Rasheed Kidwai writes: How books bring out lesser known instances of history

A prominent media portal recently had a provocative piece – are literary festivals becoming modern-day fashion shows? I then joined an engaging debate at Priya Sahgal’s RoundTable TV show about whether books are providing a stable platform for some out-of-work politicians. There were also references to how aspiring moms were pushing their kids to be authors just so they can have a book launch. I was heading for Tranquebar [Tharangambadi] Tamil Nadu when a bereavement in the extended family prevented a planned holiday at the end of the year. Even as I was returning from the graveyard, an invite came. Would I like to be a speaker at the concluding ceremony of the 12th edition of the Kalgachia book fair? The visit turned out to be an eye-opener memorable one. It was amazing to see the suburban town of Barpeta buzzing with activities. The day book fair had over book stalls where sales of Assamese, Bangla, English and Hindi books were doing the rounds. Biographies of APJ Abdul Kalam, Bhupen Hazarika, Rabindranath Tagore to Malala Yusufzai were in huge demand and so were the other books written by Kanchan Boruah, Indrani Goswami, Rita Choudhury, Anuradha Sharma Pujari, Rajanikanta Bordoloi among others. The 35000-plus population has barely 50 per cent literacy level but 100 per cent interest in books. Otherwise, what could explain why youngsters between 14-25 were seen more at the book stalls than at food corners serving Malai Bati, Komolar Kheer, Narikol Pitha, lados and rasogullas or chai? Kalgachia reportedly derives its name from Kal Gaach or the banana trees or a place where banana trees are found. In 2014, the fair was inaugurated by Himanta Biswa Sarma, months before he left the Congress to join the BJP. Kalgachia Book Fair has regularly been organised by Abdul Khaleque, Lok Sabha MP from Barpeta since 2009. Khaleque says he draws his inspiration from Farkhuddin Ali Ahmed, who was a MLA from the region and rose to become fifth president of the Indian republic. Ahmed’s name is frequently mentioned in the context of the national emergency that was imposed by Indira Gandhi in June 1975. Former prime minister Indira Gandhi had reportedly reached to president Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed at the dead of the night to declare a national emergency in view of ‘threats to national security’. However, in his book, Emergency Chronicles: Indira Gandhi and Democracy’s Turning Point, historian Gyan Prakash has documented how Cambridge educated Ahmed had expressed reservations. Ahmed had also reportedly questioned why the emergency order did not carry the advice of the Council of Ministers. The book gives a graphic account of how president Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed summoned his secretary K Balachandran, at around 11.15 pm on 25 June, 1975 seeking his aide’s opinion on the letter, which did not have the proposed proclamation attached. It was only after RK Dhawan came over with a draft Emergency proclamation when the president signed the papers. It is a pity that Ahmed who had studied at St Stephen’s College, Delhi, and St Catharine’s College, Cambridge and law at the Inner Temple of London is hardly remembered in Barpeta or the rest of the country. Returning back to Kalgachia rural book fair, it was heartening to see how the book fairs, generally confined to urban precincts, are spreading fast towards rural pockets. Even the concluding function was in sharp contrast to various book fairs and literary festivals. Barsha Rani Bishaya, a passionate actress, accomplished dancer and performer who was sharing dais with me and Debabrata Saikia [Leader of the Opposition in the Assam Assembly] clearly showed her strength to her audience. After delivering a short speech, she starts regaling the audience with a live performance, dialogues, music, dance all rolled into one. This prompted even the local MLA Jakir Hussain to perform on stage too. In fact, the diverse Assamese culture was in constant play throughout the concluding ceremony. Invariably, after a speech, a song or a dance performance ensued. The cultural extravaganza went on even as the audience running into a few thousands [considering the total population of Kalgachia being 35,000] sat through for over five hours. Khaleque said while the purchase power of rural readers was always low compared with those in urban centres, interest and enthusiasm are always high among the rural readers. The youth’s grasping power for APJ Abdul Kalam, biographies, books on science drama, wildlife, music, sex education, astronauts, motivational books, fiction etc made me feel proud and confident about our present and future, something I was tad tentative before attending Kalgachia book fest. I received a barrage of queries when in the short speech, I tried to highlight how the holy Quran accorded primacy to education, asking the seeker to visit China if required and that the Quran made no distinction between boy and girl while emphasising on the benefit of education and learning. Predictably, a reference to Kashmir too drew lot of attention and questioning when I quoted from the book, Pakistan –The India Factor [page 218, Allied Publishers] Rajendra Sareen documenting a conversation between Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel and Sardar Abdul Rab Nishtar, minister in Pakistan cabinet in which Patel has been quoted as saying, “Bhai, give up this talk of Hyderabad and Junagarh, and talk of Kashmir: Take Kashmir and settle the issue.” Sareen offered another gem on page 432 of his book when he quoted Sirdar Shaukat Hayat, a member of Pakistan Constituent Assembly who was present in a meeting between Lord Louis Mountbatten and Pakistan prime minister Liyaqat Ali. Mountbatten reportedly conveyed Patel’s message to Liyaqat Ali that if Pakistan keeps out of Hyderabad, India would leave Kashmir. Liyaqat Ali reacted Sharply to Hayat commending the proposed and retorted, “Sirdar Saheb, have you gone out of your mind? Why should we leave a province [Hyderabad] larger than Punjab and settle for some mountain rocks?” 76 years later, hawks on both sides of the border would not like to even acknowledge that Patel once offered to barter Kashmir for Hyderabad and that Liyaqat Ali made a choice of words for Kashmir as “mountain rocks”. The writer is a Visiting Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation. A well-known political analyst, he has written several books, including ‘24 Akbar Road’ and ‘Sonia: A Biography’. Views expressed are personal. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.