Author: MC Joshi
Publication: The Daily Pioneer
Date: November 29, 2001
In his write-up 'In the grip of
Islamophobia' (November 13) Mr Sidharth Bhatia has said that in recent
years, currying favour with the Indian Government and basking at the new
found acknowledgement of their presence by their adopted countries, Hindu
NRIs have become more vocal at getting their point of view across, especially
on issues of culture and occasionally, foreign policy; that they have begun
to think of themselves as 'players' wooed by visiting Indian politicians
who are very receptive to the needs of their constituents; that if an advertisement,
an article, a television documentary or whatever offends one's sensibilities,
letters are instantly written to the offending corporation and if there
is any perceived tilt towards Pakistan in US foreign policy, the local
Congressman is flooded with mail.
When the Salman Rushdies and Taslima
Nusreens are on the run, being chased by fatwas on their lives for having
offended the sentiments of the community they belong to, and actions said
to be against the interests of certain countries are being avenged by razing
skyscrapers to the ground and killing thousands who are not even remotely
connected with the alleged offence, here we are, charging the Hindu NRIs
for 'being more vocal' at getting their point of view across and 'writing
letters' to those offending their sensibilities and for taking anti-India
stand. The reference of 'recent years' is not difficult to understand and
the gist of the story is that if Hindus, here or there, have sentiments
and concerns for self-respect and for their motherland, expressing it means
they are suffering from Islamophobia.
In an earlier write-up 'Great Muslim
vanishing trick' (April 17), trying to smell conspiracy against Muslims
in Bollywood, TV serials and advertisements, Mr Bhatia had said: "In the
1950s, Hindi cinema had a preponderance of Muslim heroines-Nargis, Madhubala,
Suraiya, Meenakumari, Nimmi, Shakila; the list is endless. These Muslim
heroines were backed by Muslim voices-Shamshad Husain (not Husain, but
Begum) and Suraiya. In contrast to the plethora of Muslim heroines, there
was just one big Muslim star: Dilip Kumar. It was not till 1960s that Hindu
women emerged as actresses and gradually, the situation reversed, reaching
the point it has today: There are hardly any Muslim female stars while
the top males are almost all Muslims ... (Also) where have all the Muslims
disappeared from Hindi popular culture? ... And while Bollywood at least
gives us the occasional Fiza or Zubeida, television is one long Hindu saga".
Even hardcore Hindus or Muslims
have never seen the world of cinema, TV, art and culture though such a
communal divide. Where are the Islamic mythological themes to be filmed
or serialised? How many Muslim girls can succeed in getting roles in the
Bollywood which in fact is like a closely-held family business, having
gradually turned from the sober fifties and sixties to the bare-all, dare-all
world of the new millennium? Can the Muslim background be fitted so easily
in the absurdities of the present Hindi cinema and television? Were not
the movies Mughal-e-Azam, Pakeeza and Umrao Jan all-time hits? Were not
TV serials based on Hindu mythology produced by Sanjay Khan, and Muslim
background TV serials like 'Hina' , 'Adhikar' and 'Sarahaden' among the
most popular ones in recent times with large Hindu and Muslim viewerships?
Do Bismillah Khan, Amzad Ali Khan, Dilip Kumar, Kaifi Azmi, Basir Badra,
Bekal Utsahi, Sabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar, Mehndi Hasan, Ghulam Ali, et al
command less admiration among Hindus vis-à-vis Ravi Shankar, Amitabh
Bachhan or Jagjeet Singh?
It is not the Islamophobia of the
Hindus but the Hinduphobia of secularists that sees the ghost of Hindutva
inside every imaginable closet.
