Falsifying history for political gain (Organiser, 18-1-2009); Rama Sethu is an important symbol of that which unites the whole of India. All the literature of every religion of India has one or more reference to it. This way it becomes the symbol of the Indian integrity. This is well-known to everybody including those who want to destroy it. The author of the article points out this important factor that we, the Hindus, feel this in our marrow. But, what makes us sad is that the author, whose credentials about the knowledge on history is not clear, supports what he himself criticises. If the UPA government distorts the “facts” with their “beliefs”, which the author complains about, but wants to put his “beliefs” over “facts of history”. Instead of questioning the authenticity of the facts that the NCERT materials propagate, the author wants to do what the pseudo-secularists media wants us to do. The article could have given the authenticity of the claim that the Mahabharata could have occurred some light years back, or analysed the historical or scientific authenticity of what NCERT books propagate. For example, our textbooks force us to believe that Jesus is a historical fact, and make us write “BC” and “AD” when there is no strong archaeological or literary proof outside of the Bible. The New Testament itself was actually compiled when King James was the King of England. The list is endless.
—ANANDA GANESH
by e-mail
One of the major accusations by leftist scholars is that Hindutva proponents intentionally or ignorantly blur the boundary between mythology and history and the article in question seems to provide proof for exactly the same. The article states based on the authority of Mahabharata that the Vedas were revealed by God in Satya Yuga. Satya Yuga preceded Treta in which Sri Ram was born and his famous Sethu connecting India with Sri Lanka was built up. It goes on to state on the authority of NASA shuttle that Ram Sethu was built up around 1,750,000 years ago. Seasoned archeologist BB Lal whose lifetime archeological work has demolished the Aryan invasion theory and who gave the first conclusive archeological proof for Ayodhya temple, states clearly that Ramayana should have been composed around 700 BCE. Equally astonishing is the way the writer eulogises Manu. He states that the Manusmriti is not only the first and foremost book of Hindu law, but is held in high esteem throughout the world as a great scripture. There are many Smritis and Manu is simply one of them. Its value is historical and to some extent ethical. But today we can definitely say that in terms of humanitarian spirit and egalitarianism the present Indian Constitution definitely surpasses Manusmriti. And every reasonable historian would agree that Manu Smriti’s present form could be traced to the Sunga period. Our history textbooks do exhibit a negative bias towards Indic dharmas and a positive approach to Abrahamic creeds. We need to fight this. At the same time we do not have the luxury of inventing a type of fundamentalism, alien to Hindu spirit. We need to differentiate between mythologies (which happen in the inner plane and are symbolic in nature) and history.
—S ARAVINDAN NEELAKANDAN,
441 Kavimani Nager, Nagerkovil, Kanyakumari
Vibrant Gujarat summit mops up 7 billion investment (Organiser, 25-1-2009); It is raining money and jobs in Gujarat as with the two-day Vibrant Gujarat summit just concluded in Ahmedabad and Tata’s Nano car project shifted there, CM Narendra Modi is on centre stage. The state hosted delegates from 37 countries and the total number of MoUs signed was 8558 for Rs 12 lakh crore in the summit represented by Muslim-ruled countries and Japan, Briton etc, paving the way for about 1.4 million jobs in the state.
—ACHYUT RAILKAR,
Mumbai
Join madrasa, why sit for tough CBSE board exam? (Organiser, 11-1-2009); Your critical view about the pro-Muslim decision of the UPA government to recognise the Islamic religious schools—madrasas’s graduation certificate—as equal to the CBSE certificate and hence eligible for higher professional degree courses is very commendable. It should be opposed by organising Hindu mass agitations. To start, let one of the Hindu organisations should take up the issues to the Supreme Court. The Indian Constitution is a democratic secular constitution. According to Oxford Dictionary, if the affairs of any religious group and its assets are controlled and directed by a government, elected on purely secular votes, it is not a secular or non-religious government.
—RAVI VERMA,
28, DD Village, Kochi
Needle of suspicion points to ex-IAS Congress leader (Organiser, 11-1-2009); The article is a clear documentary evidence that ex-IAS officer RK Nayak hatched and executed the conspiracy of murder of Swamiji. The way he made arrangements of vacating hostels in the campus of NISWAS, closing of Janavani daily newspaper office just one day before the murder speaks volume about his involvement in the murder and above all he deliberately left Kandhamal on the same day. All the local media and investigating agencies have named RK Nayak behind the murder of Swamiji. Even Swamiji himself had written that RK Nayak had instigated attack on him on 26-12-07 and he was conspiring to kill him. This is more than enough to arrest and punish the ex-IAS officer.
—PRADMOD PRABHAKAR VALSANGKAR,
HNo 1-10-81, Dwarakapuram, Dilsukhnagar, Hyderabad
The brigade that undermines national security (Organiser, 11-1-2009); I do not agree with Shri MV Kamath’s assertion that violence is not necessarily the only way to defeat an enemy. Non-violence is not only life-saving but it is grace abounding. Some Indians have a false sense of complacency that Gandhian concept of non-violence has achieved miraculous result. On the contrary, it has failed to achieve anything tangible, other than publicity value.
—NIKUNJA BIHARI HAOLDAR,
Gutri, 24-North Pargana, WB
Pak textbooks build hate culture against India (Organiser, 11-1-2009); Information given by Shri Arif Mohammed Khan in his article is revealing. Such good persons among Muslims are rare, who dare to write facts against Pakistan. Shri Khan would certainly be looked down upon as a kafir by Muslim fundamentalists who guide the Muslim masses. The hate culture in textbooks of Pakistan coupled with Islamic teachings of hatred, both being promoted by Pakistan government, have made the ordinary Pakistani brute to harm India and the Hindus in all possible manners.
—ANAND PRAKASH,
72/Sector 8, Panchkula
The Year That Was (Organiser, 4-1-2009); In this editorial you have briefed the important events of the year 2008. The authorities of India should go deep into them so that shortcomings on various fronts like inflation, public distribution system, repeated price rising of essential commodities, law and order problems etc, may not be repeated in the current year 2009. Other authors have tried their best to point out pros and cons of present situation of the nation. But the use of such advise will be there if one has will to do something for the betterment of nation and its citizens. This is true that where there is will there is way. Shri Mohan Bhagwat has rightly stated that vote-bank politics is weakening the nation.
—LAKSHMI CHAND,
Bhangri, Kasoli, Solan
Terror targets economy (Organiser, 4-1-2009); The writer says that we have never tried to discover the fine cultural thread that binds India together. The single name “Hindu” unites the people with diverse cultures, and religions, living in the single land called Bharat. Those who came later, after centuries of common living, should have, in natural course, developed love for the family with the home Hindustan and the people Hindu. Instead we observe emergence of divisive attitude even among the Hindus. This is the age of reason and disintegration.
—SD LAGHATE,
Sankat Mochan Ashram, Ram Krishna Puran-6, New Delhi
The cure for terrorism is Virat Brihad Hindutva (Organiser, 18-1-2008); Dr. Rudra Pratap Chattopadhyaya in his letter has willfully quoted a piece of the verse 2/98 from the Quran and derived wrong conclusion. I quote the full text of the said verse: “Whoever is an enemy to Allah and His Angles and Prophets, to Gabriel and Michael, Lo! Allah is an enemy to those who reject faith.” I invite the readers to compare the text with the concocted version given by the writer.
—TANVEER FATIMA,
Sandesh Bhavanam, Lakkad Kota, Chatta Bazaar, Hydarabad
Counter terror with coercive diplomacy and covert operation (Organiser, 4-1-2009); The 26/11 Mumbai carnage has convinced the whole segment of aam aadmi that counter-jehad operation is too serious a business to be left in the hands of netas and babus. In the aftermath of the 26/11 Mumbai carnage, the aam aadmi, therefore, gave the order of the boot the guilty netas and babus. The aam aadmi was thus empowered and decided that from now onward the war against the jehadis is a war of the people, by the people and for the people. How one can conduct the war and what should be our plan of the battle? Firstly each one of us should maintain a daily diary to note down all the jehadi-related inputs and rumours that we hear. These may be of local interest or of wider interests. Naturally we should give precedence to inputs that are of local interest. We may then discuss these inputs within our family circle and within our intimate circle of friends. We can then take further action according to consensus. If on a particular date there is no input, still it is equally important that we make a nil entry for that day. Secondly children must be sent to voluntary social organisation like NCC where training in character building is given. This will create a broad base of future citizens who will have quick response to face unexpected situations Thirdly adults should form vigilance committees in their local areas. Vigilance patrols should go out regularly.
—DR. AN BANERJEE,32, Sagar Tarang, 15/A, Khan Seaface, Worli, Mumbai
For the first time the anguish of the general Indian Muslims over the Mumbai mayhem has become visible. They take out processions in protest, observed a subdued Eid and their prominent religious personalities declared that killing of innocents cannot be glorified as jehadi acts. Previously also there were voices of protest. But they appear to be exceptional and not being listened to by their co-religionist fundamentalists. They would do better if they come out with a declaration that non-Muslims, being non-believers, are not murtads. Similarly Muslims who have accepted the modern-day need of co-existing with non-Muslims are also not murtads. This clarification will go a long way to dispel the false notion of performing a jehadi act and attaining jannat thereby. The idea of religious expansionism is anachronistic in 21st century.
—NK DAS GUPTA,
12/D/6, DPP Road, Kolkata
All terror cases should be tacked under military court martial, since it is the military who have suffered the most due to the terror. No civil court should have the power to review the same. The sentences should be awarded within the quickest possible time. The bodies of the terrorists should be handed over to hospitals for dissection studies. There is no point in giving part of our land for burying.
—BV RAO,
No 66, Netaji Layout, BCC Colony, Attiguppe, Vijaynagar, Bangalore
Indo-Pak animosity: A way out (Organiser, 4-1-2009); It is fallacious to assume that Muslims are not part of the mainstream. The first question is, what on earth is mainstream? If it is some kind of monolithic superhighway expecting everyone to follow a jet speed, then why does everyone need to enter it? In India, despite having such superhighways we still have bullock carts and camel carts slowly traversing all the wrong and right paths and no one minds. What I mean is, let us first define what is mainstream?
—YOUSUF SAEED,
New Delhi
RBI to prod banks to lend: In view of the reduction of the REPO rate to 5.5 per cent and the lowering of the CRR and SLR, there is a reasonable infusion of liquidity into the economic system. This should automatically result into increased bank lending. However, this has not been done. Hence what is absolutely essential for the RBI is not to push the banks to lend money but to prod them to do so by treading a fine line. However, a very important question that arises at this moment is whether the bank can reduce the deposit interest rates without causing a fight of deposits to 8 per cent tax-free small savings schemes. Hence, the judgment called for on the part of the banks is to make a fine balance while remembering that lending by them is absolutely essential to service their depositors.
—RN LAKHOTIA,
S-228, Greater Kailash-II, New Delhi
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