By Sameer Khan for TwoCircles.net
I have never had the fortune of visiting Ahmadabad. Being a Patron of history and arts my quest and love of it has taken me to most of the cities of historical prominence in India, Lucknow, Hyderabad Delhi and others. My visit to Ahmadabad was long overdue not just for my quest but also because of its unfortunate history of communal violence. The riots of 2002 the brutal killings that took place in post Godhra riots are well know to everybody and are still fresh in public memory. Much is said and heard about the riots and its aftermath and it’s after effects are still haunting for many almost 10 years after the terrible event.
Amdavad (?) Municipal Corporation
Ahmadabad city stands totally polarized today with Gandhi Nagar and New Ahmadabad with its plush clean roads, schools and housing colonies of upper caste Gujarat’s and Jains resonating the prosperous Amdavad contrast to the old quaint squalid walled Ahmadabad of the Muslims. When I talk of Muslims here I am talking about the majority Sunni Muslims, other sects of Muslims such as Bohras and Ismaeli Muslims also suffered as a result of riots but comparatively they have done better in education and economically so when I mention Muslims here I speak of Majority Sunni Muslims.
Many social scientists and other Intellectuals rightly see Muslims of Gujarat and Ahmadabad as to being at the receiving end of the policies of the state dictated from Gandhi Nagar. Some of the leaders of the party had once called Gujarat a laboratory of Hindutva and we indeed have seen the effects and repurcurtions of this experiment. There are also many people who are connected with the rehabilitation and giving justice to the unfortunate victims of the riots and many people have been writing commentary about Gujarat and Muslims of Gujarat yet not many people seem to understand the nuances and the intricacies of Guajarati Muslims.
Ahmadabad once a city of 1 lakh people has today turned into a sprawling metropolis. Its transition from old walled city of Ahmadabad to what’s commonly known today as Amdavad was explained to me by well know poet and Urdu critic Mr. Waris Alvi “I have seen the city turn from an Island of communal harmony to a city polarized by communal polarization. Everything was good and peaceful, Hindus and Muslims lived like brothers, Muslims would visit the Pols which were Hindu localities and vice versa. There were occasional incidents of communal violence but that was restricted to few pockets of the city while life moved as normal in others. There was a sudden change in the hearts of people and it’s not just in 2002. The process started in late 1980’s and only got worse with times; People would meet and do business but privately they began resenting other communities esp. the Muslims began to be marginalized in all spheres of life.”
The business must go on.
Ahmadabad and Gujarat also has a history of having many Urdu scholars and writers. Mr. Waris Alvi, Mr. Mohammad Alvi well known Urdu poet who recently was awarded with Bahadur Shah Zafar award. I asked Mr. Waris Alvi the reason for decline of Urdu “Every one wants to join English Medium Schools today, but what kind of education do these schools offer? And many Muslim children end up being dropouts. So they are devoid of proper education and also their mother tongue and culture.” There is a huge diaspora of Gujrati Muslims yet they have not contributed towards Urdu or education lamented Mr. Alvi.
I spent some time in old Ahmadabad or the walled city and I saw the evidence of Muslims being pushed and having contracted themselves into the old city and ghettos like Juhapura and the quality of life in within these ghettos is far cry from anything to boast of. There are no decent hospitals or schools. Muslim children do not get admission to the schools outside the ghettos. New BRTS Bus service has been laid in many parts of Ahmadabad and Juhapura being the Largest Muslim dominated long neglected locality of Ahmadabad has been excluded from it and the proposed Metro service from Gandhi Nagar to Ahmadabad also falls just short of Juhapura. There are few Muslim run hospitals in the old city for those who can afford them but for others who do not afford them have to visit Govt hospitals and according to some of the locals that I spoke to often mistreated by the young doctors of govt hospitals who are accused to be influenced by the communal agenda.
“You often see young doctors sniggering at the poor Muslims and they are afraid to go to these hospitals” remarked a local Muslim boy. This only reflects that there is still mistrust among the communities in Ahmadabad 10 years after Godhra violence. Things have improved a bit in some spheres; People are ready to do business with each other each yet when it comes to getting admissions or buying or selling houses the chasm remains as wide as ever.
What makes matters worse for the Muslims of Ahmadabad apart from the state apathy and prejudice is their own ignorance. When I asked a local Muslim who works in a private mobile firm about the main profession of the Muslims of Ahmadabad to my surprise the answer he gave me was “spiritualism.” I asked him once again what did he mean by spiritualism being the main business and he answered “Most of the Muslims of Ahmadabad are Sunni Sufi Muslims who adhere to Sufism. There are countless shrines of Sufi saints throughout Ahmadabad and especially within the walled city thus most of the Muslims dedicate their time towards the reverence of these shrines and saints.
Sleeping, while the world walks by.
I was not convinced by the answer of the young man but I found evidence of it when I travelled in the city. I spoke to a Muslim Rickshaw driver; the driver asked me if I was a Syed? I replied that I was a Khan. He smiled and said “Syeds and Khans are top level Muslims. I met many more other Muslims who did not bother to ask me my education or profession but were more focused on my caste. Such a conversation is very unlikely in other parts of India but In Ahmadabad and Gujarat this is the common subject of debate among the local Muslims.
While Muslims in the rest of India are also lagging behind other communities yet the situation of Muslims in Gujarat and Ahmadabad is worse and only compounded by the communal elements in the state. There needs to be a strong introspection among the Muslims of Gujarat. As I see it much of their pathetic condition is also a result of their own making. While rest of the communities are busy getting modern education and trying different ways to generate wealth and better lives The Muslims of Ahmadabad are still in discussion whether one belongs to a particular sectarian lineage and gloating over the past glory and many such other delusions.
Rest of Gujarat and Ahmadabad has moved on to building motels in US to high-rise palatial houses in New Ahmadabad and sadly the Muslims of Ahmadabad are still singing the glory of Madarsa’s of walled city that 300 years ago attracted students from all over the world. The Guajarati Muslims need to understand that using horse drawn carriage was a status symbol 100 years ago and travelling a horse drawn tonga and to take pride about it in 2012 amounts to foolishness.
There are many Muslim and non Muslim social workers inside and outside Gujarat that are speaking and seeking justice for the Muslims of Gujarat and speaking about their cause. My sincere advice to them would be to visit Ahmadabad and Gujarat and live among them. Justice for the Muslim victims of riots is very important and must be sought till the end. But I think if any of these Muslim leaders and other Non-Muslim bearers of secularism flag would do immense good to the Guajarati Muslims by opening a good school or a decent hospital this would certainly do great service to the cause of the Muslims of Ahmadabad.
Last but not the least, if the Guajarati Muslims want to ever get out of being the marginalized victims syndrome they need to change their profession of spiritualism. I have also grown up in a family which followed and adheres to Sufi values and my criticism does not amount to criticism of it.
Today the word “spiritualism” may be a very attractive term for the western and liberal audience but to the majority of Muslims of Ahmadabad that are either rickshaw drivers or involved in other blue-collared jobs they cannot to afford to have the glamorous profession of spiritualism if they wish to get out of the shackles of ignorance and make any progress towards a better future.
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Sameer Khan is a free lance writer, playwright and Theatre actor based in Pune. He also has keen interest in history, Culture and Arts. The author can be reached at [email protected]. All photos by Sameer Khan.