The Wire Talks

Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam have been in prison for the last five years. Their bail has been denied repeatedly. Last week their five colleagues, also arrested in the Delhi riot case of 2020, were granted bail. Why haven’t they?   Lawyer Sarim Naved, who fights both civil and criminal cases, analyses this in a podcast discussion with Sidharth Bhatia. While bail not jail is a general principle, “the courts have a lot of discretion in this matter”, he said. But he says, “the way the current government behaves, yes, a political element cannot be ruled out.”   Also, he says, times change and “our understanding of civil liberty shifts from time to time.” He points to cases from the 1990s when “somebody said Khalistan Zindabad and the Supreme Court said this does not amount to terrorism.”   But, he says that the cases of Khalid and Imam cannot be discussed by themselves without considering the larger systemic issues of police investigations and the judiciary. “Even in UAPA, there are people who are waiting for a longer period for their trials to start.”

The strong statements by President Trump against India are echoed by the growing anti-Indian sentiment in parts of the country. No longer are Indians viewed as the model minority — well educated, successful, tax-paying members of the US. Instead, they are rousing the anger of local communities. Some of the traits which are not very well liked, says journalist and author Salil Tripathi who lives in the US, “such as noisy celebrations, weddings, and you know, you take over the entire street and then after the after the wedding is over, you have a lot of garbage on the street or something like that. All of those things are attracting unwanted and untoward attention.” He says the soft power of India is very much visible—Ravi Shankar was popular and now Yoga is, but such things are “a little more in your face.” 

In Seema Says, this week, The Wire’s Editor, Seema Chishti discusses the reasons behind the United States’ attack on Venezuela and India’s muted response to the flagrant violation of international law. She also discusses how the strained ties between Bangladesh and India following India not allowing Bangladesh cricketer, Mustafizur Rehman for KKR in the IPL have got more strained. In a discussion with Elisha Vermani, Seema discusses the denial of bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam and why everyone must go and watch the latest Hindi war film – Ikkis, based on a real life story. Recommendations: Seema: 1. Watch Varun Grover in Nothing Makes Sense -    • Varun Grover || Comedy Special || Nothing ...   2. Neil Postman’s ‘Amusing Ourselves to Death’   / 74034.amusing_ourselves_to_death   Elisha: On a woman rescued after two years of being locked up in a bathroom. https://www.himalmag.com/culture/dome...

Mumbai’s cuisine has been shaped by its migrants, not just from other parts of India but also from different countries.   “Irani food, for example, is not available in such abundance in other cities,” says Pronoti Datta, in this podcast conversation with Sidharth Bhatia. Datta’s new book In the Beginning There was Bombay Duck, a Food History of Mumbai, details the various cuisines brought by the city’s communities when they moved here. They brought their food traditions, met other food traditions and it all got transformed in the city.    “I suppose my one thought, one idea that runs through the book, or I hope it runs through the book, is the idea of what it means to be native. And the idea of you know, being native is a very strong political idea in the state” she says.   She explains that the dining out culture did not start in the then Bombay till quite late. Most eating places catered to the working classes of their particular communities—Maharashtrians, south Indians, Gujaratis, Muslims. Only the westernised restaurants, which became popular in the 1930s, were patronised by the elite. It was only the Irani restaurants that were open to all communities and classes, she points out. 

Thirty years ago, Saeed Akhtar Mirza made his final feature film, Naseem, about an aging Urdu poet, played by Kaifi Azmi, and set in the days preceding the demolition of the Babri Masjid. The film opened with a title card which said, “That one act of demolition wrote the epitaph of an age that has passed, perhaps never to return!” “The Babri Masjid epitomised the final collapse, you know, of an idea of India, of a sovereign, secular, democratic republic, equal for all, equality and justice. You saw it collapse in front of your eyes,” he said. “I was in despair but I was also angry when I made the film,” Mirza said in a podcast conversation with Sidharth Bhatia. He has not made any feature film since, though he still makes documentaries and has written two books. Mirza spoke about how the “Hindu-Muslim binary was stupid” and said that those who promoted it hadn’t read any history. Their idea of history is “fundamentally flawed”, he said. He said over 10 million young persons finished school every year and they too had aspiration. “They see glamorous weddings on television, they see cars, fashion and they want all that. And why not?” Without adequate jobs, “where will all that energy be channelled”, he asked. He also spoke about the growing trend of Hindutva-oriented films and said that the filmmakers “know exactly what they are doing and in a strange way I believe they think they are doing no wrong because this is the time for retribution”. But in the end, he said, “Hate cannot last forever, it has to have an expiry date.”

India’s left parties are no longer as influential as they used to be. In her new book, Comrades and Comebacks: The Battle of the Left to Win the Indian Mind, Saira Shah Halim, CPI(M) candidate in the 2024 elections, analyses the reasons for this and suggests the way forward. “There have been strategic decisions that went wrong, but morally the Left has never made a mistake,” she said in a podcast conversation with Sidharth Bhatia. Halim talks of the need to bring in the youth and look at contemporary issues – “Let’s look at gig workers, at student networks, at climate change movements, at women,” she said. She felt that the BJP could not be taken on by showing "soft-Hindutva”. She believes Mamdani had shown radical ideas — “I mean, this guy is unfazed, he is taking on Donald Trump, he is taking on these right wing oligarchs, he is taking on these big capitalists, and he is winning because, you know, people are liking these new ideas, which are a far cry from the traditional morals of what the old communists stood for,” though she clarifies that the old guard was right in its own way.

Comedians and satirists have borne the brunt of the state and of people who are offended by something or the other, but even so, the stand up comedy scene is quite active with many faces. One such is Punit Pania, who left his corporate job 10 years ago and is now a very successful stand up comic.   His topics range from poor roads and civic architecture, know-all bhakt uncles, and NRIs, but he also talks about social issues. “In my first open mic, I had two minutes and talked about domestic violence because I felt it had to be talked about,” he said to Sidharth Bhatia in a podcast conversation. He noticed that a man from the audience left, “dragging a woman behind.”   Pania says he is not a political activist, but his comedy cannot help being political. “Why there are potholes on the road and why there is no beef on your plate, both things are politically driven. And those are just the most blatant examples. If you really drill down, almost every aspect of your life has a political background to it.”   Even so, he slips in references to political leaders. “When you completely inundate the country with your image and your persona and then people can't even mention your name. Even slightly critically. How is that fair? So, when you take all the credit you will get all the blame also.”    He also explains why the laws have made religion out of bounds but there are still “innovative ways to say what you want to say.”

Why have digital scams become so commonplace? And why are senior citizens falling prey to scamsters?   “We can say that a vast number of people who fall for cyber scams are senior citizens,” says Ruby Dhingra, a former journalist who co-founded Saksham Senior which works to digitally empowers senior citizens.   “There are a number of reasons for this, ranging from neurological factors and the fact that seniors have money in the bank, property etc.,” Dhingra said in a podcast conversation with Sidharth Bhatia.   She gives some examples of the kind of scams that are being perpetrated—from sextortion to investment opportunities to ‘digital arrest’ which has become very common. “A banker in Delhi lost Rs 23 crore to a digital arrest scam.”   “The digital arrest is the scariest,” she said. The victim is isolated from everyone and threatened with arrest if they step out of the house. “There have been cases where the victim is under digital arrest for a month.” She said most scam organisations work out of South East Asia and the government brought back many hundreds of Indians last year who had been kept there forcefully.

It is no longer unusual to hear of someone, especially from a younger generation, who is undergoing therapy from a mental health professional, which is a big change from some years ago.    The Covid lockdown increased “stress, depression and anxiety for many” says Maherra Desai, clinical psychologist in Mumbai’s Jaslok Hospital on World Mental Health Day. “Social media too has increased a sense of isolation,” she says during a podcast discussion with Sidharth Bhatia. Desai explains there are many reasons why people seek out therapists — they may be in distress or feel they need help — “They recognise the need for mental health.”   She says not only do younger Indians seek out therapists for themselves, but also persuade their elders to do so too. “A de-stigmatisation has happened.” And queries come from all kinds of places. “I get messages from remote parts of the country from people who have found my number.” Many consult online too. “Online consultation too has taken off—earlier I was skeptical, but I now see it can be effective.”   India has a need but also a severe shortage of qualified counsellors. “The World Health Organisation recommends 3 psychiatrists per one lakh population, but India has only 0.75 per lakh.”

In President Trump’s second term, he has imposed several sanctions against India, starting from 50% tariffs on Indian exports for importing oil from Russia and the latest one of a massive $100,000 fee for new H1B applications. Considering that Indians get 70% of new H1B visas, it will affect professionals from India the most.   What is the reason behind these decisions, especially since many countries, including China, import oil from Russia? Does he have anything against India, more so since he calls Narendra Modi his friend?   “Trump is a bully and he likes strong leaders. ” says Manoj Joshi, Distinguished Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation in this candid interview. Also, he says, “India does not offer the kind of business opportunities that China does.” As far as his praise for Pakistan, he has business opportunities with crypto deals there. “Plus, Pakistan. Nominated him for the Nobel Prize. He desperately wants it,” he said to Sidharth Bhatia on the podcast The Wire Talks.    He said the Indian side has chosen not to respond to Trump’s claims, “keeping a discreet silence.” “When we have no leverage, there is no point posturing.” Also, he said, “Indian leaders are not known for taking a courageous stand.”   Joshi also mentioned the huge fee on H1B visas, which, it has been clarified, are only for new applicants. “I don’t think H1B is a closed chapter.”