SO, BOB DYLAN IS NOT THAT REBEL OF 1960S..AND IT IS GOOD

So Bob Dylan is not rebel of 1960s and it is good for everyone - for Dylan, for Nobel, naturally for his fans and for people who think that Nobel should go beyond its 'sometimes absurd, sometimes puritan, sometimes illogical and sometimes political' nuances to actually serve creativity, especially in case of the Literature Nobel.

He respects the Nobel Committee's decision. He, in fact, felt speechless when the award was announced for him.

Following is the press-release on the website of the Nobel Prize regarding this conversation:

Bob Dylan: “If I accept the prize? Of course.”

On 13 October, 2016, the Swedish Academy announced that this year’s Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded to Bob Dylan "for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition".

This week Bob Dylan called the Swedish Academy. “The news about the Nobel Prize left me speechless”, he told Sara Danius, Permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academy. “I appreciate the honor so much.”

It has not yet been decided if Bob Dylan will attend any events during the Nobel Week in Stockholm in December. The Nobel Foundation will share information as soon as it is available.

Since the Newsroom Home section of the Nobel Prize website doesn't mention any date for the release or for the conversation, except 'this week', we can assume it as a recent development.

Probably Dylan was left so speechless that it took three weeks for him to react on the news that makes for global headlines as soon as it broke. And it was that Dylan was in some isolation. He was getting regular inflow of greetings and admiration for his Literature Nobel. His website even acknowledged it (though the Nobel mention was later removed). Even the Nobel Committee had felt so frustrated on a restrained (or a controlled or a speechless Bob Dylan) that it had to formally announce through its website that it was abandoning its efforts to contact Bob Dylan for his Literature Nobel.

But all's well that ends well. Now that Dylan has acknowledged his Nobel (in his trademark style) - the controversy should end there. Yes, the hangover of certain things remain in our lives - throughout. And with Bob Dylan, it may be his 1960-70s Counterculture years when he was one of the main rebel voices who shaped the Counterculture movement in some way.

So, again in his trademark style (of being rarely available), according to a 'The Telegraph' world exclusive, Dylan again puts it as 'if he can' - Yes, he is planning to turn up to the awards ceremony in Stockholm. “Absolutely,” he says. “If it’s at all possible.”

 ©SantoshChaubey

RELIGIOUS BRANDING

MARKETING/PHOTOGRAPHY

NOT TO CONFUSE WITH FAITH BRANDING

RELIGIOUS BRANDING 

©SantoshChaubey

CHILDHOOD - DIFFERENT SHADES

EXPRESSIONS/PHOTOGRAPHY

CHILDHOOD - DIFFERENT SHADES 

©SantoshChaubey

YADAVS’ FIRST FAMILY: A CARTOONIST’S DELIGHT :)

Well, that is exactly what has happened with recent events – developments, statements and even silence – everything gives an interesting sense of déjà vu. Everything has happened as it was thought to be – but with loads of moments that are pure delight for any cartoonist with an eye for political humour and satire.

We can say,

PAL MEIN TOLA PAL MEIN MASHA, KITNE RANG BADALTE HAIN.

SOMETIMES THEY PLAY FAST. SOMETIMES THEY PLAY LOOSE. HOW MANY COLOURS THEY CHANGE?

Or

(SOMETIMES IT PLAYS FAST. SOMETIMES IT PLAYS LOOSE. HOW MANY COLOURS IT CHANGES?)

Any which way you want to say :) 

Or we can say,

A FAMILY THAT SPARS TOGETHER, SPEARS TOGETHER.

Or we can say,

A FAMILY THAT PRAYS TOGETHER, AFFRAYS TOGETHER.

Or we can say,

A FAMILY THAT PLAYS TOGETHER, DISPLAYS IT TOGETHER.

Or we can the staple one :):) 

A FAMILY..THAT DISAGREES TO DISAGREE.

(CARTOON BY RAGINI CHAUBEY)

YADAVS’ FIRST FAMILY: A CARTOONIST’S DELIGHT :) 

©SantoshChaubey

MERCEDES POLITICIANS FOR BICYCLE PEOPLE

What is India's poverty line?

That is a big political issue in a country which houses maximum number of the world's poor. There have been experts and their panels - many of them - but still we haven't been able to define who is poor.

There are truckloads of data in statistical wisdoms and in countless luminary minds - yet we regularly form panels of eminent economist(s) to correct the anomaly in the previous poverty line - only to dismiss it - because the result of burning the midnight oil here is always so absurd that you would dismiss it as soon as you are enlightened with it.

In April 2014, the government unveiled its newest poverty line - Rs. 32 a day in rural areas (Rs. 960 a month) and Rs. 47 a day in urban areas (Rs. 1410 a month). That was, in fact, an improvement over the standards set by the Tendulkar committee - Rs. 27 a day in rural areas (Rs. 810 a month) and Rs. 33 a day in urban areas (Rs. 990 a month).

According to this new poverty line, 29.5% Indians are cursed to live below the poverty line. Now that is around 23 crore Indians.

And that is when this newest Indian poverty line is nowhere to the World Bank benchmark for the poverty threshold - $1.90 - a threshold that the World Bank recalibrated in October 2015 - from the earlier benchmark of $1.25. Now, based on current Dollar to Rupee exchange rate, that comes to around Rs.127 - almost four times of the newest rural poverty line in India and almost three times of the urban one.

To continue..  

©SantoshChaubey

BURNING SCHOOLS IN KASHMIR: WHERE IT IS AIMED AT?

The ongoing Kashmir crisis is in its 109^th day. And by the attitude of the Indian government, it has become clear that it is not going to budge when it comes to the demands of the so-called freedom of Kashmir, something that is nothing but Pakistan sponsored militancy and propaganda to snatch Kashmir from India.

Now, the whole world, including Pakistan knows that it is not going to happen. But Pakistan would always want to inflict as much damage as it can, and it has found handy tools in Kashmir’s separatists, pro-Pakistani civilians and terrorists to exercise its sinister designs.

All these tools, in coordination, or in isolation, try to perpetrate acts that could compromise the Indian sentiments in Kashmir.

An important part of that militancy and propaganda is to drag Kashmir’s every upcoming generation away from everything that can propel it to think rationally about where its future lies. And a rational mind can never go with Pakistan, a fractured nation with an increasing notoriety of being a rogue nation that employs terrorism as its state policy.

So, the whole emphasis would be on killing this rationality.

The phase of insurgency that began in Kashmir in late 1980s has consumed a generation of Kashmiris. Post 2000, there have been attempts and development has seen some growth, including tourism, the mainstay of Kashmir’s economy. Excluding few instances, there has been an atmosphere of relative peace, even if gun sponsored.  

To continue..

©SantoshChaubey

WHY OCTOBER 25, 1971 IS IMPORTANT FOR INDIA

25 October is an important day for China. It was on this day that China was voted in by the United Nations General Assembly and Taiwan was thrown out.

It was on this day in 1971 that China, as we know the country today, started on the path to become a global power in a true senses - with its place as one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) - and a roadmap laid before it where it would have access to geopolitics and global markets.

October 25, 1971 is also important for India. It was on this day that India was officially pushed to the league of nations that didn't matter, nation who had no say in the global matters, the pariah nations who were at best tools to populate international organisations like the UN. The process of India's official downfall had started much before but India's hara-kiri was cemented on this day.

There are no second thoughts about it that despites being India's largest trading partner, China is India's main adversary, has fought a full-scale war with India and is engaged in a bitter border tussle. China, in fact, has illegally occupied a large swath of the Indian territory in Jammu & Kashmir and claims Arunachal Pradesh, an Indian state, as its own.

And it leaves no opportunity to express its displeasure, be it the visits of dignitaries, like it did with US Ambassador Richard Verma's Arunachal visit yesterday or its practice of not issuing or issuing stapled visas to people having Arunachal Pradesh association.

China, in fact, uses every opportunity to humiliate India. It leverages the highly skewed trade balance in its favour to challenge India to take tough stand on Chinese overtures like opposing India's move to ban JeM terrorist Masood Azhar in the United Nations or blocking India's entry to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) or provoking or equipping Pakistan against India.

And China has been doing it for long, ever since it betrayed India's and Jawaharlal Nehru's trust with the 1962 war. Yes, it was because of the Nehruvian policies that India was forced to trust a deceptive country like China and it was because of Nehruvian policies that China could get what should have been rightly India's - be it the UNSC membership or nuclear capability. 

And it owes its genesis to the Nehruvian foreign policies, especially in regard to China, that pushed India decades back and China decades ahead. 

Much before China, India was offered the UNSC seat. For the world powers of that movement, after India and China began their sovereign journeys, India as a democratic nation and China as a communist dictatorship, China was like a pariah. India, in fact, was offered the permanent UNSC membership, in 1950, in 1955 and other times but Pundit Nehru blundered here in counting China's goodwill in making his mind. Whenever it came to a decision in this regard, Nehru always thought what China would do (and not what such a big change could do to India's future). 

©SantoshChaubey

TATA SONS IS THE STORY BUT MYSTERY?

Things (and perspectives) vary depending on which side of the fulcrum you are. So, the ongoing Samajwadi Party (SP) family feud is the politically most surcharged event of the times (and not just the day).

But the day threw one more surprising development today – abrupt sacking of Cyrus Mistry – the 48 year old Tata Group chairman who had succeeded the formidable and most admirable face of the Indian corporate world, Ratan Tata, in December 2012.

But like the SP family (and thus party) feud smacks of intriguing stories, mysteries, conspiracies, sabotage and even flat rebellion, there is nothing that you would tend to read in the Tata Group development.

Because branding and perceptions are entirely different here.

The SP feud is about politics, the craft, the entity, the social practice, whatever we want to call it, and politics has almost no credibility when it comes to branding, when it comes to conform to the established norms of humanity and human rights, the trust value, the most basic thing with branding. Life of a political party or a politician is full of controversies – a detriment to the branding perceptions (and thus exercises).

But the Indian corporate world is better placed here, with bag of mixed possibilities, depending on who commands what. And Ratan Tata is the one person whom almost everyone admires. He is epitome of integrity, humanity and business excellence. And the same can be said about the Tata Group even if the conduct of some of its companies do attract controversies (but basically business-oriented in nature).

So, even if it is going to be the most surprising and (shocking) high-level sacking in the Indian corporate world so far and Cyrus Mistry is going to challenge it legally, it is going to be seen as just yet another business-oriented controversy, because it has Ratan Tata’s endorsement who has replaced Cyrus as Tata Group’s interim chairman till the group finds the next one.

And that makes the reason, that Cyrus was micro-managing everything and was not allowing CEOs of different Tata companies to work independently that in turn was affecting the group’s work-culture and that in turn was affecting performance (except TCS and JLR, other Tata Group companies are not performing well), the most plausible (and hence the most acceptable) logic behind this sudden move, something that may not seem that sudden if you keenly watch the Indian industry.

So, no mysteries here.

©SantoshChaubey

WHICH WAY MULAYAM WOULD GO TODAY?

So, yesterday was a day of intense drama, revenge sackings, letter wars and war of words in the ongoing family feud in Uttar Pradesh’s first family to wrest the power. And today could be even more fiery, even more spiteful, even more dramatic, even more shocking, depending on which way Mulayam decides to go, and in turn, depending on that, which way Akhilesh would go.

Let’s do some wise (wild guessing).

This morning when Mulayam Singh Yadav will speak on the controversy after meeting his party’s MLAs and MLCs, it will have the hangover of the meeting of the day and of the developments yesterday we can say.

Will Mulayam speak his mind irrespective of which way the meetings goes, with Akhilesh’s power display or Shivpal’s show of loyalty? 

Or his final word will become final after he assesses the mood in his party – that who carries more weight now – Akhilesh or Shivpal? 

Whatever happens, one things is sure that it will write the next chapter in the script of the Samajwadi Party family feud.

Harm has to happen. Votes will split. Irrespective of which way Mulayam decides to go. What he can hope at best – that the repercussions will not last long.

And one thing - Mulayam is not going to replace Akhilesh with himself as UP's next CM. 

©SantoshChaubey

A WORSE SEPTEMBER 13 REDUX: AKHILESH SACKS UNCLE SHIVPAL THIS TIME

Going a step further this time, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has sacked his uncle and the most senior minister of his cabinet, Shivpal Yadav, who is also the state president of his Samajwadi Party, the ruling political outfit of UP led by Mulayam Singh Yadav, a position that previously Akhilesh held.

This time, it is a worse sort of split.

Last time, on September 13, Akhilesh had, first sacked the UP chief secretary Deepak Singhal, considered close to Shivpal, and then had stripped Shivpal of his entire ministerial portfolio (but had not sacked him).

Protesting this, in a late night drama, on September 15, Shivpal had resigned from both positions, as the SP’s UP state president and as UP's cabinet minister. Amar Singh was being relentlessly targeted by Akhilesh supporters for creating this havoc in the party.

Next day, on September 16, Mulayam had rejected Shivpal’s resignation. Led by Mulayam, the party patriarch, Akhilesh’s father and Shivpal’s brother, a deal sort of arrangement was brokered and it was announced from Akhilesh’s office that Shivpal and the controversial UP minister Gayatri Prajapati, close to Shivpal, would be reinstated and Shivpal would be given back his portfolios.

Now that today, on October 23, 45 days after September 13, Akhilesh has gone a step further and has sacked Shivpal Yadav from his ministerial berth, as well three others including Jaya Prada (Amar Singh confidante), vocally targeting Amar Singh this time, we can gauge the obvious fact that it was just a temporary arrangement last month which had came at the cost of humiliating Akhilesh’s self-respect. So there doesn’t arise any question of Shivpal’s resignation now. He has been shown the door in clear, unequivocal terms this time.

There was never a ‘peace’ deal. After Shivpal was reinstated, he did everything that he could to downsize Akhilesh’s stature – sacking/expelling people from the SP who were seen close to Akhilesh, replacing names who were seen as Akhilesh Yadav’s people from the party’s list of candidates for the upcoming UP assembly polls and successfully reengineering Quami Ekta Dal’s (QED) merger into the SP fold which was foiled by Akhilesh in June as the QED is seen a front for the dreaded gangster Mukhtar Ansari.

So, what Akhilesh has done today was waiting to happen.

Akhilesh, on his part, has said that he will not leave the SP and will purge everyone who is seen close to Amar Singh.

But a vertical split is the most likely outcome in these circumstances.

If Mulayam continues with the stand he had taken last month, Akhilesh will be forced to find his own separate way. 

Can Mulayam replace Akhilesh as UP CM, as Shivpal supporters have been demanding, when elections are just three-four months away? 

Is Mulayam still confident enough that it is he in whose name people vote for the SP?

If Mulayam favours his son this time, Shivpal Yadav is expected to cause a vertical split in the party. 

And whatever has to happen will happen soon as the UP assembly polls are just around the corner where the SP, with a huge anti-incumbency, is pitted against two formidable foes, the BJP whom the first round of opinion polls have shown winning the state, and the BSP, a favourite of analysts this time to win the polls - with its Dalit-Muslim social engineering.

©SantoshChaubey

WHEN IT COMES TO HUMANITY, AIIMS IS AS BAD AS ANY OTHER GOVERNMENT HOSPITAL

VIPISM

VIPism is an inherent ingredient of India’s VIP culture that has come to define our routines. It has become so intrinsic to our day-to-day lives that we cannot imagine our social life without it.

And government hospitals including AIIMS are one of the best places to see this social curse live into action.

Now it is a well established fact that government hospitals and government health care services are den of corruption. Who can forget the killings and corruption in the National Rural Health Mission?

Corruption is at every level, from ward-boys to doctors. Local purchase of medicines, spurious suppliers, private practices by doctors and convenience fee are norms here. The rot has become so deep that it has left the government run healthcare system and officials mostly with incompetent or insensitive doctors for whom money is the only criteria (and mantra). For them patients are nothing but unwanted intruders whom they just somehow want to drive away.

Condition has deteriorated to the level that no one, who can afford private treatment, goes to a government hospital. Yes, the irony of the Indian masses is, though its private healthcare system provides a formidable alternative, it is still limited to metro and urban India, (and largely scavenges on its subjects’ hard earned money). So the vast swathes of our country are left to its insensitive, ineffective government run healthcare system.

Where AIIMS is different - is the quality of healthcare professionals and facilities it offers. They are unarguably the best in the country.

But the difference ends here.

The basic thing that is required in a doctor is his humanitarian approach – that how he treats his patient – irrespective of his caste and class. AIIMS is the same bad place like the other government run hospitals when it comes to this. Its doctors and nurses may be experts and efficient but when it comes to treating the human subjects, they leave humanity at bay. AIIMS is the perfect example to show how rude doctors, nurses and other hospital staff can become. And corruption, well, can we discredit AIIMS corruption unearthed by its chief vigilance officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi?

Yes, AIIMS now look neat and clean but there are different reasons for it. AIIMS is in Delhi and is in consistent focus of a state government, a national government, national media outfits and Delhi’s population that effectively reacts. Different sting operations done on AIIMS by different media outfits reveal where it falters.

There used to be a saying that doctors are next to God. Now doctors have twisted it to ‘doctors are next to devil’. And like doctors and other institutions, AIIMS, too, has contributed to it.

If we are talking about AIIMS, we all know that here either only super-VIPs including the President or Prime Minister would go or those who cannot afford the treatment anywhere else, including the patients with complicated cases. Yes, AIIMS does get a consistent inflow of patients who can afford treatment anywhere but if they do so, it is basically about its doctors and their expert opinion. But it doesn’t come easily. Senior professors and doctors of AIIMS behave as if they are super-elite and maintain their exclusivity. They remain incommunicado. Now if you have patience to waste your three-four days, there may be some chances that you can see a senior doctor there. And those who can afford this much time sure try their luck there.

And since almost of the doctors are laggards when it comes to adopts the basics of humanity in the human behaviour, it reflects in the behaviours of every other staff member – nurses, lab-technicians, clerks, receptionists, ward-boys, guards and so on - and it the so-called systems they follow - the classic case-studies of how to harass and turn away people. 

The basic thing is when you start addressing a 70 year old person in the same vein as you address a 20 year old – with no courtesy and politeness – instead with a rudeness that smacks of elitism and high handedness – you lose it all. They have forgotten that they are just doing their jobs for which they have been trained. They are living in a fallacy.

The basic problem with today’s doctors is – they are fast losing their humanity. And it has become chronic in government institutions. And AIIMS Delhi is no exception. 

©SantoshChaubey

AFTER ALL, EMOTIONS NEVER BETRAY YOU

It was not a day to get sentimental
Yet they rushed in, like any other day
What can you do in such moments?
Well, it’s always better to go with it
After all, emotions never betray you
Yes, at times it feels like they suck
But, then it is always the next day
But, then it is always a new day
Emotions are quintessentially true
To life and times weaved around us
And if they overpower our souls
It is only to help us, to give us a view
That we somehow had missed so far..

AFTER ALL, EMOTIONS NEVER BETRAY YOU

©SantoshChaubey

WHAT IS HINDUTVA FOR YOU?

What is Hindutva for you? Does the word Hindu signify a religion or is it symbolic of a way of life?

For me, Hindutva or Hinduism or being Hindu is a way of life. And the origin of the word Hindu confirms it. In ancient times, Persian and Greek people would use the word Hindu for the people of the Indian Subcontinent living on this side of the river Indus. So it basically connoted a geographical and cultural identity. Though there are differences on when the word Hindu became synonymous with a religious identity - in medieval or British colonial India - but it did happen so. And if we talk of the last or this Century - it is now an established fact that Hinduism or the Hindu religion is the largest religion of India in terms of number of followers.

It is said that Savarkar explained the term Hindutva in his essay to explain Indian national identity. But if the word could not gain universal or wide acceptance in India, there were inherent reasons behind it and the main was that Hindutva was still seen in the context of Hinduism or Hindu religion. After the independence, some rightwing political outfits made politics based on Hindutva their ideology and agenda. With time their sphere of influence increased and with it increased the allegations that these parties were using religion to gain political mileage - be it the day-to-day politics or electoral politics.

To continue..

AS IF DYLAN NEVER CARED FOR A NOBEL.

I broke the Literature Nobel to Bob Dylan news at my place and soon it got the traction that was expected.

The Nobel Prize ‏@NobelPrize  Oct 13 - Stockholm, Sweden

BREAKING 2016 #NobelPrize in Literature to Bob Dylan “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition”

Santosh Chaubey ‏@SantoshChaubeyy  Oct 13

RESPITE!!

Santosh Chaubey added,

The Nobel Prize @NobelPrize

BREAKING 2016 #NobelPrize in Literature to Bob Dylan “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition”

And it was a decision that sounded perfect - and it, indeed, was perfect - because Bob Dylan is a cultural doyen, a counterculture icon and a living legend not just in the US - but across the world. (We will happily forget those criticisms based on grudges and nudges of some who thought what Bob Dylan was creating could not be seen as literature). So the first reaction that came was:

As is natural to me, I wrote some pieces on Dylan, focusing on his India connect and the Literature Nobel for what he is. Being an Indian, I have had interest in knowing 'why and how' of the India connect of everyone who visits India more or less for similar reason - its spiritual treasure and the solace of nature it provides to such souls (like Sorensen, Leary, Jobs, Dylan or even Zuckerberg).

BOB DYLAN ABOUT INDIA

ROW OVER A JUSTIFIED LITERATURENOBEL TO BOB DYLAN: AND WHAT ABOUT CHINUA ACHEBE?

A Nobel to him again pushed me to know more about his India visit and connect, but despite best of my efforts, I could not get much - as would happen every time. What was different this time was the approach that I took. In an age of social media, I thought to get in touch with Dylan directly to see if I could some first-hand help from the person who was centre of my efforts. So I tweeted:

Santosh Chaubey ‏@SantoshChaubeyy  Oct 15

@bobdylan Nobel 2u is a big respite.Ws tryng2find ur Kasar Devi visit India views.A 78 RollingStone i/v gives sm insight. Cn thr b mor luck?

But the luck didn't smile. Anyway I had expected it. Maybe he or his team didn't see it. Maybe he or his team was not interested in talking about it. Maybe he or his team just ignored it.

And then there is another angle to it. Though I know it is not even remotely related, I would like to feel so, because gives you a direction (even if it may be non-existent) :).

Bob Dylan has not acknowledged his Literature Nobel yet. The Nobel Prize committee after five days of consistent efforts abandoned its exercise but Dylan remained incommunicado (for them). While he held concerts and events where others lauded for him for his Nobel (but he looked like he didn't notice it). He also unveiled his 'permanent work of art for a public space' according to a Daily Mail report.

As if he never cared for a Nobel. (Now may be different reasons for it that a reticent Dylan would never speak about.)

©SantoshChaubey   

A STORY FROM PAST..

Melting in your arms,

It was like just yesterday

A story from past,

That still makes my day

Quiet would be the pulse,

Silent would be identities

Our time would make a day,

Like the music of fifties

Always a new salvation

Afresh on a journey

That began on our day,

Somewhere in that alley..

A STORY FROM PAST..

©SantoshChaubey  

TOMORROW IS A BIG DAY FOR 'HINDUTVA'

A seven judge bench of the Supreme Court is going to deliberate on its 1995 verdict that defined 'Hindutva and Hinduism' as a 'way of life'.

While reinstating Shiv Sena's Manohar Joshi and the BJP's Ramchandra Kapse assembly election victories, Justice JS Verma had observed, "It is a fallacy and an error of law to proceed on the assumption that any reference to Hindutva or Hinduism in a speech makes it automatically a speech based on Hindu religion as opposed to other religions."

His bench, in fact, further said that 'Hindutva and Hinduism' represented India's people and its cultural ethos - "It may well be that these words are used in the speech to promote secularism and to emphasise the way of life of the Indian people and the Indian culture or ethos, or to criticise the policy of any political party as discriminatory or intolerant."

It was an epoch-defining judgment which cleared the path of the BJP and the like-minded parties who weaved their politics on Hinduism and Hindutva as it removed the legal hurdle due to the interpretation of 'Hindutva and Hinduism' as under religion and thus as corrupt practices under the Representation of People (RPA) Act.

Its Section 123 (3-A) says, "The promotion of, or attempt to promote, feelings of enmity or hatred between different classes of the citizens of India on grounds of religion, race, caste, community, or language, by a candidate or his agent or any other person with the consent of a candidate or his election agent for the furtherance of the prospects of the election of that candidate or for prejudicially affecting the election of any candidate."

And that defines one of the many corrupt practices it lays norms for.

Now, according to this landmark judgment, any electoral practice aimed at influencing voters in the name of 'Hindutva and Hinduism' doesn't constitute the case for corruption because Hindutva is not a religion but an all-encompassing term that defines the Indian way of life.

But the verdict has not been beyond questions, even from different judges of the Supreme Court. So anything can happen tomorrow.

To continue.. 

©SantoshChaubey   

ROW OVER A JUSTIFIED LITERATURE NOBEL TO BOB DYLAN: AND WHAT ABOUT CHINUA ACHEBE?

Bob Dylan is only the second American to get the Literature Nobel in over 20 years. Before him, the world’s beloved American novelist Toni Morrison won the Literature Nobel in 1993.

But she was clearly a novelist who conformed to the notions of the Nobel committee on what is 'literature' as per its standards, something where even the great and rare African writer like Chinua Achebe could not fit in.

So, obviously there would be controversies on Bob Dylan's Literature Nobel.

Bob Dylan is a poet-songwriter first. Though he is a singing legend, there is more or less a unanimity that he is not as acclaimed a singer as the lyrics of his songs that he himself writes (some even find it even boring). But yes, he is a mass singer who has been one of the most important faces of the counterculture revolution of 1960s and 70s. Though he doesn't like, he was the protest singer of those years when people used his words and tunes to mobilize their sentiments and other people.

In a way, he is like Chinua Achebe who matters the most in his sphere of influence - obviously here it is about bringing social influence through creativity.

Achebe's 'Things Fall Apart' remains the ultimate magnum opus of literature of a continent where human life began, but a continent which has been forced to lag on every development parameter - so much so that it now ranks last.

Though Dylan was never a solitary figure, nevertheless, he was an important contributor. Dylan's songs motivated a generation that brought about the most vital changes in the US society through the counterculture (and hippie subculture) of 60s and 70s that was aimed at fighting for civil rights and uprooting racism, US participation in the Vietnam war and even a dislike for the Cold War.

And this generation achieved it with able support of people like Martin Luther King, Jr., Bob Dylan and Harper Lee. A multitude was there to provide the leadership. And millions were there to follow, inspired with songs, books and speeches.

And it so black and white, even by the norms laid down by Alfred Nobel on 'how a recipient' should be judged.

"..shall constitute a fund, the interest on which shall be annually distributed in the form of prizes to those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit to mankind..(for Literature Nobel).. one part to the person who shall have produced in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction.."

"..the most outstanding work in an ideal direction.."..yes, that is what Bob Dylan has done.. conferring the greatest benefit to mankind..and that is what Chinua Achebe did..again.. conferring the greatest benefit to mankind..through their literary works.

The problem is..the Stockholm Academy that decides who will be the next Nobel Laureate..saw the norms laid down by Alfred Nobel as mere wishes..and did all sort of manipulations over the years..to handpick even many controversial names..all in the name of ethnic/geographic superiority (like only European writers can produce Nobel sort of work)..or in the name of superiority of language and not the content in writing (something that kept Chinua Achebe) out..or silly geopolitical considerations (like to award some anti-establishment author only because the global community is opposed to that establishment).. and so on.

Now that good sense has prevailed and Bob Dylan has been given his due, will there be some room for Chinua Achebe even if the Nobel Prize cannot be posthumously. After all, it was not so before 1974 and Dag Hammarskjöld and Erik Axel Karlfeldt got their Nobel Prizes posthumously.

©SantoshChaubey   

BOB DYLAN ABOUT INDIA

Bob Dylan is a living legend and there are no second thoughts about it. And now that he is a Literature Nobel laureate, he is going to be discussed the world over. Like other places, here, in India as well, people are trying to find Bob Dylan’s local connect (India connect). And in the process has emerged a fact that Dylan had visited India to attend the wedding ceremony of his Kolkatan friend’s son. That is really a new find.

But the basic stuff that those, who are well-read or follow his music, know that he had visited India in 1960s, during the peak of Hippie counterculture, to one of the places frequented by some doyens and followers of the counterculture movements, especially Bohemianism, the Beat Generation and the counterculture (and Hippie subculture) of 1960s and 70s. Though Dylan doesn’t like to be called a protest singer, he is one of the most prominent figures who contributed greatly in shaping the 60s and 60s counterculture movement.

When the news about Literature Nobel to Dylan broke, it renewed the interest in finding more about his India connect. I wanted to know the exact year he was in India. I wanted to know his travel details – like what pushed him to visit India, for how many days he was in the country, where did he stay, did his visit help him and so on. We can say it was just a random visit but that looks unlikely.

I tried hard, dug information from internet and magazines. I even tried to spoke to some whom I thought could help me with the information I was looking for. But no luck! Now his biographies are left to look into but that needs time. And I am not sure if even then the details would be available there.

All I could gather was the same old thing that Bob Dylan had visited this famous, scenic hill village in Himalaya near Almora, Kasar Devi (in today’s Uttarakhand), in 1960s. Kasar Devi village has got its name from a 2^nd Century Kasar Devi temple and leads to Crank Ridge or Hippie Hill. The area has been visited by luminaries like Swami Vivekananda, Jawaharlal Nehru, Alfred Sorensen, W. Y. Evans-Wentz, Lama Anagarika Govinda, (Bob Dylan), Cat Stevens, Allen Ginsberg, Robert Thurman’s family including his three year old daughter Uma Thurman and so on. But the place’s reputation as an important centre of the Hippie subculture began with Timothy Leary’s stay here, the Harvard expelled LSD exponent and a key Hippie culture figure.

And most importantly what did he think about India?

A 1978 Rolling Stone interview gives a glimpse into this. According to this interview, India for Dylan is a place to delve into spiritual realms, a place that told Jesus how to become a healer, a place that cares for art and creativity. Here are the excerpts:

There's also that scene, near the end of the film, where Allen Ginsberg takes you around to see the glassed-in sculptures of the Stations of the Cross – and we see Jesus killed for the second time and then buried under the weight of the cross. On one level, the film is about the Stations of the Cross, isn't it?

Yeah, you're right, like the double vision having to be killed twice. Like why does Jesus really die?

Spiritually or politically?

Realistically . Because he's a healer. Jesus is a healer. So he goes to India, finds out how to be a healer and becomes one. But see, I believe that he overstepped his duties a little bit. He accepted and took on the bad karma of all the people he healed. And he was filled with so much bad karma that the only way out was to burn him up. In my film, we're looking at masks a lot of the time. And then when the dream becomes so solidified that it has to be taken to the stage of reality, then you'll see stone, you'll see a statue – which is even a further extension of the mask: the statue of Mary in front of the statue of Jesus on the cross in the Crucifix Grotto.

Renaldo and Clara has certain similarities to the recent films of Jacques Rivette. Do you know his work?

I don't. But I wish they'd do it in this country. I'd feel a lot safer. I mean I wouldn't get so much resistance and hostility. I can't believe that people think that four hours is too long for a film. As if people had so much to do. You can see an hour movie that seems like ten hours. I think the vision is strong enough to cut through all of that. But we may be kicked right out of Hollywood after this film is released and have to go to Bolivia. In India, they show 12-hour movies. Americans are spoiled. They expect art to be like wallpaper with no effort, just to be there.

Now that is really something, something that pushes you to know more. So I have decided I am going to order some books including ‘Dylan on Dylan’ to see if I can get what I am looking for. Here I would like to tell you about another effort that I made though I was more or less convinced that it was not going to work – tweeting Bob Dylan directly about my question – because he has an official Twitter handle (@bobdylan) – to see if he (or his team) cared enough to help. Well, so far it hasn’t happened.

Featured Image Courtesy: www.nobelprize.org 

©SantoshChaubey  

EVEN IF YOU KNEW YOU WERE PURE IN YOUR HEART

You were never right to say it wasn’t wrong

You were never wrong to feel something was amiss

Coz you never realized which side you were

Coz you never realized where you belonged

Until words became too hollow to hold any further

It was always a square or a circle with trapeze

And not the straight line you had in your mind

It remained elusive

You chose to speak your mind to coexist

And that was your innocence,

When you thought life will come around

But it was selfish when life chose to go otherwise

You remained there, with your world

That you so honestly tried to create

But life was seldom there

And whenever it chose to spend a period with you

It was always sought something in return

That you had so soulfully nurtured

And it took away all, one by one, like a disloyal partner

It would always seek more, even if you were left broken

When you were betrayed

It didn’t have even the false assurances

When you were left alone

It pushed you more into a chasm of no end

When you felt lost

It tried even to mislead you into the wilderness

You did not see it all then

You were never right about it

But then how can your innocence be wrong?

All it did was seeing the life in a right perspective

You thought it was always a straight line to coexist

Even if the journey was always rough

The friction

That defines your existence was always there

Where would we be without friction in our life?

But all this while,

Life was busy encircling you in its tentacles

Of false ideas, of false relations, of false existences

You were taught, you were preached

To blame yourself first, to find fault with yourself first

Even if you knew you were pure in your heart

Such was the mirror

That you would go with such absurdities

When you had decided to open yourself to life,

A mutual coexistence was in your mind

But after all these years,

You find life did all to throw you into a lonely abyss

Now that you can see through its designs,

Knowing that a part of you has been co-opted,

You need to be existentially right to come out of illusions

You need your straight line, more than ever..

You were never right to say it wasn’t wrong 

©SantoshChaubey  

SURGICAL STRIKE TO SURGICAL POLITICS: WAR OF WORDS

The surgical strike by India deep inside Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir on September 29 has not only sent Pakistan into internal political and military chaos, it has also unnerved many in India on the political lines in the season of upcoming state assembly polls including Uttar Pradesh, the most vital state in the country's electoral politics. If the BJPwants to gain electoral and political mileage from this long-pending decision(and therefore is morally right because it has shown the political willrequired), the opposition is trying all to paint the BJP in a selfish andimmoral hue. Their sole focus is to paint a negative image for the BJP where itcan be seen belittling the Indian Army and can be seen as scavenging on prideand valour of our armed forces for political gains.

Now which way the electoral tide will turn only time will tell but the ongoing war of words is throwing many interesting, contradictory and repulsive comments.

THE BJP WOULD OBVIOUSLY GO FOR FULL CREDITS.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has taken the charge from the BJP side. And his have been honest comments, even if some may question his language. He speaks emphatically about the surgical strikes, efficiency and might of the Indian Armed Forces, what it has done to Pakistan, those in India questioning it and the row over who should get the credit. From October 1 to 12, he gradually addresses all the issue as and when the questions are raised.

October 12: "I don’t mind sharing credits, including the surgical strikes, with every countryman because it is done by our Armed Forces and not by any political party. So all Indians, including those doubting Thomases, also can share the credit. As for myself, I will only share the credit at the most… the major share goes to the Prime Minister but the issue I will at least claim the credit (for) is decision making ability and planning. So I think that should settle the nerves of many people…,” Parrikar said, adding, “I understand quite well because I’m a politician though not a politician by profession… that people’s sentiments are satisfied."

October 6: "It was a 100% perfect surgical strike. Even when bigger nations do surgical strikes, they are not as successful. No one had doubted bravery of our forces ever, but for the first time recently some people are doubting. There are many people who are not loyal to our country and criticized Indian army, but we don’t have to give them any proof."

"Someone said that I am straight-forward (seedha-saadha). I think the Defence Minister should not be straight when it comes to ensuring the safety of the country. "In matters of the country's defence, I can think tedha (wily)."

 "People knew the army’s prowess. But a political decision needed to be taken. That has now happened under Modiji’s leadership. The mindset of the country has changed."

October 1: "Pakistan's condition after the surgical strikes is like that of an anesthetized patient after a surgery who doesn't know that the surgery has already been performed on him. Even two days after the surgical strikes, Pakistan+ has no idea what has happened."

"Indian troops were like Hanuman who did not quite know their prowess before the surgical strikes. The surgical strikes gave our forces an idea of what they were capable of doing. Pakistan is bewildered following the strikes, not quite knowing how to react."

Home Minister Rajnath Singh has lent him some able support as reflected by his statements - putting India's perspectives on a solid ground - be it the 'how and why' of the surgical strike or our political willpower or credentials of our armed forces.  

October 11: "I want to welcome Modiji here as for the first time in the history of independent India he has succeeded in holding country's head high at international level. He has succeeded in giving message to the world that Bharat is not weak but it's a 'damdar' (powerful) nation. In last few days, we have displayed our strength. We have sent out a message to the world that India is a strong country."

October 8: "Our heritage is 'Vasudev Kutumbakam' meaning the whole world is one family. We do not intend to occupy others' land. We never open fire first, but if attacked, in retaliation we never count the bullets after pulling the trigger."

October 2: "The country as well as the whole world is aware of this (surgical strikes)..the way our jawans displayed valour have made India proud."

And like an efficient team-leader, Narendra Modi caps what his ministers and party members say even if doesn't mention Pakistan directly. He even warns them to desist from indulging in 'chest-thumping' over the surgical strike.

October 9: "We will celebrate Vijaya Dashami in the coming days. This year's Vijaya Dashami is very special for the country. Being strong does not mean being against anyone. If we exercise for our strength, then the neighbour need not worry (thinking) that it is to target him. I am exercising to strengthen myself and for my health."

CONGRESS IS IN A STATE OF UTTER CONFUSION.

The party rushed to praise the surgical strike and show solidarity with the government. Sonia Gandhi issues a statement on September 29. Rahul Gandhi reacted on September 30.

Sonia Gandhi - September 29: "This is a strong message that conveys our country's resolve to prevent further infiltration and attacks on our security forces and our people. The party hopes that Pakistan will recognize that it bears a great responsibility in the continuing cross-border terrorist attacks against India. The Party expects that Pakistan will take effective action to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism that it has supported and it ensures that its territory and the territory under its control is not used for terrorist purposes against India."

Rahul Gandhi - September 30: "I want to thank him (PM Modi) because for the first time in two and half years he has taken an action that is of the stature of PM. Modi has my full support; the Congress party and entire nation is standing by him."

But it has been a downhill journey of contradictions and confusions since then. Some of its leaders like Digvijaya Singh or Sanjay Nirpuam are openly questioning the authenticity of the surgical strike, some others, including its many spokespersons, are busy asking for proofs, while some other are still not sure what to say. The common thread among them is that they all are asserting that many surgical strikes were carried out even during the Congress regime but the party never went to take credit as it showed political maturity. And since Congress has been silent on taking any action against motormouths like Nirupam, it shows doing so has tacit approval from the party because all such attempts are aimed at denying the BJP any political gain from the surgical strike.

Rahul Gandhi - October 6: "Humare jawan hai jinhone khoon diya hai, jinhone surgical strikes kiya, unke khoon ke peeche aap (Modi) chuppe huye hai (Our soldiers conducted surgical strikes and gave their blood. Modi is just hiding behind their sacrifices). Unki aap dalali kar rahe ho (trading over the blood of Indian soldiers)."

Like of the BJP leaders, even here the statements are self-explanatory.

P Chidambaram - October 12: "My stand is quite clear. I said, we support the government. We believe the Army and the DGMO. And whatever pre-emptive action the government of the day will take, as a responsible opposition, the Congress party will support the government. Now I said draw a line there, that subject is over."

"There have been demands from quarters that evidence must be released. That is not questioning the Army action. That is a suggestion to the government so that we can call the bluff of Pakistan. Pakistan’s bluff has takers in some quarters, The New York Times, Washington Post, some sections of the social media, even that forgotten group called United Nations Observers Group. Therefore, to call Pakistan’s bluff, it is for the government to consider whether it would like to release any evidence. But I made it clear that’s a decision for the government to take. Whatever decision government takes, in that respect, Congress party will support that decision."

On earlier strikes: "Quite rightly. Because the policy of the government of that day was strategic restraint and as part of strategic restraint we left such cross-border action to be handled by the Army at the operational, tactical level. We did not raise it to the government level. I believe UPA’s policy was right. But I am not saying that the present government cannot change that policy…Government has fuller information than any one of us. And, therefore, I concede the right of the government to adopt a modified policy. And, in fact, I go a step further and say after Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Pampore and Uri, any government could be expected to consider a modified policy."

Kapil Sibal - October 7: "Please stop this poster baazi. Let the army do its job like it has been doing. Amit Shah has said his party will take this surgical strike to the people: this clearly shows they want to politicise the matter."

BJP ALLIES HAVE REACTED AS PER THEIR COMPULSIONS.

Most of the BJP allies have owned the surgical strike except the Shiv Sena and the PDP. Even they have not criticised the step, but have exercised caution in praising the BJP (Shiv Sena) or reacting on the news itself (PDP). The Shiv Sena-BJP combine is going through a rough weather while the BJP-PDP combine is seen as an unnatural alliance.

Shiv Sena - Uddhav Thackeray - October 11: "After the strikes, I phoned Modi and told him, 'Narendrabhai, this is the Narendrabhai we want as PM. Modi should now take such an action that not only PoK but entire Pakistan should be known as part of India. Those who said the strikes were fake have rotten brains and water of gutters of Lahore and Karachi and not blood flowing through their veins. Did Rahul Gandhi learn of the 'khoon ki dalali' from Bofors (scam)?" How can you show mistrust on Army while criticising Modi? Those who show distrust for our brave soldiers may be offspring of Pakistan."

PDP - Mehbooba Mufti - September 29: "We in J&K have suffered immensely because of the violence and know very well its dangers and consequences. For the people of Jammu and Kashmir, peace along the borders and within the mainland is of immense significance and I hope the political leadership of the two countries would also treat it with the same spirit."

SOME IN THE POLITICAL OPPOSITION, ESPECIALLY THE REGIONAL FORCES, SAW THEIR FUTURE COURSE IN DENYING THE BJP ANY SPACE.

Mayawati - October 10: "There is a feeling among people that this (the strikes) could have been delayed for taking political and electoral mileage. Instead of honouring its political leaders after the strikes, BJP should have felicitated the army for it. The credit for the strikes should go to the Indian army and not Narendra Modi."

Akhilesh Yadav - October 10: Backing Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi's 'dalali' comments UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav said Rahul must have made his comments after much deliberation - "Unhone ye bayan diya hai to kuch soch samajh ke diya hoga. Kuch jankari zaroor hogi."

Akhilesh Yadav - October 6: "BJP makes up new words. What is surgical? War is a war, the villagers don't understand 'surgical'. It's good that Indian army conducted surgical strike, but we still believe that dialogue is the best way to sort things out."

Lalu Yadav - October 10: "BJP is falsely trying to take credit of brave acts of the Indian Army (for the successful surgical strikes on the launch pads of terrorists in PoK). The Army is known for its valour and it has given befitting reply to Pakistan's attempts to push terrorists into the country and would do so in future as well. I am sure if the need arises, our brave Army would do a major surgery like this in future also."

SOME LIKE NITISH KUMAR HAVE BEEN THERE FOR IT - RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING.

October 3: "The decision of surgical strike taken by the Centre is successful. Everybody knows that the Union Government is making foolproof arrangements to deal with such elements. Our Army and Paramilitary personnel who are deployed at the borders have the strength to deal with such situation."

September 29: "We are proud of our Indian Army and we salute and appreciate their bravery and valour. We sincerely congratulate the Central government and our brave armed forces for the decisive action taken against terrorism."

AND ARVIND KEJRIWAL, LIKE ALWAYS, HAS BEEN IN A DIFFERENT LEAGUE - UPS AND DOWNS - UNSURE OF WHAT TO SAY, WHEN TO SAY.

October 7: "I strongly condemn what Rahul Gandhi said about our jawans, this is a matter in which we all need to stand united. I pity Rahul's mindset. There should be no politics on surgical strike and I am with Modi."

October 5: Accused the BJP of playing politics over the surgical strike and questioning him for asking proof to counter Pakistan's false propaganda.

October 3: "My blood boiled when I saw that report. There were reports being published by BBC and The New York Times questioning whether surgical strikes actually took place. Pakistan is trying to damage India's reputation in the international community. I appeal to the prime minister: Unmask Pakistan's false propaganda like the way you (Modi) and the army taught Pakistan a lesson on the ground. Unmask Pakistan's baseless attempt to damage the reputation of India on the global forum. The entire country is with you. We are with you. I also appeal to the people to not fall for Pakistan's false propaganda."

All quotes, statements and observations have been taken from media reports. 

©SantoshChaubey