Heaven and Hell On Earth

February 27, 2012 4:19 AM

The Face of Gujarat 2002 "And when I saw the military van pass by, I thought, 'This is our last chance'. I began shouting Sahib! Sahib! to the soldiers and folded my hands, and when I did that they looked back and returned. [...] My life went into a tailspin. The picture followed me wherever I went. It haunted me, and drove me out of my job, and my state". Twelve years after the defining image of the Gujarat carnage. _{Previously. (Explanation of the title)}
posted by the cydonian (13 comments total)

Can you please post a link to the iconic photo?
posted by oneironaut at 4:37 AM on February 27, 2012

oneironaut, it's the first image in the main link.
posted by tavegyl at 4:39 AM on February 27, 2012

Actually, I gather it's cropped - this appears to be the real thing.
posted by tavegyl at 4:41 AM on February 27, 2012

Thanks for sharing. I saw that picture as a teen, and seeing it brought back some memories.

To add to the topic, The Caravan is carrying an immensely well-researched cover story on Narendra Modi, then and now the chief minister of Gujarat, with special focus on the dreadful scenes in 2002.

The article also refers to a famous piece by India's pre-eminent sociologist Ashis Nandy. I quote:

"Modi, it gives me no pleasure to tell the readers, met virtually all the criteria that psychiatrists, psycho-analysts and psychologists had set up after years of empirical work on the authoritarian personality. He had the same mix of puritanical rigidity, narrowing of emotional life, massive use of the ego defence of projection, denial and fear of his own passions combined with fantasies of violence – all set within the matrix of clear paranoid and obsessive personality traits. I still remember the cool, measured tone in which he elaborated a theory of cosmic conspiracy against India that painted every Muslim as a suspected traitor and a potential terrorist"
posted by rahulrg at 4:49 AM on February 27, 2012 [2 favorites]

Thanks!
posted by oneironaut at 4:50 AM on February 27, 2012

Sorry, my bad; should have been more clear. Tavegyl has it; that was the picture.

An earlier report in Indian media on how Qutubuddin wanted the picture to be removed from circulation.
posted by the cydonian at 4:55 AM on February 27, 2012

Man those are cute kids.
posted by aramaic at 6:05 AM on February 27, 2012

I know this is probably the wrong thing to think about.... By the end of the article, and the enumeration of the photo subject's yearly income and all his troubles, I wanted to see the photographer hand over some cash. I mean, I see that the photographer himself is Indian, but I wonder how many rupees he earned for his photography? For that photograph in particular? I wonder how much $1000US would do to salve some of the difficulty that photo caused him.
posted by RedEmma at 6:38 AM on February 27, 2012

Previously
posted by adamvasco at 6:41 AM on February 27, 2012

_{Oops, sorry adamvasco, meant my previously link to go to the previous metafilter discussion. I seem to have inadvertently linked to the Tehelka piece twice.}
posted by the cydonian at 8:45 AM on February 27, 2012

russilwvong´s comment is much more informative than my poorly spelled post.
posted by adamvasco at 9:07 AM on February 27, 2012

10 years ago wouldn't it be?

(still catching up on the links)
posted by infini at 10:26 AM on February 27, 2012

_{10, yes. :) Miscalculated it.}
posted by the cydonian at 1:45 AM on February 28, 2012