BETRAYAL BEYOND BELIEF

This is taken from the SACW dispatch that I receive by e-mail:

-- by Badri Raina

Agreed you were Adi Indians,

Long before the Aryans came;

Agreed we made you Dalit

To set off the conqueror’s name.

Agreed you are illiterate,

Agreed you have no say;

Agreed you are untouchable,

Agreed you are kept at bay.

Agreed that our development

Makes you resentful, red;

Agreed, in fact, we prosper

Upon your sweat and blood.

Agreed we rape your women,

Agreed we stray, at worst;

Agreed you may not use our wells

To quench your low-born thirst.

Agreed our Constitution

Is ours and ours alone;

Agreed our hallowed temples

Will not let you in.

Agreed your land, your forest

We grab, we chop, we burn;

Agreed our banks, our markets

Will never serve your turn.

Even so, your villainous move

To leave the Hindu fold –

How could we ever forgive you

Betrayal so beastly, bold?

Go tell these priests who dupe you

That all plants, animals, men

Were created Sanaatan Hindus

The minute the world began.

Do you then prefer Christian ease
To family atrocity?
How traitorous, how ungodly

Can this world of vermin be!

The sarcasm is clean and ringing! For Badri Raina's writings, go to Badri's ZSpace Page >> at zmag.org.

On this note, it is astounding that the Indian Cabinet is divided on the demand for ban on VHP-Bajrang Dal-Sangh. More evidence is needed, is the refrain. Aghast as I am, I hope more evidence piles up from the rightwing outfit's past exploits. What's been going on in Orissa in the past few weeks, is only a glimpse into the dark deeds of the Sangh Parivar practised and honed through years (Gujarat is the golden age... Nanavati may not agree). Combined with it is the issues confronting the Dalit community and other under-privileged citizens of India and also the "intervention" by Maoist groups in rural areas of Orissa and Karnataka. India has a huge challenge here, only a rising GDP and a booming stock market does not guarantee smooth business while other matters remain highly discordant.

A lot has already been written about it ... but the "encounters" in Jamia Nagar in Delhi (pic below) after the recent bomb blasts have naturally put another community more blatantly under the scanner than ever -- the Muslims of India. Two young men and a police officer had died in the shootouts. It is said the bullet that killed the officer is not being found. Why? How do we then know who killed him -- terrorists or his own men or a stray or a ricocheted bullet? Do we remember in broad daylight in Delhi some years ago, police had gunned down two men on the suspicion of being dangerous antisocials? The whole case has been turned over and the dead men found not guilty! Forget that the police actually had planted "evidence" that these men were real targets and ultimately they were punished by the court. And wasn't there a report about the police faking tomato ketchup as blood to 'create' encounter scenes and have medals awarded to themselves? What encounters are these anyway?

I'm not trying to blame the police. The sodden force must be under Himalayan pressure. I just wonder what 'intelligence' leads to such incidents.

And oh, the name "Indian Mujahideen" is really popular now. Apparently they masterminded these blasts. So now there's an identity tag to it -- Indian -- as opposed to let's say Afghan Mujahideen or Pakistani Mujahideen!! Nationalism in terrorism at last, may I say?!