Panchi nadiya and Renminbi ke jhonke…
Chilika brackish water lagoon is spread over
at the mouth of Daya River flowing
into vast coastal area of Odisha in Bay of Bengal. This is home for hundreds of
migratory and resident species of birds. Migratory birds come to India, eat cranberries,
rodents and insects and fly back. The anti
national (pun added) environmentalists say that it helps in the control of insect
population and eventually better crop protection. ‘Do we really need these outsider Siberian non vegetarian birds eating insects of our country?’ asked a hyper nationalist (pun added again)?
The government, in fact, is seriously
considering promoting a new Insect
breeding start up to export this
natural insect wealth to our neighboring countries. Experts say that this
product is in great demand in China and therefore India is sure to earn valuable
foreign exchange in Renminbi (Chinese
Yuan) to balance the trade deficit.
‘But, what is more important is that Russia,
China, Afghanistan, Pakistan & Nepal must
block the logistics and support to these illegal Siberian migrants to India,
lest we would poach them!’ shouted another super
nationalist (pun, pun, pun).
Vahan se kiya hai telephoon…
‘Mere piya gaye rangoon’ a 2004 remix by Shashwati was aired on the FM radio. The
original 1949 song from movie Patanga
was made famous by Shamshad Begum.
Do gaz jameen bhi na mili kuye yar mein…
British
company forces led by Major William
Hodson surrounded Humanyun’s Tomb on 20 September 1857 as the last Mughal
emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar
surrendered. His sons Mirza Mughal, Mirza
Khizr Sultan, and grandson Mirza Abu
Bakr were shot down at Khooni Darwaza
near Delhi Gate. Hudson guaranteed Zafar that he would not be sentenced but
exiled to Rangoon. The mausoleum of Bahadur Shah Zafar is located in Rangoon,
where he died in 1862.
Chaukhtatgyi temple - reclining Buddha…
Rangoon (now Yangon) was the capital of
erstwhile Burma till 2006. Yangon in Burmese means end of strife – end of bitter conflict. Arakan, the former name of Rakhine region is on the western coastal
area of Burma, now Myanmar and meet
the eastern border of Bangladesh. Rakhine
is equidistant, about 100 km, from its new capital Naypyitaw as well as two major ports in the region - Yangon in
Myanmar and Chittagong in Bangladesh.
Rohingya - Go Rohingya Go…
40000 Rohingyas recently crossed over Indian borders from this Rakhine
region. But, they are not Siberian migratory birds and not willing to go back
home. They are homeless. They are nation-less. They belong to no one. Nomads?
Yes and No. They cease to exist in this world where everything has a name. An
identity linked with a place called a nation.
You are ‘what you eat’…
Rohingyas are cannibals. Chopped heads,
scattered human limbs, big heap of organs and few street vendors surrounded
with a pool of blood selling these human parts are identified as Rohingyas.
Such posts on social media are circulated to stereotype this community.
Vegetarian and Non-Vegetarian divide...
Over ninety percent of global population
is non vegetarian. Most of them eat everything between beef, pork, mutton and chicken.
However, the world is made to believe that Muslim
Rohingyas are cannibals and Hindus are
vegans. The fact that two third Indians are non vegetarian is very cleverly
hidden. Gujarat has higher non vegetarian population than Rajasthan, Haryana or
even Punjab. Yet, the dry state of Gujarat is perceived as a top vegetarian
state in the country!
The contrast of cannibal and vegans is
created for obvious ulterior motive to malign and spread hatred towards the
believers of other religion.
Bullet Train dreamers…
India is celebrating the dream of
having a Bullet train for a Hindu Rashtra but suddenly find these Muslim Rohingya beggars, from the
neighborhood, asking for a free ride (no pun here)! How awful! How disgusting!
Now, if we would feed these hungry
mouths then the most coveted and prestigious project would get delayed and
India would be deprived of becoming the world leader. How sad!
Jo unki
tamanna hai barbad ho ja…
The majority of
Rohingyas are Muslim while a minority is Hindu. Over one million stateless Arakanese
Indians or the Indo Aryan people
have a long and sad history of being the most persecuted minorities in the
world. They are denied citizenship and subjected to apartheid. With long
history of discrimination, almost half of them are now refugees with Bangladesh
and some of them have crossed the Indian borders. They suffer like any other
minority who is asking for the basic human rights and dream to live with
dignity.
Once upon a time – a silk route…
Arakan region, the home to
Rohingyas was an independent kingdom between Southeast Asia and
the Indian subcontinent. Rakhine inhabited Arakan since
3000 BCE. A southern branch of the trade route connected India,
Burma and China since the Neolithic period.
Rakhine documents and inscriptions state that Buddha
image was cast in Dhanyawady in
around 554 BCE when he visited this kingdom.
It became a center of maritime trade
and cultural exchange between Burma and the outside world since the time of the
Mauryan Empire. Sanskrit inscriptions
in the region indicate that by the 4th century it became one of the
earliest Indian kingdoms in Southeast Asia. It was ruled by
the Chandra dynasty for some
time.
Ye kahan aa gaye hum…
The Rohingya history can be traced to
the 8th century when they had influence from the Arabs, Mughals and Portuguese.
As a result of intermarriage and conversion, the Muslim population in Arakan
grew. Islam began to spread from the
eastern bank of the Meghna river up
to Arakan since the 8th and 9th centuries, long before the
establishment of a Muslim Kingdom in this frontier region. Since then, this
influence grew fast and was consolidated fully by the seventeenth century.
Evidence of Bengali Muslim settlements
in Arakan date back to 1430 Bengal
Sultanate. Their population increased in the 17th century, as slaves were
brought in by Arakanese raiders and Portuguese settlers following
raids into Bengal.
Bhai bahi na raha…
Shah Shuja the Governor
of Mughal Bengal was the second son of Shah
Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. He fled
to Arakan as his brother Emperor
Aurangzeb sent Mir Jumla (absolutely no pun) to subjugate Bengal province. Mir Jumla reached
Dhaka on 9 May 1660 and was then appointed by Aurangzeb as the next Subahdar of
Bengal.
Dost dost na raha…
The Arakanese king Sanda Thudhamma broke his promise to Shuja and confiscated half a
dozen camel loads of gold and jewelry and recruited his entourage in the royal
army. Princess Gul Banu Begam, daughter of Shuja was molested by the king and
she committed suicide. His three sons were captured and beheaded with a blunt
axe.
In 1666, Shaista Khan, Governor of Bengal under Aurangzeb seized Chittagong. The
Mughals placed the northern part of Arakan under its administration and
vassalage. The Muslim population became concentrated in northern Arakan.
End of Buddhist Konbaung Dynasty, enter the British…
Following the Bamar Konbaung Dynasty's conquest of Arakan in 1752, the Rakhine people
fled to Chittagong to seek protection under the British Raj. The
Bamar executed and deported a considerable portion of people to central Burma,
leaving Arakan a sparsely populated area by the time the British occupied it. The
British defeated the Burmese and ended the millennium old Burmese monarchy in
1885.
British policy encouraged Bengali
inhabitants from adjacent regions to migrate into fertile valleys of Arakan as
farm laborers as there was no international boundary and no restrictions on
migration between Bengal and Arakan. In the early 19th century, thousands of
Bengalis from the Chittagong region settled in Arakan seeking work primarily due
to the requirement of cheap labour from British to work in the paddy fields.
At the beginning of the 20th century,
Indians were arriving in Burma at the rate of no less than a quarter million
per year. Rangoon exceeding New York City as the greatest immigration port in
the world and the Indian immigrants formed a majority of the population.
The Burmese under the British rule felt
helpless and reacted with a racism that combined feelings of superiority and
fear.
Riots under British rule…
Most Rohingyas arrived with the British
colonialists in the 19th and 20th centuries. There was thriving trade with the
ports of Chittagong, Dacca and
Calcutta as well as with Rangoon
in British India.
The 1931 census found 5 lakh Indians living
in Arakan port city. It boosted the colonial economy but serious anti-Indian
disturbances in Lower Burma started. 1938 saw riots specifically directed
against the Indian Muslim community.
Nationalism, World War II, Japanese
invasion and British aided militancy…
Burmese nationalism increasingly
asserted itself before the Second World War and the migrant Indians came under
attack.
During World War II,
the Imperial Japanese Army invaded British
controlled Burma. When British forces retreated, the inter communal violence erupted
between Arakanese and Muslims. The British provided arms to the Muslims in
northern Arakan in order to create a buffer zone to protect the region from a
Japanese invasion and to counteract the largely pro-Japanese ethnic
Rakhines.
The Arakan massacres
in 1942 involved communal violence between British armed V
Force Rohingya recruits and pro Japanese Rakhines,
polarizing the region along ethnic lines.
Aftermath of war, the lawless
situation and ethnic cleansing riots…
The war resulted in a
complete breakdown of civil administration. The Muslims fled towards British
controlled Muslim dominated northern Arakan. This stimulated a reverse ethnic
cleansing in British controlled areas.
This tension was let
loose with the retreat of the British. With the approach of Japanese into
Arakan, the Buddhists instigated cruel measures against the Muslims. Rohingyas,
now armed with British weapons tried to destroy the Arakanese
villages instead of resisting the Japanese. Thousands of Burmese Indians,
Anglo-Burmese and British who settled during colonial period immigrated en
masse to India.
To facilitate their
reentry into Burma, British formed Volunteer Forces with Rohingya who destroyed
Buddhist monasteries, pagodas, houses and committed atrocities in northern
Arakan.
The British broke promise, making of
East Pakistan and the foundation of jihad…
The Pakistan Movement in
the 1940s gave a hope to Rohingya Muslims in western Burma to merge the
region into East Pakistan.
In 1946, Muslim leaders from
Arakan approached Muhammad Ali
Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, and asked his assistance in incorporating
the Mayu region with East Pakistan.
However, Jinnah was not in a position to interfere into Burmese matters. After
Jinnah's refusal, some Rohingya elders who supported a jihad movement,
founded the Mujahid party in northern Arakan in 1947. The
aim of the Mujahid party was to create an autonomous Muslim state in Arakan.
Seeds of hatred sown by British in India…
Rohingyas were used and deceived by
British and Japanese in the war - war (read world war) game.
They could not get an independent state despite specific assurance by the
British. In fact, the British exploited them the most. They were used by
British as the front line defense in the fight with Japan. British rather instigated
and divided the local Buddhist and Muslim population to serve their vested
interests of divide and rule.
British left India in riots in 1947. British left Myanmar in
the mid of civil war in 1948. However, for Rohingya community no help came
either from India or (East) Pakistan when they were in distress.
Post World War II
illegal immigration from Chittagong was on a vast scale and Rohingyas too began
to return to Arakan. The Rohingya community was initially recognized as an
indigenous ethnic nationality of Burma, with members of the group serving as
representatives in the Burmese parliament, as well as ministers,
parliamentary secretaries, and other high-ranking government positions.
But
since Burma's military junta took control of the country in 1962, the
Rohingya were systematically deprived of their political rights.
The socialist military government nationalized all property,
including many enterprises of the white collar Burmese Indian community.
Between 1962 and 1964 more than three lakh Burmese Indians were forced to leave
the country.
Transition to
democracy – Citizenship law and stripping of Rohingya’s nationality…
In 1978, after
mediation by UN, Burma agreed to take back 2 lakh refugees. The Burmese
government enacted the citizenship law in 1982 and declared that Bengalis are
foreigners and stripped their stake in citizenship. Rohingya politicians were
jailed and disbarred from contesting elections.
In the 1990s, around
3 lakh Rohingya fled to Bangladesh. In the early 2000, almost all were
repatriated to Myanmar, some against their will. The 2012 Rakhine
State riots were a series of conflicts between Rohingya Muslims who form
the majority in the northern Rakhine and ethnic Rakhines who form the majority
in the south.
The pogroms were
incited by the government asking the Rakhine men to defend their race and
religion. Since the transition to democracy in Burma in 2011, the military
encouraged the riots and then posed as the defender of Buddhism against Muslim
Rohingya.
Thousands of
Rohingyas migrated from Myanmar and Bangladesh in 2015, collectively dubbed as
'boat people' by international media, to Southeast Asian countries
including Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand by rickety boats via
the waters of the Strait of Malacca and the Andaman Sea.
ARSA attack
and the military reprisal…
Rohingya rebel
group ARSA (Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army) attacked on police outposts and
border guards on August 24, 2017. Almost immediately, the Myanmar military launched
massive reprisals declaring this as anti terrorist clearance operations. In the
first four weeks of the conflict, over 4 lakh Rohingya refugees fled the
country creating a major humanitarian crisis.
Pangaea - Draw a line on the land – My land, your land…
Earth was formed some
4.6 billion years ago. The birth of this beautiful world started with a ball of
burning gas. About 250 million years ago, long, long after the earth had
formed, all the continents of the time had joined together to form a super continent
called Pangaea.
This super continent
broke into two giant continents, Gondwana and Laurasia. Gondwana comprised now
Africa, South America, Australia, Antarctica and India. The Indian
sub-continent lay off the east coast of Africa, before it broke off and moved
north rapidly.
The fractured land – national boundaries…
The
boundaries created by countries have divided the population in the name of
national identity. The religion and
nationalism had sown bitter enmity which may explode in the time to come. However,
migration has become the essential feature of human civilization. Migration of
human populations begins with the movement of Homo erectus out
of Africa across Eurasia about 1.75 million years ago. Homo
sapiens moved out of Africa to spread
across Australia, Asia and Europe. Later, migration to America
took place.
Guran, a great friend of Phantom…
Before the
expansion of the Bantu
languages and their speakers, the southern half of Africa is
believed to have been populated by Pygmies
(remember Guran the Pygmies head from
the Phantom comics), today occupying
the arid regions around the Kalahari Desert and the forest of Central
Africa.
Migration, the essence of spread of
civilization…
Early humans
migrated due to many factors such as changing climate and landscape and
inadequate food supply. Indo-Aryans migrated from the Indus Valley to the
plain of the River Ganges in Northern India around Bronze Age, contemporary to
the Late Harappan phase in India. A series of invasions
from Central Asia followed, including those led by
the Indo-Greeks, Indo-Scythians, Indo-Parthians and
Kushans in the northwestern Indian subcontinent.
Between the 11th
and 18th centuries, there were numerous migrations in Asia. The Vatsayan
priests from the eastern Himalaya hills migrated to Kashmir during the Shan
invasion and settled in the lower Shivalik hills sanctify the manifest goddess.
Who would like to leave the cozy nest?...
Migration can be
voluntary or involuntary. Change is a dynamic phenomenon, but people choose to migrate to other
countries for better pastures. Due to a series of social, economic and
political challenges, an individual may decide to relocate. On the other hand, involuntary migration includes the slave
trade, trafficking in human beings and ethnic cleansing.
Making of
America, a voluntary migration…
Between 16th and 19th century, over 50 million people left
Europe for the America. The local populations or tribes, such as
the Aboriginal people in Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, Japan
and the United States, were usually far overwhelmed numerically by the
settlers. USA – a country made by migrants.
History’s greatest involuntary migration…
1947,
the India got divided into India and Pakistan. In the riots which preceded the
partition in the Punjab region, 5 lakh people were killed in the retributive
genocide and over 150 lakh were displaced.
Divide and Rule – Indian sub-continent
learnt this lesson well from British…
The politics in India as well as the
neighbouring countries get vote bank consolidation on divide and rule policy
based on the religion and cast fault lines. Any small or big issue is given the
religious colour and then emotions of innocent public are exploited. The political
business of hate and hatred flourishes on this time tested formula.
Illegal migration – a knee jerk reaction?
According to the Pew Research Center about
5 lakh illegal immigrants are estimated in US alone. In recent years, India was
the source of the fastest growing number of illegal migrants to the US. Why
Indian government remains silent when Indians at large scale go to other
countries as illegal migrants is anybody’s guess.
But, in the past, we welcomed Dalai
Lama with millions of Buddhists from Tibet (now China), almost one crore Hindus
from Bangladesh, a large number of Tamils from Sri Lanka. There is regular flow
of Pakistani Hindus and even refugees from Afghanistan. However, India finds just forty
thousand poor and distressed neighbors a great burden. This is obviously a religious bias.
Canadian
immigration minister Ahmed Hussen
says ‘3 lakh new immigrants a year is Canada’s new normal’. They want a certain
class of people to migrate to their country to stimulate their growth. The Big
Boss President Trumps wants crème de la
crème, only highly qualified and wealthy immigrants to fill American space.
The immigration policy stinks with a no to the destitute, poor or beggars and
of course a strict no-no to Moslems. Only rich can choose. Beggars and
Moslems are not choosers.
Mama Angela Merkel allowed one million
refugees to come to Germany. The country known for Hitler, the pioneer of ethnic
cleansing has changed heart and ready to accommodate poor in their palaces. The
country is committed to remember and make atonement for the tragedies of the
Nazi era. No cry for past glory. No shouts for nationalism. The history has
taken a full circle.
China looks away due to their supply
chain interests with Myanmar. OBOR in the mind, the Chinese intervention may perhaps
entail peace because the new south silk route passes through Rakhine. China has
ambitious investment and infrastructure interests in Myanmar where China’s
CITIC has sought large share in deep sea port and connect to the Bay of Bengal.
China will assert to maintain stability and avoid crisis. China expressed sympathy and support toward Myanmar’s
government in spite of the international community’s pressure. India’s
loss would be China’s gain.
Interestingly, even
Bangladesh, a country with large Muslim population of approximately 150
million refuses
to help Rohingya. Nearly
1 million Rohingya refugees have entered Bangladesh and are located along
the Teknaf-Cox's Bazar highway. This area is parallel to the Naf
River, which is the border between Bangladesh and Myanmar. Bangladesh proposed
to dump them in a remote inhabitable water logged island of Thengar Char in
the Bay of Bengal. The
Bangladeshi government is keen to start repatriating them even though there is
eminent danger to the life of Rohangiyas in Myanmar.
Amnesty International reports have stated that the Myanmar
security forces are committing rape, extrajudicial killing, and burying homes
belonging to the Rohingya. The reputation of Myanmar’s
pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi is in tatters for her failure to
condemn her country’s so called “clearing operations” in Rakhine State.
Khalsa Aid – every life matters - a hope in
the dark…
‘These
people are arriving in a desperate state. I have never seen anyone so relieved
for a drink of water. They have no money to pay for public transport to the
refugee camps. Local rickshaws have increased their rates because of the
heightened demand so we have organised transportation to take families safely
to the refugee camps.” Amarpreet Singh, Khalsa Aid
Director, India
Nationalism through the prism of ideology…
Catalonia,
a wealthy autonomous state of Spain seeks freedom. They are wealthy and having
lot of clout and sooner or later may become an autonomous region. But, poor Rohingyas
are expelled out of their country and world remained a moot spectator. Myanmar,
a democracy has shown how easy it is for military to take power in their hand.
Myanmar also is an example as to how a majority decides the fate of minority in
a democracy.
Rabindranath Tagore
noted “the Nation is the greatest evil for the Nation”.
