INDIAN INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH
INTO TRUE HISTORY
NEWSLETTER NO.37 OF
1. NEWS AND CURRENT AFFAIRS
1.1 An Apology
We are sorry that we could not produce the Newsletters of 16
February and 16 June
1.2 Change of E Mail address
Shree Godbole can now be contacted on – v.godbole3@ntlworld.com
1.3 Rationalism of Veer
Savarkar ( in Marathi )
Review of this book by Shree Godbole appeared in the Divali 1999
issue of Ekata monthly, a Marathi
monthly of RSS published from Pune.
Another review by Shree Gopal Godse appeared in the Marathi
daily Samana of Shivasena of Mumbai
on
1.4 Rationalism of Veer
Savarkar ( in English )
Godbole has started work on an English version of his book in
Marathi. He would like to complete it by February 2003. The Prologue / Preface,
Parts I, II and III are now ready. Parts IV and V are being checked
1.5 Might is right
Jiang Zemin President of
Evening Standard
reported on 21 October ( Londoner’s diary )
Dalai Lama exiled from Tussaud’s
“ President Jiang Zemin has effortlessly imported
“ Yesterday a Madame Tussaud’s spokesman, Fiona Piere, explained
the affront by saying: ‘ It is the honourable thing to do in view of the fact
that the Dalai Lama is totally against the President’s political and religious
beliefs. This was done on our own initiative to avoid offence.”
Today, though, Tussaud’s are censoring their own censorship by
denying the democratic meltdown ever took place. The waxworks’ chief P.R, Diane
Moon, tells me ‘ There’d be no need to do that – I don’t understand it. The
President wouldn’t have even seen the figure – he came in and went to the
studios for a sitting.’
Alison Reynolds, director of Free Tibet, is appalled at
Tussaud’s dictatorial airbrushing: ‘It is absurd example of kowtowing to
* In a similar move, books criticising
On 21 October Metro
reported on page 7
‘ Protesters haunt Jiang as
Human rights protesters yesterday continued to dog Chinese
president Jiang Zemin on the day two of his historic visit to
As police battled to subdue demonstrators, it was announced
The privately negotiated agreements will make the U.K the
biggest European investor in
Security surrounding the visit was tight but one protester
managed to break through police barrier near the Millennium Dome. David Wetton,
55 got to within a yard of the leader shouting ‘ free
The extent of the Met operation aimed at stifling protests
angered demonstrators.
In
Jo Farley, a protester at the
The Met denied it had overreacted. A Met spokesman said : ‘It is
our objective to strike an appropriate balance ensuring safety of the president
of the Chinese republic whilst facilitating legitimate protest.’
Among the deals announced was a 500 million pound agreement
between National Power,
** The extent of police high-handedness can be gathered from
letters to the editor of the Daily
Telegraph of 21 October 1999. Here they are under the title A disgraceful use of police force:-
Alan Stevens wrote, “ I am appalled by the heavy-handed
treatment meted out to some members of the crowds demonstrating against the
visit of Jiang Zemin. He is the leader of arguably the most repressive regime
in the world today, one that perpetrates massive human rights abuses against
not only its own people, who have no rights to free speech or proper democratic
elections, but also those in
“ Who issued the orders to police officers on duty to be so
repressive ? They appear to have been politically motivated.”
“ Jiang Zemin was warmly greeted by Tony Blair and Robin Cook
with double-handed handshakes. That we should be so obsequious is obscene. It
beggars belief.”
-----
David and Lorraine Morhen of Kent wrote, “ How awful it was to
see police in
It was such a different reaction to what is usually expected
from crowds lined along that thoroughfare.
Tony Blair should realise that people in this country remember
the images of
____
Simon Orme of
How thoughtful of the Government. How disgraceful.”
____
Viscount Montgomery of
1.6 Chhatrapatee Shivaji
dominates
On 20 February 2001 Shree Yogesh Kulkarni (yogeshkulkarni@hotmail.com ) sent
us an E Mail.
It was yet another historic moment. .. a grand and imposing
statue of
Shivaji was installed just in front of the Red Fort,
Sporting a red Maratha turban and big tilak on his forehead, Advani recapped
History for a while. Admitting that the great Maratha warrior
was his ideal,
Advani said that the country needs a statesman like Shivaji who
can lead it
from the front." A fearless and firm leadership like
Shivaji can make the
difference. He should be our role model", asserted Advani.
While addressing a gathering near the fort, Mr Advani said that
Shivaji and
Veer Savarkar were the two giants of modern Indian history who
influenced his mind in the childhood." I read a book The grand rebel and
was mesmerised by the qualities and greatness of the warrior legend who sowed
the seeds of Indian independence. On Chatrapati's birth anniversary I feel
proud to be given the opportunity to unveil his statue," he added.
The Home Minister said that there are hundreds of statues of
Shivaji in the
country ."From Mumbai to Raigarh and Gujarat to
statues of Shivaji. But what we see here is something different.
This
statue, installed just in front of the fort, has its own
historical relevance and sanctity. For a patriot this place now could be
another pilgrimage," he said.
Earlier Union Minister of Heavy Industries, Manohar Joshi said
that he had come to know from the organisers that local MP refused to attend
this function." It's sad that despite being a non-political function, an
MP of a particular party did not join us. I feel Shivaji belonged to all of us.
I could have come here even if I was not granted invitation," he said.
Maharshtra Chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh demanded that a statue of Shivaji
should be installed inside the parliament."
I would request Advanji and my friend Manohar Joshi that the
Government in
of the greatest statesman
Our comments :- Now it is time to follow the footsteps of
Shivaji. We must resolve to kill those in
1.7 Brtish pronunciations of
our words
The British Press and T.V want to go back to the imperial days.
During the Kumbh Mela days they used the word Ganges instead of Ganga ( Evening Standard 24 January 2001, Metro 15 January, p16; Times 12 January p20 and Sunday Telegraph 7 January, p28 ),
during the conflict between American power company Enron and Government of
Maharashtra they started to use Bombay instead of Mumbai (Financial Times 21 May 2001, p8)
Of course, they never use the word Peking, they will say
1.8 Godbole’s visit to
Hindusthan ( April /May 2001 )
Mr and Mrs Godbole visited Pune for a marriage ceremony.
Meetings
* During his stay it was extremely difficult to get out of the
house, the temperatures soaring to 42 degrees centrigrade. Still Godbole
managed to meet some friends
>> Prof Asnani holds a gathering of a group of about 30
people who meet at his house to discuss problems facing the Hindu society, on
the first Sunday of each month. A special meeting was called for Godbole who
explained the activities of Muslims in
‘ After the Dutch granted independence to
At Prof Asnani’s house Godbole also met Prof P N Oak, Londhe,
Milind Joshi, Mamdapurkar, Sippy, Mehendale and Muzumdar. Godbole promised to
keep in touch with the group by E Mail.
>> Afterwards it was decided to hold another meeting in Mr
Londhe’s flat in Kothrud. This time Godbole met Ashok Athawale ( formerly of
Indian Institute of Technology,
Prof More of Nanded has written an excellent book on Koran in
Marathi. Knowing the sensitivity of the issue he published the book himself and
it is not for sale. Mr Godbole was given a copy with his compliments.
After the massacre of Hindus in Noakhali in November 1946,
Muslims tried to do the same in
* Godbole also met Dr Shreerang Godbole, a specialist in
diabetes. He had known about Godbole’s works for some time, but the two never
met.
* Godbole met Dr P V Vartak who had written excellent books on
Ramayan and Mahabharat. Godbole made suggestions for improvements.
* Godbole also met M S Dixit, an historian. He had started a
movement to fix plaques on houses associated with great men and women of Pune,
for example revolutionary Vasudev Balvant Phadake, Dr Anandi Gopal Joshi
( first Indian doctor to qualify in
• Unity of the Hindu nation
The Ambabai of Kolhapur is the family deity of Godboles. He
therefore visited that temple. While wandering in precinct he came across a
notice in Kannada language. The notice in Marathi stated that if people want to
make any donations in the name of the Goddess they should seek an official
receipt. After making enquiries Godbole was told that Kannada speaking Hindus
consider it a duty to make pilgrimage to this temple. She is their revered
Goddess too. Similarly Vithoba is revered by both communities.
This incident reminded him of Kannada inscription in Pune.
Godbole had been visiting the Parvati temple in Pune since childhood. In 1981
he was surprised to find inscription in Kannada on the front door of
Kartikswami temple on the Parvati hill. He made enquiries and was told, “
Maratha women do not visit this temple. Once a Kannada Hindu visited Parvati.
He also visited other temples on the hill. He was surprised to know there was a
• Other impressions
Road transport in
-There are central dividers on many roads, which helps traffic
to flow smoothly
- On highways the petrol pumps have much improved in appearance
and services they provide.
- Dr Bhide of 2 Budhwar Peth, Pune has inherited a family house
some 250 years old. Part of the front was lost during road widening. But he has
rebuilt the house with old style bricks, mortar and timber. His determination
is worth praising.
• It is worth noting how mass media moulds the attitude of
people. Even when the temperatures were reaching 42 degrees centigrade, male
newscasters always wore ties, and ladies have hair cut like Europeans.
1.9 Godbole’s visit to
Godboles visited
* Dr Vijay Bhatkar was the Chief Guest. He is a computer wizard.
He could have lived a life of luxury in
* Dr Abhay Bang and his wife were educated in Hindusthan and
went to
* We also met Dr Mandke. He left U.K and has started a hospital
for heart operations in Mumbai. His aim is that no one should be denied heart
surgery simply because he or she is poor.
Yes, we do have such people. Why should we be disheartened?
1.10 British Justice
The Sun
reported on 23 August ‘Top copper escapes speed cameras fine’
Fury erupted last night after a police chief escaped a fine – by
claiming he couldn’t remember who was driving when his car was caught by a
speed camera.
Highflying Det Supt Adrian Roberts had his speeding ticket
scrapped following a meeting with another senior officer.
But angry colleagues have now forced a review, and motoring
groups demanded he be prosecuted.
Mr Roberts 36, was head of Cleveland Police traffic unit when it
introduced mobile speed cameras in 1997.
Now head of Middlesborough CID, he wrote to his force after his
Citrogen Ax was photographed breaking a 30 mph limit on April 8 – a Sunday.
He said he could not remember who was behind the wheel.
Supt Graham Cummings, in the Administration of Justice
Department scrapped the ticket after deciding the photo did not identify the
driver.
But it is a crime for the
registered owner of a car to fail to name the person driving at the time of a
speeding offence.
Members of the public who used Mr Robert’s explanation would
still face a fine and penalty points.
One senior cop said last night “ This smacks of a cosy deal
being done, of one rule for the police and one for the public.”
Mr Roberts was sent a letter after his car was caught in
He was given the choice between accepting a 60 pound fine and
three penalty points or pleading not guilty.
Senior source said “ there is real anger within the force. It’s
ridiculous to suggest that a superintendent cannot recall what he was doing on
a Sunday a few weeks earlier. There seems to have been no questions asked, such
as who else was insured to drive the car and if they could recall what they
were doing.”
2. AROUND
2.1 Mr Godbole conducted four such tours
* First one was organised by Ajit Vartak on 22 March 2001.
Fourteen of his friends attended.
* Second one was on 28 July. 30 people mostly Computer Engineers
attended. Out of them 20 were led by Tushar Bapat. Ninad Chhatre, Milind Bhave
and his wife Sau Aboli, Ajit Vartak and his wife and parents, Rahul Kulkarni,
Anant Jukkalakar attended.
* Third one was arranged on 18 August. 26 people, mostly Computer
Engineers attended including an Englishman.Some of them were Sujata Tyagi and
her friend, Shree and Sau Angle, Vinayak Ambekar, Padmakar Khandekar, Ravindra
Savant, Sanjay Athavale, Shree and Sau Kshirsagar, Ashish Bokil,.Bipin Patel,
Mangesh Kulkarni and his wife, Rahul Rasal It started to rain by 6 p.m. Godbole
therefore changed the plan. When the party reached
* Fourth one was on 29 September. 8 people attended. They were
Pradeep Kale and his mother, Mrs Bembalkar, Gopal Agarwal, Shirish Dhamnekar ad
their friends.
* Full description of the tour has now been extensively revised.
It runs into 46 pages and is available by E Mail
* Godbole was surprised to get a call from Indian High
Commission. One of the first Secretaries had asked for details of Godbole’s
tour.
* A high-ranking officer of Government of Maharsahtra was also
interested in the tour. Unfortunately he could not attend the tours in July and
August. However, he did meet Godbole along with his friend Dr Tanaji Acharya.
2.2 Slide shows
Dr Agarkar of Kalyan,
* In October 2000 he had been to Nanded to deliver a lecture on
Scientific Temper and Human Development. After this lecture a slide show on
London Tour was arranged by Prof. R K Deshpande. It was liked by many. Sikhs
have a big Gurudwara in the city. The incidence of Jalianwala bag is mentioned
in their exhibition. They therefore appreciated the information regarding
Madanlal Dhingra and Udhamsingh very much.
* On 10 February
2001 he conducted another slide show on
Mumbai. There were about 220 students for the show. The programme was
received very well. Shardashram is a famous school in Dadar area. Sachin
Tendulakar the present cricket hero was the student of this school.
3 Historical findings
3.1 Origins of Christianity
The Daily Mail
publishes some interesting information in its column ‘Coffee Break’ On 17
November 2000 we found -
How did All Hallows Day (
November 1 ) become the modern All Saints Day ?
Prof Jack Santinoi of Department of Popular Culture,
Halloween, the eve of or day before All Hallows Day, has its
origin in an ancient, pre-Christian festival of the dead. The Celtic peoples,
once found all over
It was a time when cattle and sheep were moved to lower pastures
and all livestock were secured for the winter months. Crops were harvested, so
the date marked both an ending and a beginning in an eternal cycle.
This festival was called Samhain ( pronounced Sah-ween ) and was
the biggest and most significant holiday of the Celtic year.
The Celts believed that at this time, the ghosts of the dead
were able to mingle with the living, because at Samhain the souls of those who
had died during the year travelled into the other world.
People gathered to sacrifice animals and offer gifts of fruits
and vegetables. They also lit bonfires in honour of the dead, aiding them on
their journey and keeping them away from the living.
Samhain became Halloween when Christian missionaries attempted
to change the religious practices of the Celts.
In 601 A.D Pope Gregory I
issued an edict to his missionaries concerning the beliefs and customs of the
peoples he hoped to convert.
Rather than trying to
obliterate these practices, he instructed his missionaries to use them. If a
group of people worshipped a tree, rather than cut it down, he advised them to
consecrate it to Christ and allow it to continue to be worshipped.
Church holy days were set to
coincide with native holy days. Christmas, for instance, was celebrated on
December 25 because it corresponded with the pre-Christian mid-winter
celebration. In 610, Pope Boniface IV converted the Pantheon in
A festival called All Hallows Day, deriving from the Old English
halig meaning ‘holy’ and devised to
honour every Christian saint, especially those who didn’t have a special day
was originally held on May 1. But, in the spirit of Pope Gregory I, this was
changed in 834 to November 1 to substitute for Samhain and drew the devotion of
the Celtic peoples.
The traditional Celtic deities diminished on status, becoming
the fairies or leprechauns of more recent tradition.
3.2
Chimaji Appa, younger brother of Maratha Peshwa Bajirao I
defeated the Portuguese in
Hail! Many Full of Grace the Lord is with three – GRAITA PLENA
DOMINVS TECVM AVE MARIA HIS. At present it is kept in a museum in the Town
Hall.
When Godbole went to
Our comment :- What happened to other three bells ?
( Ref :- Article in Tarun Bharat of
3.3 Indian Classical Music
belongs to Hindus
Sakal, the
Marathi language daily of Pune carries some interesting stories. On 3 May 2001
it carried a feature of famous singer Pandit Ramkrushnabuva Vaze.
Vaze was born in Ozare, in
“ why don’t you write history of our Music ? “ Surprisingly he
was asked the same question by famous scientist Dr C.V Raman.
For a very long time Muslims had monopolised music. Why was this
? Music originated in Samaveda. So, Vaze asked the question to a Khansaheb. He
said, “ Indian classical music originally belongs to Hindus, but during Muslim
rule many Hindu singers voluntarily converted to Islam. I am myself descendent
of one of them. It is not that Muslims are deeply interested in music, but
Muslim rulers were interested, that is how we came forward. Hindus abandoned
music. Therefore it may seem that Indian classical music is Muslim but that is
not the case. It is definitely a heritage of Hindus.
3.4 Perseverance pays off for
RAF ‘swastika’ squadron.
On 1 April 1997 John Young reported for The Times. He said,
“ An RAF squadron that played a crucial role in the defeat of
the Japanese in the Second World War has achieved official recognision more
than half century after it was disbanded. The Garter King of Arms has approved
a new badge for the squadron association that will be dedicated at St
Clement Danes, the RAF church in the
The ceremony will mark the successful outcome of a long campaign
by veterans and friends of 273 Squadron……
The squadron was formed in 1918 and then reformed in
Most squadrons were formed or reformed in
The reason was thought to be that the design incorporated an
ancient Asian peace symbol, the fylfot, which had been copied from the wall of
a Buddhist temple near the squadron airfield in
The squadron, which was too busy fighting to put forward a
different design, was disbanded early in 1946, never having served as a unit in
On their return home its members were told that, since the
squadron no longer existed, a badge could not be granted retrospectively.
Consequently it could not be commemorated, along with other squadrons, on the
floor of St Clement Danes or in the RAF museum in Hendon.
Last June, Nicholas Soames, the Armed Forces Minister, confirmed
in Commons that the rule still applied. However, he added that a badge could be
granted to an official squadron association.
An association was duly formed and has since been recognised by
the Ministry of Defence as representing the interests of those who fought with
the squadron in the war.
A final hitch occurred when it was found that there was no space
between 272 and 274 squadrons on the church floor. Instead the new badge,
without the fylfot and displaying the crown of the queen instead of George VI
will have an honoured place next to that of No 1 Squadron, the oldest of them
all.
3.5 Slavery : Time for truth
3.5.1 The
U.N held a conference on Racism in
Ann Leslie wrote for the Daily
Mail on 30 August 2001
‘ Crimes against humanity ‘ are only crimes when committed by whites against blacks – not when they are committed by bl