Dazed and Confused: From Drugs to Rock n Roll

Text and photos: FURQUAN A SIDDIQUI

Audio: NISHATH NIZAR

“I liked my first high, the best high that I never felt or experienced ever,” recalls Danny, a middle aged drummer from a band named ‘Sahara’, remembering his first experimentation with drugs.

Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that majority of the HIV/AIDS infection in youth is the consequence of drug abuse through the reuse of medical syringes. In India, primarily in metros and North-eastern regions, drug use is the major cause of the magnitude of this epidemic.

Freddy Valtea a resident of Mizoram started using the substance at 14. “I had tried quitting like 7-8 times before I ended up here. I even tried switching to different substances, but it didn’t work. Heroin addiction is so tough to get over.”

According to United Nations International Drug Control Program (UNDCP) report, there are about one million registered heroin addicts in India, and unofficially the number is estimated to be five million.

The number of rehabilitation centres in India for people suffering from HIV is very few. Realising the situation after being unable to find such a centre for his brother, Neville Selhore started Sahara Care Centre.

“In India, it’s more about the moral being of a person that is at scrutiny. People believe that if you have HIV you have done something ‘naughty’. But that isn’t the case most of the time,” offers Urvashi Gandhi, Manager Education & Training, Breakthrough, a human rights organization.

India has the third largest number of people living with HIV/AIDS. According to an estimate by NACO 2.27 million people are infected.

67 year old Joe, who has given up drugs, is a vocalist. He has recorded with Sony many times. He says, “I lost many years of my life to heroin. Although now I’m quite successful, I regret losing everything.”

Girl, Married

India is a land of a million cultures, traditions, beliefs and taboos. Child marriage is one of those seemingly strange rituals that seem to find no stoppage in growth in 21^st century modern India. Marriage in India is illegal under the age of 18 years for girls and under 21 years for boys. But the constitution of India has so many loopholes within itself, that according to statistics, more than 45% of marriages in India involve girls below the age of 18.

A walk into Nirmal Chhaya, a centre which consists of a welfare board for girls in the Tihar Jail complex, brings to us the stark reality of the number of girls that actually fall into the trap of early marriages.

Radhika (name changed) came to Delhi after youths lured her from her village in U.P. promising marriage and a good life. After coming to the capital, she was abandoned by the very people that promised her a new life, after she was found to be pregnant. When her parents came to know about this, they disowned her. Only one home took her in – the children’s home at Nirmal Chhaya.

Poonam Singh, a welfare officer at the children’s home at Nirmal Chayya says, “There are about 250 kids in this complex. There are kids from the 10 to 18 years of age. There are various cases that come to us – juvenile deliquence, parents abandoning their kids, young girls who are forced into marriage”.

Cases from within Delhi are very few in number when compared to the number of girls coming in from the villages of U.P, Bihar and even West Bengal.

At the children’s home, Lakshmi’s (name changed) parents have come down from Siwan to take her back home. But she doesn’t wish to leave Nirmal Chhaya. She is a very bright student and Nirmal Chhaya has been providing the education she was denied back home. The complex is visited by Subakshika, an NGO that provides schooling to the children for all grades. The psychological impact of a disturbed child is very difficult to read. (Play audio for more on the psychology behind child marriages in delhi)

Since the belief of child marriages are deeply rooted in Indian culture, one needs to sow the seeds of change and real knowledge within their own society and community.

Traditional Art in the Time of Electronic Entertainment

Aishwarya Nair is a bharathnatyam dancer who first adorned the chilanka (ankle bell) when she was just 6 years old. Currently doing her masters in clinical psychology at Delhi University, she now teaches the dance that she has mastered in the past 16 years. At a music and dance school in Vikaspuri, Delhi, 12 young girls from the age of 6 to 14 years follow Aishwarya’s every bhava (expression), tala (rhythm) and natya (theatrical) accompanied by the raga (music) playing in the background. She is one of the few gen-next youngsters who find pride in promoting the rich art of India.

“Art will die”, she says, “unless we adapt to the changing times. There is no sanctity in any art form”. Her statement is more or less true. Like the language of Bo that died with its last speaker, Boa Sr in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, many art forms are dying with little or no takers. Some like the Katputhli ka Khel (string puppets) from Rajasthan, Chavittunadakam (foot stamping dance drama) from Kerala and Chhau dance from West Bengal are easily being looked through due to the development of the electronic entertainment industry. Villages that were once cut off from the intricacies of cable channels and pirated CD’s and DVD’s are quickly catching up, leaving the traditional art forms in lurch.

Mr. Jayaprakash Kulur, a noted playwright and winner of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Drama says, “Naturally popular art may be film, cinema industries. We cannot compare the history of 5000 years of theatre and the history of the popular arts like cinema and television, which has a history of less than a century. There might be a slight decline, but it is not uprooted completely.”

The only hope to preserve these art forms is with the involvement of the youths and inclusion of these dying art forms in various syllabi at college and school levels. At least if the individual states with which the art forms are associated with preserves it, there is higher chances of it reaching the artistic generations to come. The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts is currently conducting an exhibition on the masks, puppets and showmen tradition of India, which showcases art forms from all over the country. More shows like these can invariably bring traditional art forms to the general public.

Art forms are not for people with acting skills or creativity or flexibility or any of the thousand and one norms people associate it with. According to Mr. Kulur, “Even a layman can associate himself with the settings and characters of a play or a dance or merely even a puppet. All one needs to do is, take the effort of indulging in the arts.”

The Young Turks of India

With 51% of its population of 1.1 billion under 25, India is a young nation. The youth is making its strong presence felt in all sectors. Even politics-the last bastion of age-worn thespians- has been invaded by young turks. No wonder then that the tribe of young entrepreneurs is slowly and steadily growing.

Starting your own business is always fraught with risks, but these youngsters have devised a unique combination of creativity and sound business sense to spin success stories.

Read on at The Young Turks of India.

The Dark Side of Winter

The area underneath the Okhla flyover, next to the Okhla Railway Station is home to hundreds of migrants who come from nearby villages to Delhi in search of better opportunities. But what awaits them here in the winter is chilling colds and in summers, the blazing heat. With the government turning a blind eye to these helpless migrants, they survive on the goodwill of philanthropists and social workers. The following is a small Audio- Visual presentation, which was covered by Nadia Feroz, Nishath Nizar and Rachita Kauldhar in the winter of 2010.

Eid: A Celebration for All

There is a particular distinction by which Eid is celebrated in the Malabar of Kerala . All the people are a part of this festivity and there is no distinction persay on the basis of religion.

It was celebrations galore this year with the festivity mood lighting up like ever before, starting the night before Eid-ul-Fitr. People from adjoining districts, families, friends all gather around at the beach for the reunion of the year. My friends decided to head to the Kappad beach, which was a 16 km drive from the city. What mattered the most was – all our friends were there, barring religion, culture or colour. The chit chat and retelling of fond memories went on till late midnight. But the next day was the big day.

On the dawn of Eid, all muslim households are up by 5, getting ready to dorn their new clothes, look good and smell nice. There is an Eid Gah, a special prayer gathering for Eid located at three different location in the city. That is the first cue of the day. After getting ready, all of us head to the Eid Gah. “What i like about coming the Eid Gah at the beach is that this is one place where you can meet up with your friends and catch up on them. I make it a point to make it to the Eid Gah at the beach every year”, says Nahla, who is doing her CA and is a resident of the city.

“There are no restrictions whatosever as to who comes to the beach on this beautiful day. I have been coming here for the past 4 years without fail, and i find it the best way to catch up with old buddies”, says Vaisakh, an engineering student in Bangalore who makes it to the city every year to reminisce with his old school mates.

No household should go hungry on a festivity like Eid. So it is seen to it that everyone gets their share of sumptuous meal. And by everyone, it doesn’t subject to just the muslims poor of the place. “We have always had the tradition of treating one another during our particular religion’s festivities. That is what makes us gel so well,” says Ruckiya, a Grandmother who has been making her special biriyani and Malabari delicacies for ages.

I head to my ancestral home in Mahe, a 63km drive from Calicut, to visit my relatives, which is another integral part of Eid. As i see the transition from city to village, the festivities are still bright and loud. Children dressed in the newest clothes, ladies looking pretty in their hindi-soap-opera-inspired lehangas and cholas and men chauferring around everyone from one place to another. Faizal, a father of two is making the most of this day and is of the opinion that, “This is one day all of us get together, and are able to visit all our family from far and close. And then our friends join us together for lunch, which is like so laid out and heart warming in these days of busy lives and hectic work”.

My lunch was at my paternal ancestral home, which is a quintessential Tharavad – the malayalee equivalent of a family bunglaow. Cousins, uncles, aunts, grandmother – everyone join in for the meal. The table is filled with alisa (a local delicacy), biryani, chicken fry, salads, pickle, chutney and whatever special is available for the day. The men have their fill first, after which the ladies gather around and the men serve.

The day continues with us visiting our neighbours, checking with the poor of the area, giving Zakat (the muslim custom of charity), visiting lost souls at the graveyard, being with family and friends – Eid is a festivity that gets the entire community together like does the other festivites of Kerala like Onam, Vishu, Christmas and like wise. All festivals are celebrated by everyone in equal grandeur and participation. I am in awe of the harmony. I am in pride of being a part of this culture.

Amusement Sans Electronics

Times have changed, but the old world charm still remains. As India goes into the 21^st century, we see the younger generation changing their lifestyles. Children nowadays prefer huge amusement parks with a variety of rides. The huge merry go rounds, torra-torra, water rides provide a different kind of thrill. But there was a time when children used to wait for the Mela (local fair) to arrive at their place to have such amusement. And these rides used to be operated manually.

When festivities arrive, Batla House in Delhi travels back to the days of yore as the streets are filled with shouts of laughter as children enjoy themselves on these rides. Burst a balloon, the Columbus swing, merry go round are all on the streets as immigrants from outside Delhi tent themselves for a couple of days to let relive those wonderful days.

Various food stalls also pop up for these festivities. Aloo tiki and pani puri being one of the crowd pullers

Chinese toys have also made their way onto the streets. A small boy looks on to buy a fake sword to role play the dozens of Indian mythology characters that have captured the animation industry in India

Sometimes these rides are a continuing family tradition. Gullu, 12, is operating the rides this year single handedly

The Columbus is one of the most popular rides on offer. Children look on waiting for their chance to get on this high octane rush ride as it goes from one height to the other

Breaking from the monotony of daily life, these fairs bring relief and a sense of enjoyment

These fairs become an occasion for young and old alike and guarantee a smile across their faces

The Wrong Side of Red

Naxalism - what started as a protest has turned out to be what the Indian PM says is the biggest threat to its nation. Arising from a little known place called Naxalbari in for notoriety, it should be noted that it was the breeding ground for feudal land relations and hapless poor in the thousands were oppressed by landlords. Their needs have remained the same ever since they began in West Bengal and Kerala in the late 60’s – a classless society. But in the past couple of years, they have become bloodier than ever.
According to the Naxalite ideology, India as a nation is yet to acquire freedom from hunger and deprivation. They believe that the current system should be overthrown. The general notion that to change the system, we need to be the system seems to make not much of a choice among Naxalites.
The current issue of Telangana is said to be the manifestation point for the Naxal movement. But the movement caught fire after the Naxalbari Uprising, where the tribal’s attacked the landlords. This was in retaliation to the attack of a tribal by local goons for acquiring land under the tenancy laws.
The Naxalites in India are against entering the political scene and complain the basic democracy of India, which according to them has rotted to the core and is being ruled by the elite. Only a revolution according to them can set up a true democracy.
Nepal, one of India’s closest neighbors were faced with a similar kind of problem, but after a decade of ‘People’s War’, the guerilla warfare came to an abrupt halt with the Communist Party of Maoist Nepal finally entering the political scene.
But the Naxal movement in india seems to be going violent day after day. As many as 455 persons have been killed by Naxal violence in 2009 alone. The more they go on with these violent acts like the gruesome murder of 37 police personnel, and giving messages in bloodshed will eventually make people lose interest in it.
The Indian government is still on its stand that they will have no negotiations with Naxalites. But instead of widening disparities, the ignorance tends to grow and with that a rise in violence and poor souls at stake. The sooner done, the more lives saved.

Some Love, Some Patience

Special children have always been kept out of the limelight for their low level of intelligence. A look at one organization that defies the odds.

Diwali is the festival of lights. It marks the return of Lord Rama after the defeat of Ravana and signifies the victory of good over evil. But on this auspicious day, there is a slaying of a different kind - one of ignorance over special children. The myth that children with disabilities cannot perform any normal day to day functions were dispelled by the Okhla Centre for Special Children by the sale of handicrafts for Diwali made by these special children.

Out of the 1 billion population that India boasts of, more than a million people are said to be disabled in one way or the other. These disabilities range from various mental illnesses, to birth deficiencies and physical handicaps. The Okhla Centre for Special Children is an organization comprising of social workers, doctors, parents and well wishers who have devoted their life to giving special children a better life through proper care and training.

"It is not generally realized how much of a difference loving care and scientific training can make to a child with special needs. The difficulties of the special children are complex, cumulative, multidimensional and there is no simplified prescription for its solution", says the Director of the Centre. For more than four decades the Okhla Centre for Special Children have been equipping mentally retarded children with simple repetitive skills in printing, candle making, handloom weaving, caning of chairs, and making of file covers and envelopes.

The centre has various programmes for training people to take care of special children too. One of their pioneer projects is the creative schooling which tries to enhance the communication of these special children through music, arts and creativity. "This method of enhancing the senses of mentally challenged children, can in turn prove developmental to their behaviour and improve their interaction quotient with the society," says Sarah Alam, a psychologist who has been practicing privately and has been associated with a lot of NGO's related to disabled children.

For their exceptional strides in special education, this organization has been awarded the Derozio Award, the US Asia Foundation Award and the R.C.I.­ Hong Kong Foundation International Institutional Award.

In order to facilitate the rising number of mentally challenged children, the organization has been working round the clock to improve its facilities and incorporating the latest techniques and new methods being put into practice. But their biggest challenge is to let the society around them be aware of the simplicity of taking care of these special children. All they need is some love, and all we need is some patience.

The Burning Mountain of Chembra

Kerala in India is known for its varied beauty and is often referred to as "God's Own Country" world over. And most of the concentration of scenic beauty of Kerala is covered by the southernmost part of the State, comprising of the districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Allapuzha, Kochi etc. Very little is known of the northern part of the state which comprises of districts like Calicut, Wayanad, Malappuram, Kannur and Kasragod. And for that very reason its quite a relief that most of it's natural beauty is in its pristine virginity (although the scenario is changing quite radically at the moment).

These places up north of Kerala have quite a lot of history and is considered a treasure trove of cultures, cuisines and architecture. For example, Calicut is where Vasco De Gama landed in the 15th century, it is a also a cultural hotspot for the many Rock Bands that grew during the 70's. Thalassery, a town in the Kannur district is known as the city of three C's - Cricket, Cakes and Circus. Almost all the present generation Indian circus artists have their roots to this place. It is also considered to be the first place in India where cricket was played, almost 150 years back. Then there is the football crazy district of Malappuram, known for its evidently Muslim population and the declaration of being the first e-literate district in India.

The Wayanad district or forests, which it is comprised mostly of has been inhabited for the past three milleniums and there are cave paintings to just prove this fact. It is amazing that this place has not been on the map of Kerala tourism for so many years. The cave paintings at Edakkal being a World Heritage Sight Umpteen number of lush green mountains, waterfalls, and tribal authenticity make this place a hidden paradise. It is just around 60 Km from Calicut and is at an altitude of more than 1500 metres.

Our last trip took us to Chembra peak, the tallest mountain in the district at 2100 metres. According to research on the net, which prompted this trip, it is a beautiful trek up to the top of the mountain, ending in a small lake shaped in the form of a heart. It is often referred to as the 'Heart Lake'. The scenic beauty of the place is in itself an inspiration to head up to the locale.
But things had changed. The entire peak comprising of acres of forest land was burnt down. It was a case of arson. Some youngsters had entered the peak illegally and set alight the dry shrubs and grass. It spread at a massive rate and engulfed everything in its way, including lush green trees, shrubs, plants and grass. We were take aback by the scene that was in front of us, and these are just a few of the images that were taken on that day. The lake at the top was also polluted due to the ashes blown from the fire.