“I did not want to reinvent the wheel but I was determined to record this history”
Meena Menon’s second book Riots and after in Mumbai- Chronicles of Truth and Reconciliation published by Sage Publications recently is the fruit of four years of interviews and long hours in the state archives. Menon, who is Deputy Editor with The Hindu, Mumbai continued to work at her job while putting the book together. She got the SARAI Independent Fellowship from the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies. The result of that six-month research was titled Recovering Lost Histories: Riot Victims, Communal Polarization of Mumbai, Its Impact on People and Perceptions about Communities. It was during this time that Menon became curious about how the communal schisms had developed over the decades. Menon’s first book was Organic Cotton: Reinventing the Wheel published in 2004 and she has co-authored The Unseen Worker: On the Trail of the Girl Child. In an interview with Lina Mathias, Menon discusses her book, the media and environmental concerns. |
You covered the 1992-93 Mumbai riots as a senior journalist with the Times of India. What were the experiences that have stayed with you?
The scale of these riots was horrific. We saw dead bodies simply piled up at the Cooper and JJ hospitals’ morgues. Many were mutilated, there was no dignity in the way they were stacked there. Another unforgettable scene was the chilling silence and emptiness of the roads from VT (now CST) to Mohmmad Ali Road–a stretch that is otherwise so chaotic and noisy. Rich or poor, the Muslims affected by the violence had simply fled their homes with nothing. None of us were equipped to deal with what we saw and these scenes will remain with me forever.
You say in the book that you used neither tape recorder nor camera and relied on long interviews.
Yes initially these interviews were for the SARAI fellowship. Though lots of people helped–I’ve mentioned them in the book–it was not an easy task tracking down people. Tracing the Bane family for example was a major task in itself. (For those unfamiliar with this family, here is a quote from the book: During the course of my research I was determined to meet the Bane family, which as many journalists have pointed out was the face of Mumbai’s second phase of rioting in January 1993. It was the fire in Gandhi chawl (mistakenly reported everywhere as Radhabai chawl) on January 8, 1993 that sparked off the bloody second phase of rioting.) I listened to people for hours and learnt that there were many silver linings though the dark clouds outnumber them.
There were angry “leave us alone” moments that you have mentioned.
Many of the victims had “moved on”. Without waiting for official help, many families had started on new lives and obviously, they did not want to live in the past or even recall it. There were those who asked me what the point of raking it all up again was. I was distressed quite often listening to people’s accounts but this time, unlike when I was covering it for the newspaper, I was prepared and better able to deal with what I heard.
You worked on this book side by side with your regular journalistic work.
Yes, I am not exactly known for my patience and this did entail a lot of that! After the field interviews and archival research, nearly a year was spent in getting feedback and reworking it. I used to interview the riot affected on Sundays and put it down before or after work on week days. These were not just narratives, they were also historical. From 2008 to 2010 it was interviews plus archival study time. The Maharashtra state archive has wonderful material and the staff is helpful but nonetheless it was exhausting work. I did not want to reinvent the wheel but I was determined to record this history. Going back to Tilak’s speeches was fascinating and the cow protection politics decades ago helped me to understand so much of what had happened in 1992-93.
You have written about how the riots led to “ghettoisation” of the Muslim community and then “ironically” these places were termed as hotbeds of terrorism.
Yes, certain Muslim dominated areas in the city are known as “tadipar areas” (externment) and others are the ones the authorities first turn to whenever there is a terrorist attack. These are areas where the Muslims were forced to stay because they are largely unwanted elsewhere and these places were cheap to settle in.
You have written a book on organic cotton and covered environmental issues extensively. What are India’s priority environmental concerns?
We have not been able to strike the balance between growth and sustainability whether it is to do with agriculture or nuclear energy. The 7% growth has not translated into equitable distribution, food continues to rot in godowns amidst starvation and malnutrition and the megaprojects mean no benefit for the poor whatsoever. As my book on organic cotton argues the history of cotton has been a painful one for the cotton growers. There is hardly any effort to act/research Indian knowledge and local experience to ease their woes. The environmental impact assessment of most of our projects is a sham, there is so much pressure on land and while people may be more aware of environmental issues, they continue to remain the same with no improvement.
You have spent 28 years in the print media. What has changed?
The cable television, explosion of ‘knowledge’, the market and communication thanks to technology. And despite this, the reader only gets to know what the media wants to allow him or her to know! The focus is on sunshine stories, on how the news is ‘packaged’ rather than on core issues. There is no momentum to address basic issues like inequality. There are honourable exceptions, no doubt about that but unfortunately the stress is on creating a bubble for the readers. News is now meant to amuse and entertain not to inform and provoke thought and action. You know those who talk about issues are termed the “poverty brokers”.
For all her hard eyed look at reality, Menon does recognise the positive aspect and the optimism whether it is the city or the media. While there are issues of security and health for women in the media she believes the current situation also holds out great opportunities for women journalists. And as for the city, this is what she ends her book with:
Yet, people will continue to come and live here because of the hope it offers in many ways. Mumbai is a city of contradictions. If there is great despair, there is also great hope. If there is ghettoization, there is also camaraderie. If there is hunger, there is a way to defeat that hunger.
That is where the greatness of the city lies. And those who come to live here understand that.
Lina Mathias is Senior Assistant Editor, Economic & Political Weekly.