A.R. Rahman's Journey to the Oscars - International Indian

THE INDIA COLUMNth16ANNI V ERSARYAhmad moved the badlymutilated body without legs intoan ambulance when his (fake)beard came off. Later, an Inquilabcorrespondent visited the mortuaryalong with Ahmed, but the body haddisappeared. The daily suggestedthat the body with fake beard couldbe linked to the Nanded explosionpointing fingers at the investigatorsfor covering up the possible role ofHindutva extremists.Initially, the police had detainedboth Hindus and Muslims forinterrogation, but only the latterwere formally arrested. On October8, 2006, then deputy chief ministerRR Patil announced that theinvestigation had reached the finalstage. But a fortnight later, the DGPtransferred the case to the Mumbai’sATS. And on November 27, 2006Pasricha told the media that thecase had been “solved”, claimingthat two Pakistani nationals wereinvolved in the explosions that werecarried out by SIMI. However, whileappearing before a magistrate onDecember 6, 2006 the two accused– Shaikh Mohammed Ali and AsifKhan alias Junaid – retracted theirstatements made before the deputycommissioner of police earlier thatday. They said they had not madea voluntary disclosure. In anothertwist, on December 8, 2006 thestate government announced thatthe case would now be transferredto the CBI. And before handingover the case to the CBI, the ATShurriedly filed a chargesheet againstnine accused in a special court onDecember 21, 2006.The arrests made by the ATSwere dubious. In a letter submittedto the inquiry office of the CBIon September 17, 2007, JamiatUlama-I-Malegaon pointed outthat Shabbir Masiullah, the main accused in the Malegaon 2006 blastscase, was in police custody since August 3, 2006. Another accused,Noorul Samsudoha, was first arrested in 2001 for providing a meal to aterrorist but was later cleared of all charges. In the last five years, policesummoned him 50 times. Two more accused, Dr Salman Farsi and DrFarogh Iqbal Ahmed, were once arrested for distributing inflammatoryleaflets, but were acquitted of the charges. They, too, were summonedfrequently by the police. “How did they hatch a conspiracy right underpolice’s nose?” the Islamic group asked.Amid the Maharashtra government’s ignorance’ on Hindutva terrorism,more incidents of bomb-making took place. On November 27, 2006,a retired army officer, Madan Mohan Shinde, and his brother JagannathShinde died while making a bomb in their residence in Kanjal Gaon inMahad area near Mumbai. In its editorial on January 12, 2007, Urdu dailyRashtriya Sahara, questioned why the Maharashtra government and theATS were still silent, pointing to the impunity the non-Muslim bombmakerswere enjoying in the state. On February 10, another explosion tookplace in a biscuit factory unit in Nanded, killing two people. The policedeclared it as a ‘fire accident’. However, an independent inquiry led by threesocial activists, including Teesta Setalvad, called it a possible explosiveaccident. “The Central government should keep a close watch and monitorthe increasing low intensity terror generating activities being conducted bypolitical outfits that are misusing the Hindu religion,” warned their reporton February 22, 2007 that year.Amid these bomb-making incidents came the explosions on theSamjhauta Express train (that connects India and Pakistan) near Panipatin Haryana on February 18. Two days later, Setalvad hinted that Hindutvaterrorist groups could be behind the bombings. Investigating agencies areprotecting these groups, she said, claiming the acts of terror perpetrated byHindu fundamentalist groups were not being properly examined, reportedthe DNA daily.“In some cases, investigations were abandoned midway while in someothers the investigating agencies just preferred to turn a blind eye to theexisting state of affairs. The need of the hour is to instil a sense of neutralityand purpose in our police agencies and the way they are marshalled by theirpolitical masters,” the daily quoted her as saying.Even as the Maharashtra government chose to remain oblivious tothe Hindutva terror links, two men were killed in yet another explosion,this time in a hostel room in the Kalyanpur area of Kanpur city in UttarPradesh on August 24, 2008. The deceased, Rajiv alias Piyush Mishraand Bhupinder Singh, were identified as Bajrang Dal core members.Police found 11 live bombs, and enough material to make nineadditional bombs, seven timer devices, batteries, ammonium nitrate,and potassium nitrate.A month later, on September 29, 2008 six people were killed and80 injured as bombs exploded again in Malegaon, and also in Modasatown in Gujarat’s Banaskantha district. And as usual, a Muslim man,Abdul Rehman Salem Chaus, was arrested on October 4 for his allegedinvolvement with the blast. Chauswas initially held by the policefor his supposed involvement inthe violence that ensued and fortaking away the firearm belongingto the bodyguard of AdditionalSuperintendent of Police, SanjayPatil. Later, the police declared himas of the accused in the blast case.However, a few days later,the ATS finally acted on cluesthat led to the arrest of severalHindutva supporters and servingarmy officials, including SadhviPragya Singh Thakur, self-styledgodman Dayanand Pande, Lt-ColPrasad Srikant Purohit, and MajorTII HALL OF FAMEIwas an acrobat in my youth– exercising and everything.Those days you had only ahandcraft and when the oldpall bearers could not pickup the body, young people like mehelped out. We received Rs. 10 eachtime but in those days Rs. 10 seemedlike Rs. 10,000.Everyone does not want to workas pallbearers, only the few whohave a feeling for their religion. Iam interested in this work and willdo it as long as my physique permits.It is a sentimental thing and not formoney. For this work you need astrong heart. Like after placing one body in the tower, you have to goin again with another body and you see that the vultures have taken thefirst body.I don’t know what my son will do. He is only 16 years old. I teach himabout our religion, the rules and regulations and how to pray. He himselfPrabhakar Kulkarni. This made headlines in the mainstream media, twoyears too late. In its aftermath, even the CBI could see the possibility ofa link between the 2008 blasts in Malegaon and Modasa and the 2006Nanded blast – it is now expected that investigating agencies will see alink between the 2006 and 2008 Malegaon blasts as well.Given the narrative account of how some Hindutva extremistshave been continually launching terror attacks in the country,the Indian government needs to tackle this menace with thesame seriousness it attaches to acts of terrorism by members ofany other ideological group. Playing a ‘soft Hindutva” card inthe wake of general elections can cost many morepeople their lives.Vishal Arora is a freelancewriter based in New DelhiPEOPLE DON’T LIKE TO SEEOUR FACE IN THE MORNINGlikes to go to the Fire templeespecially during exam days. Sohe is interested. Nature will take itscourse. He is not ashamed to tell hisfriends that I am a pallbearer. Nowthe attitude has changed but somepeople in the community still don’tlike to see our face in the morning.Like some women on seeing mewill pull away their sari as if I willtouch them.Homi Cooper, Parsi pallbearer,Born Mumbai, 1920TII’s Hall of Fame featuresIndia’s elderly, great, interestingand unusual men and women.Excerpted from the book‘Ageless Mind and Spirit’ bySamar and Vijay Jodhawww.agelessmindandspirit.com74 75The International IndianThe International Indian