Law and Literature-II

It was a duel in my mind that settled in favour of literature and not law. The tussle between the two was to gain the topmost position as a medium of bringing about social change. The conscience decided that what powerful literature-both poetry and prose can achieve, law cannot even imagine.

Law requires a discourse. Literature  in the nature of poetry manages with a few words.
If I have to say something about how women have been treated and maltreated over the ages, the default action in me would invariably move in the direction of defining the systemic nature of patriarchy, the malaise of dowry, child marriages, violence involving heinous crimes against women etc etc...
while a simple yet cogent
सुनो द्रौपदी! ..मेहँदी छोडो ...
मेहँदी छोडो खडग उठा लो
खुद ही अपना चीर बचा लो...अब  गोविन्द न आएंगे।
केवल इतने में ही कवि ने स्त्री की दशा, दुर्दशा और दिशा को बता दिया है

Such power can be exuded only by poetry. And the emotions that it manages to evoke are enough to change the societal ideology if sustained for decent duration. Bhakti and sufi saints, kavi of veer rasa managed to create a massive following just because they brought the restricted knowledge of the texts  to public in the language they easily understood.
Literature manages that.
Law is not the panacea of all ills and besides is full of jargon for most.
Just my opinion

Law or Literature -I

आज एक परिचर्चा के माध्यम से डॉ किरण नंदा ने  सहजता से ये बताने कि कोशिश की कि  साहित्य भी समाज का दर्पण होता है.
साहित्य वो है जिसमें हित की भावना हो.
नारी का सम्मान क्या है इसे जानने के लिए कविता का माध्यम चुना जा सकता है.  कवियों ने कहा है की नर नारी बराबर हैं. राम  धारी सिंह दिनकर ने नर नारी के संबंधों की चर्चा की है उर्वशी में और कहा है की 'हम हो जाते हैं कृतार्थ अधिकार गवां  कर'...हमारे साहित्य में सीता, द्रौपदी, दमयंती, शिव और पारवती के उदहारण सम्मानपूर्वक दिए जाते  पर वास्तविकता ये है की आज भी बेटी के जन्म के बाद ये कहा जाता है की ''तुम्हारे कर्म खराब थे''
त्रेता में दशरथ की पुत्री शांता अपनी माँ कौशल्या से पूछती है...हे माँ, क्या तुमने मेरे लिए भी यज्ञ किये थे?  ये भाव  आज भी प्रधान है.
 धर्म की पावन पीठ से पीठासीन संत महंत ये उद्घोषणा करते हैं की 'पुत्रवती भव '...ये नहीं की संतान भव.
डॉ. नंदा ने  प्रश्न किया की अगर स्त्री देवी  है तो उसकी स्तिथि दयनीय क्यों...एक परिवर्तन की निश्चय ही आवशयकता है. 

Curiosity, Culture and Civic Sense--Ours and Theirs

On a regular walking tour of Delhi with the troupe I am registered with, I found myself in the company of a novice foreigner once again. The trip included a visit to a temple...I was about to grasp that elusive peace of mind when someone prodded my shoulder...’What is this on your forehead pointing at the tilak?’

‘Err...this is a tilak...the temple priest puts it on everyones forehead’...I managed to mumble and was proud of the answer but before I could swell my chest properly in that pride, pat came another query...'why does he do that?; whats the purpose?’ And that red thread around your wrist...does it have a meaning—this holy cord?

Huh...purpose? Holy cord? What’s that? My mind reeled under the pressure to fetch an answer.’ Oh this...isssss to declare to the world that you attended a Hindu ceremony or visited a temple...a sort of attendance record’.

: / Why me I cursed!...

I am sure that these are not the correct explanations to things I explained about...nonetheless, it was some response at least.

On another occasion, a visit to the Yamuna banks, as a part of another trip, the leader of the group, a historian of repute was elaborating on ‘ghats’ and their religious relevance to the Hindus. All of a sudden a visibly upset trouper remarked...'why is that person watering the water? (animatedly)’, pointing at a person paying his watery tribute to the Sun, standing half deep into the river. The apparaently flabberghasted speaker managed to give an apt reply...the manner of praying to the Sun God to invoke His blessings and all that...I wondered in muted silence if we Indians would display such refined curiosity at the goings on in their culture and mores. Whether our interest in their culture, places and practices, if at all it exists, manifests itself only in the form of photographs promptly posted in facebook and instagram.

(The same person, btw, upon visiting the Rajghat had another question, ‘why is Rajghat not a ghat?’Ofcourse, the leader, being a historian managed more than an apt reply.)

Meanwhile, a small child accompanying the person was hungry. Upon being suggested to open the Mars Bar from his bag, he refused point blank...’but dad there is no trash bin here, (his eyes wide as saucers, as if he had been asked to take the forbidden fruit, committ a ghastly sin) where will I throw the wrapper’. The idea of keeping the wrapper back in the bag was clearly alien and did not appeal to him at all.

Wow! I thought....back in my mind emerged a picture of a pot-bellied lalaji chiding his child and telling him the virtues of remaining clean and hygienic and wiping the mouth properly after eating golgappas—and then throwing the napkin on the roadside.

Wow!

PS: I staunchly believe in the power of time. There is a time for everything...and destiny has something to do with it. So, this piece which had been brewing in my mind for the past 10 years finds expression today...today is the time for it. Take it away then...comments are invited