DesiReflections

While roaming in Bareilly , I come to know that Bareilly is home of  Barelvi Sect of Islam which is followed by at least two third of Muslim population in India. It’s shrine called Dargah Mohammad Ahmed Raza Barelvi and is located  in one of the  alleys of Bhoor area of old city . I visited it yesterday.  Dargah is one of the most visited shrines in the Indian subcontinent that not only attracts Desi followers  but also from many other parts of world. Mohammad Ahmed Raza Barelvi fondly called as Aala Hazrat was born in Mohalla Sodagaran . At the age of 22, he became a disciple of Hazrat Shah Ale Rasool Marhravi. His mentor granted him the Khilafah permission of several Sufi sects. This means he was allowed to have his set of disciples and followers and set up his mutts. Soon he gained followers from across the Indian subcontinent and the number kept adding through his descendants. The Barelvi movement has spread its wings not only  in India, but also in ...

Bareilly has an unique structure which is an example of Hindu Muslim Unity, a temple constructed by a Muslim. It is called Chunna Miyan ka Mandir and the presiding deity is Lord Laxmi Narayan .  It was built by Mr.Fazal-ur-Rahman aka Chunna Miyan.It's foundation stone was laid by Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the first President of the Union of India. The temple is situated in the Koharapeer area in the narrow alleys of  Katra Maan Rai. The temple is close to Budhwari Masjid. This is the area where the Punjabi migrants from West Pakistan settled down after  the partition.  Story of Chunna Miyan is as interesting as the temple itself. Chunna Miyan lost his both parents at a very very young age. He struggled a lot as a teenager and wanted to do something of his own . His neighbour, Lala Gujartai Lal, whom he used to call Dadaji, gave him two rupees to start some venture. The boy started selling small items in a basket hanging from his neck. His grandson Shamsur Rahman recalls t...

एक नई विलुप्तप्राय प्रजाति - व्यंग्यकार  किसी भी वंचित , शोषित  वर्ग या फिर किसी बड़े जाति समूह को खुश करने का सबसे सरल उपाय उनके किसी महान नेता के नाम पर किसी शहर , रोड, रेलवे स्टेशन , गली , मोहल्ले का नामकरण कर दीजिए. इसमें कोई ख़ास पैसा या श्रम नहीं लगता , रंग  लगे न फिटकरी रंग चोखा ही चोखा . अगर कोई व्यंग्यकार ऐसे स्थापित और खोज खोज के प्रकाश में लाये हुए उन महापुरुषों के नाम उजागर करने की रिस्क ले ले जिनके नाम पर यह महती प्रयास किए जा रहे है तो इससे  असम, मध्य प्रदेश, उत्तर प्रदेश , महाराष्ट्र ही नहीं मणिपुर या मेघालय तक के सचेतन और संवेदन-शील लोगों की भावनाएँ इतनी आहत हो सकती हैं कि व्यंग्यकार  के ख़िलाफ़ देशद्रोह जैसी गंभीर धाराओं में एफ़आईआर तत्काल दायर हो सकती हैं .  इसी लिए इन दिनों व्यंग लेख लिखने वालों की संख्या में इतनी कमी आ गई है कि अब अधिकांश समाचार पत्रों और पत्रिकाओं में से व्यंग लेख के स्तंभ ही हटा लिए गए हैं. ठीक ही तो है , न रहेगा बांस न बजेगी बांसुरी . वैसे भी व्यंग लिखने या पढ़ने की ज़रूरत भी क्या है जब कि व्यंग का एक अलग ही क़िस्म का...

Goa Diary 2023   4.   Complex Tale of Migration  The day I landed in Goa, I was little intrigued to watch people.  I could see faces not very familiar in Goa some forty fifty years back when it used to be a secluded, lush green , unspoiled tourist destination full of locals with surnames like Rodrigues, Fernandes , Rodrigues, Carvalho , D’Souza , D’Silva, D’Costa, Sawant , Gomes, Fonseca.  While wandering on the small beach towns of North as well as South , I came across wine shops run by Rajasthani and  UP wala , Dryfruit shops by Gujrati traders  , handicraft and garment shops mostly belonging to migrants from UP, MP , Bihar, Kerala or Kashmir. Newly cropped up pure vegetarian, North Indian style restaurants are either owned by North Indians or having Chefs from Uttrakhand and Himachal. Beauty parlors and Spas run by people migrated from Delhi and its catchment area. Labor engaged in road and other infrastructure projects is from Orissa, Chatisgarh, ...

Goa Diary-3    Dwindling Public Transport System  Goa is still a nature’s bounty  to India despite of recent unplanned growth of tourism infrastructure. What really spoil the mood of a tourist like me the complete absence of an efficient public transport infrastructure. Chances are that you will come across a very arrogant cab driver who demands six seven time inflated fare. I asked in my recent visit a auto wala in Panaji at Patto for a ride up to Mahalakshmi Temple which is hardly three km and he demanded flat Rs 400 and no bargain.   Similarly, from Panaji to Calangute beach on South side a taxi ride costed me Rs700 while the distance is only 15 km.  Goa is not only a domestic tourist destination but also attracts people from far away countries. Still Goa lacks regulated taxi fares mechanism. When the Government earns a lot of revenue from tourism every year, its basic job is to create tourist friendly , dependable and trustworthy public transport system...

Goa Diary 2.   Trail of Faith My visit to Goa this time turned into a trail of faith . Normally for a tourist visiting Goa means taking stroll on the silver sand  beaches,  enjoying more affordable booze , spending nights at disco or Casino. But in this short trip to Goa  I realized that Goa has many sacred pilgrimage places to explore to  fine tune the spirit and soul. I also feel that five days are not enough to explore all important places of worship.  A temple in Goa was once always the centre of a village and continued to do so , the lives of people were related to these temples and its festivities . The village property was divided amongst the villagers according to certain rules. The patrons of the temples were known as Mahajana and for the most part hail from Brahmin communities with a few from Kshatriya communities. This Mahajani system kept the temple finances floating.  With the advent of Portuguese many Hindu temples in Goa were destroyed, ...

Goa Diary - 1 I am in Goa after a gap of 12 years .  Goa is situated on a strip of land between the mountains of the Deccan and the Arabian Sea. Its soil is a deep red, the sea blue-green, the sands as white as sugar, and the tall coconut palms burst with green against a clear blue sky. The higher reaches of the hills are covered with thick forests, while the lower slopes are dominated by plantations of teak, cashew, mango, areca, and bananas. Between the mountains and the beaches are the fields—lush through the year with successive crops of rice, vegetables, and sugarcane. Between the fields and the coast are the famous beaches of Goa, enclosed by groves of coconut palms, stretching for miles along the entire coastline, only to be broken by the occasional river or rocky promontory. It was ruled for almost 400 years by Portuguese which has brought European influence in terms of faith, culture , food    and lifestyle . Developed as an Ideal location for a laidback tranquil...