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Comments posted by Lata Jagtiani
On
The point of no return
Hi,
Good thought-provoking post.. just my offer, change the last line to end as "trapped by matrimony".
Marriage as an institution is under question, my feeling is that since this is a man-made social contract between two people, it is against nature or man's natural instincts. When nature protests so much( even Tagore was involved with his sister-in-law) what often happens is that couple pretend to be "one of a kind" while all along their diverse natures pulls away from this forced submission to each other's will..
As an aside I believe that women are more demanding of men, while men resist controls...this is a fine mix which leads to love triangles or "bestial" behaviour within the four walls of the marital home.
Women are no longer willing to play doormat the higher their self-esteem takes them and men are still trying to come to terms with this new reality..
On
ADVANI: A TOUGH POLITICIAN WITH A SOFT HEART
You are welcome, Gopalkrishanan.. I believe the book has plenty to teach all of us who lack idealism these days...
On
Book reading of the 535 page book "Sindhi Reflections" in Mumbai on January 6, 2008
The venue details:
The place?
The Royal Challenge Lounge, Radio Club, near the Gateway of India, Colaba, Mumbai 400005
The time?
From 6 p.m. onwards.
Dress code: Informal, decent attire.
On
To my Teachers with Love- Tribute to Teachers
Hi Nirmala,
I don't know how to thank you for those really sweet and kind words, I know I don't deserve all that praise, because I know that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, and all the beauty you saw in me, originated in you, in the first place.
I must tell you that as a lecturer in Dubai, teaching Indian students was for me a great passion, because I wanted so much for them not to forget their homeland and their own culture and identity.
We can all melt wherever we are, but at heart we must preserve our identities and the best of our culture.
I remember you with affection always and you bightened my day with your infectious smile.
I just returned from a short teaching stint at the Manipal Institute of Communication where I taught Creative Writing to M.S students. it was a joy as always!
Take care, and keep writing, and a big hug and God bless.
Lata Manik Jagtiani
On
Partition of India and Hindu Sindhi experiences: my new book, "Sindhi Reflections."
Here is the review that was requested: this is the link http://www.dailypioneer.com/displayit1.asp?pathit=/archives2/feb407/books/book2.txt
| Pain refuses to subside |
| MV Kamath |
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Sindhi Reflections, Lata Jagtiani; Jharna Books, Rs 800
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| When Partition took place and Pakistan came into being, murder and looting became the order of the day. But neither Punjab nor Bengal was handed over to Pakistan in toto. Just as these States were partitioned, so should have been Sind. |
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| Sind, too, should have been partitioned. One part of it, howsoever small, should have remained with India. It should not have become necessary for all Hindu Sindhis to leave their homeland and come to India, too often penniless, in addition to being homeless. What is most ironic is that our National Song includes Sind as part of our heritage, if not of the country itself. But none of that mattered and Sind was handed over to Pakistan on a platter. What followed was utter misery for lakhs of Hindu Sindhis. |
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| Now, 60 years later, Lata Jagtiani has taken up the challenge with commendable determination. And what stories have these Hindu Sindhis have to tell? Thousands went through hell after they landed in Mumbai as migrants. They went about systematically to rebuild their broken lives and forget the past. |
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| In his forward to the book, LK Advani says, "It is amazing that our community has survived and survived well. Like the phoenix (risen) from the ashes, we have risen from being down and out, to a people who take the lead in commerce and have fair representation in the arts, medicine, engineering and a variety of fields... It seems almost unreal that our community suffered so much when what you get to see is educated, progressive and successful Sindhis today." Not only have they prospered, but they have also built schools and colleges, hospitals and public service organisations. |
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| What Lata Jagtiani has done is to put together a fascinating collection of over 140 true accounts and profiles of Sindhi Hindus who came to India to make it their next home and build a new life for themselves. Says Jagtiani, "Many had a zero balance after they left Sind; today, it might be difficult to count the number of zeroes in most of their balance sheets..." But that is really putting on a brave face. It could be that the Sindhis do not want to live in the past and let the dead past bury its dead. |
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| One, however, cannot still forget the pain and angst of another day, Jagtiani recounts the story of a Sindhi woman with several children who was told to quit her home at once along with her kids before a riotous gang came to kill them all. She has to run to the nearest railway station with as many of the children around. It was only when she and her lot were safely in a train coach that she realised that her teenage daughter was missing. There was no way to get the teenager as the train started moving. For long nobody knew. Then it turned out that the abandoned daughter had been adopted by a Muslim family which raised her to become a well-established doctor. |
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| Writes Jagtiani, "A meeting was arranged between the daughter and the mother at Ulhasnagar. After the initial joy of the reunion, they parted and returned to their lives - the mother back to selling pappad in India and the daughter to heal the people ill in Pakistan." |
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Sindhi Reflections is divided into eight equally important sections. Jagtiani herself interviewed many people. A few who were interviewed later did not want their thoughts and experiences recounted in print. |
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| Jagtiani starts her book with an account of a brief historical background to Sindhi life and culture, while it ends with the tragic Partition. |
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| Of about 14 lakh Sindhi Hindus, as many as 12.25 lakh had to leave Sind for India and other parts of the world. Some of the stories recounted came straight from the mouths of those who left Sind between January and match 1948. Jagtiani says, quite rightly, that Sindhis left Sind "not out of cowardice but, in fact, they chose wisdom over foolhardiness" and "faced an unpleasant reality and did what was necessary for survival". |
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| Jagtiani has brought alive a past which many would rather forget. But the historian has a duty to perform and Jagtiani has done it well. |
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On
Partition of India and Hindu Sindhi experiences: my new book, "Sindhi Reflections."
"Sindhi Reflections" is a compilation of 140 accounts of Hindu Sindhis who were terrorised out of their ancestral homes by Muslim mohajirs. These 140 accounts cover the broad spectrum of Sindhis from all parts of what is now Pakistan. These Hindu Sindhis believed that they were safe, they were used to the Sufis who lived in Sindh; they were in for a rude shock because they did not know Wahabi Muslims.
The Mohajirs were mostly fortune-seekers who came to what was expected to be the capital of Pakistan; they continued presence of Hindus in Sindh irked their sensibilities. Many of them had seem bloodshed and were keen to settle scores.
These 140 accounts are divided into 8 categories: Businessmen, educationists/writers, politicians, fighters, professionals, other professions, young Sindhis and spiritual lights such as Sadhu T.L.Vaswani. There is an introduction, followed by a brief Historical background of Sindh accompanied by a map of Sindh and bibliography, glossary, etc.
It is a must read for all students of Indian History, especially for all those who are interested in the Partition of India.
The book chronicles a community reduced to rags from riches, goes through harrowing experiences but finds its way back to riches, with no regrets or blame. A community that is beyond compare in the annals of history, one that cannot be put down.
On
Is there a need to connect with <i>Teen India?</i>
The article is thought-provoking and interesting.
My one-penny's worth:
Indian parents, by and large, talk down to their kids and make them feel inferior when all they are is smaller not stupider.
Their communication is restricted to routine questions as the writer has shown and the word they hear most often is DONT. What is new is disliked and resented and it is therefore a don't.
Indian parents, with some exceptions, haven't a clue what it means to laugh at themselves and instead their concept of entertainment is to have a laugh ridiculing normal mistakes that go with the territory of growing up.
All told the required sensitivity for adolescents is woefully lacking. Discipline, homework, tradition, rules, early-to-bed, be respectful, ask any child or teenager if he hasn't had this lot pushed down his throat on a daily if not hourly basis.
My favourite theory, for what it's worth. Couples must go through a year's rigorous orientation course before deciding to become parents. Children, even cute ones, do grow up to be quite uncute. How many parents are ready for the butterfly that one day will become a caterpillar??
Some parents even vent their frustrations on the easy to victimise kids because there is no fear of retaliation.
Tagore's The Homecoming is a story worth a read. It brings out the agony of being an unloved adolescent.
Regards
Lata Jagtiani
On
<b>Lata Mangeshkar</b>
Mr Jois,
I don't agree with you that she alone can touch sublime levels. Have you heard Asha in Chaeen se humko kabhi aapne jeene na diya or Poochho na humen hum unkne liye kya kya nazrane laye hain or Jahan mein aisa kaun hai ke jis ko gham mila nahin or Ankhon se jo utri hai dil mein... or Umrao Jaan's in Ankhon ki masti mein, and Dil cheez kya hai aap meri jaan leejeeye? Can't stop telling you how terribly mistaken you are about Asha.
Please don't think Asha or Suraiya or Geeta were pedestrian, they were angels in their own right.
I vote for Asha.
On
<b>Lata Mangeshkar</b>
I am surprised that Mr Kassam feels that Lata was the best voice in India. Has he given Suraiya a chance? How can you forget her Door papeeha bola raat aadhi reh gayee meri tumhari mulaqat baqi reh gayee? Can Lata do songs like Raat Akeli hai sung by Asha, can she even attempt giving the seductive touch to O.P.Nayyar's songs? And what about Geeta Dutt's mellifluous Hoon abhi main jawan ae dil? There were many singers and many songs that Lata could not touch with a barge-pole.
Today Lata sounds frail and weak, cannot attempt the higher notes that Asha can still do with ease. In Zubeida Alka sounds angelic in mehndi hai rachnewali and Kavita sounds great in dheeme dheeme gaoon while Lata's So gaye hain sounds terrible to the ears.
Lata is my name but I certainly don't give her the best singer prize, of the living singers by far its Asha yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Lata is good, no doubt, in certain songs, but much more media-hype than substance. Sorry, I don't agree.
Lata Jagtiani
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CNN IBN and Rajdeep in cash for votes: incompetent iniquitous
Hi, A most appropriate piece and well observed as well. Rajdeep's channel has lost its credibility with most of us having taken off our favourites menu on the set-top box because we dont even want to chance upon his channel for fear of being offered rubbish instead of the truth. This channel is not working for the public, it does not represent us at all, it just represents Sonia Gandhi's family. I remember seeing an interview of his with Sonia and he forgot all the sharp questions he would have levelled against BJP leaders and was practically grovelling at her feet. Sickening, and I am sad to say that Raghav Behl, by association, has lost the credibility of TV18 because of this approach in the cash for votes incident. I do hope advertisers think twice before placing adverts on this channel that the public today loves to hate
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