The Gita Against Conservative Hindu Extremists
Meher Pestonji
Meher Pestonji, born in 1946, is a Parsi freelance journalist, social
activist and worker, in addition to being a writer. In the 1970s she was part
of the fight to change rape laws and subsequently became involved in fighting
for the underprivileged, slum dwellers and children living on the streets. Her
push against ideals like parochialism and communalism were strengthened after
the riots that took place in 1992-1993 in light of the Babri Masjid demolition.
She helped as a peace worker in Mumbai after the riots. In the 1980s, she also
garnered support towards the daring filmmaker Anand Patwardhan’s campaign
against the destruction of slums. Her novels focus on telling the stories of
the oppressed living in the margins of society, and narrates either from their
perspective or that of someone working closely with them. Her works include Mixed
Marriage and Other Parsi Stories and Sadak Chhaap. In 2009, her play
Feeding Crows won BBC’s Playwriting Competition in the South Asia
Segment. In this paper I will be analysing her debut novel Pervez.
Pervez
The novel is named after the dynamic central character
of the story. It is a fictional autobiographic account and also subscribes to a
sociological and psychological narrative. It begins with Pervez, a 29-year old
Parsi woman leaving her husband Fred and Goa. She moves back to Bombay and
lives with her brother Darius and his wife Dhun. Pervez is heartbroken,
realises that she no longer fits in her brother’s world and seems to be
searching for a purpose. She is keen on obtaining a Master’s Degree in
Psychology, but her desire is subdued by the various people she encounters at
Darious’ parties. She decides to catch up with an old friend, Naina, who sets
the wheel of event-unfolding in this story in motion. During her multiple
visits to Naina and her husband Siddharth in Kalina, she is introduced to many
key characters who all play a pivotal role in helping her become socially
active and politically aware. The point of conflict in this novel is the
demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. In addition and relation to politics,
she becomes increasingly conscious of role of religion, sex and caste on the
perceptions in contemporary India. This also includes her evolving perception
of her Parsi identity.
Last Week On—
Pervez does not participate in conversations regarding
politics because she is embarrassed by her lack of knowledge. But curiosity
pulls her back repeatedly, so she decides to leave Darius’ luxurious house and
rents a flat in Kalina. With the help of her new friends, she grows as she visits
Dharavi slums, takes in the plethora of perspectives around her and eventually
forms her own ideas and set of beliefs. During the Bombay riots, she accidently
traps herself in the slum area during curfew and witnesses numerous horrendous
things. This is the catalyst to Pervez shifting from the role of being a
passive listener to an active participant in the social movements. She becomes
bolder, has stronger opinions, stands her ground and learns how to deal with
her emotions regarding her personal life and as someone involved in a something
larger than themselves. We see her transformation through the fundamental years
of the Ayodhya issue, as well as the role she plays when we jump cut 10 years
forward to 2002 and the Godhra train station riots in Gujarat.
Why This Fellow Only?!
The various characters introduced to Pervez through
her brother show the general mentalities of the upper-class. Darius represents
a sect that supports communal harmony, but views it largely on a surface level
and from the lens of the elite class. His wife, Dhun represents what I believe
is arguably the worst ideology—the apolitical. She believes that since she is
Parsi, she need not concern herself with Hindu-Muslim conflict and doing so is
a waste of time. Vasant Chawla is a character Pervez meets in one of Darius’
parties. He is the head of a chain of hotels across India and represents
radical Hinduism. Later we learn that he is engaged in unethical practices and
a reformed Pervez confronts him in a powerful manner.
The characters introduced via Siddharth and Naina’s
lives expose her to more views. Siddharth is a staunch Marxist, he does his
best to declass himself so that he can relate to the mass better. He has only
the bare necessities in terms of roti, kapda and makaan. Prabha
is a member of the Feminist Forum and organises plays about in Dharavi about
women equality. From the statements and arguments her character makes, one can
deduce that she represents the Second Wave Feminists. The goal of Second Wave
Feminism is raising issues on equality and discrimination of women and making
it a part of political discourse. Pawan, one of Siddharth and Naina’s closest
friends is a photographer whose interest transitions from fashion photography
to capturing the violence in unrest. He is a depiction of how a strong belief
in ideologies permeates through one’s life. His girlfriend Vandana is an
aspiring model whose only aim is to not be poor. We see her character fighting
with Pawan to take nude pictures of her for a calendar. I would argue that she
represents the emergence of Third Wave Feminists, whose agenda includes body
positivity and sexual liberation. When Prabha tells her that she will not be
respected, she retorts with “you talk of woman’s right to her body” (Pestonji 45).
Pervez also meets Vishal, a Dalit leader from Dharavi and a poet who sings his work.
He focuses on the Dalit struggles and the anger that stems from being oppressed.
Saeed is an impoverished Muslim social activist and his younger brother Munawar,
a complex character, serves to give the readers an insight on the experiences
of youth growing up in such a volatile climate.
Power Play Politics Pracheenkatha
The unstable nature of governance in India had devastating
effects. Rajiv Gandhi’s Congress collapsed due to corruption by 1989. Then V.P
Singh’s coalition came into power, which collapsed because of administrative
inefficiencies caused by ideological clashes. The establishment of the Mandal
Commission spurred protest amongst upper-class youth, while right-wing
organisations such as the BJP propagated religious stratification. They began
arguing that Babri Masjid was built over the birthplace of Ram. It did not take
long for the ideological dispute the land to turn into a physical one. BJP
leader Advani’s Rath Yatra left riots in its wake. Once again, the
government failed. Then there was instability due to popular candidate Rajiv
Gandhi’s assignation and finally, the Congress was back in power with Narsimha
Rao as the leader. These broad topics were touched upon in various parts of the
novel, with more focus on the prejudiced actions of fundamentalist groups like
the Shiv Sena and RSS.
Politics, however, is much more than who is in
control. It is strongly linked with the views, morals and social consciousness
one possesses. Keeping these factors in mind, India was torn in multiple directions
and the idea of a collective identity hung by a thread.
Entropic Economy
India was in a state of
bankruptcy and heavy debt, so Narsimha Rao decided to introduce sweeping
reforms. Catching onto the trend of globalisation, he opened up the Indian economy
and markets. It was beneficial for a while as there was an influx of foreign
investors and exchange. However, in 1992, the Masjid was demolished. The
government was unable to control the fundamentalist groups on both sides. Riots
and violence amplified to such an extent, that it became known as India’s
second partition of hearts. It raised valid questions regarding national
security, integrity and the balance of power. These arguments against the
government were further strengthened with the exposé Congress leaders’ involvement in corruption and foreign exchange
desecrations. Due to this, once again, the Indian economy collapsed.
Dharavi
When Pervez first visited Dharavi, she was surprised
that it was not a garbage dumb as most people assume it to be. The streets ran
in all directions and were brimming with life. She saw that Hindus, Christians
and Muslims lived next to each other in harmony and helped each other. Saeed and
Munawar brought issues taking place in the slums up to Siddharth and his friends.
They always came up with effective and peaceful solutions to solve communal
disputes. However, tensions rose in the weeks leading up to the demolition,
making it harder to keep people under control. One of these ruffians was the
Shiv Sena activist leader. He barged in and disrupted a women’s meet, threatened
rape because Munawar’s was secretly in a relationship with a Hindu girl and had
multiple such encounters with Pervez’s group. Towards the end of the story,
after Pervez found her voice, during one of the many peace walks, she spotted
this leader posing as a peace activist in front of a reporter. She pushed her
way through the crowd and on national television revealed that he is an
imposter and a Hindu fundamentalist.
One of the crucial moments in Pervez’s political and
social awakening was when she was stuck in Dharavi past curfew and a riot broke
out. She was in the slum visiting a poor Christian family. She went on to
describe the vicious, traumatic scene unfolding outside, which rendered her motionless
until she saw a young boy standing across the street alone. She put herself in
harm’s way and brought him into the shelter of the shuttered house. She
protected this Hindu child and they were each other’s source of comfort during
the violence. She felt a deeper sense of despair when she heard Munawar’s voice
outside yelling foul words at other people. When she poked her head outside and
saw him holding a petrol bomb, she ran out into the street screaming and
begging him not to hurt anyone.
People turn violent because they have no other choice.
For example, when a rickshawala was killed, his three children because
his brother’s responsibility. His death angered his brother and burdened him.
“Now Bashir has vowed revenge. He is instigating Muslim boys to learn
self-defence. You know what that means” (Pestonji 51). Pervez started to
realise that these riots were drawing out the worst in these boys and ones like
Munawar who do not know what it is like to live without fear and anger.
In an area like Dharavi, even amongst peace activists
who have a strong friendship, caste plays a significant role. When Munawar is
stabbed and is in desperate need of blood, Vishal offers to donate. Saeed
refuses. It doesn’t register to anyone else that Saeed refused due to Vishal
being a Dalit, until Vishal says it out loud. The author created a very
powerful scene with Vishal letting go of his composure.
“Why
don’t you speak?” goaded Vishal, hurt hardening his voice. “Why don’t you speak
sala, hypocrite? Equality! Justice! Brotherhood! Eplty words. Even when brother
is dying wont touch blood of untouchable!” (243-244)
I’m Every Woman
Pervez’s character is a rebellious, contemporary woman,
who always fought for her unorthodox choices. In high-school, she stood up to
her parents for Darius’ choice to not follow in their family’s footsteps of
being a doctor. She fell in love with a middle-class Christian who played in a
band. Her parents locked her in her room refusing to let her see him, so she
ran away from home, eloped and married him. She refused to be shamed for being a divorcee
and let that define her in any way, she chose to live alone in a lower-class
area and opened her home to a lower-class person like Munawar, while
maintaining some boundaries that she considered reasonable. Pervez is also very
blunt. When Naina explained Siddharth’s decision to declass to identify with
the average man, she told her friend that it did not make any sense to her.
The novel also deals with her emotions regarding
romance and her sexual desires. It normalises acting on sexual desires by
portraying her sleeping with man without developing an intense emotional
connection, as the reader might expect. I liked this part of the plot and the author’s
choice to not give her only one love interest or express any longing for a
child even in the epilogue. Instead there was focus on the fact that she has
risen above mundane life and chose to be part of the community as a whole.
Zorashtra Rashtra
Pervez compared and contrasted her new life with the
Parsi way of life. The book served as a great insight into some of the values
held by the Parsi community. Pervez decided to strike a balance between her old
and new life instead of cutting off that aspect of her completely. She occasionally
indulges herself by swimming in the club pool and attending Parsi functions. However,
she is also keen to introduce her brother into her new world. She takes him
along with her to social art galleries because she knows that the Parsis
appreciates fine art.
She constantly encounters snide remarks from her new
friends about how Parsis are not militant. This makes her more aware of how Parsis
tend to conveniently excuse themselves from social issues since they are a
minority ethnic group that does not have any conflict with any other ethnic
group. She believes that since they are respected by both Hindus and Muslims, they
should accept their unique heritage and be a peace maker of sorts. The author
commends Ratan Tata’s secular stance on the issue and praises the influential
Parsi man for speaking up. Pervez does not see any other Parsi representation,
so she decides to be the envoy of peace by representing a Parsi voice.
Sherni ki Shayari
Pervez’s catharsis and process of finding clarity in
her chaotic, eventful life comes from writing poems. She started when she
discovered that her husband had been cheating on her. She wrote of his
infidelity, her longing for the man she abandoned her family for, having the
innocence and purity of being in love stolen, her pain and her anger. Poetry
was the medium through which she connected with Vishal. It reinforced her
resolve to fight. As she became more involved in the social movement, she wrote
lesser. Her problems seemed trivial when placed beside the problems of those
living in Dharavi at the time. She dealt with it by finding strength in her new
identity. Although she no longer penned her thoughts down, her poetic flair
will always be a part of her. We see this in the way her thoughts are expressed
in beautiful prose. She thought in metaphors, connecting the tides, gulmohar
trees and seagulls to her own life and mind.
Fast-forward! Is it Paused?
In the epilogue, the readers get a glimpse of Pervez’s life 10 years after
the destruction of Babri Masjid. The events in this part of the book are set
during the Godhra Train Burning incident. Siddharth is now a reported who works
with the Hindu. He gets caught in a crossfire while questioning some Hindu
Extremist women on their views of the incident. Subsequently, the author makes
a bold statement by writing about how Siddharth reveals that the Train Burning
was designed by BJP. She refers to it as the right-wing organisations pogrom in
order to generate more hatred against Muslims and feed their Hindutva agenda.
Upon hearing Siddharth’s fact checked account, Pervez, now a lecturer of
Psychology, goes to a relief camp with her students. To take everybody’s mind
off the devastation, her students start singing songs of unity. Then they
transition into attempting to unite Hindus and Muslims with a song by
introducing both Bhagwan and Allah in the lyrics. At this, a
Muslim man took offence and started throwing harsh accusations around, so they
had to stop the exercise. Although Pervez retaliated with sound reason, she was
still deeply aware of how the Ayodhya incident still played a role in
perceptions of the citizens a decade late. The book ends with her singing her
students’ song with all names for God that they had introduced.
“log ro rahe hain… shanti do… Khumbaya, my Lord…
Shanti do…,” she sang to the breeze, the crab, the seagull and whichever
pigeons were listening. “People are cryin my Lord… Shanti do… He Bhagwan, O
Allah, Shanti do…” (Pestonji 318)
This is where we see how much the fight means to her and that her
identity lies with the community. She does not belong to any section of it. She
will fight for the oppressed regardless of their religion, caste or sex.
I Am, Therefore I Think
I believe that this book is a great example of political
writing turned into art. The incidents mentioned in this book are not
fictional. The author uses the lives of the character she created to give us an
insight into the lives of Indians across all classes. I enjoyed reading a work
like this from a feminine perspective because there were certain thoughts
echoes by Pervez that only a woman would notice about a man. For example,
Siddharth attempts to create an idyllic image of equality, yet Pervez picks up
on his condescending nature and superiority when he addresses her opinions.
Other men in the room do not notice this due to the clear power dynamic
involved. I appreciated the author’s ability and choice to subtly bring out
that theme.
I also felt like I
related to Pervez in the mental conflicts that came with her political
awakening. Before college, I rarely participated in any political discussions
simply because I was exposed to only one perspective—my family’s. In college, I
was exposed to more, had a new-found curiosity, and educated myself better on various
topics. But I relate most to her internal struggles such as having to balance
her sensitivity to the events around her. On one hand, how do I maintain my
sanity if I don’t desensitise myself to the socio-eco-pol-cultural issue which
is prevalent? But on the other hand, why should I desensitise myself? I refuse
to be able to live with myself if I seek to separate myself from the struggles
of those around me. What makes any of us think that we deserve the privileges
that come with our caste, sex or declared religion? How dare we use our
privilege as a safety blanket?
There are many events described in this book that are
very disturbing to read. For example, men attacking a pregnant Muslim woman,
slashing her stomach open, ripping her child out and throwing it against the
wall while she is raped by multiple men. It is difficult to type out let alone
witness it, or live with. It was tough to push through it and read such vivid
tales, knowing for a fact that such inhuman events transpired in the name of
religion. It is scarring and suffocating to be confronted with these realities.
Fin
I believe that this book is very
relevant to today’s youth. The Ayodhya verdict was declared in the latter half
of 2019 and I discovered that many students in my courses did not know the
significance of it. It baffles me to think that people choose not to educate
themselves on social issues of their own country, just because it is not
harming their lives in any way. I relate to Pervez’s journey towards political and
social awareness and share many of her beliefs. I think it definitely fuelled
my fire to speak out and about the issues that surround us, in whatever
capacity I can. I think this is a valuable novel and would recommend it to my
friends because I hope this will serve as an insight into an ideology, as they
are attempting to form one of their own.