Babri Masjid & The Maulana Wahiduddin Formula

By Manuwant Choudhary

On the day of Supreme Courts judgement on the Babri Masjid I remember two individuals, first
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, an Indian Islamic scholar and peace activist, and the second - one of India's greatest jurists - Nani Palkhivala.

When the Babri Masjid was demolished in 1992 I was still a student in Bombay but the riots and everything that followed shaped me in some ways leading me to become a journalist.

And even as a cub reporter I noticed when I attended a presser of L.K. Advani no Indian journalist asked any questions...Mr. Advani would go on and on...a one-way monologue about his parrrrty !

Of course foreign correspondents would ask direct questions and he would reply telling them that the westerrn media had misconceptions about him and his politics.

At one presser I recall asking him about his obscrutionist destructive politics of rath yatras and maha-aartees  and violence.

Mr. Advani heard me out and gave a rather lengthy 10 minute reply.

I wasn't satisfied with what he said but he spoke his mind and attempted to defend his politics shrouded in eloquence, it made it on the bulletin of Doordarshan Marathi News.....(I think we didn't have private news then)

December 6 would be observed a Black Day in Bombay by the Muslim community since it was the day the Babri Masjid was razed to the ground by Hindu mobs.

And every year my editor would send me to report.

Reporting from the other side of the divide introduced me to an India I had not seen.

Mohammad Ali Road, Bhendi Bazaar..and the stories of what happened during the riots...it was always painful.

Once I see this old lady with a begging bowl lying right under the wheels of a truck. The truck itself was on a slope and one slip of the handbrake the lady would be dead.

With some difficulty I managed to convince the lady to come out from under the wheels and I have never seen or met anyone as sad as her....I told her she would die if she begged this way.

She replied, "Ab jee kar kya karoon..marne hee do...mera ek hee ladka tha...aur riot ne use utha liya..." (What will I do with being alive...let me die...I had just one son but I lost him in the Bombay riots..)

So when I heard about Nani Palkhivala's efforts to bring about peace between Hindus and Muslims I was keen to know more about it.

Nani Palkhivala introduced the Maulana Wahiduddin Formula...under this the Muslims would forego their claims over the disputed site and the Hindus in return would sign an undertaking that they would stop this movement in Ayodhya forever.

At one public meeting Mr. Palkhivala even had religious leaders of all faiths on stage for a dialogue.

When a Muslim Maulana got up to speak some BJP/RSS activists began shouting slogans so as to drown the meeting into chaos.

Things seemed to go completely out of hand when Mr. Palkhivala stood up and looked at the Hindu goons in the eye and told them, "What do you know about your religion? Do you know the Vedas and Upanishads?"

The goons sat down.

Then Palkhivala , a Parsi, began quoting from the Vedas....

The hall turned into pin drop silence.

The Muslim cleric could finally complete his dialogue.

Maulana Wahiduddin travelled across India meeting Hindus and Muslims to accept his formula.

Both Hindus and Muslims rejected it.

I too was not satisfied with the Maulana Wahiduddin Formula but with yesterdays Supreme Court judgement I rate the Maulana Formula far higher than the wisdom of five Supreme Court judges.

Because I now understand its spirit..it was about genuine peace.

Blessed are the peace-makers for they shall inherit the earth.

Welcome To Dengueland !

By Manuwant Choudhary

The United States has Dysneyland, India has become one vast Dengueland !

This September a few days of rains turned Bihar's capital into Venice...except there were no boats and no help.

The only aid they got was from strongman Pappu Yadav...whose fledgling political party made a point that the major political parties of India are just useless.

A deputy Chief Minister had to be rescued after 5 days.

The rains kept increasing the water levels...as colonies turned into vast lakes !

Its now been discovered that the older water drains had been destroyed to make narrow drains under the PMs Namomi Ganga Project ! Patna experienced drains were as narrow as the minds of our beloved netas !!

But once the water recede, people were faced with destruction and disease - dengue.

In Patna all hospitals are full of dengue patients and they do not even have enough equipments for platelet transfusion.

Every home has a dengue ward !

The biggest beneficiaries from the floods are car workshops, doctors, hospitals and test labs.

Most testing labs have long queues often distributing reports till 9 pm.

Dengue is caused by mosquito and the symptoms are high fever, body ache, nausea and vomiting and its so tough for the body that many have even died.

Its debilitating.

And there is no medicinal cure.

Herbal cure of all kinds are advised.

In fact in Patna anyone you meet on the streets is a doctor - he will tell you what to try !

The best is papaya leaf juice.

A girl asked her boyfriend, "Do you know of any papaya tree in the city?"

He replied, "Maybe I have seen one..but not sure.."

The other cure is of course papaya fruit... fresh coconut juice...then Australian kiwi.

But what if Modi stops its imports..Swadeshi Jagran Manch !!!!

Delhi is the original capital of Dengue but mosquitos travel...now by Tejas from Delhi to Lucknow and then by Gareeb Rath from Lucknow to Patna.

The railways have just cancelled Gareeb Rath so that only rich mosquitoes can travel by train.

But in Patna Dengue is socialist - it does not discriminate...both rich and poor are affected.

Even swanky Mumbai has 2200 dengue cases in hospitals, Mumbai Mirror reports, quoting Bombay Municipal Corporation.

At test labs all kinds of people are seen discussing dengue..even Muslim dadas in black Pathan suits...heard one of them on the phone, "Agar doctor nahin aata hai to keh do bhai dekh lega !"

But doctor clinics are full..how can the doctor possibly visit patients at home?

In all this someone from Niti Ayog advised Modiji that if he can invite top Bollywood actors to Delhi then the Dengue epidemic will vanish.

So this morning they were all taking selfiies with Modiji...Shah Rukh Bhai, Aamir Bhai... !

Sonamjee is better than smogging !!

Flies Have Conquered The Flypaper !

By Manuwant Choudhary

I am definitely not a talented actor like Alia Bhatt.

In school I did not even know `a' of acting but a dear friend who is no more literally compelled me into a small role of an army captain in the American play `The Moon Is Down' By John Steinbeck.

It was a real tiny role but I do not know what I did in it that got me selected for the main school play `The Death of A Salesman' again by Steinbeck. In it I had another tiny role Biff's studious friend...

In all my life the best compliment I received was from my English teacher cum play director, he said, "Your diction is very good."

Except then I did not fully know the meaning of `diction'. But I guessed it all came from the 11 years in an English medium boarding school.

In real life I was hardly studious and so I remember the plays more than the physics and math lessons in school.

If I sat for any exam today then like Biff I would flunk Math.

Although John Steinbeck is not an easy playwright to understand fully in school nor is the American English easy for an Indian who has not even dreamt of travelling to America, yet the play The Moon Is Down has stayed with me...deep somewhere.

In quieter moments I think of my friend and the play and also wonder why Steinbeck would ever think of writing a play like this...until ofcourse 2019...August 5 when Modi abrogated Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir and virtually turned the Indian army into an army of occupation and Kashmiris - a people under siege..

The Moon Is Down is the story of occupation of an unnamed nation in Europe by the enemy of England much like the Germans occupation of Norway during World War 2.

The occupying army thinks of a novel way to rule over the town by using its mayor to implement its sadistic directives....

The play is about character of not just the mayor but the people of the town and their resilience in the face of occupation - a free people.

Its also about the human needs of an occupying army.

Just when the Generals felt victorious over an entire town, an officer blurts out `Flies Have Conquered the Flypaper !'

This spreads fast into town and across the barracks and most of  the occupying soldiers too join the chorus on the futility of war and supremacy.

What happens when flies conquer the flypaper?

They all die.

(The Moon Is Down film should be watched by all Indians)

Milkshake Millennials !

By Manuwant Choudhary

When Bihar's Chief Minister Nitish Kumar banned alcohol in the state he said now Biharis will drink more milk.

I am not sure if that has happened.

So I decided to check out a milkshake joint...Patna's most happening place !

I found just a girl and boy sitting there enjoying their company more than the milkshake.

The girl X was slim and bright but simple..no make up or anything...a basic smartphone..jeans n t shirt.

The boy Y had this conversation style that was friendly and story-like..maybe he thought of the best stories that would make his girlfriend smile.

Like he told her how a young cousin from America came to Patna and disturbed his elder brothers pool game. His elder brother has a temper and he flew into a rage. 

For 15 minutes he shouted at his cousin. 

The cousin meanwhile just stood quietly and then when the shouting stopped he calmly told him, "What did you say? I don't understand Hindi."

They then spoke of where their friends are..the girl explained most are in Mumbai...mostly in the all girls Sophia College and a few in Mithibai.

The boy said most of his friends are in Delhi including one who talks too much..are with him and then he spoke of one friend in Mumbai who is all alone there..."He does not even know how to make new friends."

He went on..."My Bihari hostel room mate is so sentimental that when I left Delhi for ten days he hugged me and cried and weeped and said how will he be able to live without him."

The girl X was all smiles.

Then the girl X said, "But I do not understand why children of Army personnel write Army Brat on their facebook profile..."yeh army brat kya hota hai...??"

The boy Y, "Exactly, even I cant figure that out..lekin sab likhte hain...One of them ..his father is not even in the army still he writes Army Brat."

The girl X "Where is he from?"

The boy Y, "His father is from DRDO...thats not Army...at best he may have an Army canteen card..."

The girl, "I have one friend who does not write that..and only after months she told us she was born in Kanpur but her home is everywhere.."

Finally, the conversation turned to shampoos and hair...

The girl X, "The water in Delhi is so bad for my hair....I have to use all kinds of conditioners but still my hair is thinning..."

The boy Y, "Yes, yes...water is not just bad..its scarce too.."

The girl, "Yes, yes...paanee to Patna ka hee acchcha hai...lekin bas yahan paanee hee hai..aur kuch nahin..." (Water is good in Patna but then there is nothing else..)

For the millenials I would recommend this shampoo but in Bihar they may get arrested for this too - its made from real beer...

Normal Times In Kashmir !

By Manuwant Choudhary

One of my favourite images of my visit to Kashmir is this...a man enjoying his shave, his friend looks on and the barber could be a surgeon.

If everyone is arrested in Kashmir and they all start growing beards then what will the Kashmiri barber do?

I am not sure about investments pouring into Kashmir but what I am sure about is how difficult it must be for the ordinary Kashmiri to make ends meet in these `normal' times.


What we hear is that there is a Civil Disobedience in Kashmir. Shops open for only an hour, petrol pumps for only two hours daily. Its become the norm.

The Hindu pilgrims have been sent packing....Amarnath abandoned and the tourists dare not...the best hotel Centaur has been fortified into a prison for those who supported India over decades.


But a majority of Indians actually cheer whats happening in Kashmir..tv channels are Modi's cheering squad.

This worries me how baser human jealousies when exploited by a political party can turn a whole country into a lynch mob.

In all his who cares for the Indian constitution - or the principles of fraternity and brotherhood. Federalism is long dead.

In Kashmir they call it Revolving Door Arrests, but in India if you are in the opposition your time will come. The prisons are all reserved.

So everyone feels its simpler to join the BJP and Amit Shah claims every other day that the whole of India is joining the BJP, except Rahul Gandhi.

What we see happening is actually a gross violation of our constitution. Someone needs to go to court on this....why has Modi not declared a National Emergency? Undeclared Emergency is unconstitutional.

Makes sense.

At least Indira Gandhi used an article from the Indian constitution to impose the Emergency.

And except for one IAS officer no one has even resigned. 

But the Congress govt. did not have morals and this government has sent a Chandrayan 2 to look for morals on the moon.

I don't believe in giving free advice but when things reach a nadir even a person like Dr. Manmohan Singh chose to speak up about our economy.

Yes, India actually needs this guy who bathes in a Duckback raincoat.

At least Modi's left hand Amit Shah should hold an umbrella for Dr. Singh when he steps out of this bath in these normal times of India.

Given a chance my father could have prevented the Partition of India - Neelima Dalmia Aadhar.

The Locked-up Kashmir !

By Manuwant Choudhary

The Indian government need not have arrested the former chief ministers Omar Abdullah and lady Mehbooba Mufti and Farooq Abdullah - when they have already locked up the people of an entire state after demoting it to a union territory.

But this morning at least one positive news on NDTV that relatives have been allowed to meet the former chief ministers.

Omar Abdullah has grown a beard but is allowed his walks in the garden. We still do not know the condition of Mehbooba.

But first lets see how the Indian media report on Kashmir.

And actually not surprisingly the Times of India does not carry a single report on Kashmir.

The Wire has a first person account of Murtaza Fazily, a Ladakhi who says Ladakh had never even asked for a Union Territory status and even now a majority don't support it. Its a personalised account of how he managed to speak to his father after 20 days and that too through a government land line.

It also carries a report on Nazir Ahmed Ronga, a former President of the Kashmir Bar Association, he was arrested on August 4 itself, a day before article 370 was abrogated, under the Public Safety Act. His crime: "His ability to get voters out to vote."

His colleague says, "Its a crime to be democratic in Kashmir."

The Hindu has a report on Kashmir's `Revolving Door Arrests'. So far under this 1500 young people have been arrested and let off after a week..but the arrests are a continous process, it says...anyone can be arrested under this on charges of being a prospective stone thrower !

It also reports that on any single day there are at least 40 stone throwing protests in Kashmir, the least being 8 incidents on just two days.

But whats worse is there are no official centralised numbers on the arrests made so far...

Most Indian newspapers say Kashmir is in a lock-down...but the fact is Kashmir has been locked up.

Medical needs are suffering and even doctors who voice the issue are placed under detention.

Violation of such human rights can never be an internal matter of any country.

The Hindu has another interesting story on how India secretly armed the Afghanistan Northern Alliance and its fighter-in-chief  Ahmed Shah Masaud against the Taliban...(So is that not getting involved in the internal affairs of another country?)

Ambassador Bharath Raj Mutthu Kumar was called by the `Commander' and in a meeting Massoud dramatically threw his trademark cap on the table and said, "This is all the space I need to fight for my country."

Indian Express has a detailed report on the Indian officials who are in charge of locking down Kashmir and their credentials.

Still no report on how ordinary Kashmiris are surviving in all this...

The Foreigner !

By Manuwant Choudhary

I am not sure why but I have these photos of Kashmir lying on my bedside table for years from a road trip 20 years ago. I also keep this  laminated photo of my late editor Behram Contractor.

So sometimes I browse through them and wonder how much India has changed. The other day I was chatting with a 28 year old girl from Dehradun who said she is a journalist, a field researcher and an investigative reporter.

But when I told her there are very few journalists in India these days she insisted there are many and the numbers keep growing.

Its only later that she got it, "Oh you mean unbiased reporting. Nobody buys that anymore. Also you must make enough dough to survive. Today we work for corporates and political parties to help them disguise information as the truth."

Amazing.

But I think 20 years ago journalists had some respect I think. The only time someone called it a business was one activist from the Narmada Bachao Andolan who asked me, "Aapka business kaisa chal raha hai?"

I looked at him startled, "Like what business? I am a reporter." (In fact, my newspaper lost some big advertisers because of my reporting)

But I have always been a student of Kashmir so this journey remains among my favourite.

It was a solo trip on a day Kashmir was oberving a Black Day and I took the only Ambassador going from Jammu to Srinagar.

All along the journey I worried about what might happen in the next 5 minutes but the anxiety grew as we reached Srinagar.

I had never been there before and knew no one.

As I got down from the car a man looking like an Afghan receives me and tells me, "You are a journalist. You will be going to Ahdu hotel. But I own a houseboat and if you don't mind I'd like you to stay there. If you don't like it then I will drop you to Ahdu."

I stayed in the houseboat. The next morning I took a bus from Srinagar to Leh.

The houseboat owner booked the bus ticket and a window seat for me.

But when we got onto the bus I saw a foreigner sitting on my seat.

The Kashmiri fought with her for me..no one has ever fought on my behalf as much.

Its only when I told him to let her have the seat that he cooled off. 

I took another seat.

On way there were many checkpoints and Indian soldiers would get on an off checking the bus. One checkpost even had a photograph of Iran's Spiritual leader Ayatollah Khomeini !

Midway from Srinagar to Kargil some Gurkhas got onto the bus and they asked for IDs from every person on the bus.

And I mean every person.

Until he came to the Swiss girl.

She showed him her Swiss passport.

The Gurkha guard turned his gun towards a gentleman sitting beside her. He shouted, "Passport?"

He replied, No passport."

The Gurkha getting angrier, "Passport..please show.."

Its only when other passengers intervened that the Gurkha laughed out loud, "Oh, sorry you Kashmiri. I think you foreigner. "

I must be the only passenger on the bus who was not asked for an identity card or passport.

I still wonder why.

Wanted Chanakya & Chandragupta to Save India

Narendra Modi's Purple Cow

My Acche Din !

By Manuwant Choudhary

A month ago I booked a doctors appointment by paying Rs.800 but when I went to see him yesterday he refund the full fees !

Now this is what I call an Acche Din.

Of course his assistant did not seem to be too happy with the doctors decision...but he seemed upset about the government as well.

 Anyone who approached him for any work he would simply tell them, "Nayee sarkar banne do to kaam hoga...purana sarkar bana to nahin hoga." (Let the new government be formed then I will do the work. If the old one comes back then I will not do the work.)

But since I felt good I decided to complete my useless errands like paying uitility bills...I am still not digital.

First I went to the Bijli (Electricity) Vibhaag, where often the electricity goes off just when I reach the pay counter...Bijli Gul, Metre Chaaloo...is that the name of a Bollywood film ?

Swachch Bharat has not arrived here ...the place smells of urine..and you have to climb a flight of stairs before you can get your duplicate bill.

A girl wearing a sleeveless kurti played video games when I disturbed her for a bill...an old printer creaked and croaked just like this govt...before the bill was printed.

I hurried downstairs to stand in queue when I notice  the bill amount to be only Rs.134/- Now thats not even worth standing in a queue?

So I left.

Next stop Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited.

My landline has been out of order for as long as I can remember. But I religiously pay the bills. Its the best bet to prove my residential status and in these hard times even my Indian citizenship.

Two ladies man the counters for decades, they've never been transferred. One was missing but the second lady print my bill.

An old man received my payment when he tells me "Aaapka paisa to sarkar ke yahan bachaa hai..You don't have to pay anything."

Still I paid Rs.600 just to add the credits but i asked him how I could at least get my phone to work.

On his advice I met the telephone SDO, who informed me that my phone is currently suspended but I must take my Rs.600 back because otherwise its a rather long process of refund. He has promised to fix my phone.

It looked like no minister had ever visited the BSNL the last five years.

Just then I get a message on my cellphone. Its from Ravi Shankar Prasad asking me to vote for him.

But isnt he the minister for BSNL??????

A dozen workers sat below near the entrance looking all glum so I asked them if BSNL is going to be shut by the government. One of them replied, "Let them do what they want. We will survive. Sirf 399 ka mobile unimited Rs.1000 ka ho jayega...."

Another replied, "Yeh sab Mukesh Ambani ke liye kar rahe hain wo.."

Near Patna's Gandhi maidan i see this horse which resembled Lord Ram's Aswamedha Yagya Horse...the horse released by ancient kings to conquer the world.


The horse is let loose and free to roam the world not to be caught by anyone. If anyone dares to catch it, he faces the wrath of the king and his army. Its war.

In the mythology Ramayana, Ram's horse was caught by two kids in a jungle !

And the kings bravest men could not defeat them in war.

Its only when Hanuman is sent that he sees the two kids are actually sons of Lord Ram himself...from Sita...

So you don't need Shatrughan Sinha to stop Modi, his two sons are enough....Luv & Kush.

Piloo Mody - The Mody Who Should Have Been India's Prime Minister !

Rang De Basanti - Roobaroo - The Last Song

Kindness In The Air

By Manuwant Choudhary

I am not really a frequent flier but whenever I do have to travel,  I do not find it easy.

Right from planning to booking  tickets and the most difficult - packing.

And then the travel agent asking, "Sir, would you like a Corporate ticket? Rs.500 extra you will get a complimentary meal."

I say politely, "No Corporate please. I am a farmer."

But wait, "Why should only Corporates get a meal?"

Farmers after all don't they grow all that food?

And then of course reporting two hours in advance to a long queue at an Airport called Jaiprakash Narayan Antarashtriya (International) Hawai Adda (where no international planes land or take off).

The runway is so short that when even domestic planes land they have to come to a s screeching halt or they might crash into the cows of Patna Veternary College !

Its named after Jaiprakash Narayan, the veteran socialist, who fought the emergency and dethroned Indira Gandhi through a slogan `Sampoorna Kranti.'

No Indian has fully understood the meaning of his slogan yet, so this airport is completely designed to make you get a feel of what he may have meant.

From the toilets to the security checks to the glass waiting areas its so crowded that sometimes you will not have standing space and the expensive samosas sold at the Fair Price Shop is avoidable.

But if you just ponder a while..you will get the sense of the what JP really meant by Sampoorna Kranti (Total Revolution)

On board a private airline Spicejet the scene dramatically changes...pretty airhostesses in red welcome you on board...sometimes not too attentively but thats ok...it must be tough smiling all the time.

So I take a seat, relieved to be finally there.

Even as other passengers get thinking as to what they want from the airhostess and the bells start lighting up across the aisle, I never ask for anything.

I never have.

But like others I was thirsty.

Just then a pretty airhostess walked right up to the front and picked up a glass of water.

It looked as though some passenger had asked for it at the rear or she wanted a drink for herself. Since the flight was yet to take off.

But suddenly she stopped and offered the water to me.

I wasn't too sure whether I should accept it or not.

What followed was a two minute uneasy silence...with everybody looking....and then I finally gave in....and took the water.

I said Thank You.

She smiled.

On my return flight the check in staff of Jet Airways...looked at me as though I had booked a wrong flight.

She asked, "Are you sure you are flying economy."

Me: "Yes, I think thats what the ticket says."

She, "Can you wait for 30 minutes. Give me your number I will call you. The flight is so full today."

I was not sure why I was being offloaded.

But then she finally gave me my boarding pass.

Its when I got on to the plane I realised she had given me the best seat in economy..more leg room and I could see and smell the freshness of the Business Class !

With so much kindness all around I felt I looked like Ranbir Kapoor.

But I may be wrong because a friend told me they were kind only because of my greying hair...

If There Is God, He Lives In Bombay

By Manuwant Choudhary

If there is a God he lives on a two acre plot in Sewri, Bombay, at this school for special children run by the Jai Vakeel Foundation.

A few years before India's independence in 1947 a girl Dina was born to Mr & Mrs Hormusjee Vakeel but unfortunately she was afflicted with the Downs Syndrome, a genetic disorder caused when abnormal cell division results in an extra full or partial copy of chromosome 21 leading to learning disabilities.

Mr & Mrs Hormusjee's dream was to provide a learning space to their child Dina where she could grow and be happy but they could not find a single such facility in India, so they were compelled to convert their own home into a school for special children.

First there were only a dozen students but as the numbers grew the Hormusjee's bought a two acre plot of land in Sewri and started the school as it is today.

Now 700 children come here daily in buses from across Bombay. Besides this the Foundation runs two smaller facilities in Pune and Nashik to cater to children from other regions, especially rural India.

Admissions are given only to students having an IQ of 70 or less as certified by the government besides the school conducts its own IQ tests before admissions.


But to see all 700 students on the school ground preparing for the annual sports day was inspiring.

Simply because each child is unique here, requiring a very detailed attention and medical care and counselling, for me its hard to even imagine them marching to the drums in unision with so much enthusiasm.

And there are the cups waiting to be won - the Celebrations !

But its in the classrooms and cubicles that special individual attention is given by trained counsellors to help each child. And initially this can be slow, really slow.

But through music or something the child likes doing communication is established and over months little by little the child gains confidence and joins the learning process.

I spoke to a counsellor as to how she manages this and she replied, "Patience and lots of patience is the only way. There are no time frames, some improve fast, others could take six months even but eventually they do."

The Foundation also organises vocational courses so that they can be usefully employed. Recently, they have even introduced a course for data operator, I was told.

Those who do not find employment in the market are provided employment on campus here - from incense making, to candles to decorative items.

Like two girls show me how to make a paper rose within a minute, even I cannot make one !

And there are the looms - they weave some very fine cotton here. You can support the children by purchasing these items from their website jaivakeel.org or make donations.

A tall Muslim father stood beaming at us just near a door, "Today is the first time my son has been able to stand up on his own feet...and he seems to like this door very much !"

The child looked at us confidently ready to take on the world.

Most teachers say they too learn something new from the children everyday.

For the rest of us I would say if you spend even an hour here you will be cured of your ego.

As for me - mine just crashed - I had this one big ego that no one could love Ms. A as much as I did but here all 700 children love her as much and more...

And yet she loves me just a little bit, like she did when we first met at college.

For this I am grateful, eternally.

The Manhole Activist

By Manuwant Choudhary

Outside a tiny roadside restaurant in Patna I found a man argue with three workers who were fixing a manhole...he told them with some confidence, "Either you fix it right or I will file an FIR with the police saying you have swindled govt. money you took to do the job."

The man was the restaurant owner and the problem was that the workers had laid some telephone cables underground but they failed to fix the manhole properly at the level of the road.

The workers realised that the man was serious.

As I finished my lunch and came out I saw the workers had left, the manhole had been fixed properly except some rubble remained.

And the man who forced the workers to do their job stood alone.

I congratulated him for his activism and told him if every Indian was so vigilant then India would be a developed country.

He said his name was Rajesh Gupta and this was the only business he owned.

He then told, "Yeh kya hai..main do do Superintendant of police aur do judge par bhee case kiya hua hoon." (Oh this is nothing I have filed two cases on two SPs and two judges !)

This is his story.

"My father ran this restaurant for 30 years but now I run it..I have it registered after paying stamp paper but the government claims the land is theirs..they want me to leave and since I didnt...the police arrested me, took me to a judge's kothi at midnight and sent me to prison the next morning."

"When I was produced before the same judge I asked him if the police had ever produced anyone with a dacoity charge or kidnapping or murder at that hour at his home...and that he must check the records as he had no such cases against him."

The judge granted him bail.

Mr. Gupta continued, "I am an RTI activist too. Like did you know the govt. allocation for the small park here. Its 22 crores ! I have asked them what they are going to build?

I do not own an apartment, I live in an old house and this is my only business but do you know just to live like this I have filed 22 cases in the Patna High Court.

"I have filed cases for parks to everything....even Bangladeshi ghuspaithee ! Hindus suffer a lot in this country so I fight more than any political party."

He then asked me, "Do you see anything there?"

I said, "Yes, a sign May I Help You. Its a police chowki..."

"Have you seen any policeman ever sit there?

I replied, "No, never."

He said, "But they paint the May I Help You sign every month...do you know why?

Me: No.

Him, "The story begins when you look up....See that hoarding...that sells for Rs.5 lakh !...so their aim is not to May I Help You...but to collect money from across the city...crores....sab loot-paat hai.."