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Entries from April 1, 2008 - April 30, 2008

Monday
Apr212008

bohras and politics

Rashida Aunty talked a bit more about bohras and political involvement.  She said Bohras vote for Congress because the BJP (which they pronounce as Bhaajap in Gujarati) wants India to be only a Hindu country, just as Pakistan is a Muslim one.  Congress, on the other hand, advocates equally for all religions.  She said that while Shiv Sena (a Hindu nationalist party in the state of Maharashtra; wants to keep outsiders ouf of the state) is ostensibly a different party than the BJP, everyone knows it is closely allied with them, and recognizes that the only reason BJP leaders don't outwardly support the Sena is that it would be bad for their public image.  She was explaining all this to me, and its all stuff I have read and know about, but it was good to hear the same kinds of views from a regular person, and not just an editorial page or academic article.  She also talked at length about the Sena's Marathi only campaign... now, the younger children all learn Marathi in school because its compulsory and government applications and documents are only written in Marathi and English, despite the vast presence of Hindi and even Gujarati in Bombay.  Interestingly, while she vehemently disagrees with the Sena's Marathi-only push, she sympathizes with their stance against migrants because the city is so overcrowded.

As far as Bohras go, she said Sayedna (TUS) goes out of his way to keep neutral in politics and to have good relations with all political leaders, regardless of party.  Once, during a broadcast of a vaaz (sermon) out of Ahmadabad, after it was over but the camera was still recording, the audience heard Sayedna ask someone close to him if a car had arrived.  It turned out to be Gujarat Chief Minister Modi's car, and she explained that while neither Sayedna nor Modi were visible to them, they all heard a very cordial and respectful exchange between them.  She said Modi was extremely reverent.  (Modi is a BJP leader, very Hindu nationalist).

Bohras, she said, don't get involved in Hindu- Muslim politics, and as a result, no one really bothers them when religious tensions materialize.  I asked how they can remain uninvolved, considering they're Muslim, and she replied that the Muslim masses (her term, not mine) in Bombay are very politicized, and in her opinion, do things to provoke conflict.  For example, young men tear down Shiv Sena posters that have Bal Thackeray's face on them.  So when they take such actions, she said, of course they provoke the Sena further.  (On the other hand though, the Shiv Sena message is so chauvinistic, that maybe you can't really blame those men for tearing down posters).  

Then she told me about the time of the destruction of the Babri Mosque in Aydodhya (1992- 1993)... there was violence all over India, including Bombay.  She said that they didn't leave the house at all because there was so much rioting on the streets.  At that time, she and her family lived in a heavily Shiv Sena dominated area, and they all temporarily left to go stay with a relative in a part of the city that was safer for them.  But her father was the head of a mosque in that area and he refused to leave his responsibility.  He didn't want to leave an empty mosque at the hands of people who would destroy it.   He was basically the only Muslim there.  She said, however, that the bohras had enough of a reputation for being unpoliticized that the Sena didn't disturb him or the mosque at all.  They dealt with each respectfully, and even cooperated on a couple of things, like water access from a particular hose inside the mosque.  Her point was that bohras stay out of politics, and don't face the same anti-Muslim backlash as a result.  When I asked about voting, she said that everyone definitely votes, and they vote for Congress.  But when there's a contentious election on the horizon in Bombay, Sayedna (TUS) tends to leave town to stay totally out of the fray.

Sunday
Apr202008

conversation with cab driver

I had a talk with my cab driver on the ride back to Mazgaon from Colaba.  (I was returning from meeting Azeem and some of his friends at Woodside Grille in Colaba-- more on that later).  The driver was young (about 20), Muslim, and had come to Bombay from a village in UP about a year and a half ago.  He hasn't been back since, although his whole family is there.  Asked why not, he said the travel just wastes time and money.  His dad has been ill for 16 years-- he has no memory of having had a healthy father who could earn a living.  His brother had moved to Bombay earlier, and he followed him out here to make some money.  He starts driving his cab around 5 or 6 in the evening, and continues until about 1 am or so.   And then in the morning, he's able to pick up a lot of fares to the airport from the Cuff Parade area.  He misses his family a lot, although he's made a good enough group of friends here in Bombay.  They are others from UP, many of them also cab drivers.

He doesn't like Bombay at all.  Its crowded, and he prefers greenery.  He is able to make a lot of money-- he earns about 400-500 rupees every day-- but much of it goes toward his living expenses or gets sent back home to his parents.  He's not sure its worth it, in the end, to work in a place where the cost of living his so high.  He is aware of the anti-migrant politics in Bombay, but says they don't affect him.  He said politics has its place, and I have mine.  I'm just here to make a living.  If there are any services that the BMC provides for migrants, he's not aware of them.

He doesn't vote in Bombay because he's not registered here, meaning he doesn't have a ration card.  A ration card is like a proof of residency and an ID card, administered by state governmetns.  It entitles the bearer to certain goods at subsidized rates, including kerosene, sugar, rice, wheat, cooking oil.  If you live in a slum, its also your guarantee that if your home gets razed for new development, you have some recourse and the government will provide you some kind of different housing.  In theory (and by the letter of the law), anyone who moves from one province to another should be able to submit their old one and get a new one issued to them.  But in Bombay, at least, the administration is quite unwilling to issue ration cards to migrants since there's a strong movement to stem the flow of incoming workers.  The cab driver said he is trying to amass 4000 INR to get one-- this is probably the bribe he has to pay, or else the fee for a forgery, because the card itself is free.  I didn't ask more details.

For now, he doesn't know when he will get himself one.  He didn't seem too worried about it... he intends to spend a couple of more years in Bombay making as much money as possible and then head back home, or somewhere else.  There may not be as much money to make elsewhere, but the cost of living isn't anywhere near as high either.

His friends are all like him.  Here to earn a living and not politically inclined.  By this point in the conversation, we arrived home and I didn't want to hold him, although he would have kept talking willingly.  I would have asked about his extent of political participation and voting back home in UP.  Also whether he sees a connection between Mumbai city politics and his ability to get a ration card.

Saturday
Apr192008

Deedar and a movie

I intended to wake up really early, but I slept until almost 9.  And then I had to rush to get ready to go do deedar.  This means, very simply, to see Sayedna (TUS).  For Bohras, it is a spiritual experience and the family really wanted me to get a chance to experience it.  Sayedna arrived in Bombay today from Ahmadabad and I went with Shabbir Uncle, Rashida Aunty and Maimoona to go stand along his route and catch a glimpse.  Traffic was terrible (I guess because the lines of bohras on the streets were changing traffic patterns) and Maimoona was constantly on the phone or texting, getting up-to-date information on exactly where he was and on the spots where it was least crowded.  She kept telling her Dad to go one way, and he kept going another, which was too bad because she seemed very well informed.  But in the end, we got a prime location and everyone was satisfied. 

I did a bit of reading in the middle of the day, and in the evening, Maimoona took me out to a movie with several of her friends.  We saw You, Me Aur Hum, and it was pretty good, though very high on the cheesiness scale.  Several amusing/ interesting things stand out.  So Maimoona and I left the flat and met her friend Tasneem on the corner.  Tasneem hopped in our cab, we had our introductions, and then she and Maimoona launched into a hilarious gossip session.  Two other girls (Tasneem #2 and #3) joined us later on and two of their guy friends were also along.  The girls kept up a continuous banter and giggle until about 2 minutes into the movie, and the boys kept telling them to behave like civilized people.  There was a lot of seat switching for the fun of it.  They were a nice bunch, really friendly and lively.  The movie itself was a touching if somewhat implausible story.  [Spoiler Alert] The heroine, who is young and beautiful, is diagnosed with alzheimer's and its about her husband's struggle taking care of her.  The moral of the story was something like love conquers all.  All four girls had the water works turned on by the end, with the boys handing over their handkerchiefs.  One of the Tasneems joked that hers was already wet when it was handed to her and Yousuf (the gentleman who offered it) had to defend himself from charges of sentimentality.  In any case, I can attest to the fact that I did not cry.  Cheese and tears don't mix :)

Also, the theater, next to Victoria Terminal, was amazing.  Actually cleaner and more comfortable than U.S. theaters.  Good thing too, because the movie was over three hours long!!!  Here's a picture of me and the girls...

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Saturday
Apr192008

first train ride

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I started to get a bit familiar with the Bombay rail.  It was pretty fun, and not too bad to figure out.  I would have had a rough time of it if I didn't speak Hindi though- the signs weren't obvious and I got a lot of directions from people.  The trains are fairly well maintained, they seem to run reliably, and I saw all sorts of people using them... professionals, students, day laborers.  A second class ticket is only 6 rupees.  I found the ride in the women's compartment to be just fine... definitely something I can do every day, though its really crowded and a little stressful during rush hour.  When we got back, the elders at home were somewhat aghast that I had gone off on the train on my own.  I was asked not to do so again and take it slower... but I don't think they really mean it.  They'll have more peace of mind once I have a mobile.  (Strangely, by brain already says "mobile" instead of "cell phone." )


So I took the train to Bandra and chatted with a fruit vendor.  He said about 40 percent of the produce vendors in that little area were from UP, and about 50 from other places in Maharashtra or from Bombay.  I forgot to ask about the other 10.  He said the guys from UP went home to their villages 5 or 6 times a year.  We had a very casual exchange and he seemed to have no problem with my questions.  It was almost like he was kind of surprised to be interested in his own replies.  Anyway, I just started talking to him because I had been keeping to myself on the streets all that time and psyching myself out about interviewing people... so I needed to convince myself that it was no big deal and they would be approachable.  Luckily, I happened upon a nice guy.  A neighboring fruit vendor held up two of his mangoes and posed for a picture.  I bought some Kabuli pomegranates, which have sweeter and juicier seeds than the regular kind. 

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When I got home, Dadi, Mami and Rashida Aunty were about to leave to visit the Rosat-ut-Tahera, so I went along.  Rosat-ut-Tahera is the name of the mausoleum that was built for Sayedna Taher Saifuddin, the current Sayedna's father.  I was really really surprised by its splendor.  First of all, its in the middle of Bhindi Bazaar, with busy, dense and dirty alleys of stalls and shops of all kinds.  We drove through some streets that I would have mistaken for large sidewalks if our car hadn't turned on them (in the process, gently bumped a motorcyclist; no one on either end of the collision was remotely fazed by it, expect me).  So in the middle of all this dirt and chaos, we came to this huge elegant structure of white marble.  It has an inner courtyard with a garden, and marble walkways that led to the actual tomb.  The tombstone is in a large room, also white marble, with the entire Quran inscribed on the walls in GOLD.  And surah-e-fateha and every single bismillah was diamond, ruby or emerald encrusted.  Just a totally stunning display of wealth.  Its right next to Fatimi masjid, which has a modest minaret.  Mami (who I find to be really funny) told me that Muslims in the areas right around there constructed a taller more ornate minaret just to show up the Fatimi masjid one.  After everyone paid their respects we headed home. 

We had some interesting conversations in the car ride.  We were driving through and around some processions because of a minor Muslim holiday and Mami and Rashida Aunty explained about Muslims vs. Bohras in Bombay.  There just seems to be absolutely no social overlap between them; and in many ways the two seem to be very different religions, although the core is certainly the same.  From various comments so far, I gather that some bohras tend to think of other Muslims in Bombay-- at least the poorer ones--  as somewhat fanatical and mob-like.  Rashida Aunty was lamenting over the Sunni-Shia tension in the city, but she was surprised when I asked if any of that involved Bohras.  Its interesting that the Bohras seem to be fairly economically successful but not political at all... or at least, the community is just not embroiled in normal Hindu-Muslim and Muslim-Muslim tensions.  (From Durriya ben in the U.S., i know that there is a lot of lobbying and official government work that goes on at the upper levels).  It also seems like although bohras aren't involved in the communal politics that India is famous for, many individuals are pretty politically engaged over some of those same issues... for example, Rashida Aunty said that people she knows without exception vote for Congress because the Hindu nationalism issue is a big deal for them.  And in general, her family seems tuned in to politics, though I guess I would have to ask more specific questions to find out if that impression is correct, and how much of their political views have anything to do with religion.  She is definitely proud of India's cosmopolitan, multi-religious nature. 

 

Friday
Apr182008

introduction

As the first entry on this journal, I think I should provide some introduction to my current situation.

My grandmother (Dadi) and I came to Bombay, me for research on my dissertation and Dadi to see her brother, Mamajee Yousuf and the rest of her family.  I'll be in Bombay until July, and then will go to Calcutta for 2 months.  Dadi will be here through the end of May.

We are staying in an empty flat that is adjacent to Rashida Aunty and Shabbir Uncle's... literally right across the hall. The door in between stays open and its like its the same place.  Rashida Aunty is Mamajee Yousuf's eldest daughter.  Her daughter, Maimoona, is also there.  And although they are traveling at the moment, her son, daughter-in-law and their small daughter also live there.  And Mamajee Yousuf and Mami have also moved to the empty flat for the duration of my grandmother's visit, so they can be close to her.  Its a full and lively house!

This is the first time I've met most people in this household.  They're all very welcoming.  Rashida Aunty is really friendly, straightforward and easy to talk to, and I feel really comfortable with her.  Her daughter, Maimoona, is 18 and also extremely friendly and helpful.  And really hilarious.  She's very outgoing and has taken me under her wing, which I'm really happy about :)

My first day, she took me shopping and showed me around South Mumbai a bit.  She's also taken charge of getting me a sim card for my phone.

I think my first few days here, at least, will have a lot of bohra-related activity, so I'll take a second to explain that so future posts make sense.  The Dawoodi Bohras are a small sect of Shia Islam; Sayedna Mohammad Burhannudin (TUS) is the community's spiritual leader.  He is based in Bombay.  My grandmother's family, including the people who are hosting us, have a long history of service to Sayedna.  

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