Monday, 29 July 2019
RASHMI BAJAJ POEM 'NISHESH'
https://rashbajblog.wordpress.com/2019/07/29/watch-poem-on-rebirth-of-poet-and-poetrynishesh-by-rashmi-bajaj/
Sunday, 21 July 2019
Monday, 15 July 2019
Friday, 12 July 2019
NARENDER MODI_THE STORYMAKER AS A STORYTELLER :ARTICLE BY RASHMI BAJAJ
Though Modi has presented his ideas in his treatises also but it is his creative writing _ fiction and poetry where his heart and mind are really unravelled and the human and humane aspect of his personality is truly revealed.
His stories assume a special significance as they are the creation of young Modi in his twenties when he was no political bigwig .Moreover ,these pieces were written during a tumultuous period of hibernation and solitude thrust upon him during the Emergency Era.With his characteristic positivity and optimism, Modi turned the curse of his forced ‘underground existence’ into blessing and took to much reading and writing:“I gradually comprehended the great might of pen”. These stories present a youngman Modi’s ‘Man Ki Baat' _his thoughts and emotions, views and vision.
The hallmark of his stories is the sensitivity and tenderness of emotions with which Modi has portrayed human relationships and situations of day _to_ day lived life .He has well captured the longings,the aches, the agonies of his characters in a heart_wrenching way .The story ‘Abhilasha’ emphatically brings out the feelings and hurt of a doting stepmother Sunanda and the story ‘Pyari beti Bholu' describes a male character Rajen's overflowing maternal love for the little girl child Bholu. The narrator has also movingly described the tears and travails of a newly widowed woman Radha_a victim of cruel patriarchal mindset.The overpowering emotion of maternal love repeatedly finds intense expression in his stories. So dear is this emotion to the narrator's heart that one of his heroes while feeling very close to a young woman wishes to ‘take birth as her son' .
The stories strongly reveal the dauntless idealism of the narrator . His is an ideal world where people live and die for their ideals .The ideal is commitment to human values ,to service of society and Nation. Modi is a Dreamer: “what is the life without “ and his dream is that of creating a better value _based world at micro and macro level. His story ‘Anurag Ka Punarjanam' presents an ideal, dedicated teacher in Anurag who transforms the educational scenario.ln another story ‘ Setu’ the philanthropic Sohan sacrifices his life for helping out the victims of a tragic accident, even his wife and little child continue the tradition of social service.The narrator writes: “he not only lived but died also, not for his desires but for his ideals, not for his comforts but for social service”.In another story Rabhi has ‘whimsical passion for social service' and for her the greatest bliss of life lies in the service of humanity. This commitment to ideals of social service is so much pronounced in other characters like village Sarpanch Jodha also.
A perennial theme close to Modi’s heart is Nation and martyrdom .His story “Smaarak” is a tribute to martyr Mahesh _the fighter against corruption and there is also a strong castigation of the self_ centred political leadership ,inhuman media and insensitive society where no one has the time to even garland the martyr’s statue on his death anniversary: “there was not even a single flower, just two drops of Tears ...these two drops rolling down from Mahesh's eyes_ his statue”.
Another very important part of this world is the strong joi_de_vivre and great life_spirit permeating the lives of narrator’s ideal characters.Rajen is a last_stage cancer patient but his throbbing and bubbling lifespirit makes life a celebration for everybody around him even till his last breath .There is Anurag Sir who transforms the entire School compound- the animate and inanimate beings with his energetic liveliness .
The stories bring out the characters' faith in God and Religion. Sarpanch is called not Jodha Sarpanch but Jodha ‘Bhagat’ because sarpanch is only a political designation and' bhakti is God’s blessing’.The narrator also reveals deep love of Nature and his hero Shail in the story ‘Lagaav ka Ankur' is an ardent nature lover with a message of' Back to Nature' philosophy. The writer also interweaves in his narration political and social commentary and also his philosophical insights on life,death,relationships and human world .
In these stories we have the essential Modi_his ideas,beliefs and vision which get further reinforced and expanded in his later _written poetry.From viewpoint of literary criticism,the stories may not be artistically or aesthetically very satisfying but nevertheless they are emotionally pretty enriching and moving. In fact ,it is a HEARTSPEAK _ heart to heart connect and direct transmission of emotions. Morevoer, Modi has some message to convey all throughout . Here is an inspired soul, writing inspiring pieces ,rich in idealism and sublimating emotions. As a matter of fact, Modi’s world of creative writing brings out more of his Heart than his Head .As a politician ,he comes across as a headstrong leader but as a creative writer ,we find here a softhearted person and this really is an Enigma that makes him a ‘paradox’ which is beyond comprehension of not only Shashi Tharoor(“The Paradoxical Primeminister”) but so many others too!
( The author is a poet, bilingual Literary Critic and an Academic.)
Sunday, 7 July 2019
Friday, 5 July 2019
RASHMI BAJAJ ON TASLIMA NASREEN"A WOMAN WRITER RE(-)FORMING RELIGIOUS AND GENDER MATRIX"
It might sound preposterous today but there was indeed a time when writing was considered to be an all-male prerogative and a woman was thought to be 'genetically unsuited' for literary production. As revealed in Robert Southey's famous letter to Charlotte Bronte, the bias in the West against women indulging in creative activity was very strong: "Literature is not the business of a women's life and it can not be.’’ We have now come a very long way from the initial stage when women writers had to wage a long drawn-our battle for recognition of their literary talent. Our times are witness to opulent literary creativity by women litterateurs and recognition of their merit in the critical circles. Female texts, feminist criticism and a female literary tradition are the rage of the day. There is no gainsaying the truth that women-writing has now become a vital literary force and a very essential part of the contemporary literary scenario.
In “The Madwoman in the Attic” Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar set out to explore anew a "distinctively female literary tradition." They underline the single thread running trough' the female creativity:
"The striking coherence we noticed in literature by women could be explained by a common female impulse to struggle free from social and literary confinement through strategic redefinitions of the self, art, and society."
English language has turned out to be a very powerful global tool in the hands of the women writers to reassess and redefine
women, but also the women's writing in English in several national traditions including African, American, Asian, Australian, Canadian, Caribbean, New Zealand, South Pacific and the British Isles. South-Asian women writers, especially novelists, have made their presence felt in the international scenario. Endowed with international and national awards and accolades, these women novelists have carved a real distinguished niche for themselves on the international map. The catalogue of such prominent writers from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh is indeed a long one. However, no survey of the present day women writing would be complete if it fails to take note of the writings of Taslima Nasreen,the most prominent South-Asian writer of contemporary literature.
women, but also the women's writing in English in several national traditions including African, American, Asian, Australian, Canadian, Caribbean, New Zealand, South Pacific and the British Isles. South-Asian women writers, especially novelists, have made their presence felt in the international scenario. Endowed with international and national awards and accolades, these women novelists have carved a real distinguished niche for themselves on the international map. The catalogue of such prominent writers from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh is indeed a long one. However, no survey of the present day women writing would be complete if it fails to take note of the writings of Taslima Nasreen,the most prominent South-Asian writer of contemporary literature.
As far as the theme of Taslima's works is concerned, she is undoubtedly a feminist and also a secular humanist writer, but with a difference. She initiates a break with the tradition of Bangladeshi literature. The literature of Bangladesh has a tradition of celebrating the self- sacrificing womanhood but Taslima does not commend such renunciation. In fact, her writings display a dissociation of womanhood from the ideal of self-sacrifice.
The central thread which runs through her writings is her own experience as a "woman" and as a "Muslim". These two strands are, at times, woven together to present her perspective. Sometimes she is a doctor looking at a patient who has been intimidated by her husband into an abortion and sometimes she is a member of an intellectual group encountering blind faith in religion. In her works, these two themes are treated with dexterity and a keen awareness of complexity. Taslima's fiction embodies a quest for meaning and identity being carried out by her various protagonists. There is little stability of background in Taslima's own life and this also accounts for the fact that identity-crisis and quest for identity tend to become a major preoccupation with her. Her characters are projected as persistently struggling with their conflicting selves and the environment. Perusal of Taslima Nasrin's novels leads us to conclude that her writing is much more than a mere cathartic exercise in self-expression. Herein various characters grapple with multiple identity-crises and seek to resolve the crisis in their own possible ways.
In her much controversial novel Lajja, (Shame)the major emphasis is on the crisis related to national-identity, social-identity and gender-identity. Taslima gradually seems to widen the scope of her vision from the immediate surroundings to the universal level in her later novels. The characters of her novels are in search of their multiple identities.
Lajja is a venture of the novelist's early days and the writer herein concentrates mainly upon her immediate surroundings. Dutta family has lived in Bangladesh all their life. The demolition of Babri Masjid at Ayodhya proves to be a catastrophe and the aftermath of this incident is felt in the worst form by the Hindus of Bangladesh. Each of the characters has his/her own reaction towards the events taking place around him/her. This novel dwells not only on the individual identity crisis but also the collective identity crisis of all the Hindus staying in Bangladesh.
The tale of Duttas is a representative case delineating how minority Citizens lose the wholeness of their identity and sometimes their lives in communally charged atmosphere. The quest for national and social identity is common for all the Hindus staying in Bangladesh. Their country does not accept them as equivalent citizens of Bangladesh because of their minority-religion and the neighbouring country treats them as refugees because they have taken refuge in a foreign country. Their identity in their own country is of a Hindu i.e. a religious one and in the foreign country that of a Bangladeshi refugee i.e. a national one. Practically there is no place in the world where they can enjoy the richness of their 'Being'. Those who decide to stay in their own motherland are coerced to convert to Islam. Their children have to study Muslim religious scriptures and offer their prayers according to Muslim rituals which endanger their religious identity. Discrimination introduced into the constitution itself proves to be a major threat to the social identity of the Hindus in the country. Neither are they entitled to get good jobs nor can they set up their own trade without a Muslim partner.
As far as the individual quest for identity is concerned, Sudhamoy and Suranjan are sailing in the same boat. Both of them are secular humanists, idealists and followers of Marx . All their life, they have struggled to uplift their country without any vested interest. This patriotic foundation of their identity crumbles when they see their country burning in the communal fire. The overwhelming question for them is: "Was (their) only identity that of a Hindu? Did religion supersede nation and nationality?" (176). The only difference is that the idealism of Suranjan is shattered earlier than his father as he keeps moving in the religiously charged atmosphere of the country. The entire identity of Suranjan gets eroded in this poisonous atmosphere:
..... "I too want choppers, daggers and pistols in my hands. I want thick rods. Didn't they go and piss on the ruins of a mandir in old Dhaka? I also want to piss on their mosques" (164)
..... "I too want choppers, daggers and pistols in my hands. I want thick rods. Didn't they go and piss on the ruins of a mandir in old Dhaka? I also want to piss on their mosques" (164)
Blurts Suranjan and then confesses:
Yes, I'm becoming communal, I am becoming
communal …………..So what?"
His painful realization is:
The more we love the people of this country, the more they will isolate us. (213)
communal …………..So what?"
His painful realization is:
The more we love the people of this country, the more they will isolate us. (213)
His inadvertent transition to a communal Hindu suffocates him and he pleads with his father to move away to India.
However,Sudhamoy's disillusionment takes place only at the end of the novel when he is left with nothing to lose. Long before these riots, he had lost in Mymensingh all his assets and also his manhood. Now his new residence is devastated, his daughter is abducted and then murdered. No aspect of his identity remains unjeopardized. In its quest for a wholesome identity the family finally decides to forsake this motherland and migrate to India:
Sudhamoy said, 'come, let's go away'. Suranjan could not conceal his surprise.
'Where will we go, Baba?' he asked.
'India' - And his voice cracked as the shame swept over him"
'Where will we go, Baba?' he asked.
'India' - And his voice cracked as the shame swept over him"
Taslima rebels:
"Lajja is not a product of my sudden emotions, but the story of defeat of all of us. Lajja is everyone's sadness.... When religion becomes more important than humanity I feel responsibility to protest ... Lajja is a protest "
The women characters of the novel react to these conditions in their own way. Kironmoyee seems to be eternally silenced by her circumstances. She responds to her situation neither idealistically like her husband nor communally like her son. She is realistic enough to mould herself according to the demands of her surroundings for her survival. Her gender _identity overshadows her human identity and makes her suffer all through her life because of the roles prescribed by the society. She remains "feminine" by complying with the idealistic whims of her husband. After the mutilation of her husband's genitals, she is also deprived of her sex-life. Her identity-crisis is very intense as she does not even know how to express her grief:
“Was she made of stone that she did not react to anything at all? Did she have nothing to oppose? How strange she was - unresponsive, unrelenting and as unemotional as a corpse.” (194).
Through Kironmoyee's character, the author has projected the universal gender-generated Identity crisis of women. .
Maya, the daughter of the family, is a victim of identity crisis from the early childhood. She does not belong to any religion as she takes more interest in Muslim rituals and does not feel herself to be a Hindu. Her quest comes to an end before it could begin as she is not allowed to live a wholesome life.
Maya, the daughter of the family, is a victim of identity crisis from the early childhood. She does not belong to any religion as she takes more interest in Muslim rituals and does not feel herself to be a Hindu. Her quest comes to an end before it could begin as she is not allowed to live a wholesome life.
However ,these women characters do not rebel or protest against any atrocities or discrimination faced by them as they are in the midst of a mega-scale tragedy where larger Issues are at stake and such finer notions of gender-equality and respect become meaningless in the face of all-around barbarism.
Including Lajja, The novels of Taslima Nasreen focus on a crisis which is not so much an internal crisis of a divided self but the crisis caused by external forces like gender,religion and race. Herein the identity crisis or quest for identity does not have any metaphysical or philosophical dimensions. Insights into higher truths of life and existence are neither sought not attained.Disillusioned with religion that divides and creates contempt, Taslima's characters challenge the cramping impact of religion and reveal irreverence towards God and religious practices.Her religion is humanitarianism and for her human values are much more important than any hatred¬generating traditional religion.
In her novels Taslima Narsin has done a commendable job of portraying the various facets of identity crisis that our times and people are familiar with. Her readers can very well empathize with the communal, religious, cultural, racial and gender-generated crisis she dwells upon. Her work, aimed at "consciousness-raising" well achieves its purpose. It is an ‘Act of Courage’where she challenges various unjust dominating forces and jolts the readers out of their complacency.
In her novels Taslima Narsin has done a commendable job of portraying the various facets of identity crisis that our times and people are familiar with. Her readers can very well empathize with the communal, religious, cultural, racial and gender-generated crisis she dwells upon. Her work, aimed at "consciousness-raising" well achieves its purpose. It is an ‘Act of Courage’where she challenges various unjust dominating forces and jolts the readers out of their complacency.
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