South Asia Citizens Web

India’s well known historian Romila Thapar speaking of a fellow historian Prof. Bipan Chandra who had been a close friend and a valuable colleague for her. [This recording was made at a memorial meeting to remember Professor Bipan Chandra, held at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, New Delhi on 2 September 2014]

In the sad demise of Shri Balraj Puri at Jammu India has lost a great champion of human rights and a political analyst of high repute. He was 86. He was participant in momentous political events such like ‘Quit India Movement’ of 1942’ and ‘Quit Kashmir Movement’ of 1946’ in association with Sheikh Abdullah and Pt. Prem Nath Bazaz against Dogra Ruler Maharaja Hari Singh. He did his utmost to prevent outbreak of communal violence or check its spread in Jammu in 1947 and on many occasions thereafter- even at the risk of his life. Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, sought his opinion on Kashmir affairs on crucial occasions. Puri always tried to bridge the gap between Nehru and the Sheikh Abdullah. He rendered great help in the conclusion of Indira-Gandhi-Sheikh Abdullah Accord in 1974.

Heads of missions in New Delhi have been visiting Srinagar and meeting Kashmiri leaders there as well as in New Delhi. Is this process to be ended and a fundamentally new stance adopted? No country is an island by itself. Diplomatic pressures will mount. Some day the dialogue will resume; but at a loss of prestige. Is a new Kashmir policy in the offing?

When the demolition of the Babri Masjid was threatened in 1991, Parliament en acted a law prohibiting the conversion of any place of worship of one religion into that of another, the only exception being the Babri Masjid itself. Back then, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad sought to demolish 3,000 mosques, claiming these were once temples.This threatened 3,000 more clashes of the Babri Masjid variety, stoking communal carnage and destroying Indian secularism. The Masjid was ultimately demolished, but the new law helped prevent the disease spreading to other places of worship. The problem has returned in unexpected fashion in Aligarh. It must be tackled before it can grow.

One more blood-drenched road accident. Another soul-numbing statistic. A drunken man, driving at night at crazy speeds, loses control, lunges on to a road divider, crushing 13 sleeping men. Newspapers report, the driver is arrested but released on bail next day. People forget, until the next crash. In Delhi, there were three accidents involving homeless men in one week.