Over 2,500 refugees from Myanmar have landed right in front of the 13th century tomb of Sultan Garhi — an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) protected monument — at Rangpuri area near Vasant Kunj. ..Registered as ‘asylum-seekers’ by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), these families from Northern Rakhine state of Myanmar landed in Delhi a month ago and had camped in Vasant Vihar.”Following complaints from people in Vasant Vihar, they voluntarily shifted to another location,” said Nayana Bose, associate external relations officer, UNHCR. They started reaching the tomb from Sunday evening and trickled in till Monday too. Zia-ur-Rehman, from the group, said, “We demand a valid ‘refugee’ status. There is a meeting on May 15 (and) we plan to stay here till then.“

I decided to dig deeper and found that the JNU Students Union has got involved and is demanding that “The issue of refugees languishing on the streets of Delhi for more than a month in the summer heat has to be addressed immediately. As of now, the refugees only have an asylum status. The government and the UNHCR must grant official a refugee status to them so that they can avail their basic rights with a sense of dignity”

I also learnt that:

Over 600 Rohingya Muslim families had fled from Western Myanmar to India about two years ago… They arrived in Delhi on April 9

Just how did these 600 families turn up one fine day in the heart of New Delhi after “travelling” for over 2 years in India? No one seems to know. I then discovered (via an email from Sh Mohan Sethi) that the shift to the site at Vasant Kunj (from the UNHCR office in Vasant Vihar) happened sometime on 7th May. Subsequently an all-party meeting of the local panchayats and RWAs was called, which was also attended by the local MLA and leaders from Congress, BJP and others. It appears that the refugees had been in Vasant Vihar for at least a week before the move to Vasant Kunj (how did no one notice?). They moved to Vasant Kunj on someone’s “invitation” (Were they promised some shelter/arrangement if they moved here?). It was not clear who was providing these refugees with food, water etc.  After a lot of deliberations, the meeting concluded with a decision to wait until 15th May and see what happens after that.

The local RWAs subsequently invited a few TV channels to cover this “news” and yesterday also met CM Sheila Dikshit who assured them that the refugees will bemoved by 16th May. A few questions still remain..

• Who is ensuring, taking care of basic hygiene and sanitation needs of these 2500-odd men, women and children?
• What about their basic needs (water, food, shelter)?
• Who is making sure that the conditions do not lead to an outbreak of disease or an epidemic?
• What about security concerns?
• Is a watch being maintained at the site?
• What about the risk of vigilante action?
• What about the security risk posed by the “camp” being just a few kms away from the airport?
• What about the risk to safety and security of local residents?

Now, a little bit more about who exactly are these refugees and why did they move out of Myanmar / Burma? To most of us who are blissfully unaware of India’s geography and the strategic vulnerability along the entire north-eastern region of India, the presence of Burmese refugees in New Delhi might look like an oddity. Elsewhere in India, it is anything but..

…According to local media reports, about 50,000 displaced Burmese have been living in different parts of neighbouring Mizoram, bordering Myanmar and Bangladesh, and working at various shops and factories after obtaining work permits.

While the Rohingya Muslims are being pushed out from Myanmar, their increasing numbers in the sparsely populated and heavily forested north-eastern Indian states are a cause of concern. Many of the local people have turned hostile to the steadily increasing numbers. The fear is that these people will slip into the general Indian population. [source]

The situation is not confined to Mizoram..In neighbouring Tripura, the situation might soon become equally grim..

Infiltration of Myanmarese nationals to Tripura through Bangladesh has emerged as a new problem in the frontier state that is surrounded by Bangladesh on three sides. Since July 2011, 95 Myanmarese, comprising Rohingya Muslims and Buddhist tribals, have been detained in Tripura after they sneaked into the state through Bangladesh. Myanmarese nationals illegally crossing over into India has also become a major problem in Mizoram, with unofficial estimates putting the number of such infiltrators at around 40,000.

The Indian Passport Act permits Myanmarese nationals, particularly Chins and Burmese Mizos, to travel up to 16 km inside Mizoram as they have relatives on both sides. But most people travel beyond the 16-km limit and stay back causing both population and law and order problems for Mizoram.

It is not clear why Rohingya Muslims do not cross over to Bangladesh but the reasons may be economic. However, India is not alone in terms of their destination. And here is an account of some of the “discriminations” they suffer in Myanmar.

Coming back to Delhi, who might be providing these “refugees” food, shelter and such other basic necessities? This report has a clue (“Refugees claiming to be ‘Burmese’ at Delhi; Source: The Sangai Express / Ninglun Hanghal):

..The refugees numbering more than five hundred lives in small tent camps, thought(sic) the lad claimed that the number would be even more than that. They came all the way by road , train, most of them have scattered in different parts of the country Sajjid said.

He further explained that Muslim communities in Delhi support and help them and provide their basic food and water. Speaking in fluent Hindi, the lad further explained that they are applying for refugee status from UNHCR..

On asked what they would do after that , the lad explained that they would demand for basic rights and facilities to be provided under the refugees status.

But the fundamental questions remain: How and why did these “refugees” trek across thousands of kilometres to camp in New Delhi? Who was leading them? Who guided them? Who is providing for them? And what exactly does the government plan to do about it? Is it really hoping that they will simply go back if asked politely?

And how many are they? No one appears to know for sure (in keeping with the great tradition in Indian media). The HT report mentions “over 2500“; Indian Express (re. JNU students) mentions “600 families“; the E-pao report above mentions “500″ or more and this report mentions “..700 people“. Questions and more questions…

Finally, guess what – according to “The Hindu” – is the most important dimension to this situation?

The controversy over the camping of Myanmar refugees in a protected area in Delhi has several dimensions, the most important being that the land is home to a 13th Century mausoleum for Altamash’s son, the second to be built in the Indian subcontinent [source]

Truly “MerA BhArat MahAn” मेरा भारत महान !

P.S. The Rohingya (Rohingiya) Muslims are not the only refugees from Myanmar in India..There are Christian refugees too (- not that you would notice this if you simply read the news-reports; Most simply mention “refugees”).

Recommended Readings: 1 un-named leader, 1000 illegal settlers and vote-bank politics…Notes from North-East: Indigenous Cultures, Demographic Invasion and A story about British vote-banks..

Also read: Some startling stats from the eastern front…, North-East  “burning” and “India Breaking” – Read this and Weep

Update: Just came across this odd-statement from CM Sheila Dikshit:

..DDA, chief minister Sheila Dikshit on Saturday said that a way would soon be found to relocate them. “Earlier it was thought that the land belonged to Waqf Board, but it is not so. The land belongs to Delhi Development Authority (DDA),” Dikshit said.

So it is OK to encroach on Waqf land? or is it OK to encroach on Waqf land by Muslims from the Ummah? Just wondering.

* Title inspired by John Le Carre; Image courtesy: E-Pao.net

This image shows the logo and the letter-head of the Kalakshetra Foundation once upon a time; notice the images of Ganapati and Sanskrit verse…

…this subsequently morphed into…

..and finally to what you see below; shorn of all “non-secular” imagery…

**

And in case you are wondering why does this matter (courtesy, Radha Rajan; emphasis added)..

…(these violate) something fundamental to classicism – the essential Hinduness, particularly the bhakti that inspired classicism and inspires continuing adherence to the tenets of classicism in our Sanskrit and Tamil literature and classicism in our arts and performing arts – Carnatic Music, Bharatanatyam, Kucchipudi, Odissi, Mohiniyattam and Manipuri – bhakti or worship.

The building of our temples and the sculptures enriching them are also infused with classicism and therefore infused with bhakti. It follows therefore that if one has to understand Carnatic Music, our classical dance forms, our temples and temple architecture and sculpture, either with a sense of creativity or intellectually, the person must understand bhakti – not superficially and not as a practioner of the abrahamic faiths, but as a Hindu; the person may be an Indian or a non-Indian Hindu but he or she must be infused with bhakti and respect for bhakti to understand classicism.

I have to be worshipful if I have to express the classicism inherent in our performing arts and in our classical literature.

An irreverend mind which is incapable of worship or bhakti, can only produce sterile and soulless creations of Hindu themes. Classicism is also God-centric and does not touch upon human themes except as bhaktas. …The objective of classicism is to elevate the Hindu mind to God through bhakti.

…Bharatanatyam rooted in Bharatamuni’s natyasastra, was preserved in our temples by our devadasis. Hindus owe our devadais a great debt of gratitude that notwithstanding their difficult lives, they nurtured and preserved this great art form. And because this was nurtured by our devadasis and because this was performed in our temples, bharatanatyam and the music that gave it its soul and rhythm retained its bhakti and religious fervor even in difficult times.

…Adi Sankara realised the dangers of emphasising abstraction over worship of murtis and ascetism over sringara (the worship and celebration of the beautiful) in advaita and that is why he composed the saundarya lahiri. that is why he sang of Sarada and Annapurna and Shiva. Abstraction is breathtaking but murti worship is elevating. Abstraction is best reached through bhakti and not through the intellect.

…The Besant School started and run by George Arundale and the KFI school started by J Krishnamurti also with Theosophist roots all suffer from the same malaise – the abstraction and eventual erasing of hinduness in their thinking, the institutions they create, their writings and their speech. They are not anti-Hindu in the beginning; they are merely the abstract expression of theosophy and perhaps Buddhism and even some esoteric aspects of Hinduism. But they eventually become anti-Hindu because they partner the explicitly anti-Hindus and non-Hindus and despise those who are angered by the gradual de-hinduisation of their understanding and interpretation of Hindu arts, literature and texts.

It is this perversion which has given rise to Yoga is not Hindu, Meditation is not Hindu, Om is not Hindu, Ayurveda is not Hindu and now Bharatanatyam is not “swaroopa” Hindu but “aroopa” Hindu. It is also the beginning of Deepavali is secular, Navaratri is secular, Pongal is secular and other idiocies. They want the Hindu frills without the Hindu content.

Leela Samson when she stated that she only removed the ‘swarupa’ symbols of hinduism from Kalakshetra in the true spirit of Rukmini Devi’s theosophist spirit, was speaking the truth and the whole truth. The abstraction and diminishing of worship of Hindu Murtis began in Rukmini Devi’s mind. You see this in the children coming out of Krishnamurti schools, you see it in the composition of students learning the performing arts in kalakshetra now under Leela Samson. what Jiddu krishnamurti spoke was the essence of Vedanta and he invoked the enquiring mind so typical of the best methods of Hindu learning in our Guru-Shishya Parampara and gurukulams of our rishis but he disdained to call his thoughts or its articulation Hindu.

…Hindus must know and understand the causes for their degeneration if they have to put these people in their places.
It is not enough to wear the Mayilkann Veshti and Angavastram when you sing an ode to Leela Samson, it is not enough to wear elegant silk and diamond earrings as expressions of refined Brahminical culture when you express disdain for Brahmins and all that they represented, it is not enough to wear long thin red bindi like the Srivasihnava women simply as a fashion statement if your heart does not melt when you worship that Murti. If you cannot bring tears to my eyes when you dance or sing you have to be reborn again and again and again if you have to attain the fulness of MS Subbalakshmi or Palaghat Raghu.

P.S. I wonder how many of you know that Leela Samson at one point headed three important bodies – all at the same time – where the appointing authority is the central government..Kalakshetra, Censor Board of India and Sangeet Natak Academy. Is it really so hard to find capable women and men for these positions?

Related Posts: Baba Ramdev goes politically correct, the missing “H-word” and the ridiculous extremes of pseudo-secularism;

When Rajaram Shreedhar was 18 months of age, he suffered a polio attack, which left his left hand and both his legs paralyzed. His parents tried every remedy to cure him and provided all the best possible treatment available in those days. They had always hoped, prayed and believed that someday Shreedhar would walk.

He went to school until the age of 8 years. His father would often carry him there, from home. Sometimes the classes were held on the top floor, but there was no one to carry him up. He missed several classes. Those days, there was less awareness about the needs of the differently-abled and almost all schools lacked facilities to help such students. Unsurprisingly, Shreedhar had to quit school.
However, he continued to learn and through a very unlikely source – the radio. The radio helped him to ‘travel’ while staying in one place. The BBC and Deutsche Welle [Voice of Germany] were his early windows to the world.

Soon, Shreedhar took to monitoring the various overseas radio stations which needed technical feedback from the listeners to assess the broadcast in the targeted areas. This was his “window” to the outside world. Through this, he learnt to understand and speak English. He also learnt a little bit of Spanish, German and Hindi. He says, “The pain and frustrations I felt because of my condition, being unable to attend school, gradually subsided. It was quite tough, but I learnt to accept my life“.

…This cause (Maithri) that he made his own literally met him on the streets. Whenever he went out on his wheelchair pushed by a volunteer in the streets, he would come across children loitering around in groups. He says “One day I asked one of them why was he wasting his time?” They replied “We are the drop-outs from the school. No money to buy books, notebooks or pay school fees,” Shreedhar thought what (school education) was denied to him should not happen to these children also. That was when he started in a small way by helping these children by paying fees, buying school books and notebooks. This was also how he came to found Maithri.

Soon, these modest efforts at educational support started to take an organizational shape. With some of his friends contributing funds, they were able to meet the needs of a few students for an entire year. And the rest, as they say, is history.

In Chennai last week, I got a small glimpse of his wonderful work and the world of Maithri, thanks to Sh Ranganaathan. The event was Maithri’s 21st anniversary celebrations…The whole program was organised and conducted by the kids! I came just in time to watch an enchanting BharataNatyam performance..As Sh Rangaanathan-ji later mentioned to me, “all these kids are from economically deprived class, broken families, who are challenged every day for their existence”. The most remarkable thing I learnt that day was the Maithri Tuition programme – as a part of which senior kids of Maithri Trust (doing their Degree) conduct  tuition program for the kids upto 12th Std.. The tuition program is free for Maithri Trust sponsored kids, but others are charged; fees vary depending on the economic situation of the child.  This revenue is shared with the Senior students (who take the tuition) of Maithri, which ensures their interest levels & commitment to the program.

Here is a picture of me with one of the “kids”, a young Mani..a real FIGHTER..currently studying for a degree in Textile Engineering! The gentleman on my right is Sh M R Venkatesh, noted columnist and commentator from Chennai (also a very successful CA!).

It was a truly humbling experience..Pl do share and help spread awareness…and do support in whatever way you can..Thanks to Sh Ranganaathan for making this happen…Jai Hind, Jai Bharat!

Related Posts: What it means to fight – and to win. The amazing story of Niwant.. and Here’s how you empower the differently abled

I admire Aamir Khan as an actor and I am glad he is using his skills & talent combined with the powerful medium of TV to bring more awareness about social issues. That said, neither I nor this blog has anything to do with his efforts.  For those of you who are curious about me – and stumbled here by chance today…

Here is a bit more about me. Also read: Who is B Shantanu?

Here are some videos and photographs from my various activities

Here is where you should start if you are first-time visitor to the blog:

And finally, here is how you can help.

If, after reading all this, you want to know more about what I do and discuss how you can work with me or the group that I am most closely associated with (Freedom Team), please write to me at JaiDharma @ gmail.com Jai Hind, Jai Bharat!

P.S. Pl do not leave any general comment about the show on this blog. In case you do wish  to comment on a specific topic covered in the show, pl find the appropriate thread (using the “Search”  box at the bottom of the page – or at the top – or the “Categories” drop-down menu (e.g. this is the right thread to leave a comment on female foeticide in India).

Pl also read my comments policy before commenting and please note that irrelevant comments will be deleted without notice. Thanks.

Related Post: Wish Aamir Khan had read Swami Vivekananda..