Danuta Stasik

Poetry on Combat for Secularism and Democracy

Introduction

Poetry on combat for secularism and democracy. Explore Hindi poetry on the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition. Analyze collections by Zaidī & Nāgar, revealing poets' defense of secularism and democracy in India.

Abstract

The tragic events that followed the demolition of Babri Masjid on 6 December 1992 in Ayodhya were the culmination of a conflict simmering for almost the entire period of independent India, especially after the 1980s, striking at democracy and secularism, two values on which independent India was built. The Hindi literary world did not remain silent to these developments. However, the literary output that emerged on the subject during this time, though largely known and studied from the perspective of communal conflict and politics, has not been explored in the context of bearing witness by the literary community—their specific gaze as a witness. This article attempts to fill this gap by looking at two poetry collections, Apnī zabān, and Yah aisā samay hai, edited by Asad Zaidī and Viṣṇu Nāgar, and published by SAHMAT in 1994. It offers a contextualised analysis of the creative expression offered by poets acting in defence of a democratic, secular state.

Review

The article, "Poetry on Combat for Secularism and Democracy," proposes a timely and crucial examination of Hindi poetry as a response to the communal violence following the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992. The abstract clearly establishes the historical context as a period of significant challenge to India's foundational values of democracy and secularism. While acknowledging existing scholarship on the literary output of this era from political and communal perspectives, the paper distinguishes itself by focusing on the "specific gaze as a witness" adopted by the literary community. This unique lens promises to offer fresh insights into how poets engaged with and responded to these tragic events. The strength of this article lies in its ambition to fill a critical gap in literary and historical analysis. By moving beyond a purely political or sociological interpretation, the author seeks to explore the unique role of poets as active witnesses, offering creative expression in defence of a democratic, secular state. The choice of primary sources, specifically the two 1994 SAHMAT poetry collections, *Apnī zabān* and *Yah aisā samay hai*, is particularly astute. These collections represent immediate and significant literary reactions from the period, making them ideal for a "contextualised analysis" of the artistic and intellectual resistance to the erosion of secular values. This approach promises to enrich our understanding of the cultural and literary dimensions of a pivotal moment in Indian history. The proposed exploration of poets' "specific gaze as a witness" holds considerable academic potential, offering a nuanced perspective on the intersection of literature, politics, and social commentary. While the abstract effectively outlines the article's scope and unique contribution, the full paper would benefit from a robust theoretical framework for this concept of "witnessing" and a detailed exposition of how this "gaze" manifests in the selected poems. Successfully executing this contextualized analysis of creative expression will undoubtedly contribute significantly to studies of post-colonial literature, secularism, and the role of the intelligentsia in times of crisis, making this an important and thought-provoking contribution to the field.

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