Bunsha - Scarred: experiments with violence in Gujarat

28 February 2002a day which I will never forget. I pray for all those who were killedchildren, young girls; so many who lost their lives even before they could figure out what had happened to them. Young boys and girls who left their homes to play in the neighbourhood would never see their parents and relatives again. Mothers searched for their children in the commotion, and many still dont know whether their children are alive or dead. They are still waiting. There was not enough time to react. Indifferent government statistics can never account for those lakhs of people who died silent deaths, and are still suffering today.

When I go back in my mind to that awful day, my thoughts circle the same path and always come back to where they started. What happened, and why? I, and indeed many others like me, are still unable to come to terms with what happened.

During the 1969 riots in Ahmadabad, wemy children, relatives and neighbours spent months in a relief camp set up by the government after our houses were burned in Chamanpura, next to Gulbarg Society. We were not afraid to go back and establish Gulbarg Society which was under construction, as people still had faith in their neighbours and family friends. We could distinguish our friends and foes in the establishment and organizations. But today when we narrate our story, we come across a different environment. There are many whose arguments are aimed at justifying the death and destruction which took place.

Whenever I remember the attack on us, I wonder why Jafrisaab didnt climb up on the roof. Why didnt he take shelter in another house or flat? Why didnt he hide? The whys dont end. I just dont have an answer for these questions. What made him confront the killers? He knew death was waiting for him, and he opted for it. I have tried to comprehend and make sense of the events of that day, and how it changed our lives forever.

This book is a great tribute to those who have undergone unimaginable suffering, and is an excellent attempt to provide a place in history to those known and unknown victims who lost their life in Gujarats communal riots in 2002. How many of those who died in Ahmedabads horrific riots of 1969 do we remember? The events narrated and the views of those who were responsible for protection and administration gives an accurate account of the feelings of the sufferers, rioters and their abettors.

No amount of patience can bring what we have lost back to us. The very least we expect by way of consolation is justice, however delayed. I pray that all those who read this book will take a vow to wipe out hate and jealousy from their hearts to prevent such ghastly events from happening again.

Zakia A. Jafri is the widow of the late Ahsan Jafri, an ex-member of parliament (Congress) who was lynched by a mob outside his house in Gulbarg Society in Ahmedabad during the riots. Gulbarg Society saw one of the worst communal attacks in Gujarat, in which more than fifty-nine people were killed and many others attacked and injured. None of Gulbarg Societys residents have managed to return home. Mrs Jafri now lives in Surat with her son, Tanvir.