“We are
banned people” being caught between an urge to speak in Hindi or Telugu, not
wanting to talk in English, the revolutionary poet and Revolutionary Democratic Front's president Varavara Rao asserted his
comradeship with GN Saibaba, who got released on bail after spending 14 months in Nagpur Central Jail, being charged under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). They are banned people, banned even in their
Telugu homeland.
Saibaba was
here in Hyderabad on May 26th, to talk about his prison days. Stories from behind the bars. A voice which
is beaten up for no reason is free now. Saibaba can travel now.
“I was
asked not to speak in Warangal. But I am habituated with that. My voice is
being scrambled. Finally, speaking is a crime. Speaking is the only crime."
He was kept inside the anda
cell, which is 'secured' with seven high iron gates. The cell in
which he was kept was occupied by a Dalit singer, for five years. In the
initial days, he heard young boys calling out his name, from another section
of the anda cell. And also anda cells are meant for 'criminals', terrorists who are awaiting capital punishment etc. these were built during Rajiv Gandhis reign, to keep insurgents for Punjab.
For four months Saibaba was scrawling inside his cell.
"My wheel chair was broke. My left hand was broke.
I refused to take food because there was no toilet....It took nine months to construct a small western toilet inside my cell and till date it does not work. It took four months to get me a new wheel-chair which my wife brought from Delhi. Till then I was crawling and no support,” in prison basic human rights were denied for him. It was the continuous struggle by the adivasi boys which took almost twenty days that made some changes in his condition.
Gandhi's Sinners
At the entrance of Nagpur Central Jail, he found a photograph of Gandhi which reads, "the prisoners should accept themselves as sinners". Ironically, 85% of these 'sinners' are Dalits, Adivasis and minorities. They are kept behind the bars for petty cases, most of them were committed by somebody else. These days, the rest of the prison is all excited to see this person who joined them recently, whose face is flashing in all the tv channels they watch and news papers they read daily. Saibaba started receiving secret letters from other cells, through jailers and guards.
"the magistrate gave my charge sheet in Marathi and asked me to get a translator for myself...if I write one sentence in Telugu they want to know what it is." Saibaba remembers how difficult it was to write a letter to his wife or to Rao. "also, the jail officials who are dalits and adivasis were not trusted by the state" which indicates whichever position you enjoy in the state machinery, your caste matters first.
Most of the prisoners were not taken to court for trials. the jail authorities conducted video conferences. Trials were made in a language most of the prisoners don't understand. He found this unfair. Saibaba's fight against this unjust system could end it. An activist can't remain just as a prisoner inside his cell.
Saibaba's new book.
A friend of Saibaba sent Kenyan writer Ngugi wa Thiong'o's “Dreams in a Time of War- A childhood memoir” by finding the Mou Mou movement of Kenya similar to the current adivasi uprising in india and urban students protests. Saibaba started translating the book into his mother tongue Telugu, and named it 'Yuddhakalamlo Swapnaalu: Balya Gnapakalu'. the book will soon get published with a preface by Varavara Rao,
"For three months, each page I wrote would be immediately hidden in any of the 29 Anda cells and reached to the prisoner who had a scheduled court visit. He would carry it in his underwear and hand it over to his lawyer and then my lawyer" this is how the pages reached outside, to safer hands from the unsafe cells.
On People's Movements
“People have fought rigorously and set the values. I have desired a lot. Unfortunately, it has not happened. Unless land is liberated from corporate exploitation, there cannot be people’s democracy,” said the professor, adding that “fight for Adivasi is not in support of Maoists. It is a fight for our own as we cannot survive without A
On Students Movements
"University campuses are turning into prison houses"says an alumni of both University of Hyderabad and EFLU hyderabad.
"Another students movement will start after the summer vacation. Students are trying to identify themselves with the larger group against fascist tendencies. I want to document and bring together all the students movements from across the country. The aim is to gather teachers’ support in students movement.”
he says, fascism is parallel to genocide.
Saibaba concluded saying that he could get out of the prison because of the strong campaign which was happened. "I'm one among the people who are still behind the bars. Why can't we release all the political prisoners? Voices are there, but the court is not responding."
അഭിപ്രായങ്ങളൊന്നുമില്ല:
ഒരു അഭിപ്രായം പോസ്റ്റ് ചെയ്യൂ