1857

congress

Opinion 6 August 2020

Congress party’s ‘Contribution’ to build Ram Temple in Ayodhya

Those who expect political class to be a ‘revolutionary’ and ‘radically’ ‘secular‘ live in great illusion and should form their ‘own’ outfits which their own families will not support. Intellectualism and politics, frankly do not go together. Politics is sentiments, emotions and all the Saas-Bahu masala that we love to watch on TV screens. The reason why I am writing this is the ‘disappointment’ of many ‘secular’ friends with Congress party for ‘welcoming’ the Ram Mandir. Congress’s track record for the Mandir movement is well known and need a fair analysis. Except for the Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru, the top leadership of the Congress even in those days believed that we should respect the ‘sentiments’ of Hindus. Who can ignore the fact that Dr Rajendra Prasad went to inaugurate Somnath temple reconstruction despite prime minister Jawahar Lal Nehru’s disapproval? His own Minister K M Munshi was dead against Nehru’s attitude. After his death, Shastri did not have that much of conviction to handle the Sangh Parivar. Maybe, his term was too short to be evaluated that way but we have not found things where he was ideologically opposed to Hindutva. Mrs Indira Gandhi, in her initial years as prime minister, was tilted towards the left and it got reflected in her ending of privy purses and opting for land reforms and pro-farmer agenda. But emergency atrocities on Muslims particularly the whole politics of Sanjay Gandhi found favour from RSS and many of them actually sought reconciliation with her. There were many ‘Gurus’ including Acharya Vinoba Bhave, ready to play the role of a mediator. After her powerful return in 1980, Mrs Gandhi policies were more visibly right wing as she talked about the issue of Hindus in Jammu and then allowed the Punjab situation to go out of hand. A Bhindarwallah was ‘created’ to counter the Akalis but became a burden for her own party. To keep the Hindus happy, she ordered army operation to ‘flush out’ terrorists from the holy shrine of Harmandir Saheb. Mrs Indira Gandhi was assassinated at her official residence in Delhi on October 31st,…

first war of independence 1857

Opinion 12 May 2020

Commemorating the 163rd anniversary of 1857 War of Independence : Let not communal forces undo the great heritage of joint sacrifices

Let not communal forces undo the great heritage of joint sacrifices India’s first war of independence: All you need to know on its 163rd anniversary Large sections of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs unitedly challenged the greatest imperialist power, Britain, during India’s First War of Independence which began on May 10, 1857; the day being Sunday. This extraordinary unity, naturally, unnerved the Firangees and made them realize that if their rule was to continue in India, it could happen only when Hindus and Muslims, the largest two religious communities were divided on communal lines. Urgent steps were taken to create enmity between these two. This was the reason, that immediately after crushing militarily this liberation war the then minister of Indian Affairs Lord Wood, sitting in London confessed: “we have maintained our power in India by playing off one part against the other and we must continue to do so. Do all we can, therefore, to prevent all having a common feeling.” In order to put this strategy in operation, the White rulers in league with their Indian stooges came out with the two-nation theory implying that Hindus and Muslims belonged to two separate nations. The birth of the two-nation theory was no accident, in fact, it was specifically created to help the British rulers in creating communal divide and fragmentize the Indian society on the basis of religions as unity of Hindus and Muslims could prove to be the death knell of their rule. One truth, never to be missed, about this Struggle is that it was jointly led by leaders like Nana Sahib, Bahadur Shah Zafar, Maulvi Ahmed Shah, Tantya Tope, Khan Bahadur Khan, Rani Laxmibai, Hazrat Mahal, Azimullah Khan and Ferozshah, a galaxy of revolutionaries who belonged to different religions. It was a liberation struggle in which Maulvis, Pandits, granthis, zamindars, peasants, traders, lawyers, servants, women, students and people from different castes, creeds and regions rose in revolt against the dehumanized rule of the East India Company and laid their lives. On the eve of 163rd anniversary of War of Independence we need to tell the present flag…

picture of blot William Hodson’s grave

India, international, News, Politics 11 May 2020

Remove this “blot” from Lucknow and transfer it to Britain

“On 11th May 1857,16th of Ramzan, Bahadur Shah Zafar was sitting in the Jharokha doing his wazifa (recital of Quran) when the Indian sawars of 3rd Cavalry including Hindus and Muslims of East India Company came to Musamnan Burj and called out to him to lead them against British as the Badshah of Hindustan.” Excerpt from Dastan-e-Ghadar by Zahir Dehlvi, a poet and contemporary of Bahadur Shah Zafar. Today I quote this to remember 11th May 1857 start of the first War of Independence of India with Badshah Bahadur Shah Zafar as Commander in Chief. But today when in remembrance of our brave hearts who fought British Imperialism under Bahadur Shah Zafar in 1857, we should know a dark reality that we may have words of praise for our freedom struggle movement which started in 1857 but in practice we as society still eulogise our colonial masters. As William Hodson an irregular cavalryman who took Bahadur Shah Zafar’s three sons Mirza Mughal, Mirza Khizr Sultan and Mirza Abu Bakr after their surrender into captivity and later killed them in cold blooded murder as captive in Delhi, the actions were controversial even at the time, the future Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts (who later rose to become General, Field Marshal and Commander in Chief of British Armed Forces) then a junior officer serving in the Delhi campaign, called this action of Hodson a “blot”, but even today a prestigious Boarding and Day School, LaMartiniere College, Lucknow which has this “blot” Hodson’s grave and School in independent India still boasts of that it’s the only school in the world to have battle honours, a battle fought by Colonial British forces along LaMartiniere school boys and staff against Indian fighters under Command of Bahadur Shah Zafar, Emperor of India. In 1858 battle this “blot” Hodson was killed. Lamartinere College also has a Hodson House as one of the four houses and has given all respect and honour to this “blot” Hodson who disgraced and was inhuman to our the then Commander in Chief Bahadur Shah Zafar. So, our best gesture of remembrance of…

Prof. Bhim Singh

India, News, Politics 11 May 2020

Secular unity that fought first war of Independence, 1857 & it was same unity that got Independence

Jammu Tawi, J&K (India), 1111th May 2020.  National Panthers Party held ‘Online Conference’ at its Headquarters, J&K on the 163 anniversary of first War of Independence which British Government called Mutiny, 1857. The greatest message of this first War of Independence which was fought in Meerut in 1857 under the leadership of Rani Jhansi with the support & effective combination of representatives/soldiers of all religious groups and leaders. This War of Independence which was fought jointly by Bahadur Shah Zaffar of Delhi, Molvi Ahmed Shah, Tatya Tope, Khan Bahadur Khan, Hazrat Mahal, Azimullah Khan and Shahyada Firoz Shah under the leadership of Rani Jhansi against the British Rulers. It was a real demonstration of Hindu-Muslim-Sikh unity. This was the foundation of India’s Movement of Independence which continued till 1947 when India was granted Independence by the same British Rulers in 1857. The Panthers Party leadership conveyed this message of One India, Secular India, Progressive India, Democratic India to all its workers/leadership & to all brethren political friends all over the country.  Prof. Bhim Singh, Chief Patron of J&K National Panthers Party recalled that the Britishers played the most heinous crime by dividing the people of India by spreading false propaganda and provoking some individuals to divide India in 1947. While praising Rani Jhansi and other leaders of different religious groups for the great sacrifice they gave in 1857 which sowed the seats of India’s freedom struggle. This first War of India’s Independence refreshes this slogan that India’s freedom, no one, none can hurt or demolish as long as we the Indians shall stand together with our secular/democratic commitment that we had demonstrated in 1857. The prominent participants in the ‘Online Conference’ included Shri Harsh Dev Singh, Chairman, Shri Balwant Singh Mankotia, State President, Shri P.K. Ganju, Sr. State Vice President, Ch. Mohd. Iqbal, Mr. Masood Andrabi, Vice Presidents, Ms. Anita Thakur, Mrs. Manju Singh, Mr. Yash Paul Kundal, General Secretaries, Mr. Bansi Lal Sharma Advocate, Advisor, S. Parmjeet Singh Marshal, Provincial President-PTU &  Mr. Sanjoy Sachdev, National Advisor-NPP.

opinion

Opinion 24 April 2020

Remembering Martyrs of First War of Independence.

April 24, 1857, was a Friday. Col Carmichael Smith, commandant of the 3rd Bengal Light Cavalry Regiment, had ordered 90 sepoys to assemble and use the disputed “greased cartridges” in Meerut. The previous evening, the sepoys had taken an oath not to touch the cartridges. Thus, out of the 90 sepoys, 85 troops refused to use them. This was the first mass opposition to British authority triggering the Revolt of 1857 our First War of Independence. On the anniversary of the day when the troops refused to use ‘greased cartridges’ I take the opportunity to remember martyrs of 1857 who laid their lives for Independent India free from the clutches of British Imperialism, they were Hindus and Muslims who fought against the enemies of the Nation. Today the rememberance of First War of Independence is more relevant because we as a Nation have to stand together as Hindus and Muslims of India and fight the common enemy that is Hatred.This Hatred if not fought with unity of Hindus and Muslims can create havoc to our nationhood. Athar Husain, CORD.

Shamsul Islam

Opinion 27 February 2020

Hindutva : Myths and realty

[This essay is in response to demand from friends across the globe to make available a concise primer on the toxic ideology of Hindutva based on its own archives for ready reference.] Introduction The term Hindutva took birth with the appearance of VD Savarkar‘s book titled Hindutva in 1923. Savarkar’s Hindutva was declared to be the Holy Book of Hindu Sangathan or organization. M. S. Golwalkar, who headed the RSS after K. B. Hedgewar, too regarded Savarkar’s Hindutva as a great scientific book which fulfilled the need of a text-book on Hindu nationalism.[1] According to a biography of founder of RSS, Hedgewar published by the RSS, “Savarkar’s inspiring and brilliant exposition of the concept of Hindutva marked by incontestable logic and clarity, struck the cord of Doctorji’s [Hedgewar’s] heart”.[2] Despite such statements glorifying Hindutva as priceless contribution in defence of Hindu nationalism, the contents of the book did not attract many Hindu leaders and remained beyond the comprehension of common Hindus. In fact, even the title of the book seemed to have been an afterthought. A perusal of the original edition (1923) will show that the booklet was printed with the title Hinduism but subsequently a separate piece of paper on which Hindutva was printed was pasted on the title page of the book. Since the term remained alien even to the Savarkarites, by the 4th edition Hindutva as title was dropped and it was published under a new title Who Is A Hindu? In 1963 Maharashtra Provincial Hindusabha published it as part of Savarkar’s collected works with the title Essentials of Hindutva. Another notable fact about this book was that it was published under the pen name ‘A Maratha’ signifying a regional identity of the author where as book stressed only the Hindu identity of the country and its inhabitants. Savarkar admitted at the outset that the ‘term Hindutva defies all attempts at analysis’.[3] He began by trying to make a clear-cut distinction between his theory of Hindutva and religion Hinduism. But few pages later it became clear that Hindutva was nothing else but political Hinduism. According to his…

The Supreme Court of India

Opinion 9 November 2019

SC judgment demolished the RSS argument that Muslim rulers built mosques in India by razing temples

SC judgment demolished the RSS argument that Muslim rulers built mosques in India by razing temples Ayodhya Verdict, roots of Indian communalism, and the alternative narrative A Ram temple will be built at the disputed structure–fine. But the Supreme Court (SC) has only said that Hindus prayed in the inner and outer courtyard, and a similar claim by Muslim parties could not be established. At the same time, the Court also said that the ASI ‘refrained’ from stating that the Babri mosque was built by demolishing a temple. That is why, the Sunni Wakf Board has been given 5 acres of land. A political approach catches the straws in the wind. And turn them into a whirlwind, that upsets the status quo and unleashes a new narrative. The SC judgment gives us a golden opportunity to disrupt and demolish the RSS argument that Muslim rulers built mosques in India by razing temples. But, you will be surprised to learn that a large section of liberals, who might genuinely be anti-Modi, anti-BJP or anti-RSS, also share the perception that Muslim rulers destroyed temples to construct mosques. The whole edifice of modern India’s liberalism is based on precepts established by the 19th century Bengal Renaissance, whose leading lights, Raja Rammohan Roy, Debendra Tagore, and later, of course, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, invented the ‘1000 year slavery of Hindus’, ‘Indian civilisation primarily constituting Hindus, Buddhists, Jainis, even Sikhs, with Muslims as the the other’, ‘Muslim rulers disfiguring temples’ chronicle. The two elements that Bengal Renaissance tended to avoid, even attack, were Sanatan Dharma and Islam– and the composite culture generated in the Indian subcontinent by their interaction. A figure like Rabindranath Tagore never really repudiated this theoretical atrocity built on bad faith. Whatever reformist urges the Bengal Renaissance ushered in, it was a highly pro-Imperialist, pro-British impulse. The British wanted to divide the history of the Indian sub-continent into Hindu Vs Muslim terms, saying, in effect, that these two religions and identities were in perpetual conflict. Bengal Renaissance became a willing tool to spread this colonial ideology; in the 20th century, when the British…

Dr. Prem Singh, Dept. of Hindi University of Delhi & president of Socialist Party

Opinion 7 March 2019

Patriotism of cowardice and enslaved Mind

The RSS/BJP’s brand of fake, hollow and hypocritical patriotism prevails because there is no authentic alternative to it. Therefore it is prevailing. As long as this brand of patriotism will run, the real crisis before the country – freedom from the anti-imperialist forces – cannot be resolved.