INDIAN INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH INTO TRUE HISTORY
NEWSLETTER
NO. 55 OF 16 FEBRUARY 2010
1. NEWS AND CURRENT AFFAIRS
1.1 Package offered.
Godbole now offers a package of his books and a CD. The books are -
Taj Mahal: Simple Analysis of a Great Deception. (2nd edition 2007)
Why
Rewrite Indian History (2nd edition 2007).
The CD has nine PowerPoint presentations: -
1st is on historical arguments on Taj Mahal (125 slides)
2nd is called Unseen Taj Mahal (91 slides)
3rd is called How the Taj legend grew (240 slides)
Taj Chronology 1/2/3/4 (information in tabular form)
Taj
Mahal – a PPT presentation (useful for a one hour programme)
*
Special London Tour (see below)
In December 2009 one set was sent to Dr Ankush Joshi of Kansas City in USA.
At first he wrote – “I haven’t read the book yet but quick browsing of book and bibliography gives idea of your single handed pursuit, devotion to the voluminous work. Hats off to you!”
Later, he wrote – “Just finished reading the booklet (why rewrite Indian history). Could relate to every word you wrote about 'why bother?' smug people brainwashed by British, Politicians, Indian textbooks and Media. It was very powerful experience reading the booklet and feeling your passion for the subject. Do you have a website? You should, I strongly suggest.
You have earned
my respect,”
In November 2009 a request for books was received from Josie Basile, an Italian immigrant living in New York. She wrote,
Hi Vasu –
“I just received the literature concerning the Taj Mahal. I have already skimmed through the information. I am very excited to read it. It was very kind of you to mail them to me and I am very grateful.
Thank you - I will be in touch.”
Josie
1.2 Visit to Hindusthan
In December 2009 Godbole with his wife visited Hindusthan
Some impressions –
> Waste disposal is now a serious issue. At many places local councils are asking residents to keep their waste into 2 separate boxes. One for wet, one for dry.
Wet waste covers items like banana skins, vegetables, left over food. This is buried straightway to become compost manure.
Dry waste covers all that is dry – like papers, wrappers, tins, bottles.
Many
people make a living by sorting Dry waste. It is very useful for them if Wet waste
is separated.
> Earthquakes
occurred on four days while we were there. Magnitude about 4 on Richter scale
> Hindu Marriage ceremony – people do not keep quiet even for the important 10 minutes when the priest start saying – Laxmi, Kausthubha, Parijatak, Sura
>
Rice is given to participants for throwing over bride and bridegroom. This is
sheer waste. Most of the rice cannot reach them. It falls on heads of other participants.
There is no effort to collect such rice, clean and wash it and use it for cooking.
>
A Retired Bank Manager came to see Godbole at around 9 p.m. No warning, no telephone
conversation beforehand. He just assumed that I would be at home!!! What is the
use of mobile phones?
Brain-drain in reverse.
According to newspapers, students
in US/UK are returning home instead of seeking jobs in the West as they feel they
have better future in Hindusthan.
Toilet
facilities for gents are poor. Invariably there is no water to wash hands. Position
for women is even worse – there is no excuse for this.
Insecurity of life and property
It seemed that everywhere
the Police are unable to protect people and their property. Sakal a Marathi
language paper reported case of a retired Brigadier (a Sindhi) who was attacked
and robbed. He was later kidnapped and a ransom of 20 lakhs of rupees was demanded.
The matter was then referred to the police.
>
Farmers find it difficult to find brides. And these are not poor farmers. Those
who are very rich also face the same problem. Even girls from poor families are
reluctant to marry farmer’s sons.
>
Travel by air is spreading but photo I.D. is required. British passports are accepted.
It was interesting to note that Lufthansa the German Airline has flights to Pune
(Lohagav Airport).
> Nagpur – stayed in hotel Hardev. Though our bathroom wall was on road-side, there was no ventilator / window
Visited Ramtek – weather is misleading. It does get hot very quickly.
Disgusting to see that sanctity of our temples is not maintained by Hindus. They throw away plastic wrappers all over the place. The temple authorities could keep containers for such waste. Or the visitors could take waste home/ hotel and dispose them there.
Toilet facilities – these are disgusting
and there is no excuse for this.
Travelled by road to Hemal-Kasa the work place of Dr Prakash Amte and his wife Sau Mandakini. They have been doing wonderful work for uplift of tribal people in the region bordering Maharashtra / Andhra. They have to work under shadow of Maoists terrorists.
Dr Amte gave one example of how well-intentioned government rules become harmful in practice. They live in remote area and have to use blood form donors that are available. His first priority is to save life. Any infections can be dealt with later on. But government insists on good blood even if it means loss of life.
(Sau
Mandakini said – when we came even missionaries did not venture here. But now
they are coming after we made tremendous difference. We now realise that our own
people had sold strategic lands to missionaries, nearly a century ago!!)
>
Railways – Passenger trains have 14 to 16 bogies whereas in England there are
only 8. Also goods trains are very long indeed with some 30 wagons.
>
Buses and Lorries – These are much longer than in Britain.
>
Privatisation of services – provision of food in Hospitals – ants and insects
found in food supplied by private contractors
>
Shortage of labour – no nurses and ancillary staff available for small private
hospitals. They can make easy money elsewhere. As a typical example a ‘home
help’ with an IT couple with a child can make 5,000 Rs per month. Twice a day
she cooks, washes dishes and clothes (in machine) and look after the baby for
a while. She can easily do this for 4 households in surrounding flats and make
20,000 Rs per month. Why would she work as a Nurse for 6,000 Rs per month?
> As luck would have it, wherever Godboles go there are always important events happening. They went to Nagpur by air. The very same day there was winter session of Maharashtra State Legislature. While coming back to Nagpur, there was 20/20 match with Shree Lanka.
In Pune there was Pune Marathon. Gopinath Munde’s daughter (or was it son) got married in Pune.
Otherwise
Sonia Gandhi, or Chief Minister of Maharashtra will visit Pune.
>
Divorce rate is rising at an alarming rate. It is a cause for concern.
>
Airlines do not use plastic knives, forks and spoons. They use stainless steel
ones instead. This may be due to problem of disposing plastic.
>
It was really sad to see young children selling goods like footballs and making
a living. The sight of Street Children is a constant reminder that something is
wrong with our society.
> Stray
dogs are a nuisance.
>> Relations with China.
There is a surprise numbers of
Hindusthanis visiting China. These travel for industrial / commercial / technical/
scientific exchanges. Whether it is for good or bad, we cannot say.
1.3 Savarkar – Some unknown history
Godbole delivered lectures on this subject at three places. They were --
Vartakashram, Pune 5 December 2009
Modi Ganapati, Pune 13 December 2009
Savarkar Seva Kendra, Vileparle,
Mumbai 19 December 2009
It is most
unfortunate that despite so many years having passed, many details of our freedom
struggle are still not explored. Here is a list –
Savarkar’s newsletters from London
* Tilak transported to Mandalay – June 1908. Protest meeting of Indians was held in Caxton Hall, London. What happened at the meeting?
* December 1908 - Savarkar organised a public celebration of birthday of Guru Govind Singh – what was reported in the British papers?
* 1919 Jalianwala Bagh massacre – Tilak’s public meeting in Caxton Hall. What was reported in British papers?
> Savarkar mentions other meetings of Indians in Caxton Hall. What was reported?
>>Interviews
of Savarkar as they appeared in British papers.
Andaman –
Letters of Babarao (elder brother of Veer Savarkar) to Bal from cellular jail.
Letters of (Bal ) Narayanrao to Babarao and Tatya (Veer Savarkar)
At the outbreak of World War I in 1914 Savarkar wrote to Viceroy and Secretary of State for India (originals need to be preserved) asking for Colonial Self Government for India. In return he would ask all revolutionaries to cease their activities. In 2001 Godbole had raised this issue with Vikram, son of Bal (Dr Narayanrao). He never received a reply.
Where are all
these letters? Without them we are in the dark.
Prison record of Babarao – every prisoner, on his release is given a record of his prison sentence, giving details of his conviction by court, his sentence, prison, cell number, work allocated, remissions and punishments etc.
Where
is this record? Where was Babarao kept? Is the cell still in tact?
Savarkar’s preface to My Transportation for Life. He says -
“I have been asked by many to write about my experiences in jail on Andaman Islands. The thoughts came up to my lips but would not come out of the mouth. Like a flower growing in the dark, it died soon. The reason being that what needs to be told CANNOT be told under the present circumstances (due to British Raj). What can be told is superficial, broken and of minor significance. However, I am getting many requests that people want to read whatever I could say in present circumstances.”
That was in 1927.
What a pity that no one requested
Savarkar to tell the full story after Indian independence. Now we would not know
what he could have told us.
(During
these lectures, Godbole distributed 200 copies of his short article on Taj Mahal.
All 10 copies of his CD were purchased by people in audience.)
1.4 Geeta in American Hotels
During his stays
in some hotels Godbole found that Gideons Bibles are kept in all the rooms. He
felt a need for copies of Geeta to be kept also. Now here is a good news received
on 9 June 2009.
Subject: [media_monitor5] ISKCON preaching Sanatana Hindu Dharma using innovative methods, other Hindu Movements need to emulate
After Gideons Bible, 1M Hindu Holy Books to Don Hotels across North America
By John Beita , Christian Post Reporter
Inspired by the Gideons, who are known for distributing and placing the holy Bible in hotels and motels around the world, a Hindu group has followed the suit, believing that “whoever reads one verse, one line, or even touches will have perfection in life.”
Hare Krishna movement (ISKCON) said they plan to place one million Hindu holy books across hotels in North America along with the Gideon's Bibles. Now along with Gideon’s Bible are Hindu holy books ‘Bhagavad Gita’ placed side by side in many hotels and motels across North America. ‘Motel Bhagavad-Gita Project’ taken up to distribute one million Hindu holy book ‘Bhagavad Gita’ all over the hotels and motels in the United States and Canada has “yielded tremendous success,” said the volunteers who are carrying out the work.
The volunteers were members of Pancajanya Project, a branch of ‘Hare Krishna’ movement, also known as International Society of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) dedicated to placing at least 1 million Bhagavad-Gitas in guest rooms across the U.S. and Canada.
“Whoever reads one verse, one line, or even touches one of these books will have an opportunity to achieve perfection in life and meet Lord Krishna face to face,” said Vaisesika Dasa, president of ISKCON”s Silicon Valley temple in San Jose, California, and visionary of the Pancajanya Project.
Encouraged by the Indian community who owns a large number of lodgings in the States, Rohini Nandana a volunteer in Boston area said, “Something like 60% of the economy lodgings in the United States are now owned by Indian Americans, primarily Gujarati Patels. This gives the owners a unique opportunity to spread the wisdom and glorious message of Krishna throughout the country.”
“We are finding that many of the owners we contact have been waiting for an organized effort such as this one and are showering their blessings on this Project,” she added.
The voluntary group said, the project got a big boost after “it had taken a booth at a convention held by members of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) who met for their annual national convention and trade show” held near Washington D.C in April this year.
It was where the group requested the AAHOA members, with a plea saying, “Please let us provide copies of Bhagavad-Gita to place in your rooms alongside the Gideons Bibles.”
The
volunteers said that with orders for nearly 30,000 books and counting, the goal
of placing 1 million Bhagavad-Gitas seems quite realistic.
1.5 Sad state of affairs in Hindusthan.
One of our friends has raised an important question on 4 August 2009
._,_._____._,_.___
WHY
IS VALOUR NOT HONOURED IN OUR COUNTRY?
By
Lt Gen Vijay Oberoi
The 10th anniversary
of Kargil Diwas on 26 July passed with no fanfare and little remembrance. Only
the serving personnel and the veterans of the defence forces remembered their
erstwhile comrades who had laid down their lives on those forbidding heights,
as well as those who had fought shoulder to shoulder with the brave martyrs.
That they prevailed against tremendous odds is a tribute to their guts and valour. The drama of Kargil was enacted over nearly two and a half months, till the last of the Pakistani intruders were killed or chased out of the Kargil Sector, by the doughty brave hearts of the Indian Army and Air Force. The Kargil Sector is actually a swathe of real estate along the Line of Control (LC) in J&K, stretching north east from the steep glaciated heights north of Drass and extending to the general area of Turtok, just short of the Siachin Glacier.
Kargil
had caught the imagination of every citizen of our country during those tumultuous
summer months of 1999, from the time the Pakistani intrusion was first detected
in early May, till the last of the Pakistani soldiers were neutralized and the
entire area was sanitized by 26 July.
The
various battles fought in the sector were a series of tactical level offensive
operations, conducted with courage and élan. The officers and men of the Indian
Army had scaled those formidable and razor sharp sheer heights, unmindful of their
lives and limbs. They had won victories on those high peaks, where the defenders
- the Pakistani troops, had all the advantages.
The
nation had lost 527 valuable lives and over 1300 officers and soldiers of our
defence forces were wounded, many losing limbs and organs permanently. They were
all brave young men, who sacrificed themselves, with grit written large on their
determined faces and a fierce fire burning strong in their bellies.
Why
is such unparalleled bravery forgotten by our countrymen within a span of a mere
10 years? Have our nationalistic feelings atrophied to such an extent that we
have no time to remember the sacrifices of our brave soldiers and airmen, who
fought so valiantly to restore the sanctity and pride of the motherland? Is it
the government, which needs to be reminded to take the lead on such occasions,
or the military or the people? The country does need to honour its soldiers and
the earlier it is done, the better it would be for the security, growth and progress
of our nation.
Over the last nearly
two and a half months, remembrances of the Kargil martyrs appeared in practically
all newspapers on a daily basis. These were either inserted by their kith and
kin or by their comrades and units to which they belonged. All of them were proud
of these warriors and there is a lot of meaning in such remembrances. However,
our government neither had the time nor the inclination to pay homage to those
brave men who laid down their lives for their country. I was horrified to read
in the media the callous statements attributable to the political leadership,
the political parties and the bureaucracy, that made light of the valour and sacrifices
of the officers and soldiers who gave their all for the honour of the country.
It
is the media, both print and electronic and the ex-servicemen (ESM) who took a
lead in generating enthusiasm for the 10th anniversary of the Kargil Diwas, but
alas the somnolent functionaries of the government remained unmoved.
One newspaper had reported that the government has decided that the Kargil War was not worth celebrating as we had not crossed the LC! What logic indeed?
Another
report clarified that the army on approaching the government was grudgingly “allowed”
to celebrate the Kargil victory on a “low key”! How generous of a grateful
government that does not hesitate to call in the army at the slightest pretext?
The related question is for the
army. Since when does the army need permission to remember its comrades and martyrs,
notwithstanding the low or high key effort the army chooses to adopt? This is
solely the prerogative of the Chief and the C’s-in-C; they must not let anyone
interfere with this. If the news report is correct, it is another unwarranted
effort at reducing the status of the military, politicizing it and treating it
with disdain.
Ours must be the only country in the world where decisions to commemorate military events are based on which political party is in power! One national party, when in power, celebrated Kargil Diwas because that military victory took place when theirs was the ruling party. The other does not, but celebrates Vijay Diwas instead, as it was their party which was in power when the Indian Military did the country proud by their resounding victory over Pakistan in 1971.
A
third category popular with the government is when no event is celebrated, or
is celebrated in ‘low key’, on the specious plea that it may adversely affect
the peace process with a particular country!
It
is this kind of convoluted logic that shames our nation. The end result of such
a thoughtless and lackadaisical attitude on the part of the government is that
the military, which is proud of its brave military heritage, is forced to have
such celebrations and remembrances in the confines of their cantonments, with
no participation by the civil populace, the political leaders or the government.
What a dismal and farcical situation?
It
is the intelligentsia, the opinion makers and the common man and woman who should
have taken matters in their hands and honoured the warriors of the Kargil conflict
on the 10th anniversary.
In future,
let such events not be sacrificed at the alter of political and administrative
expediency, because the government wants to play politics, forgetting that when
those brave soldiers assaulted the enemy sitting on those forbidding heights,
they did so for the security of the nation and to restore its pride.
The
author is a former Vice Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS).
1.6
Why this Love for Jinnah?
Jaswant Singh, former BJP leader caused a sensation by publishing a book on partition and suggesting that Jinnah was demonised by India. (August 2009).
He
was promptly dismissed for the party. Here is some exchange of interesting E Mails
–
17 August 2009 / devinder.thakur@btopenworld.
Vinod Kumar Ji,
I agree with you that it does
look that Jaswant Singh has gone far beyond what Sh. Advani had said in Pakistan.
I think, in fairness, Advani had some justification in saying what he had said.
After he was suitably feted by the host country, he felt that perhaps that was
the right time to convey a message to Pakistan that the present day Pakistan is
not what their founder father intended, by referring to Jinnah's famous speech.
No doubt that speech made Sh Advani sit on a hot seat for a long time afterwards.
It looks that Sh. Jaswant Singh's book would certainly land him in a' dog house'
with the RSS and others for a long time to come. No doubt the book should sell
like a hot cake Regards DT
V Kumar replied – Devendra ji, Thanks for your comments.
I
don't agree with your assessment that Pakistan is not what its founder intended
it to be. The test of pudding is in eating. In my opinion much is made of Jinnah's
Aug 11, 1947 address to Pakistan's constituent assembly -- I will not repeat it
here. Everybody on this group I am sure is well aware of it. This is also the
speech on the basis of which Advaniji made his now "famous" remarks about secularity
of Jinnah. Like the old saying "one swallow does not a summer make" -- there is
more to summer than one swallow. Similarly there is more to Jinnah than just one
speech.
Even if for the sake
of argument we accept Jinnah really meant what he said in his speech and indeed
had a change of heart after partition was agreed upon and was only five days from
coming into affect, what actions did Jinnah take after that day to make that happen?
He was Pakistan literally. The killings in Pakistan continued long after his speech.
Did he take any action against the killers? Did he address Hindus and Sikhs for
his support? Did he call the military into action to stop the killings?
Please
tell one single action that he took as the Governor General of Pakistan to protect
the lives and property of the Hindus and Sikhs?
If
Pakistan was to be a secular state then what was the need for partition? If Hindus
and Muslims were to live peacefully in Pakistan why could they not live so in
undivided India? If Muslims could not live in undivided India, how could they
live in India after partition?
You
wrote "Advaniji had some justification in saying what he had said". I don't see
any justification in Advaniji's remarks. Jinnah as far as I can see was not a
secularist. He might have had some notions about it in his earlier career but
after his sojourn in UK, he was quite clear about his goal. It was not just personal
ambition -- it was more for Islam's sake though he might not have been a five-times-a-day
namaazi. I know many Hindus who never go to temple but are hard core ideological
Hindus.
Our comments – Advani
had no justification in what he uttered. No one asked him, “If your Jinnah was
so nice, why did you and thousands of Sindhi / Punjabi Hindus (including Sikhs)
run away to India?” That would have stopped his silly notions. But no one in
BJP raised this question.
1.7 Conversion of Hindus to Christianity even after help from Hindus!
On 20 August 2009 we received a strange E Mail. From imagin8r. to
media_monitor5@yahoogroups.
We are working on a livelihood project in a remote village near Pulicat, Tiruvallur district for the last three years. Almost all the villagers were Hindus when we first started our work. Recently a large section of the village has converted to Christianity. It is a very painful experience to see the dramatic and sudden change in the lifestyles of the villagers and their fanatic approach. Is there some Hindu outfit that can undo the damage done? I would like to contact these organisations to win back our people.
M.Krishnan
/ emkay1957@.
2. AROUND LONDON
TOUR OF PLACES ASSOCIATED WITH INDIAN FREEDOM FIGHTERS
2.1
Godbole conducted one such tour on 14th November 2009. The weather
forecast was very bad. Only 2 men came. But Godbole said that once he has given
his word, he will conduct the tour whatever the weather.
Publicity
On 1 October 2009 an article
on Godbole’s Special tour written by Manohar Rakhe of London had appeared in
Marathiworld,
The same article
was published by E.Sakal on 26 October 2009
3. Visit to ‘India Office’ of Savarkar’s times
Every year, on one week-end some government buildings are open to public.
India Office was the office of Secretary of State for India from 1858 till 1947. It is now Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Bharti Tailor of London informed Godbole that the old India Office would be open to public on 19/20 September.
Accordingly, Godbole and his friend Manohar Rakhe visited old India Office on 20 September. It was a great feeling that the two were following footsteps of Savarkar, Gokhale and Gandhi who visited this office in 1906 for different reasons.
Savarkar went to see Sir Curzon Wyllie to obtain two passes to listen to debate on Indian Budget, in the British Parliament.
Gokhale
went to see Morley, the then Secretary of State for India, to protest against
the partition of Bengal, while Gandhi saw Morley with complaints about mis-treatment
of Indians in South Africa.
The information about the opening came from Kate Crowe. Her title reads
Non-Muslim Faith Groups and Historical Visits Manager
Room W.G.10
Corporate Communication Group
Communication Directorate
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
King Charles Street.
London, SW1A 2AH
Tel: (+44) 020 7008 3637
Visit our blogs at http://blogs.fco.gov.uk
Is
this a new development? Why the title - Non-Muslim Faith Groups??
4.
BEHAVIOUR OF CHRISTIANS AND MUSLIMS TODAY
4.1 The Muslims
4.1.1 Muslims in France
On 22 December 2009 we received a mail from Mohan Gupta. It reads –
Subject:
France follows Swiss lead. No more praying in streets. Some Paris neighbourhoods
have been taken over Fridays with large numbers of Muslims clearly establishing
Islamic primacy by taking over huge sections of streets by 'praying' in them in
such a manner that no other traffic is possible. (videos below) thanks to Tundra
and Gaia, we have a translation of a newspaper article on a proposed referendum
to end this hostile and predatory practice. <http://verite-valeurs-
Mr. President
This is an appeal for help from
the citizens of the 18th arrondissement. <http://verite-valeurs-
For several years now, certain of our streets have been occupied by fundamentalists who come from all over the Parisian region to practice their cult activities. The pavement for hundreds of metres is taken over, putting pedestrians in grave danger as they are obliged to walk in the street to get past the people "praying".
Entire streets are roped off with cars and security barriers and no entry signs, preventing the inhabitants of the area from going out or returning to their homes, the shopkeepers from working, ordinary citizens from circulating normally.
Every protest or even a simple attempt to penetrate into the zones occupied by these fundamentalists risks being met by insults, threats and aggression and for some time now no one dares to protest, such is the fear installed in our area. Are we no longer a secular Republic? Isn't occupation of the public highway by unauthorized cultural activities a public order offence? Is preventing the free circulation of citizens in public areas, by means of threats or other means, normal in our city? Why do we no longer have the right to enter or leave our homes? Why do we have to live in a climate of fear? Mr. Delanöe, the Mayor of Paris, knows perfectly about our situation, as does Mr. Vaillant Mayor of the 18ème et Mr. Gaudin Préfet de Police. All of them have abandoned our streets to Islamic fundamentalists; they have abandoned their citizens who can no longer walk around their city because certain areas are out of bounds to non-Muslims during prayer times.
Mr President, you have affirmed that in France there are no No-Go zones. So what would you call these areas or the militant fundamentalists who shut roads for their exclusive private use for a number of years now without the police intervening to re-establish public order?
Mr. President. Do not abandon us also. Stop this occupation of our streets by fundamentalists.
The inhabitants of the 18ème area of Paris.
We are not able to sign this document for fear of our lives and those of our families.
Our
comments – Muslims tried similar tactics in Mumbai, not long ago. They stopped
only when Hindus started mass prayers (Aaratis) on roads.
4.1.2 France Takes on Islam,
(a) Deportations Have Started!
On 29 October 2009 we received the following E Mail from Radhasyam Brahmachari :- Islam in Action is a site dedicated to exposing the worldwide issue of Islamofascism. The owner of this site is not calling for any violence or harassment of Muslims. He is looking for political solutions. One being putting a moratorium on Muslim immigration.
http://islaminaction08.
More
than 21,000 people have been deported from France this year – with 27,000 the
ultimate target, said Mr. Besson.
(b) A few months ago when French President Nicholas Sarkozy announced that burqas were not welcome in France, I had a feeling that was just a small step in France's battle with Islam. Now more of the saving France from Islam plan has been revealed.
(c ) France to launch national pride campaign in battle against Islamic fundamentalism (By Peter Allen 27th October 2009)
France is to adopt a series of measures to 'reaffirm pride' in the country and combat Islamic fundamentalism. They include everybody receiving lessons in the nation's Christian history and children singing the national anthem. Using words which infuriated ethnic minority groups and Socialist opponents, immigration minister Eric Besson also said he wanted 'foreigners to speak better French'. He called for all recent arrivals to be monitored by 'Republican godfathers', charged with helping immigrants to integrate better. His proposed measures contrast sharply with the situation in Britain where 'citizenship education' centres on multicultural diversity and the European Union, while 'God Save The Queen' is not even taught in schools.
M Besson, who was born in the former French protectorate of Morocco, suggested a debate on national identity' entitled 'What does it mean to be French?' He also reignited the debate about face and body-covering Muslim veils, saying they should definitely be banned. 'For me, there should be no burqas on the street,' said Mr Besson. 'The burqa is against national values - an affront to women's rights and equality.'
As well as providing civic lessons for adults - including classes about the country's Christian history and liberal political institutions - the government will encourage school children to sing the national anthem at least once a year.
In an interview broadcast on national TV, Mr Besson said: 'It's necessary to reaffirm the values of national identity and the pride of being French. 'I think, for example, that it would be good for all young French people to have the chance to sing The Marseillaise at least once a year.'
Making clear that radical Islam was a threat, Mr Besson said: 'In France, the nation and the republic remain the strongest ramparts against fundamentalist tendencies. France is diversity, and France is unity.'
Mr Besson defended a decision to send illegal Afghan immigrants - all of them Muslim - back to Kabul on charter flights organised in conjunction with the British government last week, saying there would be many more. More than 21,000 people have been deported from France this year - with 27,000 the ultimate target, said Mr Besson.
Explaining the apparent shift to the extreme right by President Nicolas Sarkozy's government, Mr Besson evoked the legacy of Jean Marie Le Pen's anti-immigration National Front party, which is struggling massively with huge debts and low electoral support.
Mr Besson said: 'We should never have abandoned to the National Front a number of values which are part of the Republic's heritage. I think that the political death of the National Front would be the best news for all of us.'
4.1.3 Muslims in Germany
On 6 October 2009 Ashok Chowgule sent us an E Mail
German publisher drops novel over fears of Muslim backlash Author DPA
Publication: Earthtimes.org / Date: October 3, 2009
A German publisher has cancelled plans to publish a mass-market novel out of fears that it might face violent protests due to a rude reference to the Koran, Der Spiegel magazine reported Saturday. The crime novel - about the "honour killing" of a Muslim woman - had been scheduled for September publication, but the Droste publishing company of Düsseldorf decided not to print it after all, the magazine said in a story to appear in its Monday issue.
It said the publisher had first asked the author, Gabriele Brinkmann, writing under the pen name WW Domsky, to tone down dialogue in "To Those Worthy of Honour" which might be construed as offensive, but she had refused.
Spiegel reported that the offensive phrase in question was a character saying: "You can shove your Koran up ..."
Publisher Felix Droste had asked an expert on Islamic society to study whether the crime story's text could compromise the safety of his firm or his family, and the expert suggested the phrase be modified. But the author refused to alter it to "You can shove your honour up ..." Droste wrote back that riots over Danish cartoons that poked fun at the Prophet Mohammed in 2005 showed that anyone publishing insults to Islam was putting their safety at risk, Spiegel said.
4.1.4 Mischief by British mass media
On 26 November 2009 one friend sent us the following news.
No Sharia" Rally in London Brings Together Muslims and Humanists
It seems that the media in the world has decided to censor this rally.
Author: Publication: Iheu.org / Date: November 23, 2009
http://www.iheu.org/no-sharia-
"Sharia law is a form of religious dogma and tyranny. It is homophobic, sexist and anti-democratic. It persecutes LGBT Muslims. Same-sex acts carry the death penalty in several Islamic states. Gay people can be stoned to death or hanged in countries like Saudi Arabia and Iran. We support LGBT Muslims - and all Muslims - who are fighting for their freedom," said Peter Tatchell of the LGBT human rights group OutRage! and Green Party parliamentary candidate for Oxford East. "This protest supports secular democracy. Secularism is often confused with anti-clericalism. The two are not the same. Secularism is not against religion per se. It is against giving religion privileged status, rights and protections.
"We believe there should be a separation of religion from the state. No faith should dominate any government and seek to impose its creed on the rest of society. When this happens, freedom of expression is diminished and minority faiths are victimised.
"For these reasons, secularism is not only an important element of freedom of expression. It is also the best guarantee of religious freedom, as it prevents any one faith becoming politically dominant and abusing its powers to oppress people of other faiths," Mr Tatchell added.
Lib Dem MP Evan Harris condemned the government for "caving in to religious pressure." He cited the way Britain's equality laws allow religious bodies to discriminate against LGBT people and people in certain circumstances. Mr Harris also condemned the government for giving privileged advisory status on policy and legislation to often unrepresentative faith leaders.
Roy Brown of the International Humanist and Ethical Union warned that over 50 Islamic states, with the support of many developing countries, are currently "demanding that the United Nations outlaw the defamation of religion." This would restrict free speech by criminalising criticism and condemnation of religious beliefs and institutions, he said.
A speaker from Iraq, Issam Shukri, told the rally how Islamist militias linked to the cleric and MP Muqtada al-Sadr had executed dozens of women who they deemed to be improperly dressed because were not fully covered head-to-toe. These militias have also organised death squad executions of LGBT Iraqis.
Maryan Namazie, the rally organiser, told the crowd:” Our rally is being held to mark Universal Children's Day and the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. We are not defending western values. We are defending universal humanitarian values. Sharia adversely affects the rights, lives and freedoms of countless human beings across the world. Opposing Sharia law is a crucial step in defending universal equal rights and secularism, and showing real solidarity with people living under and resisting Sharia."
--Based on a report from Peter Tatchell
4.1.5 China executes nine over Xinjiang unrest
AFP 9 November 2009, 07:00pm IST
BEIJING: China has executed nine people over deadly ethnic unrest in its far-western Xinjiang region, regional authorities said today, the first executions since the violence in July
"The first group of nine people who were sentenced to death recently have already been executed in succession, with the approval of the Supreme Court," Hou Hanmin, spokeswoman for the Xinjiang government, said. It was not clear when the executions took place. According to previous statements by the Xinjiang government, this first group consisted of eight members of the mainly Muslim Uighur ethnic minority and one majority Han Chinese. China tried and convicted 21 defendants in October, nine were sentenced to death, three were given the death penalty with a two-year reprieve, a sentence usually commuted to life in jail, and the rest were given various prison terms. The violence erupted on July 5, pitting Uighurs against members of China's dominant Han group, leaving 197 dead and more than 1,600 injured, according to an official toll. Han vigilantes then went on a rampage against Uighurs two days later, but the exact number of casualties from that day has never been divulged. The 21 defendants were convicted of crimes such as murder, intentional damage to property, arson, and robbery.
Our comments – and still Government of India did nothing!! We Hindus are always told (by fellow Hindus) – There is Islamic brotherhood of man. You touch one Muslim and the entire Muslim world would be against you.
What
happened here? No protests, no violent demonstrations against Chinese Embassies,
no murmur in Press.
4.1.6 Shape of things to come
On 1 November 2009 we received the following news.
Radical Muslims want UK Queen to be forced to wear a burkha
http://in.news.yahoo.com/139/
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II would be forced to wear a burkha under sharia law, radical Muslim campaigners said.
The Daily Express quoted Abu Rumaysah, spokesman for pro-sharia campaigners Islam4UK, as saying that she would also be stripped of all authority and the monarchy would be abolished under the sharia system they want to impose on Britain. They have already said that Buckingham Palace would be renamed 'Buckingham Mosque'. Rumaysah said the Queen would be forced to cover up in public from head to foot, with only her eyes visible. "The Queen will not really be a person having any authority under the sharia. Every single woman should cover from head to toe, only showing her face and hands," she said. Fellow spokesman Amjem Choudary added: "If the Queen decides to go outside is to cover herself like every other woman."
Note
from the Hindu Vivek Kendra: Also watch a video on the views of Amjem Choudary
at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?
5. How
history is twisted even today
5.1
Entry of Dalits into Hindu Temples
In
October 2009 news came that Dalits were at last being admitted to Hindu Temples
in Tamilnadu. Here is how the news was reported and a pertinent comment on the
same
Touch me not - Author: Editorial
Publication: The Indian Express / Date: October 30, 2009
URL: http://www.indianex press.com/ news/touch- me-not/535078/
Introduction:
Why did Dalits have to wait so long to enter a Tamil Nadu temple? This could have
made news 60 years ago. And even then, it would have been shocking. For the fact
of Dalits entering a temple to make headlines in the 21st century only goes to
show that untouchability is far from a bygone evil. The injustice is so stark,
the story makes easy telling. When a group of Dalits had previously tried to enter
the Ekambareshwarar temple in Tamil Nadu's Nagapattinam district, they found it
locked by the temple management. After many rounds of negotiations with the village
panchayat, a group of Dalits reattempted entry - this time under police escort
- only to have stones hurled, and the situation spiralled out of control. This
is a scandal, an insult to our Constitution and the enlightenment that it embodies.
Not only is there a specific proscription against untouchability in the Indian
Constitution, but temple entry for Dalits had also galvanised our early social
reformers in much the same way school desegregation galvanised the American civil
rights movement. It is, in these extremely imperfect and regrettable circumstances,
a relief that on Tuesday a group of 80 Dalits, under full police escort and accompanied
by district officials, finally entered the temple and prayed.
But
prayers are not enough, if the government wants to prevent a repeat incident.
The law is not the problem. As it is, many of the caste Hindus in the village
apparently piped down after they were told that their actions were illegal and
merited consequences - an example of how the law can be made to work. The initiative
then must lie with the government, especially the district administration. The
message they send out must be loud and clear: preventing Dalits from entering
temples is a crime, and those who prevent them from doing so will be made to pay.
Comment received on Sunday 1 November 2009 --
The
editorial is absolutely wrong in accusing "Caste Hindus" apparently implying Upper
Castes including Brahmins etc. The Editor has not applied his mind and has made
a wrong accusation. The temple belongs to a family of Vanniyars who are also part
of SC-s. The Vanniyars constructed this temple or their Community and for the
village. They objected to the entry of lower SC as Chamars or Mochis etc. from
entering their temple and it was a dispute inter-Dalits where no upper Caste was
involved.
The international media and anti-Hindu groups abroad as well as activists like Arundati Susanna Roy get fodder for their anti-Brahmin or anti-Hindu writings by such irresponsible editorials which are supposed to carry the essence of the news of the day.
--------------------------
5.2 Usurping of Hindu buildings by Muslim rulers
Dr. Radhasyam Brahmachari has been writing a series of article under the title – Distortion of Indian History for Muslim appeasement. On 15 May 2009 he wrote
The Red Fort in Delhi:
Whenever we visit
the historical monuments of Delhi and Agra, the guides tell us - this is the fort
built by Emperor Akbar, or that is the palace built by Emperor Shah Jahan, or
here is the minar made by Sultan Qutb-ud-din and so on and so forth. They try
to convince us that all the forts, palaces and other monuments of excellent architecture
in Delhi and Agra were authored by the Muslim invaders. We also give them a patient
hearing and believe in what they say, as our history books also give similar accounts.
Above all, by going through such history books
from our childhood, the claim of Muslim authorship of all these edifices has penetrated
our mind so deeply that we never apply simple common sense to estimate the
credibility of the said claim.
On this Dr Saradindu Mukherji commented on 15 May -
Many, if not most of the so-called Muslim architectural structures are built on the rubbles of the pre-existing pagan/kafir temples/ buildings. Look at the history of the holiest of holy Islamic shrine at Qaba, Mecca. It was a pagan temple, where the pre-Islamic Arabs prayed. The Muslims grabbed it and made it their own. Just not buildings, people converted to Islam gradually become Arabized and pretend to be different from their blood brothers who did not change their religion and the related paraphernalia. Prof Bramhachari has once again done a wonderful job in getting the record straight.
Godbole wrote –
Dear Dr Mukherji
One
important correction. Muslim invaders DID NOT BUILD on the rubbles of Hindu buildings.
That is the fantasy created by Fergusson, who wrote, for the first time, History
of Architecture of all the countries of the world, (around 1855). Muslims merely
misused Hindu buildings as mosques and tombs.
That
is subject matter of my forthcoming book - falsity of Indo Saracenic Architecture.
6.3 Jana Gana Mana
How prejudiced we still are –
On 16 March 2009 we received the same old absurd E Mail from
Media monitor /Kanchan Banerjee <kbkali@yahoo. com and others :
Subject: Janaganmana: Indian national Anthem question again!
www.newglobalindian .com
Godbole replied - We have been through this before. Please refer to our web-site www.satyashodh. com Truth about Jana Gana Mana.
You will find the following -
(1) Accusation first made in 1980 by Bal Jere, a confident of Veer Savarkar
Shree
Kumar is making the same mistakes as were made by Jere.
(2)
Refutation of the charges by well known Maratha, P L Deshpande who had gone to
Shantiniketan to learn Bengali. He had pointed out that Jere is relying on reports
in Anglo-Indian papers but NOT nationalist papers like the Bengalee or Amritbazar
Patrika.
(3) P L Deshpande also
gives other important pieces of information.
(4)
Full text of Jana Gana Mana in Devanagri. It is astonishing that no one bothers
to read it.
(5) Text of the song
in Roman script (for those who cannot read Devanagri).
(6)
Word by word translation of all the lines by V P Kanitkar of London.
(7)
It is astonishing that the translations of Kanitkar and Deshpande are same, even
though Kanitkar was a Brahmin from Maharashtra who suffered during anti-Brahmin
riots after assassination of Gandhi in 1948 and came to London as a destitute,
whereas Deshpande was a blind follower of Gandhi. And there is a gap of 28 years
between the translations.
(8) Meaning
of the song in Tagore's own handwriting.
(9)
The song that was actually sung at Delhi Durbar. That is NOT Jana Gana Mana.
Now, just ask yourself some questions -
> Was Tagore invited to attend the Delhi Darbar?
> If so, did he go? Did he receive any honours?
We
know that Motilal Nehru was invited and did attend the Darbar. What about Tagore?
PLEASE
VISIT OUR WEB-SITE BEFORE MAKING ANY MORE COMMENTS.
S
Kumar replied -
I have gone thru' the poem in Devanagari script a well as Tagore's handwritten
manuscript. But how could you explain the press reporting the events as follows in 1911? These should be available in the archives to refer?
"The Bengali poet Babu Rabindranath Tagore sang a song composed by him specially to welcome the Emperor." (Statesman, Dec.28, 1911)
"The proceedings began with the singing by Babu Rabindranath Tagore of a song specially composed by him in honour of the Emperor." (Englishman, Dec.28).
"When
the proceedings of the Indian National Congress began on Wednesday 27th December
1911, a Bengali song in welcome of the Emperor was sung. A resolution welcoming
the Emperor and Empress was also adopted unanimously. " (Indian, Dec. 29, 1911)
Finally Godbole replied -
Dear Shree Kumar,
Here is what I have found in my study room -
" 1912 was an eventful year. Early that year he (Tagore) was given the first important public reception of his career when Bangiya Sahitya Parishad felicitated him in Calcutta on the completion of his fiftieth year. Two months after, he read at Overtoun Hall his famous essay, ' My interpretation of India's History', wherein he gave a prose paraphrase as it were of his 'Jana Gana Mana' song (now the National Song of India), earlier composed for the anniversary of the Brahmo Samaj, proclaiming that India stood for unity in the midst of diversity."
Later in May (1912), he sailed for England where his manuscript translation of the Gitanjali poems created a sensation in English literary circles headed by W B Yeats.
(Ref – Dictionary of National Bibliography – Volume IV (S-Z), page 315 Edited by S P Sen, Institute of Historical Studies, Calcutta , 1974 ) Tagore was born on 7 May 1861. He was 50 year old on 7 May 1911. Is it possible for your Bengali friends to find details of Tagore’s speech of 1912?
S Kumar replied -
I
appreciate and commend your efforts to justify that Tagore did not write Jana
Gana Mana in praise of the visiting King George V, though the timing, the personal
requests to him to write a "Mangalpatra" to welcome the visiting "King" and his
scribbling the song and throwing it at them might be he wrote it against his consciousness
but under compelling circumstances of the environment existing then. (But who
was this person requesting Tagore to compose a song in praise of King George V?
No one wants to know!)
I
still believe that what the English media reported in 1911 is true and perhaps
attempts were made later to amend the same later to project it as a patriotic
song. Or it is possible that Tagore wrote only the part played as National Anthem
now, to welcome the King and other stanzas were added (Aharahathava..etc.) at
a later date to make it more comprehensive. ( Godbole’s comments – one
you believe in something, it is obvious that you do not wish to know the truth.
So, what is the point of arguing?)
Anyway,
let us close this discussion and we agree to disagree on our views over this matter,
though my views do not question the patriotism of the great poet who had to abide
by the request of many VIPs of the day under British rule.
Thus,
S Kumar DID NOT answer a single question raised by Godbole and regards the editors
of Anglo-Indian papers as descendents of Raja Harischandra. He also did not visit
our web-site
* On 16 July 2009 Udaya Raste of Croydon sent us the same old E Mail in circulation since the year 2000. Godbole asked all on the circulation list to visit our web-site and get the correct information. Only one person did.
.
__._,_.___