“NOW, PEOPLE OF J&K WILL PARTICIPATE IN THE ...

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“NOW, PEOPLE OF J&K WILL PARTICIPATEIN THE DEVELOPMENT JOURNEY”

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ORGANISERORGANISERVol. 72, No. 28 New Delhi January 3, 2021, Paush Krishna 4, Yugabd 5122

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: MANOJ SINHA, LT GOVERNOR, J&K

Tribute: MG Vaidya38

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Editorial05Readers’ Forum04

Indic Wisdom48

30 REPORT

COLUMN

“DDC polls havehelped build an atmosphere ofmutual trustamong people”

06 COVER STORY/INTERVIEW

Trinamool Congress and theCow Smuggling Network

38End of an Era

Realising Malaviyaji’sDreams

32NEP 2020

TRIBUTE / MG VAIDYA

OPINION

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Victory of Democracyover False Narratives

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Defence Scan 46

Aryans depicted inRamayana & Mahabharata

42

MYTH OF ARYANINVASION PART V

News Round Up44

Gearing up for final battle18REPORT

Will Rajnikant's debut inpolitics be a blockbuster?

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Karnataka for quantum leapin IT, BT sectors: Dr AswathNarayan CN

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READERS’ FORUM

4 OrganiserJanuary 3, 2021

A Rotten ProtestAPROPOS (Cover Story, HarvestingAnarchy) Organiser, December 13,2020. The so-called Bharat Bandhhas fizzled out and has exposedthe much-trumpeted "public -sup-port" the proponents claimed tohave garnered throughout India.The next betrayal in line was theCongress support to the farmers'protests and the inducement byPunjab Government and its help tosustain it by supply and service.Have the Sikhs forgotten the mas-sacre of thousands of Sikhs andspilling of Sikh blood on Delhistreets at the very same hands ofthese Congressmen in the recentpast? Why did the Sikhs not rejectthe Congress support, a rottenapple given by a filth smearedhand in the first place? The agita-tion was first conceived by disgrun-tled middle-men and forced downthe throats of innocent, gullible andsimple-minded farmers and laterhijacked by alien forces.A. ARUMUGA NAINAR, Tamil Nadu

Proof of people'sfaith in DemocracyAPROPOS (Winds of Change),Organiser, December 23, 2020.The polling stations across the UTwitnessed long queues of enthusi-

astic voters, with huge voterturnout percentage, even in thetraditionally low percentage areas,registering manifold increase ascompared to earlier heldParliamentary and Panchayat elections. This manifests that faithof the people of Jammu andKashmir in the democratic processhas deepened. With the culmination of DDC elections, thepeople of J&K will, for the first time in history, see a truly empow-ered grassroots democracy entailing direct funding and decentralised decision making inthe planning and development ofrural areas.ARYAN RAIZADA, through web

Remedy to save Timeand Money APROPOS ('One Nation, OneElection', call makes sense),Organiser, December 27, 2020. Atimely article, I think all patrioticforces and politicians must listen tothis call of PM Modi. One electionshould not be only for parliamentand state assemblies but also forall over Indian elections includingZila Parishad and municipal cor-porations. It will save crores ofrupees and time as well۔ Moreover,the prevailing mood will be benefi-cial as no governors need to bechanged unnecessarily, the one-party rule at the centre and states،will ensure cohesion better devel-opment of states and the wholecountry. We may be proud of suchachievements like Digital India,One Nation One Ration Card, etc.'One Nation, One Election' andone voters' list can never beachieved without changes in our Constitution. DR SATISH KUMAR PANDIT,Panipat

Glorifying HistoryAPROPOS (Saudi Arabia removesanti-Israel and anti-Zionist contentsfrom textbooks), Organiser,December 21, 2020. A Good move,we must take out all anti-SanatanDharam narration from our textbooks in India. Invaders have gotglorified and great kings and stories of empires of Hindus havebeen suppressed. We must have astudy of Bharatiya History in alllanguages which must be taught inschools irrespective of their affiliation.MANOJ SHARMA, through web

APROPOS (Islamistsattack Hindu boy forrefusing to convert aftermarrying a Muslim girl

in Kerala), Organiser, December20, 2020. Can somebody pleaseexplain this to Talveen Singh asshe is famous for writing beautifulstories on love affairs and waspanicked when #lovejehad lawpassed in Uttar Pradesh? Someintellectuals call this communalising love and givelectures on Ganga-Jamuni Tehzib. @chauhansachida9

APROPOS (IslamicBody's mouthpiecerakes up communalsentiments), Organiser,

December 24, 2020. India's lawsrelated to freedom of expressionand formation of associations orgroups, shouldn't be allowed towage war or intimidation againstany legitimate governments, per-sons or any sections of society,which may lead disruption ofpeace and order in the country.RAJAN VAYAKKATTIL

OrganiserJanuary 3, 2021 5

fter removing the barriers of Article 370 and 35A, the people of Jammu-Kashmir had theirfirst experience with grassroot democracy. There are various interpretations of the results,and every political group can have something to tell to their core constituency. Still, thereis a consistent message of these District Development Council Elections, followed by thepanchayat and block level polls.

Pakistan and the beneficiaries of the selective narrative on Jammu-Kashmir alwaystried to sing the tune of atrocities and military excesses at the international level. Rightfrom the United Nations, no platform remained unutilised by these forces to demean thedemocratic culture of Bharat, especially after Article 370 was made ineffective in August2019. This election is a message from Bharat that it can handle all its problems throughdemocratic means and no rogue state can weaken that resolve. A free and fair election isthe hallmark of democracy. Even the Union Government's critics would not deny that theseDDC elections were the most transparent exercise. The militants were not allowed to dis-turb this historic exercise was another significant achievement.

Now we can say with conviction that we have taken the Constitution in its entirety toevery corner of Bharat, and this is most certainly an extremely positive message at thenational level. There can be a difference of opinion on various issues, but our Constitutionprovides a solution to every fathomable problem. Hitherto discriminated citizens like West-Pak Refugees, Valmikis, Gorkhas etc. for the first time got the right to vote, proving beyonddoubt that the path of development and participatory governance is the best way toaddress issues in a democracy.

Pakistan sponsored militants have become completely irrelevant in Jammu-Kashmir.The soft-separatist parties with dynastic tendencies first took a stand of not participating inelectoral politics unless the so-called ‘special status’ of Jammu-Kashmir is restored. Thesuccess of Panchayat and Municipal elections forced them not only to contest but forge anopportunistic alliance called Gupkar. Their participation in the elections symbolizes theacceptance of the changed reality of a J & K free from the clutches of 370. The nationalistvoices first time got their space, and they together defeated the fake narrative of 'no per-son will pick the tri-colour if Article 370 is removed'. The voting percentage in the freezingcold climate amidst Covid pandemic was a tight slap on the face of naysayers. This DDCelection witnessed around 50 independent candidates emerging victorious. The messageis loud and clear – the traditional self-centred, corrupt and dynastic politics will no longerwork; a new breed of leadership will emerge that will chalk out the future of Jammu-Kashmir.

The DDC election is just a stepping stone to the more extensive process of democrati-sation from below. The subsequent delimitation of constituencies for the assembly will beanother critical step as Jammu-Kashmir has not seen the revision of seats since 1956despite the changing demography. Bridging the development gap between Jammu divisionand Kashmir division is another challenge.

Bharatiya Janata Party should be congratulated not just for emerging as the singlelargest party in the elections but for realising the dream of its founder President Dr. SyamaPrasad Mookerjee of One Nation –One Constitution. It has also taken forward the policyinitiatives started by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The successful conduct of DDCpolls should be seen as a befitting tribute to these two towering nationalist leaders.

Tryst with True Democracy

A I assured thepeople of Jammu &Kashmir that wewish to resolve allissues – bothdomestic andexternal – throughtalks. I stressedthat the gun cansolve no problem;brotherhood can.Issues can beresolved if wemove forwardguided by the threeprinciples ofInsaniyat(Humanism),Jamhooriyat(Democracy) andKashmiriyat(Kashmir’s age-old legacy ofHindu-Muslimamity) ”

– Atal BihariVajpayee,Statement byPrime MinisterShri Atal BihariVajpayee in LokSabha on his twoday visit to Jammu& Kashmir, April22, 2003

@PrafullaKetkar

n It’s more than four months that you have been appointed as theL-G of Jammu & Kashmir. How has been your experience?

I have visited ten divisions of Kashmir and six ofJammu. I am yet to visit the rest of the four. I realisedthat people’s expectations were not fulfilled. Theneed of the hour is to provide a platform for them. AllDeputy Commissioners and Superintendents ofPolice were given instructions to meet the civiliansdaily for an hour excluding (Wednesday and Sunday)and listen to their issues. Similar instructions were

given to the IGs, Divisional Commissioners who alsomeet people twice a week. Earlier the major focusused to be on construction activities only, whereasthe other schemes of both the Centre and the Statewere not much saturated.

Under the 21-day public awareness programme,it was realised that various welfare schemes need tobe 100% saturation, which include both 54 schemesof the Centre and other schemes of the State. I amglad to inform you that in 16-17 districts, the satura-

INTERVIEW/MANOJ SINHA, LT GOVERNOR, J&K


“DDC polls have helped build an atmosphere of mutual trust among people” Expressing happiness over the high voter turnout in Jammu & Kashmir District Development Council polls Lieutenant-GovernorShri Manoj Sinha says, “The polls have helped build an atmosphere of mutual trust among people of J&K.” For him, developmentof J&K is his ‘only priority’, and for that, he is focusing on the delivery of services and effective implementation of welfareschemes. In an exclusive interview with Senior Correspondent Nishant Kr Azad at the Raj Bhawan in Jammu, Shri Sinha spoke ona range of issues, including security dynamics and a roadmap for economic revival. Excerpts:

tion has reached almost 100%, whereas, in the restof the districts, it has touched around 85%, where weintend to make it to 100%.

Then comes the issue— where will an average cit-izen approach to redress his grievances? For that,we have devised an institutionalised mechanism of‘Grievance Redressal’. It is directly linked to theGovernment of India’s redressal mechanism, proba-bly the first of its kind. I have personally met peopletwice. Once a month, I interact with aggrieved per-sons and keep in touch with senior administrativeofficers such as the District Collector, SP, and othersto resolve the issue as early as possible. Now, thepercentage of grievance redressal has increased.People have realised this to be a platform that willhelp in grievance redressal.

n What is your assessment of the security scenario in J&K?Security is not a concern. The security mechanism

of J&K is extremely good, where entire securityforces — the Army, the BSF and J&K Police — havebrilliant coordination among them. A significantchange is that J&K Police is now deployed full timeon the front and fights there.

n On the border, ceasefire violation from Pakistan and cross borderinfiltration have increased, and China on the other front is alsoemerging as a great security threat. How do you see this?

The argument is not factually correct. Someattempts of infiltration were made recently, but due tothe alertness of the Army, BSF and J&K Police, allsuch attempts were foiled. Talking about our neigh-bour, it obviously doesn’t like the democratic exercisegoing on in J&K and will attempt to disrupt it. Chinadoesn’t share its border with J&K anymore.Therefore, I can’t comment on that. Moreover, it’s amatter of international relations about which only theGovernment of India, Ministry of External Affairs andthe Ministry of Defence are authorised to speak.

n When you were appointed as the L-G of J&K, it was said that youwould make proper security arrangements for political leaders.What are the arrangements being made for the same? After I was appointed as the L-G, the killings of

political personalities have almost stopped. Ourefforts are to provide adequate security arrange-ments to those whose lives are in danger and protect

everyone in the State. n After the abrogation of Article 370, what are the steps being

taken by the Government to ensure the development of J&K? The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the UT like

the rest of the country. The economy of this place hassuffered for a long time. But the welfare schemes andthe Government’s institutions of J&K will change theentire scenario. In the last 3-4 months, we were ableto complete many ongoing projects. Also, severaladministrative reforms have been implemented.Infrastructure projects take some time to finish, butwe are currently working on constructing AIIMS, IITs,IIMs, four-lane highways in the UT. The work for allthe projects is going on rapidly and being regularlyreviewed by me. Most of these projects will be fin-ished in a period of almost two years, and then wewill be able to see the changed situation. The Budgetallocated to J&K is over Rs 1 lakh crore, which is wayhigher than any other State receiving funds from theIndian Government. It will boost economic revival.

n Corruption and lack of transparency were a sensitive issue in J&Kas it was alleged that large-scale corruption in the usage offunds received from the Centre. What is the Government doing tobring in transparency?


The economy of this place has suffered for a longtime. But the welfare schemes and the Government’sinstitutions of J&K will change the entire scenario. Inthe last 3-4 months, we were able to complete manyongoing projects. Also, several administrative reformshave been implemented

Lt Governor Interactingwith locals at Purmandal

INTERVIEW/MANOJ SINHA, LT GOVERNOR, J&K

We have a zero-tolerance policy towards corrup-tion. The increasing use of technology will facilitate incountering corruption. Thus we are using the techno-logical tools to remove corruption from the system.All the development works being done by us areuploaded in the public domain so that the peopleknow about them and give their feedback as towhether they are getting the benefits or not. Earlierthere was no anti-corruption bureau, but now thereis. Many corrupt people have also been arrested.Thus, now there’s a consensus being created thatcorruption will not be tolerated anymore.

n There was an expectation that you would initiate political dialogue with Valley-based parties. What is the progress on thatfront?

I am always ready for that. I have already metpoliticians of all hues. Also, I have interacted withpeople. For the first time, DDC elections were organ-ised in the UT. Parliament passed the Panchayati Raj

Act in the year 1992, but Jammu & Kashmir had atwo-tier system instead of three, as DDC had neverelected representatives which we amended.Compared to the voting percentage of earlier elec-tions, the voter turnout has increased in KashmirValley in which women, youth and aged people haveenthusiastically participated. Thus, the amendmentswere necessary for strengthening grassroots democ-racy, as people will participate in the developmentjourney.

We did a programme named ‘Back to Village’, inwhich we used to visit a village daily. The visiting offi-cer used to stay for two nights in the village. The vil-lage Panchayats receive funding of MNREGA andwelfare schemes of the Centre. Apart from that, wegave Rs 5-10 lakh as incentives to the Gram

Panchayats, in which the people will decide whatkind of development works to do. The visiting officerwould only facilitate things. In some cases, the onlysuggestion given by us was to buy sports kit worth Rs20,000 for youth. In some other occasions, we sug-gested the visiting officer to identify two youth of thevillage who have entrepreneurship skills and incen-tivise their enterprises. There are 4,290 GramPanchayats in J&K. We aim to encourage almost12,000 such young entrepreneurs by giving a mone-tary incentive up to Rs 10 lakh from Jammu &Kashmir Bank. After this ‘Back to Village’ programmewas over, people from urban areas approached usand urged that such initiatives must be done forurban people as well. Thus, we organised a similarinitiative for the urban population and gave Rs 1-5crore to some of the Nagar Palikas and MunicipalCorporations. Thus, an atmosphere of mutual trusthas been built amongst people, and now they thinkthat by getting elected in the DDC, they can con-tribute to develop their districts and towns.

n So we can say that such programmes are aimed at making theyouth and women of J&K the major stakeholder in decision mak-ing?

We aim to make every citizen the stakeholder.Youth and women are our priority.

n DDC elections are over now. When can we expect Assembly pollsin J&K?

Once delimitation is done, it will be up to theElection Commission to hold the polls. Delimitation isa constitutional exercise. It’s happening not just inJ&K but in some of the North-Eastern states as well.The Election Commission will speak on the issuewhen the right time comes. In his Independence Dayaddress from the Red Fort, the Prime Minister hassaid that elections to the State Assembly will be heldafter the delimitation exercise is over, which was reit-erated by the Home Minister in Parliament as well.

n How do you see the future of separatist forces?No kind of separatist politics has a place in J&K.

n Now, as separatist forces have become silent, Gupkar Alliance isclamouring for restoration of Article 370. Farooq Abdullah evenwent to the extent of seeking help of China and Pakistan to re-


Once delimitation is done, it will be up to theElection Commission to hold the polls. PM Modihas also said in his Independence Day speechthat elections to the UT Assembly will be heldafter the delimitation exercise is over, whichwas reiterated by the Home Minister inParliament as well

instate Article 370. What’s your opinion on that?The Constitution of India gives freedom of expres-

sion to the citizens; thus, anyone has the right tospeak their mind. It doesn’t matter much. But thosewho have taken official oath under the Constitution atany point of time must keep in mind the authority ofthe Constitution.

n Unemployment has been an important issue in J&K, with 65% ofits population being youth. The Prime Minister and HomeMinister said the revocation of Article 370 would lead J&K on thepath of development and create employment opportunities. Whatare the plans to address the issue?

Unemployment is a problem not just for J&K: It’s anissue for the rest of India as well as the world. Thenumber of government employees here is the same asin Bihar though the latter’s population is 11 timesmore. Apart from government service, other optionsfor employment were never thought of in the lastseven decades. We are working to fill the vacant12,000 posts in the government sector; examinationsare also being conducted. Government jobs alonecan’t solve the issue of unemployment; thus, we havedevised an industrial policy for the UT, which has beenapproved by DIPP, Ministry of Finance – Governmentof India. I am hopeful that in the coming 2-3 years, theUT will receive an investment of almost Rs 30,000crore. We organised a one-day programme inSrinagar, which was attended by the leading personal-ities from across India active in academia, social sec-tor, industrialists, and NITI Aayog. Tata Group hasstarted a centre in Baramulla, and we plan to set upanother centre at Jammu in January. The motor insti-tute is being developed as part of skill development.ICICI Bank has started a centre at Jammu, and next isgoing to come up at Anantnag. We aim to create a skillforce in the UT. We are hopeful that more than 80% ofyouth of the UT will get employment opportunities inthe near future.

n What are the plans for the development of the population of theState residing in the border areas?

It’s unfortunate for our nation that we didn’t devel-op the areas situated near the border in the lastseven decades. But over the previous six years,notable work has been done for the infrastructuredevelopment in the border areas. Tunnels which

were unimaginable to be constructed in the past arebeing made. For the vulnerable communities residingnear the border like Gujjar and Bakarwal, we haveimplemented the Forest Act and have notified thatthey will get land by March 31 next year.Arrangements are being made so that people fromborder areas get recruited in the para-military forces.Skill mapping programmes are being conducted inthe border areas so that the youth in these areas andcan be reskilled and facilitate in their employmentopportunities.

n The issue of Kashmiri Pandits is a sensitive topic in the Kashmirdebate. What are the steps being planned for their re-settlementin the Valley?

We have planned to earmark 6,000 posts in theGovernment and construct 6,000 houses for them.This was intended long before and announced by thePrime Minister himself, but unfortunately, its imple-mentation got delayed. I want to assure that apartfrom the 164 jobs, all the posts will be filled by thePandits. We have already issued a tender for con-structing the 3,500 houses for the Pandit communityand plan to issue a tender for the rest soon. We aimto make 6,000 houses in the next two years and willsolve their issue by re-settling them.

n Rohingyas are considered a security threat for the State. Whatdo you have to say on this?We will deal with all kinds of threats.

n How have you adapted from being a long-time political activist tothe constitutional head of India’s most sensitive border territory?

I have to fulfil my responsibility as per the rulesand regulations laid by the Indian Constitution. Mypast experiences will come in handy in executing mypresent responsibilities. n


Government jobs alone can’t solve the issue ofunemployment; thus, we have devised an industrialpolicy for the UT, which has been approved by DIPP,Ministry of Finance – Government of India. I amhopeful that in the coming 2-3 years, the UT willreceive an investment of almost Rs 30,000 crore

he winds of change were evident when I visited theUnion Territory of Jammu & Kashmir during theDistrict Development Council (DDC) polls. Eventhough the public were upbeat about the democraticprocess, the Gupkar Alliance had tried to cast doubtin people’s minds. After the Panchayat, Block andMunicipal elections, it was clear that stopping theBharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from creating its basein the Valley was the key objective behind the oppor-tunistic alliance. When the results for DDC polls weredeclared, BJP not just registered its victory by win-ning three seats in the Valley but emerged as the sin-gle largest party netting highest number of votes.

BJP won three seats in three different districts ofthe Valley in DDC polls. Aijaz Hussain, Aijaz AhmadKhan and Minha Lateef won from Khonmoh-II seat inSrinagar, Tulail seat in Bandipora district andKakpora in Pulwama, respectively.

The victory is significant as most of the politicalparties in J&K were fighting together against theSaffron party. Despite its best efforts, they failed tohalt the march of BJP in the Kashmir Valley. The signis clear that the BJP has started making inroads

where it has been considered unsurmountable. BJP bagged 75 seats in the DDC elections, while

the Gupkar Alliance has managed to win 112. Thiswas the first democratic exercise of this scale in J&Kpost the abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation ofthe erstwhile state into two Union Territories last year.

Not only it’s a good sign for the party in J&K, butit’s also good for Modi-led BJP Government at theCentre as the government faced the angst of a sec-tion of the society for abrogating Article 370 and 35Afrom J&K. The government has managed to holdDDC polls peacefully is another feather in its cap.

BJP candidate Aijaz Hussain who won theKhonmoh-II seat credited Prime Minister NarendraModi’s policies and hard work of party members forhis success.

“This is a win for the BJP. The propaganda hasbeen busted as people have shown their faith inPrime Minister Modi and his policies. This is a mes-sage that nationalists are prospering in Kashmir.People want development, and this is a vote for

COVER STORY


n NISHANT KR AZAD

T

The main takeaway of the successfully-held DDCpolls is that democracy serves best to deliversecurity, peace and prosperity for J&K. BJP’sbreakthrough in the Valley by bagging three seatssignifies changing the perception of the people

BreakingBarriers to BuildNew Bridges

development,” he said. The newly-carved Union Territory witnessed a mas-

sive participation of voters of all age-groups in first-everDDC polls post-revocation of Article 370 and 35A. Nokillings, bandh, boycott, curfew, hurling of bomb atpolling booths, and stone-pelting incidents during thepolls; people and leaders see it as a ‘winds of change’as people choose ‘ballot over bullet’. Endorsing thisview, a Kashmiri youth Ajmal says, “Bandh, boycott andstone-pelting during polls is a thing of past in Jammu &Kashmir.” According to him, earlier, it was a daily affair.“I will not say that everything is well and good after theabrogation of 370 and 35A in J&K especially Kashmir,but yes things are changing and one can witness thiswinds of change in the Valley,” he added.

Amid freezing weather, voters turned up in large num-bers to vote at their respective polling stations. Women,youth and elderly voters were seen waiting in longqueues for their turn. At some places, voters as old ashundred years were seen casting their votes.

Initially, Kashmir-based political parties PDP and NCsaid that they would not participate in the democraticprocess until the ‘special status’ is reinstated, but laterthey sensed the public mood and changed their stance.

Much to the surprise, the Kashmir division has wit-nessed highest ever turnout in the last three decades inthe first-ever election to the DDC post-abrogation ofArticle 370 and 35A.

“Frankly speaking, I was stunned to see such a hugeresponse from all sections of the society in the electoralprocess. People, whether old or young, women or menall participated with enthusiasm. Even in South Kashmir,which is considered the hub of separatism, witnessed agood voting percentage compared to the previous elec-tions, including Panchayat polls of 2018 and 2019 LokSabha polls,” said a senior officer in Jammu andKashmir Administrative Service.

“Notably this is the first time DDC elections happenedin J&K after the Centre amended the J&K Panchayat RajAct 1989. For the first time in my whole career, therewas no curfew in Srinagar even in Downtown, a sensi-tive place from a law-and-order perspective. Even SouthKashmir didn’t witness any curfew during the polls,” hesaid.

BJP General Secretary Ashok Kaul sharing his politi-cal campaign experience in Kashmir said, “We havedone gathering of 300 to 400 people in Kashmir. Theyouth are welcoming us with open hands and joining theparty, which is a good thing. They are realising theimportance of abrogating Article 370 and 35 A. Theyknow that BJP is the only party which can take J&K onthe path of development. They have realised that NC-PDP not only looted the money send by the Union gov-ernments for the betterment of Kashmir but alsodestroyed their future by putting stone and guns in their hands”.

With the BJP getting its first electoral victories in theValley, there appears to be a slow but tangible shift in thepolitical dynamics of J&K. n


The newly-carved Union Territory of J&K witnessed amassive participation of voters of all age-groups infirst-ever DDC polls post-revocation of Article 370and 35A. No killings, bandhs, boycott, curfew,hurling of bombs at polling booths, and stone-pelting incidents were reported

Youth standing in a queue to cast their votes during DDC elections in Jammu & Kashmir

JAMMU & KASHMIR

uch awaited peoples’ verdict after themaiden elections to the DistrictDevelopment Councils (DDCs) conductedafter the reorganisation of the erstwhileJ&K state and abrogation of Article 370 is

out. The results have proved beyond doubt that thepeople of J&K have full faith in Indian democracyand are as much interested in development as therest of the countrymen. The results coincided withthe onset of Chille-Kalan, the spine-chilling coldestpart of the winters, because of which the height-ened hopes of the status quo lobby of displayingtheir annoyance with the Central government havebeen buried deep inside the wintry snow.

The verdict signals the victory of democracy


BRIG (RETD) ANIL GUPTA OPINION

The verdict of DDC polls signals the victo-ry of democracy over the false narrativesof alienation, loss of confidence, specialstatus, change in demography, cheating

and betrayal. It is the defeat of communaland hate politics practised by the

Kashmir-centric parties who tried theirbest to portray Bharatiya Janata Party as a

“party of Hindus” and create Hindu-Muslim divide to keep BJP away

from Valley politics

Mover the false narratives of alienation, loss of confi-dence, special status, change in demography,cheating and betrayal. It is the defeat of communaland hate politics practised by the Kashmir-centricparties who tried their best to portray BharatiyaJanata Party as a “party of Hindus” and createHindu-Muslim divide to keep BJP away from Valleypolitics. It is the defeat of status quo lobbies whichforgetting all their political and ideological differ-ences ganged up together to demand the restora-tion of Article 370 and special status as perceivedby them because the Constitution of India does notrefer to any special status for J&K.

The results of 278 seats out of 280 for which theelections were held have been declared. While theGupkar Alliance has won 112 seats, BJP has

Victory ofDemocracy overFalse Narratives

JAMMU & KASHMIR

Aijaz Hussain (C), the BJP candidate for the DDC polls showing victorysign after he won a DDC seat in Srinagar on December 22, 2020

emerged as the single largest party with 75 seats(including three from Kashmir) closely followed bythe National Conference with 67 seats (including24 from the bordering districts of Ramban,Kishtwar, and Rajouri). Incidentally, theIndependents have emerged victorious on 50(32+18) seats more than the combined total of theother regional parties comprising the Alliance.Among the alliance members, PDP has won 27,People Conference 8, People Movement 3, CPM 5and PDF 2. As usual, Congress is sinking and hasmanaged only 26 seats while the newly launchedJK Apni Party has bagged 12. The Panthers Partyhas won two seats and BSP has won one. Partywise percentage of seats won is BJP-26.98%, NC-24.10%, PDP-9.71%, PC-2.88%, PM-1.08%, CPM-


1.80%, PDF-0.72%, Congress-9.35%, JKAP-4.32%, Panther-0.72%, BSP-0.36% andIndependents-17.99%.

The seven-party Peoples’ Alliance for GupkarDeclaration (PAGD) was formed under Dr FarooqAbdullah’s chairmanship, whose main motive wasto seek restoration of Article 370 and return ofstatehood. These parties individually earlier hadrefused to participate in the Panchayat and BDCelections. Later they stated that they would not par-ticipate in any polls till their demand for restorationof 370 is met followed by an announcement that allorders/ statutes declared after August 05, 2019,were illegal and would not recognise them.Realising that they have gone too far and such aninsistence may make them irrelevant in mainstreampolitics which may lead to they being labelled asHurriyat-2, they changed the decision andannounced their participation in the elections as analliance.

As usual, Congress wanted to piggyback on theAlliance, but the Central unit of the party put a lidon their hopes announcing that it was not part ofthe Gupkar Alliance. However, the local unit haddifferent plans. It portrayed Jammu’s adherence tothe diktats of party high command, hoping that itcould win some seats in Hindu majority districts.But it failed to fool the people who had read theirmind well leading to its total washout in these dis-tricts. As soon as the results were announced, thecat was let out of the bag by none other than theparty’s Chief Spokesperson by stating, “We werepart of the Alliance. Where ever Congress has wonit is with the help of Alliance and wherever Alliancehas won, it is with the help of Congress.” The usualCongress tactics of opportunistic politics and shar-ing the spoils of power with limited numbers.Incidentally, NC has replaced Congress as numbertwo party in Jammu region.

Despite the opposition ganging up against theBJP in both Jammu and Kashmir regions, the partycontested the elections vigorously and left no stoneunturned to retain its clout in Jammu region but

also worked tirelessly to strengthen its base inKashmir Valley and break the stranglehold of theKashmir-centric parties. Though Lotus is the stateflower of J&K and grows in abundance in Kashmir,BJP so far had been unable to ensure the bloomingof political lotus in Kashmir. But for the first timeand that too after the abrogation of 370, BJP hassucceeded in gaining a foothold in Kashmir by win-ning three seats, one each in the three regions ofKashmir. It has sent shockwaves among the lead-ers of Gupkar alliance which claimed to haveentered the electoral fray only to checkmate theBJP and prevent it from gaining entry into theirexclusive stronghold so that they could continue topromote the politics of “exclusivity”. This will nowforce them from remaining a mere alliance to trans-form into a formidable political front for all politicalbattles in future—a major challenge for BJP.

BJP cannot rest on its laurels but will have towork hard to woo 70% Kashmiri voters who stayed

away from this election. To fulfil its dream of“Panchayat to Parliament” in Kashmir, BJP willhave to come out with innovative and “out of box”initiatives to win over the Kashmiris. BJP has toprove that it is different from other parties by eras-ing the image of “lack of sincerity” perceived aboutDelhi by majority Kashmiris. BJP has no option butto walk the talk.

Jammu based parties which had also contestedagainst the BJP but were not part of the GupkarAlliance have been decimated by the people whowere expecting these parties to put up a joint frontagainst the Gupkar Alliance.

As the verdict was unfolding and the Alliancewas faring well in Kashmir, the Gupkaris suddenlychanged the narrative from preventing BJP frommaking inroads in Kashmir annihilating it in Jammuto the referendum of the government’s decision ofAugust 05, 2019, to abolish Article 370 and 35A.

Even before the final tally had emerged bothMehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah, leaders of theGupkar Alliance, took to Twitter claiming theendorsement of their stand of restoring status quoante as before August 05, 2019, contrary to theirinitially avowed aim and purpose. “Today’s DDCresults have made it clear that people of J&K votedEn masse for @JKPAGD, thus rejecting the uncon-stitutional decision to abolish Article 370. Theyhave overwhelmingly supported @JKPAGD whichstands for the restoration of J&Ks special status,”tweeted Mehbooba Mufti. A similar tweet fromOmar Abdullah also followed. These were followedby a series of tweets and statements by other lead-ers of the Alliance. A clear cut attempt to hijack thevictory of democracy by changing the narrative.

Desperate to remain in limelight and hog mediaheadlines through sensational and emotional out-bursts has forced these leaders to inculcate thehabit of putting their foot in the mouth. Truly speak-ing when the successful conduct of the DDC elec-tions and wholehearted participation by the peoplecoupled with no boycott call or terror acts in the firstelection held after the abrogation of Article 370 wasbeing hailed as the victory of Indian democracy bythe media and intelligentsia across the nation, the


Party Name Total Seat Won

BJP 75

J&K NC 67

Independent 50

J&K PDP 27

INC 26

JKAP 12

JKPC 8

CPI(M) 5

JKPM 3

PDF 2

JKNPP 2

BSP 1

In the maiden District Development Council (DDC)election in Jammu & Kashmir, BJP has emerged as

the single-largest party with 75 seats

OPINIONJAMMU & KASHMIR


otherwise interpretation of the same by the Gupkar Alliance was not unex-pected. Gupkar Alliance’s politics has always revolved around hollow slo-gans, false and broken promises as well as false and manufactured narra-tives to exploit the public emotionally. It was anticipated and expected thatafter the results were declared, the parties would interpret the results basedon the narrative they wanted to sell post the elections. Having to eat a humblepie after failing to stop the BJP from making inroads in Kashmir despite totalpolarisation and anti-BJP propaganda unleashed by the Alliance, it had nooption but to change the narrative towards referendum of demand for restora-tion of Article 370. Unfortunately, their assertion is a false claim as statisticsspeaks to the contrary.

The mandate received by the Alliance to form the District Councils whichis laced with the hope of local development is well appreciated, and theAlliance deserves to be congratulated. But their attempt to unilaterallychange the narrative deserves not only refuting but condemnation as well.The seven-party Alliance’s total votes are much less than the votes polled byBJP singularly. 7,08,714 (24.82%) votes were polled in favour of the BJPalone and the Alliance together has polled 6,43,274 votes (22.50%).Interestingly, newly formed Apni Party (5.30%) has won less number of seats(12) than the 26 of PDP its vote share is larger than the PDP (3.96%). If allthe votes of the parties against the restoration of 370 are added, the tallyjumps to nearly 15 lakhs while the total votes polled were 28, 55, 509. A clearcut verdict against the status quo agenda of the Gupkaris and in favour ofdevelopment and better future sans terrorism and radicalism. It is also a bigblow to those who have labelled BJP as a “party of the Hindus, by the Hindusand for the Hindus.”

The Gupkaris will do well to serve the people and address their basicneeds of connectivity, water and electricity for which people have reposedtheir faith in them while upholding the dignity of the Indian Constitution andthe National Flag rather than once again resorting to the rhetoric of restora-tion of 370 which would always remain a distant dream. Rather than sellingmanufactured narratives, the people want their basic necessities and needsbe provided to them.

(The writer is a Jammu based veteran, political commentator, columnist, security andstrategic analyst. The views expressed are entirely personal)

BJP cannot rest on its laurels but will have to work hard to woo 70%Kashmiri voters who stayed away from this election. To fulfil its dream of“Panchayat to Parliament” in Kashmir, BJP will have to come out withinnovative and “out of box” initiatives to win over the Kashmiris. BJP hasto prove that it is different from other parties by erasing the image of“lack of sincerity” perceived about Delhi by majority Kashmiris. BJP hasno option but to walk the talk


REPORT

November 21, 2019, Kolkata witnessed anunprecedented shower of banknotes from abuilding in the central area of the city whenthe officials of the Department of RevenueIntelligence raided it in connection with

hawala transaction. The office of the concerned companythat was raided ostensibly dealt with international trade.The video footage of the raid and the consequent showerof banknotes of denominations of rupees five hundred andtwo thousand had raised many eyebrows at that time.

But that was just the tip of the iceberg; the beginningof the show. It was soon found out that the particularbuilding from which the currency notes were showered,housed many of the offices of Enamul Haque. EnamulHaque, the alleged kingpin of the cow smuggling networkof Bengal, was arrested by the CBI from Delhi, onNovember 6, 2020. Until then, nobody assumed what abig empire Enamul had built so that his staff could throw

Trinamool Congressand the Cow SmugglingNetwork For the last ten years, TMC leadership and thecow smuggling network went perfectly hand inhand and complete synergy. Enamul and hisassociates used to send money to Kolkata andthe South Asian Bank accounts of a very closerelative of a powerful TMC politician. Enamul’sproximity to the leadership and the money givenas bribe oiled the state administrative machineryso well that the state police assisted in thesmooth functioning of his smuggling network

Enamul Haque built his business empire with the blessings of the Trinamool leadership

n SUMAN BHATTACHARYYA, KOLKATA

On

OrganiserJanuary 3, 2021

away banknotes worth crores of rupees from thebalcony of his office, to evade DRI investigations.

Enamul’s smuggling network has been built ondeep-rooted political nexus and administrativepatronage of the TMC Government in West Bengal.Photographic evidence depicts the intimate relationshipbetween the Murshidabad district leadership ofTrinamool Congress on the one hand, and Enamul andhis close relative and business associate, HumayunKabir, on the other. The latter duo, Enamul andHumayun organised, sponsored and activelyparticipated in the political campaigns of TMC duringthe 2019 Lok Sabha Elections. Humayun Kabir hadbeen the frontman in most of Enamul’s operations. Hehad been instrumental in managing Enamul’s miningbusiness overseas and used to hobnob with the TMCministers and MPs. Several photographs depictHumayun Kabir as a suave businessman who owns anumber of petrol pumps, hotels and restaurants in theborder areas of Murshidabad. He managed the fundsand resources of Enamul to bribe the police, localadministration and politicians. He thus rose to be aninfluential member of the ruling party’s syndicate inMurshidabad and Malda.

Enamul had been a small-time truck cleaner with alocal transporter until ten years ago. He built thisbusiness empire worth fifteen thousand crore rupeeswhich comprise smuggling, mining and otherenterprises extending up to Dubai and the United ArabEmirates. The Trinamool leadership always blessedEnamul. In lieu of this, Enamul also supportedTrinamool’s political ventures in Murshidabad andMalda. Enquiries by the CBI and ED have revealed thata portion of this money also reached the top TMCleadership in south Kolkata. For the last ten years, TMCleadership and the cow smuggling network wentperfectly hand in hand and in complete synergy.Enamul and his associates used to send money toKolkata and the South Asian Bank accounts of a veryclose relative of a powerful TMC politician. Enamul’sproximity to the leadership and the money given asbribe oiled the state administrative machinery so wellthat the state police assisted in the smooth functioningof his smuggling network.

Enamul was intelligent enough to not just stop atbribing Trinamool’s top leadership; he assumedcomplete control of the ruling party’s Murshidabad andMalda leadership. The blessings of the top leadership,active support of the administrative machinery and an

extremely porous border facilitated the smugglingempire that Enamul had built over a decade.

In March 2018, a Malayali BSF officer was arrestedin a railway station from south India with liquid cashworth Rs 47 lakh. In the inquiry that followed, hedivulged the name of Enamul Haque and that it is howthe name surfaced for the first time, a little more thantwo years ago. CBI and ED started investigating on thisnetwork and they interrogated Enamul for the first timein 2018. A personal notebook of Enamul that wasseized during the investigations revealed a chart ofnames, dates and the exact amount of cash transactionto the concerned leaders. It was soon found out thatthe racket that operated behind the cow smuggling inWest Bengal consisted of BSF officers, West Bengalpolice officials and the TMC leadership. The unholynexus was exposed and CBI arrested satish Kumar, asenior BSF Commandant, who was an integral part ofEnamul’s smuggling network. Satish Kumar had beendeployed in West Bengal for a long time and he enjoyeda tremendous rapport with Enamul and his associates.

CBI has also seized Satish Kumar’s propertyworth many crores of rupees. The arrest of SatishKumar also exposed how the TMC leadershipfacilitated the smuggling network. Time will only sayhow many TMC leaders will be probed for supportingthe billion dollar empire of Enamul Haque, an empirewhich was built essentially on cow smuggling in West Bengal. n

17

WEST BENGAL

Enamul supported Trinamool financially

erhaps in more ways than one, neither BJP norTrinamool Congress had planned the war. Thetwo parties got drawn into this battle through aseries of political journeys, even mutual miscalcu-lation and toeing different road maps. At one

point, it is quite paradoxical that both the parties werevalued allies. Mamata herself served as a Minister underAtal Bihari Vajpayee. But all these are now changed.

Amit Shah, more often credited for ensuring theexpansion of the Saffron party, visited West Bengal inDecember 2020 for a brief two-and-a-half-day visit andscored a major milestone when a 'mass leader' SuvenduAdhikari and a host of Communist and Congress leadersbesides a number of Trinamool MLAs and a sitting MPSunit Mondal joined the BJP.

The mega defection-drama could be easily called thebiggest exodus from a party to another in a single day. Ithas certainly given a new spring to the feet of the pro-Hindutva political force.

Half a dozen state legislators and about 50 othersbelonging to Trinamool Congress – at various levels -quit the party and joined the BJP on December 19. So didTapsiMondal, Haldia MLA from the Communist Party of

India (Marxist) and also some Muslim leaders fromTrinamool Congress. This is the precursor to the fast-approaching assembly polls of 2021 summer whenNarendraModi-Amit Shah's party will throw a major chal-lenge to the provincial party which ousted the Leftists in2011.

In retrospect, we know in little more than one year, asmany as 15 MLAs of Trinamool, three of the CPI (M) andtwo belonging to the Congress are now with the BJPwhich had only seven MLAs of its own in the 294-strongstate assembly polls in 2016. Ironically, in 2019 LokSabha polls – when BJP showed significant improvementin mass support, the saffron party's LokSabha tally wentup to 18 --- a quantum leap from modest 2 in 2014.

"Give one chance to Narendra Modi. We will make'Sonar Bangla' in five years," Shah said. He visitedSangeet Bhavana in Viswa Bharati, Santiniketan andshared snapson Twitter - "Committed to fulfilling Tagore'sdream, restoring the lost glory of Bengal."

Besides Suvendu Adhikari, who was MLA from politi-cally sensitive Nandigram, Tapasi Mondal (CPI-M),Ashoke Dinda, Sudip Mukherjee (Congress), SaikatPanja, Shilbhadra Dutta, Dipali Biswas, Sukra Munda,


n NIRENDRA DEV

P

Gearing up for final battle

Battle lines are drawn out,gloves are taken off longback, and now knives areout. The BJP, which was hard-ly a force a few years back inWest Bengal; is now reckon-ing as the real-time competitor to theMamata Banerjee-ledTrinamool Congress

Mamata Vs BJP: Former TMC leader and Mamata's aide Suvendu Adhikari joins BJP at Amit Shah's rally

Shyamapda Mukherjee, Biswajit Kundu, Banasri Maity,Satyan Roy and a former MP Dashrath Tirkey joined theSaffron party.

'The Adhikari family':There is enough political significance of breaching the'Adhikar family'. On the background of the stage atMedinipur was a catchy slogan 'aarnoeanyae (No MoreInjustice)'. It was as much for the common people as alsofor Suvendu, who were perhaps a victim of machinationsof Mamata and her powerful nephew Abhishek Banerjee.

When Suvendu had first resigned from the Mamata’scabinet on November 27, his supporters - calling them-selves 'Dada's foot soldiers' - had promised a politicalstorm - fiercer than the Cyclone Amphan to sweep acrossWest Bengal. Certainly, the Shah-Nadda duo has pinneda lot of hopes on Suvendu. If the grapevine is to bebelieved, he has promised to give BJP at least 50 seats.

Wrap up: According to a Trinamool booth worker in Siliguri, thereare multiple challenges for his party, but one of them ismost significant. "Keeping the Muslim base intact wouldbe a difficult proposition. Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIMand a local Muslim cleric Pirzada Abbas Siddiqui could ineffect eat into Mamata's support base among Muslims,"he says.

In November, a video went viral, say locals - thatshowed Siddiqui indulging in fear-mongering - "If we donot come to power next time, they (Hindus) will rape ourwomen in front of our eyes". Common citizenry in Maldasays such statements would only help the BJP in the longrun. AIMIM chief Owaisi has already made it clear that hisparty will contest elections in Bengal. AIMIM had pickedup five seats in Bihar, and four of them were in con-stituencies adjoining Mamata's state.

Of course, rural Bengal gives an angry look thesedays. The mood is palpable of grievance against thepolitical class. Not far from Naxalbari, where peasants'protest once turned bloody, the 44-year-old BidyutKantiPal says, "Politics of Hindu-Muslim has grown strongerhere over last two years, and this is why MamataBanerjee's series of welfare measures and dole-outs didnot help much in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections".

Besides key North Bengal constituencies, the BJP'spenetration was significant in the state's agriculture-richconstituencies of Hooghly and Bardhaman-Durgapur, heexplains. Left to them, the voters are concerned about'infiltration' of Bangladeshis. There is also a suspicion

that 'the local political backing' is also helping Rohingyasto sneak in. Others say the violence of 2018 panchayatelections have left people anguished and thus Trinamoolhas suffered most in pastoral areas. Of the 12 Lok Sabhaseats Trinamool lost out of the 34 in 2019, most were inremote and far-flung locations.

"The 2018 panchayat poll violence has harmed us.Even womenfolk no longer back Didi," lamentedIslampur-based Trinamool worker Roba Sen.

But, the general refrain among Muslim voters is thatthey would still stick to Didi. "However, the divisionamong Muslim voters is an issue. Mamata Banerjee hasset up Aliah University, a minority education institutionwith a budget of Rs 257 crore. But the BJP campaignseems to be powerful. Several Hindus in these pocketshave shifted loyalties especially those who earlier backedthe Communists," she explains. The scheme of providingfinancial assistance to Imams and Muezzins - numberingan estimated 63,000 plus has also irked Hindus.

In 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP vote share in thestate jumped from 17 per cent to 40.2 per cent. Mamata's

party recorded an increase from 39 per cent to 43 percent. "Notably, the Trinamool seats came down from 34to 22. Increase in Trinamool vote percentage meant thatthe Muslim community voted en masse for Didi," says alocal trader Iqbal Nawaz.

This 'shift' of Muslim votes had resulted in a massivedrop in CPI(M)-led Left Front vote share from 29.9 percent to 7.5 per cent between 2014 and 2019. Thesemean the Congress and the Leftists would be furthermarginalised.

But at the end of the day, Mamata Banerjee has beena fighter. In a dramatic development, BJP MP SaumitraKhan's wife has been now taken into Didi's party. ButWest Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh says Mamata's pop-ularity in rural Bengal has dropped. Others say the 'cutmoney' or commission style politics is an issue. The BJPhas sensed the political messages well and would launcha campaign stating that under BJP, all welfare schemeswould be implemented without 'cut money'. This promiseis gradually going to the people well. n

REPORT/WEST BENGAL


The mega defection-drama could be easily called thebiggest exodus from a party to another in a singleday. It has certainly given a new spring to the feet ofthe pro-Hindutva political force

n a desperate attempt to resist global manufacturersfrom leaving China, state-run Global Times hasunleashed a campaign asking companies not to con-sider India as a manufacturing destination. The recentriot in the iPhone manufacturing WistronCorporation’splant in Karnataka was given due importance by theGlobal Times. At the same time, there is suspicion ofChinese hand behind the protest. Both the Karnatakastate government and the Wistron Corporation haverefuted the newspaper reports of wage cut and non-payment. The state government has also clarified thatno complaints were lodged by the labourers in theemployment department regarding this.

Global Times in their report says “Due to the poorlocal security situation in India, Wistron's factory was anobvious target for attacks.” Also, without directly askingcompanies to move out of India to China, this propa-ganda news outlet’s report goes like “Following thevideo surfacing on social media, Chinese netizenscalled for Apple to choose China as its main manufac-turing hub."Factories in China are safest to invest in.The probability of smashing and burning in China isextremely low," commented a Chinese netizen namedas ilife on Sina-Weibo."Move to China, China wel-comes you," said another Chinesenetizen named asfangchunchun.

REPORT/ MNC ATTACK


n ORGANISER BUREAU

I

The Communist Party of China and its propagandists have been busy issuing threats to com-panies that are planning to shift their manufacturing units to India

China behindWistron Episode?China behindWistron Episode?

The Global Times also found an ‘independent analyst’to speak against India. This Beijing bases analyst told GTthat Although India on the surface offers low labour costs,the production capacity, efficiency and quality of manufac-turing output is low. He also said “Many companies whichhave tried to diversify away from China are moving theirmanufacturing industry chain back. Although the cost hasincreased, the efficiency has also increased. In the longrun it is cost-effective for companies." He added that thereturn of the industrial production to China is an inevitable trend.

Following the COVID outbreak and China’s aggressionwith neighbours, many companies are looking towardsIndia as an option to invest. Therefore, China will furthertry to project India as a lawless nation. India governmentwill have a tougher job in finding out Chinese moles insti-gating chaos in India.

An SFI leader was arrested in connection with the

Wistron’s iPhone factory violence which took place on theprevious Saturday in Karnataka. Comrade Srikanth, thetaluk president of SFI in Kolar, was arrested after thepolice found him leading an outsider group that causeddamage to the factory and looted Apple products. ABVPKarnataka in its tweet over the arrest said: “CommunistStudent Wing #SFI is behind Apple plant violence inBengaluru": Kolar MP. Local SFI President is arrested inconnection with the riot. Left ideology was always towardsdestruction & pulling down harmony in the society!”

The incident has attracted global attention and China’sstate-ran propaganda media outlets had made this a bigissue. They had openly called for companies to shift theirbases out of India to China. There is also allegation ofChina’s hand behind the protest, which becomes evenclearer after the arrest of SFI leader.

Given the seriousness of the incident, the KarnatakaHome MinisterBasavarajBommai has ordered that a high-ranking officer be appointed to oversee the investigation

Meanwhile, Wistron India has pinned the loss due tothe violence at Rs 43 crore, a significant deduction fromthe initial calculation of Rs 437 crore. SFI leader’s arrestexposes the organisation’s involvement in violent activi-ties and his questioning will further reveal the planningand intention behind the violence. n

REPORT/ MNC ATTACK


The incident has attracted global attention andChina’s state-run propaganda media outlets hadmade this a big issue. They had openly called forcompanies to shift their bases out of India to China.Meanwhile, there are allegations that China isbehind the protest, which became even clearerafter the arrest of a local SFI leader

SFI leader Srikanth

INTERVIEW/DR ASWATH NARAYAN CN

n You are heading the crucial portfolios of Information Technologyand Bio-Technology, are these sectors showing growth amidstthe Covid pandemic?

As the whole globe was affected by Covid pan-demic, we also suffered, but we were closely follow-ing the guidelines of the Ministry of Home Affairs,Government of India and acted according to it. Themain sectors are now open and are doing brisk busi-ness. The state government is expecting a giant leapin both the IT and BT sectors with the IT sectorpoised for a 150 billion dollar growth in the next cou-ple of years while the BT sector is for a growth of 50billion dollars in the same period. It is all work and weare working twenty-four hours to increase the brandvalue of Karnataka and to develop it as the globalcapital of IT and BT.

n Karnataka is learnt to be doing exceedingly well in the Skilldevelopment area and you are heading that department as well,Your comments on the same?

Yes. We are into providing quality Skill develop-ment to youths across the state in association withthe Skill development support initiative of theGovernment of India. In earlier days it was Skilldevelopment without focus and the result was thatmany youths who were trained under Skill develop-ment did not get placements, leading to disappoint-ment. We have worked out on it and found that therehas to be a balance between demand and supply andthe training should be according to the market needs.This improved the situation and after our governmentassumed office we are stressing on this point and

now almost all who are being trained under Skilldevelopment get placed in good companies.

n What are the other activities of the Ministry of Higher educa-tion? Can you elaborate?

UUCMS (Unified Universities and CollegeManagement Systems) is being developed andimplemented in association with Department of E-governance. This is for the total computerization of


Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, Dr Ashwath Narayan who is the minister in charge of Higher education, Skill Development,Information Technology and Bio-Technology said that the state is poised for a quantum leap in both the IT and BT sectors. Headded that the state has adapted to the National Education Policy and said that the Skill development projects are now based onsupply and demand. The minister who is a trained medical doctor from the world-famous medical institute, Kasturba MedicalCollege, Mangalore was speaking to senior journalist Arun Lakshman in an exclusive interview. Excerpts:

Karnataka for quantum leap in IT,BT sectors: Dr Aswath Narayan CN

all departments, academia, administration andexams. We are also into digital learning project bywhich the College faculties are preparing study mate-rials, PPT videos, study materials and assignmentswith technology collaboration. Youth empowermentcentres in 30 colleges in each district have been setup to create awareness on job opportunities for theyouth of the state. A total of 69000 classes have beenconducted to prepare students for the college educa-tion and technical education department and morethan 12,500 video classes have been uploaded intothe Jnananidhi YouTube channel for the pursuanceof students. Two geostationary technology centresare also being set up at a cost of Rs 5 crore each to

enhance employment opportunities for polytechnicand engineering students.

n What about the National Educational Policy? How is its impact inKarnataka?

National Educational Policy and its implementa-tion will be creating revolutionary changes in the edu-cational system of the country and Karnataka is noexception. It has been on the agenda of the BJP and

the extended Sangh Parivar. This policy will bring inqualitative education to the students of the state andwe are working in the framework of the NEP for thebetterment of education for children of our state.

n How is the BJP government of Karnataka doing politically?This government under Chief Minister BS

Yeddyurappa is a mix of experienced and seasonedleaders along with young leaders and this mix hasled to major impetus in the growth of Karnataka. Thisis a people-centric government aiming to lift the liveli-hood of the people of the state in par with globalstandards and we are moving ahead according to thetargets we have set for ourselves. We are alsoencouraging startups and are mainly focusing tochannelize the youth of the state as harbingers forchange and I think that we have done extremely wellsince we came to power and this is a positive sign forthe people of Karnataka. The people-friendly andpeople-oriented programs of the Union governmentare practically implemented and executed inKarnataka for the benefit of the common man. Whilewe are moving ahead to be a major destination for IT,BT, Industries we have taken a slew of measures toimprove the lifestyle of the common man and to takethem forward in life.

n Will the BJP government come back to power in Karnataka in thenext assembly elections?

Assembly elections are far away but the BJP gov-ernment in the state is doing extremely well as I saidearlier. We are a people-friendly, business-friendlyand industrial-friendly government working accordingto the policies and programmes of our manifesto andI think that the party will romp home in the nextassembly elections with a huge margin as the poli-cies and programs implemented by this governmenthas provided a positive impact in the lives of the peo-ple of Karnataka. n


The state government is expecting a giant leap in boththe IT and BT sectors with the IT sector poised for a150 billion dollar growth in the next couple of yearswhile the BT sector is for a growth of 50 billion dollarsin the same period

amil film superstar Rajinikanth has finallyannounced his big bang debut in politics. Hehas registered his party namedMakkalSevaiKatchi, and election symbol of

Autorikshaw is allotted to him. After all deliberationsand run over with J. Jayalalitha in 1996 elections,now Rajinikanth is decided to contest elections. Thenational media, especially the English and Hindimedia, has covered this development with a lot ofenthusiasm. This entry of Rajinikanth in politics hasattracted attention from normal citizens outsideTamil Nadu, who are not fully informed about thecontours and nuances of Tamil Nadu politics.

This is not the first time that a film superstar hasforayed in the good, bad, ugly world of politics.Tamil Nadu has seen Tamil superstars MGRamachandran, his protégé J. Jayalalitha, andKamal Hassan venturing in politics. In the neigh-bouring state, Andhra Pradesh NT Rama Rao had abig bang entry in politics by contesting elections andbecoming Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. Thishas also created a perception in people living out-side or not connected with Tamil Nadu on whetherRajinikanth can repeat what MG Ramachandran or


SUMEET MEHTA OPINION

Many believe that Rajinikanth is too lateto venture in politics, given his age andreduced popularity. Many believe that

the best period for Rajinikanth to enterpolitics was in the 1990s and 2000s. Hehas delayed his entry, and this may not

augur well for him

T

NT Rama Rao did.At this juncture, it is interesting to understand

whether Rajinikanth can make a significant impactin Tamil Nadu politics. At this juncture, it is pertinentto know that Tamil Nadu elections are heavilyimpacted by caste-based politics. At the same time,nearly 70-75% of the electorate is firmly entrenchedwith either of the two Dravidian parties, viz. DMKand ADMK. The election result mainly depends onwhere most of this balance 25-30% of the electorateswings.

Before deliberating on the impact of Rajinikanthin 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections, it is essen-tial to assess the strength and strongholds of castesand parties. Major caste groups that back two majorDravidian parties are Thevars, Gounders, Nadars,and Vanniyars. These four communities collectivelyaccount for around 50% of the population in thestate. Thevars are a martial community in TamilNadu. They account for approximately 10-11% ofthe state's population and influence victory by hold-ing sway on 40-45 seats out of total 264 seats.Gounders are a landholding community that hasventured from agriculture into industry, governmentjobs like police, judiciary, and administration. Theyhave a nearly equal share in population as Thevarsand dominate 50-55 seats. Vanniyars are a group ofbackward communities comprising of Pallar,Paraiyar, Chakliyar, and Arunthiyar. They are alarge social group comprising of around 14-15% ofthe population and influence over around 60-65

Will Rajnikant'sdebut in politics be

a blockbuster?

TAMIL NADU POLITICS

seats. Last comes the Nadar community. Nadarswere a backward community in the past. But thecommunity is very enterprising, and today they holdan influential position in Tamil Nadu's economy withcontrol over banking, trading, manufacturing, andservice sectors. They account for around 10-12% ofthe vote share in the state and can influence around20-25 seats. If we put all these 4 major communitiestogether, they impact the 170 – 185 seats. This isapproximately 75% of the total seats in the stateassembly. Beyond these 4 major caste groups, var-ious smaller groups are attached to either of thesetwo Dravidian parties.

This brings everyone to the moot question – canRajinikanth's debut in the good, bad, ugly world ofpolitics become a blockbuster or will it be a flop? Ifprecedents are used as indicators for the electoraland political success of a superstar, then the analy-sis would not be perfect. There are two reasons forthe same. First – when MG Ramachandran becamethe Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, he was in politicsfor more than 20 years and a legislator for nearly 10years. Along with this, he created his political party– AIADMK by vertically splitting an existing partythat was in power – i.e. DMK. In other words, he hasexperience in politics along with an existing partyinfrastructure and cadre. This is how he could easilymake it very big in politics when he launched hisparty. Second – when NT Rama Rao got elected,Telugu Desam Party (TDP) was just one year old.However, it is worth noting that there was no credi-ble opposition in the state. At the same time, NTRama Rao spends one full year in growing the baseof the party.

Now if these two precedents are compared withRajinikanth's current status in Tamil Nadu, it is evi-dent that Rajinikanth lacks the experience of MGRamachandran and party cadre and infrastructureof MG Ramachandran and NT Rama Rao. Party islaunched hardly six months before the assemblyelections. Can superstar and celebrity status helpRajinikanth in winning elections? This is again,doubtful. Kamal Haasan launched his political party- MakkalNeedhiMaiam in February 2018. In 2019General Elections, the party could not manage to doanything significant. The party lost deposits in near-


ly all the seats it contested. DMK had a clean sweepin the election-winning all seats. This is despiteKamal Haasan being a superstar with a huge fanfollowing. In such a situation, whether Rajinikanth'ssuperstar status can help in winning votes is a bigquestion. While Rajinikanth is a superstar, the num-ber of films done by him has reduced significantly inthe last 10 years, compared to his stature in the1990s. Those who believe he can make an impactlike 1996 could face disappointment. Many believethat Rajinikanth is too late to venture in politics,given his age and reduced popularity. Many believethat the best period for Rajinikanth to enter politicswas in the 1990s and 2000s. He has delayed hisentry, and this may not augur well for him.

Only saving grace for Rajinikanth could comefrom how he manages to stitch an alliance with keyleaders of various communities aligned with eitherof the two major Dravidian parties. This will result inhow many votes he can pull out from these two par-ties. At the same time, simmering issues in DMKand ADMK would help Rajinikanth and KamalHaasan, if those issues within the parties are notadequately managed during ticket distribution andelection campaign.

To sum up, Rajinikanth's debut in politics is thetalk in the town right now. Will he win more than10% vote share and a respectable number of seatsin elections, that only time will tell. Elections arenearly 6 – 7 months away, and this is a very longtime in politics to change everything. These 6 – 7months will show how good Rajinikanth is in hispolitical manoeuvres and stunts he can put up tomake him a superstar in political theatre.

(The writer is a Chartered Accountant and Financial Consultant)

Now if these two precedents are compared withRajinikanth's current status in Tamil Nadu, it isevident that Rajinikanth lacks the experience ofMG Ramachandran and party cadre and infras-tructure of MG Ramachandran and NT Rama Rao.The party is launched hardly six months beforethe assembly elections

naugurating the India International Science Festival(IISF) 2020 on December 22, Prime Minister NarendraModi said India has a rich legacy in science, technolo-gy and innovation. He called upon the scientific com-munity to rekindle the scientific temperament in thesociety and help people solve the challenges faced bythe world. The sixth edition of IISF was organised bythe Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry ofEarth Sciences and Vijnana Bharati (VIBHA) fromDecember 22 to 25, 2020 in New Delhi through virtualmode.

Addressing the delegates, the Prime Minister said,"India has a rich legacy in science, technology andinnovation. Our scientists have done path-breakingresearch. Our tech industry is at the forefront of solvingglobal problems but India wants to do more."

Elaborating on the point, PM Modi said, "The

biggest long term challenge for science is to attractand retain quality youngsters.Our efforts are aimed atmaking India the most trustworthy centre for scientificlearning and want scientists to grow with best of worldtalent."

The prime minister waxed eloquent on India’s scien-tific prowess. According to PM Modi, India is emergingas a credible and reliable centre for scientific learning.He called upon the global scientific community to makeuse of India’s advantages for the benefit of the human-ity. Inviting the global community to innovate in India,PM Modi cited the country's success in the space sec-tor. "All our efforts are aimed at making India the mosttrustworthy centre for scientific learning. At the sametime, we want our scientific community to share andgrow with the best of global talent. No wonder Indiahas become active in hosting hackathons," he said.

REPORT/IISF 2020


India will emerge science & tech hub: PM Modi“India has data, demography, demand, democracy to achieve world-class scientific solutions”

n ORGANISER BUREAU

I

Talking about India’s progress in the space sector,the Prime Minister said, "The way we have achievedsuccess in the space sector, the same we have toachieve success in the area of deep sea. In this direc-tion, India is running the Deep Ocean Mission.Government of India stands ready to address any chal-lenge and improve the research environment here."

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the sixth edition ofthe IISF was held virtually organised jointly by theCouncil for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR),Vijnana Bharti, the Department of Biotechnology,Department of Science and Technology and the Ministryof Earth Sciences. The theme of the IISF 2020 is'Science for Self-Reliant India and Global Welfare'.Over one lakh registrations have been recorded for theevent.

Union Minister of Science & Technology, EarthSciences and Health & Family WelfareDr. HarshVardhanhas said “Science and Technology breaks allbarriers.... We also believe it validates the Indian philos-ophy of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” – the world is onefamily. This expression reflects our ancient, inclusivetraditions”. He was addressing Science & Technologyministers from Afghanistan, Cambodia, Myanmar,Philippines, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan and diplomats from

Denmark, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland and othercountries at the “Overseas Science & TechnologyMinisters’ and Diplomats’ conclave” at the Festival. Hesaid, “We have learnt to harness the soft prowess of sci-ence and technology as an important pillar of our coop-eration in the knowledge economy of the 21st century.”

Dr Vardhan stated: “The current Covid-19 pandemichas reinforced our belief in innovation and R&D toaccelerate products and services that not only help indisease management, but also enhance our level ofpreparedness for future outbreaks. India’s response tothe pandemic has been driven by the wisdom and evi-dence of science. Today, the focus has shifted to vac-cine production and rapid testing. Many vaccines are inthe advanced stage of development and India is slatedto become one of the largest manufacturers of vaccinesin the world.”

He expressed his satisfaction “The immunoassaylaboratory of Translational Health Science andTechnology Institute (THSTI) has been recognised byCoalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations(CEPI) as one of the six global networks of laboratoriesfor centralised assessment of Covid- 19 vaccines.”

According to Dr Vardhan, there are many other chal-lenges which the world is readying to face in the postCovid-19 era such as climate change, energy and watersecurity, anti-microbial resistance etc, to name a few.“To face these challenges, we must rethink on howresearch is funded, we need to re-visualise whichresearch is being funded and re-imagine newer ways ofcooperation on this front,” he emphasised.

Dr.Vardhan said that the pandemic has accelerateddigitization and we need to utilise Artificial Intelligenceand Big Data with responsibility and accessibility. “Indiahas taken leadership in digitisation and our contact trac-ing and tracking of Covid-19 cases has shown that Indiacan harness digital solutions for benefit of the popula-tion,” he pointed out.

The sixth edition of IISF was hosted by the Council ofScientific and Industrial Research-NationalInstitute ofScience, Technology and Development Studies(NISTADS), New Delhi. n

REPORT/IISF 2020


Theme of the sixth edition India InternationalScience Festival-2020 held in virtual mode was'Science for Self-Reliant India and Global Welfare'.Over one lakh participants enrolled for the event

n December 3, 2020, protests erupted in frontof the headquarters of the Archdiocese ofPondicherry-Cuddalore at Puducherry asDalit Christians demanded justice in the

appointment of Dalit priests and total exclusion ofDalit Christians from the management of churchaffairs. The very word "Dalit Christian" is an oxy-moron as Christianity boasts profusely about itsegalitarian nature with no scope what so ever forany discrimination.

Protests like these expose the naked discrimina-tion these converts from Hinduism endure afterembracing Christianity. This brings to the questionwhether the focus of the Church in India is socialjustice (as professed) or conversions? HasChristianity ever tried to ensure social justice evenas it went about converting Hindus in India?

Was Christianity ever egalitarian? The earliest Christian clergymen to arrive in Indiawere from Europe. 16th Century Europe was not asociety well known for its egalitarianism. On thecontrary, several sections of the society wereostracised, treated as outcasts. The treatment ofRoma gypsies, who had migrated from India to var-ious parts of Europe around 600-800 years ago is acase in point. Their discrimination continues to this


K SAHADEV OPINION

Christians across the world decry evils ofHindu caste system and lose no opportunity

to blame Hindu religion for the same, ignoring that caste, segregation

and untouchability were given sanction bythe Pope

O day with massive pogroms and attacks. Under NaziHitler, at least 15 lakh Roma were put to death.

The Cagots of Europe were treated as outcastsand forced to live on the edge of the villages. TheCagots were subjected to hate-filled discriminationfor nearly 700 years. Shunned as lepers, pagans,and even cannibals, they were forced to live in ghet-tos called cagoteries where they were only permit-ted the occupations of carpenter, butcher, or execu-tioner. When they were permitted entrance to aChurch (in many cases they were refused admit-tance), they were segregated from the rest of thecongregation, and the Eucharist was handed tothem at the end of a long stick. They were com-pelled to wear the sign of a duck or goosefoot in red.

Church's cruel history in IndiaEuropean clergymen arriving in India were part of asociety, which openly practised discriminationagainst certain sections of the society, where hang-ing to death of non-Christians was officially sanc-tioned and where women routinely executed forpractising witchcraft (last witch execution took placein Scotland 1727). Execution of those practisingnon-Christian beliefs continued till 1826. Intoleranceof non-Christian faiths, social discrimination were

Church Priority overLast 400 Years: SocialJustice or Conversion?

CASTE DISCRIMINATION

an integral part of European society at the time ofarrival of earliest Christian missionaries were land-ing in India. It is no wonder that they never tried tocreate an egalitarian Christian society in India. Onthe contrary, they used caste divisions in Hindusociety for furthering their objective of conversionsinto Christianity. One such Christian missionary wasRobert de Nobili.

Deception as method to convert gullible HindusThe methods adopted by Robert Di Nobili to convertHindus and expand Christianity in India are a casein point. Born in 1577 in Italy, he came to India as apriest of the Society of Jesus. He arrived in India in1605 and moved to Madurai in 1606. He found thatexisting methods of converting Hindus were noteffective. He adopted new ways which bordered ondeception to convince Hindus to convert. Hedonned saffron robes, shaved his head, leaving atuft of hair, wore wooden sandals and called himself'Tattva Bodhagar' – Teacher of Wisdom. He calledhimself a Roman Brahmin and wore the sacredthread. The Bible became Vedam, Church became'Koil' (Tamil word for Hindu temple). The pastorbecame 'Guru'. He mastered Sanskrit, Tamil andTelugu languages. This attracted a large number of


Hindus who genuinely believed that what Robert DeNobili was teaching was yet another branch ofHinduism. He appeared as the Teacher of the fourthVeda, a Veda revealed indeed by God not to theRishis of India, but to the messengers of God's onlyson. He insisted that he was a Sannyasi fromRome. He called Christianity as 'parangui kulam'(Parangui = Firangi or Foreign).

Robert di Nobili practised blatant caste discrimi-nation to further his objective- convert Hindus intoChristianity. Since he was pretending to be aRoman Brahmin, if a Paria got sick, de Nobili wouldnot see him in his wretched hut, but he insisted thathe should be brought out of the house. He used tomeet fellow Jesuit priests only at night, in total dark-ness.

Inquisition of de Nobili and approval of PopeThe methods adopted by De Nobili viz., creatingcaste wise missionaries, churches and allowingHindu caste marks to be used even after conversionto Christianity attracted the attention of church

authorities and anInquisition was heldagainst him. ArchbishopMenezes declared him-self in favour of the newmethods and said 'hewould be ready to allowwearing 100 Brahminchords for the salvationof one soul'.

One hundred andeight learned Brahminsadded their testimony tode Nobili's testimonyand fully confirmed hisinterpretation of theirmarks and customs.

In January 1623, themethods and tactics ofde Nobili were

approved by Pope, Christianity's highest office…!Caste and caste marks were officially allowed inChristianity. A more amusing aspect of the Papal

The Cagots of Europewere treated as out-casts and forced tolive on the edge of thevillages. The Cagotswere subjected tohate-filled discrimina-tion for nearly 700years. Shunned aslepers, pagans, andeven cannibals, theywere forced to live inghettos called cago-teries

“We have come here todialogue with the diocesanadministration to eradicatecaste discrimination andthe untouchable practicesin the archdiocese espe-cially in the appointment ofthe Dalit priests,”

—Mary John, Tamil NaduState Leader for DalitChristian Liberation

Movement.

sanction was creation of Christian yagnopaveetam(janeu) and "Christian Upanayanam" or sacredthread ceremony which will be performed in theChurch…!

The approval letter reads: "The chord should notbe received in the temple, or from one of theirpriests, but from a Catholic priest, who upon confer-ring it, should recite the prescribed prayers". Thepagan prayers and mantras which used to be learntupon receiving the chord, should not be learnt, butrather should be confined to perpetual oblivion...The chord, made up of three strands, should not bemade so in honour of their idols, but rather in hon-our of the Blessed Trinity. The converts, who havealready received the chord, should burn the old one,and receive a new one from the Catholic priest.Thus untouchability which finds neither mention norsanction in Hindu religious scriptures just got theseal of approval from Christianity's highest office –The Pope! This clearly demonstrates that social jus-tice and social reform were of little importance to theChurch when the goal is to harvest souls. TheInquisition against him concluded "We judge it alto-gether expedient, in order that our holy religion maybe propagated in those lands, that the Brahminsand others, who are being initiated, be allowed towear those marks, which more than religious signs,may be deemed to be signs of caste, nobility or wis-dom. If something superstitious has been added, letit be dropped, and let the intention be purified."

All the while, Hindu religion was going through aphase of internal renewal and renaissance with therise of a number of great social reformers likeBasavanna, Ramanujacharya and the rise of Bhakticult. These reformers and saints strived to eliminateundesirable customs and social practices that hadcrept into the Hindu society. No such efforts on thepart of Christian missionaries in this direction arefound. Even the temple entry movements, the abo-lition of untouchability movements were led byHindu social reformers themselves.

The invention of ‘Brahmin' and 'Pariah'Robert de Nobili created two distinct classes ofnative missionaries- Brahmins and Pandaraswamis.The latter were drawn predominantly from what is

described as 'Pariah' castes and used to proselytizeamongst them and prepare catechumens fromamongst them. The first of these Pandaraswamiswere Father Balthazar da Costa and EmmanuelAlvarez. The Brahmin missionaries sportingBrahmanical attire with sikha and sacred threadused to proselytise amongst upper-caste Hindus.The first Brahmin missionary was Father S. Maya.He always accompanied di Nobili whenever the lat-ter went to meet royals, nobles and Brahmins. DiNobili was always attired in saffron robes, sacredthread, carried Kamandala, while his disciple car-ried the deerskin and the umbrella of honour.

A ground plan of the Church constructed by diNobili shows how caste and untouchability weremade part of church architecture. The plan showsthat the main church entrance was reserved for highcastes, while the pariah castes had to use a differ-ent entrance. Every aspect of worship – altar, com-munion, confession room, common space, kitchenand even courtyard were strictly segregated for highcastes and pariahs. The pariahs had to listen to themass through an opening in the wall which segre-gated them from high caste converts. This isextremely shocking even by standards of the dayand reveals the complete indifference of the Churchtowards social inequalities. On the contrary, suchinequalities were skilfully exploited to further thecause of conversions.

Thus for more than 400 years, the Church hasgiven priority to conversions rather than social jus-


OPINIONCASTE DISCRIMINATION


tice. Caste inequalities were exploited for furtheringsoul harvesting. The result is there for all to see. In2008, violent clashes broke out in Eraiyur in TamilNadu between Christians from OBC and SC castes.The clashes were a fall out of Dalit Christians start-ing their own Church in protest against discrimina-tion and practice of untouchability in churches andseeking recognition from the Diocese. In the policefiring that followed, two people were killed. Severalchurches in the area were locked up by DalitChristians. There are many instances of walls insidechurches and cemeteries. In 2011, clashes eruptedin Thachur village, 80 km from Chennai on the issueof burial of Dalit Christians to which the ReddyChristians objected. According to an article pub-lished in The Frontline magazine, the Church is con-structed with a star shape. The central portion isreserved for Reddy Christians who manage theChurch while the sides are earmarked for convertsfrom SC castes like Adi Dravidars and

Arundathiyars who have no role in the managementof the Church. In another cemetery in Trichy, thedeceased Christians are buried on either side of thewall depending upon their caste.

Christians across the world bad mouth evils ofHindu caste system and lose no opportunity toblame Hindu religion for the same, completelyignoring that caste, segregation and untouchabilitywere given sanction by the Pope as seen earlier.The Church does not object to the continuation of

the use of Hindu castesuffixes as part of thename, several genera-tions after conversionto Christianity. InAndhra Pradesh, onecan find third or fourthgeneration Christianconverts using suffixeslike 'Reddy''Chowdary' etc.

In the 21st century,if people like MaryJohn are forced tolaunch agitationsthrough like DalitChristian LiberationMovements, it isbecause the Churchdid not work towardssocial justice but

exploited social inequalities to further its cause ofconversions.

(The writer is a Sr. Associate at Centre for South IndianStudies, Hyderabad)

A ground plan of theChurch constructedby Di Nobili showshow caste anduntouchability weremade part of churcharchitecture. The planshows that the mainchurch entrance wasreserved for highcastes, while thepariah castes had touse a differententrance

great patriot, a visionary educationist, an outstandingstatesman, a great social reformer, an effectivelawyer, an ardent journalist, a successful parliamen-tarian and a great champion of Indian nationalism,Bharat RatnaMahmanaPanditMadan MohanMalaviyaJi was born on December 25, 1861, inPrayagraj. We remember him on his birthday, whofounded a great Temple of Learning, the BanarasHindu University, which depicts a living form of hiscontemplation of the role of education and educa-tional institutions in nation-building, which estab-lished a new chapter in the history of education in theglobal arena. He envisioned that a university shouldserve as a premier centre of world-knowledge,should have an incessant longing for deeper quest

and search for knowledge in all possible disciplinesranging from classical ancient Indian culture, philos-ophy, religion, humanities, and arts to modern sci-ence, medicine, agriculture, engineering and tech-nology. MalaviyaJi conceptualised that in our educa-tional institutions' students should acquire expertisein diverse disciplines of humanities, arts, social sci-ences, modern science and technology and at thesame time should imbibe the high ideals, traditions,culture and values of our glorious ancient Indiancivilisation.

It was the vision of MalaviyaJi to blend the best ofIndian education called from the ancient Gurukulsystems of learning, the ideal educational institutionsof ancient India Takshashila, Nalanda, Vikramshila

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n PROF RAMA SKANKER DUBEY

A

RealisingMalaviyaji’sDreamsMalaviyaji's vision of education had adeep sense of service to humanity so thatthere could be happiness in the lives ofall individuals, society, nation, and theentire world. Along with scientific temperand technological competence, the youthof our country should have theentrepreneurial skill, with upright charac-ter and possessing human valuesenshrined in the Indian tradition

and other hallowed institutions, with the best tradition ofmodern universities of the west so that an educationsystem is introduced where students can gain proficien-cy in various aspects of humanities and science and atthe same time they imbibe the great ideals of Indian cul-ture. It was MalaviyaJi's objective to make available aproper vision of education to the society, nation and theworld where students would acquire expertise in diversedisciplines of humanities, arts and different branches ofmodern science and technology, imbibing the thoughtsand vision of Indian culture laying full emphasis on char-acter building through ethics and religion as an inalien-able part of education. National Education Policy - 2020is indeed a historic and revolutionary step towards real-ising the dreams of MahamanaMalaviyaji, which gives

the youth an opportunity to imbibe the great ideals andvalues of India's culture and traditions while attainingproficiency and mastering in the diverse disciplines ofmodern art, humanities, science and technology.

Malaviyaji believed that character building in studentsis more important than intellectual development andfavoured education of religion and ethics for characterbuilding. He considered religion to be the direct path tocharacter building and considered patriotism as the bestpower because the spirit of patriotism motivates a manto do a high level of selfless service. According to him,patriotic communication throws selfishness away fromour hearts. Ancient India was an advanced knowledge-society where a glorious tradition of education was builtin the form of the Gurukul system since the Vedic andUpanishadic periods. This tradition was built by Gurus,Rishis, and eminent scholars possessing knowledge ofthe highest level with perfection. Saints, poets, philoso-phers, scientists, astronomers and mathematicians withunparallel knowledge enriched this education system.India was Vishwa Guru only because of an educationsystem that was built on Indian vision aimed at holisticdevelopment of individual, development of mind, bodyand soul, imbibing high ideals and values of great Indiantradition. According to MahamanaMalaviyaJi conformingto the Gurukul system, the aim of education is the all-round development of the personality of youth, the per-sonality which is materially, morally, culturally and spiri-tually sounds besides being empowered with knowledgeand skills. Malaviyaji's vision was to link materialism withmorality so that as the body develops, the mindbecomes pure, and the soul also develops. Consideringcultural ethos and spiritual wisdom of India, according toMalaviyaJi the youth should possess human values likepeace, truthfulness, high-quality thoughts, non-violence,

NEP 2020


Ancient India was an advanced knowledge-societywhere a glorious tradition of education was built inthe form of the Gurukul system since the Vedic andUpanishadic periods. This tradition was built byGurus, Rishis, and eminent scholars possessingknowledge of the highest level with perfection.Saints, poets, philosophers, scientists, astronomersand mathematicians with unparallel knowledgeenriched this education system

tolerance, patience, compassion, love for all, respect forthe motherland and devotion to its culture and ideals.Malaviyaji always said that for the development of phys-ical, mental, and emotional powers, a student should fol-low the principles of brahmacharya, speak the truth, doexercise, have thrust for learning, show patriotism,should have perseverance in his faith and love for all liv-ing beings.

National Education Policy - 2020, encompasses thevision of MalaviyaJi in having provision of the teaching ofIndian cultural values, traditions, folk arts, Indian lan-guages, and human values for all the students at all lev-els from the age of three years to higher education. Forwhich compatible course materials and teaching meth-ods have to be developed. There is also a provision toincorporate Indian knowledge systems, including tribaland indigenous knowledge in the curriculum. With thiseducation policy, students will be educated for India'scultural heritage, Indian knowledge systems and value-based knowledge, pledging to create students with amultifaceted personality whose body and mind are

healthy and can successfully meet the global challengesof the 21st century. Through this education policy, stu-dents will derive self-pride, will be built upright character,which will lead to a flow of positive energy in the bodyand ultimately will help students in leading successfullives. This is the first education policy in the history ofindependent India which emphasises the need to pre-serve India's traditional knowledge systems, languagesand cultural values and to impart its education to the stu-dents with amazing coordination of global updatedknowledge to bring excellence in education so that oureducated youth will have their roots in Indianness andwill be able to become a successful global citizen bybeing proficient in different dimensions of knowledge tolead India in various fields.

Devoted to the upliftment of 'Hindi, Hindu andHindustan', Malaviyaji was a strong proponent of educa-tion in the mother tongue. He believed that the most sig-

nificant difficulty of the students is that the medium ofinstruction is a foreign language and not their mothertongue. In any other part of the civilised world, the medi-um of instruction of that community is not a foreign lan-guage. He was of the clear view that the upliftment of lit-erature and the country is only possible through the lan-guage of that country. It is imperative that Sanskrit andIndian languages were the medium of instructions in theGurukul and higher educational institutions in India fromthe ancient Vedic period to the mid-19th century. Theimplementation of the National Education Policy - 2020will free India from the 185-year-old Macaulay's slaveryeducation policy, which has an open provision for teach-ing in the foreign language from very primary classesonwards. With this education policy, students will beable to take education in their mother tongue, local lan-guages or regional languages up to class five from theage of three. This education policy also provides the pro-vision for taking education in Indian languages depend-ing on the wishes of the student from schooling to highereducation.

This education policy is committed to the preserva-tion, prosperity and continued development of Indianlanguages. For this, there are provisions to establish anIndian Institute of Translation and Interpretation andNational Institute for Pali, Persian and Prakrit. Along withthis, there is a provision to choose between DevbhashaSanskrit and other traditional languages of India underthe trilingual formula and the emphasis is on strengthen-ing the departments of Sanskrit and Indian languages inhigher educational institutions. Language is a medium ofexpression.

Early childhood education in the mother tongue willfacilitate thinking, learning and memorising power of thestudent with a fast pace. Students will develop an affinitywith the mother tongue, culture and local traditions.Fundamental thinking is possible only in the mothertongue, so knowledge taken in the mother tongue willhave natural acceptance. As a result of this educationpolicy, students will become proficient in various disci-plines of knowledge and science through Indian lan-guages. MahamanaMalaviyaji was of the opinion thatmore books in different disciplines of knowledge includ-ing science be written, published and their education isimparted in the mother tongue so that the knowledgeincluding those of science streams could reach the stu-dents easily. Keeping this in mind, he himself estab-lished a Hindi Publication Cell at Banaras HinduUniversity in the year 1930. Even today, the writing and

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Mahamana Malaviyaji was of the opinion that morebooks in different disciplines of knowledge includingscience be written, published and their education isimparted in the mother tongue so that theknowledge including those of science streams couldreach the students easily

publication of university-level original and translatedbooks in various disciplines of science continue to bedone in Hindi by the university's distinguished scientistsand outstanding scholars. In line with MalaviyaJi'svision, in the National Education Policy 2020, there is aclear provision that Indian languages will be promoted tobe the conduits of the glorious culture of our nation andit will be the prime responsibility of different languageinstitutes to ensure the availability of scientific literaturein Indian languages.

Describing the special qualities of industrial and artskills of ancient India, Malaviyaji had once said thatscholars of Europe believed that painting, sculpture, tex-tile-making, jewellery-making, music, theatrical, etc. hadreached to the peak of excellence in ancient India at atime when Europe was not even aware of such skills andcrafts.

Malaviyaji believed that education is in the root of allreforms. He advocated the principle of education for all.His dream was to have such an arrangement of educa-tion that no child could be deprived of education due topoverty. During the period of Malaviyaji, Indian societyunder British rule was suffering from gross illiteracy.'Education should be accessible to all' and to realise thisdream of Malaviyaji, under the Education Policy -2020, atarget has been set to bring the gross enrollment ratio to100 per cent by the year 2030 with the aim of makingeducation available to every person in the country. This100 per cent literacy is to be achieved over the next tenyears through technological interventions, digital tech-nology, making education accessible and inclusive to allsegments of the society even to economically deprivedand socially marginalised sections in the remote areasof the country. Digital education resources will be devel-oped by technology through which the education infras-tructure in remote areas will be strengthened. DigitalIndia Mission will have an important contribution in pro-viding education in different languages, due to whichstudents of rural India will derive more benefits. Besides,in the age group of 18 to 23years, in higher education,the policy targets to increase the present gross enroll-ment ratio of 26.3 per cent in the year 2018 to 50 percent by the year 2035.

Obviously, additional expenditure will be required toachieve the target of 100 per cent literacy and higherenrollment ratio in higher education. For this, a provisionhas been made in the new education policy that 6 percent of the GDP will be spent on education, which is cur-rently 4.6 per cent. This education policy emphasises

the establishment of at least one world-class multi-disci-plinary educational institution in every district of thecountry by 2030 to provide quality education to all sec-tions of the society without any hindrance and to createa developed educated society. Today, where educationis considered as an indicator for the development of anysociety, the new education policy ensures the reach ofeducation to every individual of the society without anysocial or gender difference.

Malaviyaji considered multi-disciplinary education asessential for the all-round development of the student.He was a strong advocate of the teaching of ancientIndia's knowledge traditions, culture, philosophy, art andscience and at the same time he emphasised for theteaching of modern science and technology to the stu-dents. He believed that Indian higher education institu-tions should be multi-disciplinary, where education invarious disciplines of knowledge could be provided. Hewas of the view that India's cultural heritage, traditionalknowledge, art, philosophy, ethics, universal human val-ues should be included in the curriculum and at thesame time, students should be taught the basic and cut-

NEP 2020


The new education policy endows with thecommitment that our educational institutions willkeep on updating their curriculum regularly keepingin pace with the changing environment, making themdynamic to match global standards.

ting-edge sciences including engineering, agriculture,medicine, etc. So that all-round developed students areproduced who are devoted to the Indian culture, tradi-tions and human values and become top-rated scien-tists, engineers, industrial-entrepreneurs, businessmen,social workers who can diagnose the problems of thepeople struggling with poverty using scientific tools andcan promote agriculture and industrial development andtake India to greater heights in the various field by pro-viding able leadership.

Malaviyaji believed that science and technologicaleducation would play an important role in alleviating thepoverty of India and India cannot attain its prosperityunless the application of science and technology is nat-uralised by the countrymen in their everyday life. Underthe new education policy, a target has been set to makeall higher education institutions multi-disciplinary by theyear 2040, where at least 3000 students will study ineach. With the implementation of this education policy,

single-stream higher education institutions will alsobecome multi-disciplinary over time. Every district in thecountry will have at least one multi-disciplinary highereducation institution. With this gross enrollment ratio ineducation will increase, vocational and skill-based edu-cation will be promoted, and it will be possible to pro-duce an all-round developed lot of students.

Malaviyaji was in favour of promoting teaching-learn-ing of modern science and technology and knowledgecreation in various fields with innovative research sothat conservation, development and profitable planningof our national natural wealth can be undertaken andeconomic prosperity of the people and employmentgeneration can be ascertained. Research is the basis ofdiscovery and creation of knowledge from where newtheories and new techniques originate. With knowledgecreation, human civilisation excels and glorifies.Therefore, it is necessary that higher educational insti-tutions be consistently engaged in teaching-learning

with new technology. To arouse the tendency of contin-uous learning in the individual, educational institutionsshould have updated facilities and infrastructure. It is,therefore, necessary that innovative research be pro-moted in educational institutions. With special empha-sis on innovative research, the new education policytalks about creating research-intensive universities,which will be equipped with world-class facilities toundertake basic and applied research in frontline areas.The new education policy proposes the establishmentof a National Research Foundation, NRF, to promotethe culture of quality intensive research in the country.The research will be properly fostered and stimulated.NRF will competitively fund research in all multi-disci-plinary areas.

If our research is multi-disciplinary, it will foster themultifaceted growth of education. For the developmentof entrepreneurship in the society, it is necessary tohave undergraduate, postgraduate and research leveleducation compatible with global standards. We canimprove our economic, social environment by usingnew knowledge emanating from research. For this, it isnecessary that intensive research should be done incutting edge areas of humanities, science, agriculture,medicine, and engineering, etc. India has a rich tradi-tion of knowledge creation in various disciplines ofknowledge and science since time immemorial. Theimplementation of this education policy will accelerateresearch in educational institutions according to theneeds of society. India will soon be able to establishitself internationally as a strong and enlightened knowl-edge-based society. This vision is based on the spirit of'VasudhaivaKutumbakam' which is rooted in the core ofour glorious Indian cultural tradition in which all themembers of the world are connected with each otherand with the Mother Nature. All are descendants of thesame globe, and all are members of the same family.

Today significant progress has been made towardsmaking human life comfortable, but we are distancingourselves from the vision of Malaviyaji and similarlygreat persons. Today in order to check the erosion ofhuman values and devaluation of character in the soci-ety it becomes the responsibility of educational institu-tions to inculcate the morality, character building, patrio-tism in youth in conformity to the vision of MalaviyaJi. Aclear commitment to this sentiment is reflected in theNational Education Policy - 2020 for the first time inindependent India. (The Writer is a Vice-Chancellor of Central University of Gujarat)

NEP 2020


We can improve our economic, social environment byusing new knowledge emanating from research. Forthis, it is necessary that intensive research shouldbe done in cutting edge areas of humanities,science, agriculture, medicine, and engineering, etc.India has a rich tradition of knowledge creation

REPORT

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Massive Outreach for Mandir

he Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) has resolved toextend all cooperation to Shri Ram JanmabhoomiTeerth Kshetra Trust for collecting monetary offerings from across the Hindu Society. The VHP

workers will reach out to more than 4 lakh villages and 11crore families for their contribution to the construction ofShri Ramjanmabhoomi Temple and other facilities in Ayodhya.

In the state of Karnataka, the VHP expects to reachmore than 27500 villages and some 90 Lakhs devotees forobtaining the donations for the Mandir. Udupi PejawarMath Swami Pujya Shri Vishva Prasanna Teerth is aTrustee of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra.

The collections would be made by coupons printed inthe denomination of Rs. 10, Rs. 100 and Rs. 1000. Thedonations for Rs. 2000 or more shall be against receiptand the donor shall have the benefit of Section 80G of theIncome Tax Act.The collection tolis would be of 5 volun-teers each. They would report to a depositor. All collec-tions would be deposited in the bank account of the TeerthKshetra within 48 hours. Every depositor will have a regis-tered code number at the nearest branch of one ofthe three banks namely State Bank of India, Bank ofBaroda and Punjab National Bank. Full trans-parency would be maintained in the collection.

Larsen and Toubro have been engaged toconstruct the Temple. Tata Consultancy ser-vices would be the Engineers for the con-struction. Engineers from IIT Mumbai, IITDelhi, IIT Chennai, IIT Guwahati, CBRIRoorkee, Larsen & Toubro are workingon the foundation drawing. Thewhole temple will be of stoneblocks.

The Temple wouldhave a total area of 2.7

acres. The construction area is 57,400 sq. ft. The length ofthe Temple would be 360 ft with 235 ft. The Temple wouldbe three storied structure and with 5 Mandaps. The num-ber of columns would be 160 on the Ground Floor, 132 onthe First Floor and 74 on the Second Floor.

It is expected that by 2024 Shri Ram Lala shall beestablished in the sanctum sanctorum of the main Templeand the devotees invited to have His darshan in the grandTemple. Along with the Temple are to come up, of the inter-national standards Library, Archives, Museum, ResearchCentre, Yagnyashala, Ved Pathshala, Satsangh Bhawan,Prasad distribution centre, amphitheatre, Dharmshala,Exhibition and other facilities.

All means of audio visual communications and mediaoutreach would be employed to take the message to theentire length and breadth of the country. Dr.Chandraprakash Dwivedi, a renowned name in the filmworld has prepared a documentary containing a brief his-tory and objects of the campaign together with an appealfrom the cine actor Shri Akshay Kumar for the promotionof the campaign.The VHP believes that this is not a move-ment merely for one more Temple but is a conscious effortof Hindu rejuvenation, freeing the Society of its ills suchas the feelings of high and low, to eradicate the deficien-cies of poverty, health, education and skills, to restorethe dignity of women, to eradicate the scourge of ter-

rorism from the face of the world and to realise thevedic goals of Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah – may all

be happy, may all be healthy, may all be dis-criminating and wise and let nobody suffer

from sorrows. The VHP considers this tobe the world mission of Hindus and is

confident of achieving it. n

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VHP will reach out to 4 lakh villages and 11 crore families seeking contributions for the construction of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya


SS ideologue and veteran journalist MadhavGovind Vaidya passed away in Nagpur onDecember 19. Shri M G Vaidya was the first officialspokesperson of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

Vaidya was admitted at Spandan Hospital, where hebreathed his last. Vishnu Vaidya, his grandson, toldmedia that he died at a private hospital at 3.35 pm. "Hehad contracted coronavirus but recovered from the infec-tion," Vishnu Vaidya said, adding that his health deterio-rated suddenly on Friday.

Dr Manmohan Vaidya, Joint General Secretary ofRSS, and the late stalwart’s son in a tweet said, “Shri MGVaidya, my father breathed his last today at 3.35 pm atNagpur after completing 97 years of an active, meaning-ful and inspiring life. He was a veteran journalist, aHindutva “Bhashyakar” and active Sangh (RSS)Swayamsevak for nine decades.”

His funeral was conducted at Ambazari Ghat(Crematorium ground in Nagpur) at 9:30 am onDecember 20. RSS Sarsanghchalak Dr Mohan Bhagwatpaid last respects to MG Vaidya at his residence. "His lifewas an encyclopedia of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.He lived RSS and its ideology," the Sarsanghchalak toldreporters in Nagpur.

RSS SarsanghchalakDr Mohan Bhagwat visited theNagpur residence of M G Vaidya to play his last respectto the departed soul. In his message he said, “During thepresent day Sangh work if we need any reference orguidance on various issues, we used to consult Baburaoji Vaidya as he had seen the entire evolution of RSS

since the times of Doctor Ji”. As soon as the news of the passing away of the veter-

an RSS leader broke, tributes started pouring in from allquarters. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressedgrief over the passing away of noted writer and journalistMG Vaidya. Prime Minister in a tweet said, MG Vaidyacontributed extensively to the RSS for decades and alsoworked to strengthen the BJP. Shri Modi also expressedcondolences to his family and admirers.

“Shri MG Vaidyaji was a distinguished writer and jour-nalist. He contributed extensively to the RSS fordecades. He also worked to strengthen the BJP.Saddened by his demise. Condolences to his family andadmirers. Om Shanti,” the Prime Minister tweeted.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu also expressed hiscondolence on the death of RSS ideologueMadhavGovindVaidya, describing him as a nationalistand an institution by himself. "Deeply saddened by thedemise of veteran RSS functionary and Sanskrit scholarM G Vaidya. He was a nationalist, a prolific writer and aninstitution by himself," tweeted the Vice President.

Paying his tributes to the RSS veteran, Union MinisterNitin Gadkari said, "My humble tribute to BaburaoVaidya.Baburao was fortunate enough to work with allSarsanghchalak. It was a firm belief that Baburaoji wouldbe a centenarian, but destiny had something different inmind. It is sad that a pious and sage-like personality haspassed away. May God grant peace to the departed soul.Peace."

Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari,

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An ideal Swayamsevak who had seen the entiretrajectory of Sangh school of thought andmovement since inception and contributed toit with Tan, Man and Dhan (physically, mentallyand financially) left for the heavenly abode.His thoughts and life will be inspiring for thegenerations to come

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RRSS Sarsanghchalak Dr Mohan Bhagwat paying his last respect to the departed soul

End of an Era

Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition in theLegislative Assembly Devendra Fadnavis anf HomeMinister of Maharashtra also expresed their grief over thethe demise of great thinker, ideologue and former Editorof Tarun Bharat M G Vaidya. Maharashtra Union of Working Journalists (MUWJ) andNagpur Union of Working Journalists (NUWJ) condoledveteran journalist M G Vaidya’s demise. “His demise is ahuge loss for journalism in Vidarbha region. We willremember him for an important attribute of respecting thethoughts of others even while being firm on own thought.He had affection for MUWJ and NUWJ both,” stated thecondolence message issued jointly by PradipkumarMaitra, MUWJ President; Brahmashankar Tripathi,Secretary; Shirish Borkar, NUWJ President; VishwasIndurkar, Vice-President of Tilak Patrakar Bhavan Trust;Vinod Deshmukh, Joseph Rao and others.

Inseparable with Sangh MG Vaidya was ace journalist, ex MLC, Sanskrit scholarand first official spokesperson of RSS. Born on 11 March1923 at Taroda village in Wardha district of Maharashtra,Shri Vaidya became a Sangh Swayamsevak at the age ofeight, when Doctor ji was the Sarsanghchalak. In hisnine-decades-long journey as a swayamsevak,ShriVaidya was closely associated with Guruji and allother Sarsanghchalaks of the Sangh. He held severalimportant responsibilities in the Sangh like ‘AkhilBharatiya Baudhik Pramukh’ and ‘Akhil BharatiyaPrachar Pramukh’ and national spokesperson of theRSS. In 1944, Shri Vaidya passed his BA in first classwith the gold medal for his performance in Sanskrit. In1946, he was awarded the Daji Hari Wadegaonkar goldmedal when he cleared his MA exam. From 1978 to1984, Vaidya was a member of the legislative council inMaharashtra. A noted nation first thinker, Shri Vaidya haswritten dozens of books on various topics, ranging frompolitics to literature. An autobiographical account of beingin RSS — titled ‘Main Sangh Mein, Mujh Mein Sangh (Iam in Sangh, Sangh is in me)’ is one his popular works.Many of his books have been translated into many Indianlanguages. His popular column titled “Bhashya” in ‘TarunBharat’ ran for 25 years, and is considered one of thelongest-serving newspaper columns.

He had a long association with Organiser weekly as acontributor and wrote many articles on Hindutva and con-temporary political issues. His commentaries on demo-cratic reforms, contemporary relevance of Hindutva andapplication to the present day issues are still a guiding

force to intellectuals and policy makers. He was a readyreckoner on Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and evenwith his deteriorating health would recall the incidentsrelated to RSS with exact date and context.

His son Dr Manmohan Vaidya is SahSarkaryavah ofthe RSS, while his youngest son Dr Shri Ram Vaidya isalso a pracharak with the responsibility of Sah Sanyojak,Vishwa Vibhag. n

MG VAIDYA


RSS Sarsanghchalak Dr Mohan Bhagwat andSarkaryavah Bhaiyyaji Joshi, paying tributes

to Shri M G Vaidya The demise of Shri Madhav Govind aliasBaburaoji Vaidya is the loss of a senior guardianfor all the karyakartas of RSS. He was a distin-guished scholar of Sanskrit, a fine journalist, anactive member of the Vidhan Parishad and abril-liant litterateur. He had all these qualities investedin the Sangh. He was an active participant in thegradual development of Sangh's activities. His lifewas a prosperous and fine life, deeply alignedwith Sangh'sthoughts and values, and a manifes-tation of Sangh's core values in all four vistas ofhis life viz. personal, familial, social and profes-sional. Through his characteristic style of employ-ing lucid words, logical approach and experientialinterpretation in his speeches and writings, heendeavoured to rightly present Sangh to the worldall his life. As aresult of his inspiring life, his nextgeneration is also invested in working for nationalinterests and his two sons Shri Manmohanji andShri Ram ji are senior pracharaks in the Sangh.

The passing away of such an exemplary lifeobviously creates a void which is difficult to fill in.The entire family of ShriVaidya ji is similarly expe-riencing a deep loss of a family guardian. It is dif-ficult to console them and all of us. Only time canheal the void thus created by his demise.Baburaoji's life has taught all of us the paramountimportance of fulfilling one's duties in a steady andunwavering manner at every stage of life. Whilefollowing these messages from his life and imple-menting them in our own lives, we pray that theVaidya family and all of us get strength to bear hisloss. We pray for shanti and sadgati of thedeparted soul.

nyone who stops learning is old, goes the adage.Madhav Govind Vaidya, Baburao, as he wasknown to many, was one person who took thisseriously. An avid reader and a writer at the sametime, Baburaoji was active at 97, to prove that ageis only a number.

Baburaoji was one of the few persons I had theprivilege to depend on when I was asked to takeon the responsibility as editor of Organiser. “Youhave to learn on the job,” he said. “But remember,doctor’s mistakes get buried, advocate’s mistakesare hanged but editor’s mistakes have the badhabit of getting printed,” he added.

Often his subtle humour was very evident inhis dialogues. During one of our many meetings, acolleague of mine from the Organiser came in withsome physical complaint. Baburaoji heard him outpatiently and said, “I am a vaidya only by sur-name.” But then he quickly suggested some prac-tical remedy too. On another occasion when hewas honoured by the Madhya Pradesh govern-ment one newspaper wrongly reported him as apracharak (full-time worker) of the RSS. He calledup the reporter and pointed out the error saying,“my pracharak nahi hoon, my pracharakon kabaap hun”.

By virtue of his long years in the RSS especiallyat the fountainhead of the organisation, Nagpur,his concepts were very clear and at times very dif-ferent from general observations. As editor ofOrganiser, I had innumerable occasions to interactwith him and seek guidance on a number of

issues. In one such interaction, he pointed out thatit is better not to refer to RSS as an organisation.Looking at my bewildered look he explained thatRSS is not an organisation in the society, it isorganisation of the society (Sangh samaj me eksanghatan nahi hai, samaj ka sanghatan hai).

Another word that he advised me to avoid wasthe term “SanghParivar”. Although this umbrellaterm is freely used to designate any and everyinstitution and individuals associated with theRSS, his indication was towards hyphenating theRSS with “Left organisations” or parties. “We can-not prevent others from using this term but weshould not give credibility to it by using it our-selves”, he explained. On a similar note he alsosuggested that we in the Organiser should notproject ourselves as the ‘mouthpiece’ of the RSS.We reflect the views of the RSS and its officialsbut we are not the official spokespersons of anyorganisation he used to say.

This was at a time when there were serious dis-cussions about having a spokesperson for theRSS. There were conflicting opinions. A section ofthe journalists who were close to the RSS butworking in different publications were of the viewthat the RSS should have an official spokesper-son. Their argument was based on the factualnews gathering and reporting difficulties and alsoon the dis-information campaign in the face ofabsence of official hand out. In one of the meet-ings to discuss this issue Baburaoji was amongthose who opposed the idea. Ironically, after a few

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In Baburaoji’s death, we have lost a colossus of a person, an encyclopedia on the RSS, jour-nalism, Sanskrit and much more than what one can comprehend. After all he was one of thevery few surviving veterans of the RSS who has not just seen but worked closely with all thesix Sarsanghachalaks of the RSS

Tribute to the Encyclopedia on RSS

days he was himself made the first official spokesper-son of the RSS. He carried out that responsibility withfinesse and perfection worth emulating.

I was not comfortable with the idea of the RSS hav-ing an official spokesperson. If one wants to under-stand the RSS one has to attend shakha and workwith the RSS, I suggested. But Baburaoji correctedme saying one has to be firm in one’s convictions butalso follow aapat dharma that is change with times.During the 2014 elections he maintained more or lessa similar approach to the projection of one single per-son as the Prime Ministerial candidate. Ideally, theRSS is not in favour of projecting an individual. But insome special circumstances one cannot be too con-servative and rigid he explained. Besides, his argu-ment was that the methodology of the RSS and apolitical party could be different. As long as both donot lose sight of their goal it is fine was his opinion.

The best part of conversations with Baburaoji wasthe clarity and unbiased opinions that he could projectwith ease and élan. He could approach any issue witha logical mind, analyse without prejudice and comeout with choice of suggestions. He had a long stint aseditor of Nagpur Tarun Bharat and was a repository ofjournalistic experience. It was natural for a person like

me, neither trained in journalism nor a graduate inEnglish, to run to him for advice. He would never dis-appoint me and would always suggest a way out ofthe situation or suggest a point of view on a subject.But he would always reiterate one thing; every gener-ation has to learn that the fire is hot. “So, make mis-takes and learn. But don’t repeat the same mistakes,make new ones,” he once said with his characteristiccharming smile.

In Baburaoji’s death, we have lost a colossus of aperson, an encyclopedia on the RSS, journalism,Sanskrit and much more than what one can compre-hend. After all he was one of the very few survivingveterans of the RSS who has not just seen butworked closely with all the six Sarsanghachalaks ofthe RSS.

(The writer is a former editor of Organiser Weekly)

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The best part of conversations with Baburaoji wasthe clarity and unbiased opinions that he couldproject with ease and élan. He could approach anyissue with a logical mind, analyse withoutprejudice and come out with choice of suggestions

ifferent shades of meaning of the word‘Arya’were elaborated in the previous article. Inaddition, some illustrative examples of the termsArya and Dasyu in the Vedic literature have been

put forward. These quotations are undoubtedly the earli-est in chronology as they belong to the actual Vedicscripts. Let's also take a quick look at where the word'Arya' is found in later Sanskrit literature, and if so, inwhat sense.

Aryan in Valmiki RamayanaThe two epics Ramayana and Mahabharata are ‘com-posed’ by sages. Unlike the Vedic mantras, they are not‘beholden’ or ‘inspired’ by these enlightened souls. Thatis why these compositions are called ‘Aarsh (composedby sages) epics'. There are numerous references to theword 'Arya' (original Sanskrit word) in the Ramayanaand Mahabharata as well. As discussed earlier, since theword ‘Arya’ stands for the embodiment of virtues, whilereferring to any revered, venerable, virtuous person, itwould be a regular practice to use ‘Arya’ if it is a man

and ‘Aarya’ if it is a woman. The word has been usedabundantly in every situationthat it appears twice in ashort span in the very first canto (adhyaya) of theBalakanda in the Ramayana. In this, DevarshiNaradamuni is narrating Rama’s story briefly toMaharshi Valmiki. Describing Shri Ram in it, Naradasays,

ÀfUÊQfd·f¦f°f: ÀfQÐd·f: Àf¸fbQi BU dÀf³²fbd·f:Ü Af¹f:Ê ÀfUÊÀf¸f›ÙÀfQÌY: d´fi¹fQVfÊ³f: Valmiki Ramayana 1.1.16.

It means that as rivers stride towards the sea, cul-tured people gets attracted towards Rama. Rama isreferred as ‘Arya’, meaning virtuous and he has sense ofequalness for all. So his mere sight pleases everyone.”

In the Ramayana, Rama is often described as 'Arya'and there is nothing special about it. But even the 'apes',living in the forests and hills are called 'Arya' inRamayana! Glance at what description is found inKishkindhakanda of Valmiki Ramayana.When Rama killsthe ungodly king Vali of Kishkindha,his widow, Taramourns at his death.

Àfb~ÐUÙ ´fb³f÷Y°±ff¹f Af¹fÊ´fbÂfZd°f IiYûVf°fe Ü ÷YSXûQ Àff ´fd°fÔ úÅfÔ ÀfÔdQ°fÔ

MYTH OF ARYAN INVASION PART V


Aryans depicted in Ramayana & MahabharataWhether it is Ramayana or Mahabharata, the word 'Arya' refers to virtue and definitely not to any race

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¸fÈ°¹fbQf¸fd·f: || Valmiki Ramayan 4.19.27. Meaning - “(Bylooking at the dead Vali) As if recovered suddenly fromsleep, she began to exasperateby uttering 'HeyAryaputra' when she witnessed her husband tied in adeath trap.”What wonder! Vali's wife Tara, who is an'ape', calls her husband 'Aryaputra'!While lamenting, shesaw Rama cladded in hermit’s dress and started walkingtowards him. Describing the occasion, Valmiki says,

°fÀ¹fZÔQiIY»´fÀ¹f QbSXfÀfQÀ¹f ¸fWXf³fb·ffUÀ¹f Àf¸fe´f¸ff¹ffÊÜ Af°ffÊÚd°f°fc¯fÔÊ½¹fÀf³fÔ ´fi´f³³ff þ¦ff¸f °ffSXf ´fdSXdU”»f³°fe || Valmiki Ramayana4.24.29. Meaning- "The grief-stricken, 'Aryaa Tara', whowas in trouble at that time, became very anxious andapproached the invincible hero,chivalrousShriRam."Now here Maharshi Valmiki goes on calling Tara,the female ape as 'Aryaa'! Subsequently, while instruct-ing to cremate Vali's body, Sugriva, his brother says,

AfÄff´f¹f° °fQf SXfþf Àfb¦fieU: ´»fU¦fZV½fSX:Ü Aü²UÊQ`dWXIY¸ff¹fÊÀ¹fdIiY¹f°ff¸f³fbIcY»f°f: || Valmiki Ramayana 4.25.30. Meaning-"After that, Sugriva,king of the apes ordered that the lastrites of 'Arya' Vali should be performed properly."Hereeven King Sugriva calls his ape brother as 'Arya'!Elsewhere in the Ramayana also, Hanuman (ape god)and Jambuwant (genius bear) are referred to as 'Arya'.

Where was this kingdom of Kishkindhalocated? Thethen Kishkindha was the site of the medieval state ofVijayanagar and in today's context,it is Hampi(Karnataka)and its environs. That wasobviously the'Dravidian' region in South India, and definitelynot theone situated at Indus or Saraswati River in NorthwardPunjab. But here these people are seen calling eachother 'Arya', and not 'Dravid.’ Was the ape-queen Tara orher husband Vali orhis brother Sugriva all part of the so-called 'Aryans' gangs who came from Central Asia onthe banks of the Indus in 1800 BC?During their time, thishistory propounded by the Western researchers was notavailable, so most of apes from Kishkindha must havebeen 'ignorant' about their origin!

If all this is not sufficient, even in the far south, inLanka, Ravana, the king of demons, calls his wife'Aryaa'. All the wives of Ravana address him'Aryaputra'.Although demon, he is great in their eyes;hence he is an 'Aryaputra.’When Ravana was killed byRama in battle, all these women started mourning.Describing the occasion, Valmiki says,Af¹fÊ´fbÂfZd°f UfdQ³¹fûWXf ³ff±fZd°f ¨f ÀfUÊVf: Ü ´fdSX´fZ°fb: IY¶f³²ffKÐ IYfÔ ¸fWXeÔ Vfûd¯f°fIYQÊ¸ff¸ ||Valmiki Ramayan 6.110.4. Meaning- "(While) weepingas ‘O Aryaputra, O Nath’,they all began to wander in thebattlefield (looking for Ravana) where the headlesscorpses were lying and the blood was muddy.

"Undoubtedly Lanka is south of India and Ravana isArya there too. So did these so-called 'Aryans' fromnorthwestern India reach as far south as Lanka?Thishistory seems to have escaped the notice of so manyEuropean scholars and some Indian scholars, pleasedtoblindly follow anything that is western. DeclaringRavanaas a native, those who hail 'Jai Ravana' and raise agita-tion in various universities, unfortunately for them,Ravana turns out to be uninvited, aggressive and alien'Arya.'

Aryans in the MahabharataWhat is true in case of Ramayana is the same withMahabharata. The word 'Arya' appears numerous timesin a million verses of the Mahabharata. How many ofthat should be quoted here! Not every one of us has anepic of such a gigantic size. However the Bhagavad-Gita, a section of the seven hundred verses out of it, isfound in almost every Hindu house. Let's look at anexample of that.At the beginning of the war, Arjuna had

a sudden and weird thought, ‘What will be achievedbykilling my near and dear ones? Better not to have a warat all.’ Then Lord Krishna took him to the task and said,IbY°fÀ°Uf IYV¸f»fd¸fQÔ dU¿f¸fZ Àf¸fb´fdÀ±f°f¸ ÜA³ff¹fÊþbá¸fÀU¦¹fÊ¸fIYed°fÊIYSX¸fþbÊ³f || Bhagavad-Gita 2.2Mahabharata 6.26.2. Meaning- “Hey Arjuna, what madeyou emotionally falter in such a testing time? Because‘Arya’ (superior people) do not follow such path, it doesnot lead to heaven or fame. “Here too the word ‘Arya’denotes virtue.It is possible to mention many more suchexamples. Howeverit is being restrictedfor fear of beingtoo lengthy. It is absolutely crystal clear fact that whetherit is Ramayana or Mahabharata, the word 'Arya' refers tovirtue and definitely not to any race. Then, as the previ-ous article showed, no matter how much Westernersmanipulate the Indian dictionary for that, it would notchange the basic facts.(To be continued…)

(The writer is a scholar of the ancient history, culture, art, literature, philosophy of India - i.e. Bharatvidya or Indology

from Pune, Maharashtra)(Translated by Dr. Pranavkumar Ratnaparkhi, an assistant professor of English at HPT Arts & RYK Science College,

Nasik, Maharashtra)

MYTH OF ARYAN INVASION PART V


Since the word ‘Arya’ stands for the embodiment ofvirtues, while referring to any revered, venerable,virtuous person, it would be a regular practice touse ‘Arya’ if it is a man and ‘Aarya’ if it is a woman

NEWS ROUND UP


NEW DELHI: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad has said thatRahul Gandhi’s bid to defame Bajrang Dal by raising

false accusations has exposed his mindset. His viewswere published in the Wall Street Journal. VHP secretarygeneral Shri Milind Parande said that a nationalistorganisation like Bajrang Dal is evidently poking in the

eyes of Rahul Gandhi, who has been proactively standingby and standing up with anti-national elements includingpro-China and pro-Pakistan Tukde-Tukde gang, and theanti-CAA hordes and hooligans and the Delhi riotersadvocating their anti-national stances. His affiliations andrapport with China are well-known. He would believe in anAmerican newspaper but, not in a pan-Bharat nationalistyouth organisation.

The VHP secretary-general also asked the Wall StreetJournal to apologise for its false reporting. He said thatthe Wall Street Journal tried to target and discredit Bharatunder the pretext of maligning Bajrang Dal. This is totallyunacceptable.

He said that the earlier media reports, quoted fromWiki-Leaks, make it clear that Smt Sonia Gandhi had alsobeen hatching conspiracies to ban the Bajrang Dal, butshe could not succeed. Incidentally, the Facebook hasclarified that there is no reason to block Bajrang Dal on itsplatform. This reflects their anti-Hindu mindset. Shri MilindParande said that now Rahul Gandhi and Wall StreetJournal should apologise to the Bajrang Dal and the Hindusociety that forms one-sixth of the global population. n

Wall Street Journal and Rahul Gandhishould apologise: VHP

BENGALURU: A meeting of Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram washeld between December 16 and 18, 2020. Due to the

pandemic, all measures including social distancing werefollowed in the meeting. The meeting took stock of theactivities so far. • On November 15, ‘Tribe Pride Day’ concluded with

enthusiasm across the country.• On November 29, Tribal Suraksha Manch karyakartas

organised an event coinciding with the birthdayof ShriKarthik Oraon. They sent a memorandum to 288District Officers, 14 Governors, 7 Chief Ministers in thecountry, demanding the removal of converted peoplefrom the list of tribes.

• The Jharkhand government called a special sessionand passed a resolution on the demand of SarnaDharma and the situation created due to it wasdiscussed.

• There has been a rumour that tribal society will vanishfrom the Hindu culture. The campaign was consideredto awaken the tribal society, for connecting the society.

• According to the Akhil Bhartiya plan, the idea of theconstruction of Shri Ram Mandir was also discussed.

• Issues like making Self-Reliant India, Bandhan Yojana,Protection of Tribal Rights, Rohtas Garh Yatra to MaghiPoornima was also discussed for the future course.

• A plan to publish a documentary and book based onthe life of Jagadevaram Oraon ji was also discussed.

• Akhil Bhartiya executives paid a sincere tribute to thepeople who passed away in the last few days.

• Shri Atul Jog presented the statement of events andfuture plans. n

Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram meetdiscusses Sarna Dharmacode and its impact

NEWS ROUND UP


NEW DELHI: Junapithadheeshwar AcharyaMahamandaleshwar Awadheshanand Giri released

‘Yashasvi Bharat’, a compilation of speeches bySarsanghchalak Dr Mohan Bhagwat ji at New Delhi in thepresence of Dr Krishna Gopal, and Auditor General of IndiaRajiv Maharishi. The book has been published by PrabhatPrakashan.

This is the first compilation of speeches by aSarsanghchalak after 1960. Earlier, a compilation ofspeeches of the then Sarsanghchalak Shri MadhavSadashiv Golwalkar ‘Shri Guruji’ was published. Prefaceof ‘Yashwasi Bharat’, was written by former PracharPramukh Shri M. G. Vaidya.

Dr Krishna Gopal underlined that we have to becomeprosperous and powerful, but beyond this, India has tobecome Yashasvi. He said that ‘Yash’ comes whensomeone performs charity. Referring to ancient India, hesaid that we were the economic superpower till the 18thcentury, but was also decisive. But our reputation was dueto our policy of ‘sarve bhavantu sukhinaha’ and our senseof treating everyone as a part of God. He also cited theexample of countries like Egypt, Babylon, Sparta, etc.,saying that barbaric, violent and cruelty destroyscivilisations. He said that the message of the speeches ofDr Mohan Bhagwat is that how can we all become aparticipant in India’s ‘Yashasvita’ and all-round integrated

development by erasing the differences. Let us rememberour glorious past when India was the ‘Vishwaguru’ and ledthe world. Now India is again on the path of earning its lostidentity and prestige.

Junapithadheeshwar Mahamandaleshwar SwamiAwadheshanand Giri said that the situation is changing.There has been a change in the caste status, the status ofwomen, the thinking of society.

Giving the example of ‘sanyasi’ tradition, he said thatsaints are now being formed even from so-called smallcastes and no one has any objection. Hindus do notconvert others. During the pandemic crisis, many peoplein the world adopted Yoga, Ayurveda and other Indianmethods; with this, the idea of India has been widelypublicised all over the world. In Dr Mohan Bhagwatcontemplative address, there is a way to build India'sgolden future.

Chief Guest Rajiv Maharishi also spoke on ‘Who isHindu’. He said that Sarsanghchalak Dr Mohan Bhagwatalways has the nation in his thoughts, and this is the reasonthe acceptance of this global organisation (RSS) iscontinuously increasing in the society.

The book ‘Yashasvi Bharat’ contains a compilation of 17speeches given on different occasions by SarsanghchalakDr Mohan Bhagwat. The 286-page book was edited byShyam Kishore, editor of Lok Sabha TV. n

Bharat has to become Yashasvi—Dr Krishna Gopal


AIR MSHL PK ROY (RETD)

DEFENCE SCANBY

Reports indicate that Indo-TibetanBorder Police will be raising sevennew battalions comprising 10,000soldiers in view of the continuingIndia-China stand-off along theLAC in Ladakh. It is understoodthat the final clearance of cabinetis awaited.

On December 23, 2020, DRDO carried out successful maidenlaunch of MRSAM, Army Version. The Army version ofMRSAM has been developed jointly by DRDO and IAI, Israel.Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh lauded the efforts of DRDOand associated team members involved in the mission andsaid that India has attained a high level of capability in theindigenous design and development of advanced weaponsystems.

RakshaMantri Shri Rajnath Singh reviewed the preparation for Aero India-2021 this week. The event this year is planned to be a Business focusedexhibition. The public will witness this year’s edition in Virtual mode to makeway for the Safe in-person interactions between global A&D Businesses.The event has witnessed tremendous interest with the space being sold outand 500+ registered Exhibitors. In view of the challenges due to COVID-19,Raksha Mantri directed that the event be held for Business days only vizFebruary 03-05, 2021 with the essence being to achieve traction for the

Aerospace and Defence industry which has faced numerous challenges in the year 2020 due to lockdown andembargo/restrictions on travel.

SUCCESSFUL MAIDEN LAUNCH OF MEDIUM RANGE SURFACE TO AIR MISSILE - MRSAM

INDO-TIBETAN BORDERPOLICE TO INDUCT 10,000 PERSONNEL

RAKSHA MANTRI REVIEWS PREPARATIONS FOR AERO INDIA - 2021

Raksha Mantri handed over threeindigenously developed DRDOsystems to Army, Navy and Air Forcethis week. These included the IndianMaritime Situational AwarenessSystem (IMSAS) to the Chief ofNaval Staff, ASTRA Mk-I Missile tothe Chief of Air Staff and BorderSurveillance System to the Chief ofArmy Staff.

RAKSHA MANTRI HANDS OVERDRDO SYSTEMS TO ARMEDFORCES CHIEFS

The 35th edition of India-IndonesiaCoordinated Patrol between IndianNavy and Indonesian Navy wasconducted this week. As part ofGovernment’s vision of SAGAR(Security And Growth for All in theRegion), Indian Navy has beenproactively engaging with countriesin the Indian Ocean Region forCoordinated Patrols.

35TH EDITION OF INDIA -INDONESIA COORDINATEDPATROL

Representative P

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The Defence Acquisition Council has approvedCapital Acquisition proposals of various defenceequipment at an approximate overall cost of Rs28,000 Cr. Six of the seven approved proposals,that is, Rs 27,000 Cr out of Rs 28,000 Cr will besourced from the Indian industry to give a boostto the “Make in India” and “Atma Nirbhar Bharat”initiatives of the Government. These approvedproposals include DRDO designed anddeveloped Airborne Early Warning & ControlSystems for Indian Air Force, Next GenerationOffshore Patrol Vessels for Indian Navy andModular Bridges for Indian Army. n

AGoa Shipyard Ltd pressrelease has said that ithas emerged as L1(lowest bidder) forconstruction of 12advanced fast patrolcrafts for Indian Army.These crafts would bebased on an in-house design. Reports indicate that these boatswould be utilised for patrolling in the Pangong Tso, Eastern Ladakhfor monitoring and countering China’s activities in the lake.

DEFENCE ACQUISITION COUNCIL APPROVESPROCUREMENT OF EQUIPMENT FROMDOMESTIC INDUSTRY

On December 19, 2020, Raksha Mantri reviewedthe Combined Graduation Parade at Air ForceAcademy, Dundigal. The event saw 114 officersbeing commissioned into various branches of theIAF. The graduating officers were joined by sixofficers from Indian Navy, five from Indian CoastGuard and three from friendly foreign countries.In his address to the passing out cadets, ShriRajnath Singh said India's handling of the borderrow with China showed that the country was notweak and could give befitting reply to any kind oftransgression, aggression or unilateral acts.Referring to the western sector, he said thatPakistan was indulging in skirmishes on theborders and accused it with indulging in a "proxywar" using terrorism, despite being defeated byIndia in four wars

COMBINED GRADUATION PARADE AT AIRFORCE ACADEMY

General MM Naravane,Chief of the Army Staffvisited forward basesTara and Rechin La inLadakh and interactedwith the localcommanders andtroops. During the visit,he undertook inspection of the state of habitat of troops andappreciated the efforts made by the formation to make troopscomfortable along the LAC. General Naravane also interacted withthe troops and exhorted all ranks to continue working with same zealand enthusiasm.

CHIEF OF THE ARMY STAFF’S VISIT TO FORWARD BASE INLADAKH

GOA SHIPYARD TO BUILD 12 ADVANCED PATROL CRAFTFOR ARMY

RAKSHA MANTRI SPEAKS TO HIS JAPANESE COUNTERPARTOn December 22, 2020,Raksha Mantri held atelephonic conversation withthe Minister of Defence ofJapan, Mr Kishi Nobuo andexpressed satisfaction at theongoing defence cooperationbetween the two countries inspite of the limitations imposedby COVID-19. The twoMinisters exchanged views on security situation in the region andthe need for a free and open maritime order based on the rule oflaw. Both Ministers welcomed the successful conduct of JIMEX2020, MALABAR 2020 and also the recent successful visit of Chiefof Staff, JASDF to India.

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Photo Courtsey:http

s://affairscloud.com

ome amount of meditation is advised and recommended by all gurus(realised masters). Because meditation enriches life in such unlimit-ed ways which cannot be described, it can only be experienced. And,the experience is the key differentiating point in every individual’slife. Moreover, the relation between meditation and living guru is theonly livewire which keeps eternal flame (Swayambhu Jyoti) burningin the human heart. We are fortunate that we are born in India. Indiais known for keeping this fire of self-knowledge (Aatm-Gyan) lit eter-

nally. Phrase ‘Amritasya Putrah vayam (progeny of immortal)refers to aforesaid eternal effulgence and illuminance of

divine wisdom within. Still, there are not many at any given point in time who

musters the courage to plunge into the reality of experience.

The number of such people who value their authen-tic experience over rudimentary belief about whatconstitutes experience is still limited across theworld. By freeing oneself from dogmatic beliefswhen one becomes disciplined (Shishya) then whatone experiences in the presence of a living guruand in the presence of any saintly souls thatchanges one’s life for better and forever.

Because the ones who have become disci-plined, they alone can measure the immeasur-able value of self-realisation. Immeasurable

n GURUJI SHRI NANDKISHORE TIWARI

Every generation looks for hope and meaning in life. But,neither hope nor meaning can be sustained withoutbecoming real. Meditation brings about the quotient ofauthenticity on this real journey in which everyone isessentially alone, but union with guru makes our union anall-pervasive one


Meditation Guru andDisciple

S

experience cannot be measured by us so long as we do not become capable oftranscending ourselves from Avidya (material knowledge) driven consciousness.The subject matter of material knowledge (Avidya) is limited to sense-perceptionwhile we begin to make sense of para-vidya (divinity) when we become capable oftranscending the sense perception and become capable of following pure intelli-gence (love) to begin with. Higher stages of consciousness are opened up for ourexperience through our chosen living guru in accordance with worthiness, graceand cosmic necessity. Anything and everything which happens in our lifebecomes measurable or potentially limited when as individuals, we find ourselveslimited to death and birth or sense perception. Self-realisation is that state ofawareness in which you do not find your-Self (Aatma) confined to the process ofchange identified as death and birth. You find yourself unchanged amid changeswhich are taking place in this process known as life and prominently marked by thepoint of natural death.

The root word for realisation is-real, which essentially means eternal/change-less or ‘as it is’ (Yathartha). Visibly initiated by the guru of one’s own choice, every-one can experience this state of consciousness in meditation where one finds one-self undisturbed by one’s own physical body. Becoming living evidence of one’sown experience transforms one into jeevan-mukta (liberated beings, here andnow). Meditation blessed by a realised master is an authentic medium to becomereal. That’s why the value of meditation is described as invaluable.

Moreover, irrespective of our location on planet earth, whether we are in Asia,Europe or Africa…we find ourselves either gripped by insecurities related to lifespan or by fear which makes its way in our mind about what happens after deathor before birth? Answers to such questions may be found during meditation.Providing much-needed peace at a cursory level. Mediation also brings aboutphysical and mental well-being on a cursory most level. Now medical science itselfis advocating its benefits.

Every generation looks for hope and meaning in life. But, neither hope normeaning can be sustained without becoming real. Meditation brings about the quo-tient of authenticity on this real journey in which everyone is essentially alone, butunion with guru makes our union an all-pervasive one. In this union, alonenesstransforms into oneness. And fear transforms into love. As in the person of guru,we meet love incarnated in the human frame. That’s how it’s only in Eternal GuruParampara that we hear such expressions as ‘guru is not a person, but without aperson being guru, none becomes real’. None experiences love if there is noneother to transmit it to the one who is experiencing it. Value of Divine Name hasbeen described in countless words by devotees, saints, and disciples through theirauthentic experiences, but unexceptionally the name is found transmitted ( donat-ed) through a living guru. Triad of meditation, living guru and disciple, is worthexploring in life, as life becomes worth exploring in the eternal union of these three.

(The writer is the propounder of Sahaj Smriti Yog System of Self Realisation and founder ofDarpan Foundation and Darpan Ashram)

Anything andeverything whichhappens in ourlife becomesmeasurable orpotentially limited when asindividuals, wefind ourselveslimited to deathand birth orsense percep-tion. Self-reali-sation is thatstate of aware-ness in whichyou do not findyour-Self(Aatma) confinedto the process of change identi-fied as deathand birth



un Temple of Konark, on the beach, very close toBhubaneswar, built on the soil of Odisha. Twelvehundred people spent twelve consecutive yearsto make a dream come true; dreamt byNarasimhadev. He ruled Odisha eight hundredyears ago (1230-1264). He built the temple to payhis vows. Why at Konark and why not anywhereelse?

The place was already known as 'ArkaKshetra', a place where Surya – Sun God wasworshipped since time immemorial. On RathaSaptami every year, the place has been crowdedwith devotees for thousands of years to worshipthe Sun God. Konark in Odisha is the north-east-ern coast of India. Sun was worshipped here onMakar Sankranti. The Sun's rays first touch thisholy land of India on the day of Makar Sankrant.

The transition of the Sun from one sign of theSun to another is called Sankranti. So, everymonth there is Sankranti. In the Hindu month of

Poush, when the Sun transition is fromSagittarius to Capricorn, it is called MakarSankrant (Capricorn Solstice). This Solstice isimportant because, at this juncture, Sun changesits path and direction. From Dakshinayan toUttarayan, from South to North. Actually, thesmallest day is December 21. Thus Uttarayan-Sun's journey towards north ideally should starton this day. However, since Earth's axis is tiltedby 23.45o the period of Sun's entering intoUttarayan is shifting gradually. On January 14,every year is the Makar Sankranti.

Considering the Sun's importance in humanlife and knowing the importance of the placewhere the Sun's rays touch the Earth on animportant day in terms of astronomy, our ances-tors made it a pilgrimage site.

(The columnist is Principal of SMM College ofArchitecture, Nagpur and specialises in Bharatiya

Architectural Heritage)

n DR UJWALACHAKRADEO

DEEPAWALI SPECIAL

S

TEMPLES / THE SOUL OF BHARAT

Teerth Kshetra—Sun Templeof Konark

The astounding profound knowledge of our ancestors in various subjects is manifested inthe temple architecture. Our mind and all our five senses need to be fully in a state ofawareness to know and understand our ancestors' greatness

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