Monday, October 28, 2013
Book Review: Soulful Symphony by Meenaxi Singh
Just got my hands on Soulful Symphony, a collection of poems by Meenaxi Singh. In her maiden work, Meenaxi reveals herself. She pours every feeling, thought and idea she has had into her poems and you are in there, in her heart, experiencing each one of them with her. Since I've had this book, I read it through once, and then spent some time just opening a random page and soaking in the sentiment. Some poems, like her ode to her mother, brought tears to my eyes. Some, like her poem to her daughters, had me nodding thoughtfully in agreement. Her poems on love are just lovely to sink into an armchair with. Overall, a powerful synthesis of womanhood, with all the glory, love, sacrifices and melancholy it entails.
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Pounding the Pavement 2
"I have never voted before, but I will go cast my vote this time."
(A 70 year old grandmother)
"I know all about Arvindji, so I did not hesitate to let you in when I saw the hats"
(A 30 yr old lady)
The feedback we are getting from our door-to-door campaign is incredible. People know that this time things are different. They are comfortable opening their houses to us, offering us water, apples, and love to chat about politics.
Before I embarked on this campaign, I had done a google search on effective door-to-door campaigns. One thing I had noted (these were all US based sites) was that they had all said to spend not more than a minute per household. During our campaign though, we were sitting and listening and expounding on politics. I mentioned to the group that 15 minutes per household may be a bit excessive. They shrugged, "that's what it takes..."
I've thought about it some more since then. One thing we found very amusing was that when we pulled out voter lists, there would be upto 25-30 registered voters in a single house! This was because most houses had either large joint families or had made flats above their existing bungalow. So we may have spent extra time, but we had also garnered the vote of the entire clan!
Some anecdotes from today...
- A Sikh family we visited had guests over. We spent a lot of time discussing as a group why the perpetrators of the '84 Sikh massacre were still holding positions of power in the local Congress body instead of being in jail. How many other rapists, murderers, thieves and dacoits hold positions of power? (Answer: A lot)
- A highly irate Bengali lady answered our doorbell. "Too many people have written down my cell number only to bother me with SMSes all day and night!" We promised we wouldn't and explained who we were. "Oh, I'm done with politics! I did so much work first for the Congress, then the BJP, but we have nothing to show for it." She talked for a while about how exasperated she was with security, water quality, cow dung, and many other issues. We listened and tried to provide explanations of why things would be different with AAP. At the end she conceded, "My family was discussing politics last night and we all decided to vote for AAP anyhow."
Lots of such stories. Construction workers, cycle rickshaw drivers, domestic help, small shopkeepers called out to us as we walked through the street to tell us their stories of why they already support AAP. Incredible energy around it all.
(A 70 year old grandmother)
"I know all about Arvindji, so I did not hesitate to let you in when I saw the hats"
(A 30 yr old lady)
The feedback we are getting from our door-to-door campaign is incredible. People know that this time things are different. They are comfortable opening their houses to us, offering us water, apples, and love to chat about politics.
Before I embarked on this campaign, I had done a google search on effective door-to-door campaigns. One thing I had noted (these were all US based sites) was that they had all said to spend not more than a minute per household. During our campaign though, we were sitting and listening and expounding on politics. I mentioned to the group that 15 minutes per household may be a bit excessive. They shrugged, "that's what it takes..."
I've thought about it some more since then. One thing we found very amusing was that when we pulled out voter lists, there would be upto 25-30 registered voters in a single house! This was because most houses had either large joint families or had made flats above their existing bungalow. So we may have spent extra time, but we had also garnered the vote of the entire clan!
Some anecdotes from today...
- A Sikh family we visited had guests over. We spent a lot of time discussing as a group why the perpetrators of the '84 Sikh massacre were still holding positions of power in the local Congress body instead of being in jail. How many other rapists, murderers, thieves and dacoits hold positions of power? (Answer: A lot)
- A highly irate Bengali lady answered our doorbell. "Too many people have written down my cell number only to bother me with SMSes all day and night!" We promised we wouldn't and explained who we were. "Oh, I'm done with politics! I did so much work first for the Congress, then the BJP, but we have nothing to show for it." She talked for a while about how exasperated she was with security, water quality, cow dung, and many other issues. We listened and tried to provide explanations of why things would be different with AAP. At the end she conceded, "My family was discussing politics last night and we all decided to vote for AAP anyhow."
Lots of such stories. Construction workers, cycle rickshaw drivers, domestic help, small shopkeepers called out to us as we walked through the street to tell us their stories of why they already support AAP. Incredible energy around it all.
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Pounding the Pavement
This has been an action-packed couple of days in an otherwise leisurely life. Yesterday I went to the Aam Aadmi Party's office. I had volunteered my services, and they told me to join a volunteer meeting that day. So I got there, thinking I'd meet a few people, pick up some pamphlets, ask how I could help. Little did I foresee the two-day adrenalin ride I had embarked on.
"You have a car? Good" said the lady that greeted me. Three people hopped in, we picked up another along the way and they told me to keep driving. We reached a slum. "Your car should be safe right outside". I nodded.
We walked in through the tiny streets of the slum and came to railway tracks. Lots of people everywhere, ladies chatting, children playing. I waited for instructions. Would we now go to the designated meeting spot? There was an open sewer next to where we were standing, mosquitoes and flies buzzing everywhere. I tried not to swat them, not wanting to appear as uncomfortable as I felt. That didn't work too well, and I noticed that everyone was swatting too, so no problem. A few minutes passed, people in AAP hats were walking around looking busy. Then a man brought out a few straw mats. This was the meeting spot. We were having a neighbourhood meeting and ladies were being rounded up to attend.
As the lady who had first met me, Pushpa Singh, started talking, a substantial crowd gathered around out of sheer curiosity. She looked at me pointedly. "You're going to have to speak too" she said. She spoke, then another lady. I didn't hear a word they said. I spent the next 15 minutes trying to figure out what I would say, and more importantly, how I would say it in Hindi. Not my first language. A distant second. Not to mention, I had never ever given a political speech before.
I started. [translating to English] I come from Bombay, so my Hindi is er.. different. But I shall make sure that I am loud and that you will understand. [giggles from the crowd]. Some of you mentioned earlier that you had concerns about ration cards. Let me inform you, that's where Arvind Kejriwal started. He left a high-paying job at the income tax office and spent the next few years working in slums to help people get ration cards and utilize them. In the process, his people were attacked, his office was attacked. That's where he started. Ration cards. Now he is famous, and has formed a party and is asking for your votes. One of you mentioned, How is this party going to be any different? They will say good things until they get power, then it will all be the same. Let me tell you. Each paisa received is made public. Who gives money to the big parties? Nobody knows and for a reason. Very rich people give them money to get elected, and then they want something in return. Where do the politicians find money to give them? From looting us. Aam Aadmi Party has accounted for each small donation and we know exactly who donated it. They do not owe anything to anybody. That's where the difference lies.
I don't know how the speech went over. I got a few pats on the back afterwards. People had stayed really quiet and seemed engaged. I was shaking. A woman came over from the crowd. "My son has been trying to take the entrance test to the Railways. He gave the exam twice but hasn't gotten through. Anything you can do to help?" she said. I smiled weakly and shook my head. She shrugged and walked off.
The next day I met the volunteers again for a door-to-door campaigning session. The veteran campaigners arrived with voter lists and we got started. One of the ladies I had met the previous day, a tough 60-year old yoga teacher was leading us through her immediate neighbourhood, so everyone knew her and was welcoming. Of course we will vote for the jhadoo was the gist of the meetings. One person, an old man who had seen much, said that he would vote for AAP, but didn't think they would be able to resist the compromises and corruption that comes with power. I listened with interest, didn't talk much. We got most people to sign up to be members of the party, even got a little donation from one person.
From these conversations and others, I am getting the sense that the elderly are hearing a lot about Aam Aadmi Party from their children, most of whom are living far away. People are excited, but a little hesitant. Rightly so, I'm sure. But they also know that this is the only glimmer of hope. And this is the only small window of opportunity (elections for Delhi Vidhan Sabha are on December 4th).
"You have a car? Good" said the lady that greeted me. Three people hopped in, we picked up another along the way and they told me to keep driving. We reached a slum. "Your car should be safe right outside". I nodded.
We walked in through the tiny streets of the slum and came to railway tracks. Lots of people everywhere, ladies chatting, children playing. I waited for instructions. Would we now go to the designated meeting spot? There was an open sewer next to where we were standing, mosquitoes and flies buzzing everywhere. I tried not to swat them, not wanting to appear as uncomfortable as I felt. That didn't work too well, and I noticed that everyone was swatting too, so no problem. A few minutes passed, people in AAP hats were walking around looking busy. Then a man brought out a few straw mats. This was the meeting spot. We were having a neighbourhood meeting and ladies were being rounded up to attend.
As the lady who had first met me, Pushpa Singh, started talking, a substantial crowd gathered around out of sheer curiosity. She looked at me pointedly. "You're going to have to speak too" she said. She spoke, then another lady. I didn't hear a word they said. I spent the next 15 minutes trying to figure out what I would say, and more importantly, how I would say it in Hindi. Not my first language. A distant second. Not to mention, I had never ever given a political speech before.
I started. [translating to English] I come from Bombay, so my Hindi is er.. different. But I shall make sure that I am loud and that you will understand. [giggles from the crowd]. Some of you mentioned earlier that you had concerns about ration cards. Let me inform you, that's where Arvind Kejriwal started. He left a high-paying job at the income tax office and spent the next few years working in slums to help people get ration cards and utilize them. In the process, his people were attacked, his office was attacked. That's where he started. Ration cards. Now he is famous, and has formed a party and is asking for your votes. One of you mentioned, How is this party going to be any different? They will say good things until they get power, then it will all be the same. Let me tell you. Each paisa received is made public. Who gives money to the big parties? Nobody knows and for a reason. Very rich people give them money to get elected, and then they want something in return. Where do the politicians find money to give them? From looting us. Aam Aadmi Party has accounted for each small donation and we know exactly who donated it. They do not owe anything to anybody. That's where the difference lies.
I don't know how the speech went over. I got a few pats on the back afterwards. People had stayed really quiet and seemed engaged. I was shaking. A woman came over from the crowd. "My son has been trying to take the entrance test to the Railways. He gave the exam twice but hasn't gotten through. Anything you can do to help?" she said. I smiled weakly and shook my head. She shrugged and walked off.
The next day I met the volunteers again for a door-to-door campaigning session. The veteran campaigners arrived with voter lists and we got started. One of the ladies I had met the previous day, a tough 60-year old yoga teacher was leading us through her immediate neighbourhood, so everyone knew her and was welcoming. Of course we will vote for the jhadoo was the gist of the meetings. One person, an old man who had seen much, said that he would vote for AAP, but didn't think they would be able to resist the compromises and corruption that comes with power. I listened with interest, didn't talk much. We got most people to sign up to be members of the party, even got a little donation from one person.
From these conversations and others, I am getting the sense that the elderly are hearing a lot about Aam Aadmi Party from their children, most of whom are living far away. People are excited, but a little hesitant. Rightly so, I'm sure. But they also know that this is the only glimmer of hope. And this is the only small window of opportunity (elections for Delhi Vidhan Sabha are on December 4th).
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Time for a New Religion
The problem with the grand old religions is that they are, well, old. They were wise and progressive, even revolutionary, for their era. And now they're not.
I was born a Muslim, so let me start there. Islam is based on the life of the prophet Mohammed and the words dictated to him by an angel of Allah. It was a remarkably rational, scientific framework for its time. Problem is, that time was 1300 years ago. It was a radically revolutionary feminist religion. No no, don't scoff, it really was. Women getting equal inheritance was huge at a time when women were trophies at best, but mostly just considered property. Restricting wives to four was a relief to women who were part of enormous harems of tribal lords. This kind of thinking must have (and did) generate a lot of opposition to Mohammed, and to his credit he stuck to his guns (swords, actually). But that was a very different world. A world where a 50 year old man could marry an 8 year old child (Mohammed did). We live in a better world today. Thank God.
I live in India and have married a Hindu (well, a Jain). Now that is truly an ancient religion. Perhaps too ancient? Yes yes, the point of scriptures is that they are timeless, and some are. Some. A small minority. Well, maybe just the Bhagvad Gita. Can we change the rest please? We already have, here and there. No thinking person would justify the caste system, sutti, dowry. But there's too damn many non-thinkers out there.
And we can dissect all major religions and come up with the same critiques. The world has evolved in thought, but religions simply cannot. So here we are, defending our own religions, bickering within and without, going nowhere. No messiah in sight, all we have is our texts. So we read them, discard the embarrassing parts, cherry picking the rituals and beliefs that we like. We can do better.
Look around. There are values that we all believe in. Gender equality. Equality of opportunity. Environmental protection. Peace and nonviolence. Scientific thought.
Now look around again. Does the world we live in reflect these? If like me, you are chuckling morosely, then you disagree. Alright, so how do we go from here to there? Yes you guessed it... A new religion. New texts, new prophets, a few miracles thrown in, some great stories to raise the kids on, and boom! Now we're all on the same page and we're all moving together to create a fantastic world!
And a hundred years down the line, when values evolve, I sure as hell hope someone gracefully discards this religion and comes up with something better
The problem with the grand old religions is that they are, well, old. They were wise and progressive, even revolutionary, for their era. And now they're not.
I was born a Muslim, so let me start there. Islam is based on the life of the prophet Mohammed and the words dictated to him by an angel of Allah. It was a remarkably rational, scientific framework for its time. Problem is, that time was 1300 years ago. It was a radically revolutionary feminist religion. No no, don't scoff, it really was. Women getting equal inheritance was huge at a time when women were trophies at best, but mostly just considered property. Restricting wives to four was a relief to women who were part of enormous harems of tribal lords. This kind of thinking must have (and did) generate a lot of opposition to Mohammed, and to his credit he stuck to his guns (swords, actually). But that was a very different world. A world where a 50 year old man could marry an 8 year old child (Mohammed did). We live in a better world today. Thank God.
I live in India and have married a Hindu (well, a Jain). Now that is truly an ancient religion. Perhaps too ancient? Yes yes, the point of scriptures is that they are timeless, and some are. Some. A small minority. Well, maybe just the Bhagvad Gita. Can we change the rest please? We already have, here and there. No thinking person would justify the caste system, sutti, dowry. But there's too damn many non-thinkers out there.
And we can dissect all major religions and come up with the same critiques. The world has evolved in thought, but religions simply cannot. So here we are, defending our own religions, bickering within and without, going nowhere. No messiah in sight, all we have is our texts. So we read them, discard the embarrassing parts, cherry picking the rituals and beliefs that we like. We can do better.
Look around. There are values that we all believe in. Gender equality. Equality of opportunity. Environmental protection. Peace and nonviolence. Scientific thought.
Now look around again. Does the world we live in reflect these? If like me, you are chuckling morosely, then you disagree. Alright, so how do we go from here to there? Yes you guessed it... A new religion. New texts, new prophets, a few miracles thrown in, some great stories to raise the kids on, and boom! Now we're all on the same page and we're all moving together to create a fantastic world!
And a hundred years down the line, when values evolve, I sure as hell hope someone gracefully discards this religion and comes up with something better
I was born a Muslim, so let me start there. Islam is based on the life of the prophet Mohammed and the words dictated to him by an angel of Allah. It was a remarkably rational, scientific framework for its time. Problem is, that time was 1300 years ago. It was a radically revolutionary feminist religion. No no, don't scoff, it really was. Women getting equal inheritance was huge at a time when women were trophies at best, but mostly just considered property. Restricting wives to four was a relief to women who were part of enormous harems of tribal lords. This kind of thinking must have (and did) generate a lot of opposition to Mohammed, and to his credit he stuck to his guns (swords, actually). But that was a very different world. A world where a 50 year old man could marry an 8 year old child (Mohammed did). We live in a better world today. Thank God.
I live in India and have married a Hindu (well, a Jain). Now that is truly an ancient religion. Perhaps too ancient? Yes yes, the point of scriptures is that they are timeless, and some are. Some. A small minority. Well, maybe just the Bhagvad Gita. Can we change the rest please? We already have, here and there. No thinking person would justify the caste system, sutti, dowry. But there's too damn many non-thinkers out there.
And we can dissect all major religions and come up with the same critiques. The world has evolved in thought, but religions simply cannot. So here we are, defending our own religions, bickering within and without, going nowhere. No messiah in sight, all we have is our texts. So we read them, discard the embarrassing parts, cherry picking the rituals and beliefs that we like. We can do better.
Look around. There are values that we all believe in. Gender equality. Equality of opportunity. Environmental protection. Peace and nonviolence. Scientific thought.
Now look around again. Does the world we live in reflect these? If like me, you are chuckling morosely, then you disagree. Alright, so how do we go from here to there? Yes you guessed it... A new religion. New texts, new prophets, a few miracles thrown in, some great stories to raise the kids on, and boom! Now we're all on the same page and we're all moving together to create a fantastic world!
And a hundred years down the line, when values evolve, I sure as hell hope someone gracefully discards this religion and comes up with something better
The problem with the grand old religions is that they are, well, old. They were wise and progressive, even revolutionary, for their era. And now they're not.
I was born a Muslim, so let me start there. Islam is based on the life of the prophet Mohammed and the words dictated to him by an angel of Allah. It was a remarkably rational, scientific framework for its time. Problem is, that time was 1300 years ago. It was a radically revolutionary feminist religion. No no, don't scoff, it really was. Women getting equal inheritance was huge at a time when women were trophies at best, but mostly just considered property. Restricting wives to four was a relief to women who were part of enormous harems of tribal lords. This kind of thinking must have (and did) generate a lot of opposition to Mohammed, and to his credit he stuck to his guns (swords, actually). But that was a very different world. A world where a 50 year old man could marry an 8 year old child (Mohammed did). We live in a better world today. Thank God.
I live in India and have married a Hindu (well, a Jain). Now that is truly an ancient religion. Perhaps too ancient? Yes yes, the point of scriptures is that they are timeless, and some are. Some. A small minority. Well, maybe just the Bhagvad Gita. Can we change the rest please? We already have, here and there. No thinking person would justify the caste system, sutti, dowry. But there's too damn many non-thinkers out there.
And we can dissect all major religions and come up with the same critiques. The world has evolved in thought, but religions simply cannot. So here we are, defending our own religions, bickering within and without, going nowhere. No messiah in sight, all we have is our texts. So we read them, discard the embarrassing parts, cherry picking the rituals and beliefs that we like. We can do better.
Look around. There are values that we all believe in. Gender equality. Equality of opportunity. Environmental protection. Peace and nonviolence. Scientific thought.
Now look around again. Does the world we live in reflect these? If like me, you are chuckling morosely, then you disagree. Alright, so how do we go from here to there? Yes you guessed it... A new religion. New texts, new prophets, a few miracles thrown in, some great stories to raise the kids on, and boom! Now we're all on the same page and we're all moving together to create a fantastic world!
And a hundred years down the line, when values evolve, I sure as hell hope someone gracefully discards this religion and comes up with something better
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