secularism,democracy,togetherness,interdependence,love and above
all....insaaniyat....the idea that all humanity is one.This city needs such
people and there seems little chance of this variety of the human species
emerging from within Ahmedabad in large numbers.
By urging you to come here,I dont want to encourage and add to the "riot
tourism" that I already see around us.Some people get a vicarious pleasure
out of witnessing someone else's misery.....some feel lucky and happy to be
well off when they see suffering at close quarters.....and end up feeling
gung-ho about themselves.You will also find enough people here who are
making a fortune out of this tragedy,both because of the destruction, and
also from the process of relief.It may sicken you.
Most who come here even with good intentions still end up being blind to the
"real" Ahmedabad,because everything seems so normal.Well one part of the
city is always like that....McDonalds even had a gala opening of a new
outlet in the midst of the riots (which were happening in the "other" part
of the city) and there were huge queues on the first few days...
Come to try and peep into the minds of the real sufferers and try to really
"feel" their suffering,not just "see" it.It is of course an impossible task
because you and I have not been living in a filthy overcrowded camp for the
last three months.....not knowing how to answer the children's questions.We
can have a cup of tea or go the toilet without making a massive effort for
it and the question of ridiculous,insensitive and insulting compensation
amounts does not weigh on our minds day in and day out.Also we have never
lost "everything" we owned and even if we had, we would still have the
privelege of education.We are not being told by government officials that we
are only "guests" in this country for another two months and after that we
either leave or get killed.Hundreds of thousands of people are suffering and
being mentally tortured and we can never completely feel what they are
feeling.....but we should try to feel atleast one percent of it.
I know that there is suffering everywhere,probably in your own backyard, so
why come here...well something about present day Ahmedabad puts many things
in perspective.It will make a few truths very obvious....truths that we tend
to ignore.....I guess it would be rare to find such extreme suffering and
such extreme indifference co existing so close to each other.It will help
you fully fathom the effect that propoganda and blatant lies can have on
people so easily.It will help you understand what hatred can do in in it's
extreme form.When you press the rewind button and see how the situation
developed you will realise that the same thing is happening very close to
you and how you will be it's next victim.You will then realise how dangerous
"acceptance" can be, and that we are all guilty of this acceptance.You will
know how we have "consumed" images of Bosnia, Israel,Kalahandi and Gujarat
and how they have made us numb.
One friend said that what has happened here is like Aids....Gujarat can
never be the same again, but we can prevent it elsewhere.
I know that those who come here will do so not because of what I or someone
else tells them.They will come only if their heart tells them to...Only
those with the stomach for such things will come here....you will need it
because however much we may warn you, the situation will depress you and you
will have to deal with it.You will not be able to talk to local people about
it because if you do, you may be the next victim of the Bajrang Dal, their
mindset is everywhere.Many people recognise me from television and ask what
I am doing here...I have to lie to them for if they get to know that I visit
the "Muslim" camps they would pass it on to someone from the VHP and I may
have to stop what I am doing,and what is worse it will discourage several
others....So if you are planning to come here,do not talk about this to
shopkeepers, autowallahs,or other people you interact with.Be wary when you
speak even with your Gujarati friends, especially if they have been living
here for the last ten years, you may find that they have changed...
Let me digress a little here...speaking of friends who have changed, I find
the same with some of mine, especially those in the US....what is it with
that place?I wonder why the VHP finds it so easy to spread their poison
there?They tell me that I am wasting my time and that the Muslims have only
got what they deserved...when I try to talk reason,I get the reply....where
were you when this was happening in Kashmir...I want them to come here and
meet a few freinds.Like 5 year old Irfan in the Shah Alam camp....he saw his
aunt being raped and burnt by men who were shouting Jai Shri Ram.They wore
khaki shorts and saffron banians.Irfan sings quite well and likes imli.When
I got him to draw, he made the Indian flag.I dont know too much else about
him and I dont want to....there are too many like him.....and they are all
wondering if they will ever go back home.Nilofer is six and has prickly heat
all over...half the kids in the camps do....she wanted to see me dance to a
Daler Mehndi tune and when I did, she smiled.Her mother told me that it was
the first time she smiled since she saw her best friend another 6 year old
girl pulled out from her wheelchair, and hung on a tree.Nilofer does not
know yet that her friend was burnt alive, because her mother took her
inside.Well I am sorry I did nothing for Kashmir,truly sorry and am
extremely guilty about it.....but I am sure that these kids did not deserve
this.I have many hundred friends at the camps now and I dont know all their
stories,but for sure they did not deserve what they are going
through.Neither did the Hindus in Kashmir or at Godhra.But if you think that
killing innocents is the right way of avenging the deaths of other innocents
then there is something fundamentally wrong with you.
Coming back to those who may be coming to Ahmedabad,when you visit camps
please do not ask people to repeat these horrific stories.They are being
made to relive these moments again and again....When they see an "outsider"
like me they assume that I have come to hear their tales of woe and they
start telling me about what they have gone through.The press makes them do
it several times.The police too do it, supposedly for
thier"investigations".When they start telling me,I actually stop them midway
and tell them that I know of stories more horrific than theirs.Which is
true.I tell them that all I can do is to play with their children...and they
are extremely grateful for that.....for it is one less thing to worry about
for a while...
This is also a great time to come here to maximise your Karma.If life is
finally a balance sheet of your good and bad deeds,then you will gain a lot
by coming here.Each gesture of yours will be amplified.In this
situation,just placing your hand on someone's shoulder and talking gently to
him will mean so much to him.If you shake a child's hand and smile while
looking him or her in the eye, he or she will be your friend for
life....your good deed list will be heavier than usual.Life is precarious
here.
You also need to know that although there has been relative calm for the
last 15 days,there is always the chance that the situation may take a
dive.There have been sporadic incidents almost everyday and yesterday the
tension level was higher than the day before.There was a blast in a bus or
perhaps three....things are fine for now,but who knows what will happen
next(well for that matter,you may be hit by a car wherever you are, although
I hope it does not happen!).....there is also talk of "Muslim" retaliation
with the help of Pakistan(Isn't it amazing how Musharraf and the VHP make
the job so much easier for each other?)...in which case there may be another
small round of violence....then there is the impending Rath Yatra in the end
of June.....what I mean is that you must remember before you call your
travel agent that this is a "disturbed" area in that sense...(another
digression....some horrific men living in Muslim bodies may kill some more
women and children and then my friends from the US, living in Hindu bodies
will say to me"See?The Muslims know only the language of the sword...did I
not tell you so?"They will then give more money to the VHP which will go
into buying kerosene,petrol,pamphlets,mobile phones,khaki
shorts,liquor,trishuls,swords,trucks......whoopie,what fun...)so....come
only if you are comfortable with this horrible thought....Irfan,Nilofer, or
any other friend you make from the thousands of children here,may be next in
line.I know it's a terribly depressing thought,but dont press the delete
button now.
Infact what depressess me most is thought that there are some NGO's here for
whom this is a great "professional" opportunity....they are hesitant to
share their information and resources.They are willing to buy riot footage
from people at exorbitant prices, or carry suffering children to Delhi, as
it can get them much funding.They dont seem keen to co ordinate with each
other.....when there are such few people working for such an enormous
tragedy the crying need is to be scientific and systematic so that you can
maximise your output from the limited human and material resource.....I dont
see that happening the way it should be.I feel terrible when I see petty
bickerings between camp organisers and allegations of hoarding and diversion
of funds...I know that all this is just another manifestation of human
nature,but when I see the overall scenario (and specially because it is
happening in the midst of so much hatred and suffering), I do get bogged
down by depression.That's when I go to the area which is the ray of
hope.....which I referred to in the begining.This is a small island of
sanity called Ram Rahim Nagar.This area, inhabited by poor people, has
always kept itself away from all this madness.....and even in these trying
times HIndus and Muslims live here in complete harmony.The inhabitants are
amazing people.The place makes me wonder if I could have maintained my own
sanity in the midst of a city like this.Now I also wonder how I will react
to my city.I will be leaving for Mumbai tonight or tomorrow,and I plan to
spend a week,but I already know I will not be able to spend more than 3 or 4
days there.I have a feeling I will be more disturbed when I see that
everything is absolutely "normal" there,and that only a few hundred people
there are bothered about a tragedy of such proportions.I will then comfort
myself by thinking of some of the wonderful individuals I have met here,who
are genuinely doing great work and with tremendous sacrifice.
The other thing that helps us all carry on is the understanding that however
bleak the scenario,it is an absolute must that we all must do whatever
little we can.The mind may say that the situation is so hopeless that any
effort will be in vain.My devious mind finds many other ways to discourage
me but, so far I am hanging in there.There is no greater remedy than
action....it helps both me and someone else.I was exteremely depressed
before coming here....the little activity I do in the camps has helped me
tremendously.Friends ask me if I have become an "activist",I reply no,I have
merely become "active".I spend most of my time with the children who need my
time,but here are just too many of them.....if you count all of Gujarat the
number is in six figures.My friend Neeraj Sahay is trying to co ordinate
filming efforts....he has worked out a good plan to use filmmakers and
equipment in the way they will be most valuable....but there are too few of
us,if any more come here do get in touch with us....your services and
equipment will be extremely valuable.We can also guide others who have
particular skills about how to best use their time and effort and whom to co
ordinate with.And even those who may think they have no special skills but
have the time and inclination.You could mail us on
gurpalforpeace@hotmail.com or call at 079-6633914. For those who just cannot come for some reasons or do not want to,but are
inclined to help...the best help is to mobilise and inform others.You would
have to do this on a one to one basis.Most people don't have any information
about the situation,and many more are not wanting to listen.We all have a
tendency to shut our minds off these things and get on with life.We need to
realise that when the fire engulfs us we will never be able to "get on with
life".We have to make everyone think about it.And for this we all have to
step up our activity levels....each and every moment we have for ourselves
should be spent doing this and thinking about how best to do this,because
you have to deal with each person in a different way...
Some people have been asking us where to send money.This is a tricky
question because you would want your hard earned money to go to the people
who really need it.We too struggled with this for a while,visavis the money
we had collected before coming here.I will soon be writing to you about how
that money was spent.Some have been asking about cheques and what names to
send them in.If you like you could send them in the name of St. Xavier's
Social Service Society, and sent to St.
Xaviers Social Service Society, P.O. Box 4088, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad -
380009, Gujarat, India OR you could send in the name of SPRAT (that is
Society for the Promotion of Rational Thinking) SF/8 Rajnagar
Complex,Narayan Nagar Road, Near NID, Paldi, Amdavad 380007.If you like you
could send it to us at B4 Elite Flats,Jethabhai Park, Narayan Nagar
Road,Paldi,Amdavad 380007.We will personally hand over your cheques and get
receipts.You could also help fund our effort as we need tapes and
equipment.I will soon send more details about our effort and how you could
help in that.
If you send money to anyone,then please try to ensure one thing...there has
to be an element of sacrifice in what you send.You could give up the idea of
buying that extra plot of land you have been thinking of, or you could
forget about upgrading your car or you could travel by second class instead
of by an AC coach and give that money.If you are in a position to give only
a couple of hundred rupees,even that is welcome...but only if you could,say,
skip eating for a day and put in that money.You decide what you want to give
up, but believe me it would be meaningless without that element of
sacrifice.
If you dont agree with what I am saying then please do mail me....I fully
realise that I may be wrong....about anything...each of us will find our own
answers which will be applicable only to ourselves, but in such a situation
it is important to share your thoughts.I also apologise if I hurt anyone by
sharing thier mails,but I feel it is extremely important to talk about these
things in the public domain.....if you specifically tell me not to forward
your mails to others I will of course comply....
You could think of several ways of helping out from wherever you
are....please share these with others.
With faith and hope
Gurpal
(This is a letter from Gurpal who has just returned to Bombay for a few days
after being in Ahmedabad for more than two weeks.
Gurpal's accounts from there have been sharp, specific and contain honest,
personal and unbiased observations.
He will continue to be involved in helping the victims in Gujarat and will
continue to send us his letters from there. Friends like me will continue to
send them to you. If we are to not repeat Gujarat, if it is to not spread to
all over India, we had better work out some effective ways ways of
contributing to arresting this hate phenomenon. To begin with, it means
revisiting in our minds the reasons why it happened and the horrific
consequences it has wrought on huge number of innocent people. We will have
to remember that - always. This is what hate can do; this is what they've
made it do in Gujarat. We remain indifferent today, it will burn us
tomorrow.)
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