A memoir ,
Before I Forget
Author: M.K. Raina
Review :Professor Rattan
Lal Hangloo
Publisher:Vintage Books
Delhi 2024
Pages : 409
The book under review entitled a memoir: Before I Forget by M.K. Raina is a very fascinating work. M.K. Raina has devoted his career to theatre and film making from very early days, therefore, his work has enlisted diverse facets of M.K. Raina’s life and times. The book is an interesting reflection of the author’s brilliance, wide knowledge, and experience both as an actor and a social activist with a great concern for people irrespective of their religion, caste, or region.
With great sincerity of purpose, the author has illustrated the conditions of Kashmir particularly the urban town Srinagar in which he grew up. By then Srinagar had seen the end of monarchical Dog raj and the birth of regional political party national Conference that facilitated Kashmir’s transition to modernity. But this end of feudal regime of Dogra’s had left behind a streak of communal atmosphere because of different measures that maharaja Hari Singh adopted to perpetuate his rule the end of which was historically inevitable. However, the tradition of harmonious culture in Kashmir was very strong to disallow sprouting tensions on larger societal level. Raina says, “There was always a huge space for camaraderie between the people, which made communal attitudes irrelevant. Even those who may have had them were shy of displaying their prejudices openly. There was no room for social sanction for it. Even so there were strong elements of religiousness in every community which reflected a certain degree of narrowness and orthodoxy in attitude. (P.20) If we take disagreements seriously then we cannot logically or morally ignore some points of view that seem to resist becoming reasonable. The author aims to infuse the practice of citizens democracy with new purpose and meaning because of his upbringing in multiculturalism from the very beginning. Raina at times provokes us to reflect deeply about the meaning of plurality in Kashmir. The author’s efforts to give theorical and empirical depth to his investigation or arguments occasionally falls short. In this enlightening and well-crafted book Raina develops a new perspective of viewing Kashmir which is highly convincing but many of Raina’s intriguing arguments stop short of what they should.
The book stands out in its potential as an important source of comprehending the journey of M.K. Raina from Kashmir to the wider world where he confronted the challenges and difficulties, but he remained undeterred by them with firm determination pursued his cherished dreams. The author has been candid while describing the pedagogical skills of his teachers which were coercive that indicates the principal characteristics of our early schooling in the valley. I was always punished by these teachers in very mean ways; they used a cane or sometimes placed a pencil between our fingers and squeezed our hands as we screamed in pain. (p.6.) His description in this book reflects the way he can place things in perspective with great ease.
The book is no doubt the memoire of an individual, but it is an important contribution and insightful exploration of the way the Kashmiri pandits choices were shaped both for better and worse circumstances. Raina has very competently provided a new perspective with manifold dimensions for understanding a person of his caliber. M.K. Raina has viewed things from a deeper and purer level of intellectual consciousness and elaborated every detail meticulously. He has brilliantly allowed vastness of traditions, popular culture, and possibility of finding exceptions in his work by devoting his attention to variety of aspects. While dealing with his professional commitments in the glamorously complex world of film industry, the author has shown how truth abides in fullness and is nowhere influenced by ignorance, illusions, or waywardness. It offers illuminating insights and a frank exposition of institutional intricacies.
The author has been a social activist with his strong roots in Marxian ideology as the description in the book reflects. He does indicate certain insensitivities of Indian political system its various under currents which always had serious consequences for public. While trying to save people lives when anti Sikh riots took place post Prime minister Indira Gandhis murder in 1984, he openly admits the apathy of the Indian politicians, on such occasions. He says, “There were no leaders to help the citizens and the opposition was almost invisible. We wanted to reach out to someone, any known face, to ask for security to reach the areas of Kalyan Puri and Challa Gaon in East Delhi. We were worried about the violence that had happened in those areas the previous night. Someone reported that the group of opposition leaders were meeting in the bungalow of aa member of parliament near Prithvi Raj Road. We rushed there immediately and barged into the meeting. The leaders there were caught unaware and visibly displaced. (p.70.) Throughout the book the author performs turning operations that recall us, to the practical task of organizing a better world. At times it seems he claims that the central problematic of ethics is finding ways to manage the tensions intrinsic to human society through which all subjects, their culture and politics are constituted. Raina’s argument rests on the supposition that moral disagreements must be explained by aspects of the burdens of judgement that specifically apply to moral or evaluative issues but that is far from obvious. Disagreements among comprehensive views often concern fundamental metaphysical, ontological and epistemological doctrines and specifically moral disagreements are rooted in in these fundamentals, rather than being confined to moral or evaluative realm itself.
The author’s conceptual clarity, and originality is engaging and innovative and of considerable value. The book is thought provoking, insightful exploration of the ways in which human identities and choices are shaped by images that are so fundamental to conceptions of who we are that they seem natural.
ABOUT THE REVIEWER
Professor Rattan Lal Hangloo has been Professor of History at Hyderabad Central University for nearly four decades. He is former Vice-Chancellor of Kalyani University West Bengal and University of Allahabad. He is currently Honorary Vice-Chancellor Noble international university Taranto Canada. (He originally belongs to Village Hangalgund Kokernag Kashmir but is at present in Austin Texas USA.)
