Abhijit Naskar's Blog - Posts Tagged "indigenous-rights"
Masterclass for Humans (The Sonnet) | Vande Vasudhaivam
Only the Native Americans are real Americans,
Everybody else is an immigrant.
Before you tell someone to go back to their country,
Start by heading back to Britain yourself.
Only Indigenous people are real Canadians, Kiwis,
and Aussies, everybody else is an immigrant.
Before you yell slurs at an immigrant of today,
Start by heading back to Europe yourself.
Turkey was transformed by one man,
Upon the foundation of thoughts most rational.
Before you bring back the days of fanaticism,
Start by taking down the statues of Mustafa Kemal.
India never had any organized religion,
Brahmin barbarians peddled a myth to have control.
Before you cremate a secular beacon into safron ashes,
Wipe out all memories of Kabir, Ambedkar and Tagore.
From discrimination to assimilation,
That’s how we walk the course of progress.
Till every trace of intolerance is history,
Keep on struggling against mindlessness.
Everybody else is an immigrant.
Before you tell someone to go back to their country,
Start by heading back to Britain yourself.
Only Indigenous people are real Canadians, Kiwis,
and Aussies, everybody else is an immigrant.
Before you yell slurs at an immigrant of today,
Start by heading back to Europe yourself.
Turkey was transformed by one man,
Upon the foundation of thoughts most rational.
Before you bring back the days of fanaticism,
Start by taking down the statues of Mustafa Kemal.
India never had any organized religion,
Brahmin barbarians peddled a myth to have control.
Before you cremate a secular beacon into safron ashes,
Wipe out all memories of Kabir, Ambedkar and Tagore.
From discrimination to assimilation,
That’s how we walk the course of progress.
Till every trace of intolerance is history,
Keep on struggling against mindlessness.
World History 101 – The Actual History | Vande Vasudhaivam
History is not a record of truth, history is a record of triumph. The triumphant writes history as it fits their narrative – or to be more accurate, history is written by the conquerors for maintaining the supremacy of the conquerors, while the conquered lose everything.
Let me give you an example. In a commendable endeavor of goodwill and reparations a descendant of the British conquerors, President Lyndon Johnson started Hispanic Heritage Week, which was later expanded into a month by another white descendant, President Ronald Reagan – fast forward to present time – during the Hispanic Heritage Month the entire North America tries to celebrate Native American history. But there is a glitch – Spanish is not even a Native American language.
Native Americans did not even speak Spanish, until the brutes of Spain overran Puerto Rico like pest bearing disease and destruction, after a pathetic criminal called Columbus stumbled upon “La Isabela” in the 1500s.
Many of the natives struggled till death to save their home – many were killed by the foreign diseases to which they had no immunity. Those who lived, every last trace of their identity was wiped out, by the all-powerful and glorious spanish colonizers – their language, their traditions, their heritage, everything – just like the Portuguese did in Brazil.
The Spaniards would’ve done the same to Philippines on the other side of the globe, had they had the convenience to stay longer. Heck, even the name Philippines is not the original name – the original name of the islands was (probably) Maniolas, as referred to by Ptolemy. But when the Spaniard retards of the time set foot there, they named it after, then crown prince, later Philip II of Spain.
Just reminiscing those abominable atrocities makes my blood boil, and yet somehow, the brutal “glory” of the conquerors lives on as such even in this day and age, as glory that is.
That’s why José Martí is so important, that’s why Kwanzaa is so important, that’s why Darna is so important – in the making of a world that has a place for every culture, not just the culture of the conquerors.
No other “civilized” people have done more damage to the world than the Europeans, and yet, on the pages of history books their glory of conquest is still packaged as glory, not as atrocity. Why is that? I don’t know the answer – do you?
Trillions of dollars, pounds and euros in aid won’t suffice to undo the damage – but what just might heal those wounds from the past, is if the offspring of the oppressors and the offspring of the oppressed, both hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder, unravel the history as it happened, not as it was presented – what just might heal the scars of yesterday, is if together we come forward to learn about each other’s past, so that for the first time in history, we can actually write “human history”, not the “conquerors’ history” – so that for the first time ever, we write history not as conquerors and conquered, not as oppressors and oppressed, but as one species – as one humankind.
Let me give you an example. In a commendable endeavor of goodwill and reparations a descendant of the British conquerors, President Lyndon Johnson started Hispanic Heritage Week, which was later expanded into a month by another white descendant, President Ronald Reagan – fast forward to present time – during the Hispanic Heritage Month the entire North America tries to celebrate Native American history. But there is a glitch – Spanish is not even a Native American language.
Native Americans did not even speak Spanish, until the brutes of Spain overran Puerto Rico like pest bearing disease and destruction, after a pathetic criminal called Columbus stumbled upon “La Isabela” in the 1500s.
Many of the natives struggled till death to save their home – many were killed by the foreign diseases to which they had no immunity. Those who lived, every last trace of their identity was wiped out, by the all-powerful and glorious spanish colonizers – their language, their traditions, their heritage, everything – just like the Portuguese did in Brazil.
The Spaniards would’ve done the same to Philippines on the other side of the globe, had they had the convenience to stay longer. Heck, even the name Philippines is not the original name – the original name of the islands was (probably) Maniolas, as referred to by Ptolemy. But when the Spaniard retards of the time set foot there, they named it after, then crown prince, later Philip II of Spain.
Just reminiscing those abominable atrocities makes my blood boil, and yet somehow, the brutal “glory” of the conquerors lives on as such even in this day and age, as glory that is.
That’s why José Martí is so important, that’s why Kwanzaa is so important, that’s why Darna is so important – in the making of a world that has a place for every culture, not just the culture of the conquerors.
No other “civilized” people have done more damage to the world than the Europeans, and yet, on the pages of history books their glory of conquest is still packaged as glory, not as atrocity. Why is that? I don’t know the answer – do you?
Trillions of dollars, pounds and euros in aid won’t suffice to undo the damage – but what just might heal those wounds from the past, is if the offspring of the oppressors and the offspring of the oppressed, both hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder, unravel the history as it happened, not as it was presented – what just might heal the scars of yesterday, is if together we come forward to learn about each other’s past, so that for the first time in history, we can actually write “human history”, not the “conquerors’ history” – so that for the first time ever, we write history not as conquerors and conquered, not as oppressors and oppressed, but as one species – as one humankind.
Rushmores there are plenty, Everest there is but one | Abhijit Naskar | Rowdy Scientist
Flashlights there are plenty,
Sun there is but one.
Rushmores there are plenty,
Everest there is but one.
Rushmore leers as a criminal monument,
While Everest stands as a gentle giant.
Arrogance goes together with brutality,
While valor and virtue go hand in hand.
Sun there is but one.
Rushmores there are plenty,
Everest there is but one.
Rushmore leers as a criminal monument,
While Everest stands as a gentle giant.
Arrogance goes together with brutality,
While valor and virtue go hand in hand.
White Fragility Sonnet (A Record of White Crimes Against Humanity) | Abhijit Naskar | 100 Demilitarization Sonnets
Whiteness has done more harm to the world than good,
Till you look past your whiteness, you cannot be human.
Orange ‘n musky trash of white privilege diss diversity,
What else would you expect from colonial descendants!
Every generation has its fraudsters like Edison,
Every generation has trashy maniacs like Columbus.
Every generation has war-merchants like Kissinger,
Every generation has its churchillian doofus.
White people tortured the Africans,
White people booted Native Americans;
White people massacred the Vietnamese,
White people lynched and looted the Indians.
White people caused genocide after genocide,
Yet you still boast about white superiority.
You proclaim that people of color are inferior,
While white society is the epitome of savagery.
If devil had a color, it would be white –
Yet I say, color is nonsense, we’re all equal.
I am human enough to give you place beside me,
All I expect is that, a human behaves human.
After all the heartaches inflicted by white people,
A 100 generations worth apology won’t be sufficient.
Yet I am human enough to declare, we are all equal;
All I ask is that, humans finally behave human.
They say, I’m spreading hate against the whites;
To which I say, human making is my mission.
There is no hope for humanitarian uplift,
Unless you renounce all fragile intoleration.
If you wanna learn about tolerance, ask a person of color,
How do you even tolerate the sight of white people, when
the wrongs done to you by whites are unparalleled in history!
You’ll realize, there’s no mythical secret to integration,
For ages we’ve known no other life but of inclusivity.
Middle East, India and Far East,
have been the melting pot of integration,
before the whites even knew what integration is.
Yet you say white people are superior – so be it;
Cowards always take refuge in fairytales,
to justify their fragility and prejudice.
If you wanna be a decent human being,
Never draw moral parameters from the west.
No matter whether you’re born of east or west,
Remember, you are human first, then all else.
To recognize diversity is science,
To celebrate diversity is humanity.
To recognize privilege is common sense,
To abandon privilege builds human society.
Till you look past your whiteness, you cannot be human.
Orange ‘n musky trash of white privilege diss diversity,
What else would you expect from colonial descendants!
Every generation has its fraudsters like Edison,
Every generation has trashy maniacs like Columbus.
Every generation has war-merchants like Kissinger,
Every generation has its churchillian doofus.
White people tortured the Africans,
White people booted Native Americans;
White people massacred the Vietnamese,
White people lynched and looted the Indians.
White people caused genocide after genocide,
Yet you still boast about white superiority.
You proclaim that people of color are inferior,
While white society is the epitome of savagery.
If devil had a color, it would be white –
Yet I say, color is nonsense, we’re all equal.
I am human enough to give you place beside me,
All I expect is that, a human behaves human.
After all the heartaches inflicted by white people,
A 100 generations worth apology won’t be sufficient.
Yet I am human enough to declare, we are all equal;
All I ask is that, humans finally behave human.
They say, I’m spreading hate against the whites;
To which I say, human making is my mission.
There is no hope for humanitarian uplift,
Unless you renounce all fragile intoleration.
If you wanna learn about tolerance, ask a person of color,
How do you even tolerate the sight of white people, when
the wrongs done to you by whites are unparalleled in history!
You’ll realize, there’s no mythical secret to integration,
For ages we’ve known no other life but of inclusivity.
Middle East, India and Far East,
have been the melting pot of integration,
before the whites even knew what integration is.
Yet you say white people are superior – so be it;
Cowards always take refuge in fairytales,
to justify their fragility and prejudice.
If you wanna be a decent human being,
Never draw moral parameters from the west.
No matter whether you’re born of east or west,
Remember, you are human first, then all else.
To recognize diversity is science,
To celebrate diversity is humanity.
To recognize privilege is common sense,
To abandon privilege builds human society.
“If you are not indigenous, you are an immigrant.” Abhijit Naskar, Tum Dunya Tek Millet: Greatest Country on Earth is Earth
On earth we are immigrants from Africa – out in space we’d be immigrants from Earth – in a different galaxy, we’d be immigrants from Milkyway. To put simply, in exploration of space, both external and internal, terms like immigrant and indigenous are meaningless. It’s the heart that makes us indigenous or immigrant, not blood.
Blunder Down Under (The Sonnet) | Abhijit Naskar | World War Human: 100 New Earthling Sonnets
Humans be human, alive and aware,
not tokens of ancestral blunder.
Awake, arise and right the wrongs,
whether in the west or down under.
We gotta fight on the beaches,
We gotta fight on human grounds.
This time we gotta fight as human,
not as puppets to colonial clowns.
Fight as brave lions for sacred inclusivity,
not for saffronication as domesticated cows.
Fight for justice, rejuvenated by reason,
not for prejudice, decreed by apeman vows.
not tokens of ancestral blunder.
Awake, arise and right the wrongs,
whether in the west or down under.
We gotta fight on the beaches,
We gotta fight on human grounds.
This time we gotta fight as human,
not as puppets to colonial clowns.
Fight as brave lions for sacred inclusivity,
not for saffronication as domesticated cows.
Fight for justice, rejuvenated by reason,
not for prejudice, decreed by apeman vows.
My Earth, Your Earth (The Sonnet) | Abhijit Naskar | The Divine Refugee
My America fosters the
spirit of self-correction,
Your America lies in the
continuation of exploitation.
My England lives in a willful
drive for making amends,
Your England lies in deliberate
denial of historic mess.
My Australia battles to
assimilate those once wronged,
Your Australia boasts proudly
atrocious plunders as tradition.
My India is the most radiant
beacon of multiculturalism,
Your India is a septic tank
of prehistoric nationalism.
I wish I could tell you, you and I
are the same, but we are not.
My earth is a celebration of people,
Your earth is chained to dead customs.
spirit of self-correction,
Your America lies in the
continuation of exploitation.
My England lives in a willful
drive for making amends,
Your England lies in deliberate
denial of historic mess.
My Australia battles to
assimilate those once wronged,
Your Australia boasts proudly
atrocious plunders as tradition.
My India is the most radiant
beacon of multiculturalism,
Your India is a septic tank
of prehistoric nationalism.
I wish I could tell you, you and I
are the same, but we are not.
My earth is a celebration of people,
Your earth is chained to dead customs.
Blood and Blunder (The Sonnet) | Abhijit Naskar | The Divine Refugee
The world is filled with atrocious holidays,
Columbus Day, Australia Day and Thanksgiving.
Holidays steeped in blood and blunder, are
passed on proudly as occasion of merrymaking.
Imagine celebrating 9/11 as a day of freedom,
Yet colonizers do exactly that without shame.
And these animal holidays are a thousand times
more atrocious than the crash of nine eleven.
Nine eleven is a ghastly stain upon history,
there is no doubt or question about that.
But what about the infinitely larger stains,
inflicted, respected and celebrated by cowards!
Human rights can never prevail till we
dismantle every false celebration.
Animals find honor in blood and blunder,
We become human through course correction.
Columbus Day, Australia Day and Thanksgiving.
Holidays steeped in blood and blunder, are
passed on proudly as occasion of merrymaking.
Imagine celebrating 9/11 as a day of freedom,
Yet colonizers do exactly that without shame.
And these animal holidays are a thousand times
more atrocious than the crash of nine eleven.
Nine eleven is a ghastly stain upon history,
there is no doubt or question about that.
But what about the infinitely larger stains,
inflicted, respected and celebrated by cowards!
Human rights can never prevail till we
dismantle every false celebration.
Animals find honor in blood and blunder,
We become human through course correction.
Baa Baa White Sheep (The Sonnet) | Abhijit Naskar | Brit Actually: Nursery Rhymes of Reparations
Baa baa white sheep,
have you any wool!
Yes sir, yes sir,
London tower full.
Pull it over your eyes,
or weave it into blanket.
All stink of blood and blunder,
a scent second not even to crumpet.
Imperials rise upon indigenous fall,
declaring themselves as light-bringer.
Native tears form kohinoor on the crown,
Blood is but cologne to the colonizer.
Not all of colonial descent are colonizer,
but those who take pride in the past are.
To these animal ghosts of the human world,
no matter your ethnicity send a get well card.
have you any wool!
Yes sir, yes sir,
London tower full.
Pull it over your eyes,
or weave it into blanket.
All stink of blood and blunder,
a scent second not even to crumpet.
Imperials rise upon indigenous fall,
declaring themselves as light-bringer.
Native tears form kohinoor on the crown,
Blood is but cologne to the colonizer.
Not all of colonial descent are colonizer,
but those who take pride in the past are.
To these animal ghosts of the human world,
no matter your ethnicity send a get well card.
Deutschland über alles (The Sonnet) | Abhijit Naskar | Brit Actually: Nursery Rhymes of Reparations
If the germans have no right
to take pride in their past,
neither do the british
or the americans.
In fact, the scale of british and american
atrocities, surpasses the SS many folds.
‘Deutschland über alles’ is ‘jingle bells’,
compared to british and american holocaust.
Yet germany had the human decency
to dump its horrific national anthem,
while colonial pride is still dominant,
across much of america and england.
Radical inhumanity warrants radical reparations,
a concept yet foreign to Buck House and Uncle Sam.
When you are the largest manufacturer of massacre,
making amends should be your existential anthem.
to take pride in their past,
neither do the british
or the americans.
In fact, the scale of british and american
atrocities, surpasses the SS many folds.
‘Deutschland über alles’ is ‘jingle bells’,
compared to british and american holocaust.
Yet germany had the human decency
to dump its horrific national anthem,
while colonial pride is still dominant,
across much of america and england.
Radical inhumanity warrants radical reparations,
a concept yet foreign to Buck House and Uncle Sam.
When you are the largest manufacturer of massacre,
making amends should be your existential anthem.
