Humra Quraishi
Last month, May 2024, news reports hit: the Spanish Foreign Minister said that the country has refused permission for a ship carrying arms from Chennai to Israel to dock at one of its ports. According to Spanish media, the Denmark-flagged cargo ship Marianne Danica sailed from Chennai on April 8 and was headed to the port of Haifa in Israel.
To quote from news reports – A second cargo ship that had departed India was denied entry on May 21 to the port of Cartagena. Spanish newspaper El Pais reported that Marianne Danica left from India’s Port of Chennai and was en route to Israel’s port of Haifa with a cargo of 27 tonnes of explosives. Minister of Foreign Affairs Jose Manuel Albares confirmed in a news conference that the vessel was denied entry because it was shipping military cargo to Israel.
And this month, June 2024, several news reports have surfaced which more than indicate that on June 6, in the aftermath of Israel’s bombing of a United Nations shelter at the Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza, the Quds News Network released a video of the remains of a missile dropped by Israeli warplanes – with ‘Made in India’ labels on it!
What’s happening? Is the Right-Wing government directly or indirectly playing a role in the genocide that’s going on in Palestine… hundreds and thousands of Palestinians getting killed and ruined! Yes, such barbaric ruthless killings on, in, and around Gaza, that it gets difficult to even describe its effect on psyches …that is, of those left alive… destined to witness these mass killings of our fellow human beings!
In the midst of these brutal ruthless times, the only little ray of hope seems coming from the fact that students and the young in our country have started to react. Just received this from Sandeep Pandey of the Socialist Party of India – this note was sent to him by a young student – Shreyam Sharma…
“Dear Sandeep Sir,
Hope that you are doing well and healthy.
I am writing to you with a special request. A few days ago, as a part of an initiative by a group of students, including me & Akhil, we sent a petition to the NALSAR administration to cut ties with the Israeli Universities [Tel Aviv & Radzyner School of Law] as a part of the Palestinian BDS movement. A total of 362 signatories, including 275 LLB [Batch of 2024-2028], LLM, and DoMS students, 70 Alumni and 12 Faculty Members, the Student Body’s Executive Council and with endorsements from multiple eminent personalities, stood with the petition. It has now been sent to the Administration….”
SHATRUGHAN SINHA CARRIES A PERSONALITY!
Shatrughan Sinha is in the news. This time for apolitical reasons. Must say he and his spouse looked so very graceful at their daughter Sonakshi’s wedding reception… This brings me to write that Shatrughan Sinha is probably one of those actors turned politicians, who is held high in Bollywood. Years back, each time I interviewed Sunil Dutt, he would make it a point to tell me that only and only four Bollywood persons stood by him and his family when his son Sanjay Dutt was arrested, and TADA cases slapped on him. “Only Dilip Kumar, Shatrughan Sinha, Rajendra Kumar and Pran saab were there, with me and my family … also some members from the South India Film Chambers, nobody else.”
And years later when I had interviewed Saira Banu she again spoke very, very highly of Shatrughan Sinha… telling me that whenever a crisis hits he is there …She’d also detailed that he along with Dilip Kumar saab were there with Sunil Dutt when Sanjay was arrested and the family was going through tough times.
It is relevant to mention details of my meeting Shatrughan Sinha for an interview … I’d met and interviewed Shatrughan Sinha in 1992, in New Delhi, when he was contesting as BJP candidate from the New Delhi constituency. He entered politics, joining the BJP in 1980 and made his electoral debut in 1992, contesting against fellow actor Rajesh Khanna in the by-election to New Delhi constituency. (He lost to Rajesh Khanna, the Congress candidate, by 25,000 votes.)
Taking you back to 1992. It was rather tough finding Sinha’s whereabouts but once that got over, the rest wasn’t too difficult …I recall it had taken me five days to find out, where he was putting up in New Delhi, and together with that his contact telephone numbers. Finally, his brother, Dr Lakhan Sinha, gave the time for the interview at their apartment at the erstwhile controversial building the ‘White House’ (then situated close to Mandi House complex).
And as I arrived there at the appointed time, I could meet Shatrughan Sinha in the lift itself …the lift took us upwards to the eleventh floor where his apartment was situated. And before I could start off with my queries, I could see huge yellow coloured marks on his kurta. He quickly explained the whys of it, “Oh no! This saffron scarf has left these marks… but this isn’t some BJP scarf but a ‘Saropa’ given to me at the gurdwara I just visited… just returning from there.”
And all through an hour-long interview with him, I kept wondering why on earth he’d decided to join the BJP, when he seemed some sort of a misfit in it! To my query why he joined the BJP in the context of its communal agenda, he exclaimed, “What communal! See, I’m not communal. See my track record… I’m friendly with the prime minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif. I have been friendly with the late Pakistani prime minister, General Zia, so much so that for any of their family functions I am invited by them. Then, I’m friendly with some families in Saudi Arabia… These are my personal friendships …I don’t believe who is a Hindu or who is a Musalmaan or a Christian …just believe in Insaniyat.”
If he truly believes in this Insaniyat theory then why didn’t he join any other political party? Why did he opt to join the BJP? With his ‘broad-minded’ views and a rather liberal approach was he facing problems in the BJP? “No, no …Why! They know me. …I have so many friends in the Press and all come to me and they tell me they like me but not my BJP party! Bhai, did any God have a one hundred percent following!”
On whom he considers his leader, pat came the spontaneous reply: “My wife! All husbands are henpecked. Some say so, some don’t, but all are. But seriously speaking, without Poonam I am handicapped!” With that, he detailed that she is the one who decides on his clothes and what he ought to wear. “Even this kurta, Poonam picked up from a boutique! First time I am wearing it today… generally, I wear plain ones… I don’t believe in colours or motifs or embroidered or showy stuff… no showy stuff or exhibitionism.”
As the interview progressed, I asked him his views on Ayodhya Temple and the Babri Masjid.
And he said, “With due respect if any masjid can be relocated in Saudi Arabia or Pakistan, so why not here? Of course, do so with the consent of our Muslim brothers and for the sake of communal harmony… Big Brother should give in…”
In this case, Big Brother here is the Majority community. Comment.
“Yes, yes …But if that temple means ‘Mecca’ or ‘Medina’ to the Hindus so can’t the Muslims give in… There are 26 other mosques in and around Faizabad and nobody is asking for them; only this one, for it’s a matter of faith.”
But it’s said that the BJP has plans of ‘converting’ 30 other mosques into temples. Comment.
“I wouldn’t let that happen. Only this one and no further … I promise …I say this with folded hands.”
Even, if this promise proves to be costly for your political career or ambitions?
“Yes, at any cost… I will stand by my promise… always do.”
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