An evening spent in the ‘Mini Kabul’ of India

'Ke pa Maiwand k shaheed na shwe Grana lalia benangi la de sateena'

Sufi poet Jalaluddin Rumi Balkhi, better known to us as Rumi, was a Persian poet born in the 13th century Afghanistan. He is probably the greatest known spiritual poet ever. Khushal Khan Khattak, famous Pashto poet, also referred as the national poet of Afghanistan was as warrior poet of the 17th century, specialized writing about unity, honor, war and every day life. But, my subject of interest today is neither spiritualism nor war. It is rather simple, its independence.

Hence, I have borrowed lines from a famous ‘landai’, a type of oral poetry (usually anonymous), originating thousands of years ago, to express love and grief. Malalai, an Afghan heroine who played a major role in the Battle of Maiwand during the second Anglo-Afghan war, cried out during the battle, when the tide turned against the Afghan fighters and their morale dropped: ‘Young love if you do not taste of martyrdom today on this field of Maiwand By God, I am afraid you’ll lead an ignominious life forever’ (Ke pa Maiwand k shaheed na shwe Grana lalia benangi la de sateena).

The battle was over and independence was won by the mighty Afghans, exactly 100 years ago – Today : 21st March 1919. I wasn’t at Afghanistan, don’t know if it would ever be possible for me to be there. But at least I was lucky enough to be at the mini Kabul of India of the auspicious day of Nauruz exactly a 100 years later : 21st March 2019. Though unplanned and not known at that point – I am happy that I was there.

Delhi’s bustling Lajpat Nagar, originally built for partition refugees from Pakistan, has also become home to Afghans fleeing the turmoil in their country. The exodus began in 1979 with the Soviet invasion of Kabul and continued even after the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001. Today, there are at least 11,000 Afghan refugees registered with the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), living mainly in the capital city. Some 3-4 KMs from Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station, roadsides are lined with stores catering to predominantly Afghan population, special patronage are given here to chilgoza (pine nuts), khajoor (deep fried Afghan dessert) and Pegah Cream (from Iran, thicker than regular Indian-made dairy).

The Flavor of the festival:

Nauruz/Nowruz, also known as Farmer's Day, is an observances lasting two weeks, culminating on the first day of the Afghan New Year, March 21. During the Taliban rule (1996–2001), it was banned and considered ancient and pagan.

Preparations for Nauruz start several days beforehand, after the last Wednesday (Chaharshanbe Suri) before the New Year. In a traditional Afghan set up this day is celebrated with red tulip flowers (Guli Surkh), special colored banners (Jahenda Bala), game tournaments (Buzkashi - goat pulling Golf, horse-mounted players attempt to place a goat/calf carcass in a goal), fruits (Haft Mēwa - Seven Fruits salad with syrup) and sweets (Samanak -made from germinated wheat).

Though we were not at the ancient city of Mazar-e Sharf (home to Blue mosque of Afghanistan). It was special enough in the ‘Mini or, Little Kabul’ of India, 2019 being Afghanistan’s centenary of independence (Afghanistan signed the Anglo-Afghan treaty in 1919, ending years of war and granting sovereignty).

The evening of sleeplessness:

PLACE -1: [NEW DELHI : LAJPAT NAGAR II] – 21st March '19 (Thursday)

While we (Abba da, Sobitri da & myself) were returning from our ‘Holi Trip of Mathura, Vrindaban’. To skip ‘Keechar Holi’ of Mathura, we were a day early in Delhi. Hence, to spend a budget in transit day we choose this hotel near Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station. At the evening without knowing what day it is (except Holi of course), we took a walk across the streets. Which we saw was brimming with Afghan families. On a street corner vendor was selling scrambled eggs with a special flavor, he explain to us it was Nauruz and hence the demography on streets.

We had some time to kill and an interest growing for the evening. Abba da suggested we go to Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah. And we did.

PLACE -2: [NEW DELHI : Nizamuddin Dargah] – 21st March '19 (Thursday)

Syed Muhammad Nizamuddin Auliya (1238 – 3 April 1325), also known as Hazrat Nizamuddin, and Mahbub-e-Ilahi ("Beloved of God") was a Sunni Muslim scholar, Sufi saint of the Chishti Order, and unarguably one of the most famous Sufis on the Indian Subcontinent. Nizamuddin Auliya, stressed love as a means of realizing God. For him his love of God implied a love of humanity. His vision of the world was marked by a highly evolved sense of religious pluralism and kindness. His influence on the Muslims of Delhi was such that a paradigm shift was effected in their outlook towards worldly matters. People began to be inclined towards mysticism and prayers and remaining aloof from the world.

Nizamuddin Dargah (mausoleum) is situated in the Nizamuddin West area of Delhi and is visited by thousands of pilgrims every week. Today was no different. Photography is prohibited in mostly all devotional places in India, here was no difference. This Dargah is known for its evening qawwali devotional music sessions. We didn't by flowers 'chaadars' (sheets) from nearby shops. Hence the owners didn't allow us to keep our shoes there before entering the Dargah premises. This is a new regrettable experience I am facing since the last a few years (irrespective of the religion), -While honoring the Almighty customs are getting more importance than devotion; Be it 'chaadars' in Dargah or flower basket in temples.

We spent some half an hour inside the Dargah premises admiring the environment then left to walk around the surroundings. The neighborhood surrounding the Dargah is named after the saint, and is divided into two parts along Mathura Road: Nizamuddin West where the Dargah complex and a lively market dominated by Muslim vendors is located, and Nizamuddin East, an upper-Nizamuddin Railway Station.

The other important monuments in the Nizamuddin heritage area include Humayun's Tomb, Chausath Khamba, Mirza Ghalib's tomb, Barakhamba, Sabz Burj (Blue Gumbad) at the Nizamuddin Circle and Lal Mahal. Unfortunately all were closed that night.

The Identity crisis:

In a newspaper report I read, 'In the last decade, the Indian government has issues thousands of medical visas to middle class Afghans looking for alternatives to their country’s abysmal healthcare system. But the refugees, those who have left Afghanistan behind and have little hope of returning, want the government to accord them with an identity other than their statelessness.'

Don't know if these hopes and wanting will be fulfilled, specially in this new age of 'CAA in India'. But I know this - Despite hardships, Afghan community have rebuilt their lives in Delhi. Little by little, through food, language and friendships, their shared experiences are making Lajpat Nagar’s Little Kabul feel a bit more like home.

References:

1. Google Maps, images, Wikipedia.

2. Newspaper clippings from Times of India.

3. Personal experience from street walks.

4. Afghanistan: a history of conflict, John C. Griffiths.