INDIAN INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH INTO TRUE HISTORY

Newsletter No.19 of 16 October 1990

1. GENERAL

In 1989 we could publish only one newsletter. But it ran into 47 pages. We experienced great difficulty in getting it typed. Otherwise we could have published another newsletter.

2. NEWS AND CURRENT AFFAIRS

2.1 Virat Hindu Sammelan : Bouquets and Brickbats

A gathering of Hindus of U.K. took place on 27th and 28^th August 1989 at Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire in England. It was nice to see 100,000 (one lakh) people gather together and proudly proclaim that they were Hindus. The slogan was. ‘Gaurse kaho kee hum Hindu hai.’ Say with pride that we are Hindus. Even the famous singer Lata Mangeshkar repeated that slogan. It was a pity that the slogan had to be invented. That pride, that feeling of self respect is inherent among Muslims and Christians. We had to make a superficial show! But at least it showed that the Hindus are concerned about their future. We were very sorry to see that Sikhs were absent from the gathering. One, literally only one Sikh was seen.

Objections

(A) As expected and feared there was no mention of Veer Savarkar. None of his songs were sung. None of his portraits were on display. None of his books were kept for sale.

(B) The organisers sought the blessings of Sher Azam, President of Council of Mosques, Bradford and Councillor Mohmad Riaz of Bradford. See pages 26 and 29 of the Souvenir published for the occasion.

(C) Balarao Savarkar, private secretary to Veer Savarkar (1950-1966) had come from Bombay especially for this gathering. But he was never given a seat on the dais and given an opportunity to address the gathering.

Mismanagement

(D) Original venue of the gathering was Wembley stadium in London. Some difficulties arose and the venue was changed to The Bowl, Milton Keynes. But many overseas delegates were not informed of this change. For Example Mr N. Subramanian of Trichur in Kerala province of India turned up in Wembley. Luckily for him he went to an Indian shop and met a Gujrathi couple who were going to Milton Keynes and offered him a lift. Those delegates who knew about the correct venue were not told how to reach there i.e. how to travel by London Underground, and British Rail or Coach. Some delegates took a taxi from Heathrow airport to Milton Keynes which costed them £90! Despite repeated assurances by the organisers, nobody went to receive Balarao Savarkar at Heathrow Airport (London). Luckily he met someone who knew him and accompanied him to Milton Keynes.

Consolation

The souvenir contained one page summary of Mr Godbole's research (p239) under the title " Places of interest for Indian Tourists in London. " It is a list of places in London associated with Indian patriots, revolutionaries and scholars.

The Future

The big question that remained unanswered was – What next? Where do we go from here? There has to be a permanent body to look after the future of the Hindus. One thing is certain. We must look at all the world events from the point of view of Hindus. What is good for Hindus is good for the world. And yet we must not say so publicly. Take for example Balarao Savarkar's preface to Veer Savarkar's famous book Six Glorious Epochs of Indian History (in Marathi) Balarao says, " Sometimes the same event is viewed differently by different people. The events of 1857 are despised by some as the Sepoy Mutiny but Veer Savarkar honoured those sepoys after studying contemporary English records. English historians have branded Shivaji as a thief and scoundrel. But Justice Ranade, Lokmanya Tilak and Veer Savarkar emphasised that Shivaji was founder of an independent state...." Thus according to Balarao, the 1857 War was a War of Independence only from the point of view of Indians. Shivaji was a great man only from the point of view of the Marathas! “ We still have a lot to learn from our enemies. Does an American historian ever say that his work is the history from American point of view ? No, According to him whatever he writes is the history.

2.2 U.S.Foreign Policy

On 20 December 1989 America invaded Panama, captured its ruler General Naureaga, who is now going to be tried in America. By what law did they do this? By the law of jungle-might is right. Naureaga is a former CIA agent. As long as he suited the Americans they allowed him to remain in power. But as soon as he fell out of favour they realised that he was involved in drug trafficking and had to be removed. America shamelessly said that they sent in troops to protect democracy in Panama. But then why did they not send in troops in Fiji? The answer is simple. It does not suit U. S. interests. Moreover Colonel Rambosa is a Christian and majority of the population are Hindus of Indian descent. While visiting Moscow Mr Baker, U.S. Secretary of State said to Russian reporters, "If you visit Panama you will find that majority of people are happy about what we did." But then the same would have been true in Fiji. So why did not the U. S. send troops to restore democracy there? The Russians did not ask, Mr Baker did not answer. Just a few days later Nicolae Ceausescu, President of Romania was overthrown by popular revolt. He was shot dead few days later. But the Americans did not say a word. They knew the horrors of Ceausecu's reign. But they kept quiet because he was anti- Soviet Union. When the Soviet Union Ceased to be a military threat Ceausesu was sold down the river. He did not matter any longer. There is a lesson for us here.

2.3 German Reunification

Events have moved unexpectedly fast in Eastern Europe with communism crumbling everywhere including Russia. The dreaded Berlin Wall has come down. Reunification of Germany is on the horizon. That may be fine for the Germans but what's in it for the Hindus? Very few people have asked this question. Our friend Mr Rajendra Singh of Wellingborough even sent a letter of congratulation to the West German President. “ Why are you so euphoric ?" we asked." According to Vishva Hindu Parishad there are 10,000 Hindus living in West Germany. What will happen to them if East Germans with equal qualifications flood West Germany? United Germany would send more Christian missionaries to promote further disintegration of India. West Germans have never said " India is a secular country and Pakistan is an Islamic country, so let us treat India more favourably." The concept of Indo-Germanic people exists only in the minds of Indians. Germans do not give the slightest credibility to the concept. There is only one advantage of the situation, We can proclaim with confidence that India too, will, one day be united with what is today called Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Yes, these things are possible.

2.4 Dr Hedgewar birth centenary

(A) Dr Hedgewar was born on 1 April 1889. He founded the R.S.S in 1926. His birth centenary was celebrated in U.K. in1989. Mr Godbole attended the celebrations arranged by the RSS at Wellingborough, Leicester and London. He was very disappointed by the quality of the main speeches. They all ducked the question " why was the RSS was founded by Dr Hegdewar? " Let us look at the events of those days.

August 1921 saw the horrors of Muslim (Mopla) riots in Kerala. But instead of condemning the atrocities on Hindus, Gandhi openly congratulated the Muslim barbarians. He called them " My Brave god fearing Mopla brothers " And still, obsessed by Gandhi’s policy of complete capitulation to Muslims, Chittaranjan Das declared that when Congress secured the reins of power in Bengal it would reserve 60 % of all new appointments for Muslims till such time as they achieve proper representation according to population. In Calcutta City Corporation he offered 80 % of new appointments to Muslims. (September 1922) Mopla riots were followed by Muslim riots in Saharanpur in June 1923. In December 1923 the Congress Party held its annual session at Kakinada. When the national song Vande Mataram was being sung, the President, Maulana Mohammed Ali objected to it. Vishnu Digambar Paluskar the famous singer refused to be cowed down. Mohammed Ali walked away. No Congress leader felt outraged enough to condemn him. Ali even had the audacity to say in his presidential speech that 50 % of the Harijans should be made available for conversion to Islam.

In August 1924 there was a tragedy at Kohat. A whole population of 20,000 Hindus was looted, pillaged, plundered and forced to migrate. In addition there were serious Muslim riots in Gulbarga, Amethi and Sambal. But Gandhi kept on saying - I must ask the Hindus even today to die and not to kill. In 1925 there were serious Muslim riots in Calcutta, Aligarh and Kanpur, Lucknow and Allahabad. By the middle of the 1920s Muslim riots occurred almost weekly. It was against this background that RSS was founded by Dr Hedgewar in November 1926. He asked - “How is it that even where the Muslims are in a very small minority, it is the Hindus who are scared for their lives?” All the speakers ducked this question during Dr Hedgewar birth centenary. The Muslim problem has not and will not go away. It has to be faced squarely. Doctor objected to the word - Hindu / Muslim riots. He said “Hindus can't even defend themselves, how can they riot?” Following books were considered essential reading for RSS workers by Dr Hedgewar :

1. Hindutva (1923) by Veer Savarkar.

2. Eye-Opener (1930) By Mansinha Vanna.

At the time of Calcutta session of Congress (1929); Muslim leaders held a secret meeting in Young Muslim Literary Society, on Mirjapur Road. Babarao Savarkar induced two Hindus to attend this meeting in disguise. Their report is published as the book Eye-Opener. It contains vicious Muslim designs on Hindus.

3- bhayasuchak ghanta - An Alarm Bell. (1927)

This is Marathi translation of Khwaja Hasan Nizami's Urdu book - Daiye Islam (Islam pracharak) by Mr Tungar. This again exposes the proselytising activities of Muslims.

Why should these books be considered essential reading by Dr Hedgewar, if survival of Hindus from Muslim onslaught was not at the heart of founding of RSS?

We wish to remind the readers that in February 1926 there was a serious Muslim riot in Bombay and July 1926 they rioted in Sholapur, Multan and Phirozpur. In December 1926 Abdul Rashid a Muslim fanatic killed Swami Shraddhanand who had vigorously pursued Shuddhi (re-conversion of Muslims to Hinduism) Immediately, Gandhi proclaimed that the life of Bhai (Brother) Rashid should be spared!

Madanmohan Malveeya said that the cowardice and disorganisation of Hindus were largely responsible for their own destruction. Dr Munje said " In Nagpur Hindus number 130,000 while Muslims 20,000. Yet it is Hindus who are in fear of their life! " Gandhi having said that an average Muslim is a bully and a average Hindu a coward, still maintained that he wanted to teach non-violence at least to the Hindus ! George Bernard Shaw has stated - there is no nonsense of toleration among the Muslims. You accept his Allah or he cuts your throat. You go to hell for it and he goes to heaven.

(B) Dr Hedgewar was mirror image of Veer Savarkar, but as Savarkar's name is an anathema to RSS this fact is never mentioned. (Both kept in touch with, inspired and helped the revolutionaries all along.) Here are some examples -

The famous Sedition Committee Report was published in 1918. Despite some objectionable sections, the report also contains valuable information on the various attempts made by the revolutionaries i.e. how they organised, how they chose the targets, how they gathered information, how they communicated etc. That was just the kind of information the ‘would be revolutionaries’ were looking for. Moreover being a Government report, it could not be proscribed. Nobody could be prosecuted for keeping a copy of it. Dr Hedgewar distributed a large number of copies of this report. When the British administrators realised what was happening it was too late.

• Dr Hedgewar used Khadi but also accepted the importance of Indian cotton mills.

• In 1927 there was a movement in Nagpur against the Arms Act. The agitators would march through the streets with swords. The police would stop the procession, confiscate the swords and prosecute the agitators. Dr Hedgewar supported the movement but strongly objected to displaying of real swords. He said " one would never know when an opportunity for an armed uprising against the British would arise. Why give the government a chance to confiscate the swords by openly displaying them in public processions? Use dummies, (i.e. faked swords as used in

theatres)". We wish to point out that the French took similar precaution in 1940 when Germany occupied Paris. The arms were kept hidden and taken out only at the time of 1944 uprising.

• Dr Hedgewar took part in the civil disobedience movements of 1920 and 1930. He went to jail on both occasions. But he advised " one should be prepared to go to jail if required, however that on its own would not lead to independence. Do not have any illusions. Moreover, if you are prepared to spend two years in jail why not use those two years differently and propagate Hindutva and Hindu organisation (sanghatan)". He was very concerned that many youth were going to jail because they could show their patriotism. They were not prepared to work incognito. At the time of the 1930 movement Dr Hedgewar said "There are no methods or means for achieving freedom that I will regard as unacceptable."

• In 1936 someone said to Doctor - Muslims are traitors (desha-drohi) He said," That is quite wrong. A traitor has some claim to belong to a country. Muslims are our enemies (desha-shatru) " Savarkar used to be just as careful in using proper words.

• In 1937 Doctor objected to the word " Hindu colony " used for a locality in Nasik. He said, " how can you have a Hindu colony in our own country? You are implying that this country does not belong to Hindus. You can have a Hindu colony in England or America, but not in India. The name was promptly changed to Gole colony. Unfortunately there is still a Hindu colony in Bombay !

Doctor named his association Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (R.S.S) or National Volunteers. Hindus are a nation. It would be absurd to call them Hindu National Volunteers.

(C) Some misconceptions

Dr Hedgewar started his work at a time of great difficulty. With the encouragement of Gandhi, Muslims had become extremely intransigent. British Government had been encouraging the Muslims in their growing, outrageous demands. There was very little support from the Hindu community. Gandhi and the two Nehrus were openly hostile, though Gandhi made a show of attending a RSS meeting at Wardha. Despite the horrific Muslim riots, many Hindu blindly followed Gandhi & Nehrus. Many were aware of the importance of Doctor's work but did not have the courage to displease Gandhi & Nehrus. Many were too ashamed to admit that the policies of Gandhi had failed and he would bring nothing but tragedies on Hindus. British Authorities were anxious to ban RSS or at least hinder its growth. Moreover, Doctor was closely associated with the revolutionaries. He therefore avoided publicity. Doctor also avoided and detested publicity for RSS for yet another reason. Doctor said that RSS was not a body separated from the Hindu Society, therefore it was absurd to say that RSS did such and such for the Hindus. Would a son boast that he helped his parents in their illness? Would an elder brother proclaim how he made sacrifices for his younger brother/sister? A very noble attitude, but it can be easily misunderstood even by RSS workers who write-RSS workers took part in such and such an activity but only in an individual capacity! When, Veer Savarkar started an unarmed struggle in Hyderabad state for securing fundamental rights of Hindus. RSS workers took part in it as they were part and parcel of the Hindu society. It is a great pity that such virtues of Dr Hedgewar were not highlighted by the speakers during his birth centenary.

2.5 Behaviour of Christians and Muslims, today

Dr Ambedkar, had all his life propagated the view that Hindus were baddies while Christians and Muslims were perfect gentlemen, promote freedom and settle their differences peacefully and always uphold justice. Anti Hindu secular Government of India has perpetuated the myth. A quick look at any report of the Amnesty International would shatter that myth. Let us look at some current events -

(A) Russia I

Nagorny Karabakh is a disputed territory between the republics of (Christian) Armenia and (Muslim) Azerbaijan. The feud goes back centuries. The Independent of 16 January 1990 gives the history under the heading "New pawns on an ancient Transcaucasian chessboard". The writer Rupert Cornwell says ......" In 1905, the sacking of Shusha, then as now the stronghold of the Azerbaijani minority in Nagorny Karabakh, provoked massacres of Armenians in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, that have twice replayed in the past two years. The first was in Sumgait in February 1988 and the latest last weekend- again in Baku. .......Although the disputed territory was technically restored to Azerbaijan last December such control as exists is exercised by the military ......Rightfully fearful of the worst almost 400,000 refugees have fled from one republic to the other.

..........The territory itself is virtually partitioned, between the Armenian majority and Azeris entrenched for their own safety in around Shusha. Now the undeclared war has begun in earnest."

The TIMES of 15 January 1990 says ".Fear of civil war as 30 die in Baku riots. "Soviet troops fly in as ethnic clashes grow...... Calls to drive Armenians from Baku the Azerbaijani capital, ignited an ethnic riot on Saturday in which 30 people were killed, triggering outbreaks of violence elsewhere in the Caucasus.......’The Seven Days’ news programme added that the fate of Armenians taken hostage by Azerbaijanis, including the entire Communist Party and government leadership in Shaumyanovsk, was as yet unknown.

........Armenian activists said a special squad of armed Armenian police was preparing to fly to Azerbaijan to protect the Armenian minority. Moscow radio said they were using helicopters with obliterated markings and would attempt to cut roads leading to upland villages to protect people living there. Azerbaijanis on the other hand, were using armoured vehicles taken from Soviet troops to advance on a village near Manashid, reports said.... Independent witnesses spoke of " the most horrible acts of murder " when the rampaging mobs came across hapless Armenians. Two women, with torn clothes and blood-spattered bodies, were seen being thrown from the balconies of tower blocks, and one woman was seen being lynched on the ground.”

(B) Russia II

Daily Telegraph of 30 August 1989 reported, "Moldavia row near climax on language issue." Thousands of Russian workers in the south-western republic of Moldavia staged protest strikes yesterday as the republic’s parliament heatedly debated a Bill aimed at making Moldavian the language of official business....Russians-together with other minorities in the republic fear that a new law will discriminate against them by demoting the place of Russian....Ethnic tensions have been growing worse in Moldavia, with both Moldavians staging huge rallies and Russians striking to show their apprehension at the spread of nationalism......

The candid Pravda report said the crowd was electrified by impassionate, incendiary speeches, and that an avalanche of accusations fell upon the Communist party, the Government and the migrants who had despoiled Moldavia.

Things aren't much different elsewhere.

(C)Romania

Daily Telegraph of 21 March 1990 says, "Civil war fear as thousands clash in Transylvania."

Tank drove a wedge between thousands of Romanian nationalists and ethnic Hungarians in the Transylvanian town Tirgu Mures last night after a man was reportedly killed and 60 people were injured in a second day of clashes. The Romanian government was planning further emergency measures last night. The army stepped in after 2,000 Romanians armed with scythes, pitchforks and clubs charged a peaceful demonstration by 5,000 Hungarians who had occupied the central Square of Roses and the town hall. Last night, the town was reported to have been cut off from other parts of Transylvania, heartland of Romania's two million strong Hungarian minority..........

The Hungarians accuse the Romanians of continuing Ceausescu's repression. They demand an autonomous region within Romania. Tibar Fischer in Budapest writes: Hungary's Foreign Minister, Mr Gyula Horn, wants the United Nations to intervene on behalf of the Hungarian minority in Romania.

Mr Miklos Nementh, Hungarian Prime Minister, said in a letter to Mr Petre Roman, his Romanian counterpart, that he found it particularly 'hurtful' that the police and army had done nothing to stop the assault. And how did it all start? Donald Forbes of Reuters reports- "shop sign ignited violence"- Three words scrawled on the window of a chemist's shop in Tirgu Mures have ignited Romanian's worst outbreak of nationalist conflict since the Second World War Written by the shop's ethnic Hungarian woman manager, they read: "No Romanians served."

To the Romanian population the notice on March 16 was one provocation too many after almost three months of growing ethnic Hungarian militancy. The shop was besieged and closed in a demonstration that began several days of tension and occasional violence between extremists of both communities.... The Communist regime of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu kept a tight lid on ethnic tensions. His fall removed the restraints overnight.

(D) Yugoslavia

Daily Mail of 29 March 1989 reported : 21 die as ethnic anger erupts on the streets.

At least 21 people have been killed in ethnic rioting in the Yugoslavian province of Kosovo. Troops have been rushed in to contain the violence, which has claimed the lives of 10 protesters and two policemen. Among the dead is the police chief of the town of Poduvac.

The unrest is over a new law giving Serbia more control over self-governing Kosovo, which has an Albanian majority. The president of Serbia's parliament Borisav Jovic called it a festive joyous and historic day' for the republic.

But the Albanians in Kosovo have reacted by mounting even more violent protest in the last week. The demonstrators have ransacked buildings and cars, smashed shop windows, stoned police, and fired on them from rooftops and balconies. Police have countered with automatic weapons and armoured cars. In at least five towns tear gas and water cannon have been used to control the crowds. The Belgrade government has imposed an all night curfew in the province. Theatres and cinemas have been closed along with schools. The province's deputy minister Marija Gasi said one demonstrator was shot dead by police when 500 rioters attacked them in Zur, a village on the Albanian Border.......

........Since then, (i.e.1974) many Serbians have fled Kosovo claiming they are being terrorised by the Albanians. The latest violence has sent shock waves through Yugoslavia with fears that it may lead to a state of emergency.

3. BOOK REVIEWS

We have recently come across two interesting books-

1."Disastrous Twilight” by Major General Shahid Hamid. He kept a diary during the days of partition of India.

2. "Banned"-Controversial literature and political control in British India 1907-1947 by Prof. N. G. Barrier.

We would review these as soon as possible.

4. VISITORS

During the Virat Hindu Sammelan, Balarao Savarkar stayed with Mr Godbole. He requested that Mr Godbole should translate from Marathi into English, 43 Newsletters of Veer Savarkar sent by him from London during 1906-1909. Mr Godbole said that he can only undertake this task in 1992. Another visitor for the Sammelan was Mr Subrarmanium, former Director General of Prisons, Kerala province, India

5. OBITUARY

We regret to announce the deaths of two good friends.

* Brahmachari Vishvanathji of Goregaon, Bombay died in 1988. He used to carry out Shuddhi (Reconversion of Muslims and Christians to Hinduism) despite all the handicaps. He met Mr Godbole in January 1987. If only we had many more men of such devotion to the cause of the Hindus!

*Mr G.V.Behere, editor of the influential Marathi weekly SOBAT died on 2 April 1989. In 1987 he sent a message to Mr Godbole and requested his articles for the weekly.

Accordingly Mr Godbole sent six articles.

6. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Mr Bhupendra Patel donated £25.

Mr Alawani an Engineer from Thane came to London in May 1989. He met Mr Godbole and despite the short time left, visited some important places associated with Indian revolutionaries. Pleased with our work, he donated £10.

Mr Omprakash Sharma of Keele (in Staffordshire) organised and paid for typing newsletter number 18.

Prof and Mrs More have helped us greatly by typing this newsletter, and Chronology of Indian Politics and have promised further help in typing.

We are grateful to them all.