Zoom Meetings Throw a Social Lifeline
By Dr Syed Amir
Bethesda, MS
In 1971-1972, I spent a couple of years in the Washington area working as a research scientist at the National Institutes of Health. It seems so long ago, especially as the demographics and contours of the area have changed so radically. At the time, the nonwhite population was small, and cultural activities of special interest to South Asians were scant to nonexistent. After an interlude of some sixteen years, we returned to the area in 1988 permanently, and were pleased to discover that the social and cultural landscape of Washington had changed for the better.
Entertainment and social activities were thriving, consistent with the phenomenal growth of the population drawn from the Indo-Pak subcontinent. The weekends witnessed abundant cultural, literary or musical events, mushairas or social get-together at private homes. Community and fraternal organizations, such as The Aligarh (AAA) and Karachi University Alumni Associations, as well as the Association of Indian Muslims had expanded their memberships and hosted many gatherings. A yearly literary festival, that was eagerly awaited and organized by Dr Abdullah of the AAA, was the international Mushaira which attracted a galaxy of invited poets from around the world and brought together a large number of attendees.
When it seemed that life would continue forever moving along its smooth trajectory, the world was upended by the appearance of the novel corona virus early this year.
Starting from West Coast cities, it quickly and relentlessly spread to all US populations centers. As of this writing, it has infected over 7.4 million people, with 220 thousand fatalities in the US. To check its merciless proliferation, in March and April, State and County Governments ordered a general lockdown, and schools, colleges, restaurants, shops and movie theaters were closed. Even places of worship, mosques, churches, and synagogues, shut their doors. All social and personal interactions, community events and societal gatherings ceased. Normally busy, congested roads in the Washington area had an eerie, desolate look.
To be trapped inside the house is not natural for most people. South Asians, in particular, are excessively sociable people, known for hosting frequent gatherings of family and friends. Soon, a feeling of isolation and gloom overtook many of us and we started looking for some opportunities to lessen the sense of boredom and despondency. A senior member of the Aligarh Alumni Association, Washington DC, Dr Razi Raziuddin, a scientist by profession who was also trapped at home as laboratories had closed, hit upon an ingenious idea of organizing Zoom meetings, involving no physical presence, to which eminent scholars, academicians and politicians from the US, India and Pakistan could be invited to speak. These settings offered a unique advantage. Unlike in-person meetings, they required no travel and the convenience of participation from home. The experiment devised by Dr Raziuddin has been successful beyond expectations.
In collaboration with another scientist, Dr Rafat Husain, more than fifteen Zoom sessions so far have been hosted, drawing guest speakers from the US and overseas. In the following brief essay, only a few speakers and their presentations can be captured. More detailed information can be accessed by clicking: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzMYsuijG4WLsosy1uj5MCg/featured
Among the first invited speakers was the eminent Pakistani nuclear physicist, Dr Parvez Hoodbhoy, Distinguished Professor at Foreman Christian College, Lahore. He is known to be a human rights activist, a proponent of educational reforms and secular, liberal ideals in Pakistan. Speaking more in sorrow than in anger, he spotlighted some of the reasons why Pakistan lags in science and technology, even as compared with India. He attributed this difference to two reasons: in their golden Age in the eighth and ninth centuries, Muslims generated a tolerant, open-minded milieu, and the Abbasid Caliphs welcomed scholars of all persuasions. We have now lost that spirit. Secondly, the mighty Muslim rulers in India, paid no attention to establishment of centers of learning and research, only on building architectural marvels. Despite its fabulous wealth, science and technology made no advancement in the Moghul Empire.
Another celebrity who had a very successful presentation was Professor Danish Iqbal, associated with Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi, a famed stage artist and narrator of Urdu poetry. He talked about the beauty of the Urdu Nazam and how it inspires even those who do not fully appreciate it. He made a powerful narration, enriched with examples of famous poets- screen writers, Akhtar ul Ayman and Akhtar Sheerani. When he recited Sheerani’s famed romantic poem, “O Desh Se Aane Wale Bataa’ in his inspiring voice, the audience was electrified.
Professor Irfan Habib, an illustrious historian and intellectual who is now retired chairman of the department of History, Aligarh Muslim University, was another featured speaker. Unfortunately, it was rather late in Aligarh because of the time difference with Washington, and therefore Professor Habib presented his prerecorded talk. He lamented the current trends in India, powerfully supported by the Modi Government, to reinterpret ancient Indian history to conform with their narrow nationalistic, populistic agenda, without regard to its accuracy.
He especially emphasized the current Aryan Fixation, that downplay the fact that Aryans, an Indo-European race, in fact arrived from Central Asia. Instead, a false narrative is being promoted that they originated in India itself. To the detriment of serious historiographical scholarship and in the face of countervailing archaeological evidence, these myths are being incorporated into textbooks currently taught to young minds. At the conclusion of his talk, Professor Shireen Moosvi, an associate of Professor Habib, fielded many wide-ranging questions, some related to the talk, others about Indian history, especially about the Mughal period.
Two unusual guests invited by Dr Raziuddin were human rights activists from India, a vanishing breed these days. Ms Jyoti Pulwani and Mr Harsh Mander have been leaders in the human rights movement in India. Ms Pulwani is a senior journalist and a writer, while Mr Mander is a former member of the prestigious Indian Administrative Service who resigned during the Gujrat riots. Since then, he has devoted his energies to supporting the rights of minorities and preservation of the secular character of India. They both detailed the abuses indulged by the current Government and lamented its policies of division and discord directed against minorities, especially Muslims. Mr Mander, however, cautioned against the notion that Mr Modi enjoyed universal support from Hindus in India. There is much opposition, he claimed, but unfortunately, secular parties are too weak and have been unable to mount any effective campaign to defeat the Government and its propaganda machine.
The Zoom sessions have not been limited to political, cultural, and literary subjects. Wisely, they have been spiced and enriched occasionally with light music and entertainment. A local singer and artist invited to perform was Ms Preethi Govindraj, a health professional, who pursues singing, music and dancing as a hobby. She excels in both classical and light music and showcased her superb skills at one of the sessions.
The zoom sessions have filled a pressing need of the community at a difficult time, bringing some temporary respite from the pandemic worries, besides providing some new learning opportunities.
(Dr Syed Amir is a former Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School, and a health science administrator, US National Institutes of Health)
