THE STRINGS OF A VIOLA

When going to Scottish Church College, Deepro saw the man for the second time today. He had the look typical of the Bengali bard they call Tagore- long hair combed beautifully and a beard that was long enough to reach the middle of his chest. He wore a men's salwar and aligari pyjamas. He attracted the attention of many like our ostensible Chartered Accountant; but that was more for the viola he held in his hand than for the looks he had. Now most people in this region of the world fail to distinguish between the violin and its smaller counterpart. They are too bothered with arranging for the soaps they scrub on their bodies and feeding their minds with the sops on tv to burden themselves with such menial tasks.

But Deepro knew. He immediately recognised the viola in the hands of the old man. Then the man began to play. First on D-minor then on F-major and then...no, CA Deepro Bhattacharyya was not a student of music or literature or any of those things they call the fine arts; yet he felt as if the tune being played was the tune he had been searching for his whole life. He didn't know what it was or how to play it or anything else... yet as he moved on and as the tune became fainter and fainter, he felt as if it would be worth his whole life to learn that beautiful piece.

                                                                  *******

Deepro has made it a habit now to go stand before Scottish Church College everyday and listen to the old man play his viola. Deepro used to arrive at the scene at 10.55 in the morning and the old man used to come 5 minutes later. He used to play for a complete two hours-till the first shift of the college was over- and then went away without a word to his sole audience. This routine hasn't changed in the last four months.

After a few days Deepro saw that the man was writing poetry in Bengali. Even from a distance the man's handwriting was exquisite-a treat for the eyes. The viola lay on one side on the street while its master penned his thoughts in words rather than in music. Usually he didn't mix poetry with music other than on days when-as Deepro felt-his heart pleased so.

Deepro had read some of the man's poetry by picking up the sheets that he had completed writing from his side. It had made no sense to him and neither did he want to discern the sense. He wanted to use the opportunity to talk to the man. Strangely, the maestro always remained strangely oblivious to his sole audience.

Yes, Deepro was his sole audience. The students of Scottish were as uninterested about this man as he was to them. Some of them turned to look as he played his viola, but never stood through the whole performance. Brilliance has its own demands!

But Deepro remained where he was. It was his daily pilgrimage to see the man and hear his viola or simply take in the beautiful form of those words he wrote, the meanings of which he didn't understand. Deepro was  the proprietor of large firm of chartered accountants and cost accountants. Yet this young man in his early thirties wasn't satisfied. As he sat on a granite bench near the old man who was playing his viola, Deepro was transported backwards.

 What had he done so far? What had he-CA CS CMA Deepro Bhattacharyya- achieved in life so far?

Amazingly, the answer that Deepro had for these questions didn't please him. Let's face it, he had been nothing more than a slave to others, a humbug and a stooge. He had neither the time nor the encouragement to do what he wished in his life. He doesn't even have it now. Actually, he didn't have the guts. He kiilled  his own personality. A puppet to the wishes of his family and the peers of his colleagues, he had refrained from doing anything that would make him happy. He remembered that in school he was praised for his writing. People said he had a talent which was uncanny. Yet he had killed his talent. And for what! A bagful of degrees. He was more concerned with hat people would say than what he himself thought. No, he never had the guts. He didn't have an identity.

For the first time in many years Deepro cried. He cried like hell and heaven were one. He cried as if he had lost everything. Indeed he had.

                                                                      ********

That day Deepro bought a diary on his way home. It wasn't one of those cheap executive diaries that everyone used  but  was beautifully bound in brown leather with "Diary" printed on top in golden lettering. When he reached home, Deepro sat at his desk, opened the diary and wrote on the first page, "I have made all knowledge my province". He turned the page and wrote on top "The Man of Scottish".

For the first time in his life CA CS CMA Deepro Bhattacharyya was playing the strings of a viola. 

                                                    THOUGHT-TERRORISM

In the wake of recent events at a certain literary meet in a certain city on the west coast of the ancient kingdom of King Bharat, it is quite natural that the lay person might contemplate on what is meant by the expression of thought-terrorism. In times when guns and tanks define peace, progress and other deliberations, it is but natural that a similar notion of the word “terrorism” is taken for granted as to encompass all possible meanings of the term. It is of essence now, however that we come out of this ”scotma” and try to gauge the true damaging factor of Thought-terrorism.

It might be questioned what is this thought-terrorism that is being written and spoken about in current media. The answer is, as is the case with most difficult questions, exceedingly simple. Thought-terrorism refers to severe intolerance among classes that would even lead some members of the more obsessed class to take steps to murder or otherwise harass their opposition for its views, regardless of whether such views are right or wrong.

The main difference between other variants of intolerance and this particular breed lies in the fact that it seeks to curb free thought in its crib and does not hesitate to defend its own ideas, however obstinate or out of date, by all means which the human imagination is capable of calling to its grasp -including banning of books, articles, arrests and convictions. In contrast with militant terrorism, it does not seek to kill by the millions but selects a few individuals who have had the misfortune of incurring its wrath. However, this difference is soon fading in keeping with the phrase “All wars have small beginnings”.

The examples of thought-terrorism are not rare in the world or in its brief history. The most compelling instance is perhaps of the crucified Christ, the first victim of thought-terrorism in the Common Era. In the medieval ages thought-terrorism was the daily work of the papal autocracy and had the complete sanction of the ruling king and his state. Illuminated individuals who brought public new ideas of heliocentricity and equal rights of man and called for the abolition of the Church’s interference in matters outside the purview of religion were burnt at the stake as heretics. Some more fortunate ones (those who had the double virtue of being both renowned priest and scientist) escaped the stake but were forced to renounce their claims.

The same spirit of exceptional mercy however, is not exercised in modern times. The first half of the 20^th century has seen bonfires with books being burnt instead of logs in Germany and this ceremony being presided by the country’s Fuhrer. It has also been witness to copies of Mein Kampf being burnt in the USA and has seen an exhibition of Hitler’s paintings being banned in Austria in the 1990s. In India, the “Vernacular Press Act” is too well documented in history to be out of common knowledge as a glaring instance of thought-terrorism.

The 21^st Century bought forward new ideas of implementing this atrocity and had either the power or the fear of the state for its support. It is not unknown how many renowned artists, authors, sculptors and even musicians have been forced into exile around the world for fear for their own lives. Even longer is the list of those who have been threatened with death for some claim or other task that they might have exhibited in their work. Dan Brown, Sir Salman Rushdie, MF Hussain and Taslima Nasreen are some examples. In recent years, the instances of thought-terrorism have increased in India with the banning of books containing controversial claims about private and public activities of several national leaders in addition to arrests of renowned authors like Arundhati Roy and laymen alike for expressing their thoughts against any particular group or sect (including the activities of the government).

It can be thus understood that the phenomenon of thought-terrorism is not limited within the boundaries of any particular region and neither is it the monopoly of a certain group, religion or peoples. It might be dormant in one country at this particular moment in time and very active in another, but this should not be looked upon as the triumph of one country or one particular race of peoples over this disease. It is to be understood if not eliminated permanently, it will resurface and ruin the balance of life that is the aim of human civilisation; as has been seen in the USA in 2009 when a retired army general had organised a Koran burning session at Ground Zero. Hence, the true germ is not to be sought in either the east or the west, but within ourselves.

The modern world claims to be democratic but sadly is autocratic in nature and authoritarian in practise. Be it the largest democracy or the smallest commune, it is not devoid of thought-terrorism in either blatant or dormant practise. The real problem lies not in governments but in the people. The people of this world are segregated from birth in groups of various capacities. The conflict between these groups is not as inevitable as one would believe. The illusion that is created in human minds that people cannot belong to more than one group without sacrificing their loyalties and ties with the other one is the root of thought-terrorism and iconoclastic behaviour. For example, a person may, without conflict, be a Hindu, a male, a scholar of Mohammedan texts, a heterosexual, a supporter of homosexual rights, a Brahmin and a worker for upliftment of socially backward classes.

In reality, every single person belongs to several groups on the basis of gender, profession, language, science, morals, politics, etc and all these groups are intertwined and interrelated. The illusion of group supremacy has caused endless conflicts culminating into two world wars; it must now be given a peaceful burial. The realisation that every human being has multiple identities and cannot be member of any one group exclusively is the thought that will prevent the spread of thought-terrorism in human minds and will set the path for a rational world less imprisoned by illusion.

In conclusion, it would be apt to quote an insightful one-liner of Rousseau:

“I might not agree with what you say, but I shall defend to my death your right to say it”

That is true disillusionment.