Author: Amita Kanekar

Popular Essays

The Usefulness of Tiger Deaths

By AMITA KANEKAR

Vishwajeet Rane, minister in the Goa cabinet and MLA of Sattari, says that he was in a state of shock at the news of tiger deaths in his constituency. The chief minister Pramod Sawant has also expressed deep pain, sadness, concern, and everything else possible, while promising a high-level investigation to find out the reasons for the tragedy. Could these worthies be so shaken and stirred because they’ve suddenly realised that it’s their own rotten development policies that are responsible for the tiger deaths? Of course not. But if you think that the expressions of official shock and outrage are all just drama for the cameras, you would be mistaken as well. No, this outrage is intended to achieve more than a picture in the press, for tiger deaths – provided they result in enough public anger – offer a very convenient way of land-grab. (more…)

Books, Reviews

Review: Fear of Lions

Courtesy: Anupama Chandra, The Free Press Journal.

It’s important to have a periodic relook at history, even if it’s through fictional accounts. And additionally, to observe it from the point of view of the marginalised makes the retelling even more relevant.

Fear of Lion, a historical fiction by Amita Kanekar is set in the time of Emperor Aurangzeb’s rule and discusses various social, economic and cultural aspects with the backdrop of the Satnami rebellion of 1673.

The rebellion is name after the community which led the movement. The earliest Satnamis (seekers/followers of truth) were a sect of mendicants and householders and the sect had been founded by Barbhani in Narnaul in Punjab, not far from the seat of imperial power in Delhi, in 1657.

In 1673, the sect defied Aurangzeb and was subsequently crushed by his army. The novel is extremely relevant in today’s times since the author sets out to showcase how even failed protests/rebellions can have a lasting effect and shouldn’t be termed failures just because they couldn’t achieve the goal they set out for.

The protests that are making headlines and those that aren’t, but may not be getting the results they want to achieve are not inconsequential/ineffective.

The author wants to reassure that even doomed rebellions have a significance that may be lost in the immediate present. Amita while showcasing the Satnami uprising also presents another rebellion – an individual one.

This too is doomed and is the tale of a daughter of a high-ranking Mughal noble. She is running away from an arranged marriage to join her Rajput lover, who is in Narnaul. And that is how the two rebellions cross paths.

Another key character in the novel is Sant Kabir. But it’s best to understand how this ‘lion’ fits in here on your own.

The author infuses her work with historical titbits that spice up the work and keep the readers engrossed. It presents various aspects of the time, like the succession wars that led to Aurangzeb coming to power, the marginalised position of women, the social structure of ear, and more. The author also beautifully brings to life the clothing, cuisine and architecture of the time.

It is an interesting, though somewhat heavy, read and requires concentration on the part of the reader. But the reward is being introduced to characters and situations that elucidate an era and open our eyes to a reality that’s still relevant.

Popular Essays

Citizenship Under Attack? Not for the first time.

By AMITA KANEKAR

December seems to be a month for remembering. There is the feast of Goencho Saib, a man deeply connected to the identity of Goa, and also famous for his connection to the Inquisition, that much-reviled institution which, as scholars have pointed out, was also probably the first systematic codification of crime and punishment in Europe and Goa, at a time of widespread traditional and casual violence. There is the death anniversary of civil rights champion Dr B R Ambedkar, who chaired the committee which produced the Indian Constitution, offering caste society a path towards modern republicanism. The same day is the anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition, perhaps the biggest moment in the BJP’s ride to power.  There is also the anniversary of the Bhopal Gas Disaster, still the worst industrial disaster in the world. Finally, we have the anniversary of the Indian annexation of Goa, when the new Indian citizens had perforce to give up their hardwon Portuguese citizenship, a real loss as can be seen by the many Goans – and neo-Goans – determined to regain it. (more…)

Books, Reviews

Review: Fear of Lions

Courtesy: Bobby Kunhu, Raiot.in.

If history is to be creative, to anticipate a possible future without denying the past, it should, I believe, emphasize new possibilities by disclosing those hidden episodes of past when, even if in brief flashes, people showed their ability to resist, to join together, occasionally to win. I am supposing, or perhaps only hoping, that the future may be found in the pasts fugitive moments of compassion rather than its solid centuries of warfare

The above quote from Howard Zinn’s classic, A People’s History of the United States, captures the essence of Amita Kanekar’s, Fear of Lions! Unlike what the blurb would lead you to believe, it is not the recounting of the adventures of two young Mughal nobles, but the story of a people who want only dignity and peace and are exterminated for that desire as sacrifice on the altar of caste imperialism. The nobles are the spark for igniting the narration. (more…)

Popular Essays

What’s new in a new Temple?

By AMITA KANEKAR

A new temple is announced. Thanks to the recently-delivered Supreme Court verdict in the Babri Masjid land dispute case, it looks like we – in a land short of many things, but definitely not new Hindu temples – are going to get a new temple, the grandest of them all, on the site of the demolished Babri Masjid. The judgement has seen strong reactions, with some raising the legal issue of how the same judgement which declares the demolition of Babri Masjid by a mob in 1993 as illegal could reward the perpetrators (or their instigators) with the land, instead of trying to undo their crime; and others criticising the historical argument in the judgement that the site has always been believed to be the birthplace of the Hindu diety Ram, for using very questionable sources. (more…)

Popular Essays

Of Human Rights and Indian Values

By AMITA KANEKAR

There is a tourist hostel in Anjuna called Prison, which also calls itself a party hostel. Because, what better place to party then a prison? At Prison, so one hears, guests are called inmates, have to change into striped clothes and get their mug-shots photographed with boards mentioning their names, get locked up in their rooms by staff dressed like security guards, sleep on metal bunk beds, and so on. All for fun, of course. Fun for those with money to burn, and a need for new thrills – because just beaches, coconut trees, and cheap alcohol can get boring – not to mention the conviction that they will never really be imprisoned themselves. (more…)

Books, Reviews

Review: Fear of Lions

Courtesy: R. Krithika, The Hindu.

Amita Kanekar’s brilliant second novel is based on a little-known revolt of the late 1600s. The Satnami Revolt drew its name from the community involved; farmers, artisans, traders and others who eschewed caste and religious boundaries and lived as self-reliant groups. The revolt in Narnaul, near Delhi, was triggered by a fight between a foot soldier and a Satnami: it escalated into an armed conflict that dragged Emperor Aurangzeb into the field. (more…)

Popular Essays

Swachh doesn’t mean Clean!

By AMITA KANEKAR

In a month which sees Modi feted for the Swachh Bharat Mission, a newly-appointed sweeper working for the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) was hauled up by her superiors for covering her nose with her own scarf while sweeping – because it shows, they said, that she is not serious about her job. (more…)

Popular Essays

The Politics of Loss

By AMITA KANEKAR

Don’t politicise the floods; the people won’t forgive you. This was the warning of the Maharashtra Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis, to opposition parties, even as the death toll in the monsoons reached 49 in Maharashtra and nearly 250 across the country. (more…)