MISS FITZE AND MISS MALLINSON:: PIONEERS OF GIRLS EDUCATION IN KASHMIR

                                                             

MISSION  SCHOOLS   FOR  GIRLS IN  SRINAGAR

“O Janab idhar se kidhar gusta hai . Idhar Parvez Sameul Kaul Sahib nahin hai. Woh baahar gayaa hotaa hai. Aaj school bandh hai.    ” said the gate keeper when I entered the Mallinson Girls School from Amirakadal side or from the main gate of CMS Tyndale Biscoe School . For going to Mallinson Girls School , I had surely to enter  from the Forest Lane Gate .

And now something about this school that pioneered female education in Kashmir .

The credit for promoting female education in Kashmir should go only to missionary ladies like Miss Violet Fitze  ( She started first Girl’s Primary School at Fateh Kadal in Srinagar city in 1912 although the Missionaries had started educating girls in a small two-room school opened at Fateh Kadal in 1895)  and Miss Mallinson who joined this school in 1922 as principal and served till 1962. Miss Mallinson  left Kashmir  in 1966 or  1967 and went back to London. In fact she was more familiar in Kashmir  as most of her Girl  students rose to key Positions in different walks of life. She was tall, graceful and could speak fluent Kashmiri.  She returned to Kashmir on a private  visit in 1973 . During this visit ,  she   was publicly felicitated By Miss Mehmooda Ahmed Ali Shah,  her student and the then principal of Women's College , Maulana Azad Road, Srinagar.
                                                                      

  ( Miss Mallinson.. Photo Source Prof. Nusrat Andrabi )
                                       

              ( Miss Mallinson sitting in the chair )

                              Long back I was informed by an elderly Kashmiri Pandit from Fateh Kadal locality that both Pandits and Muslims in Kashmir had opposed  modern female education initially. The  missionary ladies faced many difficulties in spreading girl education in orthodox Kashmiri society . One particular incident that he talked about is worth mentioning over here .

                                       

    When the Missionaries found that rolls were not picking up in the Girls School, they decided to invite some European ladies as guests for a prize distribution function inside the two room school at  Fateh Kadal , Srinagar , thinking  this shall encourage more girls to come to the School. When the guests arrived , a shopkeeper outside the School shouted in chaste Kashmiri that Englishmen had come to kidnap Kashmiri girls . Hearing this the people from the locality assembled outside the School building and advised the girls to run for safety by jumping from the windows .When the guests entered ,they found no student in the School.

                                       

                                   ( Old School Building ) 

( My  Thanks to Publishers of the  Book “Kashmir  in  Sunlight and Shade “ for this photograph  showing  Jhelum Ghaat near  C M S Girls School at Fateh Kadal , Srinagar  )

Miss Mallinson was always seen on her bicycle in the Srinagar city . Sometimes purchasing groceries from the Bazaar , sometimes visiting her sick students and sometimes addressing groups of women about hygiene and cleanliness. She was always busy and thoughtful about how best she could contribute towards spreading education among girls in Kashmir. She stayed at Sheikh Bagh where she would be seen washing clothes, cleaning her room and cooking her own food. She is reported to have personally visited most of the localities in the downtown area and addressed women against child marriage and superstitions. And she is singularly responsible for introducing swimming, dancing and mountaineering in the Mission School and taking the girls out for camping and trekking something unusual and daring during those days . In 1938 and 1940, the Kashmiri girls scaled Mahadev peak ( 13000 feet ) under her guidance only. All credit goes to this lady for adding a large number of educated women to Kashmiri society. Fateh Kadal School finally shifted to Sheikh Bagh in 1962 and is presently known as the  Mallinson Girls School.

                                         

Miss Mallinson had told her close friends that after her death her skeletal remains should go to the School laboratory . She would often say this :-

“ My dear girls ,may you learn more from me when I am no more .My bones are meant to teach you physiology ”

And this pious lady died in June 1984. Can we emulate her ? Not so easy because Urdu poet  Dr.Kaleem Ajiz  from Patna writes ….

Ishq har shakhs ke bus ka nahin pyare jao

Yeh samandhar hai kinare hi kinare jao

Yuun to maqtal mein tamashaai bahut aatein hain

Aao uss waqt ki jis waqt pukare jao.

Koyi rasta koyi  manzil ussay dushwar nahin

Jiss jagah Jao mohabbat ke sahare j

ao

 ( Avtar Mota )

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FROM MILKY BROOKS OF KASHMIR TO THE GOLDEN BEACHES OF GOA

                                                                                 

Photographs by Autar Mota 
( Top . Sindh stream near Prang Village in  kashmir ...Bottom . A Beach in Goa )

 ….. FROM  MILKY   BROOKS  OF  KASHMIR  TO THE   GOLDEN   BEACHES  OF   GOA . ….

WHAT IS THE RELIGION  OR  FAITH  OF   FRAGRANT  FLOWERS , HUMAN  PAIN  AND SUFFERING ,A WORD OF LOVE , SEPARATION  FROM  MOTHERLAND  AND  VULNERABILITY OF  INNOCENTS ?    

 AND  MY   BEING IS  LIKE A DESERT   OR   LIKE THE  OCEAN AT TIMES . AND ALSO  LIKE THE BREEZE THAT DANCES DOWN FROM  THE GREAT  HIMALAYA   TO EMBRACE  THE WATER OF   INDIAN  OCEAN.  
 
 AND  ONCE  ALL   RIVERS JOIN  THE OCEAN, WHERE   IS    RIVER  GANGA ?  WHERE  IS RIVER  YAMUNA  ?  ISN'T   IT  LIKE  THE   SANGAM  AT  PRAYAAG   OR  LIKE THE  GREAT CIVILIZATION OF  OUR   COUNTRY .

 I ADD THESE THOUGHTS TO THE  TWO  PHOTOGRAPHS  UPLOADED ABOVE   THROUGH   MY URDU  POEM  “ HAMAARA  DIL “

( Hamaara Dil )

Hamaara Dil Samajh lo Ek Sehraa hai samandhar hai ,

Yeh Bahr e Hind Tak Aayee Himaala Ki Hawaa Samjho,

Na Ganga hai, Na jamuna hai ,

Yeh sangam hai Prayaag e Hind Tehzeeb e wattan jaisaa .

Guzashtaa Daur ki Anmol Qadron ko Samaitey Hai,

Jisse Tum Chaah kar bhi apney Khwaabon Me Nahin Laatey,

Jisse Tum Pyaar kartey Ho Magar Apnaa Nahin Saktey,

Jo Ab Bhatkaa hai Unn raston pe jo Jungle ko Jaate hain,

Jo Ab Tanhaa Hai Unn shehron Me Jo Mudd kar nahin Taktey ,

Isse Ek Shaam Do, Aaraam Do, Subh e Tamanaa do.

Yeh Kaise Maan Legaa Khoon Ka, Baarish Kaa, Toofan Kaa,

Mehak Kaa ,Phool Ka, Aur dard ka ,Lafze Mohabbat ka ,

Behan Ke Gham kaa , Maa ki Chashm e num, Umeed e fardaa Kaa ,

Wattan Ki Yaad kaa, Doori Kaa, Majboori ,Judaai Kaa ,

"Koi Mazhab hai ,Koi Dharam hai ,Koyee Aqeeda Hai ."

( Autar Mota )

09.05.2013. TIME 8.00AM   GOOD   MORNING

 
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WONDERFUL SHORT STORIES FROM VEERINDER PATWARI ,NOTED URDU WRITER FROM KASHMIR

                                                              

Some amongst us  who have not read Urdu have certainly  missed something lovely in the  world of  literature . This rule equally applies to those who have not read Hindi . To understand the Soul of India’s  literary ethos , one has to read literature created by both the languages . I also want the lovely poetry , short stories , novels and essays created  in both the languages to be read by all of us to have a feel of and get a  peep into our shared and composite existence and the issues that it spins forth  .

                  Above  thoughts again visited me today when I read  some short stories of  Virender Patwari ( born 1940 in Kashmir )appearing in his Urdu Book  Lalla  Rukh Published by Modern Publishing House, Daryaganj Delhi in 2013 and priced  Rs350/=. My special Thanks to Patwari sahib for sending a copy to me absolutely  free.  

The book has 50 short stories . I read  12 but   shall keep my promise to finish all the fifty .My first reaction after reading these stories is that Mr. Patwari should have also published the book in Devnagri for a vast section of  readers who are otherwise ignorant about this great piece of literature that he has created. The stories remind me of Anton Chekhov. Every thought, every line and every paragraph represents evolved mind and wonderful reflections from  the writer. Every story is representative of   the present scenario especially the issues that this Runaway Technology seems to be imposing on Human existence .

My opinion is that the writer is an authority on child Psychology which is evident from stories like  DARPOK ( fearful ) . Fears and  thoughts muffled in the mind of a child have been aptly dealt with in this story  . The child who is made to sleep  alone in his room turns happy  one day when his parent quarrel .He possibly thinks that he has not to sleep alone at least for that day  as his  mother shall surely come and sleep with him. Alas ! It does not happen so .I shall not elaborate further . I would like every one to read the story.

In another story DUSHMAN ( Enemy ), We find the most powerful man on the earth afraid of a barking dog. The man who can order the Bomb laden missiles  to fly  .The man who can bring planes crashing down  runs away at the sight of a barking dog. The dog is finally killed with a sharp stone and the man enters a cave. Inside the cave he   finds another  man from ancient times  smiling at him possibly  because his enemies were also wild beasts and not men. And he would not use Bombs but   stones to save himself from these wild beasts  . To know more read the story .

Another story that I would like to mention is JAWAAB ( reply ). A wonderful interaction between an elderly man   and  his two grand children over watching TV channels .The grandfather wants to shift to News channel while the children want cartoon channel.. Then one day the children  enter the room of their grandfather and  find him busy watching  the news channel. To  their grandfather’s surprise both the boys start  watching the news with interest while their grandfather tries to divert their attention by telling them stories of Columbus and Vasco De Gama . After listening the news the children ask some question to their grandfather and seek reply

‘ Grandfather ! Are we hindus or muslims ?”

“ Are we Brahmis or Harijans ? ’

“ Grandfather, Are we Iraqis or Americans ? ’

“Grandfather ,Are we cruel or oppressed ? ’

“Grandfather  Can He-Man come to our rescue ”

“ Grandfather , if someone kidnaps us and seeks a ransom of one crore , you should give immediately else we shall be killed  ”

The grandfather turns serious and  is  unable to reply any question that these children ask  .He  switches over the cartoon channel. The elder child comes closer to him . Embraces his grand father , kisses him and says

“ Grandfather , are you angry with us. ? ”

Their grandfather is unable to  reply  this question even .

 Through his stories that I read , Veerinder Patwari has proved Anton Chekhov’s words that “The paramount duty of a writer is to put forth question. To  give replies  is none of his business .” Wonderful Patwari sahib. Great piece of  prose with contemporary and modern sensibilities .  

“Tum Jiyo Hazaaron saal” to create such good stories .

( Autar Mota …05.05.2013  Time  11.55 PM  … Good Night )

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SAFDAR HASHMI ( 1954-1989 ) AND KASHMIR.

                                                               

SAFDAR HASHMI  ( 1954-1989 ) AND KASHMIR

Not many people know that Noted IPTA activist and later JAN NATYA MANCH founder , SAFDAR HASHMI also taught english at university of kashmir someime in 1977and 1978 .I also vividly remeber this tall bespectacled young man coming to our Bank with my colleague and friend Tej Dhar.Tej was Prof A. N Dhar's son . Prof Dhar taught english  and later rose to become HOD and Professor Emritus . SAFDAR also taught english during 1977 and possibly  during 1978 also .Twice we sat with Safdar in Coffee House over a cup of coffee . He smoked uncontrollably and drank black cofee .He would move with a Jholaa  type of a bag hung over his shoulders. A kurta with tailor stitched loose trousers  and simple sandals was all that he would put on usually. Sipping coffee and discussing Camus , Sartre , Kafka and Kierkegaard .Safdar also informed us about his St. Stephan Background where from he had graduated  before completing MA in English from Delhi University . Safdar was also  drawn towards Pranesh Nagri another friend and colleague in the Bank. He was a marxist .

And then one day, a girl joined him  when he came to the Bank. Tej said she was Mala or Moloyshree . She was from  Bengal  , very sharp and well read . They had a live in arrangement and then some time  later Tej told me that safdar had married her in Delhi . Safdar also started theatre  activities in kashmir university . Dr Jayaraman who was HOD english university of kashmir at that point of time organized an English Play Woyzeck. The play was staged at Tagore Hall kashmir with actors comprising of Dr Jayaraman's family members , Aalok Aima , Safdar , Tej Dhar and many others from Kashmir university .

Safdar had earned many friends in kashmir . He was unforgettable for  many reasons . He was simple and childlike but always   fucussed in his discussions. Safdar had   unshakable beliefs and  convictions . He was liberal and a lover of all types of fine arts . He sang Old songs of Rafi anwd liked music and paintings . Theatre was his soul. And when he left Kashmir university possibly in 1978, I would always seek his welfare from Tej. Tej kept me informing that Safdar had joined as Press Information Officer West Bengal Information Centre at New Delhi and had married his companion Mala . Tej also informed later that Safdar had plunged into communist Party work and Theatre on full time basis leaving his government job. He had formed his own group called Jan Natya Manch or JANAM.  Shabana Azmi, Nandita Das, Sanjana kapoor , Naseer Ud Din Shah , Jamini Pathak , Salim Arif and many more actors and Theatre personalities  got associated with JANAM. 'JANAM ' gave about 4,000 performances of 24 street plays, performed mostly in and around working-class neighborhoods, factories and workshops.

He wrote plays which his group performed in colonies of poor workers . His plays like Machine , Kursi kursi kursi ,Gaaon Se Shehar Tak,Teen crore ,Aurat ,DTC ki Dhandhli, and some TV documentaries had become quite popular .Khilti Kaliyaan was a TV serial that he wrote for DOORDARSHAN. He also wrote some books for children. Safdar was also a sensitive poet who wrote poems as well. With all this work , safdar turned out to be a great crusader against the forces of disruption,  division  and communalism  in the country .

Safdar  was one of the most sought-after film and video narrators in India . He told an interviewer that he had earned enough at documentary work to ''spend 11 months doing anything that the party wants me to do.''

And then one day in January 1989 , we heard the sad news that Safdar had been attacked by Political Hoodlums while he was performing his most popular Play Halla- Bol in Sahibabad .He succumbed to the fatal injuries of the attack. Safdar was thirty-four years old when he died.

His friends and admirers from the Artist fraternity started SAHMAT or Safder Hashmi Memorial Trust to carry forward his mission. Those associated with this trust include actress Shabana Azmi, Poet Javed Akhtar ,Noted Theatre Personality M K Raina , Actor Roshan Seth , Actor Om Puri,Moloyshree Hashmi and many more .SAHMAT  has been organizing Art shows , dance recitals , Classical music |concerts ,Theatre workshops , Nukkad Plays and  many more events  in the country( Attended by leading Artists  ) to promote a culture of tolerance and  also to   provide  space  to all forms of creative activity . 
Over the last several years SAHMAT has sold around 2 LAKH copies of several books they have published, and these include books for children, significant among which are two volumes of poetry and one anthology of short stories dedicated to promoting democratic and secular values by contemporary Hindi writers .Some of the books that I have seen coming out from SAHMAT are MANTO NAAMA ( PRICE Rs140/=), IPTA KI YAADEIN ( Price Rs140/=), AKBAR ( Price Rs60/=), GANDHI KE PUNARVICHAAR ( Price Rs50/=) and MUNSHI PREM CHAND ( PRICE Rs30/=) . These books have been published with a single purpose of making GREAT literature of the country available to people at large at very cheap rates.

Several audio-video cassettes of contemporary and classical poetry and music have also been brought out by SAHMAT to underline the commitment to cultural plurality.

 Safdar was fond of children . He wrote stories and poems for them .His  Hindi poems like   Pehli Baarish, Duniya Sabki , Holi , sardi , Samar Singh Ki Saalgirah , Shivi Ka Angootha, Raju Aur kaaju and Machchhar Pehalwaan became quite popular with children and were published in many Hindi  magazines. 
  I end this brief post with a  poem Kitaabein ( books ) by Safdar Hashmi that I have rendered to simple English.

Kitaabein ( Books )

Books also communicate ,

Revealing tales of time gone by,

Tales of our world,

Stories of Human beings ,

Today’s tale or yesterday’s tale ,

Tales of every moment spent in happiness or pain ,

Flower laden tales ,

Cruel stories of Bombs ,

Stories of our victories and defeats ,

Tales of love and deceit ,

Love! Shall you not listen these tales ?

Love! shall you not go through these books ?

Look ! How eager these books are to communicate .

Look ! How Impatient these Books are to stay with you.

( Safdar Hashmi )

( Autar Mota …03.05.2013… Time 11.05 PM …. Good Night )

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REHMAN : THE UNFORGETTABLE ACTOR OF INDIAN CINEMA ..

                                                
                                                                  

                                       

                         (Fasi ur Rehman)

REHMAN .. THE UNFORGETABLE  ACTOR   OF INDIAN CINEMA  AND HIS SUPER TALENTED NEPHEW  FASI UR REHMAN..

He belonged to a  liberal Pathan family  that had come to India and settled at Jabalpur  much before the partition of the country . The family traces its roots to King Amanullah of Afghanistan.

Rehman  Khan  ( 1921-1984) was born at Lahore but the family moved to  Jabalpur  where he graduated from Robertson College and joined Royal Indian Air Force as  pilot in1942 . He resigned from Air Force in 1944 and moved to films . The  first major role that he earned was for a movie called Shahjahaan . He starred  in about 70 movies as  lead man  looking  strikingly handsome,  suave and aristocratic .The memorable roles that he played are from movies like WAQT, SAHIB BIBI AUR GHULAM ,PYAASA  and CHAUDHAVIN  KA  CHAAND . I still remember the  fantastic demeanour  that he put up in these roles . I still  remember  the  scene, where a dead drunk   Chhote  Sarkar  (Rehman )  forces the bitter brew down  Meena Kumari’s throat, signaling  her unstoppable slip into addiction and defeat.And the song "Na Jao Saiyan Chhudaake Baiyan" picturised on Rehman and Meena Kumari is simply unforgettable.

Not much is known about Rehman’s personal life except that he lived behind Regal Cinema in Colaba ,  Mumbai  . He married his girlfriend and the couple lived a reclusive life. Guru Dutt, Johnny Walker ,Sapru and Abrar Alvi were  amongst his  few friends from the film industry.

Well known  Pakistani male  kathak  dancer  ,lFasi Ur Rehman  , known as  Chhote Birju Maharaj is his nephew . Fasih ur Rehman began his Kathak training in 1977 under the tutelage of Maharaj Ghulam Hussain - a disciple of Achhan Maharaj of Lucknow Gharana. He was also trained under the guidance of Smt. Kumudini  Lakhia. Fasih ur Rehman is a dancer who has strived throughout his career to promote dance and staunchly protect classical Kathak both worldwide and within his home country; all the while facing  strong opposition from conservative forces. About this dancer ,   Renuka Narayanan of   Indian Express writes :

"On stage, though, he shifts seamlessly between Tandava and Lasya, the masculine and feminine energies needed to portray a Kathak love song, tugging at his imaginary paramour's plait one moment, gracefully sliding on bangles the next."

Another nephew of this great actor is Faisal Rehman  noted TV and film personality from across the border .  Massud ur  ( father of Faisal and Fasi ur ) , his youngest brother is a well known cinematographer in Pakistan.

Rehman  suffered three massive heart attacks in 1977  but died of throat cancer in 1984.

I end this post with lines from  a poem Naya Ahang  by noted urdu poet  Akhtar ul Iman (1915–1996).

"Loghaat alfaaz Ka ek Dher hai Lafzon Pe mat Jaana ,
Nayaa Ahang Hotaa Hai Moratab Lafz o Maani Kaa ,
Mere Haq Mein abhi Kuchh Faisalaa Saadir Naa Farmaana ,
Mein Jiss Din Aaoongaa Taaza Loghaat Hamraah Laoongaa ."

"The dictionary is nothingis  but a heap of words,
Be cautious and discreet !
A fresh design is in the offing to define everything anew.
Pray , don’t pass any judgment at the instant .
The day I come my Lord ,
I shall bring along with me the new Lexicon."

( Avtar Mota )

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