When The Majority In The Motherland Flexes Muscle Over A Song
~~Jyoti Punwani
[Editor: It is unfortunate that a person who does not even know how to spell, "Ananda Math", starts writing on the topic and an online publication puts it for public consumption withouot bothering to verify the facts and figures. To discuss the whole novel of Late Bankim Chandra Chottopadhyay, is beyond the scope of this post, however, let me quote, Dr. William J. Jackson, Prof. Religious Studies, Dept. of Religious Studies, Indiana University-Purdue University,Indianapolis, USA, regarding this Novel: "Nirad C. Chaudhuri, known for his caustic criticism and his refusal to flatter anyone for the sake of mere convention, wrote: 'Bankim Chandra Chatterji... besides being a genius in imaginative literature, was certainly the most powerful intellect produced by India in the nineteenth century, and one of the greatest of Hindu minds, perhaps equalled in the whole of the Hindu past only by the great Sankar". What higher esteem could Chaudhuri have expressed for an original thinker who made great contributions to India's culture? The context in which this statement was written was a discussion of the colonialist British failure to understand the Hindu mind. The Englishman's knowledge of India, Chatterji had explained, was a situation like that of an owner of a large, abundant orchard being incapable of either eating its fruits or enjoying them. Yet there are complicating factors in Chatterji's assessment of the British. Take for example an incident in his Bengali novel Anandamath, first translated into English as Abbey of Bliss, The story, set in eighteenth century India, concerns a sanyasi revolt against the Muslim rule. In the last chapter, a mysterious physician speaks of the English presence as a necessary phase of reform, a helpful prelude to 'a revival of the True Faith' of Hindu culture. It would seem that even if Chatterji did see the British intellect as narrow and unable to do justice to the realities of India, he nevertheless saw a positive potential for India under the British rule. Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyaya, lived from 1838 to 1894. He was a prophet of modern India who stepped back to a grounding in the past in order to take great strides toward the future, as did his contemporary Bal Gangadhar Tilak. Chatterji's influence on his countrymen was deep, inspiring the pacifist, philosophical and artistic minds like Rabindranath Tagore's, as well as politically-inclined Bengalis who resorted to terrorist activities to express their nationalist fervour. His works fed the variegated imagination of an awakening India. Chatterji's novels, and his song Bande Mataram, 'Hail to the Mother,' which became India's national song express his vision of Mother India as a Goddess and of woman as holy and venerable. His vision sparked the imagination of his compatriots in Bengal and other parts of India. In his novel Krishnakantas Will, Chatterji wrote: 'Woman is full of forgiveness, of compassion, of love; woman is the crowning excellence of God's creation... Woman is light, man is shadow' In his stories he wrote of women with great feeling and power, giving men much on which to reflect. It stimulated an ideal of nationalism in the past, and continues to be thought-provoking in the present, as India struggles to westernise' without losing her soul, to go high-tech and yet keep intact the unique gifts which she can bring to an emerging planetary culture. Preserving a peoples identity and integrity is a continual process, a challenge of renewal in which many voices struggle to speak for the spirit of a society. It is to Chatterji s credit that his voice is still worthBlistening to, still resonant and alive"
Now, if some lines are taken out of context, they might sound too much communal, which the freelance journalist tried hard to establish and give it a saffron colour. It is pertinent to mention here that Qur'aan contains at least 109 verses that gives a clarion call to Muslims to rage a war against non-believers or infidels for the sake of establishing an Islamic Caliphate. Some of those verses are quite graphic, with commands to chop off heads, fingers and kill infidels wherever they may be hiding. Muslims who do not join the fight are criticized as 'hypocrites' and are warned that Allah will send them to Hell. If any of those verses are suddenly plucked from Qur'aan and thrown among the gullible audience, how will they react? Does the writer of this article have any idea? Therefore, these kinds of blatant misuse of the writing skills, should be discouraged by the media fraternity, as this might send wrong vibes across the world.]
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| Photo: - Sudhir Shetty/DNA |
The sight of an MP slowly walking out of Parliament while the entire House stood in respect for Vande Mataram, will be difficult to forget. Yet, the BSP’s Shafiqur Rahman Barq was simply exercising his rights. The fundamental duties added to the constitution during the emergency, ask us to respect only the national flag and anthem. At any rate, they are not legally enforceable. Our supreme court had held way back in 1986 that conscientious objectors were free not to sing the national anthem, while not showing disrespect to it.
Many people believe that Jana Gana Mana was written in praise of King George V, even though Rabindranath Tagore rejected that allegation convincingly. Earlier, when it used to be played at the end of a movie, such people would walk out, joining many others who felt it a waste of time to stay back for the national anthem.
The debate over Vande Mataram is more complicated. Originally, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s composition comprised only the 14 lines which are today the text of the national song. In 1881, he expanded it into a hymn to goddess Durga, and made it part of his anti-Muslim novel Anand Math.
Till the 1930s, everyone, Hindu or Muslim, sang it with fervour. In fact, the Vande Mataram flag also had the Islamic crescent and star on it. But as objections to it grew from Muslims within the Congress and outside, Congress heavyweights Nehru, Azad, Bose and Acharya Narendra Dev, decided in 1937 that the original two stanzas were not only unobjectionable, but had developed an identity of their own in the freedom movement.
However, singing them would not be mandatory at Congress sessions.
In the choice for national anthem, Jana Gana Mana won, but with its inspirational history, Vande Mataram became the national song. I have heard freedom fighters sing its first few lines right till their old age, remembering the slogan they shouted as they held up the tricolour in defiance and courted arrest.
The real problem with Vande Mataram is its co-option first by the Hindu Mahasabha, then by the RSS and its allies, none of whom had played any role in the freedom struggle. The slogan ‘Is desh mein rahna hoga to Vande Mataram kahna hoga’ is still used to browbeat Muslims. It took a judge of the stature of Justice BN Srikrishna to declare in court, during the hearings of his inquiry into the 92-93 Mumbai riots, that laying down conditions of residence on any citizen, let alone a community, by another group was not just communal but also fascist.
But much before 92-93, Mumbaikars were losing lives over Vande Mataram. In 1973, the Muslim League objected to the Shiv Sena’s decision to make its singing compulsory in Municipal Corporation meetings. Sena-League riots followed in which five persons died.
But a few months later, the “patriotic’’ Sena thought nothing of taking the help of “traitors” to get its candidate elected as Mayor. Bal Thackeray and GM Banatwala, head of the League, led Sudhir Joshi’s victory procession together.
Vande Mataram has a deep historical link with Mumbai. The first time it was sung from a political platform was in 1896 by Rabindranath Tagore in the Congress’ Kolkata session.
The president of the session was Mumbai lawyer Rahimatullah Sayani.
Muslim intellectuals of this city, such as Rafiq Zakaria and Sajid Rashid (both deceased), Asghar Ali Engineer and Syed Feroze Ashraf, have often stated that there’s nothing wrong in singing Vande Mataram — out of choice. Forcing them to do so — or not to — won’t do.
The author is a Mumbai-based freelance journalist.
Many people believe that Jana Gana Mana was written in praise of King George V, even though Rabindranath Tagore rejected that allegation convincingly. Earlier, when it used to be played at the end of a movie, such people would walk out, joining many others who felt it a waste of time to stay back for the national anthem.
The debate over Vande Mataram is more complicated. Originally, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s composition comprised only the 14 lines which are today the text of the national song. In 1881, he expanded it into a hymn to goddess Durga, and made it part of his anti-Muslim novel Anand Math.
Till the 1930s, everyone, Hindu or Muslim, sang it with fervour. In fact, the Vande Mataram flag also had the Islamic crescent and star on it. But as objections to it grew from Muslims within the Congress and outside, Congress heavyweights Nehru, Azad, Bose and Acharya Narendra Dev, decided in 1937 that the original two stanzas were not only unobjectionable, but had developed an identity of their own in the freedom movement.
However, singing them would not be mandatory at Congress sessions.
In the choice for national anthem, Jana Gana Mana won, but with its inspirational history, Vande Mataram became the national song. I have heard freedom fighters sing its first few lines right till their old age, remembering the slogan they shouted as they held up the tricolour in defiance and courted arrest.
The real problem with Vande Mataram is its co-option first by the Hindu Mahasabha, then by the RSS and its allies, none of whom had played any role in the freedom struggle. The slogan ‘Is desh mein rahna hoga to Vande Mataram kahna hoga’ is still used to browbeat Muslims. It took a judge of the stature of Justice BN Srikrishna to declare in court, during the hearings of his inquiry into the 92-93 Mumbai riots, that laying down conditions of residence on any citizen, let alone a community, by another group was not just communal but also fascist.
But much before 92-93, Mumbaikars were losing lives over Vande Mataram. In 1973, the Muslim League objected to the Shiv Sena’s decision to make its singing compulsory in Municipal Corporation meetings. Sena-League riots followed in which five persons died.
But a few months later, the “patriotic’’ Sena thought nothing of taking the help of “traitors” to get its candidate elected as Mayor. Bal Thackeray and GM Banatwala, head of the League, led Sudhir Joshi’s victory procession together.
Vande Mataram has a deep historical link with Mumbai. The first time it was sung from a political platform was in 1896 by Rabindranath Tagore in the Congress’ Kolkata session.
The president of the session was Mumbai lawyer Rahimatullah Sayani.
Muslim intellectuals of this city, such as Rafiq Zakaria and Sajid Rashid (both deceased), Asghar Ali Engineer and Syed Feroze Ashraf, have often stated that there’s nothing wrong in singing Vande Mataram — out of choice. Forcing them to do so — or not to — won’t do.
The author is a Mumbai-based freelance journalist.
Courtesy: DNA India
