Thursday 17 May 2018

RSS AND INDIA'S FREEDOM STRUGGLE

I am very often asked a question, both in public fora and in private conversation: what was RSS's contribution to India's freedom struggle? Someone was even stupid enough to ask, what was BJP's contribution to the freedom struggle? To this I asked the counter-question, because I knew that the person asking was a Leftist, "What was the Communist Party's contribution to the Battle of Plassey? The man saw that he had made a gaffe and fell silent. 

But to take the question seriously, what indeed was the contribution? I have formulated an answer to this question, but before that, a caveat: this is based on my private perception as an informed and devout Swayamsevak, not the official view of the RSS or anywhere near it.

As I see it, this question can be answered in two ways, depending on the view one takes. I shall discuss both, briefly of course. Both are my views, not anyone else's.

According to one view that I have taken, the question just does not arise. Freedom struggle was fought, could be fought, only by political outfits, not just any old organisation, not any organisation other than a political one. Schools, colleges or universities did not fight for freedom. Nor did hospitals, athletic clubs, hotels, bar associations, ashrams, madarsahs, churches, the Tablighi Jamaat, even trade unions. Most certainly not social welfare organizations. The struggle was fought by the Congress, the Hindu Mahasabha, Forward Bloc, Azad Hind Fauj, revolutionary organisations like the Anushilan Samity, Jugantar, Indian Republican Army (the people who stormed the Chittagong Armoury), Sri Sangha, Dipali Sangha Ghaddar Party of Punjab, individual revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh, the Chapekar brothers, the Binoy-Badal-Dinesh trio, and so on. Whether the Communist Party and Muslim League, both very much political outfits, had any role (or even had a negative role) in the struggle is open to question, but that we shall debate elsewhere. But why should the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangha, whose sole and declared aim was to awaken and organize Hindu society as Hindus, and build human beings on this ideal, and whose professed policy was to stay away from politics, be expected to be any different from any other social welfare organization?

Take concrete cases. Did the Arya Samaj, which was a religious and educational reform movement founded by Dayanand Saraswatiji, have any significant role in fighting the British? No, because it  stayed away from politics. Did the Ramakrishna Mission founded by Swami Vivekananda, Bharat Sevashram Sangha founded by Swami Pranavananda, Gaudiya Math, Brahmo Samaj founded by Raja Ram Mohun Roy, Theosophical Society founded by Madame Blavatsky  have any such role? No, because ditto ditto. Rabindranath Tagore established the Visva-Bharati, an educational and cultural institution, which drew great men of learning like Stella Kramrisch, Sten Konow and Bogdanov from all over the world and brought forth a school of learning quite distinct from that devised and put into effect by Macaulay. Did he go out to the streets and fight with the British police? Of course not, although Tagore made his extreme disapproval of British tyranny manifest by returning his knighthood post the massacre at Jallianwalabagh. Sir Asutosh Mookerjee elevated Calcutta University to such a level of learning that it could turn out the first Asian Nobel laureate in science in C.V.Raman and a world-famous philosopher like Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. But he advised students to apply themselves to their studies before participating in any nationalist movement. Did they lead any processions, flag in hand? No, of course not! But does that mean that any of these people or organisation were lacking in patriotism compared to known freedom fighters like, say, Gandhiji or Nehru? No, of course not!

Therefore, where does the question of  the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangha doing any of these arise? In a declared and explicit manner it stayed away from politics. If it had been into politics it would not have needed to help Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee's newborn Jana Sangh with its Swayamsevaks like Sundar Singh Bhandari, Deen Dayal Upadhyay and Jagannathrao Joshi -- it could have straightaway plunged into the 1952 elections! But it did not, because it reasoned that politics will adulterate its professed objectives of Hindu samaj ko Hindu ke nate jagrat aur sangathit karna, and Manushya Nirman, the cardinal principle enunciated by its founder, Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar. 

There is, therefore, no question of the RSS participating in the freedom struggle. The question simply does not arise. It is the result of a Leftist construct -- the example and results of which have been observed in Leftist-ruled states in India, where there is politics in everything, from research in quantum mechanics to poultry farming. In fact Anil Biswas, the secretary and ideologue of the West Bengal CPI(M) had said so once in so many words: Rajneetir baire kichhu hoy na, nothing is outside politics.

However, another view is possible. Paraphrasing Milton's immortal line, "They also serve who only stand and wait", fight against an oppressor is not done only by taking a flag and fighting on the streets, but also by those who serve society and create public opinion by their efforts in culture, education, science, religion and the like. In that view, Swami Dayanand, Swami Vivekananda, Rabindranath Tagore, Swami Pranavananda and the rest -- they were all freedom fighters. Dr Hedgewar and Guruji Golwalkar kindled in the Hindu mind a spirit of freedom that was all but extinguished by eight hundred years of Turkish-Afghan and two hundred years of British subjugation. They were, therefore, no less freedom fighters than the rest. Nor was their organization, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangha.      

Monday 1 January 2018

REFLECTIONS ON 31 DECEMBER 2017 (DOUBLES AS A NEWSLETTER)



So 2017 is also about to go! What happened during the year?
All in all, a rather unremarkable year. Sitting in the Governor’s chair at Agartala, mainly watching as life goes by. And that is why this is going to be, maybe a relatively short blog, at least compared to other, more eventful years.
The highlight of the year has been the birth of my third grandchild, a son for my younger daughter Momo and her husband Ajinkya. A third U.S. citizen added to the considerable strength of the North American resident descendants of the late Girish Chandra Roy, my grandfather. We were due to be with her at the birth, but had to cancel the trip at the last moment. So, no trips abroad this year.
Right through the year I have mostly been writing, and whatever remarkable that has happened during the year have been in this regard. First, the Bengali translation of my book My People,Uprooted, the story of the persecution and exodus of Hindus from East Bengal,  titled Ja Chhilo Amar Desh, sold like hot cakes. The book came out in late 2016, and by the end of 2017 it has run to the third reprint. Thanks are due principally to Indrani, daughter of the redoubtable Bhanu babu (Sabitendranath Ray) of Mitra & Ghosh Publishing, who correctly predicted that the Bengali edition would sell better compared to the English one, and pushed me into writing it. Also my other book, the biography of Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee, my idol, is currently under translation into Bengali, again at Indrani’s pushing. And finally, this book has been taken up by Penguin-Random House, a great honour. But there’s a catch. They wanted me first to shorten the book which I did. Now they want me to quote all the references, for which I have to hunt up references that I saw some seven years back. Tough job, amounts to reverse engineering the book. This is what is keeping me busy right now.
Meanwhile I had taken up writing my memoirs, and had gone up to 1990, that is the point when I entered politics, but that now lies in abeyance. I seem to be able to write well in both languages. Maybe this is going to be my calling in my remaining years, not politics. Who knows?
I remain a devout Modi-Bhakt, the lacklustre results in Gujarat notwithstanding. In Gujarat he had to combat anti-incumbency of 22 years, caste politics of the Congress and the Hardik-Alpesh-Jignesh trio, hostility from a section of the media (Saudi-funded, I suspect) and the fallout of the daring moves that only he dared to make, namely demonetization and GST. At long last we have a Prime Minister who is a towering personality, of unimpeachable integrity, courage to push through unpopular reforms, undying love for the country, consummate political skill, and, above all, Hindutva in his heart. God speed to him.
My umbilical cord to the RSS remains intact. Saw Mohanji Bhagwat recently at Smt. Mahua Dhar’s house. The man exudes power. To think what the Pracharaks have been through, including three bans, and persecution during the Emergency.
On the family front the year began with my elder daughter and her family, especially my delightful grandchildren visiting, and as the year ends they are visiting again. Presence of the grandchildren and my daughter is an unalloyed pleasure. Kiran, my son-in-law and his mother Vijaya are also visiting.
And on the personal front again, I got my right eye operated for cataract. By God’s grace the operation has worked out well, and my right eye is back to where it was at age 11, though near vision is impaired. And by God's grace my wife and I are all right healthwise, considering our ages of 72 and 68
My wife and I had received Deeksha from Swami Prabhanandaji, vice-president of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission in 2016 and now I am quite steeped in the rituals that a Deekshita is required to do. After Deeksha I saw Prabhanandaji a number of times, and sheer contact with the monk gives me great peace of mind. Meanwhile Swami Atmasthananda, President Maharaj, left his earthly abode. He was the first senior monk of the Math and Mission with whom I had close contact, together with Swami Muktinathananda (Sujit Maharaj) presently of Lucknow. All this happened through the good offices of my late friend Adhip Ganguly. I miss Adhip. I saw the new President Smarananandaji (Jairam Maharaj) and the new General Secretary Suveeranandaji the last time I visited Belur Math.
I keep contacts with Bharat Sevashram Sangha also and see Swami Biswatmanandaji (Dilip Maharaj) fairly regularly. Recently I arranged for the visit of some of their monks to Arunachal, by the courtesy of Dr. Joram Beda, Secretary to the Governor there.
My tweeting goes on, slightly subdued. The number of my followers has swelled to over. 83,000. But still twitter will not verify me, give me the blue tick. Can you guess why?
That’s all for today. See you on 31st December 2018.