Yantrixa-2: Hussain

Met Hussain at his office in Maker's Chambers today. Nice office, one truly gets a sense of how long he has been in this profession. Pawle has enough footage, and Cyrus complained about the sound but in the end we did okay.

He is old now - but I have read Hussain's work since I was a child - some of my earliest memories are of Hussain's essays on the city - he has been and continues to be my guide. Some say Hussain is like a ghost, he is invisible and he sees everything - others say he is a churail (witch) who knows how to get men to follow his words. I think they are not far off - some invisible tie binds Hussain to this underworld - this necropolis.

Here is an excerpt of the interview.

me: Hussain, what is your impression of all this?

H(ussain): Well, you know... I hate to say it - but I have been expecting something like this. The VT station bombing shook the foundations of the city. The Police, the Mantralaya babus, the media heroes, the residents of the hills - it spared no one. It was bound to happen after that.

me: So how did it start? I mean a lot happened after the bombing... from there to last year it is a long journey? are you planning to write a book?

H: Who me? no no I am done book writing... after the last book everyone has pretty much told me to put the pen down, but you are correct it is quite a story from what I have heard.

(long pause as Hussain stares out the window towards the sea)

H: It started according to some in Delhi, someone in the Lal Qila said "this is ridiculous - you hijdas in Mumbai are making us all look like fucking idiots - do something" and that kick travelled down the GoI's collective backside until it ended up in Police Mukhyalaya here. Now as usual, there was some inertia there also, but after some back and forth the decision was made to import the Tetravaal platforms and so the proposal was made and sent up stairs. You should ask Rakesh and John for the details - they will know more than me.

me: but wait... tell us a little background.

H: Background - see it is kind of obvious - this city is a disaster in progress and every once in a while that fact become obvious to everyone. A large enough piece falls off from the city and then we can't ignore the fact that it is all falling apart. Over the last two decades, the migration into the city from the countryside has gone through the roof and the city's economy has barely kept a pace. The government is not keeping its head above the water. Rich people want one thing, poor another, some want roads others want water... it is endless. If you try to do anything everything - everyone tries to stop you. The government is pretty much useless.

H: So that is how this began - the blast killed a thousand or so but the ensuing rioting, police and private firings killed seven times as many and every community claimed to have been selectively victimised. Eventually the Army was called in and Gen. Ghosh was able to restore order but as far as the eye could see - trouble boiled below. A lasting peace was nowhere in sight.
H: The pressure at the patherwali was intense. Everyone was pointing a finger at the police and there was growing weariness there. Most of the force had thrown its hands up and large parts of the city were no go areas. Twice or thrice the CPs motorcade was challenged once with a small IED. It took the Army to restore confidence. After a month or so Gen. Ghosh indicated he had no intention of occuping the city forever and that the local machinery should takeover. But there was simply too much information and human beings could only be expected to do so much. So that is how the proposal came into existance. It was a child of the Devil himself, created in his own image - created from all our failings as human beings - we are all to blame.

me: that is how the machine came into our universe?

H: No... my friend, that is how we came into the universe of the machine. We brought our homes, our lives and our loved ones into its world - and we left our own forever.

me: Wait wait... now the proposal what happened there?

H: I think John and Rakesh walked it straight to Delhi and there they encountered the strangest opposition. No one thought to say - no because it was not a good idea - as Rakesh or John expected. Instead they all supported the basic idea but there was opposition to an imported platform.

me: Imported? Tetravaal is still imported.

H: No no ... check your sources.

me: Strange...

H: Life is stranger than fiction no doubt. So eventually after wading through a dozen meetings over the course of a week - John and Rakesh returned defeated and tired. They thought this was the end. To their surprise... it was not... it was in fact ... the beginning.

me: So Delhi approved it.

H: Yes... and then a year later the first Tetravaal units marched into the city. Nominally under the PCR's control. Mind you ... after the bipeds came the "Specials" and the "APR113" units which were stationed alongside the SRP at critical locations and even LA Battalions were reinforced.

H: In under a year - their strength numbered in the thousands. In six months the city had almost 350 officers per 100,000 people - almost 50% *more* than the global average. Mind you - we had a third of that and now the force was now two-third Tetravaal bipeds. We went from being an chronically weakly monitored area to the most heavily policed zone in the world. An induction on a scale not witnessed before.

me: People saw it as an improvement? ofcourse.

H: At first, people welcomed it - I know of thousands of pujas that were performed on the incoming units. There was satyanarayan ritual held at Walkeshwar and prayers were said in most other religious institutions thanking the Lord for bringing these units for our safety. The Hindus spoke of a Vanar Sena that would keep up safe - the Muslims praised it as a Lashkar Ababeel, the christians called it an army of Angels.

me: So we walked - no ran into the Universe of the Machine.

H: yes .. ran screaming in joy into its arms.

me: And then what happened?

H: Ask Rakesh or John... they will tell you... Pandemonium rose from the ruins of our faith.

.....

That is vintage Hussain - imagery - you see what happens with his words. He may be a witch or a ghost, but he knows what he is talking about.

I am on my way to see Mita at TISS.