogue(shibaranichy shodhat),he was a painer and singer(too).he got scgolarship to interpret 700 old poetic work ‘amritanubhaw’by saint dnyaneshwar.he edited little magazine and wrote advt,copies.
being contemporary of poets like aruun kolatkar and bhalachandra nemade and ashok shahane,namdeo dhasal thre major figures whowho were part of marathi literary scene,he had different task too..that of putting gratness of kolatkar dhasal in perspective.and also doing ‘mastaraki"teching and explaining modernity to common marathi reader who was alien to world greats.40 years ago he wrote series in marathi about rimbaud,mallarme,rilke,neruda,octovio paz,wallace stevens,hopkins etc.he translated their poems too.his translation of sunstone made impact on one generation of potets.but it took almost 40 years to appear these essys in book form.he calls wallace stevens angel in the lift as he was poet from corporate world.he translated ceasr vallejo’s poetry collection ,tukaram too.in his writing about tukaram and dnyaneshwar he keep saying that world do not knoe these poets inspite of being ‘waishvik’.while writing about dnyaneshwar he say’s dnyaneshwar’s work has similerities in shakta lituraure.while writing about tukaram he keep telling usabout his ‘alienation’.
he wrote script of ‘godam’ and’ vijeta’.and I think it is the only movie which describe myastical expirince in the life of common man.hero is almost dying in the desert and he gets vision which make him comeback to life.his copies for sewer swish blade were in script like form.
billingual poets like him and kolatkar are influnced by world poetry and prose and they have firsthand knowledge ofindian language.indian tradition fom sanskrit to middleage liturature deascribe god .and god is sublime so naturally thisis the wasy to take reader to sublime where as wetrn tradition describe ordinary,everyday thingssometimes in too realistic ways.secondly marathi poem has tradition of chhand and alankaar like anupras but poetry seldom use cadance.so for marathi poet this cadance ins new discovery(thogh writer in marathi use sound of words).in earlier poems and later too this use of cadance and influnce (esp that of pablo neruda) is quite evidant.but thisuse of sound (and love of music) made him unique writer .his stories in chaturang proves
it.in his essay about indian music he says’maharashrian singers are follwing one main line tradition of northern music.(in essay collection named ‘chaawi’ ) though he was a prolific writer most of his work is not available.his story collection,his travalogue"shibaranichya shodhat’ in that book he tells about clairvonce expieirinnce.he used to play jugar every day and used to win almost everyday.his plays.the fact that collection of his writing about poetry took 35 years to get printed(someone was writing preface and script was with him for 30 years)tell something about this inertia.he wrote about almost anything.he wrote a paper about urban planning under the title ‘city is not a machine’
chitre did painting 2 shows in mumbai one in gallery solo, and another in pundole.his painting has this 60s jj school of art quality and in vibrant world of today’s they almost unnoticed.thoghh attneded by all important critics in the city noone wrote about it. writers who made sixties in marathi world possible were separated by time and egos.nemade become staunch nativist.and chitere became global.in 2000 he wrote column in ‘sakal’shatakancha sandhikal and in one passage he gives list of american poets and says’all these poets are my friends’.this exhaggration and smartnesswas also chitre’s trait.in his long interview in ‘samakalin sanskriti ‘diwali issue he coments almost on everything.and there is too much narcisism.he tells us how his painting was hanged in some western corprote establishment.there is brilliant portraits of people from sixties in nemade’s novel ‘bidhar’.ashok shahane becomes shankar and there is beer sipping edvertisement guy.that is chite .his biodata is 9 pages long in his recent potry collection.’as is it is’ .his death adds one more line to it.
trevelling in a a cage
in the dark smell of cooking meat
blindly i lick you with the tongues
of plasure and the fingures of fear
in my memory you are treasise on light ,
written in braille
we rocked in the aftrnoon' empty craddle
swinging across the night
'O' my unbeliving lover 'you said
sky has opened in my blood;
fly
now i find that love has taught me nothing
i am unable to escape myself
my senses are beasts without the forest
my soul is bird without the sky
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