Experience of ‘Contesting’ an Election

In this charged-up electoral atmosphere, my mind today suddenly reinvigorated a memory from 22 years ago.

I was a student of class 7 then, studying in Vivekananda Kendra Vidyalaya, Tinsukia.

That was the year we were introduced to the Indian Political System as a part of our Social Studies (Civics) syllabus.

We were taught how elections are conducted, how votes are cast, what is the correct way to cast vote using a ballot paper and other related aspects.

While teaching us the subject, our teacher (whose name I am unable to recollect) decided to hold a mock election in the class.

I guess we were 33 students in our section at that time. Out of these, four students were selected as candidates (2 boys and 2 girls). I was one of them. I don’t remember how the four of us were selected; neither do I remember who the other three ‘candidates’ were.

On the day of the ‘polling’, our teacher brought a ballot box made of cardboard and print outs of voter slips with our names on it. She then pasted an eraser to the end of a small stick and we had to press the eraser against the inkpad and then mark our vote against the name of our choice of ‘candidate’.

The ‘ballot box’ was kept on a table at the corner of the classroom.

Roll number-wise each student went and cast their respective votes.

After the ‘voting’ was complete, our teacher counted the votes. She then went and wrote the number of votes secured by the four candidates.

I don’t remember the exact number of votes the four of us got, but I remember that I secured more than 20 votes and was declared the winner.

That particular ‘victory’ somehow put a sense of political consciousness within me.

I got interested in politics and elections since then and have been following electoral developments both within and outside the country since then.

And with every passing election in India, I have realized that voter awareness have been increasing gradually.

Though people still get influenced by emotional gimmicks and electoral rhetoric, serious issues like unemployment, development projects, infrastructure, etc, are now considered by the voters before casting their vote.

As India goes on to elect a new set of representatives, let us all swear an oath that we all will vote based on the credibility and ability of a candidate and not based on that person’s caste or religion.

The Fire is Burning Again

1979: A Movement began in Assam against the illegal migration that was leading to demographic changes and was threatening the very socio-cultural fabric of the State.

2019: Four decades later the State seems to be getting ready for another such long period of agitation. But this time the issue of illegal migration also has a communal colour added to it.

And, all this courtesy of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016. The Bill seeks to provide citizenship to illegal migrants belonging to the Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi or Christian religious communities coming from Afghanistan, Bangladesh or Pakistan, who migrated to India till 31 December 2014.

And, what does that mean to Assam – this means that the State which has been trying to detect and deport illegal migrants from Bangladesh, who came after 25 March 1971, will now have to take the burden of all those Hindu illegal migrants who came to India till 31 December 2014.

Here, we need to be clear about one point – an illegal migrant is an illegal migrant irrespective of religion. Whether he/she is a Muslim or a Hindu, it does not matter. If they have entered India without valid documents, they need to be deported back.

The explanation given in favour of the Bill is that it is trying to protect the persecuted Hindus from these three countries. But the question is that how will one know whether they are really persecuted or not? A Hindu from Bangladesh may have entered India illegally to look for better economic opportunities; but, he may say that he had faced religious persecution in that country. Where is the proof of that? Who will verify the validity of his claim? This is an unanswered question, and, I think, it is also an unanswerable question.

And, since these persons have entered illegally there are no records of their date of entry. Anyone can claim that they have entered India before 31 December 2014. No way of checking this claim too!!

So, if the Bill is passed, any Hindu from Bangladesh can enter India illegally and say that they have entered India before 31 December 2014 and have been faced religious persecution. He can then apply for citizenship and then become an Indian citizen in due course of time. Who can stop him, when the law is on his side?

This means that we are now looking at another demographic invasion. But, this time it will target our language.

And it will also turn the entire NRC update futile.

This Bill has also revitalized the oldest insurgent group in the state – the ULFA. The outfit has grabbed the opportunity to attract youths to its fold and during the last few months around 30 youths have joined ULFA. And this also includes software engineers as well as management professionals. In fact, the outfit had also opened a Facebook page and within the first 20 hours, the page had received hundreds of ‘Likes’. Some youths even shared their mobile numbers on the page, expressing their desire to join the outfit. The Facebook page was blocked by the authorities, but it showed how there has been a rise of resentment among the masses against this decision of the Central government.

In such a situation, it can be observed that the call for ‘independence’ of Assam may rise again, if the Bill is passed by the Parliament.

A section of youths may take up arms once again.

In a democracy, it is essential that the Government listen to the views of the people.

It should remember that we are a ‘Secular Democratic Republic’ and the Government is elected by the people and they should govern as per the wish of the people.

And the people of Assam wish that the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill be scraped and thrown away in the dustbin.

Brazil: We Need the Cup Again

I was may be three or four years old – I don’t remember clearly. But, what I do remember that it was the first time I had watched the game of Football. I was with my uncle, standing near the field, watching players getting ready for the match.

Someone was saying, “Where is Pele?”

‘Pele’ – that was the first time I heard the name.

And, even after more than 25 years, I still vividly remember that voice and that sentence.

“There he is” – someone said as a man jumped and ran into the field. I only remember that he had worn yellow coloured socks.

I do not remember anything more about that day. My sub conscious mind stored only that memory. And, until I grew a few more years older, for me Pele was the guy whom I had seen that day.

Football once again entered my brain when I was nine years old. It was the year of the Football World Cup 1994. Brazil won the Cup, Romario and Bebeto’s name got inscribed in my brain and since then I became a devotee of Brazil. However, my only memory of that World Cup is the penalty that Roberto Baggio of Italy missed in the Final.

Football fever finally engulfed me during the World Cup 1998. I was hoping for a Brazil win and their loss in the final made me cry. I had even made posters with Brazil and Ronaldo’s name and pasted them in our drawing room prior to the final.

The next edition of the World Cup in 2002 finally put the smile back on my face. The mesmerizing display of football by Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho ensured that the Cup goes to Brazil. The free kick of Ronaldinho against England will forever be a special memory and he will always stay my favourite footballer of all time.

I am still waiting to see Brazil lift the Cup once again, after those agonizing defeats in the last three editions of the World Cup. Hope this year fulfils my wish.

Best of Luck, Neymar and Co!

Live it Up!

We want that Cup!

Songs and Nostalgia

Imagine a life without music?

Can you?

No, it’s quite difficult.

A few days ago I was watching a short video clip of one of Charlie Chaplin’s silent films. And then, it hit my mind. What if, there were no songs and music in our life? How dull it would have been.

I then realized how powerful songs are in evoking the various thought centres of our brain. I am sure many of you associate certain songs with certain events or happenings in your life.

I started thinking about some of such songs and found that I can almost relive my entire growing up years through certain songs.

While ‘Rangoli’ and ‘Chitrahaar’ gave us the first taste of bollywood songs, it was the songs of ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ that made the first indelible mark on my mind. The film had released around the time when I was in love for the first time, and the song ‘Tum Paas Aye’ was the reason for many a sleepless nights.

Over the years, as my love for her had increased, the voices of Kumar Sanu and Zubeen Garg kept me awake many a night. Starting from ‘Aashiqui’ to ‘Hiya Diya Nia’, those songs still find a place in my playlist.

And it was another musical night when I had proposed her. And for that reason the film ‘Pyaar, Ishq Aur Mohabbat’ and especially its song, ‘Jab Tujhe Maine Dekha Nahin Tha’, will always be embedded in my psyche. That song was playing in the background, while she had acknowledged that she too loves me!

There are also a few songs which I always associate with my Tezpur University days. There is a song by Zubeen Garg titled ‘Mon Heruwai’ from his album ‘Sabda’, which me and my roommate used to hear often. We were in the first semester and it was the onset of winter when we first heard the song. We feel in love with the song and used to listen to it every night. Whenever I listen to that song, my mind goes back to that wonderful ‘Winter of 2007’.

Another song that has always stayed with me is the evergreen classic by Kishore Kumar - ‘Mere Naina Sawaan Bhado’. At the hostel, I used to request my roommate to sing a song before going to sleep and this song was my most requested song. Even now, I sometimes call him up late in the night and request him to sing it for me.

With numerous songs being released almost every week nowadays, I have found that I have not been love with a new song for many years. I still listen to songs which I can associate with the early years of my life; maybe because I can relive those moments through these songs.

It seems Music can create Nostalgia at its best!