GEORGE ONSY

INTERVIEW

BACK TO THE ROOTS

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY:  What does the phrase “Back to roots” mean to you?

GEORGE ONSY: It really means a lot. Back to the root could be our very soul call to go back to our spiritual soulful origin that we are also called to beyond this earthly lie. It could also nature’s continuing call for us to come back to its bosom of simplicity and spontaneity. There are also roots of our long human heritage which should go in harmony with our roots of religious faith and nationality.

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY: Where are your roots? Have you migrated far from your roots? Why?

GEORGE ONSY: My roots actually reside in Heaven. I live always with such a strong feeling that I do belong to that eternal world there. Immigration in such a case is not a choice, being in this earthly life is a passage everyone has to go through till its end. But what I try to live and tell others to live as well is to be able to visit there from time to time at moments of silence and connection with the God, the King of the Eternal Abide.

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY: In today’s fast-changing world, is it important to feel “rooted” to something, some place or some culture – or is the feeling just an impediment to progress?

GEORGE ONSY: We should have our roots deep and unalterable while a compatible change in the surface of our daily life and interactions go in harmony with what’s deep and permanent.

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY: Do you think the urge to go back to one’s roots is at the root of global political disturbance today? Can you please elaborate your views for us?

GEORGE ONSY: The urge to go back to one’s roots is a menacing global phenomenon of our today’s world. This is simply because of the discrepancy between our awareness of our global human roots and our urge to go back to more ‘personalized’ roots, like one’s own religion, even sect of a religion, own race or nationality. Such discrepancy or conflict has to be measured with respect to the influence of EGO working negatively inside each individual. Enhancing the back-to-the roots journey is a must in a world suffering from continual conflicts because of everywhere egoist, or even fanatic back-to-the roots journey.

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY: Do you have any such yearning for going back anywhere? Is that your pleasure or pain? We will be happy if you can share it with our readers.

GEORGE ONSY: I have always such yearning but I have also the pleasure to be able, throughout my life journey, to weave the heavenly awaiting there for us and the temporary we have to go through every day and even every moment of this life.

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY: The feeling of being rootless is often equivalent to nostalgia which may be defined as a longing for a home that no longer exists or even one that has never existed. In your opinion, is it a longing for a particular place or a particular time? Can you please explain with some examples if possible?

GEORGE ONSY: The longing of many people for the past may answer this question. Many of us feel belonging to another period of history, another place, somewhere, some time. Some would say it’s the experience of reincarnation. As for me, however, I would rather say it is our nostalgia to the timelessness, i.e. the eternal existence we came from before being born in a world governed by time.

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY: Are your roots in the country or the society you live in? If not, then why? Is it because of political, religious or cultural reasons? Or is it related to your own value system? Please take some time to answer this question and illustrate with examples whenever relevant.

GEORGE ONSY: My roots are in my beloved country but it extends deeper to merge into the global root of humanity. They have been also in the religion I believe in, but by now it has developed and matured to dive into the more profound realm of a universal religion of love of which I’m preaching now for peacemaking and human solidarity across all barriers of deeply rooted differences; religious, racial etc. My continual struggle over the last decades has witnessed an uplifting success as I can see my message of love being accepted by many audiences of all religions and races.

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY: In the country or the society you live in, have you witnessed the ‘Diaspora’ phenomenon? If yes, then in what form? What, according to you, are the main values and concepts shared by a particular Diaspora?

GEORGE ONSY: Belonging to a minority is a sort of Diaspora on one’s own patriot. But, again, working for human unity can create a universal patriot where nobody would feel any stranger.

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY: In your opinion, is this nostalgia of going back to roots a direct consequence of globalization and technological progress? What are the specific reasons for your opinion?

GEORGE ONSY: For many people, yes it is. But, as I said before, if we get aware of the fact that globalization is a universal back-to-roots journey we wouldn’t suffer such nostalgia, especially when we take technological progress as a vehicle to reach that. I believe that the internet and satellite TV have made a good job on that.

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY: Finally, do you think that the concept of ‘back to roots’ is ultimately derogatory to progress and unity in any given country or society? Why?

GEORGE ONSY:   As I said, it all depends on which back-to-roots journey we are going to take, deep to the global roots of human race or individualistic, egocentric back-to-root fundamentalism and separatism that our world of today is heavily wounded with.

 

GEORGE ONSY: Egyptian Poet, writer and artist Dr. George Onsy writes in English and Arabic. He is a recipient of several prestigious awards notably The Icon of Peace from the World Institute of Peace (WIP) in Nigeria and awarded several times for his works, in Italy and Ghana, through Pentasi B World Friendship Poetry, India, the World Festival of Poetry (WFP)-Udaipur University and Sicily. His works of poetry and art have been published in many international anthologies He has also served as an international Jury Member for several world contests. He is an acting international director and Jury Member at The World Union of Poets (WUP), an acting admin at Pentasi B, and an acting member at the Italian International Association, Verbumlandiart. A Professor of Technical English and Technical Writing at the Egyptian-Russian University, he has co-authored with the eminent Indian scholar and poet Dr. Jernail S Anand a poetry collection ‘Voices from Eternity’ that showcases many of his poems and artworks. He is in the process of co-authoring another book with the renowned Indian poet and philosopher Dr. Madan Gandhi, the Nobel Prize nominated and Founder President of the publishing society, The Poetry Society of India. Dr. George Onsy is actively involved in establishing new and effective approaches to World Peacemaking and Human Solidarity.

We sincerely thank you for your time and hope we shall have your continued support.

Aparajita Sen

(EDITOR)

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY

SANTOSH BAKAYA

INTERVIEW

BACK TO THE ROOTS

                                                           

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY:  What does the phrase “Back to roots” mean to you?

SANTOSH BAKAYA: A seed when planted, takes roots and eventually becomes a tree, spreading its branches in all directions. Similarly, human beings are born in a particular environment, they grow, spreading in all directions, and sometimes, leave those environs in search of greener pastures. Just as the roots of the trees go deep down into the earth’s womb, similarly, all of us have our roots in the place of our birth, and no matter how far, we are flung by circumstances, the heart keeps going back to the roots. Back to roots is almost like a melody, which keeps haunting one, until one has gone back to one’s roots. In old age, we often see people yearning to go back to their roots. That haunting melody does not fall silent, until it has prodded one into following its notes. But sometimes, those who go back to their roots, are in for a shock. In their bid to pick up from where they left, they realize that there are no threads to pick up from! But anyway, we are ambulatory human beings, and unlike trees, love to explore new lands, and form new roots elsewhere.

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY: Where are your roots? Have you migrated far from your roots? Why?

SANTOSH BAKAYA: My roots are in Kashmir, it was my dad who migrated from there in the 50’s when he got a lecturer’s job in St. John’s College, Agra, [Uttar Pradesh], later to relocate to Rajasthan University. Relocation can indeed be a very difficult process.  The acclimatization process was indeed very heart-wrenching for my granny. Allow me to reproduce a few lines from an essay in my latest book, Flights from my Terrace, 

‘The heat of Agra was unbearable; the language was beyond her, the sari was cumbersome, but one day, things changed miraculously.

When the neighbourhood rooster emitted a lusty cock-a-doodle, she almost jumped out of her pheran [a gown that Kashmiris wear in winters], which she had refused to discard even in the sweltering heat of Agra.

 “Oh there are roosters here too!” The serendipitous ardour that now sheathed her wrinkled face was an indication that the acclimatization process had begun.

One fine day, when the donkey brayed, she again jumped out of her pheran! “There are donkeys here too.” She exclaimed in pure joy. A place which had no dearth of braying donkeys and crowing roosters could be no different from her beloved land! The acclimatization process was complete now. The figurative jumping out of the pheran was smoothly followed by the literal jumping out of the pheran!”

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY: In today’s fast-changing world, is it important to feel “rooted” to something, some place or some culture – or is the feeling just an impediment to progress?

SANTOSH BAKAYA: No, it is definitely not an impediment to progress, it is absolutely important to feel rooted, otherwise we will be forever haunted by rootlessness, but of course, the attachment to one’s roots should not impede one to explore new possibilities and newer avenues.

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY: Do you think the urge to go back to one’s roots is at the root of global political disturbance today? Can you please elaborate your views for us?

SANTOSH BAKAYA: The global political disturbance is indeed a sad truth today .The images of uprooted humanity are indeed blood- curdling, with more than 60 million displaced people haunting the world. History has never been witness to so many displacements across the globe, giving rise to a grave problem: The accommodation of the uprooted population by the host country is indeed posing a great threat to world peace. Not only Syria, but Burundi, Eritrea, and Libya are also facing the crises of migration and it is only natural that uprooted humanity cries for a home, for its roots.

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY: Do you have any such yearning for going back anywhere? Is that your pleasure or pain? We will be happy if you can share it with our readers.

SANTOSH BAKAYA: I have stayed in Kashmir, only erratically although, I have my roots there. Since I never stayed there, the urge to go back to my roots was never there, but yes, my father, had a very strong urge to go back to Kashmir after his superannuation from the University of Rajasthan. And this is exactly what he did. He got his ancestral house renovated and called it The Relic. But since I was born and brought up outside Kashmir , I have found new roots in Rajasthan , but , yes , I dream of the walnut groves , the almond blossoms , the apple orchards , the houseboats , the lakes , the streams and the Lidder River of Kashmir , because all our summer vacations were spent there.  That feeling of belongingness will never go.

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY: The feeling of being rootless is often equivalent to nostalgia which may be defined as a longing for a home that no longer exists or even one that has never existed. In your opinion, is it a longing for a particular place or a particular time? Can you please explain with some examples if possible?

SANTOSH BAKAYA: It is both. With the passage of time, one tends to get nostalgic about the good old times. Although, it is Kashmir, where I have my roots, after my father’s relocation to Agra first and then to Jaipur, we developed roots in Jaipur, and during my posting in Bharatpur, my heart kept harking back to  Jaipur, and, maybe this overwhelming feeling of nostalgia  pulled me back to our idyllic childhood in Jaipur. My father was nostalgic about Kashmir, his homeland, and I was nostalgic about Jaipur, which had become our home. The first thing that I did, when I got my posting in Jaipur, was that I revisited our old University house, the main thought in my mind being, would the Neem tree under which we spent so many of our childhood years [I spent many happy hours, not only below the tree, but also perched high up on the tree, with a book and an apple!]   be still there. For us, that tree was a metaphor of life, for me, the world rustled in its highest boughs. “In their highest boughs, the world rustles, ‘to quote Hermann Hesse. I don’t think I can describe the feeling, when I saw that neem tree of our childhood still standing in the lawn, as erect as ever, as if waiting for us to come back and begin our childhood antics under it , once again. It was as if, it had also been missing us.

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY: Are your roots in the country or the society you live in? If not, then why? Is it because of political, religious or cultural reasons? Or is it related to your own value system? Please take some time to answer this question and illustrate with examples whenever relevant.

SANTOSH BAKAYA: My roots are in the society I live in, and it is not because of political- cultural – religious reasons, it is because of my attachment to the place where I spent my childhood days.  The springs and winters, the shared camaraderie, the mutuality of childhood pranks, and the love –hate relationship with the peers, that is what has strengthened my roots.

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY: In the country or the society you live in, have you witnessed the ‘Diaspora’ phenomenon? If yes, then in what form? What, according to you, are the main values and concepts shared by a particular Diaspora?

SANTOSH BAKAYA:  A particular diaspora, I believe, is left with divided loyalties, the seniors still crave to go to their roots at times , but the young ones , who are born outside , do not have any affection for the land that their parents left behind. I have seen parents living abroad, trying to instill Indian values in their offspring, to impart the culture of the country of their birth, but they do not feel the same loyalty as their parents, hence are often contemptuous. At times, they simply do not understand their parents ‘love for the land that they left behind. They simply do not identify with the country of their parents, whereas the parents, in their heart of hearts hide two identities, and also want their offspring to feel , at least some loyalty for their roots , but alas, their parents ‘ roots are not their roots .

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY: In your opinion, is this nostalgia of going back to roots a direct consequence of globalization and technological progress? What are the specific reasons for your opinion?

SANTOSH BAKAYA: In my opinion, it is sheer nostalgia, but sometimes it can be that one is so fed up of the rat race, that one wants to go back to the roots.  The reasons may vary from person to person, but, to me, the pulls of this craving, yearning, this nostalgia, by whatever name it is called, ‘would smell as sweet’, but turn out to be sour. The mind is always harping on those memories, those stories, those dreams, that tree, that eatery, that boy, that tuck –shop – but it is indeed a great shock when one realizes that , on reaching back to reclaim those roots , everything seems to be  changed. This surreality can be quite traumatic. Those moments are long gone, but we keep harking back to them, which can also be regressive in the sense that one again wants to see oneself as that prankster teen, now viscerally cherishing those very moments, one used to scoff at.

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY: Finally, do you think that the concept of ‘back to roots’ is ultimately derogatory to progress and unity in any given country or society? Why?

SANTOSH BAKAYA:   No, definitely not. Some leave their roots in search of greener pastures, but some are uprooted from their home and hearth. My father left his roots in search of better job opportunities, and found a new home in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Till the time of his superannuation , he never thought of going back , but the moment he retired as professor from the university of Rajasthan , the yearning to go back to his roots became so strong a force , that , despite  disapproval from family  , he did not bow down , and was back to his roots . This was not derogatory to unity or progress, but, yes, it did not meet with our approval, it was his adamant stand that ultimately won. These lines of Hermann Hesse have always been there somewhere at the back of my mind: “You are anxious because your path leads you away from mother and home .But every step and every day lead you back again to the mother. Home is neither here nor there. Home is within you, or home is nowhere at all.”----------------------------------------------“It is a longing for home, for a memory of the mother, for new metaphors for life. It leads home. Every path leads homeward, every step is birth, every step is death, every grave is mother.”

SANTOSH BAKAYA: An academician - poet -essayist - novelist , Bakaya , recipient of the Reuel Award for literature [2104] for her long poem Oh Hark ! has made her mark both in prose and poetry. Her three mystery novels, [The mystery of the Relic, The mystery of the Jhalana fort and The mystery of the Pine cottage] for young adults were very well received. Ballad of Bapu, a poetic biography of Mahatma Gandhi, published by Vitasta publishers, Delhi in 2015, is also being acclaimed internationally. Her essays on Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.have been published in Gandhi Marg, a quarterly journal of GANDHI PEACE FOUNDATION. She has also been published and interviewed in Cafe Dissensus and  has contributed in national and international anthologies, like those published by Poets, artists Unplugged [Colours of Refuge and Resonance] many of them having figured in the highly commendable category in Destiny Poets, a U. K based poetry website. Her poetry has also appeared in Learning and Creativity- Silhouette magazine, in Incredible women of India, in an Australia based e-zine, Mind Creative, In Brian Wrixon’s anthology, the online magazine Episteme, [Mumbai], in Setu – an international e-zine published from Pittsburgh, USA. She has co-edited UMBILICAL CHORDS: AN ANTHOLOGY ON PARENTS REMEMBERED, published by Global Fraternity of Poets, Gurgaon, Haryana. Where are the lilacs? [A compilation of her 111 peace poems] was launched in 2016 and is getting rave reviews, so is Flights from my terrace [2017], a book of 58 essays [Authors Press]  Under the Apple Boughs, her second compilation of poems, will soon hit the stands. She has also been a featured poet in Pentasi B World Friendship poetry and was conferred with the Universal Inspirational Poet Award jointly by Pentasi B and the Ghana Government in May 2016. She   also received the INCREDIBLE WOMAN OF THE YEAR 2015 award instituted by The Incredible women of India blog. The Poet Laureate Award instituted by Poetry Society of India was conferred on her for her book Ballad of Bapu, Where are the Lilacs? , and her long poem , Oh Hark !. She received The AAGMAN TEJASWANI AWARD 2017, instituted by the AAGMAN GROUP on International Women's day in Delhi. Although hailing from Kashmir, India, she stays in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India with her husband and university going daughter.

We sincerely thank you for your time and hope we shall have your continued support.

Aparajita Sen

(EDITOR)

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY

SHIB SHANKAR DASGUPTA

INTERVIEW

BACK TO THE ROOTS

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY:  What does the phrase “Back to roots” mean to you?

SHIB SHANKAR DASGUPTA: At first glance, “Back to roots” means going back to a surrounding where I speak Bengali, eat aloo-posto, sing Rabindrasangeet and get back to a leisurely culture of adda; a life of more participation and cooperation and less competition. On further reflection, I find my roots where people struggle to exist. Be it in South Asia, in South East Asia or in Africa. I have worked in these regions and I find my roots amidst the struggles of the have-nots. Languages, foods or cultures then become secondary to me.

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY: Where are your roots? Have you migrated far from your roots? Why?

SHIB SHANKAR DASGUPTA: I was born and brought up in Kolkata, India. I lived there until I was 35 years old. I lived in Singapore for 12 years and then moved to New York in 2006. When I graduated (early 1980s) from Jadavpur University, the mainstream political party introduced two major initiatives: anti-automation ideology and primary education in Bengali (our mother tongue). During the 12 years that I worked in Kolkata, I became a computer-illiterate engineer and my daughter was supposed to study only Bengali at school. Don’t get me wrong, I have no disrespect for my mother tongue. But it was the early 1990s. Globalization was knocking at our door and becoming a professional without computer literacy or putting my child in school without English was not acceptable to me and to my wife.  So, I was left with no other choice but to leave Kolkata. (Interestingly, both these moves were withdrawn after some years). This high-handedness by political elites was a major reason for many professionals to leave Kolkata in 1980s, the Mecca of arts culture and education in India. The view that automation was a capitalist ideology and rejecting it without sound alternatives was at best naive, if not grossly illogical. I often used to argue with my left-leaning friends that Lenin himself had said, “Communism is Soviet power plus the electrification of the whole country.”

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY: In today’s fast-changing world, is it important to feel “rooted” to something, some place or some culture – or is the feeling just an impediment to progress?

SHIB SHANKAR DASGUPTA: Of course, it is important to feel “rooted” to something: some convictions and some belief systems. But if that “something” has a universal appeal then you feel less alienated even on a foreign soil. I had the unique opportunity to work with Grameen Telecom in Bangladesh where a mobile phone was used as a social tool to empower rural women. Currently, I work in Kathmandu, Nepal to disseminate health information to young boys in a men’s engagement program. My roots are my efforts in offering support to marginalized communities through new technologies. So, personally, I don’t feel rootedness is an impediment. On the contrary, my rootedness for a social cause offers me wider opportunities to design new technologies at the base of the pyramid. So, rootedness is not about some place or some culture but to my personal values.

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY: Do you think the urge to go back to one’s roots is at the root of global political disturbance today? Can you please elaborate your views for us?

SHIB SHANKAR DASGUPTA: I don’t think we have reached that stage of global political disturbance yet where everybody feels an urge to go back to one’s country of origin. But as Noam Chomsky recently said, “We are yet to experience the worst …” So, I have no yes/no answer for this question at the moment. Due to global political changes some people are definitely feeling pressurized to go back to their countries of origin. But let me add a slight distinction here.  Going back to one’s country of origin and going back to one’s roots are not the same. An element of individual agency guides you to your roots but you float back to your country of origin when you don’t have any other choice.

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY: Do you have any such yearning for going back anywhere? Is that your pleasure or pain? We will be happy if you can share it with our readers.

SHIB SHANKAR DASGUPTA: For me, the work that I do is more important than simply moving away from my roots or going back to my roots. Currently, I am developing a women’s football academy, Shreeja India, in West Bengal. We aspire to stop early marriage and prevent human trafficking and violence against women in rural West Bengal through this project. Along with coaching football, we also design programs to foster self-esteem, teamwork and leadership among these girls and help them continue education.

It is definitely a huge pleasure for me when I show the village girls football videos of developed countries. Coaching and learning have become quite easy with modern technology. We never had these opportunities when we grew up in Kolkata. On this respect, I would agree with Thomas Freidman that technology has leveled the world; the world has become flat. And I feel proud to be part of a movement where my organization is acting as an agent of change at the base of the pyramid. “Going back to my roots” then becomes my distinctive choice. It’s a pleasure and not a pain at all.

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY: The feeling of being rootless is often equivalent to nostalgia which may be defined as a longing for a home that no longer exists or even one that has never existed. In your opinion, is it a longing for a particular place or a particular time? Can you please explain with some examples if possible?

SHIB SHANKAR DASGUPTA: You have caught me on a very sentimental position with this question. I lost my father when I was in secondary school. My mother and my elder sister managed to run the family. It’s definitely a question of nostalgia when we visit that house in South Kolkata. I was born in that house, I got married in that house, and my daughter was born in that same house. I can still recognize the clicking sounds of every single switch in that two-story building. We had a few plants in our house and my mother used to maintain a rooftop garden with much care and tenderness. When my mother passed away in 2004, all the trees in the house withered within a week in spite of our efforts to keep them alive.

Of course, it is a longing for a home that no longer exists. The house is still there but not the people. You remember the Tagore song “Likhon Tomar Dhulay Hoyechey Dhuli …” That song depicts my sentiments in exact words.

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY: Are your roots in the country or the society you live in? If not, then why? Is it because of political, religious or cultural reasons? Or is it related to your own value system? Please take some time to answer this question and illustrate with examples whenever relevant.

SHIB SHANKAR DASGUPTA: I have deliberately uprooted myself when I realized that my daughter needed more exposure. You hardly make roots on a new soil when you are 35 years old. We try to believe that nothing has changed. But we constantly struggle with our inner I. When we were in Singapore, I organized a Tagore dance drama with young children. We made garlands with white paper flowers for the girls. They performed the dance well. But my daughter commented while returning home, “Baba, the program was good but these garlands have no fragrance.” Even a six-year old child could realize something missing from her original life.

But going to schools and colleges on foreign soil, children often pick up new roots but it is difficult for adults. For me, it is more cultural than religious or political. I still visit the tea stalls at Jadavpur 8B bus stand (outside Jadavpur University) whenever I am in Kolkata. The tea tastes the same; those biscuits inside the glass jars taste the same. Language, food preferences and adda do not die.

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY: In the country or the society you live in, have you witnessed the ‘Diaspora’ phenomenon? If yes, then in what form? What, according to you, are the main values and concepts shared by a particular Diaspora?

SHIB SHANKAR DASGUPTA: I don’t subscribe to the typical ‘Diaspora Phenomenon’ of justifying rigid rules as if it were prescribed by a higher authority. We need to challenge and improve our knowledge base constantly. The word root suggests that it is the source of strength and comfort to many people, as religious beliefs are to millions of people around the world. My decision to sever my ties with the Bengali urban Kolkata roots, after 35 years, was painful and difficult initially. But once I was out of Bengal, I preferred to gather more new ideas from the West rather than remain stuck to whatever I had learnt or whatever I used to do in Kolkata.

Let me give you an example here: I am associated with a choir in New York City. We present Tagore songs with more piano, violin and guitar accompaniments than Sitar or sarod players. Rabindrasangeet with western accompaniment takes a new form that we could not do in Kolkata. Good or bad is another question but the experimentation is important to me. A typical Diaspora phenomenon would resist me from these experiments. That’s not to my liking.

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY:  In your opinion, is this nostalgia of going back to roots a direct consequence of globalization and technological progress? What are the specific reasons for your opinion?

SHIB SHANKAR DASGUPTA: I came out of Kolkata to enrich my roots. I joined a PhD Program (Science and Technology Studies) in New York that is not taught in India. Globalization and technological progression definitely helped me to move out and implement my work. So, I would answer your question by saying that “rootedness” to me is a natural consequence of my higher studies and has followed through in my work. Globalization and technological progress have offered me better tools to achieve these results. But definitely, it is not a direct consequence of globalization and technological progress. “Back to roots” is moving around the globe with a mission, however small.

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY: Finally, do you think that the concept of ‘back to roots’ is ultimately derogatory to progress and unity in any given country or society? Why?

SHIB SHANKAR DASGUPTA:   It depends on the reasons and circumstances of your movement. Simply moving out of your roots or going back to your roots sound very shallow to me if it is not supported by clear objectives and action points. One has to have solid reasons for severing one’s roots and one has to have equally solid reasons to go back to one’s roots.

The dimensions of rootedness have changed during the last three decades of globalization. Now, I work on a subject called Social Construction of Technology (SCOT). I have developed a mobile phone system to distribute health information to village women. Primarily, I work in alleviating poverty and empowering women through technology in developing countries. In addition, on the non-profit side, I empower rural women through sports and education. So, I have distinct reasons for moving out of my roots and going back to my roots. Naturally, “back to roots” doesn’t have any negative connotation to me. But some people simply follow the crowd. Personally, I hate floating with the crowd. After all, it’s only the dead that floats, the living should be swimming for or against the current.

SHIB SHANKAR DASGUPTA, PhD aspires to bring science, technology and society together to address various social constraints to health, education, and business in developing countries. His main focus is to integrate women and marginalized communities into the mainstream of development through mobile phones and social media. Shib Shankar has developed a concept, the Cyber Capabilities Framework, to broaden the conventional understanding of well-being of individuals from simple ICT access to enhancement of the “cyber capabilities” of ordinary and empowered citizens. Currently, Shib Shankar is busy setting up Shreeja India, a non-profit organization that empowers young rural girls through football and education in West Bengal, India. The idea is to stop early marriage and prevent human trafficking and violence against women through this project. Along with coaching football, he also designs programs to foster self-esteem, teamwork and leadership among these young girls and help them in their regular school studies. You can obtain more information on Shreeja India by joining this group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ShreejaIndia

We sincerely thank you for your time and hope we shall have your continued support.

Aparajita Sen

(EDITOR)

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY

SILAS OLA ABAYOMI

INTERVIEW

BACK TO THE ROOTS

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY:  What does the phrase “Back to roots” mean to you?

SILAS OLA ABAYOMI : “Back to roots” means going back to one’s source of life, where one came from. Every human on this planet has a source, from a home of two individuals -father and mother - who have homes, probably from same locality, nearby, or far off, where every child is born. Our root is no doubt our source, by extension, place of conception, growth, and development. The phrase “back to roots” is so popular; books have been written on it, several plays cast about it, songs have been written to reflect on the phrase. In 1993, RuPaul released an album titled “Supermodel of the World”; one of the titles in the album is “Back to My Roots.”

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY: Where are your roots? Have you migrated far from your roots? Why?

SILAS OLA ABAYOMI : I am a Yoruba man from the western part of Nigeria, one of the largest nationalities on the continent of Africa. At different times, I had moved from immediate locality for schooling, work, and national assignments within Nigeria. Now, it is a total movement beyond Nigerian shores, as I live at present in United States.

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY: In today’s fast-changing world, is it important to feel “rooted” to something, some place or some culture – or is the feeling just an impediment to progress?

SILAS OLA ABAYOMI : It is absolutely necessary to feel connected to something, more important, be rooted in something. Regardless of the ever changing or fast paced world we live in, we must remember that root gives individual identity; identity, which is not biological, like the DNA inherited from parents to create a new life, but socio-cultural and political - orientations that mold and shape biological features in individual, which makes individual a unique person. These features are in our culture, the ways of life: society, which transfers to individual, by means of language, through religion, traditions, values, beliefs, and social institutions. Granted, a few of these features may be the antitheses to modern realities; however, there are still many good, captivating, desirable or even pleasant things in our “roots” that can’t be jettisoned because of new or modern age.

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY: Do you think the urge to go back to one’s roots is at the root of global political disturbance today? Can you please elaborate your views for us?

SILAS OLA ABAYOMI :  No, going back to root isn’t and won’t be the main cause of crises people always have. From time immemorial, people have lived with crises, and these are unresolved crises that are passed from one generation to the next. Although several new crises had been created lately, added to the existing ones; we must not forget that territorial control, geographical boundaries, ownership and control of scarce resources and religious extremism have lived with humans for centuries. They will continue to live, and perhaps, thrive with humankind insofar as hate, racial discrimination, fanaticism continue to exist.

Although, to a reasonable extent, fight-for-what-is-my-own from my root may sustain crisis, but not in all cases; the “back to roots” ambassadors cause political disturbance. Inequality, unfair treatment, suppression, repression, corruption and injustice have been major causes of political crises, and it will be so, inasmuch as these social issues remain unaddressed.

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY: Do you have any such yearning for going back anywhere? Is that your pleasure or pain? We will be happy if you can share it with our readers.

SILAS OLA ABAYOMI : As a human, there is always the tendency for adventure, urge to explore, and desire to try new things; these three scenarios require leaving one’s root to a known or unknown location. Even, as you enjoy these thrills, still, there are prices to pay. A major price is being removed from the root, which may cause homesickness or nostalgia. Many times, in course of duty, I had accepted offers that took me away from home; even though there were financial rewards and self-fulfillment, there was still a void in me; a vacuum that money, power, influence, position and even authority couldn’t fill.  

Notwithstanding the benefits my relocation and influence of office gave me, I was not fulfilled; I felt something was missing.

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY: The feeling of being rootless is often equivalent to nostalgia, which may be defined as a longing for a home that no longer exists or even one that has never existed. In your opinion, is it a longing for a particular place or a particular time? Can you please explain with some examples if possible?

SILAS OLA ABAYOMI : Relocating or moving from one place to another by humans will always be part of social and political engineering; however, this social behavior will never take away the innate, inborn, or the intrinsic feelings every human has in connection with his or her root, whenever movement occurs. The feelings of missing the loved ones at home; the emotional pains resulting from the activities of our five senses in relation to our roots may be too great to quantify. Old fond sights are now out-of-sight; touching that can elicit or evoke joy is no more there; sound or voice from known individuals, which can create happiness are now muted; taste by means of hug display with the loved ones is gone; odors of friends, family members, colleagues, and community in general temporarily comes to an end.

In fact, there could be a collateral damage to these senses and to the past fun, joy, and happiness, if homesickness or nostalgia sets in.

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY: Are your roots in the country or the society you live in? If not, then why? Is it because of political, religious or cultural reasons? Or is it related to your own value system? Please take some time to answer this question and illustrate with examples whenever relevant.

SILAS OLA ABAYOMI : Classical and modern or (contemporary) sociologists will differ on the exact definition and / or location of “roots”. Classical sociologists-of 1800s and early 1900s, who derived their work from the culture of the period that featured great thinkers like Auguste Comte, Karl Max, Herbert Spencer, Emily Durkheim, Max Weber, Georg Simmel, and Vilfredo Pareto will locate and define “roots” within immediate community or communities one is born. They saw the social situation or condition of 19^th and 20^th centuries, which include, but are not limited to political, economic, religious, cultural activities from “chaos and social disorder that resulted from the series of political revolutions ushered in by French revolution in 1789.”  In fact, this group will see “roots” nowhere other than place of birth within a known geopolitical confine that is non-transferable.

On the other hand, modern or contemporary theories which include Anomie, Feminism, Dramaturgy, Antipositivism, Game Theory, Social Theory, Ethnomethod, and Structural Functionalism schools of thought, may see “roots” differently. To these thinkers, roots may be transferable; more so, roots can be created in several other ways, through dissolution, amalgamation, by means of technology, migration, border adjustments, etc.

In fact, some individuals can have multiple “roots”; through birth, a person of multiple ancestries may have “roots” across borders; a person of dual nationality, whose place of birth is different from where she is raised or nurtured, will have several “roots.”

Whatever is one’s root, either from country of birth to country where one is raised, “roots” will oscillate within several dynamics; and people of multiple “roots” will be different from people of single “roots” because their orientations will be different.

For instance, people raised in a monogamous society will be different from those raised in a polygamous one. Those raised in a democratic culture will be different from those raised in non-democratic settings. In the same way that their beliefs and values may be different.

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY: In the country or the society you live in, have you witnessed the ‘Diaspora’ phenomenon? If yes, then in what form? What, according to you, are the main values and concepts shared by a particular Diaspora?

SILAS OLA ABAYOMI : Yes, as millions migrate from south to north, east to west every year; but several questions remain un-answered:

Why do people leave home in droves or in millions?

What happens to these millions who leave for foreign lands?

Are they readily welcome, or treated badly?

What new life do immigrants live in their country of residence?

What are the legal, social, cultural, and political difficulties immigrants face?

Why do immigrants demote themselves going abroad?

One may say that the “Diaspora Phenomenon” is traceable to several political and economic crises in different nations around the world.

One wonders, why would professionals leave home to foreign land to work as “care givers, entertainers, security guards, fork-lift operators, nannies, bar tenders, waiters and waitresses, sailors, nurses” wasting those years of training at home? In the article titled “The Diaspora: Why Filipinos Demote Themselves by Going Abroad,” Nonoy said, it is for economic survival - immigrants want to provide for families at home, and perhaps, give a better future to children…

Even though, the author isn’t happy about mass movement, he believes that governments should do more to encourage the young professionals to stay at home to develop Philippine.

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY: In your opinion, is this nostalgia of going back to roots a direct consequence of globalization and technological progress? What are the specific reasons for your opinion?

SILAS OLA ABAYOMI : To me, it is necessary to maintain a link with one’s source, notwithstanding globalization, regardless of technological progress. Identity and individuality matter. Uniqueness and distinction, no doubt, are imperative. Look at the manufacturers or producers of goods and services; even though they produce same products for same use, still, each maker or manufacture gives its product or service a distinct personality. Through trademark and service mark, each item is known in the market place.

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY: Finally, do you think that the concept of ‘back to roots’ is ultimately derogatory to progress and unity in any given country or society? Why?

SILAS OLA ABAYOMI :   The concept is not derogatory; at times, it may be wrongly used for political, social, religious, and economic reasons, regardless, “back to roots” is a reminder to every living soul-we all have roots.

More important, as many nations have now replaced good neighborliness with fanatical nationalism, welcoming spirit with xenophobia, love with hate… we must remember: We All Have Roots.

SILAS OLA ABAYOMI is a poet, historian, teacher, and cultural anthropologist. For about a decade, he was Assistant Professor of Mass Communication at Department of Mass Communication, University of Lagos, Nigeria. Abayomi is an author and a blogger with over six hundred poems to his credits. 

We sincerely thank you for your time and hope we shall have your continued support.

Aparajita Sen

(EDITOR)

SONGSOPTOK QUARTERLY