To swim upstream in such a murky river is like going to battle with the foreknowledge of defeat. But then the most decadent of eras have had their share of contrarian heroes, and the Allahabad of today can be no exception.
To swim upstream in such a murky river is like going to battle with the foreknowledge of defeat. But then the most decadent of eras have had their share of contrarian heroes, and the Allahabad of today can be no exception.
The gloom that pervades the city has, it seems, some faint sheen of hope left; in a frail but historically significant house in Bakshi Bazaar to which people turn to in times of distress. The house belongs to Shahid Askari, who runs the Inquilabi Blood Donors Association (ibda). Formed in 1995, the ibda boasts of 1,200 members who have donated blood at critical times to people without considerations of caste, community or class. ibda’s blood donation camps lay particular stress on communal harmony and the fact that blood recognises no sectarian boundaries.
It is this socio-political content which demarcates ibda from other social organisations. IDBA has steered clear both from local-level politicking and flirtations with big, money-spinning organisations. It has relied mainly on its own resources and the goodwill of the common people. Though combining skilful use of selective support with necessary withdrawals at important junctures has been an efficacious form of its operation too.
IDBA’s unique perspective stems from Shahid Askari’s personal history of political and social activism. Hailing from a family which traces its origin to the original Persian adventurer (of the same name) who settled in rural Allahabad during Jehangir’s time, Shahid began his political life with the cpi. He subsequently joined the CPI(ML), then fighting the political mafia. Now in his forties, Shahid’s tendency to engage in mass work made him look at some basic human concerns, beyond the rigid confines of leftist politics. Before 1995, old Allahabad had no blood donation organisation. Government hospitals had blood banks but most of them were either under-stocked or dysfunctional. Research regarding the city’s requirements in this sphere was non-existent. Hospitals possessing well-stocked blood banks suffered from lack of proper blood-storage facilities.
IBDA began a movement which called for better facilities in hospitals. Notions like donating blood drains energy and causes diseases were still rampant when Shahid began. He was initially reviled but the same people called him a messiah when he supplied blood during their hour of need.
Shahid’s approach touched a chord in the youth groaning under the oppressive weight of a restrictive society. His blood-donation camps soon acquired the status of a social movement where boys and girls mingled freely. At a certain juncture, Shahid had to face the ire of the local police. Inspired by Shahid’s work, a police officer had made it mandatory for constables to donate blood. The men in uniform were piqued; they decided to teach the "trouble-monger" a lesson. They chased him through the streets and kept calling him "raktu" (some one who draws blood). Shahid escaped only to tell the tale, in the typical Allahabadi vein.
Shahid’s growing popularity attracted political leaders to his cause, but Shahid stuck to his neutral image. During the Kumbh Mela he went ahead and took a dip in the Sangam, much to the outrage of some Muslim zealots.
IDBA is now poised to play a larger role in UP. Shahid has floated sahel—a society committed to health and literacy, through which he plans to start a movement in the state. Its activities carry nothing short of radical implications for UP’s half-closed society.
If you want to know more, contact Shahid Askari, Bakshi Bazaar, Allahabad—211003.