Tom Alter on the “Feminist movement”

It seems Tom Alter whose 3rd death anniversary falls next week, had a lot to say about a diverse array of issues: “mental bankruptcy regarding cultural matters”, “politics of reservation”, “the feminist movement”. The other day Dr Ather Farouqui posted excerpts from his English translation of Mr Alter’s autobiography originally written in Urdu. Sadly, the translation remains unpublished! Sample this :

“….. Likewise, the new generation in Bombay does not recognize Sunil Gavaskar as a legendry cricketer but merely as a commentator of cricket. This ignorance of the Bombay greats—of Dom Moraes, Leela Naidu and of Sunil Gavaskar’s prowess as a cricketer—exposes our mental bankruptcy regarding cultural matters, for which our leaders, who survive on vote banks of faith, regionalism, and casteism, are to be squarely blamed. It is they who are to blame for the prevailing situation. The politics of reservations has added a whole new dimension to the discourse of identity politics. The feminist movement led by the urban elite is another example of how matters have not benefited the average non urban woman”