On 22nd June 1897

It is an amazing day today in history of armed revolution in India. It was on the same day in 1897 Damodar and his younger brother Balkrishna killed two British officers Ayerst and Rand. Who were these guys and why the whole family sacrificed themselves on the altar of freedom.

The 3 Chapekar brothers Damodar, Balkrishna and Vasudev were from Chinchwad but settled in Pune. From childhood they were interested in martial qualities and intended to join the Army. But Damodar was rejected on the grounds of his caste and he took up profession of kirtan i.e bhajans and philosophical discourses. Taking inspiration from Vasudev Phadke and Tilak the discourses were structured to inspire people to fight against injustice. In this backdrop Pune was attacked by bubonic plague. People died in droves due to Black Death.

So the British government appointed Rand as officer in charge for controlling the menace. But the medicine was worse than the illness. In the name of containing plague, houses were ransacked, people were thrown outside Pune even on suspicion. British soldiers used this as an opportunity to loot and outrage the modesty of women. People were seething with anger and to make matters worse, the empire was celebrating diamond jubilee of Victoria’s coronation.

Chapekar brothers decided to avenge the injustice and what better occasion than the party for celebrating diamond jubilee in club near Ganeshkhind of Pune. As the coach carrying Rand was near, Balkrishna leaped from behind and fired shot in the head of the officer. But realized that he had killed Ayerst instead of Rand. As the original coach approached Damodar with the same agility fired on Rand. Ayerst died on spot and Rand a few days later. The empire was jolted and used all it’s resources to catch the revolutionaries.

On the basis of information by Dravid brothers they arrested Damodar and later Balkrishna. Dravid brothers were lured by money and government service. To teach them a lesson Vasudev Chapekar and his friend Ranade killed them near their house. All the four were sentenced to death by hanging. All the three brothers left behind their parents, young widows and infant children. Ranade was 18 and a bachelor.

Sister Nivedita came from Bengal to visit the family which sacrificed all their sons in freedom struggle. It is said that in an unbroken chain Vasudev Phadke inspired Chapekar brothers and they inspired Veer Savarkar who wrote a beautiful poem on them in his young days.

BHARAT MATA KI JAI !!!!

On Savarkar Jayanti: 28th May
A few days ago while watching INVICTUS with office colleagues , everybody was amazed at the persistence of Nelson Mandela and the sufferings he went through for 27 years in small cell in solitary confinement. This is not for comparison but how many of us know about our own Veer Savarkar.
He was awarded 2 back to back life imprisonments in Andaman i.e 48 years and the year of start was 1912. When in chains in jail of Mumbai his young wife came to meet him. It was probably the last meeting as he was going into jaws of death but the confidence of this man was unshakeable. How he consoled his wife is legendary, he said “if accumulating a few sticks and giving birth to children is life, then it is lead by birds and animals but we are HUMAN. Even if we are ruined today, imagine thousands of lives who will smile because of us”.

When in Andaman he was put in solitary confinement and was subjected to “kolhu” for oil extraction. If one did not fulfill the stipulated amount of oil one would receive lashes or would be confined in chains in a very uncomfortable position. Even for nature’s call a fixed time was allotted and at night one had to relieve himself in a pot which would lie in the same cell. Talking to any other prisoner was a strict NO and others would get harsh punishment for talking to Savarkar. No newspaper or books or paper for a literary giant like him. After a year or so he came to know that his elder brother was also in Andaman and with lot of efforts could only see him once.

But imagine what he accomplished. He wrote novels, dramas and poetry on the walls of cell. Since there was also change of prison cells, he would memorize all the text he had written before. The jail superintendent being a Pathan, there was a lot of encouragement for conversion of prisoners. Savarkar not only stopped that but reversed the trend by claiming that a person can become a HINDU with bath and chanting OM NAMAH SHIVAY. When the question arose about official language he encouraged people for their preference to HINDI breaking the supremacy of URDU/PERSIAN. It was due to his efforts that not only INDIAN but BRITISH PARLIAMENT had to discuss the condition of prisoners in ANDAMAN and soften the treatment meted out to them.

After 12 years he was released due to his ill health and was over joyed to see his beloved MOTHERLAND again in this life. Any takers in BOLLYWOOD for his inspiring story.

PS : All the literature he memorized was later published during his confinement in Ratnagiri. This is just a snapshot from his book MY LIFE IMPRISONMENT because he accomplished much more.

On 8th of April i.e RamnavamiRamnavami is the birth day of Shree Ramchandra, but it is also the birthday of great saint of India i.e Samarth Ramdas. He was a saint, philosopher, author, organiser and a hard core patriot at heart.

Born in a small town of Jamb in Thosar family, he was more known for his mischief than saintly behaviour in his childhood. Losing father at early age, his mother earnestly hoped that Narayan (his original name) will take household responsibilities like his elder brother. So like a typical Indian solution, his mother arranged his marriage at age of 12. But destiny holds more miracles than magic and Narayan ran away from the mandap. He landed in Takli near Nasik on the banks of Godavari river.

For 12 years with intense devotion he did sadhana for realising his beloved Shree Ramchandra. He performed austerities, studied scriptures and engaged in discourses. But like the true devotee of Shree Ram i.e Hanuman, he also exercised to build muscles of iron and nerves of steel. At the end of his tapasya he realised the ultimate goal of human life i.e the divinity within. He could have easily laid an ascetic life at Takli.

For the next 12 years he travelled from Manasarovar to Rameshwaram visiting holy sites like Ayodhya, Mathura and Kashi . It is said that he also met Guru Hargobind during his travels and was impressed by his martial and saintly qualities. He witnessed the plight of society that was being crushed under foreign rule and was losing it’s character. People becoming indolent and passing off hardships on luck or providence. He writes that he is sad because no one is happy, times are tough, people do’nt have anything to eat or build their homes, and moreover there is nobody who can offer a solution.

It is with these thoughts he came to banks of Krishna river and started touring villages. With references to stories of Ram and Krishna he inspired confidence in people to fight back for their rights. To oppose injustice one not only needs hope and character but also a strong body. So innovatively he established temples of Hanuman on the boundaries of villages. It became a hotspot where villagers especially youth came together to exercise and also discuss about ways to throw away the oppressors. The inspired youth naturally landed up fighting for Swarajya with Shivaji.

He established temples of Shree Ram across different places starting with Chafal to inspire people about DHARMA. To make people aware about the philosophical side, he wrote a master treatise like DASBODH (enlightenment for DAS i.e servant of RAM), to deliver message in succinct way he had MANACHE SHLOK (message for mind) and innumerable other songs for different GODS. He passed his last years in a fort called SAJJANGAD (fort of good people) near Satara creating new leaders for the society who will carry forward his task of social upliftment.

JAI JAI RAGHUVEER SAMARTH (Praise to SHREE RAM) !!!!

On the last day of Hindu year i.e March 30
Today is the last day of Kaliyugabd 5115 or Shaka 1935, tomorrow the new year begins. This day marks not only the end of year but also the martyrdom of Sambhaji Maharaj, elder son of Shivaji. History hasn’t been kind to him and many people ...know him as the elder son of Shivaji who squandered what was earned by his father.

He was 23 years old when Shivaji Maharaj passed away in 1680 and had to face lot of internal conspiracy before getting himself coronated. Within a year Aurangzeb arrived in Deccan to crush the freedom movement of Marathas. Aurangzeb saw it as a golden opportunity with untimely demise of their inspirational leader and new king at helm. Mughal empire was the biggest in Asia with frontiers from Afghanisthan to Bengal and Kashmir to Deccan. The emperor landed in Deccan with 7 lac infantry, 3 lac cavalry and unlimited finances to crush a kingdom which comprised few districts of Maharashtra and had 1/20th to 1/10th army. Aurangzeb also allied with Adilashahi, Qutubshahi, Siddis of Janjira and Portuguese of Goa to give a final death blow to Swarajya.

He selected a weak fort of Ramshej near Nasik to start his campaign so that he can start a winning trail. But so indomitable was the will of Marathas that the simple and so called weak fort fought for 6 years without giving in to the Mughal might. The big Mughal generals and all their glorious campaigns were foiled under the leadership of Sambhaji. The situation turned so dire that what was a few months campaign turned into years and Aurangzeb couldn’t return to Delhi and nor he could achieve a victory. The emperor in a fit of rage threw his crown and took an oath of not to wear it till he had killed the son of kafir.

To give a moral boost to the Mughal army he attacked Adilshahi and Qutubshahi whom Sambhaji was trying to protect as an alliance against increasing Mughal influence in Deccan. The shahis collapsed due to treachery and now the whole weight fell upon the fledgling Swarajya. A Mughal general attacked Sangameshwar where Sambhaji was halting for inspecting some works and was captured. His calmness and steadfastness in face of inhuman torture which can’t be described will be inspirational for generations to come. (you can see my last year post or blog for his torture)

Fast forward to today and while talking to a friend he said that I won’t be able to vote because of some personal work. It is due to countless sacrifices of people like I described above that we have got this divine right to vote. Isn’t it our kartavya to at least pay our part otherwise it is an insult to all those martyrs and the sacrifices they made of their families and ultimately lives so that we could see this HAPPY DAY !!!!

PS: I did’n t vote for 2 general and state elections and I am ashamed of it.

On 26th February
Yesterday was the 108th birth anniversary of M S Golwalkar, second chief of RSS. A controversial figure according to secularists and RSS-haters. But who was he?

Born in 1906 in a middle class family in Nagpur, he was the only surviving c...hild of his parents. A bright kid who excelled in studies as well as sports and arts. He wanted to be a doctor but circumstances forced him to pursue master in science. Finally he landed as a lecturer in BHU, Varanasi and became popular among students as GURUJI. This was an apt name because he had equal expertise on all subjects. It was here he came in contact with RSS and became a regular at shakha. Dr Hedgewar noticed him during his visit and was impressed by his intellect.

His spiritual inclination made him go away to Sargachi in Bengal. Swami Akhandanda , disciple of Ramkrishna , had established a math there to serve the poor and downtrodden. Many people questioned Swamiji to establish math at such an unfortunate place (not far from Plassey). But he is said to have answered that I am waiting for the person who will lead India’s ascent to glory. Guruji served him whole heartedly during his last days and received diksha.

It was his simplicity, sharp intellect and leadership qualities which made him a natural choice for the chief position. It was his vision to realise that a multifaceted approach can only lead to renaissance of this nation. It was his inspiration which led to the start of BJS (Bhartiya Jan Sangh), BMS (Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh), ABVP , VKS (Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram), VHP and many more nationalist organisations.

Very few people in the world lead and create so many lasting organisations.
BHARAT MATA KI JAI !!!

PS: His fierce patriotism made Verghese Kurien also his admirer.

Mark Twain called India "mother of history". It is said that every nook and corner of this country has a story to tell. Yesterday i.e 17th February was the day of martyrdom of Vasudev Balwant Phadke.

He was born in a small village called ...Shirdhon in Konkan. As an accoutant in Indian Army he saw first hand the partial treatment to Indians. The culmination came when denied leave to see his ailing mother, he coulnd'nt even attend her funeral. The incident hurt him so deeply that he left the job to understand the reasons of slavery.

Touring Maharashtra he was exposed to the severe exploitation of farmers and their suffering in the famine. One thing led to another and soon he was giving lectures in different cities to awaken people about the dire straits the nation was in. As is the case the educated and well off people did not support him. It is said that he was almost driven to madness due to apathy of people.

That was when he started contacting tribals and rural folk and was impressed by their simplicity and devotion. He organised an army and started looting government treasury to raise an armed rebellion. He issued notices and rewards on killing of government servants, signing them off as Prime Minister to Chatrapati of Marathas.
The cunning and ruthless Englishman were quick to notice the danger and they used imperial might to crush him.

Finally disheartened and suffering from high fever he was captured alone and sentenced to life imprisonment in far away Aden. But the torch of freedom was inexhaustible so he escaped with heavy chains, but was captured again. Finally on this day in 1883 he sacrificed his life far away from his beloved motherland.

Netaji's 117th birth anniversary

It's strange that there was not a whimper on 23rd January, the 117th birth anniversary of Netaji (Subhash Bose) while the whole country goes on celebration on an actor's or cricketer's birthday.

Netaji was the King of revolutionaries. Starting with Congress and it's disobedience and non violent methods, he did not lose sight of the ultimate goal. As a free spirit he was devoted to the idea of India's freedom and not to any particular way.

When paens are sung for the non violent freedom movement of India.It must be remembered that we got independence in 1947, Myanmar & Ceylon in 1948,in early 50s the whole of South-East Asia was breathing free air. So if the movement was so strong only in India, how come our neighbours too enjoyed the party. The answer to this question is Second World War and the death blow given by Germany and Japan to the Anglo-French empires. Great Britian did’nt come out “Great” after the war and was in no position to rule over the world. So the hurry to leave the land and partition it to suit their ambitions.

In case of India, Netaji’s Azad Hind Fauj (INA)of( Indian prisoners of war) played a key role. It sowed the seeds of revolution in the armed forces on which the British empire rested safely. It was this army which had made them the rulers of India, saved them in 1857 and even won laurels in first and second world war. The moment our gora sahibs realised that the army won’t support them against their countrymen, they knew their time was up. In an epic struggle Netaji escaped from Calcutta to Afganisthan and then Germany. Not able to reach India from there he circumnavigated half the globe to Japan and raised the banner of INA from there.

Let us remember his fierce dedication to our motherland and sing “kadam kadam badhaye ja”

On Makarsankranti

Today is 14th January, Makarsankranti, the day when sun moves to Northern hemisphere and hence an auspicious day for us. But it is an important day for us all Indians. It was on the same day that the third battle of Panipat was fought in 1761.

It was a clear conflict among the rising power of Marathas (read national) and waning power of Afghans (read foreign).The moment Marathas started knocking o...n the gates of Delhi from 1719, the Mughal power started getting uneasy about the rise of so called kafirs. But the momentum of Bajirao, his son Nanasaheb and Raghunathrao was impossible to relent. Within 12 years of death of Aurangzeb, Marathas became the owner of central India and started expanding in all directions. By 1740s they were in Bengal and Orissa and in 1758 they achieved the pinnacle when saffron flag flew over Attock after a gap of 1000 years. They became the defacto rulers from Attock to Cuttack and Delhi to Tanjavur.

It was in this background that Mughals started conspiring to bring down the national movement which was clearly eclipsing them fast. Najib khan invited Abdally who had been crushed by Marathas previously to avenge his defeat and also get a huge loot from the prosperous land. He kept a smoke screen of friendship with Marathas and revealed his plans when Abdally was near Delhi. The northern flank of Marathas in Punjab collapsed and the responsibility fell on Dattaji Shinde, who was mecilessly murdered by Najib while protecting his motherland.

Marathas had to avenge his death and a huge army started from Pune under the leadership of Sadashivrao Bhau.His movement were slowed down due to huge contingent of non soldiers as a result he was stuck around rivers in monsoon. It somehow happened that the 2 forces were locked in such a way that Marathas blocked Abdally's return to Afghan land and he blocked Marathas return to South.Shuja-ud Daulah, Nawab of Awadh sided with Abdally in name of jihad and hence he recieved fresh reinforcements and supplies but Marathas were left with their supply lines cut off in the hostile cold of North.

It was in this desperation that the 2 sides collided in Panipat, in initial few hours the battle was tilted toward Marathas but the sudden killing of Vishwasrao and disappearance of Sadashivrao, caused the whole formation to collapse and ultimately to the rout.Almost 1.0 lac fighters gave their life defending their motherland in a war which could have been won if all the forces including Rajput had sided with Marathas against Abdally.

It wiped out the Afghan factor from Delhi politics and created a power vaccum for a few years, Marathas were back in the game under the able leadership of Madhavrao in late 1760s.But the ultimate benificiaries were the Englishman who without firing a shot gave a major setback to their biggest competitor in India. The lesson remains the same that only UNITED WE STAND and is more relevant today when the anti corruption movement is divided into 2 pitched groups who are fighting among each othe while the big daddy of corruption watches merrily.

On martyrdom of Fatehsingh/Zorawar singh

26th December is a day to be remembered. It was on the same day that youngest sons of Guru Gobind Singh sacrificed themselves on the altar of freedom. How young anybody will ask ? They were 7 and 9 years to be precise. When caught by Mughals treacherously they were taken to Sarhind and presented in court. They would have been pardoned if they had accepted conversion .But they were tiger cubs ...and refused any conversion. After facing torture for many days they were martyred. Guru Gobind Singh sacrificed all his sons for cause. Finally taking inspiration from him Banda Bairagi avenged the death of his sons by ransacking Sarhind. Fatehsingh and Zorawarsingh would be always an example of sacrifice. The other event is birth of Sardar Udham Singh who avenged the Jallianwala bagh massacre by killing Mr Odwayer who ordered the firing on helpless mob. It is really necessary to know this history so that we know the sacrifices given for a so called non violent independence struggle.

On Swamiji''s 151st birth anniversary

Swami Vivekananda, the name itself is fiery and electrifies us when we read him or see his photo. The same effect was felt by all great men like Gandhiji or even foreigners like Romain Rolland. Britishers could not establish link but every revolutionary they arrested had a copy of Vivekananda's speeches or thoughts. Such was the impact of this man who was aptly named as cyclonic Hindu monk. He awakened us about the glory of our motherland and the dire straits in which it was languishing due to foreign rule. To achieve greatness he clearly proclaimed that India should be politically freed first. To free our motherland he exhorted his countrymen to have muscles of iron and nerves of steel and courage which could see death in it's face and still have unshakeable faith. Although he lived for 39 years and only 2-3 years in India after achieving fame as Swami Vivekananda he shook us to our core due to his tremendous passion for country and Hinduism. We should pray to him to get an iota of his passion for the country on his 151st birth anniversary.

16th of December

In all the talk of government formation,we have forgotten an important day like 16th December. It was on this day that we gave a crushing defeat to Pakistan and created a new nation of Bangladesh.

We created a world record of taking surrender of 93000 prisoner of war. For once we took offensive stand and even superpowers with all their nuclear weapons couldn't change the outcome.

What we won on the battlefield was lost on the table. We signed a useless Shimla agreement not even asking for PoK or war damages. Swarna Singh has commented that at the summit, Indira was behaving as if she was the loser while Bhutto was behaving like a winner. A long period of slavery has broken our very confidence that we can WIN.

May this day remind us that WE CAN.

Bharat mata ki jai!!!!!

On Gandhi Jayanti..

 

Kshama karo bapu, vachan bhang ke hum apradhi,
Rajghat ko kiya apavan, manzil bhule yatra aadhi,

Atalji wrote this poem after the fall of Janata party government. But isn’t it really applicable to all of us. Who was Gandhiji any ways a politician, patriot, leader, social reformer, author or as the Nobel prize committee described him “political saint”. We sing paens to his contribution, but what was his contribution? In a simple way he made the freedom movement broad based. He had the courage to declare in Congress session that freedom does not only belong to clever barristers of Bombay or Delhi but to the masses who live in lacs of villages of India. The lawyer he was, he won’t have missed the ordinance by which Englishman had disarmed the whole country after 1857, making armed revolution an impossibility. Thus civil disobedience or non cooperation through non violent means were the only effective ways to overthrow the empire.
...
But his vision didn’t end at freedom it encompassed the very path Bharat should take after independence. When returning from second round table conference he was asked that what he thought about western civilization? He pondered for a while and said “I think it is a good idea”. In his book Hind Swaraj which is now more than 100 years old, you would know his thoughts on development models. He questions whether development just means living in bigger/better houses with more comforts or is it the development of MAN. It is said that he commented once that if Indians followed western model of consumerism (??) they would plunder earth like locusts.

It was his unshakeable faith in India which prompted him in saying that Egypt is lost, nobody knows about Greece or Rome, Japan has turned to west, nothing can be said about China, but even though ruined India is still throbbing in it’s bosom. People make mockery of his idea of swadeshi or gram swaraj but will have to turn towards it one day if the world is to be saved from the mad rush of consumption.

It is very fitting that his true follower was also born on the same day.
Vande Mataram !!!!

On inauguration anniversary of Rock Memorial: 02nd Sept 1970 

How many of you have seen or heard about Vivekananda rock memorial at kanyakumari and how many of you know about Eknathji Ranade???
Probably very few, Eknathji was secretary of RSS when he was relieved of his responsibilities to construct a memorial for this great son of motherland (swami vivekananda). The story of construction is as magnificent as the memorial.
He was not interested in just raising money from a few individuals for this great endeavour,so he formed district level committees and collected 1 Re each from 1 crore Indians.
When the progress started,Christians objected to the project stating it was St Xaviers rock. The government as usual capitulated and declared an inquiry which came out unequivocally in favour of memorial. In the meantime Eknathji submitted a signed memorandum from more than 350 MPs to Shastriji who was pleasantly surprised and took up the matter with Nehru who had to relent.
When the pace picked up,anti Hindi or north agitation picked up and it was demanded that instead of vivekananda (north Indian) ,thiruvalluvar's memorial would be more apt. But Eknathji was not someone to relent,he convinced Karunanidhi, the then chief minister to approve the memorial.
Finally after 7-8 years of effort on this day in 1970,the memorial was a reality.

On punyatithi of Lokmanya Tilak : 1st August

 

The other day when I was talking to a group of kids,I asked them about Tilak,and they looked me with a question mark. I was amazed....
Anyways who was this man a social reformer,educationist,journalist,philosopher,politician,patriot or a ma...thematician or all rolled into one.
Britishers rightly called him "father of Indian discontent" and why would'nt they. Can you imagine a journalist who could ask in editorial "has the government lost it's head" or openly give lectures on Shivaji's killing of afzal khan which reminded people of the foreign rule. He had very practical notions about fight against injustice so even being non violent he was inspiration behind armed revolutionaries like Chapekar brothers and Savarkar.
When sentenced to rigorous imprisonment in Mandalay he produced a master treatise on Gita called "Gita rahsya".Let us remember him on his 93rd death anniversary and ask for an iota of his courage and dedication for motherland......

 

On Ashadhi Ekadashi (19th July):

Tommorow is Ashadhi Ekadashi, for many people it is just another day. But it is a very special day in Maharashtra, millions of people from different parts of the country forgetting their cast and creed throng to Pandharpur to see their belo...ved VITTHAL. The wari as it is called has record of being at least 800 years old. Why is gathering of simple and many illiterate people such a big event?

India is a unique country of having such gatherings across the country and owing allegiance to one saint or another. This country has witnessed a galaxy of saints across country like Dnyaneshwar, Namdeo, Tukaram in Maharashtra, Narsinh Mehta in Gujarat, Meerabai in Rajasthan, Guru Nanak in Punjab, Tulsidas, Surdas, Kabir, Ravidas in UP, Chaitanya in Bengal, Shankardeo in Assam, Ramdas, Kanakdas, Purandardas in South. Our history has not acknowledged their due contribution or probably our Marxist historians cannot see it. They were born at times when Dharma was locked in Sanskrit and become a monopoly of few. Society was divided into as much fragments as imagined and become embroiled in superstitions. Moreover they could see that it was falling short of challenges ahead in form of foreign invasions which would have been a death toll for this country.

What they did was totally revolutionary in nature. The first thing they did was decoded Dharma for common people like us in form of Dnyaneshwari, Abhang gatha, Ramcharitmanas, Dasbodh, Dohe, Bhajans and what not. Secondly they went around nook and corners, preaching it and acting as a shining beacon of light when the society was groping in darkness. They claimed that GOD, can be called by any name and it is not only in idols but it is everywhere in all your fellow beings and creatures. To love them and help them is the real worship. Thus they were real social reformers and laid foundation of an equal society. Instead of running away from world for GOD, they preached that HE can be realised by doing our karma and surrendering everything to HIM. Thus they consolidated faith of society in itself and made them courageous to fight back injustice and invasions. They should always be a guide for us in current testing times of today.

 

On Gudipadwa (Hindu New Year)
Some men are born prodigal, today i.e the first day of new year is the birthday of Dr K B Hedgewar, founder of RSS. Very few people know him or mostly misunderstand him outside the so called SANGH PARIVAR.
He was born in a poor family and l...ost his parents at an early age due to plague. At the tender age of 8 he refused to eat sweets distributed in school for diamond jubilee of Victoria rule. He was rusticated from school for instigating students to sing VANDE MATARAM during visit of education inspector. When studying MBBS at Calcutta he joined Anushilan Samiti for armed revolution in India. Even after returning to Nagpur and being a doctor which could have easily given him all the comforts of life, he dedicated it to the cause of motherland. After closely observing armed revolutionaries and Congress movement he came to the realisation that nobody was attacking the root cause of slavery, which had led this nation of continental proportions with all the resources and great men into such an abyss, which was disunity and lack of national character.
Thus he founded RSS on Vijayadashmi in 1925. Even during early days every member of RSS used to take oath of striving for complete independence of motherland which invited the wrath of british government and all government servants were banned from participation in RSS which our governments are continuing till now. Within 15 years , in 1940 before his death RSS had reached every state of undivided India and had impressed stalwarts like Gandhiji, Patel, Madan Malviya with selflessness, character and discipline. This was the result of tapascharya of a selfless man for making his motherland attain it’s lost glory....

 

On Shivjayanti (March 30)

Today is 363rd anniversary of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj according to Hindu calendar. A young lad of 16 years took oath at Raireshwar along with his few friends of creating a free kingdom where there would be rule of law for all alike. Pursuing this life long oath within 28 years after facing life threatening dangers, he creates Swarajya defeating Adilshahi, Qutubshahi and Mughals, top 3 powers in the country.

Our Marxist historians like Nehru termed him only a Maratha warrior and even going forward a bandit. But when Shivaji was asked about his dream, he is said to have replied that he wants to free his motherland from Manasarovar to south of Kaveri, was'nt it a Pan Indian movement which Bajirao and Madhavrao Peshwa took forward.

When Grant Duff, a Britisher was asked that how could you rout the Marathas within 18 years, while Aurangzeb who riegned over the largest empire in Asia at his time could not do in 27 years. He is said to have replied that when Aurangzeb arrived in Maharashtra, the legend of Shivaji was fresh in mind of Marathas but when britishers came the legend had been forgotten in 100 years. Such was the impact of this MAN.

But it is sad to note that outside Maharashtra very few people know about him or are taught about the contribution he made to INDIA......HE was and will be THE REAL INDIAN IDOL......

 

On Sambhaji Maharaj's martyrdom day-:

It was exactly yesterday i.e 11th March , 324 years before ,Aurangzeb brutally murdered elder son of Shivaji, Dharmveer Sambhaji Maharaj. His eyes were gouged, tongue removed and then he was hacked to pieces and thrown off to dogs. Aurangzeb had imagined that by killing the Chatrapati he could kill the freedom movement of Maharashtra.
But that was not to be, Shivaji's life and Sambhaji's martyrdom... had kindled the torch of freedom in Marathas, within 4 months Santaji Ghorpade in a daring raid took away the golden tower on Aurang's tent. Within 10 years "mountain rats" had spread from Narmada to Kaveri. Aurang lost all hopes and died an old man of 92 in Aurangabad in 1707.
The same Aurangzebi mindset still persists, with beheading of soldiers, bomb attacks and innumerable treachery. But people who do'nt learn from their history always tend to repeat it.

On death anniversary of Swatrantaveer Savarkar (26th February)-:
Today is the 47th remembrance day of Swatrantra Veer Savarkar,a revolutionary,poet,author, philosopher,politician,social reformer par excellence. Even his contribution in any one of the field would have made him great son of mother India, but he devoted all his skills to the cause of motherland.
 -First nationalist to refer to 1857 revolt as First War of Independence and not as Sepoy Mutiny
-First Indian whose case was referred to International Court of Justice,Hague because britishers arrested him illegally on French land while he was trying to escape from ship.
-Visionary who thought that there should be a naval base of India at Andaman in 1911 so that our navy can control Malacca strait, which GOI established in 1998.
 -Was awarded 2 back to back life imprisonment of 48 years to Kalapaniand referred as 'D' dangerous category prisoner because of threat to empire
- Refuse to take oath for completion of Barrister because it involved allegiance to English emperor so was not awarded the degree
 - When under restriction in Ratnagiri started reform activities to remove evil practices like untouchability in Hinduism
- First to recognise the end motive of Muslim League whom Congress was molly coddling with which will lead to partition...
I will fall short of words to describe his greatness......
 BHARAT MATA KI JAI

RAJ,YOU ARE RIGHT!!!!!
The heading might sound strange even repelling to someone. Raj and even Sena want to control the influx of outsiders to Mumbai and even issue permits for entry. But Raj is not making any unlawful demand.

Do you know that even in INDIA you have to get a permit to visit certain parts, it might be shocking to you is’nt it?

Well Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram, three out of the seven sisters can’t be visited if you do'nt have a permit issued by their state governments. Even of you are an INDIAN citizen.

I realized this when I went to visit Arunachal Pradesh. I tried to get a permit in Kolkata and as usual the bureaucrats told me a 100 rules and turned it down. Dejected I changed my plans and decided to visit another location. But on train to Guwahati I met an old friend of mine who works in AP and he gave a laugh when I told the reason of changing my plans. To cut the story short, in Guwahati I met a travel agent who arranged for my permits within few hours even without any document and they were ready at the checkpost of AP.

What does the story imply, that such barriers when put for general public just become a tool for bureaucrats to fleece money ,but what does it impede? a full national integration. It is like blocking a blood vein leading to a gangrene. Who had put this in place you would naturally ask. Our colonial rulers had invented this system so that their beloved missionaries could carry on the conversion unabated. But our free rulers have’nt felt it for past 60 years. The result , Nagaland and Mizoram are 100% Christians and AP is also losing it’s tribal heritage. Both the states have several terrorist organizations demanding sovereignity.Same is the case with Kashmir where you cannot buy a piece of land if you are not local because of article 370.

So RAJ, this demand will not serve anyone, if it does it will be to those who cannot believe that a land of so diverse faiths, cultures, language and geography is but one GREAT NATION.

PS: in the next blog about AMAZING ARUNACHAL!!!!!!!!!!!!