Shiban Khaibri
In a context which will unfold in this write-up as it develops, to bring home the point to all concerned which this writer wants to , let it be unequivocally said that your instinct and prejudice coupled with a very narrow vision may be to avoid someone who is experiencing and has already experienced irreparable loss because you may fear that you are saying the wrong thing . However , loss can be very isolating and if you stay away , you will compound the loss and the pain. Again , as it concerns the main theme, let me quote a couplet of Ameer Meenai, ”Khoon-e-nahaq kahin chhupta hai chhupaye say Ameer, kyon meri laash pai baithey hain voh daaman daley”. Very simple and easy Urdu hence needs no interpretation. A few days back , nauseatingly over reporting and over indulging in news items and spate of debates and repeatedly , from the same familiar faces on our numerous TV Channels on Hijab controversy and later (till date) on Russia- Ukraine conflict , this writer for a change , had a chance to watch a Hindi movie on one of the greatest Hindu mystic poets and a devotee of unparalleled dimensions of Shree Krishna , a Bhakti Saint Shree Meeradevi Ji and starred exceptionally professionally by Hema Malini and equally by Vinod Khanna , Shami Kapoor, Om Shivpuri etc. The story is, by and large, straight to the point, with no exaggerations, historically an attempt to be nearer to the facts, the credit of which really goes to Gulzar who has written and directed it on the basis of valuable inputs given by Bhushan Banmali. Shree Meeradevi Ji was a poetess of the Bhakti Ras or Bhakti Marg school whose poems are all devotional in praises of the Almighty propounding detachment and no interest in materialistic pursuits as also doing all actions in and devoted to Him with feelings of sumbhav or ”the same” – unchanged feelings – from within as in pain and in joy, in death and birth, in pangs and comforts, in honour and dishonour, in hot summer and freezing winter, in riches and in poverty and the like as mentioned in the Holy Gita .
During her entire life, though coming from a Royal family of Medta and married into a family of equal status of valiant Rajput Royal family in Rajastan to Rana Bhojraj , all against her wishes as right from her childhood she was always engrossed in His thought and progressively getting totally detached from the materialistic world hence never ever agreeing to getting married. However, as it has always been the male dominated world , her reluctance and refusal of entering into the wedlock during the period of 15th century, can only be visualised in context of how much it could have been resisted, rejected and opposed right at the thought of it. She ,later, had to undergo lot of persecution, levelling of accusations, being a failure in proving to be a ”good wife”, an obedient daughter-in- law befitting a royal family and in not keeping the ritualistic traditions (not religious ones) of the family alive and defying the religious code. She was ousted , not ostracised though , from her husband’s house and sent to her father’s, for an indefinite period but due to strict traditions in vogue then, she was refused there on the plea of her destiny and duty being to agree to what her in-laws wanted and not become a reason for their social and even political embarrassment.
There were attempts to “get rid of her” as once a deadly snake was sent to her described as garland of flowers in a round shaped basket which when she opened, not a snake but a fragrant garland was found by her. Finally, she was awarded death sentence by a religious court to consume a cup full of venom which she drank thinking it as nectar but she did not die . However, thinking it was all enough, she walked out after drinking the poison to her beloved’s temple to melt in Him to the entire bewilderment of the entire town who, wailing and crying ,followed her to the said temple. Guru Raidas had given her a small musical instrument Ektara which she carried with her always , was the only thing and her foot prints seen left by her while merging herself into Him .
Only after her death, people started learning about her greatness and gradually her tormentors too and later, by all who instead started considering the treatment meted out to her as nothing less than absolute cruelty and squalidness leading to ”condemning” the noble soul to death . Her poetry of devotion started touching the hearts of the devotees and the commoners as also equally, the lovers of rich Hindi literature. No wonder , her poems were being and shall continue to be taught as a part of school and college curriculum and even now, scholars are trying to know more about her contribution to Hindi literature and the Bhakti movement.
Similar is the case of Joan of Arc though Meeraji was above the materialistic world and her goal was to realise Him and meet with Him while Joan was right in the world and for it . George Bernard Shaw immortalised himself in English literature as a Playwright by writing his masterpiece “Saint Joan” in the form of the introduction or the long preface to the main play. Joan too like Shree Merabai Ji had to face the monopolistic despotic judges and antagonists and both were young and lonely to face the worst. Both were deserted by their nears and dears . Shaw had shown his skills in building very strong dramatic situations while Joan was asked to stand in the dock to face the ”trial” , Meerabhai too was asked and subjected to untold rigours, all dominated by males. In short , Joan was awarded death sentence by burning at the stake while holding the cross , Meerabai was awarded death sentence by consuming a cup full of venom while she was holding the Ektara or one string musical instrument ” gifted” to her by Saint Raidas Ji. Meeraji was martyred in the year 1540 while Joan was martyred in 1431 .
The crux of the theme would be adrift if Saint Joan is elaborated though meriting , in that how she came out with only logic, reason, bravery and uncompromising on principles and how Meerabai refused to ”apologise” to the religious court or agree to revert to worldliness and the ”rut and the routine” though given chances to “change” her mind and stance . Both the revered ladies, however, respected the true religion and the true path while both in their individual ways defied “the thing which is not”. Both attain martyrdom and leave the world but the spirit of defiance survives , the constant tug-of-war between antagonistic forces or between the truth and the untruth, the virtuous and the devilish continues even now . This world is strange in its ways and while nearly a hundred and a half years after her martyrdom , Meerabai was not only elevated , honoured and a grand temple in her revered memory raised but described as the incarnation of Shree Radhey Jee as also her genius as a literary person , a poetess of high flights and thoughts duly recognised. Joan was ”rehabilitated” in a re-trial nearly three decades after her death and only in 1920 , she was canonized hence , now known as Saint John.
An analogy, though to many, it may disturb and cause tummy rumblings and cramps , a toddler of barely a year or so was found among the 24 hapless murdered Kashmiri Pandits, men women and children in Nadimarg massacre , a devilishly and pointedly planned massacre in March 2003 in Kashmir. His face with buttery, angelic cheeks ”provoking ” humans only for fondly kissing him, kissing and again tenderly kissing exactly in Keats (ian) Ode for lover to take some rest only to gain strength and more longing to kiss again , had still his edges of lips giving “proof” of having drunk mother’s milk “just now” as some drops were still found dripping, along with his innocent unblemished , sinless, virtuous blood due to seven bullets pumped into his body targeting the area around his angelic head by the devils . This toddler, belonging to Kashmir from the era of when Kashmir was Satisar ,had his left eye gone due to the bullet received by him right there while his right eye was wide open due to the impact of the bullets fired at him indiscriminately while he clung to his mother who had fallen down . This beautiful tender, loveliest tiny Kashmiri Pandit of a year old was considered such a potent and existing danger to the “noble cause” of Jihadis who in the name of their religion, were carrying Jihad against Hindus, Hindustan and Humanity to kill innocents that instead of a simple one hard whack with a hand which could have easily plucked this tiny but cute and irresistibly charming bud for ever and with his one eye open , he asks his cannibalistic devilish killers, ”Why you emptied your AK-47 magazine on my mom and me .”
This martyred toddler from the divine swarg asks this question also to all those stonehearted people , the opportunistic , unprincipled , afflicted with a 70 years old appeasement and vote Bank incurable syndrome politicians, heartless apologists for the intellectuals , those media persons who have chosen either a stoic silence or are discrediting in one way or the other , a small trailer of what befell the original owners of Kashmir , particularly in 1989-90 and thereafter, in Kashmir Files. He asks all the concerned whether, at least he, could be ”exonerated” of the ”charges” for which he was so mercilessly plucked and whether he could become a symbol, an emblem , a “mascot” and an ambassador of respecting humanity, human values , liberty and right to live without fear so that there is no occasion to lament over ”Gunchey jo bin khiley he murjaye gaye.” From the child’s mother and all other innocents mowed down by savages, reverberates in the air, loud and clear, the couplet of Ameer Meenai as in the start of this write-up, while seeking justice appeal to disparagers and detractors not to mock and trivialise the forced exodus and genocide (akin to) of Kashmiri Pandits.
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