By Ehtasham Khan,
A few years back a friend asked me if I went to vote for the AMU Old Boys Association elections. The polling was very close to my house in Maharani Bagh in New Delhi. I was about to condemn myself for avoiding the democratic process. Worse still, I was not even a member of the association. And, hence, ineligible for voting. When all these thoughts were moving in my head, my friend added in the same breath: “Wahan goli bhi chali thi (there was a firing also)”. Since then, I have kept my ineligibility intact.
I have had a few interactions with some office bearers of AMU Old Boys Association in Delhi and thought it wise to keep a distance. I may be accused of being an escapist.
There are some incidents which made be very skeptical about the role and function of AMU Old Boys Association in Delhi. I don’t want to go into detail.
Last night, I got a call from a fellow journalist in BBC who is not an Alig but quite friendly with the office bearers of the Association. He was invited to attend the Sir Syed Dinner hosted by the Association in Delhi. He wondered why I was not there.
Before I could explain him anything, he shouted in angst. “Tum kuch likhte kyun nahi (Why don’t you write anything)?”
I understood what would have happened. I started laughing. But he went on to say: “When all of us are so worried with the events happening around us, these people are still not moved by anything? They are misusing such an important platform (of AMU).”
I told him that this is how it has been and this is how it will remain for ever. Why do we expect so much from AMU and Aligs? I tried my best to change the topic, but he took the liberty of being my senior. He went on to narrate the scene of Sir Syed Dinner.
Senior Congress leaders like Mohsina Kidwai, Rita Bahuguna Joshi, Oscar Fernandes, and Samajwadi Party leader and former minister Kaukab Hameed were the guests. There was hidden competition among the host: Who can impress more. This is an election year after all. After the ritualistic garlanding, all went for the lavish dinner. And of course many were seen complaining in the end as they could not get food. Sir Syed Dinner was over.
This happened in the background of Jamia “encounter.” This happened in the background of continuous media and police onslaught on the community. This happened in the background of continuous profiling of the community. This happened when it is increasingly becoming difficult to assert your religious identity in Delhi. This happened in the background when wherever you go in Delhi, people will talk to you about how you look at terrorism and whether you justify the police action.
This happened in the background when Delhi University lecturer Shahana Bhattacharya, novelist Arundhati Roy and lawyer Prashant Bhushan are fighting court cases, holding public meetings and addressing press conferences every day to defend innocent Muslims, and stop the hate campaign launched by the Hindutva brigade.
I wish if Shahana would have been a lecturer in AMU. I wish if Arundhati would have studied in AMU. And I wish if Prashant was my senior.
My friend asked if AMU Old Boys would have even asked the guests at the Sir Syed Dinner about their stand on the demand for a judicial probe into Jamia encounter case. They would have atleast initiated a debate of this issue. They would have atleast asked them what the Congress party was thinking vis-à-vis the coming assembly and general elections. Or how the Sachchar Committee recommendation is going to be implemented? Or why the government is silent over anti-Muslim and anti-Christian violence in many parts of the country.
I pity on my friend. He is so innocent. There are people who are always on the wrong side. He is one among them.
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Ehtasham Khan did MA in Journalism from Aligarh Muslim University in 2000.