SILK CITY (a short story
introducing the losses of communal wrath)
-By Ziya Afroz , Editor Dr. Sangeeta
Mukherjee
The “Silk
City” where I did my “Intermediate in Science”. My college holds a 2nd
rank in the city.
First day
and first period of college-
Prof.Pandey,
Shaved Head, Dhoti and Kurta. No introduction, nothing, just started lecturing
on Mathematics in English language. I thought it was not good at all for me.
Because I was a Hindi medium student there. Any way first period got over.
Second
period-
Prof.Khan, Formal
dress and had a short height, introduced him and said, “I will make you write
the definitions in English and Hindi both languages”. I was confused but at
least pleased that someone is there who will teach in Hindi language, it was
the class of physics.
Lunch
period-
All the
students were going for lunch in their mess, discussing that, “What nonsense is
this someone only teaches in English, someone Hindi and English both”. In that
discussion I found that I was not only the Hindi medium student in that class
containing 250 students. About 70% of the class was full of Hindi medium
students. But the matter was that why the college did not provide different
class rooms for the students from different mediums.
Lunch time
over, 2nd half starts-
Prof.Singh,
Tall physique and spectacles on the nose, lecturing in English language. One of
the back benchers, “Sir pleases also in Hindi”. Professor did not pay attention
to the back bencher. Again one of the back benchers stands and asks for Hindi.
Professor, “Get out of this class”. Sorry sir, “Student apologizes”. “First you
learn English and then come to attend my classes”, Professor says. I was
thinking, what on earth was that?
Any way
Prof.Singh’s period got over-
We were
waiting for the next Professor to come. After seeing no one, we got busy we got
busy enquiring whether any Professor was coming or not, to teach us. Nothing
found from any departments.
Now, my eyes
wandered Prof.Pandey in front of the Physics Department office with some
students. I joined them and found that they were discussing about the “Coaching
Classes” at Prof.Pandey’s home. “Disgusting, why Coaching Classes, if
Professors were being paid”, I thought. But the truth was different, Professors
were not being paid their salaries for the past several years.
We waited
endlessly but no one came to teach us. The reason was obvious that the
Professor was busy with his Coaching Class at his home to the 2nd
year students.
After the
first day got over, I went Kasim Cha-cha, 30 minutes away from the lodge by
Auto. I met him and asked about the College. Without replying he asked me,
“Where are you staying now”? Yadavji’s lodge and food from Guptaji’s mess, I
replied. My reply shocked Kasim Cha-cha. His mouth open and eyes turned bigger.
I did not understand why he got so shocked. Suddenly he changed his expressions
and angrily asked, “Why didn’t you consult me before joining there”? Again
angry voice, don’t you know anything about this city? I was thinking ,what was
there to know about this city and what was there in that lodge? I was not the
only one who was living there, many students were living there. Finally without
wasting a moment I shifted near Kasim Cha-cha, in a lodge owned by Khan Saab.
The next day
Kasim Cha-cha called me and started narrating the tale of the year 1989 of that
city. I was born in 1992, were I supposed to know about 1989? I was just 15 at
the time of admission in the college in 2007. I was scared. I had stayed in
Yadavji’s lodge for just two days. I started thinking, why lodge owner and the
people over there had different facial expressions (unusual expressions) after
knowing my name? Why after knowing my name they asked me know about my
community as if they had not met people from different communities for a
long-long time. I recalled the incidents of those two days of Yadavji’s lodge.
I was the only guy who was from a different communal background there.
That day I
felt very bad after learning as the terrible story. I was scared of that city and
didn’t go to the college that day.
Next day
morning I went to Kasim Cha-cha and said that, “It will be difficult for me to
go to the college from there”. He said, “No need to go to the college, go to
good Coaching Classes”. I again asked, “What about the notice of Principal Sir
for the 75% attendance? He didn’t reply, he was in a hurry for his clinic. I
was confused what to do?
After
spending two years in that city, I realised the truth that in spite of having
an old university in the city, the students there did not get good quality
education. Students were dependent on Coaching Classes. The whole education
system was corrupted. The people of that city had no faith in each other. They
just stuck to their community folk.
I recalled
Kasim Cha-cha’s words that the environment becomes tensed sometimes at the time
of festivals like Eid, Dipawli and Dashara. The city which was known as “SILK
CITY” was no silkier.
Bhagalpur,
Silk City of Bihar situated on the banks of the holy river Ganga. The river had
been polluted with red blood and dead bodies. The city had been destroyed in
the year 1989 by the communal wrath, still struggling for the recovery.
