1 News and
current affairs
1.1 Change of
telephone number
Mr Godbole can now be contacted during office hours on
0171-308-2683. His office has shifted to 30 The South Colonnade, London E14,
5EU. The nearest station is Canary Wharf of the Dockland Light Railway ( DLR )
1.2 Taj Mahal
1.2.1Taj Mahal and the
Great British Conspiracy
Mr Godbole has completed the proof reading and sent the
necessary papers to Dr Bedekar. This work is expected to be published in three
months' time.
1.2.2 Taj Mahal Slide Show
First show took place at Mr Manohar Oak's home at Little
Chalfont, Buckinghamshire on 24 July. Mr Oak had a Satyanarayan Puja.
Afterwards the slide show took place. 25 adults and 10 youngsters attended.
Second show took place on 1st September at Ashfield House,
West Kensington, London W14. Twenty Engineers from London Underground attended.
It was well received.
1.2.3 Hindu symbols in Taj mahal
There is a ring of three-in-one Ganesh all around the main
gateway, about 3 ft from the floor. This was discovered by Ashok Athavale of
Kanpur in 1981. Gopal Godse’s article on
the subject appeared in the Marathi daily Samna
of Bombay on 11 August 1994.
1.3
Why rewrite Indian History?
This article by Mr Godbole was published in December 1982
issue of Itihas Patrika of Thane. Dr
Bedekar has now published it as a booklet. Copies are available from Mr
Godbole..
1.4
The Falsity of Indo-Saracenic Architecture
Mr Godbole has started typing this work which has been
postponed for one reason or the other, for last 13 years. A start was made last
year, when at the request of Dr Bedekar, Godbole gave a lecture on the subject
at Thane, India.
1.5 Around
London tour
1.5.1First tour of places associated with Indian freedom
fighters in London was on 17 June. It was specifically arranged by Mr Godbole
for Mrs Anjali Kelkar, Publicity Manager, Maharashtra Tourist Development
Corporation. She was impressed and is trying to promote the idea to tourist
companies in India who organise tours in Europe.
1.5.2 Second tour was on 3 July. The participants were :
Dharam Sandhu, a social worker from Brent Borough Council, he originally came
from Mauritius, Bavasingh, an electronics Engineer, Deva Narayan Arya, a
pensioner from Holland who originally comes from Surinam, and Mr Raghavan, a
retired Architect from London Borough of Haringey. Once again Mr Godbole's
narration was recorded on tape.
Mr Bavasingh is going to buy a video camera It is hoped that
a video of the tour will soon be made available to public.
1.5.3 Visitors from America have to wait for 9 to 10 hours
at Heathrow Airport when they are on the way to India. They can easily visit
some of the places associated with our freedom fighters in London. Mr Godbole
is exploring the possibility of such tours with his friends in America. If you
can help please contact him.
1.6 Veer
Savarkar
Mr Godbole is writing a book entitled Savarkar's rationalism
( Savarkarancha Buddhivad ) 110 pages
have been written so far. It is hoped that one of Godbole's relatives would
translate it into English.
1.7 Amity
between Sikhs and Non Sikh Hindus
The RSS had a Shibir
for one week at Leeds in July. On the last day (30 July) meals for the 500
attendees were provided by the local Gurudwara. Providing free meals
(langar) is a
tradition of Gurudwaras. In the olden days many students in England and America
had taken advantage of this facility, as they did not have enough money.
1.8 Visitors
Mr Jawadekar, an expert in the field of Human Resources
Development, from Pune met Mr Godbole in September. He was particularly pleased
with Mr Godbole’s work on Rationalism of Veer Savarkar.
1.9 Hindu
Awakening at last?
1.9.1 On 14 July 1994 Jeff Postlewaite reported for the Evening Standard, “ New plea in the
battle to save Krishna temple.”
Thousands of Hare Krishna disciples are planning a direct
appeal to Environment Secretary John Gummer today after their fight over the
right to worship erupted in fresh bitterness. The legal move followed angry
scenes outside Hertsmere council offices in Borehamwood as councillors met over
the future of the controversial temple at Bhaktivedanta Manor in Hertfordshire.
Three people were arrested as more than 4,000 demonstrators
clashed with security guards - two youths for public order offences and a
25-year-old man charged with carrying an offensive weapon.
The planning meeting ended in deadlock with no decision on
the Hare Krishna’s bid to build a £1million road diverting worshippers away
from the village of Letchmore Heath. Residents have waged a long-running
campaign against the manor, donated by George Harrison. A special council
meeting may now be called before the next scheduled session in October to
decide the issue which has inflamed passions, with Hindus claiming objectors
are bent on “ ethnic cleansing "
But the temple’s devotees are ready to by-pass the local
authority by pleading directly to Government ministers, already aware that a defeat for the International Society for
Krishna Consciousness could harm Britain’s relations with India. The Indian
Prime Minister has already warned Mr Gummer and Michael Heseltine of a trade
boycott unless the manor is allowed to continue. [could this be true ? if
so it must be a good sign]
The planning meeting was told that the new road should not
be allowed to cut through green belt and that the temple should be moved to a
new site to prevent increased noise.
[ So, it is o.k. for extensive roads to be built to satisfy
government’s craze for more and more roads, but not for diverting traffic away
from the village of Letchmore Heath.]
1.9.2 We are happy to note that Sangh Sandesh the quarterly bulletin of the RSS is now dealing with
far more practical issues than before. We give some examples :-
Sept-Oct 1991 issue deals with the distribution of copies of
Bible to school students in Toronto, Canada . Hindus had a right to object this
practice, but no one did. In 1988 one Mr Narendra Shah objected. Now Hindu
students are given Hindu Holy books.
In July-August 1993 issue we find :-
* condemnation of Winston Churchill’s speech on immigrants
by VHP
* information on a Hindu orphanage in Bombay called Vatsalya
* monitoring of anti-Hindu stance of the BBC and ITV in
their coverage of news of Indians in U.K or news from India.
In Sept-Oct 1993 issue we find :-
* information about Sewa International, a Hindu charity
formed to deal with crisis such as the earthquake disaster in Maharashtra in
September 1993.
* report of visit to Israel by Mr Thengadi, and address of
Hindu-Israel friendship society of America.
* Raising of objections by Mrs Pattani and Mrs Dave to
Anti-Hindu speeches at a seminar in
London on 15 August 1993. It was entitled Gandhi’s India or Godse’s India
.
In Jan-Feb 1994 issue we find :-
* plight of Hindus in Afghanistan.
* availability of Gita in British courts for swearing. (when
Mr Godbole was called to jury service in Feb 1989 there was only the Old
Testament for the Jews, Bible for the
Christians and Koran for the Muslims. He therefore did not
swear. He affirmed.)
* details of actual work of Sewa International in the earthquake affected areas of
Maharashtra.
In May-June 1994 issue we find :-
* letter from Raman Banerjee, giving details of subsidies
given to Haj pilgrims by Government of India, while taxing Hindu pilgrims in
India.
* report by D P Sharma and P Kothari on Narasinha Rao’s
lecture at Guildhall, London. They complained that Mr Rao was a miserable
failure.
1.10 I stand
by my man
Over the past 10 years sex scandals of prominent British and
American politicians have come to light. But what do their wives do? They stand
by their men! Of course when the same attitude was displayed by Hindu women, it
is taken as a sign of their weakness - their slavish mentality. Let us see some
examples :-
In August 1983, it was known that Cecil Parkinson, had been
a lover of his secretary Sara Keays. He eventually had to resign as Trade and
Industries Secretary. But his wife Ann [and his daughters] stood by him.
In July 1992 it was revealed that David Mellor, the
Secretary of State for National Heritage, had a love affair with model Antonia
de Sancha. He eventually resigned as a minister, but his wife Judith stood by
him.
During the October-November 1992 elections, Jennifer Flowers
claimed that Bill Clinton ( now US President ) was her lover for 12 years. His
wife Hillary stood by him and said on TV
“ I love, admire and cherish him. I am not going to see him ruined by
this girl."
In October 1993, Transport Minister Steve Norris admitted
having several lovers. But his wife did
not desert him.
In December 1993 it was revealed that Environment Minister
Tim Yeo 48, had a love affair with Julia Stent 34, a solicitor and a Tory local
councillor in Hackney, East London. Their daughter Claudia-Marie was born in July
1993. But Mr Yeo’s wife Diane ( and his son Jonathan 23, and daughter Emily 21
) stood by him, even when he later admitted to have fathered yet another child.
On 13th March 1994 Chief of Defence Staff Sir Peter Harding
aged 60 resigned his £110,000 a year job after revelations of his love affair
with Lady Bienvenida Buck, aged 31 to 37, wife of Sir Anthony Buck. But Sheila,
wife of Sir Harding said, " I will
stand by Sir Peter." [ Daily
Mail 15 March 1994 ]
On 23 March 1994 Evening
Standard reported, " The Duke
of Richmond and Gordon, 64, who last month admitted to a four-year affair with
Croatian born travel agent Jessica Matasovic, 40, has told the Queen he is
resigning as Lord Lieutenant of West Sussex Owner of 12,000 acre Goodwood
Estate and " Glorious Goodwood " racecourse near Chichester, the
duke, married with grown up children, became the Queen's representative in West
Sussex in 1990. Confirming the affair has ended, the duke, a leading Anglican
churchman, said he had paid his ex-lover £10,000 to help her through an
illness."
But the duke's wife has not
deserted him.
Alan Clark is a former defence procurement minister. He has
standard career path - Eton, Oxford, the Bar, Member of Parliament.
On 1 June 1994 Andrew Pierce reported for the Times :- Clark's Coven flies in to deny blackmail
THE saga of Alan Clark and his “ Coven " degenerated
into a public slanging match yesterday as the two sides in the sex scandal
hurled accusations of blackmail, bribery and debauchery across the media.
Jane Clark claimed that Judge Harkness and his wife and
stepdaughter – both of whom slept with
Mr Clark - had demanded £100,000 for their silence; the Harkness family
suggested that the former defence procurement minister had offered them the
money to keep quiet. And in the midst of all the allegations and counter
allegations, Mr Clark appeared at his castle gate to announce that while he
deserved to be horsewhipped, he had changed his ways and was a reformed
character.
Judge Harkness had arrived at Heathrow from South Africa
with his wife, Valerie, and her daughter, Josephine, yesterday morning and
promptly embarked on a series of television and newspaper interviews under the
guidance of the publicist Max Clifford.
The women described in detail their amorous adventures with
Mr Clark, who portrayed Mrs Harkness and her two daughters as “ the Coven
" in his best-selling Diaries.
Josephine accused the former minister of repeatedly exposing himself to her and
her sister, Alison, when they were teenagers; Mr Harkness told of his
humiliation at learning of his wife's affair..................
Josephine, now 34 and married to the wealthy South African
architect Anthony van der Spuy, started the ball rolling with a hint that Mr
Clark had offered to buy their silence. “ If we wanted to sell it we would have
done so ten years ago when he was a top member of Tory Government, " she
said “ He had denied we were in the
diaries, but he lied and went into print. I was recently married. I have a
family name to protect. I am ashamed of my association with him."
But Mrs Clark swiftly launched a counter-attack, breaking
off from feeding chickens at Saltwood Castle in Kent............ she added that
she stood by her husband.....
On 31 May 1994 Sarah Grady reported for the Evening Standard : Scathing
Mrs Clark says : No divorce.
1.11 Others
will look after their interests. What about us?
As Mr Godbole said time and time again, Germans and French,
Jews and Arabs, Russians and Poles, Protestants and Catholics, and other
mutually hostile communities of the world are quite capable of killing each
other, as well as hugging each other. They look after their interests. Let us
not worry about them. Let us worry about the future of the Hindus!
In February 1994 there was a peace settlement between
Israelis and Palestinians. On 14th May, Israel handed over the control of the
town of Jericho and the Gaza strip to Palestinians. In August, Jordan and
Israel opened road link between the ports of Eliat and Aqaba (the road goes
further to the historic city of Petra.) King Hussein of Jordan and Prime
Minister Rabin of Israel met each other on this road on 8 August. It is expected that there would soon be peace
between Israelis and Syrians.
In September 1994 the Irish Republican Army (the Catholics)
announced a cease-fire. Two weeks later the Loyalists (the Protestants) also
declared their cease-fire. There are signs that there would soon be peace in
Northern Ireland.
1.12 The
Spying Game
On 22 February 1994 BBC1 reported at 2100 hours : Top CIA
agent was discovered spying for Russia.
On 23 February Jeremy Campbell reported from Washington for
the Evening Standard
Fears for British agents in US
scandal
“ THE US spy scandal appeared to have caused the deaths of
at least a doze American recruited agents abroad, it emerged today ........In a
test of friendship, Mr Clinton wants the Russian leader to withdraw all his
diplomats at the Russian embassy in Washington who worked with Aldritch Ames,
the CIA official charged with selling secrets to the Russians for $1.5 million
( £1 million ). His wife Maria del Rosario has also been
charged..........."
A US intelligence
source said, “The reason this case is being taken so seriously is that Ames may
have been responsible for the arrests of our agents which were previously
thought to be the work of Edward Lee Howard, the CIA official who escaped to
Moscow in 1985. One of our agents
executed that same year, the year Ames began spying for the Soviets, was Adolph
Tolkachev, an important CIA recruit who worked for the Aviation Institute in
Moscow. Not long after that, six or seven CIA recruits were apprehended in
Moscow. We don't know their names. It was assumed that Howard was
responsible but now we have a new trail to follow."
In London, there were fears that Ames may even have put at
risk the lives of British agents, passing on details of UK intelligence
operations to which America would have had access.
Sources in London were reluctant to discuss the issue but
said assurances were expected and being sought from Washington about the extent
of the treachery.
Mr Ames, 52,
was one of the top officers in charge of recruiting Soviet officials for the
CIA and had access to top-secret information about US agents and
was well placed to do immense damage, a US official said. He was also in charge of monitoring Soviet efforts to recruit American
spies.
On 24 February The Times
carried an editorial entitled : Intelligence
Test - Global espionage did not end with the Cold War.
Bill Clinton and Boris Yeltsin yesterday performed the rituals
of allies publicly at odds but privately anxious to safeguard their
partnership. Warren Christopher, the American Secretary of State, gave warning
that relations would “depend on Russian actions in the days ahead" to mend
the damage caused by the unmasking of Aldrich Ames, the CIA official alleged to
have spied for Russia since 1985. President Yeltsin's spokesman, meanwhile,
complained petulantly of “spymania" disrupting the progress of post-Cold
War diplomacy.
On both sides, there was more embarrassment than true
outrage. The fledging East-West alliance will survive this incident, albeit a
little bruised. But the temptation to shrug off the Ames case should be
resisted. If, as the FBI claims, Mr Ames was head of the counter-intelligence
branch of the CIA's Soviet division between 1983 and 1985, his recruitment by
the KGB was one of the most spectacular in the history of espionage. It would
have given the Soviet Union unparalleled access to American intelligence on KGB
agents; it would also have compromised the CIA's sources on the Soviet side. It
may be, as was claimed yesterday, that Mr Ames's alleged treachery caused the
death of American agents. Yet the primary function of a mole is to destabilise
the intelligence community into which he burrows by spreading doubt and
suspicion. The damage which Mr Ames caused is therefore impossible to quantify.
Whether the East learnt as much from Mr Ames as the West did
from Oleg Gordievsky between 1975 and 1985 will probably never be
known.............
........ Likewise, the flow of intelligence from the KGB's
agents overseas has continued unabated. Just as Michael Smith, the British
electronics engineer jailed for 25 years in November, continued to pass secrets
to the Russians until July 1992, so Mr Ames is alleged to have spied for them
until his arrest last Monday. The global influence of the KGB did not crumble
with the Berlin Wall.
Nor is there any reason why it should have done so. One of
the great delusions of the years since the Cold War ended has been the belief
that espionage would become an obsolete craft. On the contrary : the
uncertainties of the new geopolitics require a far more sophisticated approach
to intelligence-gathering than was needed when superpower relations were
governed by the fairly predictable rules of nuclear escalation. The Ames case
reveals that the end of ideological confrontation has not weakened the appetite
of States for the secrets of their enemies - or their allies. It poses as many
questions about the future of espionage as it answers about its shadowy past.
On the same day Foreign staff of the Times reported :- Let us not
return to Cold War, says Yeltsin. CIA mole blamed for up to 10 deaths.
“ UPTO ten agents spying for America were executed in Russia
after being betrayed by Aldrich Ames, the former CIA official accused of being
a Kremlin mole for nearly a decade, intelligence experts said yesterday."
.............
“ The human toll of Mr Ames's alleged espionage emerged as
America demanded that Moscow remove the two or three agents in its Washington
embassy who worked with him. It also wants Russian help to assess the damage
caused by the CIA's former head of Soviet counter-intelligence."
“ With billions of dollars in American aid at risk, both
Washington and Moscow are anxious not to let the spy scandal damage their
new-found friendship. President Clinton is under pressure to take a tough
stance and even to freeze cash help for two months, but he said last night that
he would await Russia's response before deciding whether to retaliate. He had
known about the spy case for some time and had chosen to continue normal
relations with Russia. It remained in America's interests to support the reform
programme."
“ Russia nevertheless
accused the Americans of over-reacting, pointing out that Western countries
show no signs of curtailing their intelligence activities in the East.
............ Warren Christopher, the American Secretary of State, had said
earlier that the extent of damage to relationship between the two countries
would depend on Moscow's actions, adding : “ The continuation of Russian
espionage activities against the United States is unacceptable "
“ Detailed demands were issued to the Russian charge
d'affaires in Washington when he was summoned to the State Department for a
second time on Tuesday night. At the same time, Thomas Pickering, the American
ambassador in Moscow, delivered another formal protest to the Russian foreign
ministry."
“ In Moscow, however, officials sought to play down the
damage caused by the arrest of Mr Ames. The Russians are annoyed that the
Americans decided to make the case public at all..........Another said : "
It's quite clear that the partnership that has been established doesn't mean
refraining from gathering specific information. Our agents work in the United States and the Americans work in Russia,
and that’s normal." Russia would be equally capable of exposing
American diplomats and Russians working for the CIA. “ But we don't do
this." About three dozen agents and eight Russian officers were exposed as
spies in Moscow in 1992 and 1993.
“ Oleg
Kalugin, a retired KGB general, said spying was a fact of life and should not
be over-dramatised. The Russians caught several spies in Russia. Now the FBI
have caught one. So, it’s quid pro quo.” The Americans
argue, however, that their intelligence activities have been useful to the
Russians; Robert Gates, CIA director under President Bush, said it had given
warnings of the 1991 and 1993 coup attempts.
Elsewhere the Times
reported, “ The Cold War has been ritually buried and former enemies are
co-operating on fighting terrorism and international crime. Yet the Russian and
Western spymasters remain enthusiastically in place."
“ Russia's foreign intelligence chief, Yevgeni Primakov,
declined to comment other than to say he had never heard of Mr Ames or his
wife, Maria, but his spokesman cheerfully told reporters : “ You can be sure
that the Russians were not doing in Washington that the Americans were not
doing in Moscow."
“ Oleg Gordievsky, who was recruited by MI6 in Copenhagen
and progressed up the KGB ladder to be head of station-designate in London, was
in a position to do as much damage to the KGB as Mr Ames is alleged to have
done to the CIA. One of his first offerings when he defected was to reveal the
names of Russian moles in Britain. Similarly, the most notorious traitors of
the past, such as Kim Philby, were among moles in MI6 regarded by the KGB as
the “ Magnificent Seven " in their
hall of fame."
Anne McElvoy reported from Moscow for the Times :-
Russian media put on old Soviet blinkers.
“ Russia's nascent free press has been flung back into the
traditions of wooden Sovspeak, half-truths and slavish adherence to the
“official version" by the spy scandal. Confronted with the news late on
Tuesday evening, the editors of Russia's newspapers, television and radio news
behaved as they were primed to do under Soviet rule and waited for Tass to lead
the way. “ We would not have dreamt of interrupting the Winter Olympics
coverage to bring this story" Ostankino state television said."
A prolonged silence, like in this case, indicates that the
editors are panicking about what to say. On the night of the December
elections, Ostankino blacked out its news coverage rather than admit the swing
to the nationalists. Tass, which remains the semi-official voice of truth,
finally clattered out a brief factual report, followed by a commentary. It
reminded its subscribers that the “ leaders of the US and other Western
countries have confirmed on many occasions that they did not intend to curtail
intelligence activities with regard to Russia." This established the
premise, developed by senior officials yesterday, which goes : “ Both sides continue to operate spies in
each other’s countries. The West should not make too much fuss about having
caught one. “
1.13 Caning of
an American
In the last Newsletter we mentioned the caning of Michael
Fay, an American convicted of vandalising cars in Singapore. On being freed Fay
gave an interview on Israel radio because he received strong support from
Israel human rights campaigners. His grandfathers were Jews who survived the
Holocaust and his father Mr George Fay said that when his son’s background was
made public “ it touched a chord in Israel.” [ who says religion does not
matter ? ] Ref:- Daily Telegraph 2
June 1994.
1.14 Indian
Madness
On 22 October 1992 New
Civil Engineer reported, “ Calcutta’s second Hooghly Bridge was officially
inaugurated by Indian prime minister Shri P M Narasimha Rao. The ceremony came
more than 20 years after Indira Gandhi laid the foundation stone. Delays were caused by political and technical
disputes, including world-wide concern over box girders in early 1970s ( NCE 23
July ), and shortage of funds. But the erection of the deck and cables over the
last 18 months, using a method devised by 3F Engineering Consultants, was
rapid. The main cable stayed span of the bridge, named Vidyasagar Setu in last
week’s ceremony, is 457m. Contractor was Braithwaite Burn & Jessop which is
now seeking work outside India. Consultant was Schlaich Bergermann &
Partners with Acer/ Freemen Fox & Partners, the original designer, as
checking engineer. A third Hooghly bridge is already being considered.”
Why the delay?
Mr Godbole was involved with this project in 1970 when it
was simply a line on a paper. The Marxist government of West Bengal wanted a
Cable-stayed bridge to relieve the pressure on the first Hooghly bridge
(popularly known as the Howrah Bridge ). But why a Cable-stayed one? Ah, we got
to have an uptodate one.
The facts are these :-
Hooghly is a tidal river with a tide range of 20 feet.
Howrah bridge was built during 1936 and February 1943 ( Seven years ). The
contract was awarded to Cleveland Bridge Company of Darlington. Out of a total
of 26,500 tons of steelwork Tata Iron and Steel Company of Jamshedpur supplied
23,500 tons. It was fabricated by Braithwaite, Burn & Jessop of Calcutta.
Major items of plant and steelwork came from England. No shipment was lost even
during world war II. Census of May 1946 revealed that the maximum number of
vehicles using the bridge per hour was actually 20% higher than on London
Bridge which is the busiest in the metropolis.
( Ref : The World’s
great Bridges by H. Shirley-Smith, 1964 pp 142-147 )
A second bridge could have been easily built of the same
design but in much shorter time. Most of the original designers, supervisors
were alive. There have been advancements in technology, for example welding has
superseded riveting . Very little, if any foreign exchange would have been
required.
What have we achieved ?
Did India develop a new technique to build such bridges on
her own ? NO. She still had to go with a begging bowl for the technology.
Did we save money ? NO.
Did we build without requiring any foreign exchange ? NO.
We wasted at least 13 years and incurred tremendous cost in
delayed transport. True, the bridge was mentioned in the Guinness Book of Structures in 1976 as the 2nd longest steelplate
& box girder span bridge ( under construction ). But the main span of the
new bridge is exactly same as the old one i.e. 1500 feet.
Some may argue, “ surely, the Westerners too are just as
thick-headed and wasteful." True, but they can afford it. India cannot.
Let us take one example :-
Motorway M25 goes under British Railways between Chertsey
and Virginia Waters. The Railway is carried on a Cable Stayed bridge. When the
work was at tender stage in mid 1970s, Mr Godbole met the Bridge Engineer of
British Rail, and asked why were they insisting on a cable stayed bridge when a
simple plate girder bridge would do ? “ Ah,” said the BR Engineer, “ The Department of Transport are paying for
it. We told them that if they wanted to construct a Motorway under our Railway,
they must construct a cable stayed bridge.”
1.15 Our
Slavish Mentality
Kalnirnaya is
a famous Marathi calendar used by many Marathas in Britain and America
On the back pages it contains some interesting information
relating to food, religion, health, medicine, music, astrology, ecology etc. On
the back of September 1994 we find a n article on how to face an interview by
Nandu Sanglikar. He tells us how one Nitin Chakradev behaved at an interview
and why he failed. Nitin found out why he was not selected. And the name of the
prestigious company? Emerson & Canson of course!. It has to have an English
name. It can’t be Joshi and Kulkarni, or Sharma and Varma, or Basu and Patel.
We are still slaves of the English.
1.16 Might is
Right
The TIMES reported
on 1 July 1994, “ Colony cuts massacre
references ”
Hong Kong’s Education Department has deleted from a school
history textbook all references to the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre of
pro-democracy activists in Peking, drawing howls of protests from teachers. The
offending passage, barely 40 words, obliquely referred to the killings as an “
interference ” and the “ June 4 matter, ” said Chiu Chi-shing, vice-president
of the Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union.
At the time of the massacre, in which hundreds, perhaps
thousands of protesters were either killed or arrested, up to a million shocked
Hong Kong people took to the colony’s streets to show their anger.
The deleting of the passage comes as the Hong Kong media are
already being accused of self-censorship in being afraid to publish articles
that might upset China.
1.17 Truth –
who likes it? Who wants to know?
A friend of Mr Godbole had a heart-attack in 1988. He was
rushed to hospital, treated and sent home when he felt comfortable. Exactly one
year later, he received another heart-attack, a massive one this time. He was
treated, and sent home when the hospital
authorities felt it safe to do so. He was not at all happy. He was
worried sick, but had no choice. He was admitted to the same hospital five
times. And as now the hospitals are run as businesses, they say that they
treated six patients! That is how the truth is twisted. But as long as the
voters want to trust government figures and propaganda they will feel that the
National Health is treating more patients than ever before.
2 Historical
findings
Mr B.G.Keskar, a veteran freedom fighter and lawyer from
Bhagyanagar ( Hyderabad ) has recently published a booklet in Marathi entitled Gandhila Nathuramne marale Nahi or
Nathuram did not kill Mahtma Gandhi in 1948. The alleged murderer was a
Congressman and he died in Pune in 1978. Our friend Dr Nene of Baroda had
written an article in the 1992 Diwali issue of Marathi magazine Marmik , drawing the same conclusion
3 Behaviour of
Christians and Muslims today
3.1 Position
of women in European society
3.1.1 The beatings of wives
Tonight, a
evening paper of London reported on 2 August 1994 :- JEKYLL AND HYDE
“ Amanda, a 35 year-old mother of five was strong willed
enough to drag herself out of her agonising dilemma and start afresh with her
children, aged between five and 16. She lives in South London. She met her
former husband when she was just 19. At first everything seemed perfect but it
didn’t take long for him to turn into a Jeckyll and Hyde type character. She
recalls,” When he first beat me he was really apologetic and said he wouldn’t
do it again, but he did many times. And every time I forgave him, I loved him
and honestly believed him when he said that it would never happen again. My
father was violent towards my mother, so when my husband started beating me it
seemed normal in a way. He beat me horrendously, but I put up with it because I
loved him. The beating took their toll, my self esteem was really low and any
confidence I had, had been knocked out of me. I got used to the pain, that was
just a physical thing I learned to handle.”
Amanda, who ended up with two black eyes and stitches in one
of them after one of her husband’s savage attacks, continues, “ It was the kids
that made me step back and take a long, hard look at my life. They knew what
was going on between me and their dad and it was when we ended up in a home for
battered wives I realised something had to be done. After 10 years of being
beaten I decided it was about time I gave myself and my kids normal life. I got
in touch with the DVU in Wandsworth and they gave me support I needed. Debbie,
one of the unit’s officers really pulled me up by the shirt tails when she
said, ‘ Mandy, it’s all up to you, what do you want out of life ?’ ........ I
am one of the lucky ones who managed to get out.......”
Tonight also
carried a report by Donna Dawber entitled Families
at War.
She says, “ Domestic violence is something that happens to
someone else. Most victims tend to put up and shut up until, on average,
according to genuine statistics, at least the 35th violent attack, when it
could possibly be too late. Women - and men - are too ashamed to admit they are
violently abused at home by their partner and suffer in agonising silence.
Mentally and physically scarred, victims generally believe they are worthless
failures and find it difficult to discuss their problems with family or
friends.”
“ So widespread is the incidence of one partner beating up
the other that the number of domestic violence units ( DVU ‘s ), first
established in 1987 in Tottenham, has mushroomed to 62 in London alone. The 126
full-time police officers provide support and advise victims on legal action
they may want to take, as well as provide a sympathetic shoulder to cry on.
Inspector Shirley Tulloch, who is in charge of the units throughout London,
explains: “ In 1984 the then Commissioner decided to look at problems
associated with violence in the home. Police were being called to more and more
cases, which were becoming more vicious, and officers were getting assaulted.
He wanted to sort out the existing problems and provide a decent service for
victims. A positive arrest policy was encouraged to arrest at the scene of the
crime if there was sufficient evidence and officers were also encouraged to
give victims the support they needed. Some people were astounded when we set up
the positive arrest policy - they couldn’t believe they were being arrested for
beating their OWN wives in their OWN homes. ”
She stressed, “ Violence in the home is a very personal
thing, which most people find difficult to admit. It’s one of those things that
is never talked about. By the time victims pluck up courage to come to one of
the units they’ve probably suffered a great deal of pain and anguish. They’re
petrified and afraid they could lose everything they’ve got - family, home and
regular income.”
Shirley Tulloch continued, “ The success of the units, a
positive approach to victims and abuses and the partnership forged with other
agencies has resulted in more victims coming forward. For example there was a
66 per cent increase in reported domestic violent assaults in 1991. We believe
this is the tip of the iceberg. Research shows that a woman is assaulted 35
times on average before she reports it. And it is estimated that one in 4 women
will suffer domestic violence at some time in their lives. A pilot project
called Domestic Violence Matters was launched in February to cover the
Islington and Kings Cross areas. It is based on work done in Onrtario, Canada,
where trained family consultants work alongside police in the station on a
shift pattern covering 18 hours a day. Police attend the scene of an incident
and if there is sufficient evidence the abuser is arrested. Then the family
consultant goes to the scene and deals with the needs of the victim. The project
is being funded by the Home Office and Safer Cities. It will run for three
years after which it will be fully evaluated. The Met also has a working party,
which has looked at all aspects of the problem, including a new definition to
include psychological and emotional abuse and refers to partners regardless of
gender and sexual orientation. We acknowledge that there are also male victims
and encourage them to come forward as well.”
3.1.2 Truth about
divorces
On 15 October BBC2, in their series Timewatch ( 1410 hours ) dealt with the issue of divorce during
1945 to 1979. Very briefly it told us the following :-
1. Until 1945, divorce was available to British women in
name only. It was impracticable to obtain it .
2. There were three grounds for divorce. Desertion, cruelty
and adultery. The woman seeking divorce had to prove that her husband was
guilty. How could she do this when she had no money ?
3. Women seeking divorce were further blackmailed as they
would lose the custody of their children if they were divorced. A cruel and
heart breaking situation for any woman. Men found guilty of adultry, however,
had the right to see his children!
4. Women faced hostility from their own parents, even their
mothers, who told them :- marriage was your decision, now you must bear the
consequences.
5. Church authorities showed sympathy to the women seeking
divorce, but pleaded that they were unable to help.
6. Women’s magazines were just as useless. The agony aunts
would advise to make a go of the marriage.
7. If the marriage broke down, it was always regarded as the
woman’s fault.
8. Labour Party was just as conservative as the Tories when
it came to social issues. (Clement Attlee despised Edward the VIII and would
not have served under him if he had married Mrs Simpson ). They came to power
in 1945, but when a Labour woman M.P with the support of M.Ps from all sides
put up a bill to modify the then current system of divorce, the government
simply appointed a Royal Commission - a standard delaying tactic. The commission
took 5 years to produce its report and did not recommend any action because of
disagreements between its members.
9. When divorce was made relatively easy later on in the
1960s the position of women seeking divorce worsened. The properties were
always in the name of the man. So, on divorce the woman would be thrown on the
streets. [ Mr Godbole remembers a case in 1970. He used to live in the village
of Hoddesdon in Hertfordshire. Through a Bengali couple living in the same
village, he heard of the wife of a local supermarket manager. She complained
that her husband beat her regularly and sought divorce. The social worker told
her : - ‘what you say is true. But at least for the sake of the society your
husband provides for you and your children. If you divorce him there is no
guarantee that he would pay anomaly. In many cases husbands make the life hard
simply by not paying the settlement money or forcing their wives to go to court
every week. The life of divorced women is indeed bleak.’
That was the reality of life. The woman still divorced her
husband, at a later day. ]
3.2 Carey
backs Christian challenge to Islam
Damian Thompson, Religious correspondent reported for DailyTelegraph on 21 June 1994
“ Christianity’s right to challenge Islam was defended by the
Archbishop of Canterbury yesterday in a sermon denouncing theological “bullies”
who want to see Christians defer to other faiths. In a sermon affirming his
evangelical roots, Dr Carey attacked liberal Christians who see other faiths as
equally valid. “ One of the most disturbing trends in the Western Church has
been a tendency for some to loosen their grip on the singularity of Jesus
Christ.” He told a theological conference in Montreal
“ We have been bullied into this by a powerful theological
voices which have suggested that Christianity must come to terms with its own
‘parochiality’. It has no right to challenge Islam or any other religion. “ It
is merely a Western face of God. It must therefore surrender its commitment to
being accepted in every part of the world and be content to be one face and one
voice amongst many.” This view should be rejected, he said.
“ Of course we hear and respond to those who resist the
militaristic methods of some evangelism. All mature Christians deplore forms of
presentation which are insincere, manipulative or coercive, but to be concerned
for these things does not mean we cease therefore to proclaim the uniqueness of
Christ. To do so is a denial both of our history and our theology.” The area of
relations with other faiths, especially Islam, has proved troublesome for Dr
Carey. His attempts to encourage inter-faith dialogue while supporting the
Decade of Evangelism have led to clashes with both evangelicals, who attacked
him for attending a multi-faith Commonwealth service in Westminster Abbey and
with Muslims, who have accused Lambeth Palace of targeting them.
Two years ago, the Decade organisers were forced to tone
down an evangelistic campaign called Spearhead, renaming it Springboard after
Muslim complaints.
The Rev Tony Higton, the General Synod member who led the
campaign against the Commonwealth service, said last night that the
archbishop’s comments were very welcome. “ I am particularly glad he has
mentioned the challenge to other faiths. He needs to say the same thing loudly
and clearly as well as in Canada.” he said.
Mr Ahmed Versi, editor of Muslim News and a leading commentator on Islamic affairs, said
Christianity has the right to challenge Islam and vice versa. “ We are both
religions who look for converts. [ but where would they come from ? only from
Hindus ] “ What disturbs us is that Dr Carey and the Church of England do not
support us on issues like Muslim schools
and new legislation to protect us from religiously -inspired violence. “ They
talk about the two faiths living in harmony but their actions do not bear out
their words.”
3.3 Cruelty to
animals
Royal Society for prevention of cruelty to animals ( RSPCA )
continues to publish more and more horrifying cases. In a recent leaflet they
say, “ Imagine being beaten every day of your life. Imagine being starved and
left out in the cold by the person who is supposed to love you. Imagine being
maliciously tortured and left to die in agonising pain. Sadly this is the
reality of life for thousands of animals in Britain today - animals like Billy,
the dog on the front of this leaflet. His heartless owner wrapped his starving
pet in a plastic sack, and left him by a rubbish chute, almost hidden by
rubbish bags waiting to incinerated. If
he hadn’t been found, Billy would have starved to death. When we rescued him,
Billy was so weak that he couldn’t even lift his head or crawl out of the open
bag. We got him immediate veterinary attention, but the vet told us that Billy
had been starved for so long that he probably wouldn’t live. Nevertheless we
persevered, and very slowly Billy began to recover. Today he’s a happy dog,
living in a good home.”
Tom’s story
What on earth inspires someone to take a kitten and punch
its face and head with such violence that it is left staggering and fighting
for breath? That’s what happened to ten-week-old Tom, bought from a pet shop
and taken home only to suffer repeated, vicious beating. If he RSPCA hadn’t
found him in time, Tom would almost certainly have died from his injuries.
We found Tom in a terrible state, hardly breathing and
trembling with shock. But with love and care provided by the RSPCA, this small
and battered creature made a quite amazing recovery. Today he’s a healthy
contented cat, safe with a new family.
We took his cruel owner to court and he was banned from
owning a pet ever again.
Nutcracker’s story
When Nutcracker was just a few weeks old he was fitted with
a head collar. After that, his owners just ignored him. As time passed and
Nutcracker grew bigger, the nose band became tighter and tighter. By the time
he was three months old, it was embedded in his nose, causing an inch-deep
rotting wound. Now Nutcracker could barely open his mouth to suckle from his
mother. He was slowly starving to death, and in terrible pain. When we
discovered him to free him from the head collar.
Nutcracker now lives with people who know how to care for
him. His former owners were fined over £3,000
Every year we see more and more distressed, maltreated,
frightened animals like Billy. In just one year, our Inspectors investigated
over 88,600 complaints of cruelty. It’s a massive problem that is stretching
RSPCA resources to breaking point. We rescued 3,223 animals from suffering and
helped convict 1,456 people for inflicting pain and misery.
3.4 Muslim
fanaticism
Evening
Standard reported on 17 May 1994 “ About 5,000 Bangladeshis rampaged
through capital Dhaka, smashing cars and stoning police in anger at water
shortage. They claim India caused problem by ‘stealing ‘ water from Ganges.”
4. Why does
History matter?
On 18 April 1994 commenting on events in former Yugoslavia, Valentine Low reported for the Evening Standard : Centuries-old enmity
between Croats and Serbs erupted in this bloody tragedy.
THE BLOODY tragedy of Yugoslavia stretches back to a
centuries-old enmity between the Catholic Croats and Orthodox Serbs. Since 1918
they were united along with the Slovenes under one country - Yugoslavia, the
land of the south Slavs. But it was the Second World War that led to the
bitterest memories. Hundreds of thousands of Serbs were massacred by the puppet
fascist regime installed in Croatia, the Ustasha. After the war President Tito
united the country under a communist-style federation of six “ people’s
republics”. However, the differences between the ethnic groups, kept submerged
under Tito’s rule, surfaced quickly after his death in 1990.
April-May 1990 : In the republic’s first elections after the
collapse of the Communist regime, nationalist Franjo Tudjman’s party wins
almost two-thirds of the seats in Croatia’s Parliament.
June 1991 : Slovenia, the most Westernised republic,
declares independence. The Yugoslav army intervenes to try to stop it but
fails. A month later Slovenia negotiates independence and withdrawal of troops.
Croatia - the second largest republic with 4.7 million
people, 700,000 of them Serbs - declares independence at the same time as
Croatia. Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic sends in the Yugoslav army, the
JNA.
November 1991 : The eastern Croatian town of Vukovar falls
after a four-month siege.
January 1992 : The Croatian war formally ends with a death
toll of 10,000. Scores of villages have been wiped off the map. Bur despite the
cease-fire and the 14,000 UN monitors, the fighting continues.
March : Former US Secretary of State Cyrus Vance brokers a
peace agreement between Serbia and Croatia. Territory seized by the Serbs is to
be demilitarised and become a protected zone.
April : Following a referendum in support of independence,
war begins in Bosnia, where the population of 4.4 million people is a mix of
43.7 per cent Moslem, 31.4 per cent Serb and 17.3 per cent Croat. The Serbs
claim 60 per cent of the land. [ But is that not the logic the Muslims use in
India. Before partition 22% Muslims demanded parity with 75 % Hindus! ]
The day after war starts, Germany persuades the rest of the
EC to recognise Bosnian independence. The Bosnian Moslem army is vastly
outgunned by the Serbs, partly thanks to the UN arms embargo preventing
supplies getting to them.
The Serbs drive out tens of thousands of Moslems from their
homes - so called “ ethnic cleansing “ [ But, surely that is exactly what
Muslims did in Pakistan and Bangladesh ! ] Later reports out of Bosnia show
that Serbs have been keeping Moslems prisoners in virtual concentration camp
conditions. [ Come on, Europeans do not do that sort of thing ]
May : The siege of Sarajevo begins, trapping 380,000 people.
The UN imposes economic and political sanctions on Serbia, stopping all flights
to Belgrade and banning trade.
June : 11,000 UN troops secure Sarajevo airport for relief
flights. Meanwhile, Croatian troops are fighting for land claimed by Croatia in
the west of the republic.
October-November : Serbs shell Dubrovnik in a bombardment
that lasts for weeks, destroying much of the historic town - but they did not
take it.
March 1993 : Gen Phillppe Morllion hoists a UN flag in the
centre of the besieged Moslem town of Srebrenica and refuses to leave until the
serbian siege is lifted. A so called “ safe area “ is created but months later
turns out to be a hollow promise.
April : The Bosnian Serbs reject the Owen-Vance peace plan,
which involved splitting Bosnia into ethnic cantons. In central Bosnia, Croats
and Moslems are locked in a fight to the death for key towns.
Jan 1994 : President Slobodan Milosevic signs a treaty with
Croatian leader Franjo Tudjman, secretly agreeing to carve up Bosnia between
them.
Feb : 68 people are killed and 200 injured in bombing of the
central market-place in Sarajevo. The UN threatens the Serbs with an ultimatum
of air strikes if the Serbs do not withdraw heavy weapons from a 13-mile
exclusion zone. The Serbs finally agree.
[Thus the conflict goes on and on. Why is it not ended ?
Well, unlike Kuwait in 1990, Serbia does threaten vital western interests.
Traditionally Croats are allies of Germany, Serbians are allies of the
Russians, and Muslims ?- well the Muslim nations are helpless. ]
5 Why we
cannot tell the truth
5.1 One of Mr Godbole's friend's son is studying Medicine in
London. In 1991, in his first year, he failed in Anatomy. He could not believe
it and wanted to appeal. He was told quite bluntly, " That would not be
advisable. You may win the case. But you will ruin your future career as you
will have a black mark against you. Better retake the examination - You will
pass. The choice is yours."
5.2 On 23 July 1993 Richard Norton-Taylor reported for the Guardian
Man who exposed firm evicted
A former company director who saved the taxpayer more than
£1 million by blowing the whistle on overpriced defence contracts was evicted
from his home yesterday after years on the dole.
Jim Smith, aged 58, was sacked by Aish, a defence company
based in Poole, Dorset, after questioning the firm's accounting system. The
company subsequently paid £421,000 back to the Ministry of Defence. A further
£600,000 was deducted during renegotiations on other contracts. His action was
praised by the Commons Public Accounts Committee. In a report five years ago,
it called for a " hot line " to encourage whistleblowers and
informers to expose malpractices in the defence industry.
Mr Smith was refused compensation by the MoD. Concerned
about creating a precedent, it said that it would probably have got the money
back from Aish without his help. Mr Smith has been unable to secure a job ever
since he exposed the loopholes in the department's pricing system in 1981. He
was dismissed at a board meeting that year when he refused to agree to the
company's procedures. He sued for unfair dismissal but lost his case at an
industrial tribunal. He warned members of the Commons committee that the lack
of mandatory post-contract investigations in the defence business could be
costing the taxpayer up to £100 million a year. The MoD has since changed its
procedures.
After an unsuccessful last-minute attempt to raise money,
bailiffs evicted him and changed the locks at his home in Poole where he and
his wife, Maureen, have lived for more than 20 years. Mr Smith had been
struggling with unpaid debts and mortgage arrears amounting to £20,000. A
spokesman for his mortgage company, the Chelsea Building Society, said that
after twice agreeing to reschedule Mr Smith's repayments, it could wait no
longer.
" Irrespective of how I feel about the building
society, the real problem is I'am in this situation because I find myself
without income and unable to work having taken an ethical stance." Mr
Smith said yesterday. He said that despite the effect on his family, he would
do the same again. " I feel a sense of sadness and distress." he
said. Mr Smith has recently had a heart attack, and he and his wife suffer from
angina. He is seeking legal advice about his chances of getting the eviction
order rescinded. Meanwhile, he is applying for emergency local authority
housing.
6
Acknowledgement
We are grateful to the following for their help :-
For posting copies of our newsletters in India
:-
Dr
Gadre of Pune, Anjana Roy of Calcutta, Arvind Kulkarni of Preston Road,
London,
Jawadekar of Pune.
For making copies of our newsletter and distributing the copies to friends ;-
Dina
Nath Behl of London, Arvind Ghosh of USA
For distributing copies of Why Rewrite
Indian History ? to friends
Mr
Umapathy of London, (10 copies). Mr Ashok Athavale of Kanpur, India
(
50 copies )
For arranging a slide show on Taj Mahal
Mukund
Raste, of Norwood, Surrey. -
7. Publicity
and Appreciation
Please help by :-
* acknowledging the
receipt of this newsletter to the following address
Mr
V.S.Godbole
14 Turnberry
Walk
Bedford
MK 41, 8AZ
U.K.
* sending money to Mr Godbole
* making five copies of this newsletter and sending them to
your friends.
* arranging slide shows by Godbole at various social
functions