O P I N I O N S

Perspective

An effective legal remedy to check domestic violence
by Mandeep Tiwana
The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Bill, passed by Parliament recently, represents a watershed for women’s rights. It is the result of long standing demands of the civil society — women’s organisations in particular — to assure victims of domestic violence freedom from fear of eviction or physical harm in their family home, and to have access to family resources for adequate maintenance.

Coping with nature’s fury
by Rajesh Kochhar
We have become so self-absorbed in urbanism that we seem to be losing all sense of proportion, respect for nature and its phenomena as well as the ability to empathise with fellow human beings. The Kashmir earthquake has caused great devastation.

OPED

Profile
Crusader on foreign origin issue
by Harihar Swarup
IN the weird world of politics, morality and ethics have been the biggest casualty and rare are persons who hold on to these values. Rarest are persons who give up an office or position for a principle or in what they believe to be right . Former Lok Sabha Speaker P.A. Sangma may be among the rarest of the breed of the present-day politicians who has always taken a principled stand on an issue. The latest is his resignation from the Lower House of Parliament.

How growers can earn more
by P.S. Rangi
The farm technology introduced in Punjab in the mid-1960s has resulted in a manifold increase in agricultural production, particularly in the case of wheat and rice. As a result, India has become not only self-sufficient in food but also exported large quantities of cereals, in addition to having sizeable buffer stocks for food security of the country. At the same time, agriculture is Punjab facing some problems related to soil health, the declining water-table and environmental issues. It has become difficult to increase agricultural productivity and incomes of the growers, particularly the small farmers.

Diversities — Delhi Letter
Cries from Kashmir
by Humra Quraishi
The earth’s been rattling — rattling us all, for it has been quaking and killing thousands. And in spite of the so-called scientific claims that we can manage disasters, there’s no countering nature’s fury. Even reaching relief material gets difficult. Here, in New Delhi, there’s begun some activity and this week-end relief material for those affected by this earthquake is getting collected at the Press Club and Jamia Millia. Besides, several embassies like that of France and Kuwait are also gearing up their resources.

• A struggling dancer

REFLECTIONS

Perspective

An effective legal remedy to check domestic violence
by Mandeep Tiwana

The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Bill, passed by Parliament recently, represents a watershed for women’s rights. It is the result of long standing demands of the civil society — women’s organisations in particular — to assure victims of domestic violence freedom from fear of eviction or physical harm in their family home, and to have access to family resources for adequate maintenance.

It fulfils the Constitution’s pledge to prohibit discrimination through the enactment of special provisions that protect women. In addition, it makes good India’s commitments under the international human rights regime. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) to which India is a party, requires national law and policy to be directed towards removing discrimination against women in all matters relating to marriage and family relationships.

The Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, 1993, to which India has time and again rededicated its commitment, calls upon states to specifically eliminate gender based violence and all forms of sexual exploitation and harassment, including those resulting from cultural prejudice.

While India is being applauded in the international fora for this legislation, critics of the Bill here say that it allows too much scope to female relatives to deprive upstanding men of their hard earned or rightfully inherited property. To understand the Bill’s significance, it is necessary to objectively examine the wider implications and reasons behind the legislation.

For women in a “domestic relationship”, the Bill sets a precedent by widening the definition of domestic violence, which includes physical violence, emotional abuse (humiliation, ridicule, name calling, threats to cause physical harm), sexually degrading conduct, or economic deprivation. “Domestic relationship” is defined as a relationship between two persons who live or have at any point of time lived together in a shared household and are related by blood through a common ancestor; marriage or a relationship in the nature of marriage; adoption; or are family members living together in a joint family.

The remedies provided in the Bill enshrine layers of protection for victims who stay in abusive relationships simply because they have no place to go or have no independent source of income. They give a victim of domestic violence the right to obtain protection orders and residence orders against the perpetrator. Protection orders prevent the perpetrator from directly or indirectly committing acts of domestic violence, transferring and operating assets and bank accounts jointly held or enjoyed (utilised), communicating with the victim or trying to enter her place of employment.

Residence orders restrain the perpetrator from interfering in any way with the victim’s occupancy of the shared household (whether she has a legal title or not), either by coercing her to leave, or by attempting to sell off or mortgage the property. Also, the victim can make an application to the court for a lump sum payment or for monthly payments to maintain herself and her dependants. In addition, the court can direct the perpetrator to monetarily compensate the victim for loss of earnings, medical expenses incurred because of domestic violence and loss caused by destruction or removal of property from the victim’s control.

In the social milieu of this country, women are often excluded from ownership of jointly held family property, which is traditionally registered in the man’s name, be it in his position as husband, father in law, son or brother. A woman subject to domestic violence is therefore afraid to seek remedies to end the violence — in law or otherwise — for fear of being evicted from the household or being denied access to funds, necessary to maintain herself and her children.

Significantly, by bringing economic deprivation into the ambit of domestic violence, the Bill also protects abandoned wives. Until now, a non-Muslim woman who went through the rites of marriage with an already married man had no recourse to the law as far as property and maintenance rights were concerned. The courts were not empowered to recognise the rights of the “second wife” who may have been misled into the “marriage”.

There are many instances of women being duped without knowing that the men they are marrying are already married. Once married, these men abandon their “wives”. Some even go abroad. This problem is particularly acute in the case of marriages with Non-Resident Indians, posing serious consequences for the woman. Quite often, even if their “husbands” are not already married, these women have to face insults and abuse from the families of the men who have abandoned them if they try to live in their households. The proposed law gives such women a legal right to claim maintenance and occupy property owned by these men or their families in India, without disturbance.

Critics say, the Bill’s wide definition of domestic relationship — that applies irrespective of whether the man and woman are still living in the shared household — may be used by girlfriends or mistresses, both present and former to take undue advantage of the recourse available through law. This ignores the fact that, to obtain relief, one has to prove that the relationship was in the nature of a marriage. This means that there was an intention to live as man and wife, and there was joint sharing and contribution to the household, monetary or otherwise.

It would be unfair to label this Bill as pro-women or loaded against men — it is pro-justice. In applying the law, judges are not absolved of their responsibility to uphold the principles of natural justice by giving both sides an opportunity to be heard, and to base their decision on an objective assessment of the facts and surrounding circumstances of the case. Clearly, those opposed to the Bill overlook the larger context and its true value as a buffer to protect victims of domestic violence, by unjustifiably and inaccurately labelling it as an instrument for potential misuse.

What the Bill seeks to ensure is that it assures women who have been subjected to the worst forms of violence in their home — whether they are wives, daughters, daughters in law, aunts or grandmothers — legal remedies to end the violence. 

The writer is associated with the Access to Justice Unit, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, New Delhi

Coping with nature’s fury
by Rajesh Kochhar

We have become so self-absorbed in urbanism that we seem to be losing all sense of proportion, respect for nature and its phenomena as well as the ability to empathise with fellow human beings. The Kashmir earthquake has caused great devastation. Yet, when the television channels broke the story, they were talking about how VIPs and ordinary people alike came out in the open and how chandeliers and ceiling fans started swinging.

All TV channels are product of the same technology, have access to the same resources, and are targeting the same audience. Yet each one of them wants to break a sensational story and that too exclusively.

Mainstream science is rather staid and commonplace. If you want an exclusive science story you must turn to pseudo-science. A TV channel featured a scientist who talked about his hypothesis linking earthquakes with sunspots. To the entire satisfaction of the channel, the legitimacy for the story came in the name of NASA. Did NASA sponsor the sunspot study?

At the current level of knowledge, an earthquake cannot be predicted. Will science progress to a level where such a prediction can be made only time will tell. Man, drunk on engineering and technological successes, wants to straitjacket nature and treat it like a well-trained docile puppy. Nature is very stable and benign. The energy it releases is a minuscule fraction of what it owns. The number of people nature kills is a very small percentage of the number it supports. And its fury lasts but a few minutes.

Human beings are the only species that has the wherewithal to bring about its own extinction. The line between natural and man-made disasters is becoming thinner by the day. We can now cause floods, increase the damage due to them, and refuse to draw any benefit from them even if offered. We cannot cause hurricanes, but we can increase their frequency and probably ferocity through global warming.

Every time a natural disaster strikes, we call upon science and technology to hurry up and provide a solution. This is an exercise in escapism. We seek solutions that lie in the future because it absolves us from doing anything in the present. Most of the problems we face today are our own creation. Let us try to solve them to the extent possible at the current state of knowledge.

We should give up the concept of conquest of nature and treat it with respect and a healthy sense of fear. Let us benefit from its benign aspects and bear with fortitude its fury, knowing that it is but a passing phase. There is nothing we can do when a whole village is buried under landslide. But surely we can avoid constructing high-rise buildings in Muzaffarabads.

The writer is former Director, National Institute of Science, Technology and Development Studies, New Delhi

On Record
We want people to use RTI Act, says Habibullah
by Tripti Nath

Wajahat Habibullah, who has just retired from the Indian Administrative Service (Jammu and Kashmir cadre), is busy with basic homework — studying the Right to Information Act as he prepares to take charge as the Chief Information Commissioner. Habibullah has served as Commissioner, Jammu and Kashmir and played a key role during the Hazratbal negotiations in November 1993. He served as Director in the Prime Minister’s Office from 1982 to 1987.

Until recently, Habibullah was Secretary in the Union Panchayati Raj Ministry. A product of Delhi’s St. Stephen’s College, he is fond of reading novels and literature on international relations. He occasionally finds time for acting and sketching. Horse riding is his "supreme favourite". He pursues the equestrian sports at the President’s Estate when time permits.

He hails from a distinguished and progressive family of Lucknow and takes pride in the fact that his paternal grandmother and Urdu writer, Inam Fatima Habibullah was the first in her class to give up the purdah in the Lucknow of the thirties. His father, Major General Enaith Habibullah, who set up the National Defence Academy in Khadakvasla, was its first Commandant. His mother, Hamida, was a Rajya Sabha MP. She was also President of the Indian Council for Child Welfare.

Excerpts: 
Q: The enforcement of the Right to Information Act places India among 55 countries that already have similar legislation. Why are we such a late entrant in this category and how does the Act compare with similar legislations in other countries?

A: I cannot answer for that yet. The point is that the need for this has been felt for sometime. The Freedom of Information Act was passed in 2002 but it was not really enforced. The reason: this kind of legislation really requires the initiative of civil society. And this came only in the 1990s. One of those who took the lead in this matter was Aruna Roy of the National Advisory Council. Incidentally, she was my batchmate in the IAS. I met the British High Commissioner, Sir Michael Arthur on Wednesday and have asked him for a copy of their legislation on the Right to Information.

Q: What are the salient features of the RTI Act?

A: To put it in a nutshell, it makes government fully accountable to every citizen. But what it entails is that there has to be much greater sense of responsibility. It is a power that has to be given to every citizen in recognition of the fact that it is a government of the people, for the people and by the people — the essence of democracy. Each Ministry apparently is required under the Act and under the instructions of the Department of Personnel to appoint Public Information Officers. Each ministry or department also has to organise its material and its working system in order to be able to respond to the time requirement of the public.

Q: How long will the government take to put the implementation machinery in place?

A: You have to ask the Department of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.

Q: How will you encourage people to make use of the RTI Act?

A: I will have to consult my colleagues. The policy would be to encourage people to use the Act. How exactly that will be done, I cannot lay down for you beforehand.

Q: How will you prevent frivolous complaints?

A: Again, that is something I will have to see how it has to be done.

Q: How will you deal with officers who don’t pass on the needed information to the public?

A: The penalties are prescribed in the Act. One can only see if it is effective or not from the implementation of the Act. For each day of delay in information, a substantial penalty has been prescribed. It would be best if information is made available well in time.

Q: How will the RTI Act affect the Official Secrets Act?

A: There is a radical difference between the RTI Act and the Official Secrets Act. The Official Secrets Act began with the presumption that what is done within the government should be kept secret and the government can decide what information it wants to share with the public. Under the RTI Act, what is done in the government is public property but the government can decide to keep certain information confidential because of overriding national interests. Under the provisions of the RTI Act, certain organisations have been exempted from the application of the Act.

Q: Will the RTI Act slow down the decision-making process of the government?

A: It should not have any bearing on decision-making at all. It does not really question the decision-making process. It only asks for information on how decisions have been arrived at. It does not actually come in the way of making decisions.

Q: There is resentment over the appointment of retired bureaucrats as information commissioners.

A: Of the four Information Commissioners appointed, Prof M.M. Ansari is from Jamia Hamdard.

OPED

Profile
Crusader on foreign origin issue
by Harihar Swarup

IN the weird world of politics, morality and ethics have been the biggest casualty and rare are persons who hold on to these values. Rarest are persons who give up an office or position for a principle or in what they believe to be right. Former Lok Sabha Speaker P.A. Sangma may be among the rarest of the breed of the present-day politicians who has always taken a principled stand on an issue. The latest is his resignation from the Lower House of Parliament.

Elected from the Tura constituency of Meghalaya, he has put in his papers in protest against “brutal” police action on “innocent” students in his constituency. When the Speaker, Mr Somnath Chatterjee, told him that he would miss him in the House, Mr Sangma’s cryptic reply was: “It will be only for the winter session.” Indeed, he is sure to be re-elected within months in the byelection to be held in the Tura constituency. Elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time in 1977, Mr Sangma never lost an election, and since then he has been elected to the House for eight consecutive terms .

Once projected as a Prime Ministerial aspirant, Mr Sangma is all set to rejoin the NCP, the party he founded along with Mr Sharad Pawar. Debarring Mrs Sonia Gandhi from occupying any top post has been on Mr Sangma’s political agenda since he sought to raise the issue at the Congress Working Committee six years back and invited expulsion. He is determined to pursue the issue and does not mince words in saying that the “videshi” issue is his personal agenda and he will raise it at any available forum. Mr Sharad Pawar has given up the foreign origin issue, but Mr Sangma sticks steadfastly to it. Will he continue to adhere to the issue of the Congress President’s foreign origin after he returns to the NCP ?

There was time when Mr Sangma was very close to the Nehru-Gandhi family, often called a blue-eyed boy of both Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi and held important ministerial portfolios in their governments. Though now 57, he has been a minister for 13 of the 24 years of his parliamentary life. Mr Sangma held such varied portfolios as Industry, Commerce, Home, Coal, Labour and Information and Broadcasting. Rajiv Gandhi sent him to Meghalaya to head the state government in 1988. During the general election in 1991 he was again at the centre-stage in Delhi and was given the dual charge of Coal and Labour Ministries by P.V. Narasimha Rao. Few know that as I & B Minister, Mr Sangma initially prepared the draft of the Broadcasting Bill, envisaging liberalisation of the usage of airwaves and investment in the electronic media.

When the Congress party was not in a position to form the government after the 1996 election, he was pitch-forked to the chair of the Speaker. Mr Sangma was only 50, the youngest-ever leader to hold the august office of the Speaker and that too with distinction. He turned into a bitter critic of the BJP, having been promised the second term as the Speaker but ditched by the then ruling party leaders at the last minute. The diminutive leader from the North-East was watched with admiration in his varied moods by millions of people on the TV sets as he conducted the proceedings. His impromptu comments made him a popular figure. Though he could complete only 18 months of his tenure, he had set a trend which might become a reference point for his successors.

He presided over a House which had over 60 per cent new members and dealt skilfully with the pulls and pressures of a 13-party coalition. Mr Sangma virtually kicked up a storm by suggesting that some of the ministries should be dismantled. He held the view that ministries like Agriculture, Rural Development and Sports and Youth Affairs should be handed over to the states as they were basically state-level subjects. Yet another decision of his — abolishing the discretionary quota for MPs in respect of cooking gas and telephone connections — drew protest from a section of members.

Mr Sangma’s induction in the Constitution Review Committee, set up by the NDA government, raised many eyebrows. His inclusion in the high-profile panel also went against his party’s strong opposition to the government’s move to review the Constitution and embarrassed the NCP President, Mr Sharad Pawar. Evidently, in a bid to prevent dissension in his party, Mr Pawar had to ignore Mr Sangma’s defiance. Almost coinciding with his induction, Mr Sangma differed with the review panel Chairman, Justice Venkatachaliah, on the issue of barring persons of foreign origin from holding high offices. Justice Venkatachaliah had been quoted as saying that the issue of barring persons of foreign origin from holding high constitutional offices was not a priority item and “there are far more important issues in the national agenda….”

How growers can earn more
by P.S. Rangi

The farm technology introduced in Punjab in the mid-1960s has resulted in a manifold increase in agricultural production, particularly in the case of wheat and rice. As a result, India has become not only self-sufficient in food but also exported large quantities of cereals, in addition to having sizeable buffer stocks for food security of the country. At the same time, agriculture is Punjab facing some problems related to soil health, the declining water-table and environmental issues. It has become difficult to increase agricultural productivity and incomes of the growers, particularly the small farmers.

The WTO and liberalisation have provided some opportunities as well as challenges for Punjab agriculture. To give a new push to agriculture, there are vast opportunities for making heavy investments, both in the public and private sectors, which will increase income and employment opportunities in the rural areas.

In places of high-yielding crops, Punjab has to concentrate on low-volume high-value crops. The state and the country lack modern infrastructure for scientific production and marketing of these commodities. The Guru Committee (2001) has suggested an investment of Rs 2,68,742 crore for the development of necessary market infrastructure, including Rs 1,36,430 crore by the private sector. So, there is a vast scope to improve and develop modern facilities in the state, particularly in the private sector.

West-Asian countries are deficit in foodgrains and other farm products and are dependent on other countries to meet their requirements. The Indo-Pak relations have improved a lot during the last few years, particularly after the SAARC Summit in Islamabad in January 2004. Punjab can export surplus agricultural commodities to Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, etc, through the Wagah border. At present, the sea route is very lengthy because the nearest sea ports are about 1600-1700 km from Punjab, and the transportation cost is high. Therefore, trade through Wagah can open vast opportunities for Punjab agriculture.

The Centre has notified more than 40 Agri-Export Zones (AEZs) in 17 states. For the export of Basmati rice and potato, Punjab has been identified as the principal state. But the progress in this respect, especially potato, is not satisfactory. The export of these two commodities from Punjab has a vast potential which can be exploited by exporters and traders.

Wheat is the principal crop of Punjab. Its contribution to the Central pool has been around 60-70 per cent during the last four decades. It has about 10 million tonnes of surplus wheat, which is supplied to the consumer-states. Wheat-based products, particularly bread and biscuits, have a vast potential for the domestic as well as international markets. Even a single market like Delhi has a population of 140 lakh people and the state should capture it by sending value-added products.

Maize, especially in the winter season, can be grown on a large scale provided the produce is lifted at a remunerative price. Industrial houses should explore and set up a maize processing plant in the state. Similarly, there is great scope for the processing of wood. If a modern wood processing unit is set up for manufacturing plyboard and paper, the area under forest can easily be increased for the long-term sustainability of this enterprise. It will be a technically sound, economically viable and commercially attractive proposition for entrepreneurs.

Dairy and poultry production, processing and marketing have also a great scope. This will help diversify agriculture and add to the incomes of small and medium farmers. More milk processing units in the private sector such as Nestle at Moga and Dumex at Jagraon need to be opened. Milk and milk products, if produced under hygienic conditions, have a vast export market also.

India has the potential to export seeds, germplasm and other planting material to all the countries of the world which are located 30° North and 30° South of the Equator. The per unit cost of seed production is low in Punjab on account of higher agricultural productivity. Punjab can be a hub for seed production and MNCs may explore this area.

The processing of fruits and vegetables is around 2 per cent and value addition around 7 per cent in the country. To have 10 per cent processing and 35 per cent value addition would require an investment of Rs 1,50,000 crore. Punjab’s investment requirements for agro-processing is about Rs 6530 crore. Technology as well as financial resources are already available. This area has a vast potential and big companies should come forward.

For fruits and vegetables, there is also scope to build modern market infrastructure like cold store chains and a refri-transport system. Raw material availability should not be a problem. Even organic products can be made available economically. The banking sector is eager to provide easy finance for such projects.

India it is a big market comprising about 105 crore people. The middle class comprises 20-25 crore. Even in the domestic market, there is potential to market various agricultural commodities, both fresh and in processed form. Almost, all villages of Punjab are linked with all-weather metalled roads and have connectivity with G.T. Road from Shambu to Amritsar. All the villages are electrified and the power supply situation is good. The Amritsar-New Delhi rail track is also electrified. Air-lifting facilities have been created and being expanded. Therefore, there should be no problem for the exporters as well as investors for making investment in Punjab, particularly in the agriculture sector.

Policy-makers should bring the best brains together (domestic and international) for future developmental strategies for the revival of Punjab agriculture and break the present impasse. New investments have to be encouraged in infrastructure development and agro-processing.

The writer is Consultant, Punjab State Farmers’ Commission, Chandigarh.

Diversities — Delhi Letter
Cries from Kashmir
by Humra Quraishi

The earth’s been rattling — rattling us all, for it has been quaking and killing thousands. And in spite of the so-called scientific claims that we can manage disasters, there’s no countering nature’s fury. Even reaching relief material gets difficult. Here, in New Delhi, there’s begun some activity and this week-end relief material for those affected by this earthquake is getting collected at the Press Club and Jamia Millia. Besides, several embassies like that of France and Kuwait are also gearing up their resources.

It is difficult to comment on whether the donations can match the wreckage, for reports pouring in from Kashmir are simply too baffling. People are sitting stunned at Nature’s fury and together with that our helplessness and inadequacies to reach out.

In fact, just the other day I got these details from a friend in Srinagar, Dr Bashir Ahmad, who is heading the Foreign Languages Department in Kashmir University and this is what he had to recount: “Kamalkote situated near the LoC is about 25 km from Uri. The village is at an altitude of 9000 ft and we can see traces of snow on the mountain tops adding to the misery of the inhabitants of this village. I accompanied the volunteers of HRC (Aman Trust) and stayed on the October 13, 2005, night in a tent pitched for rendering medical first aid to the villagers.

“The village comprises about 300 families and a village adjacent, Madian, further up on the mountains, is about 2 km from Kamalkote consisting of about 500 families, making a total population of about 7000 inhabitants in both villages. I spoke to Syed Shabir Hussain, Deputy Sarpanch, representing Kamalkote and Madian; Syed Pahalwan Shah, a teacher in the local High School; and Sheikh Abdul Rahman, a retired Head Master of the same school; and they were unanimous in saying that except for a little ration provided by the Army, nothing came to the village in the form of relief and that also for a few houses.

“We saw people living in the open; some have made temporary sheds of a few tin- sheets and most of the people were seen spending the night around a fire lit at various places in the village. They have no bedding, no provisions and no clothes to change. All the houses in these villages have collapsed and the only shelter for the people of Kamalkote is a community development centre built by the Army, where about 150 people have taken shelter and this is also not very safe. Every thing in the village, including the school, and the market, has collapsed. Bashir Ahmad Kataria, a shopkeeper having a general store in Kamalkote, does not know what to do now as the whole market places have gone.

“About 275 persons have lost their lives from these two villages and many more are missing. There is a lot of chaos and confusion and people do not know how many are trapped in the debris. According to Mr Hussian, so many people were out in the fields collecting dried grass. Nothing is known about their fate. People see from a distance vultures landing at certain places.

On the unfortunate day of October 8 people had gathered at the house of Molvi Muzamil of Bandi to perform his last rites. He had died at 6 a.m. that day. The house collapse because of the earthquake and 34 people got killed.”

There are repeated messages coming in from the Srinagar based lawyer’s body, Law Ring, there’s the requirement of thousands of tents and blankets and warm clothing with winter fast approaching. Together with that, the nagging question that ‘s been doing the rounds is: have we as a people reacted strongly enough and reached out on an individual basis?

A struggling dancer

Activity continues, as usual, in Delhi and by this I mean the usual round of seminars and conferences and the so-called interactive sessions. Last week at the end of the SAARC writers conference on the cultural connectivity for peace, I met two interesting people from Pakistan. One was, of course, parliamentarian Minoo Bhandara, who is the owner of the Muree Breweries, and also writer Bapsi Sidhwa ‘s brother. I’ve met him before on several occasions at Khushwant Singh’s home and each time the conversation simply flows. This time, it was the earthquake details that flowed for he was in Lahore when the “zalzala” hit and swayed heads. And he introduced me to another delegate to this conference — the well-known classical dancer of Karachi — 54-year-old Sheema Kermani, who runs a theatre-cum-dance group.

Sari-clad Kermani originally hails from Avadh but her parents had migrated long back and its her passion for our dance forms that kept getting her back here — to learn kathak, Odissi and Manipuri from the leading exponents here. And once trained, she set up a training school in Karachi and together with that began holding concerts. I threw several queries — how did the people of Karachi take to her dance, how difficult it was for her to survive financially, how many classical dancers are there in the whole of Pakistan and so forth? And even before she spoke, her bright eyes spoke out, for they seemed to carry so much of expression.

I loved this conversation with her for she spoke out and told me, “It’s been difficult, very difficult, in every sense of the term ... for hypocrisy levels are so high that they would not expect a dancer to give a public performance. I have fought court battles, but the struggle continues. I wouldn’t give up. I teach several young men and women dance, and though our shows are very popular even today there’s a section that is against it. If you ask me how many classical woman dancers exist today in Pakistan, I ‘d say barely three or four and there’s only one male dancer....”

REFLECTIONS

As we are now living in an eternity, the time to be happy is today.

— Book of quotations on happiness

Better to reign in hell, than to serve in heaven.

— Book of quotations on religion

Listen, my friend! There is no other satisfaction, except in the encounter with beloved.

— Kabir

When we set exciting worthwhile goals for ourselves, they work in two ways: We work on them, and they work on us. 

— Bob Moawad