Sharrayu Aroskar

Ever attempted such riddles in school and competitive exams? I am sure you have or at least I have. My answer to the above riddle is “Rajiv Gandhi”. What’s yours?

I haven’t traveled over the Bandra Worli Sea Link yet but I think it is a marvel step in building a good infrastructure for a city like Mumbai. This is also a lesson and project to look up to for cites that are soon going to see a Mumbai like financial revolution. One link that can give the technical and other details of this architecture stunt of its kind in recent times is http://www.marinebuzz.com/2009/07/01/mumbai-bandra-worli-sea-link-inaugurated/. Many citizens like us are happy with this first step whose stones are believed to be  laid in during the Sena BJP regime in Maharashtra. It’s good that the Congress took it forward though with some delay. We can still give it to the Congress run state government as this was the first project of its kind in Mumbai.

Now that the project is done, there are vulture like credit takers around. We can still give it to them for the nature of politics that the politicians have been playing for years now. It’s hard for them to just give it away for this project. Needless to say the ruling party in Maharashtra had an easy take at this. Being in the government it was easy for them to pull all the credit strings towards them and choose to name the sea link. What surprises me is the melodrama that ruling party played. I am wondering how long did they practice for this one?

Sharad Pawar now realizing that unless he pleases Sonia Gandhi there are chances that Vilasrao Deshmukh will play the daemon and Congress might choose to go alone in the assembly elections held in September. What better way to attract her attention than to propose to name the sea link after Rajeev Gandhi. With Chief Minister Chavhan looking to be at the center in next five years, I am confident he hardly had a choice but to agree. Now with the decision made to revert from the name originally planned the Congress government didn’t even think of consulting the remaining members of the house. This is one more classic case of arrogance demonstrated by the Congress party in recent times. All the leaders of Maharashtra were either dead or incapable and that is the reason we needed to invite a yoga and English certificate holder from Delhi who married Rajeev Gandhi and hence entered politics to inaugurate architecture exemplary. Congress in its current state thought this to be the right way to inaugurate the sea link. So what? Didn’t the British rule Mumbai? It should have been inaugurated by a foreign born. Where else could they find one except in their own party?

Now the bridge name. Ahh…the Congress dictionary has three Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajeev Gandhi. With Sharad Pawar proposing one it was decided to name the bridge after Rajeev Gandhi. When questioned why the Congress has very generic reasons to give. In the light of reasons given I as a common citizen can give you at least twelve alternate names that fit the reasoning. In this context then I can challenge that there is nothing so unique about Rajeev Gandhi that hundreds of streets, bridges, monuments, airports and other structures be named after him. The reasons Mr. Kripashankar Singh (Mumbai Congress President) gives are that Rajeev Gandhi was born in Mumbai. I have a hearty laugh here. At least 70% of the current population including me satisfies this criterion. So there’s nothing unique about Rajeev Gandhi being born in Mumbai. Kripashankar Singh then says that Rajeev Gandhi has had a hand in Information Technology revolution of this country. I have my own reservations about this claim as the IT revolution started with Stalwarts like Naren Patni, Azim Premji and Narayan Murthi seeking outsourcing business primarily from the US. I would refrain from calling Mr. Rajeev Gandhi an architect of any revolution in India. The third reason that Mr. Kripashankar Singh gives is that Rajeev Gandhi gave his life where in his body was churned to pieces. First of all, this incident happened in Tamilnadu. So whenever we build a sea link in Tamilnadu we can think of naming it after Rajeev Gandhi if localites find it fit. For now there are hundreds of Mumbaites who were forced to give away their lives in bomb blasts and terrorist attacks. If being blown up in a bomb attack is a criterion then it’s the citizens of this city who were razed in terrorist attacks since 1992 who deserve to be engraved on the pillars of that bridge. In this light what remains so unique about Rajeev Gandhi that Congress both at the center and state is after except for being the Prime Minister? This again is not a unique status as we have had a dozen after independence itself. Morarji Desai and Atal Bihari Vajpayee being visionary and deserving of all.

On the contrary Vinayak Damodar Sawarkar whose name was first decided to be given to the sea link when this project was first planned was  a young boy born on May 28^th1811 in Nasik Maharashtra. Born in a Sanskrit scholastic atmosphere Vinayak Sawarkar continued to excel in academics, literature and revolutionary activities against the British. Starting from the “vanarsena” a child play and awakening group to “Mahasabha”in the later stage. Sawarkar was the pioneer of the Independence movement against the British. As a student he was the founder of the “Abhinav Bharat”foundation. He went to London to study law and started his activities from there. He had authored Independence Movement of 1857 and other such likes which became the backbone to the revolutionary movement in India. He was of the belief that India needed a strong armed existence against the British and his activities to strengthen this belief into actions saw many literary miracles and secret assignments being carried out in India during the British rule. Needless to say that soon Sawarkar was de-ported from Britain and sent to India which was then under the British rule. During this time he made a legendary escape from a ship’s toilet outlet into the sea. He swam the salted sea waters with his torture would still open. At the French port he surrendered as his accomplice had not arrived. It was then illegal to arrest anyone on a foreign land. In spite of this the French soldiers to whom Sawarkar surrendered handed him over to the British. He was kept in the Adman jail under inhuman conditions. That is where he wrote a classic that still makes you numb, “Ne majasi ne parat Mathrubhumila,Sagara pran talamala”. This literally translates into “take me to my motherland, ohh sea! my breath stalls in unrest to meet her”. Later during this he was gotten back to Ratnagiri, jailed in Yerawada. He remained the key architect of the armed revolution and concept of Hindutva (cultural nationalism) and akhanda bharat. The nation looked at him as a conspirator in Mohandas Gandhi’s death but Nathuram Godse refuted the charges and Sawarkar was released. His fears of Nehru Gandhi policies came true and India surrendered to China in 1962. Amidst a fire brand life and equally suffering personal one. Sawarkar breathed his last on February 27^th 1966.

Now we know why Sawarkar is Veer Sawarkar and Rajiv Gandhi is just Rajiv Gandhi. Also, we come across this ungrateful and highly nepotism filled Nehru-Gandhi politics that continues the haunt every road, sky walk and sea link built in this country. This why most in Maharashtra and Mumbai are hurt by the hands that inaugurated the sea link and also the name that it will carry as this land of the Maharashtra and given birth to and bred many capable legends that none in the Nehru Gandhi family can even attempt to match.

I have been following the BJP quiet regularly in the media. There was a sizeable population who wanted BJP to be in power for intellect and integrity reasons. However, the rule was not destined to be in hand for next five years. Never the less BJP has emerged as a largest opposition party and has a myriad contribution to make to influence the government policy decisions positively. BJP supporters in India and living abroad have been waiting since the results for the BJP top brass meeting and lessons thus learnt from introspection.

The media had BJP “atma-chintan” meeting on beat. Some did the job genuinely others either wanted to paint it black or gather news of street side gossip quality. Of the statements that came first from the print media, I was surprised to read one that stated “BJP would re-cast “Hindutva” Knowing the quality of journalism in this country in recent election times, I was waiting for the prints of speeches given by L.K. Advani and Rajnath Singh. It was good to see how BJP supported cultural nationalism.

Ever since I opened my mind and head to politics the word Hindutva was always talked of  as a brand that is pro Hindu and anti Muslim. The word to ears also sounds like Hindu extremism these days. I have heard young college girls talk of voting for Congress because BJP is all good except for too much of Hindutva in them. Even educated urban population both settled in India and abroad abhors this word or translates it into Hindu communalism and hates the party or organization that uses it. Naturally its the BJP and RSS that bear the popular brunt.

It is surprising to see how cultural nationalism was tainted by handful of politicians. More surprising is how the people in general have accepted it and even more surprising is the irresponsible print and visual media that leaves the cultural pride of this country on back tracks to make sure they are running on fast TRP tracks.

In my opinion the term Hindutva coined by Vinayak Damodar Sawarkar is an exemplary concept that unites India with its various colors. It is one that makes the blue complement the orange and orange complement the green. It is one that is so essential within this country that it makes the intrusion of foreign rotten brain difficult to penetrate. This concept of Akhanda Bharat houses and encompasses every religion sect and cast. What is refers to is not those who pray like “Hindus” but those that call this motherland their “aai” “ma” “ammi” “mother” etc. When you analyze this a little more, you start observing examples around that support this concept.

I have relished the sheer kurama at friends place on Id. I was born on Pateti and hence Parsi New Year is celebrated in my home in India every year. Having studied in a convent school and alternatively living outside India for a while I and many of my friends who follow other religions except Christianity celebrate Christmas. All Hindu festivals are always celebrated. We look at the office holidays and regardless of the reason of Diwali, Id or Independence Day, it is always welcomed with all zest. In school what binds you in a group is not your caste or religion or language but it’s the culture that you share with your classmates and like experiences. A random someone following Islam doesn’t backfire on Miyan Musharraf because he is a Muslim. He does that because he stands for a culture and knows that the rest, regardless of their religion will stand by his statement in praise and prove him right. It is not out of coincidence that you see Md. Azzaruddin of the Slumdog Millionaire fame touch feet on the podium in spite of being a Muslim. It is not random that a Muslim stands against imposed “Ghunghat” and a Hindu woman stands against forced “Burkha”.

What this states is that something that binds us all in this Indian subcontinent is not our religion or language it’s the culture that we grow in and experience till our death. This beautiful concept of “Akhanda Bharat” or United India was termed as “Hindutva” and every person who calls India his motherland was called a Hindu.

In light of this discussion, the word Hindutva essentially belongs to neither the Congress nor the BJP. It was coined by Vinayak Damodar Sawarkar who was an ardent freedom fighter and an iron man of Sardar Patel cadre. Thus it is the sub standard quality of the Congress thought and other pseudo secular parties to malign a concept that holds Indian culture together for petty votes. It is the arrogance and lack of understanding of common and historical India within the so called “High Command” that has further perpetuated this. It is shameful that the media endorses such actions and maligns parties like BJP and organizations like RSS. The aftermath of which is anti BJP undercurrent because of the use of the word Hindutva.

In my opinion, no party in this country has a right to recast Hindutva as they anyways weren’t the creators of it. Only thing possible is to champion the concept to build a stronger India or build a secular concept better defined than “Hindutva” itself