Shame On You , Mr. Girish Karnad

MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA          NOVEMBER 05 , 2012           01.00 A.M.

Girish Karnad visited Cornell University in Ithaca New York for screening one of his old movies – Kanakapurandhara on October 29, 2009. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In recently held Mumbai Literary Festival , Sir Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul a.k.a. Sir V. S. Naipaul got Lifetime Achievement Award . And then in the same festival he was attacked by Mr. Girish Karnad for being a right – winger and for propagating a skewed interpretation of Indian History . According to Mr. Karnad , Sir Vidia’s view of history is biased , twisted and un Indian .

mayaro, easter 2007 109.jpg (Photo credit: vicarsh)

It was shocking and totally unwarranted . Mr. Girish Karnad was invited to speak on his life in theatre . Instead , he went off – topic and criticised Sir Vidia S. Naipaul for being anti muslim . According to Girish Karnad , Sir Vidia is blind to architecture and deaf to music . For being blind to architecture , he quoted Sir Vidia , ” …….. Taj Mahal conjured the toil , sweat and blood that had gone into this vain construction , a monument to death and the memory of a tyrant . “

If this is the cause of lampooning Sir Vidia , then what is Mr. Girish Karnad’s opinion about Sahir Ludhianvi ? Sahir , a Urdu literary figure , wrote a very disparaging nazm about Taj Mahal . I am quoting the nazm with the help of my fading memory .

Sahir Ludhianvi (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

ताज तेरे लिए इक मजहर – ए – उल्फत ही सही ,

मुझ को इस वादी – ए – रंगीं से अकीदत ही सही ,

मेरी महबूब कहीं और मिला कर मुझ से ।

बज़्म – ए – शाही में ग़रीबों का गुज़र क्या मानी ,

सब्त जिस राह में हों सतवत – ए – शाही के निशाँ ,

उस पे उल्फत भरी रूहों का सफ़र क्या मानी ?

मेरी महबूब पस – ए – पर्दा – ए – तश्हीर – ए – वफ़ा ,

तूने सतवत के निशानों को तो देखा होता ,

मुर्दा शाहों के मकाबिर से बहलने वाली ,

अपने तारीक मकानों तो देखा होता ।

अनगिनत लोगों ने दुनिया में मुहब्बत की है ,

कौन कहता है कि सादिक न थे जज्बे उनके ,

लेकिन उन के लिए तश्हीर का सामान नहीं ,

क्योंकि वो लोग भी मेरी ही तरह मुफलिस थे ।

मेरी महबूब उन्हें भी तो मुहब्बत होगी ,

जिन की सन्नाई ने बख्शी है इसे शक्ल – ए – जमील ,

उन के प्यारों के मकाबिर रहे बे नाम – ओ – नुमूद

आज तक उन पे जलाई न किसी ने किंदील ।

ये चमनज़ार , ये जमना का किनारा , ये महल ,

ये मुनक्क़श दर – ओ – दीवार , ये मेहराब ये ताक़ ,

इक शहंशाह ने दौलत का सहारा ले कर ,

हम ग़रीबों की मुहब्बत का उड़ाया है मज़ाक़ ।।

Sahir was a known left – winger and himself a muslim . And he was more strident in criticising Taj Mahal . Mr. Karnad never felt any need to condemn Sahir . But he fired his salvos towards Sir Vidia . Therefore I am forced to believe that it is not for the love of Taj Mahal , but it is sheer jealousy and inferiority complex of Mr. Karnad . Or should I say , it is appeasement of worst order .

Mr. Karnad’s another contention is that Sir Vidia is deaf to music . No one can deny the contribution of muslim singers and musicians in the field of classical music . But along with many muslim classical singers , there are others also like ; Pandit Ravi Shankar , Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia , Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma , Pandit Panna Lal Ghosh , Pandit Jasraj , Pandit Onkar Nath Thakur , Pandit Bhimsen Joshi , Kishori Amonkar , Shobha Gurtu , Rajan Mishra , Sajan Mishra , Jagjit Singh and above all the etherial Lata Mangeshkar and M. S. Subbulakshmi .

If I appreciate the above mentioned singers and artistes , I can’t automatically become a right – winger or a chauvinist or a Muslim – hater .

I denounce Mr. Girish Karnad for being a left – winger . I denounce him for being anti national . I denounce him for being a pseudo – secular and crypto – marxist . I denounce him for being anti – Hindu , and that too unnecessarily . He is himself an okay writer and a third – rate actor . All his Hindi films are testimony to this contention . It is sheer jealousy that he criticized a Nobel Laureate Sir Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul .

He should know that his leftist leaning is exposed . His bias and appeasement is now known to all . His pseudo – secular credentials are condemned .

On behalf of me and my Acting Institute Vidur’s Kreating Charakters , I denounce him in strongest terms .

Shame on you Mr. Karnad !

VIDUR

MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA

www.vidur.co.in

www.kreatingcharakters.net

www.vidurfilms.com

www.twitter.com/VidurChaturvedi

www.jaibhojpuri.com/profile/VidurChaturvedi

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