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‘My Encounters with the Classical Cultures of East and West’

I saw “Music Room” in June 1965 with other world cinema classics. The film had an electrifying effect on me for I had never seen or heard Indian classical music before this was a revelation for me … writes Dilip Roy

“Do not lose your reverence for the past; it is on the past that you plant your foot firmly, if you wish to mount high in the future.”                       

Bankimchandra Chatterjee (1838 – 1894)

I was inducted into the classical cultures of East and West by two twentieth-century cultural giants of India namely Satyajit Ray and Zubin Mehta both of whom I have met personally. It was Satyajit Ray’s 1957 Bengali film Jalsaghar (The Music Room) as the title suggests the story revolves around classical music which used to be a passion for Zamindars (Landlords) of India as patrons, they used to host concerts by inviting famous musicians in their palaces and the people who attend these soirees would be well versed in the appreciation of classical music.

Ray with Ravi Shankar recording for Pather Panchali (Wikipedia)

 I saw “Music Room” in June 1965 with other world cinema classics. The film had an electrifying effect on me for I had never seen or heard Indian classical music before this was a revelation for me. Here was a cinema which had all the hallmarks of a powerful story combined with the best of classical music performed by some of the finest ensemble artists of India of such repute as Vilayat Khan, Bhismilla Khan, vocalists Begum Akhtar and Waheed Khan and dancer Roshan Kumari a well known Kathak exponent of India which was the highlight of the film. Since then this movie has become my all time favourite. Jalsaghar ran for full eight months in a Paris cinema Satyajit Ray told me personally when we last met.

The effect of Jalsaghar was so great that Indian classical music became a passion. I started collecting both vocal as well as instrumental records soon I had substantial numbers of vinyl collection. I also became a member of Indian cultural institute based in West London where I managed to see the performances of most of the veteran artists of India some are not even alive today. All this I would attribute to Satyajit Ray who himself was well versed in classical music. Ray also became my mentor as I was venturing into the world of cinema as a career. As far as Western classical music is concerned, it is maestro Zubin Mehta who is responsible for drawing my attention to it. like Ray, Mehta is the only world renowned Indian artist in the European classical world as conductor. It was the year 1990 when concert called TheThreeTenors was being broadcast on television live from Rome with world renowned singers. I watched with great pride and later I discovered that he is the most sought after conductor in the world today. Naturally, I started collecting DVD and vinyl records of Mehta and now I have excellent Mehta collection in my library.

Besides he is also responsible for opening up my eyes to the greatest European composers such as Beethoven, Mahler,  Mozart, Richard Strauss and Richard Wagner. It was a famous opera of Wagner called Tannhauser and Mehta as a conductor was being broadcast on television live from Munich in 1994 which I watched with great enthusiasm. Since then I discovered that Richard Wagner (1813-1883) was a unique 19th-century personality like most German contemporaries of his time were inspired by India’s classical literature and philosophy. He was a writer of prose works, composer, librettist and a philosopher and remains unmatched to date, a  supreme European artist the world has ever produced. Richard  Wagner is the Grandfather of European classical music says Maestro Zubin Mehta whose influence on other composers who came after him have been profound.  I have now a complete recording of Wagner operas and prose works in my collection and have become one of the greatest admirers of Richard Wagner. I also became a member of Wagner Society of London in 2010 and managed to get three articles published in the societies quarterly journal and between 2020-21 my articles on Wagner were published by Australia, New Zealand and Scotland Wagner societies respectively. I also managed to see Wagner’s other operas at London’s Royal Opera House. 

   

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SPECIAL: My personal reminiscences of the Master

Although a film buff myself, Ray’s influence on my life has been magnetic here I discovered the language of pure cinema. I decided to make film-making a career. In the sixties I came to Britain to study film technique and after finishing my course I was lucky enough to get a break in the industry as the sixties was quite a busy period at the time I was among  the three Indian technicians…. Writes Dilip Roy

“I have spent a fortune travelling to distant shores and looked at lofty mountains and boundless oceans, and yet I haven’t found time to take few steps from home to look at single dew drop on a single blade of grass.”    Rabindranath Tagore to young Satyajit age (7)

Geniuses are born only once in a lifetime. They come like a shooting star and fall on earth like a meteorite making a huge impact. Satyajit Ray (1921-1992) was one such meteorite whose indelible  influence in the world of art and intelligentsia is paramount. In 1956, the year Ray’s film Pather Panchali burst into the international scene by winning a special prize at Cannes and at Venice the following year for Aparajito. Since then Ray’s name became synonymous with the intellectual giants of world cinema such as Antonioni, Bergman and Kurosawa thus forming a quartet of world cinema along with other French new wave and Italian neo realist film directors of the fifties and sixties. Ray went on to win top prizes at every major film festivals of the world. As a complete film maker his was a singular achievement in World Cinema and for nearly forty years he carried the can for India in the international film scene.

Satyajit Ray working on “The Apu Trilogy”

Although a film buff myself, Ray’s influence on my life has been magnetic here I discovered the language of pure cinema. I decided to make filmmaking a career. In the sixties I came to Britain to study film technique and after finishing my course I was lucky enough to get a break in the industry as the sixties was quite a busy period at the time I was among  the three Indian technicians. At the London’s National Film Theatre where one could the see the cream of World cinema naturally I became a member and I would manage to see every Ray film shown at the London film festival. However, my first glimpse of the man was in the 1968 London film festival when he came to introduce his film Adventures of Goopy and Bagha standing at the mike and speaking eloquently in a baritone voice  he was as majestic as Kanchenjunga it was then I decided to meet my mentor.

Smaran Ghosal as Apu in “Aparajito”

It happened on the 5th of July 1974 when Ray came to receive an honorary degree by the Royal College of Art London for his contribution to Cinema. That evening a buffet was organized in collaboration with the British Film Institute and the Indian High Commission in Ray’s honour and being among the invited guests, naturally I was introduced to him by PR officer Pamela Cullen of Indian High Commission who introduced me as I was one of the few Indians working in the British film industry at the time. I was a bit nervous at first to meet such a huge Icon but Ray managed to put me at ease although our conversation was short with so many people around him, I shall always treasure the photograph of myself with Ray which the NFT photographer so kindly obliged.

ALSO READ – Legacy Goes Beyond

The poster size photograph now hangs in my main room. I met Ray again on 25th Oct. 1975 when he was invited as the chief guest on the 50th anniversary of British Federation of Film Societies and I had the opportunity to meet him once again. After his lecture at NFT I met him in the lobby and as I had a copy of Marie Seton’s biography of Ray with me which he autographed in English and the commemorative brochure which I had he insisted that he will sign it in Bengali to which I happily agreed.

Actor Soumitra Chatterjee during inauguration of Nemai Ghosh’s photo exhibition “Satyajit Ray The Many Moods of a Maestro” in Kolkata, on May 30, 2017. (Photo IANS)

However, my happiest and last meeting with the Maestro was on 12th May 1982 when in London he was invited at a private gathering, being one of the few guests, this was a big moment for me for almost an hour sitting right next to the grand master of World cinema it was an exhilarating experience for me since the crowd was small I could keep him engaged in topics like world cinema. I told him about my meeting with him twice before, which he remembered. Ray asked me what I was doing so I told him my forthcoming engagement with Attenborough’s film Gandhi he was keen to know about my involvement in the movie so I told him that I was going to be one of the assistant editors Ray being an ace editor himself, he was also keen to know about main actors since he has already worked with Attenborough in his film The Chess Players.

He also asked how did I get involved in the British film industry. So my answer was I came into the picture when there was a boom between 1966 to 1970 when American companies like Columbia, Paramount, MGM and Universal were financing most of the productions but a lot of movies were box office failures hence the Americans stopped financing. However, I did manage to work with Oscar winning veteran actress Joan Crawford’s last film TROG a science fiction movie. I told Ray that I had two letters from her and asked me visit her if ever I came to America looking back that was the biggest mistake of my life of not taking the opportunity and thus my ambition of the American dream remained unfulfilled which I regret to this day.      

Ray with Ravi Shankar recording for Pather Panchali (Wikipedia)

April 1992 was year of both joy as well as sorrow. It was a sheer delight to hear on the news   that Ray was being honoured by the American Academy with a special OSCAR for the lifetime achievement for his contribution to the world of cinema. In its 64 year history of OSCAR Ray became the first Indian to receive this supreme honour a crowning glory for a man who put India on the cultural map of the world. Unfortunately, as he was too ill to attend the ceremony, the Academy made a special arrangement to televise the entire  presentation by none other than the famous actress Audrey Hepburn. Ray from the Calcutta hospital bed, holding the golden statute in hand he said this is” greatest accolade for a film maker.” Ray passed away on 23rd April leaving the world that much poorer. Ray’s demise was not only a great loss for India, but to the entire cultural establishment of the world.

Bellow is the greatest tribute paid by one of the greatest fellow film-makers of 20th century

“not to have seen the films of Satyajit Ray would mean existing in the world without seeing the sun or the moon.”                                           (Akira Kurosawa)

Postscript: I have also had the opportunity to meet three giants of Cinema. Antonioni, Bergman and Kurosawa at the BFI’s Guardian lecture series.

A noted author and film critic Penelope Houston observed in her excellent little book (The Contemporary Cinema published 1963) states “Until someone else comes along to change it, Satyajit Ray’s Bengal will be the Cinema’s India.”

ALSO READ – Saudha Celebrates Satyajit’s Birth Centenary

ALSO READ – US Experts Restore Ray’s Apu Trilogy

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Journalists, General Rani Aur ISI Chief

India Pakistan border

Kudos to Hamid Mir. Because of your statement, the army is back in the dock over another General Rani … writes Kaliph Anaz. Buzz in Pakistan about the ISI Chief caught by his wife with another girl and the banning of senior Pakistan TV personality Hamid Mir after he made the allegation is turning into a potboiler

While the curious case of General Rani linked to the present ISI Chief Faiz Hameed has erupted, Pakistan’s original General Rani was Aqleem Akhtar. According to a report in Friday Times, in the late 1960s she began being called General Rani (the Queen General). Between 1969 and 1971 she was considered to be perhaps the most powerful woman in Pakistan.

 A muse and mistress of Pakistani dictator, General Yahya Khan, and many-a-times the main brain behind the swinging General’s regime, General Rani was the person a number of bureaucrats and politicians approached when they wanted Yahya’s attention, the report said.

As per the report, when a leftist movement between 1968 and 1969 forced General Ayub Khan to resign as head of state, he installed Yahya Khan as the country’s new Martial Law Administrator. It was at this point that Aqleem began being called (in the press), ‘General Rani.’ It is believed that apart from looking after Yahya’s ferocious appetite for booze and women, she also began “advising” him on policy and political matters.

  Those who met her in those days described her to be far more informed and astute in the field of politics than Yahya, the report said.

There are reports that a daughter of General Rani is a famous journalist of Pakistan. This journalist was present at the house of the Pakistani intelligence agency, ISI Chief, seeing that the ISI Chief’s wife opened fire. GEO TV anchor Hamid Mir has threatened to make more disclosures if the Pakistan enforcement attacks more journalists.

  This journalist-daughter of General-Rani is also a close friend of a political leader of north India.

 Mir alluded to a shooting at the house of the Chief of ISI of Pakistani intelligence agency. It is said that his wife fired at a call-girl at home for calling her home.

 Buzz in Pakistan about the ISI Chief was caught by his wife with another girl and the banning of senior Pakistan TV personality Hamid Mir after he made the allegation is turning into a potboiler. 

Safety of journalists

Meanwhile, the  Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the International Commission of Jurists said the recent attacks and growing pressure on journalists who criticize the Pakistan government is a cause for serious concern.

The rights forums said those suspected of criminal responsibility should be promptly and fairly prosecuted.

The Pakistan government should conduct prompt, impartial, and effective investigations into the recent number of attacks on journalists. The government should rescind official policies that protect the authorities from criticism and instead promote space for public debate and free expression, in the face of threats from extremist groups and government officials.

 “The frequency and audacity with which journalists are being attacked in Pakistan is appalling,” said Brad Adams, Asia director. “The Pakistani authorities should bring those responsible for these attacks to justice and ensure that all journalists can do their jobs without fear of intimidation or reprisals.”

On May 25, 2021, Asad Ali Toor, a journalist, was assaulted by three unidentified men who forcibly entered his apartment in Islamabad. They bound and gagged Toor and severely beat him. Toor said that they identified themselves as being from a security agency, interrogated him about the “source of his funds,” and took away his cell phone and other electronic devices. The government ordered an investigation into the incident. In September 2020, the authorities charged Toor with sedition for comments made on social media “maligning state institutions.” A court later dismissed the charges.

On April 20, an unidentified assailant shot and wounded Absar Alam, a television journalist, outside his house in Islamabad. Alam has been a prominent critic of the government. In September 2020, the authorities charged Alam with sedition and “high treason” for using “derogatory language” about the government on social media.

On July 21, 2020, an unidentified assailant abducted another journalist, Matiullah Jan, in Islamabad the day before he was to appear before the Supreme Court for allegedly “using derogatory/contemptuous language and maligning the institution of judiciary.” Jan was released after a few hours. He alleged the abduction was an attempt to intimidate him. A criminal case was registered for Jan’s abduction, but no suspects have been arrested.

“It is disturbing to see the space for dissent and providing information of public importance rapidly shrink in Pakistan, with journalists as well as human rights defenders particularly at risk of censorship, physical violence, and arbitrary detention,” said Sam Zarifi, secretary general of the International Commission of Jurists.

Pakistani journalists have long faced serious obstacles to their work, including harassment, intimidation, assault, arbitrary arrest and detention, abduction, and death. As these threats have escalated, Pakistani authorities have also increasingly pressured editors and media owners to shut down critical voices. On May 29, the news channel, Geo, “suspended” Hamid Mir, one of Pakistan’s best-known television talk show hosts, after he spoke at a protest in solidarity with Asad Toor.

Other media outlets have come under pressure from authorities not to criticize government institutions or the judiciary. In several cases in recent years, government regulatory agencies blocked cable operators and television channels that had aired critical programs. In 2020, Pakistan ranked ninth on the Committee to Protect Journalist’s annual Global Impunity Index, with at least 15 unsolved killings of journalist since 2010.

In July 2020, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) ordered 24NewsHD, a television news channel, off the air indefinitely for the alleged “illegal transmission of news and current affairs content.” Journalists and opposition activists alleged that the channel was being punished for airing criticism of the government.

In August 2020, a group of leading women journalists issued a statement condemning a “well-defined and coordinated campaign” of social media attacks, including death and rape threats against women journalists and commentators whose reporting has been critical of the government.

 “If the authorities are committed to uphold their human rights obligations, they must take decisive steps against censorship, harassment, and violence against journalists,” said Dinushika Dissanayake, South Asia deputy regional director at Amnesty International. “For that, continued impunity must be dismantled.”

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SPECIAL: Matt Hancock Must Go

If Matt Hancock was a doctor, he’d be facing the General Medical Council’s (GMC) Fitness to Practice panel for his incompetence and lies. He is not fit to be a practice manager of a GP surgery, let alone a health secretary. He should be sacked immediately …… writes Dr Kailash Chand

I agree with DC!  Who can disagree with Boris Johnson’s Man Friday Dominic Cummings when he asked for Health Secretary Matt Hancock to be sacked for “criminal” behaviour and consistent lies?

I have watched more than a dozen health secretaries since I came to UK in 1978, and I have never encountered a health secretary who is incompetent, lies so regularly, so shamelessly and as systemically as, Matt Hancock.

The department of health was a “smoking ruin” in the early days of the COVID pandemic, and remains in shambles.

The government’s procurement system before 2020 was an “expensive disaster zone” and when the coronavirus pandemic hit, it “completely fell over.” He claimed putting s shields around ‘CARE HOMES ‘quite the opposite he did, he sent the people with covid back to care homes to die. Throughout this pandemic, Matt Hancock consistently exhibited that he prioritises the interests of private companies’ profits over public health. That’s why he handed billions of pounds of contracts to Tory party donners and his mates in the private sector rather than invested properly in our NHS and local public health teams.

DR KAILASH CHAND: I have watched more than a dozen health secretaries since I came to the UK in 1978, and I have never encountered a health secretary who is incompetent, lies so regularly, so shamelessly and as systemically as, Matt Hancock. The department of health was a “smoking ruin” in the early days of the COVID pandemic, and remains in shambles

I have watched more than a dozen health secretaries since I came to UK in 1978, and I have never encountered a health secretary who is incompetent, lies so regularly, so shamelessly and as systemically as, Matt Hancock.

The department of health was a “smoking ruin” in the early days of the COVID pandemic, and remains in shambles

Matt Hancock’s track record is plain for all to see. An NHS on its knees, broken, flailing, over 128,000 died, including over 900 health workers in the pandemic and now patients suffering in their millions on waiting lists.

He has managed to insult and alienate NHS staff across the board. Including GPs and consultants, who are considering retiring early is staggeringly high and is a huge worry for the NHS and patient care. The health service could be left with a shortage of clinicians, with the remaining doctors spread too thinly. This has huge implications for recruitment and retention for the medical profession. We will have fewer staff in an even less safe NHS coping with post covid illness.

If Matt Hancock was a doctor, he’d be facing the General Medical Council’s (GMC) Fitness to Practice panel for his incompetence and lies. He is not fit to be a practice manager of a GP surgery, let alone a health secretary. He should be sacked immediately.

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KERALA: Catching the winds of change

Pinarayi Vijayan’s historic victory vindicates the Communist-led Left Democratic Front government’s people-focus rule …. Writes Sabin Iqbal

Not every firebrand, trigger-happy revolutionary gets the opportunity to become a seasoned statesman. Particularly, not one with a history of violent political feuds and a tempestuous past. As one attains political and leadership maturity, and becomes a people’s leader in a democracy, the angry storms of youth and an incendiary party are tamed, and tucked within, paving the way for a new brand of communist.

Pinarayi Vijayan takes oath second time as the cm of kerala . (Photo:pallav paliwal)

For years, Pinarayi Vijayan has been laying brick after brick to build this new visage of a communist leader, who is people-focused and investor-friendly.

Not many has his uncanny ability or the opportunity to weather the self-destructive storms within, and emerge as a statesman, standing up for his people, leading them in times of catastrophes, and giving them a glimmer of hope in a time of hovering dark clouds of communal hatred and religious and doctrinal polarisation.

The first chief minister of Kerala to overcome the anti-incumbency electoral pattern of the state to assume power in successive terms, Vijayan has shown flashes of transformation into a statesman, a far cry from his ‘eye-for-eye’ and ‘tooth-for-tooth’ image of his youth with ‘burning eyes and fiery tongue’. In other words, a walking away from the once unalloyed brand of communism to a corporate-friendly version. He may have his reasons for the drift, and they have been validated by the historical victory in successive elections.

His address to the people of Kerala on the day of the historical win on May 2 in which he underlined the importance of taking people into confidence, and of governance for the benefit of the people, we heard the early echoes of a leader trying to break free of political confines.

“This victory belongs to the people of Kerala. I thank you all for reposing faith in the LDF (Left Democratic Front) once again. We need to come together more than ever before to tackle this pandemic and to take Kerala forward in the path of development, welfare and secularism!” he tweeted. He also came down heavily on the UDF (United Democratic Front) legislator who moved court against the government’s Life Mission project. “In such times of disasters and distress, we should stand together, across the lines party divide,” he said in his victory speech.

Over the years, Vijayan has smudged the veracity of the red, drawing flak for his alleged soft-pedalling with the corporates, taking the party towards some detours which have not gone down well with the ‘puritans’ in the party. But Vijayan has evolved into a practical and pragmatic leader, and what we see now are also the signs of him evolving into a possible statesman of a leader.

If we look across Southeast Asia, we see the communist governments changing tack or facing the anger of the people because of the increasing degree of poverty and suffering. Doctrinal chimeras cannot keep hungry people quiet for long.

In fact, the floods that inundated Kerala in an unprecedented way, and the outbreak of Nipah virus, the cyclone that ravaged the southern coastal villages and now the coronavirus wreaking havoc have tempered and conditioned the leader in Vijayan. Crises bring forth character,  and in his case, it has brought forth the inherent leadership qualities.

Not that he is going to have a walk in the park.

It is no secret that Kerala’s economy is a dog’s dinner. A consumer state, Kerala depends heavily on tourism, foreign exchange, taxes on booze, and, to an extent, returns from its IT industry. But that’s not enough to keep the wolf at bay. Successive governments have borrowed from international agencies, pushing the state into debt. Despite the high-brow projects under KIIFB (Kerala Infrastructure Investment Funds Board), the exchequer is as good as scraping empty.

Kerala’s total debt burden has seen an increase of 70.21 per cent in the five years from 2014-15 to 2018-19. The total burden of debts and interest was Rs 1,41,947 crore in 2014-15, and it shot up to Rs 2,41,615 crore in 2018-19, according to the CAG report. The per capita debt has also seen an increase from Rs 42,499 in 2014-15 to Rs 66,561 in 2018-19.

Vijayan has no magic wand. He came to power in the first term on a slogan that ‘LDF will set everything right’. Not that everything has been set right. But in the last five years, people in Kerala knew that there was a leader in place. Someone who had the chutzpah to stand up against the diktats of a Hindu right-wing Union government. He took them on, but brought it on his government what according to him was a witch-hunt by central agencies with a clear political agenda.

Now that he has won the people’s  mandate for another five years on the promise of ‘delivering the promises’, the BJP, licking its electoral wounds and baying for his political blood, will make sure that the coming tenure will not be an easy ride for Vijayan or the LDF. Stifling the already-choked State for funds could be an easy method. The possible continuation of the central agencies’ intervention in the State’s affairs looms large.

Not that Vijayan is a saintly leader. Never. In fact, he has, at times, shown signs of highhandedness. He has earned the tag of ‘Modi in mundu’ for his style of leadership which often borders on being haughty and arrogant—at least to those outside the ring of his trusted allies and sycophants. Despite the occasional aberrations of oneupmanship and haughtiness, which may be forgiven in the larger context of able governance, and his ‘serious and hard-to-please look’, Vijayan the chief minister has begun to show signs of mellowing.

But the decision to bring in all-new cabinet for the second tenure was a surprise move. Though it has been termed as a decision by the party, one cannot absolve Vijayan of any role in the decision. Leaving out KK Shailaja Teacher, who had done remarkably well as Health Ministry and was hugely popular, was a real surprise move.

The UDF, especially Congress Party, has shrunk into insignificance. There has to be much soul-searching for the party, and its groups. They will be better off if they take a leaf out of the LDF’s book. Choosing a relative younger VD Satheeshan as Opposition leader is a welcome sign.

The new-gen communist leaders know that it is imperative that they catch the winds of change, lest they face the fate of the Congress Party.(A senior journalist, Sabin Iqbal is the author of two novels, The Cliffhangers, and Shamal Days.)

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Antisemitism and World Media

Gaza-Israel-Palestine

Israel’s blatant disregard for the laws of war by bringing down the building which housed major international media outlets shows that not only did Israel have no intention of stopping the bombardment in Gaza but wanted – or even needed – to mute the voice of the media in Palestine … writes Taha Coburn-Kutay

With solidarity for the Palestinians being shown in major cities like Melbourne, Paris, London, New York, Frankfurt, Berlin, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Karachi, Rabat and many more, the Western media – which is largely funded by major Jewish corporations and lobbying groups – are on a sticky wicket.

This dilemma was most recently highlighted by the Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, in an interview with CNN, where he was accused of being antisemitic for passing a comment on the Western media promoting the Zionists’ occupation of Palestine. Mr Qureshi was quick in rebutting this accusation and highlighted that Israel has misused its power by knowingly killing children and other innocent civilians.

Leaders of Western governments were quiet before their own officials started asserting pressure on them to call for a ceasefire. The world has witnessed how Israel has misused the firepower and technology that it has amassed using funds largely donated by The United States of America. Meanwhile, Jordan, Egypt and Pakistan have played major roles in achieving the current ceasefire yet have not been credited by Western media for this, rather have been painted as secondary players with the USA and its allies taking centre stage in negotiations. Putting pressure on Israel to maintain the current ceasefire, the real peacekeepers Jordan, Egypt and Pakistan have warned there will be consequences—one need not think to hard what this may mean for the wider region.

The Western media saw increased traffic on both old and new media platforms, with the traditional support for Israel waning as younger generations showed support for Palestine. With supply and demand leading the market, as viewers become sympathetic toward Palestine, media will eventually reflect this shift in how it covers the ongoing Israel-Palestine issue. Israel’s blatant disregard for the laws of war by bringing down the building which housed major international media outlets shows that not only did Israel have no intention of stopping the bombardment in Gaza but wanted – or even needed – to mute the voice of the media in Palestine.

Smoke billows following an Israeli airstrike on Jala Tower, which housed offices of Al-Jazeera TV and Associated Press as well as residential apartments, in Gaza City. (Photo by Rizek AbdeljawadXinhuaIAN

But mainstream media is no longer the only player in these conflicts. For the first time in generations, people all over the world turned their attention to the tumultuous strip of land known as Gaza and largely gave their support for Palestine. What changed? Social media. One of the major factors that affected how this conflict was reported this time around was the amount of civilian-led news that was released from Gaza via social media, putting pressure on mainstream media to report on what they were sharing. But as more videos, photos and reports of Israel targeting civilians in Gaza were shared, Facebook started to censor posts in support and solidarity of Palestine, while pro-Israel content was largely left untouched. Facebook claims this was an error in their algorithm – its up to us as users of the platform to decide if we believe that.

With the most current conflict, support for Palestine in the UK was overwhelming. This may be a redefining moment for how media covers and shows a conflict like Israel-Palestine, as the masses will gravitate toward the media outlet that best reflects their own views. Advertisers will always go with media outlets with highest viewership and readers, adding further pressure on the media to show a balanced view of these conflicts, which is what the public is demanding.

The world has waited more than seven decades for the so-called Superpowers to broker peace in one of the world’s most tumultuous regions. Western media has blood on their hands by furthering the instability by not reporting a balanced view of the conflict. After more than 70 years, it is now normal people across the world who are affecting the most change by shunning biased media, using social media to report a balanced story, and showing their leaders that we will no longer accept silence on these conflicts as being ‘neutral’ – indeed, saying nothing, is saying something.

READ MORE: Gaza turns into graveyard, deaths near 200

READ MORE: India clears stand on Gaza violence

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Starmer’s Struggles To Engage With Labour Ranks & Files

When a person does not start a life, they were expecting, there is dissent. Labour must go to the grassroots to encounter this dissent. When we talk about grass roots, the leader of the Labour party must be from the grassroots than from a privileged background … writes Taha Coburn-Kutay

Labour lost one of its safe seat Hartlepool under the leadership of Sir Keir Starmer.  He failed to keep the Labour voters in the fold. Where did the disconnect happen? The Labour party should be asking itself this question and in retrospect should go back not too much into the distant past but about couple of decades. It is my belief that every nation’s make, or break is in the hands of the students and youngsters of a country. After Tony Blair took power in 1997, his government levied a fee of £1000 as higher education fees and subsequently increased it to £3000 in 2006 during his second term.

Sir Keir Starmer

The Conservative and Liberal Democrats increased the fee to £9000 in 2010. When you ask the students about the fee issue, they blame the Labour government more than the Conservative Liberal Democrats because the fee increase was initiated by Labour.

What is seen in the media is for optics but not the ground reality. Majority of students cannot afford the £9000 fee and turn to student loans which is turn eventually become bad debt for the exchequer because most of these students are not able to get a job straight out of university. This is because when the student took a course to study, they were not sure of the course and halfway through the course realise they do not want to carry on and drop out. Eventually they do not have the skills to get a job of their choice and cannot pay their loans back which then has a negative effect on their credit history. I have explained this because this is where the problem lies and starts from to begin.

When a person does not start a life, they were expecting, there is dissent. Labour must go to the grass roots to encounter this dissent. When we talk about grass roots, the leader of the Labour party must be from the grass roots than from a privileged background. The world is experiencing a right wing thought process and this needs to change.

The Fabian society started in 1884 and gave the United Kingdom a thought process which changed the country after the second world war when Prime Atlee’s government came to power in 1945. Maybe we need the Fabian society to come with a fresh though process for the present time and bring youngster to the forefront. The dissent must be heard at the grassroots whether it is the students or workers across the UK. There must be a strategy to work on the dissent which is found through the research work. By passing mere statements in the media and changing a few officials will not get the party back together.

Indian-origin Labour MPs – Virendra Sharma and Tan Dhesi

The unity of the union is at risk where Scotland is demanding a vote for independence and Welsh youngsters have started voicing for an independence vote too. We have seen rioting in the recent past in Northern Ireland. These issues must be addressed head-on by the Labour party or face another humiliating defeat in the next general elections.

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AL AQSA RAIDS: The Silence of the West

Look around both Israel and Turkey, everything is destroyed in the Middle East. Name one country which is prospering in the Middle East. The same forces which were behind the creation of the Middle East are now behind dismantling and weakening it for their greater good. This issue will become larger by the day and will engulf more nations in the region…. Writes Taha Coburn-Kutay

The Western nations have come to the realisation that both the Turkish and Israelis have become too strong in the Middle East, the only way to tame is them is, get them to fight each other and destroy themselves (Divide and Rule). Turkey is getting involved in the current situation by warning Israel to stop the occupation and aggression towards the Palestinians plus the Al-Aqsa mosque.

Historically Turkey which was carved out of the Ottoman Empire had great influence and was involved in the region deeply. Turkey has gained its prominence and influence back in the region and has been compared to the Ottoman Empires influence throughout the world.

When the Middle East was being carved out by Sykes and Picot (1915-16), the negotiations were hard, and no one knew behind closed doors in secret, how the Middle East will be shaped up by two men who had no or little knowledge about the region. The plan was being hatched to demolish the Ottoman Empire and take over the Middle East as per the fancies of these two men. Not that they knew that two nations will come out this plan eventually, Turkey took shape in 1923 whereas Israel came into existence much later in 1948. Both nations have made great strides economically, in defence and now dominance in the region plus globally.

Now that I have given you the information in history, let us look at the current affairs and crisis in Occupied Jerusalem. Al-Aqsa has been flared up for reasons even unknown to the Palestinians, this is not an occupation by Israel problem anymore. This has turned into a much larger problem of the Middle East and may engulf northern Africa too.  Look around both Israel and Turkey, everything is destroyed in the Middle East. Name one country which is prospering in the Middle East. The same forces which were behind the creation of the Middle East are now behind dismantling and weakening it for their greater good. This issue will become larger by the day and will engulf more nations in the region. Countries like Russia, China, Pakistan is already in the region by proxy.

What amazes me is that no one in the Muslim world is talking about the Treaty of Lausanne which will end on 24th July 2023 and how will the Muslim world shape up. I want to ask the readers and run a competition, who can tell me and the wider community about how many Leaders in the Muslim world even know about the treaty of Lausanne and what do you think will happen to the Middle East thereafter. Is the current situation a start to the end of 2023? Let us hear your comments. 

In addition to the above, the favourite country of the west, Saudi Arabia is trying to woo Pakistan again because they know someone must take the bullet and fight for them when the time comes to go war within the region.

(The opinions in this article are of the Author. Please send your comments to newsdesk@asianlite.com)

Taha Coburn-Kutay
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Imran in a fix as Islamic fundamentalists flex muscles

The ban on Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan exposed the Imran Khan government’s failure to stem the growing fundamentalism in the country. The ban won’t solve the problem. TLP will reborn with a new title and continue its attack on a civil society. If the threat posed by Islamic fundamentalist organisations goes unchallenged, the day will not be too far when Pakistan helplessly witnesses itself being internationally isolated in a changing world … Dr Sakariya Kareem

The genie is out of the bottle now. The last few weeks have been turbulent for Pakistan. During this period, the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), an Islamic fundamentalist organisation orchestrated violent protests in all major cities of the country including Lahore, Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Hundreds have been injured and a dozen have died during these violent clashes between TLP supporters and security personnel.

Protest of TLP Lahore, Pakistan(wikipedia)

These protests sparked few months ago, when in October 2020, the French President Emmanuel Macron strongly defended the right to show cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as part of freedom of expression, which he believed was integral to the French Republic. It may be recalled that on October 16, 2020, a French school teacher, Samuel Patty, was brutally decapitated in the suburbs of Paris by a Chechen youth for displaying cartoons of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in the classroom.

The French assertion prompted anger in parts of the Muslim world, particularly in Pakistan, where thousands of protestors rallied all over the country against the republication of the controversial cartoons. The TLP, which was spearheading the protest movements, had urged the Pakistan government to sever all diplomatic and trade ties with France.

Meanwhile, the Pakistani establishment had struck a deal with the Islamist organisation of making efforts to expel the French Envoy as sought by them, in the hope that the issue would die down in due course of time. However, much to their dismay in March this year, the TLP again raised the matter and announced an ultimatum over the departure of the French Envoy and boycott of French products. The government inaction and false promises resulted in massive protests across the country as stated earlier.

The protests further escalated with the arrest of Saad Hussain Rizvi, the young leader of the TLP and son of late Khadim Hussain Rizvi, its founder who died in November 2020. The protestors demanded immediate release of their leader, expulsion of the French Ambassador and boycott of all French products. But given Pakistan’s vulnerable position in the global geopolitics, it would be ridiculous for the country, to give in to the demands of boycotting France and isolating itself internationally.      

Thus in a catch 22 situation, while portraying itself as one of the protectors of the Muslim Ummah, the clashes left the Pakistani Establishment completely red faced and unprepared to take a stand. This was evident from the statement of Pakistan’s Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed who while addressing a press conference on April 14, stated that the nation was “in favour of protecting the Prophet’s honour” but that the TLP’s demands “could have portrayed Pakistan as a radical nation worldwide”. In order to save its face in front of the international community, the Pakistan government finally banned TLP on April 15, and issued a notification categorizing it as a proscribed, terrorist organisation with authorities saying they would move the Election Commission to delist the group as a political party. But it is imperative to understand that banning TLP alone won’t solve the problem of rising religious extremism in Pakistan.

Many extremist groups have been banned in Pakistan before too but they tend to reappear with new names. Further, Pakistani political parties, including the one in power right now, have traditionally harped on the support of these Islamist groups to run the Government. Hence a move to ban a political party from which it elicited tacit support could go against any government of the day.  Also, keeping in mind the FATF sanctions, this move of banning the religious extremist party could be perceived as a mere cosmetic measure. This was evident when the Government began negotiating with the ‘proscribed’ group to end the violence, release its security personnel who were held ‘hostage’ and agree to a truce where it succumbed to the demands of the pressure group.

The country’s political establishment, the military, have all historically used Islamist groups to strengthen their anti-India narrative. However, it is time Pakistan realizes that not only the TLP but the other extremist organizations like Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JUD), Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) etc. are also proving to be the albatross around its neck that it needs to get rid of. If the threat posed by these Islamic fundamentalist organizations goes unchallenged, the day will not be too far when Pakistan helplessly witnesses itself being internationally isolated in a changing world.

Under these circumstances, the Pakistani Prime Minister, Imran Khan had clarified through a tweet that his Government took action against the TLP under the anti-terrorist Law for challenging the writ of the State, for using street violence and attacking the public and the law enforcers. Admittedly, the logical corollary to this candid clarification by the Pakistani Premier is the fact that had the TLP not vented its ire against the Pakistani establishment using violence and not dared to violate the law of the land, the authorities would have taken no action against the group.

As a fall out, the crackdown by the Pakistan government on the TLP has earned the wrath of its diaspora across the globe. The Sunni Ulema Board, South Africa (SUBSA) went onto hold the prime minister and Home Minister Sheikh Rasheed responsible for the killings of civilians in Lahore who were participating in these protests. The attacks have also been vehemently condemned and termed senseless and brutal by the SUBSA.

The Muslim community of South Africa has further demanded that the Pakistan government stop these human rights violations and its support to state terrorism, killing of civilians in police custody and silencing of the media. They also apparently alleged use of chemical weapons by the government to crush the TLP protests.

Essentially Pakistan, at every step of the evolution of the Islamic outfit Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), let the Islamic group grow in scope and exercise clout on all matters of religious and even political significance. As is known, the country’s political establishment, the military, have all historically used Islamist groups to strengthen their anti-India narrative. However, it is time Pakistan realizes that not only the TLP but the other extremist organizations like Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JUD), Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) etc. are also proving to be the albatross around its neck that it needs to get rid of. If the threat posed by these Islamic fundamentalist organizations goes unchallenged, the day will not be too far when Pakistan helplessly witnesses itself being internationally isolated in a changing world.

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‘Basic Right to Breathe’

British Asian Trust’s ‘Oxygen for India’ emergency appeal will raise funds for oxygen concentrators, and together with local partners in India, will rapidly deploy them to the hospitals and patients that need them most …. A comment by Soumik Saha

Nations all over the world have stood by India’s side in its darkest hour. While the US, the UK, and the EU have already supplied medical support, liquid oxygen has been procured from Singapore and the UAE. Words of help and support have reached even from Pakistan. 

The British Asian Trust, a Prince of Wales’ Charity, launched an emergency appeal ‘Oxygen for India’ to aid the deepening Covid-19 crisis in India.

British Asian Trust’s ‘Oxygen for India’ emergency appeal will raise funds for oxygen concentrators, and together with local partners in India, will rapidly deploy them to the hospitals and patients that need them most. 

Hitan Mehta, Executive Director, British Asian Trust says: “The astronomical numbers of Covid-19 cases and deaths in India are frightening and we fear there is still a peak to come. What we can do now is provide essential support as quickly as possible to help those most in need. Our ‘Oxygen for India’ emergency appeal has been set up to provide vital supplies and equipment to save lives. We simply cannot stand by and do nothing.”

All funds raised by the ‘Oxygen for India’ emergency appeal will go towards providing as many oxygen concentrators to hospitals as quickly as possible. Oxygen concentrators are alternate devices to oxygen cylinders – while cylinders contain a finite amount of oxygen supply, a concentrator continually recycles oxygen from the air and delivers it to the patient.

Actor and British Asian Trust ambassador Nitin Ganatra shared his thoughts on Twitter: “Devastating scenes in India where people are dying in the streets due to Covid-19, please take a look at the British Asian Trust’s emergency appeal. Please share. #OxygenForIndia Please give generously.”

A donation of £50 will provide oxygen for 40 patients struggling to breathe, £450 will provide a low-flow oxygen concentrator to help 900 patients and an £830 donation will provide a high-flow oxygen concentrator to help 550 of the most seriously ill patients.

Manish Tiwari, Managing Director, Here & Now 365 said: “This is a vital appeal to provide emergency support to those in India suffering the most during one of the worst periods of the pandemic. Working alongside Sunrise Radio and NDTV 24×7 we hope to raise as much awareness and funds as possible to support the British Asian Trust’s Oxygen for India appeal.”

The Oxygen for India emergency appeal is being supported by the British International Doctor’s Association (BIDA) who has partnered with the British Asian Trust to help raise funds, with a target of raising £100,000.

Who is to be blamed for this man-made disaster? The forewarnings were overlooked in the Election frenzy that had already engulfed the five contesting States by then. Even the basic Covid19 rules disappeared in the hysteria of competitive political rallies. Hundreds of thousands, gathered to be seduced by the pompous orations of their leaders without masks and social distancing protocols went for a toss. 

The first case of coronavirus in India was detected in January 2020 and the country went into lockdown on the 25th of March 2021. More than a year later, people are dying in and out of hospitals due to a lack of oxygen. More than a couple of hundred such cases have been reported from various parts of Delhi and Mumbai where people have just died gasping for oxygen when loved ones cried and screamed for help. The numbers are growing.

As quoted by human rights activist Hina Jilani (at a remembrance convention organised on Saturday by journalist Ashis Ray), Ibn Abdur Rehman once said: “Have faith in your struggle, success is just a bonus.” India pins her faith on hope and struggles now for a whiff of oxygen and awaits its bonus in life and freedom. 

Who is to be blamed?

Who is to be blamed for this man-made disaster? Elections in India, which has been a major factor in invoking the apocalyptic second wave, finally concluded on Thursday, April 29, 2021, with the last phase of polling in West Bengal coming to an end.   In the evening, when most news channels were busy broadcasting exit polls data, India touched a new record of over 379, 308 fresh cases of coronavirus and 3,645 deaths. The ninth day in a row when the country recorded a world record of over three hundred thousand cases.  These are however official figures, which according to observers on the ground are far from reality where the numbers are manifold. 

The first signs of the second wave were visible in March 2021, when daily cases started spiking after a considerable flat span through January and February. While the 7-day average in the first week of February 2021, lingered somewhere around eleven thousand, by mid-March 2021 the figure had already spiked to over fifty-nine thousand. 

The forewarnings were overlooked in the Election frenzy that had already engulfed the five contesting States by then. Even the basic Covid19 rules disappeared in the hysteria of competitive political rallies. Hundreds of thousands, gathered to be seduced by the pompous orations of their leaders without masks and social distancing protocols went for a toss. 

UAE’s special cargo of medical aid arrives in India(Twitter)

Through March and most of April 2021, political leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mamta Banerjee basked in boastful glory of sumptuous gatherings at their rallies in West Bengal, until they were banned a week ago on April 22, 2021. However, most of the damage was done by then.

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