Many Moods Of Monsoon

The poet lying dormant within people in the plains of Lucknow is unleashed upon the world during the monsoons. At this time of the year, gardeners gloat over the greenery that surrounds them and poets compose furiously, fresh songs of love and separation.

Plenty of odes are written to the rain god in the hope of being united with the beloved like the sky reaches down in the season to embrace the parched earth.

Vocalists meditate upon the raga Malhar and the Koyal bird chirps endlessly to the tune of the flute. Dancers twirl to the rhythm of the falling rain while plates full of savouries are cooked up in kitchens in different ways.

The heady sights and sounds witnessed throughout the monsoons had inspired Urdu poet Mohammad Alvi to note that the heavens part only after a plea by sunshine for a drop of rainfall: ‘dhoop ne guzarish ki, ek boond barish ki’.

However, climate change and unfulfilled promises of elevating Lucknow to a smart city are responsible for a lack of good rainfall. On the few days that it did rain the city turned into chaos.

The streets got flooded, and the makeshift homes of all the poor have been washed away from roadsides. According to the Indian Meteorological Centre, there has been a lack of rain this year.

That has got farmers worried as they prepare for the kharif plantation of paddy and maize. Menthol is another crop likely to suffer damage due to a shortage of rains. Apart from 40 districts that recorded deficient rainfall, normal rainfall was received in 18 districts while 17 districts experienced excess rainfall.

The eastern Uttar Pradesh (UP) districts of Kaushambi, Kushinagar and Deoria have been hit hardest with almost 70 percent less rainfall this year. The districts of Santkabirnagar, Pilibhit, Mirzapur, Shrawasti, Chandauli, Basti are other districts that have been starved of a healthy rainfall.

Bhiksha to Shiksha

There is good news from the Lucknow University (LU) campus for transgender people interested in higher studies. The University has decided to admit transgender students for the first time in the history of the campus that has more than 20,000 students.

“Right now, the LU does not have any transgender students. We want to encourage transgender students to study here,” Students Welfare dean, Professor Poonam Tandon said.

A group of transgender representatives visited the University and met several university officials to discuss initiatives to create a more inclusive and welcoming atmosphere for all students including transgender on the campus.

Professor Tandon said that the objective is to empower transgender students and to elevate their way of earning a living from ‘bhiksha’ or begging to ‘shiksha’ or education. The plan is to raise awareness and foster acceptance of transgender issues among students.

The University authorities recognise the growing interest of private companies in offering jobs to transgender individuals. They promise to prioritise efforts to support their academic journey.

In the meeting, the University authorities discussed a plan of action and floated initiatives to nurture a more welcoming environment for transgender students. A sensitisation programme is on the card and also the start of a transgender cell to explore financial grants for those transgender students in need.

Trafficking Of Children

Last Monday was observed as World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. According to a report titled ‘Child Trafficking in India: Insights from Situational Data Analysis and the Need for Tech-driven Intervention Strategies’, UP has the highest number of children being trafficked per year.

Compared to other states, the problem was aggravated in post Covid times in UP. On an average, there were 267 cases of child trafficking in the pre-Covid phase between 2016 and 2019, a figure that increased by over 350 per cent between 2021 and 2022 to 1,214 cases per year.

In 2021, 2055 cases of child trafficking were reported in the state, making UP the home of the highest number of cases followed by Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. These are the top three states from where most children were trafficked till last year.

The report released by Games 24x7 and the Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation (KSCF) pointed out the damaging impact of the pandemic upon the trafficking situation in the country.

The KSFC has managed to rescue a total of 13,549 children over the six-year period between 2016 and 2022.

Who is Tariq Mansoor?

Tariq Mansoor, a ruling party legislator was recently appointed national vice-president of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Mansoor is a former Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) vice-chancellor. He has been picked by the ruling party to top jobs in the state to attract the votes of Pasmanda Muslims who mostly belong to the economically backward section of the community.

Mansoor had resigned as AMU vice-chancellor earlier this year after he was nominated as a member of the UP Legislative Council.

A professional medical doctor, Mansoor was previously head of department of surgery at the AMU and later principal, Jawaharlal Medical College and Hospital. Mansoor is expected to be the bridge between the ruling party and the economically backward Muslims in order to win the general elections in 2024.

Mansoor will be seen taking a lead in assuring Muslims that the ruling party means well for the minorities. Mansoor’s task is to convince Muslims that the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is not a bad idea.

Pasmanda Muslims

Danish Azad Ansari is a Pasmanda and the only Muslim to be part of the UP government. Although there is no caste system in Islam, the Ansaris are the largest group amongst the Pasmanda who have traditionally voted for the Congress.

Disappointed by the Congress, many Muslim voters had aligned with regional parties like the Samajwadi Party (SP) in UP. The Pasmanda are nearly 85 percent of the total Muslim population in the country.

Head of the Akhil Bhartiya Pasmanda Muslim Manch Javed Malik said that all these years the politics had revolved around upper caste Muslims. Today the ruling party does not want the Muslim votes to en bloc support INDIA, the recently formed alliance of 26 Opposition parties.

A group of educated professional Muslims like Ansari and Mansoor are expected to represent a face of the ruling party that is not hostile to the minority community.

Meanwhile, a group of UP Congress members met in the Lucknow office of the party early this week to brainstorm a strategy that will return the Muslim votes back to its fold.

Cover Photograph - BJP’s new poster boy Tariq Mansoor