(The speech addressing RSS workers on the occation of Rakshaw Bandhan celebrations organized by RSS Aruvikkara Shakha on 19/08/2007)
Raksha Bhandhan is a festival, which has been celebrated for thousands of years by the ancient Bharat. The festival, which is celebrated on the Ashada Paurnami day of the Indian calendar every year, is a festival of national unity. This festival has a very rich historical value. This we can read from the Hindu Puranas that, before the battle between Devas and Asuras, Deva Guru Brihaspathy adviced Indrani to tie a Rakhi in the hands of Indra for victory in the battlefield. In Mahabharat also we can see Rakshawbandhan by Panchali in the hands of SreeKrishna. In the time of Mogal attaks the brave Rajapuths of Rajastan had resisted the invaders with the power of Rakhis in their hands taken from the silk dresses of their wives.
On the occasion of this historic festival, which symbolizes national unity, victory and patriotism, we have to think about its present relevance and the hurdles in front of Hindu culture, which is the soul of our nation. As we all know, even at the later half of eighteenth century, India was the richest both on the grounds of cultural and economic values. But it became one of the poor nations in the world after 200 years of Muslim Rule (Mogal Period) and another two hundred years of Christian Rule (British Period). The reason for this is nothing but the absence of national unity. We got our self into the chain of cruel foreign rules.
Even after sixty years of independence the Hindu culture is going through a lot of struggles. It was the philosophy of Mananeeya Dr. Kesava Baliram Hedgewar, the founder of RSS, patriyotism is not a feeling against the British but it is a feeling of unity towards our mother land – Bharat Matha and its Sanathana Dharma. That sanathana Dharma is the soul of our nation. That is why he tried to popularize the slogan ‘we Hindus are a nation’. The concept of Hindu Nation is broad and wide in all means. His vision towards national reconstruction is that to make citizens capable of protecting the freedom of our motherland.
Rashtreeya Swayamsevak Sangh, as an organization engaged in the reconstruction of a destructed and separated nation by external forces for the last eighty-three years, is giving greater value to the festivals like Rakshawbhandhan. On this occasion RSS is trying to restore national unity into the nation. For this I would like to remember you about the threats faced by Hindus. Mainly we are facing three Kinds of threats. Namely;
Cultural threats;
Military threats; and
Judicial threats.
Cultural Threats
Religious transformation is the main cultural threat that has been faced by the Hinduism. It is continuing right from the beginning of the Mogal rule. Religious transformation in this period is so cruel and forcible. During the period of Ourangaseb an additional tax called ‘Jaziya’ was imposed on Hindus for living as Hindus in this Hindustan. Lot of people has been transformed to Islam unable to give this heavy ‘Jaziya’ tax. The whole war prisoners were brutally transformed in to Islam.
In the period of British also transformation continued in the form of missionary work. The Christian missionary workers have staged heavy and uncontrolled religious work on that period which leads to an unhealthy imbalance to our society. In the words of Winston Churchle “when the British came to India, the Indians had wealth and the British had only the Bible. They have given the Bible to Indians and asked to meditate. When the Indians opened their eyes after meditation, the British got the wealth and the Indians have only the Bible”. This shows how the British used Christian Religion for economic and political exploitation. Another example, which revealing the anti national nature of religious transformation, is the autobiography of Mahatma Gandhi. In the 10th chapter of the first part of his book he is saying about his high school life. On those days it is usual to have religious speeches of Christian missionaries abusing Hindu customs, gods and goddesses. Religious transformation also placed on the same place. After transformation, transformed persons are making speeches against his motherland and in favor of British rule. They are forced to use foreign liquor and meet of cow. These actions makes hate in the mind of Gandhiji. He has written that “ we cannot call a religion, which is forcing to use liquor and meet of Gomatha, in that noun.” This book showing the vulgar picture of missionary work staged on eighteen hundreds.
This is important in this context that, religious transformation is continuing even in these days also, by threatening our national unity. It is a proved fact by history that, where Hindu is becoming minority that part of the country will show a tendency to move away from Bharat. Hindu is now almost vanished from the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Northeastern part of the nation is facing a similar kind of threat. That is why the RSS is opposing the religious transformation. We should not allow dividing the nation in the name of religion once again.
Conspiracy has been taking pace to displace religious assets of Hindus. The Mogals had destructed over 30,000 Hindu Temples in their ruling period. Now the Government of India is moving with the Sethu Samudram project which going to destruct the religious asset of Hindus – The Ramasethu. Ram sethu is the only manmade structure crossing a sea in the world and it is an archeologically important structure as it was constructed over thousands of years ago. When the Thaliban Government in Afganisthan destructed Bamiyan Statues, we called them as religious fundamentalists and fanatics. Now we are going to destruct our own religious structure for a shipping cannel. What we will have to call this Government?
Military Threats
We are facing foreign military attacks since the attacks of Arabs in AD 712. After centuries of years India became an independent, sovereign Republic and still we are facing foreign attacks in the form of Islamic Terrorism. If we are verifying the security arrangements and alert systems arranged for the celebration of 60th Independence Day, we can gage the deepness of threat faced by the independent Bharat from Islamic terrorism. We all are on a gunpoint if we are loosing concentration for a fraction of a second. But unfortunately our governments are in serious irresponsible to tackle this situation. Islamic Jihad activities are spreading to all parts of the country under the safe guard of wrongly interpreted theories of Secularism and Minority Rights. We already have seen the presents of international terrorism in Andhra pradesh and northern part of Kerala. Even in such a desperate situation, our political parties and governments are moving with policies of minority appeasement, and vote bank politics irrespective of taking firm actions. The legislatures of most of the foreign countries are strengthening the law of their land by enacting strict laws to counter terrorism. But here strict laws like POTA are removing for vote bank politics. Our governments are failing in preventing terrorist attacks, investigating on them and in ensuring adequate punishment for captured militants. The example of Afsal Guru is in front of us. The apex court has given the capital punishment for him and fixed time limit for the execution. But the UPA Government’s appeasement attitude is the only reason for the unfair delay of the execution. Afsal Guru is not an ordinary criminal. He tried to vanish the entire political leadership by attacking the Indian Parliament. That is why we have serious doubt that he will escape from that punishment.
No doubt this kind of appeasement has led the country in a situation that, the London terrorist attack has been designed in Banglore. We are continuously alleging Pakistan for giving support to militants working against India. But at the same time our Governments are failed to understand that the Indian soil too is using for international Jihad.
Judicial Threats
The conspiracy against Hindus through judicial channel is also very strong in nature. ‘Divide and rule the Hindus’ are the hidden agenda of the new reservation policies. The goal of new reservation policies on the basis of caste is to disturb the social unity and the goal of reservation on the basis of religion is to ensure the economic collapse of Hindus. We cannot see any difference with these policies and religious tax ‘Jaziya’ in the period of Aurangaseb.
Another example of injustice towards the Hindus is the Ram janmabhoomi dispute. It is a matter of national importance that, even after sixty years of independence, the world famous Ayodhya Ram Temple, which is destructed by foreign invaders, is not reconstructed. Ayodhya Ram Temple has a great place in the minds of Hindus, like Mecca and Medeena for Muslims and Saint Peter’s Basilica for Christians. The place, blessed by the birth of SreeRam – Ayodhya, is clearly depicted in Ramayana and other Hindu Puranas. ‘The District Gazetteer of Faizabad, a government approved archeological document is saying the whole story. That is in AD 1528 Babar attacked Chithore, in which Ayodhya included at that time and ruled by Ranaprathapasimh, for widening his empire. But he failed in that battle. The feeling of revenge was in full swing in the mind of Babar. At that time his religious adviser Kasal Abbas Kallender advised him to go for a second attack and to destruct the Ram temple. On this basis Babar appointed his powerful commander Mirba Faque Khan for the mission. Thus Mirba Faque destructed the Gopuras of Ram temple after a 14 days strong battle and a massacre of 1,75,000 Hindus. He made silent the Hindus, assembled in front of the temple, by presenting the separated heads of four Poojaris who were engaged in poojas inside. This is the narration in the historical document ‘The District Gazetteer of Faizabad.’
The story of how the Temple was destructed and a Masjeed was constructed is also described by Babar himself in his autobiography ‘Babar naa’. In spite of this the materials got after 5th December 1992 like Hindu statues, Sanskrit Slabs etc. from the disputed site is also a strong evidence for fact that the masjeed was constructed after demolishing the Ram Temple. The ancient political records kept by the generations of the Royal families of north India are also describing about Ayodhya Ram Temple and the donations given by the various Kings belongs to their family.
In spite of all this The Archeological Survey of India has conducted three excavations in the disputed site. In its all three reports, including its latest excavation report of 2002, it arrived in a conclusion that, the Masjeed was constructed after demolishing an ancient Vishnu temple.
Hindus began battles for Ayodhya since the period of Babar itself. On that sense this movement has passed over 480 years. The Hindus filed a case for the right of worship in Ram Janmabhoomi in the year 1825, when the country was in British Rule. But it is very important and notable that the British Court has held that, “if we can found even a single slab of temple from the disputed site, it belongs to Hindus”.
Even after providing all these evidence our judiciary is still showing the back towards Hindus and describing the movement for Ram Temple as Communal. The justice is still to get for Hindus even after two decades of legal battles. India is a country giving a subsidy of Rs 20,000/- per head for Mecca pilgrimage. But The Hindus have no right of worship in Ramjanmaboomi. He is restricted from visiting Madhura Sree Krishna Janmabhoomi because of disputes. He is receiving bullets from the Islamic militants in Amarnadh. If he is dead in these attacks his family will get Rs. 1,00,000/- and if he is injured he will get Rs 75,000/-. This is the pathetic situation of a majority community having a population share of 87 percentages. How we can ensure minority welfare in this country? Surely Orrisa and Gujarath will repeat. The judicial commission, which enquired about Godhra massacre that leads to Gujarath riot, has arrived in a surprise conclusion that it was not a massacre but the Ram sevaks committed suicide by burning the rail coach! The Hindus in Kerala has screamed in front of a Christian Chief Minister for a CBI enquiry about the Brutal communal killings in Marad, but no results. The Government, for vote banks protected all big hands behind that attack against Hindu community.
Strength is the solution.
Acquiring strength is the only formula to prevent the threats faced by the Hidu community. But that strength should be on the basis of Unity and Dharma. Strength by unity means a movement by participating all sections of the society. For this first we have to demolish discriminations on the basis of caste and politics prevailing in the Hindu community. Vatmeeki is one of the great poets in the world. He has depicted the life of Sree Rama in a manner of reputation all over the world. The next generations of Vatmeeki is known as Vatmeekee Kula. We can see this Vatmeeki Kula in various parts of north India. But now they are the lowest community in the society, doing lower type of jobs like cleaning drainage and toilets. Why the followers of such a great man have reached in this pathetic stage? The answer in the history is, Courageous members of Vatmeeki Kula have led battles against the Mogal Kings. But the mogals defeated them and captured as war prisoners and given two options. One is to transform into Islam and the other is to do such low level jobs. They thought that it is better to do such jobs than be an Islam. That is why they are in present pathetic condition. Actually we are abusing the reputed persons because of caste discriminations. But the belief of RSS is, like the power of a chain is the power of the most week part of that, the power of the society is depends up on the power of the weaker community.
Secondly, strength should be on the basis of Dharma. That means Ravana was a powerful man with an adjective of Viswavijayi. He has all kind of powerful weapons. But he used this strength in a wrong way, that is we called in Bharat is Adharma. The consequence is a battalion of monkey soldiers defeated him. A modern example in front of us is Islamic Jihad. They have terrific and dangerous strength but they used it in a wrong way without tolerance to other communities. They have threatened the whole world by transforming two passenger aircrafts into most powerful missiles in the world with in seconds and hit the World Trade Center- the prestigious towers of America. But what is the present situation of this Jihadees? President Mushraf along with US soldiers are demolishing the Islamic Gothras in Pakistan, the Children in Iraq are waiting for American helicopters for a packet of food, and in Afganistan the female members of US military are handling the dress less ‘couragious’ Jihadees
The timely requirement is a Hindu movement on the basis of Unity and Dharma. Hindu unity is the national unity and when Hindu awakens the nation also awakens. That is why at the time of the centenary celebration of our second Sarsanghachalak Poojaneeya Guruji Golwalker RSS informed the slogan ‘Thasmath Jagratha Jagratha’ and ‘Na Hindu Pathitho Bhaveth’. On the Occasion of this Rakshaw Bandhan we must have a feeling of responsibility that “your protection is in my hand” and it will leads to Hindu unity and ‘Uthishta Bharat’
Vanthe Matharam.