An Old (2006) Profile of Professor Vijay Prashad

Profile of Professor Vijay Prashad For Vijay Prashad, the assistant professor of International Studies at Trinity College, Connecticut, US, writing is not a profession but a passion. He claims to pen down his first book, a fiction, when he was barely sixteen. Though the book never saw the light of the day. “It was just the home assignment by my father during the summer break. But I admit it propounded a passion in me for writing, for the appreciation I received from my households,” informs Vijay, who was born in Calcutta, brought up in Delhi, did his schooling in Dehradoon before finally settled down in US. The college days in America played a pivotal role in shaping his future life. Reminiscing an event in US he says, “During my college life in US, I started participating in student politics and social activism. I used to actively participate in demonstrations against the anti-black policies of the government. During one of such demonstrations at El-Salvador, the police opened firing on the protest march of the agitating students, who were calling for the resettlement of black refugees. I was also among those students. Many students were killed, but somehow I managed to save my life. This accident cast a deep impact upon me and further substantiated my resolve to fight against the oppressive regimes.’ He adds further, “To garner the public opinion against the system, I started writing anti-government pamphlets and posters and when I joined Trinity College as a lecturer, writing became my second occupation besides teaching. In addition, I began to write regularly for some periodicals and magazines criticizing the imperialistic policies of US administration and racial discrepancies showed by the White against the Black.” It is interesting that he scribed his first published book during also the summer break in India. ‘Untouchable Freedom’ is about the Balmiki community, about its history, sociology. The book investigates the role of Balmikis in the anti-Sikh riots of 84. While his second book ‘The Karma of Brown Folk’ explores the life of Indian settled in US and the cultural diasporas. ‘War Against the Planet’ is the analysis of US war against Afghanistan in general and foreign policies of US government in particular. Being an expert on US foreign affairs, the main focus of Vijay Prashad’s writing remains around US intervention in international politics. His recently published book ‘Namaste Sharon’ throws light on new emerging trilateral friendship between India, Israel and America and its fallout on world affairs. Vijay Prashad has nine books under his belt to this date and his tenth book ‘Darker Nations: Rise and Fall of Thirld World’ is soon to be published. Besides a prolific author, Vijay Prashad is also a regular columnist of some national and international publications. His monthly column ‘Letter from America’ in the magazine ‘Frontline’ is said to be one of the best read columns by any NRI in India. Elaborating on the non-fiction writing, Vijay says, “Though the non-fiction writing has a very limited readership, still the fact that it is attached to the intellectual core of the society is the reason enough for a writer to inflate. Moreover, it is the most influential instrument to bring about the radical change in the society.” While there is quite a fan following behind him, Vijay himself is an ardent fan of Indian writers like Aijaj Ahmed and P. Sainath. “It is the original concern of the writer which I like most in a piece of writing,” says Prashad, who is presently in India working for his organization ‘Forum of Indian Leftists’.

Hope at India 69

15 August 2015 Today India marked its 69th Independence Day. Apart from patriotic fervour and celebratory mood, the day was significant as it was second Independence Day for the Modi government at the Centre. All eyes were fixed how he will address from the ramparts of the Red Fort. Will it be as charismatic a speech as he delivered last year when he was only three months old PM and had mesmerised everyone with his orataory skills. Well, he did mesmerise again, as far as my estimate goes, but it certainly fell short of charismatic parameter. Besides, Modi tried to become a little bit excessively animated while driving certain points home. His government of 15 months has definitely generated genuine confidence, but it has not done much except making promises and announcing schemes after schemes. Most satisfactory side of this government is that it has prevented any remarkable corruption to take root. Plus, on certain fronts like empowerment of poor, it has delivered Jan Dhan Yojna and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojna, which, if implemented properly, will definitely help empower the poor and uplift their living conditions. But, I personally want this government to also work on two major fronts: Education and Healthcare. All government schools and hospitals should at least be made functionary, if their standard is not raised. I am hopeful of this government...

Dilip Kumar at 92

Dilip Kumar, shehenshah e jazbaat (emperor of emotions) turned 92 today. Ailing actor has been favourite of all those having a slightest of aesthetic sense. Fate brought him into this world in Kissa khwani Bazar (market of story tellers) in a pathan family in Peshhawar. With little interest in acting and acutely shy of camera, he became actor, who with intitial bumpiness before camera, mesmerised cinebuffs in the last 70 years. I recently read about him in a compilation of Urdu press articles written about him over all these years. I was particularly impressed by his views about politics, literature and art of cinema in an interview with noted journalist Farooque Arghali. His profound views on politics and how failures in life and love makes a man a true connoisseurs of spoken and written word keep haunting me... I wish him good health.

Another Mandir-Masjid

Sambhal, a small town in Moradabad district, has been declared as a new district in UP by chief minister Mayawati. The move, political pundits say, aims to appease and entice the Muslim votes in upcoming 2012 Assembly election. While some pundits believe that it's also an effort to turn the mytholigical town (as some real pandits believe it to be the city where the Lord Vishnu will appear as Kalki avatar anytime in near future) into a town only, and hence the new town will be named Bhim Nagar as a tribute to the anti-Pandit Bhim Rao Ambedkar. My report on the aftermath of Ramzam riots in Moradabad digs into the story of Kalki avatar...Link below

http://www.sunday-guardian.com/investigation/mosque-temple-debate-turns-angry-in-pre-poll-sambhal

Al Qaeda at AMU

It's startling and annoying for those who take pride in the "Alig tag". And a much-sought after evidence for those who seek to malign the Muslim varsity. But, above it all, it exposes the evil designs of former HRD minister Arjun Singh, who otherwise feigned to be a friend of Muslims, and the stupidity of the current vice-chancellor P.K. Abdul Azis, a blockhead.

http://www.sunday-guardian.com/investigation/qaeda-link-accusations-anger-amu

Muslim catharsis

Conflict Zones by Ariful Islam At a time when we are witnessing flurry of conflicts in Islamic world, Professor Ariful Islam’s Conflict Zones, a novella, helps reminisce the catharsis a Muslim, a Alig variety, has endured over the years. He chronicles the journey of protagonist, Yamin, who confronts communal flare early in his life, witnessed and participated in how the student community responds to the problem. His discussions with his contemporaries on post-partition Muslim trauma, politics, rational and dogmatic Islam help him shape a scientific viewpoint on both his country and religion. And with such a mindset and youthful aspirations, he travels to Islamic lands. First stop is Basra, where he sees that Muslims become cannon fodder to Saddam’s arrogance and Khomeini’s over-blown Islamic ambitions. Before he could become psychic, he escapes to home to only later suffer a personal ordeal after a brief romantic sojourn in Kashmir, where a conflict, with Muslims at forefront, continues to rage. His Aligarh days come back, and so do old friends. With tea cups, come fresh arguments — mullahs still hold grip on community, political leadership brings no hope, Tablighi Jamaat will ruin Muslim youth... depression. And then again life beyond Aligarh. Cairo, circa 1990s, Arabs cheat Muslims in the name of Islam. And in Benghazi, Libya, a despot is promising salvation in the name of Islamic socialism and any dissenting voice is silenced. Though Ariful Islam’s narrative ends on a pessimistic note, his book comes at a time when there seems light at the end of tunnel and the world is transfixed at new developments in the Middle East. The book’s importance also lies in the fact that very few original works in English, fiction in particular, recounts student life at AMU, its intellectual vibrance and the campus’ penchant for taking up Muslim causes. Though Conflict Zones falls short of satiating literary perfectionist, it enlightens with new perspectives on religious and historical discourse on Muslims in India.

uns

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