US Congress honours the life and legacy of Punjabi-origin columnist Ved Nanda.
Ved Nanda. Photo: @SandhuTaranjitS/X
Washington :
Honouring the life of Indian-American columnist Ved Nanda, who was the recipient of the Gandhi-King-Ikeda Award for Community Peace Building in 2004 and the Padma Bhushan in 2018, the US Congress this week described him as a prominent figure and a bridge between the two nations.
A well-known columnist for the Denver Post who taught at the University of Denver for 50 years, Prof Nanda died early this month at the age of 89.
“For over five decades, Prof Nanda uplifted the students of DU and the Indian diaspora community, becoming a prominent figure and a bridge between our two nations. He also served in several illustrious positions, including Chairman of the Board of the Hindu University of America and Vice President of the American Society of International Law,” Congresswoman Diana DeGette said on the floor of the US House of Representatives this week.
According to the Denver Post, Nanda was tireless in pursuing justice and peace for moral and personal reasons. His seminal work for The Denver Post was his 2017 reflection on India’s Partition.
At the time, Nanda was a young child, fleeing for his life at his mother’s side. As a Hindu family in Gujranwala, a Muslim-majority town in Punjab, it was a Muslim neighbour who helped the Nandas escape neighbours who had overnight turned into “animals,” indiscriminately killing any Hindus who remained.
Muslims in east Punjab faced a similar fate as violent mobs forced them into what would become Pakistan, the Post wrote.
“Mr Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a distinguished member of Denver’s academic community and a cherished friend, Prof Ved Nanda. His recent passing is a profound loss, not only to the University of Denver and our local community but to many across the US and the world,” DeGette said this week.
“Prof Nanda was more than just an esteemed colleague; he was a kind and passionate individual whose impact on our community extended far beyond the walls of the university. His commitment to education, international law and the promotion of cultural understanding left a mark on all who knew him,” the Congresswoman said.
“Born in 1934 in Gujranwala, Ved Nanda built an exemplary career starting at Punjab University where he received an MA in economics. He went on to receive a law degree from Delhi University, a law degree from Northwestern University, and completed subsequent postgraduate work at Yale University,” she said.
“In 2006, Prof Nanda was honoured with a USD 1 million founding gift from the University of Denver to launch the Ved Nanda Centre for International and Comparative Law, promoting programmes and scholarships in the field of international law. He was also honoured with the prestigious Gandhi-King-Ikeda Award for Community Peace Building in 2004 and the Padma Bhushan in 2018,” the Congresswoman said.
“These accolades are a testament to his significant impact on the field and tireless efforts to advance knowledge and cultural exchange. His work was noticed and rightly honoured for its impact. For more than 30 years, Prof Nanda shared his wisdom with the larger Colorado community through his regular columns in the Denver Post,” DeGette said.
His clear and reasoned explanations of international issues provided important perspectives to readers.
“As we remember and mourn the passing of Ved Nanda, we also celebrate the enduring legacy he leaves behind. I have no doubt his intellectual contributions, passion for education, and love for both India and the United States will continue to inspire us all,” she said.
In an op-ed, the Denver Post wrote that Nanda’s voice for peace would be dearly missed in a world beset with anger and violence, where Ukrainians, Russians, Ethiopians, Yemenis, Israelis and Palestinians are dying in droves.
“In a world where journalists can no longer freely travel to places once safe, like Russia, China and Saudi Arabia. In a world where women in Afghanistan and Iran are more marginalised than ever. We need more men and women like Nanda who follow a clear moral compass towards peace,” the daily said.
source: http://www.tribuneindia.com / Tribune India / Home> Diaspora / January 20th, 2024
Manzoor Khan, 72, a resident of Lari village in Ramgarh district, holds the license for the Ramnavmi procession in accordance with a local tradition of giving such licences to a Muslim.
Chitarpur is a sensitive area of Ramgarh district and adjacent to village Lari, but the area has set an example of communal harmony because of the tradition of giving a licence to a Muslim. Earlier, the licence was issued in the name of Manzoor Khan’s father late Ismayal Khan. After his death, Manzoor Khan took up the task and during the last few years, the licence has been issued in his name.
“I apply to Rajrappa police station for the licence and the deputy superintendent of police’s office issues it. At first we organise a meeting of villagers and they give the work to me. At once, the licence is issued for two and a half panchayats,” he said.
He said, “Once only a single Muslim family of my forefathers was living in Lari village and so the villagers used to select my father for taking the Ramnavmi procession licence. I celebrate all Hindu festivals with the villagers.”
The license of the Ramnavmi procession in the area is issued in his name and he leads the procession not only for Ramnavmi but also for other religious festivals like Durga Puja, Kali Puja. He has always maintained a record of communal harmony. The tradition to get Ramnavmi Procession in the name of a Muslim community man has kicked off years ago.
The story and work of Manzoor Khan are famous throughout Jharkhand. Some time ago, he had to face a little problem from both the Hindu and Muslim communities but with the help of one God belief, he managed everything.
This year the Ramnavmi procession with a grand celebration will be organised at Lari. Manzoor is busy again with lots of enthusiasm. The entire village has worn a Ramnavmi loot and he is the leader of the entire program. All villagers are supporting him. A few Muslims are also busy with him celebrating this memorable festival. Mahaveeri flags are waving and Festival songs are being played in the village.
“As long as I am alive I will organize the procession. I hope my sons will also follow this tradition of their forefathers. They are busy with me to celebrate Ramnavmi in the village,” he added.
source: http://www.lagatar24.com / Lagatar / Home / by Manoj Sinha / March 29th, 2023
In the past 75 years a community of Urdu magazines that used to be read by the entire family has disappeared unmourned, so too their journalists and readers. There is also now no major Urdu newspaper or magazine that is edited by a non-Muslim.p
Last year, Urdu institutions in India celebrated a landmark in the history of that language—the 200th anniversary of the publication of Jam-i Jahan-Numa, the first modern newspaper in Urdu. It debuted on 27 March 1822, carrying a name that was clever and most befitting. It referred to the fabled “world-revealing goblet” of the legendary Iranian monarch, Jamshed, into whose depths the regal eyes could peer and see all that was happening in the world.
A big surprise about the new journal was its place of publication, Calcutta (now Kolkata), not known as a major centre of Urdu language and literature. Surprising also was the identity of its publisher, Harihar Dutta, a feisty upper-class Bengali young man with no ties to the north Indian regions more closely identified with Urdu. His grandfather had been the Dewan at the East India Company’s Custom House for 50 years, a position of some status, later held by his father Tarachand Dutta.
Tarachand is better known in records as the co-founder, with Raja Ram Mohan Roy, of the progressive Bangla weekly Sambad Kaumudi in 1821, and the publisher of Roy’s Persian weekly, Mirat-al-Akhbar, arguably the first newspaper in that language, which came out a month after Jam-i Jahan-Numa. Thus, the father and son can rightly be described as the founders of modern journalism in both Urdu and Persian. My account of the Duttas and their journal is based chiefly on Gurbachan Chandan’s Jam-i Jahan-Numa: Urdu Sahafat ki Ibtida (New Delhi: Maktaba Jami’a, 1992), and Nadir Ali Khan’s Urdu Sahafat ki Tarikh (Aligarh: Educational Book House, 1987).
The editor, Munshi Sadasukh Lal, was an equally remarkable man. Hailing from Agra, which had come under British control in 1803, he had travelled to Calcutta to make his fortune, either as a tutor to some foreign employee of the Company, or as a munshi at some business house, handling their formal correspondence. Besides an expertise in Sanskrit, Hindi, Persian, and Urdu, he had some knowledge of Arabic. He also knew English well enough to read and understand official publications, and later translated many professional texts into Urdu and Hindi.
In a few years [after 1828], with the spread of litho technology, Urdu newspapers began to appear all over North India.
We do not know the significant dates of Sadasukh Lal’s life, but he is known to have left Calcutta some years later, travelling first to Allahabad and then to Agra. At both places, he established a printing business and published newspapers and books in both Urdu and Hindi.
The Duttas were not wrong in expecting some demand for the two journals. Persian was still big in Indian upper circles and in the colonial officialdom, and Calcutta was a major trading centre attracting Iranian, Armenian, and Afghan merchants. It also had Warren Hastings’ madrasa that provided instruction to many Indians in Arabic and Persian, and the College of Fort Williams, which trained British and European employees of the Company in whatever Indian language they needed to “command”. But in the 1820s things were also in flux.
After seven issues exclusively in Urdu, Jam-i Jahan-Numa had to include a column in Persian to attract more readers, and after two more issues, it was entirely in Persian. The Calcutta Journal succinctly commented on the change:
The Hindoostani (sic) is merely a popular language, much employed in colloquial discourse, but little used in writing; the taste for reading newspapers is very little among the natives, and perhaps confined entirely to people who have received a polite education. A native newspaper, therefore, can expect little support from those who know only Hindoostani, and those in better circumstances will naturally prefer a paper written in Persian language, which is a necessary part of the education of every person who has any pretentions to respectability.Quoted in M. Aslam Siddiqi (1947): “Persian Press in India”, Indo-Iranica, I: 2, Calcutta, p. 18.
Some months later, a sheet of Urdu was added as a supplement, and a note in English under the title appealed to non-Indian readers: “European Gentlemen, who may wish to be supplied with this paper, either for their own perusal or from a benevolent desire to diffuse knowledge among the native members of their establishment, may be supplied with it […] at three rupees per month, including Ordoo Supplement.” A few years later, it was again an Urdu weekly, but of more general interest than just the news.
In 1828, however, it stopped publication altogether – just two years before Urdu replaced Persian on the colonial pedestal, thus gaining a special appeal. In a few years, with the spread of litho technology, Urdu newspapers began to appear all over north India.
[W]hat had stayed unchanged for well over a century after the appearance of ‘Jam-i Jahan-Numa’ in 1822 has undergone a drastic change in the last 75 years.
The celebrants in India last year noted with a great deal of satisfaction that the very first newspaper in Urdu was edited and published by two non-Muslims. It confirmed their claim that Urdu was not just the language of Muslims.
Urdu had indeed been just like any other Indian language and not restricted to the adherents of any one religion. Like Tamil or Gujarati. Like Braj, Awadhi, or Rajasthani. But I am not sure if the same is true now. I strongly doubt if any ardent ‘Urduwalla’, asked now to name an Urdu newspaper edited by a Hindu or any Urdu journal catering to the needs of a non-Muslim readership, would be able to name either. I may fervently hope I am wrong, but what had stayed unchanged for well over a century after the appearance of Jam-i Jahan-Numa in 1822 has undergone a drastic change in the last 75 years.
Khwaja Hasan Nizami, a self-made man of many talents and varying reputations, was a widely known public figure in the first half of the last century. His weekly, Munadi, was mostly written by him but read by thousands of his admirers across the country. The latter particularly enjoyed his daily “diary”, selections from his correspondence with the high and low, and his polemic against the antagonist of the week—all done in a literary style that was his own.
In 1937, in the Annual Number of his journal, he offered his readers a long list of the Urdu journals that came to his office every month, presumably in exchange for his own. Much to our benefit now, he also provided some information on each of them, including the names of their editors and his view of their politics. Of the 147 titles, 22 were edited by non-Muslims.
We see that no category was restricted in range. Jains and Sikhs, Arya Samaji Hindus and Sanatani Hindus, even Radha Swamis, all found it worth their while to publish their concerns and considerations in Urdu to reach a sizable portion of their respective faith communities. So was the case with political identity, where even the Hindu Mahasabha found it useful to make its views available, at least in Punjab, in Urdu. There are two “medical’ journals, indicating the extent to which Urdu was used by Punjabi practitioners of both the indigenous traditions, Ayurveda and the Greco-Arabic Tibb. Most of the journals on the list were seemingly flourishing and were of a respectable size and quality.
Nizami’s list is by no means exhaustive. It only tells us what he liked to get in exchange for his own magazine, which he described as “Islamic, Non-Congress.” I would interpret it as: concerned in particular with Islam and Muslims, not affiliated with any political party, and not disloyal to the colonial government. Despite being a prolific, almost compulsive, writer with an unmistakable stylistic charm, Nizami apparently received no Urdu literary magazine – not even Daya Narain Nigam’s Zamana (Kanpur), which was then in its 34th year of publication.
And though he received a few general magazines, including the newly started Musavvir (Bombay), a film plus literature magazine edited by none other than Saadat Hasan Manto, Nizami does not seem to have been getting Mast Qalandar, ‘Sufi’ Prithi Singh’s highly popular monthly, which was then in its 19th year. It boasted as its motto, Hindu hai ek ankh Musalman dusri – “The Hindu is one eye of India, the Muslim the other”, an image first made famous by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan (1817-1898) in a speech at Banaras when he was posted there as a judge (1867–1876). The magazine claimed to have “the largest net sales of any Urdu monthly printed in India”. It also looks like Nizami did not receive ‘Sufi’ Lachman Prashad’s Mastana Jogi, which was no less successful and had been going strong longer.
Nand Kishore Vikram was only 18 when his family left Rawalpindi for India. He followed an uncle to Kanpur and joined another budding journalist, a similar refugee, to bring out a semi-literary Urdu monthly.
Arguably, the entire non-Muslim population, young and old, that had been engaged in Urdu journalism and publishing in West Punjab fled to India in 1947. Some found permanent refuge in East Punjab, in places such as Amritsar, Ludhiana, and Jalandhar. The more notable went directly to Delhi, and took not long to get going again. The younger upcoming ones sought their fortunes further away.
Nand Kishore Vikram was only 18 when his family left Rawalpindi for India. He followed an uncle to Kanpur and joined another budding journalist, a similar refugee, to bring out a semi-literary Urdu monthly. The venture did not last long but it nevertheless settled his career choice. Moving to Delhi, he took up various jobs involving Urdu, and completed his formal education. Eventually, he worked for the Information Bureau of the Government of India and was for decades on the editorial staff of its Urdu monthly, Ajkal. Its editor was a senior émigré, Balmukund Arsh Malsiyani.
After retirement, Vikram began publishing a bi-annual literary journal of his own, Alami Adab, and also produced a torrent of translations in both Urdu and Hindi. I never met him but had a couple of long chats over the telephone a few years ago. On learning that he was compiling three separate lists of the non-Muslim writers of Urdu – Hindu, Sikh, and Christian – I asked him to share them with me, and he most graciously did. He was compiling them mostly from memory, having access only to the books and journals in his own library. Sadly, he passed away soon after. Abdur Rashid of Delhi and I hope to complete the work as best we can.
Vikram identifies for us 70 Sikh, 97 Christian, and 531 Hindu writers of Urdu prose and poetry, and makes a point of identifying the journalists. Christian names are more numerous because he may have had the benefit of two previous works – Ram Babu Saxsena’s European and Indo-European Poets of Urdu and Persian and D.A. Harrison Qurban’s Urdu Ke Masihi Shu’ra. To my knowledge, no similar work exists for the Sikhs, despite such prominent writers as Rajendra Singh Bedi, Kirtar Singh Duggal, Mahendra Singh Bedi ‘Sahar’, and Sampooran Singh Kalra ‘Gulzar’.
Two other reasons may also have contributed: the steely allegiance amongst the Sikhs to Punjabi and the Gurumukhi script, and a preference amongst the Sikh elite for advanced proficiency in Persian, the formal language of the Sikh Durbar, that ended only when the British took over in 1849 and literacy in Urdu became necessary for government jobs.
Maftun told his rags-to-riches story in a page-turner autobiography,’ Naqabil-i Faramosh’, which is as ‘unforgettable’ as its title proclaims. Intriguingly, another equally candid and thoughtful autobiography, Gyan Singh Shatir, subtitled “a biographical novel”, was also written by a Sikh.
Though not many took to Urdu journalism, at least one Sikh scribe, Sirdar Diwan Singh Maftun, made a lasting name for himself. His slick weekly, Riyasat, was for a couple of decades a dreaded scourge of the rajas and nawabs of India as it exposed their peccadilloes and serious crimes. Printed on fine paper, it regularly carried eight pages of pictures and cost four annas – a princely price in the 1920s. It was, however, so popular that even car dealers regularly advertised in it. (The one and only instance I know of in Urdu.)
Maftun told his rags-to-riches story in a page-turner autobiography, Naqabil-i Faramosh, which is as “unforgettable” as its title proclaims. Intriguingly, another equally candid and thoughtful autobiography – by Gyan Singh Shatir, subtitled “a biographical novel” – was also written by a Sikh. Both books deserve to reach new readers through English translations.
Among the 97 Christians, there are very few prose writers. But one name is very important historically. Yesudas Ram Chandra, better known as Master Ram Chandra, was orphaned at a very young age but with the support of his mother and sheer hard work he managed to finish his education at the old Delhi College, specialising in mathematics. He was then appointed to teach at the college. In 1853, when he was 32, he converted to Christianity. During his tenure at the college, he edited and published two journals, Fawa’id-ul Nazirin and Muhibb-i Hind.A useful account of his life and times is Sadiqur Rahman Kidwai’s Master Ram Chandra, published by the Department of Urdu of Delhi University in 1961.
Reading an Urdu daily (Delhi) | Jeremy Graham/Alamy Stock Photo
The first Urdu journal published in Delhi is said to be Dahli Urdu Akhbar. Started in 1837; it was a joint project of a Muslim editor and a Kashmiri Hindu printer and publisher. In 1845, the newly appointed Swiss-German principal of the college, Dr Alois Sprenger, started Qiran-us Sa’dain, a weekly journal containing short essays on social issues, scientific news, and new technology, illustrated with line drawings. Its first editor was Dharma Narain Bhaskar, a “senior scholar” in English at the college. The earnest but preachy journal lasted 10 years, but chiefly on the subscriptions of colonial officers.
Ram Chandra’s first foray into journalism was Fawa’id-ul Nazirin (1845), a fortnightly inspired by Qiran-us Sa’dain, but more outspoken, wider in its range of social concerns, and allowing some space to contemporary Urdu and Persian poets. It regularly challenged the more conservative views of other Delhi papers, and at the height of its popularity had close to 200 subscribers – a notable readership, given that the earlier newspapers were not inexpensive.
Coming to Hindu writers, their sheer number on Vikram’s list sufficiently indicates how significant their role was in the development of Urdu literature.
Three years later, Ram Chandra started Muhibb-i Hind, a monthly of a similar nature. Unfortunately, both journals could not gain enough support from the elite of Delhi and were closed by 1852. A second Christian essayist-poet, Pyare Lal Shakir Merathi, gained prominence in the first half of the last century as the editor-publisher of a literary magazine, Al-’Asr. He also wrote much for younger readers, and several of his poems once had a place in school textbooks. (His short-lived magazine for children is on Nizami’s list.)
Coming to Hindu writers, their sheer number on Vikram’s list sufficiently indicates how significant their role was in the development of Urdu literature. That role becomes crucial when we consider just prose fiction. Nazir Ahmad may have written the first “novel” in Urdu, but the real foundation on which the edifice of Urdu fiction later arose was laid down by a Kashmiri Pundit, Ratan Nath Sarshar, whose episodic sagas were serialised in the pages of Awadh Akhbar, a famous weekly published by Munshi Newal Kishore.
The Urdu word for magazine is risala … a typical risala… normally carried in every issue two or three stories, a dozen pieces of poetry, three or four informative/topical articles, and some regular sections…
No doubt, Hindu journalists wrote in Urdu because it was their preferred means of considered expression, but they also wrote confident in the belief that a large Hindu readership, diverse in its literary tastes, political views, and social concerns, awaited them. (The diversity we glimpsed in Nizami’s categorisation.) There was also something else – a seemingly insatiable demand amongst Urdu readers in general for middlebrow writings, both fictional and factual, that had started in the 1880s and tapered off only after 1950. It gradually created a market for all sorts of magazines. (The first thing Vikram and his friend did after reaching Kanpur was to launch one.)
The Urdu word for magazine is risala (treatise; pamphlet; magazine), and a typical risala, unless further qualified as medical, sectarian, or religious, normally carried in every issue two or three stories, a dozen pieces of poetry, three or four informative/topical articles, and some regular sections, two or three pages each, devoted to “scientific discoveries,” “health news,” “films,” and “entertaining tidbits.” Editorial notes were a must in every issue. They established the tenor of the magazine and also gave it a human identity, to which readers could relate, adversely or in agreement, by submitting letters for the final must-have section: “Letters from Our Readers.”
A simple, all-purpose risala was meant for the whole family. Since some were quite inexpensive, a fairly large number of Urdu reading middle-class families bought one or two every month besides a daily newspaper. ‘Sufi’ Prithi Singh’s Mast Qalandar (Lahore; illustrated; multicolour cover; 90 pages) cost five rupees in 1947 for an annual subscription; “Maulana” Zafar Niyazi’s Kamyab (Delhi; monotone cover; 50 pages) cost only one rupee for 12 issues.
All major journalists, however, sooner or later ended up in Delhi, working for their original journals or for the Information Bureau and the Publications Division of the Government of India.
The large cohort of sharanarthi (refugee) journalists, forced in 1947 to abandon lives and careers in Lahore, Sialkot, Rawalpindi or Sargodha, lost little time in building new lives and careers in Delhi, Amritsar, Ludhiana and Jalandhar. The major publishing outfits already had their branch offices there; the minors took their chance wherever they could. All major journalists, however, sooner or later ended up in Delhi, working for their original journals or for the Information Bureau and the Publications Division of the Government of India.
The famous triad of Pratap, Milap, and Tej probably never lost a publication day. ‘Sufi’ Prithi Singh’s Mast Qalandar, ‘Sufi’ Lachhman Prashad’s Mastana Jogi, and (Ram Rakha Mal Chadda) Khushtar Garami’s Biswin Sadi – all three were perfect examples of a simple risala – were soon reaching the eager hands of thousands of their readers. The last named not only outlasted the two oldies, it grew to be the most popular Urdu risala in post-1947 India. (Two other hugely popular Urdu magazines, Sham’a and Jasusi Dunya, specialised in movies and crime fiction respectively.)
When these seniors left the scene, a younger generation that had come with them and, like them, favoured Urdu, took over. But Urdu’s fate was sealed relative to the very young ones. In economic importance, in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, Hindi was second only to English, and the long communal tussle for power in Punjab, strategically disguised as a struggle for linguistic rights, made certain that there would be no third generation of Urdu-favouring journalists from amongst the Hindus.
It took six decades, but it happened. In the bicentenary year just ended, there was no major Urdu newspaper or magazine in India that was edited and published by a non-Muslim – and it has been the case for some time. One by one, they took their leave, the “Jolly Jogi” and the “Jolly Qalandar.” The great triad of Tej, Milap, and Pratap, my Delhi friends tell me, still exists but only online – none is seen on newsstands.
The situation, actually, is dire overall. Except for the ones published by a few information bureaus and academic or religious institutions, there is no independent Urdu magazine of any kind that comes out regularly or sells more than a few hundred copies. There is no risala now in Urdu that could claim to be read “in every home and by all members of the household.”
Urdu poetry recitals (musha’ira) may still bring out some enthusiastic non-Muslim participants and connoisseurs, but the prose pages of Urdu newspapers and magazines are starkly devoid of them.
Even the long series of exclusively literary (adbi) monthlies that began with Shaikh Abdul Qadir’s Makhzan (Lahore) in 1901, and continued through Mian Bashir Ahmad’s Humayun (Lahore), Daya Narain Nigam’s Zamana (Kanpur), Shahid Ahmad’s Saqi (Delhi), Ejaz Siddiqui’s Sha’ir (Mumbai), Gopal Mittal’s Tehrik (Delhi), and Abid Suhail’s Kitab (Lucknow), ended with Shamsur Rahman Faruqi’s Shabkhoon (Allahabad) in 2006.
When we turn our gaze away from journalism and take note of the larger literary scene in the 21st century, we see that a much greater and quiet tragedy. There is not a single non-Muslim essayist, literary critic, literary researcher, or fiction writer of significance in Urdu. Urdu poetry recitals (musha’ira) may still bring out some enthusiastic non-Muslim participants and connoisseurs, but the prose pages of Urdu newspapers and magazines are starkly devoid of them.
The present generation of Hindus in north India may well produce some interesting Urdu poets down the line, the likes of Bani, Kumar Pashi, or Manmohan Talkh, but it is certain that we may have to wait a long time for another Joginder Pal, Surendra Prakash, Ram Lal or Balraj Mainra. How this happened, and what it means for Urdu language and literature in India is, of course, a separate sad tale.
This article is dedicated to Nand Kishore Vikram.
C.M. Naim is professor emeritus of South Asian languages and civilizations, University of Chicago. His recent book A Most Noble Life (Orient Blackswan, 2021) is about two remarkable Muslim women of the 19th century.
source: http://www.theindiaforum.in / The India Forum / Home> Culture / by C.M. Naim / February 01st, 2023
A P J Abdul Kalam with children: an exhibit from the National memorial at Rameshwaram
In mid-December, when Suman and her husband Diwan Arora of Sonepat, Haryana, left for Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu, for performing the pilgrimage to one of the holiest sites of Hindus, little did they know that their journey would also take them to another sacred place – a memorial to the son of the soil Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam aka Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam.
“I didn’t feel like leaving the place,” said Suman, a retired central government official of her experience of visiting the National Memorial for the 11th President of India A P J Abdul Kalam, located in his native city of Rameshwaram.
Suman said that the moment she removed her shoe to enter the National Memorial she experienced a surge of positive energy inside her. She and other tourists paid obeisance to the People’s President at his resting place inside the memorial.
“I was visiting the place after I visited the temple; there I felt I had entered another sacred place,” she told Awaz-the voice.
Suman and Diwan Arora in Rameshwaram
On her maiden journey to South India, Suman said she was as much awestruck by the grandiosity and architecture of temples – Rameshwaram, and Meenakshi at Madurai as with the simplicity and grandeur of the life of the great Indian – A P J Abdul Kalam.
“Seeing the incredible architecture of the temples was a great experience. Visiting the Museum of President Abdul Kalam was no less. It was also like a pilgrimage.”
Though not hyped as much as many other places, the museum is on the Tourism map of Rameshwaram city. According to Aroras, even the local auto-rickshaw drivers who offer tour packages to visitors, recommend the museum as the first place.
Suman said although their tour was in connection with the seven-day Bhagwad Gita path (Narration of the Bhagwad Gita) and was organized by a religious group, a friend had advised her to visit the museum at any cost. “After visiting the place, I can never thank my South Indian friend enough,” Suman said.
Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam’s memorial, Rameshwaram
Kalam’s grand-nephew APJMJ Sheik Saleem told Awaz-the voice that so far one crore people have visited the museum that was set inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 27, 2017.
Sheik Saleem who recently joined the BJP runs his business and a Foundation for social work. He says he is privy to people’s devotion and love for his ancestor as they visit his memorial.
“The museum is visited by at least 7,000 visitors per day and so far about one crore have paid their obeisance to the people President,” Saleem told Awaz-the Voice.
“Earlier people came to our city for pilgrimage to the (Rameshwaram) temple but now the pilgrimage is combined with the visit to the national memorial for APJ Abdul Kalam,” he said.
“I have seen people coming to the place and feeling there is something great there. Many visitors do stand silently in front of the memorial, some bow their heads, and others simply go in the prayer mode as if they are seeking His blessings,” the former President’s grand-nephew said.
APJMJ Sheik Saleem with Home Minister Amit Shah
He said it’s touching and a humbling experience to see how much Indians cutting across religions or other barriers loved Dr. Kalam.
Suman, her husband, and many in their group spent nearly two hours inside the memorial. Visitors must enter barefoot and not use cameras or mobiles to click the pictures. All this adds to the sacredness of the space.
Saleem said since the place sees a high footfall, the cameras are forbidden simply because if everyone starts clicking there will be chaos.
Diwan Arora said the pilgrimage jatha comprised 300 people from Punjab and Haryana who visited Rameshwaram for “Bhagwat sapthah’ the weeklong narration of the Bhagwat Gita.
Meenakshi Temple and the Sea at Rameshwaram
Besides the museum, A P J Abdul Kalam’s childhood home has also been converted into a museum that his elder brother maintains. “It’s a smaller collection of photos and family memorabilia. The place is visited by at least 4,000 persons per day,” Sheik Saleem said.
The national museum maintained by the DRDO narrates the story of the life of India’s missile man from a newspaper hawker in the coastal city to India’s missile man and the most popular President. It showcases pictures and models of missiles, rockets, and the Pokhran Nuclear test that Kalam was involved in. His favourite Veena which he played every morning sitting on the bare floor even in Rashtrapati Bhawan is also displayed in the museum.
Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam lived in the Rashtrapati Bhawan from 2002 to 2007. He became the most loved and respected head of the nation to get the sobriquet of People’s President.
Kalam was a respected scientist specializing in aerospace engineering. His simplicity and dedication to serving the country motivated many youths to follow his path and he became an inspirational figure for the youth of India.
House of Kalam: the private Museum dedicated to the memory of Dr. APJ Kalam inside his ancestral house in Rameshwaram
Inside the memorial, one can see the selected photos, paintings, miniature models of missiles, etc. The memorial is less than 1 km from Rameswaram.
The museum’s exhibits narrate the story of his life and achievements. It’s located on Mosque Street and is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
A. P J Abdul Kalam was born and brought up in Rameswaram and became a scientist and worked for DRDO and ISRO before being chosen to become India’s 11th President by the then NDA government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
He passed away suddenly while attending the IIT Shillong convocation on July 27, 2015, and was laid to rest at Pei Karumbu, Rameswaram on 30 July.
According to the statement of the Museum, Dr. Kalam always reflected the simplicity, depth, and calmness of Rameshwaram throughout his life, and it’s showcased in his memorial. Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam National Memorial was inaugurated by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi on 27th July 2017.
The memorial is spread over 2.11 acres of land, the memorial is constructed on the gravesite of Dr. Kalam, where his mortal remnants were put to rest on July 27, 2015. To pay tribute to India’s missile man, The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), with which Dr. Kalam had been associated for several years of his life, came up with an initiative to construct his memorial.
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The memorial was constructed in a record time of nine-month at the cost of Rs 120 crore,
The Museum is also included in the recommended place in Rameshwaram by the Trip Advisor company.
On its website, people who visited the place have rated it very highly. Their comments in the review section show that the People’s President continues to be in the heart of Indians even after his passing away. For example, Saurabh from Patna, Bihar, says:
..must visit place for everyone. I’m a huge follower of Bharat Ratna Late APJ Abdul kalam sir. It was inaugurated by Our prime minister in 2017. Here you can learn many things about Bharat Ratna APJ Abdul Kalam sir.
I visited this and will recommend every people to visit this place and should remember the person who shape and sculpt the Indian defense and space research organisation.
A Tourist from Bangladesh wrote in the same section: “A scientist and leader has been honoured in the best way in his birthplace “
Another tourist to the museum from Hyderabad wrote:
.. A fitting tribute to the great son of India. Amazing that a man with such humble origins and from a very small town rose to the highest office in this country. A must-visit for students and youth who can take inspiration from the great man’s life. Plenty of Photographs, a peek into the life of Dr. A.J.P. Abdul Kalam.
A visitor from the NCT of Delhi wrote on Trip Advisor’s website :
Not only a memorial but a temple or place of worship where you can motivate yourself how an innocent boy who was used to distributing newspapers in a nearby area has become India’s first citizen. The place is full of photographs, a replica of missiles, statues, Samadhi, and many more … a calm environment despite of rush of school children.. A must-visit place at Rameshwaram.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Story / by Aasha Khosa, New Delhi / July 27th, 2023
While the response to the film in Kerala and neighbouring Tamil Nadu has been tepid, it seems to have opened the floodgates of abusive comments, both for and against.
A sketch by EP Unny that he tweeted shows a church (extreme right), a mosque and a temple “cuddling into” Palayam in the heart of Thiruvananthapuram, the Kerala capital. The sketch was a part of Spices & Souls: A Doodler’s Journey Through Kerala, published by DC Books, Kottayam, in 2001 /. Sourced by the Telegraph
Academy award-winning sound designer Resul Pookutty and cartoonist E.P. Unny have inspired many tweets highlighting communal harmony in their home state of Kerala, contrasting with the hate being spewed on social media following the release of The Kerala Story.
While the response to the film in Kerala and neighbouring Tamil Nadu has been tepid, it seems to have opened the floodgates of abusive comments, both for and against.
Against this background, Unny, chief political cartoonist at The Indian Express newspaper, has tweeted one of his old sketches that depicted a temple, mosque and a church that stand side by side at Palayam in Thiruvananthapuram as an exemplar of communal amity.
By Sunday evening, Unny’s tweet, dated May 5 and posted under the hashtag #KeralaStory, had been viewed by 2.97 lakh people, shared by 561 and drawn comments from 223.
Pookutty too, on May 5, exhorted people to share stories that would fit two hashtags he had created: “Guys if you have your own story of #brotherhoodinKerala share it here under the #MyKeralaStory.”
Lok Sabha member Shashi Tharoor shared Unny’s tweet and commented: “Proud to represent Thiruvananthapuram constituency. The Palayam example is one I often cite in my speeches. Beautifully drawn by @unnycartoonist.”
The image Unny tweeted was drawn in 2000 for his travel book Spices & Souls, commissioned by DC Books and published in 2001.
“I was not reacting to the film at all because I have not seen the film. If I had seen the film, I might have done a cartoon on it,” Unny told The Telegraph on Sunday.
Unny had already, before the controversy over The Kerala Story broke, been planning to tweet the screen grab of the sketch to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Palayam church.
“I had a screen grab of this image and thought I would tweet it at some point since I had read sometime in March that this was the 150th year of the Palayam church,” he said.
“This in itself is remarkable with a temple, a church and a mosque adjoining each other in the Thiruvananthapuram landscape.”
Soon after, a storm began brewing over The Kerala Story, which controversially suggests that Malayali women are being lured into conversion and radicalisation by the Islamic State.
“That was when discussions started about this film and highly polarising comments were made around it. That was why I tagged #KeralaStory while tweeting it (the sketch),” he said.
“What I was responding to was the noise made around this film by people, many of whom had not seen it,” Unny said.
Pookutty’s tweet found immediate acceptance, with Carnatic vocalist and activist T.M. Krishna tweeting: “Singing in innumerable temples across the length and breadth of Kerala for over two decades and always having people who belong to diverse faiths sharing in the music. People from whom I learnt a lot! Will be singing Guru in Kollam tomorrow.”
“Guru” is a reference to social reformer Sree Narayana Guru, whose verses Krishna has been singing for several years.
Pookutty’s hashtag #MyKeralaStory has led to several stories about communal amity in Kerala being shared.
Shanmugavel Shankaran, a netizen, tweeted a picture of a Muslim couple who had married off their adopted Hindu daughter to a Hindu man at Kanhangad in Kasargod district.
P. Abdullah and his wife Khadeeja had adopted Rajeshwari after she was orphaned at the age of seven. The couple educated the girl and brought her up as a Hindu.
A man named Zafri tweeted: “Rightly said, Resul. There are so many stories of love to share. Recently attended the Nikah ceremony of my sister in Trivandrum. Our stay, our commuting as well as the marriage reception arrangements taken care of by the groom’s non-Muslim friends. #MyKeralaStory.”
Many tweeted a video clip of a Hindu wedding at a mosque that was recently shared by Academy award-winning composer A.R. Rahman. The video is about how the Cheruvally Muslim Jamaal Mosque in Kayamkulam, Alappuzha district, held a wedding for Anju and Sharath Sasi on January 19, 2020.
The event happened after the bride’s mother, a widow, sought help from the mosque committee for her daughter’s marriage. The committee fully sponsored the Hindu wedding, held on the premises of the mosque.
A man named Raj P. tweeted: “I looked after a child with a severe illness on a ventilator. The family couldn’t meet the expenses. Their church raised some money to help them. The neighbourhood mosque committee heard about this, collected funds from Muslim families, and helped the child. #mykeralastory.”
Many stories have been shared also about how Malayalis had cut across religious communities to help one another during the devastating floods of 2018.
source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph Online / Home> India / by K.M. Rakesh, Bangalore / May 08th, 2023
Institute of Objective Studies, New Delhi, organised a two-day National Conference on “Indian Muslims and Plural Society” in hybrid mode from February 15 – 16.
Inaugural session
The inaugural session commenced with Prof Haseena Hashia, Assistant Secretary General, IOS, welcoming the guests and participants.
Prof M.H Qureshi, an eminent Geographer, talked about India witnessing numerous migrations over the last several centuries. “We have Nordics, Mediterranean, and Mongols—people from Central Asia, Persia and even Arabs who arrived in India through its southern-western coastal region. Therefore, India has immense diversity, he said.
He said that the Arabs came to the Kerala coast and brought many traditions that became part and parcel of India.
Professor Mehrajuddin Mir, former Vice-Chancellor of the Central University of Kashmir, said that the concept of pluralism was how to live together, tolerate others’ thoughts and ideas, and even understand opponents’ miseries for solutions to live in diversity. All religions have various sects, and thus, their practices differ. The conflicts are, therefore, intra-religious, interreligious and social, he noted.
Professor Mir quoted Indian Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh, who recently spoke about how one Imam and one Pundit shaped his career to understand brotherhood and oneness.
Professor Akhtarul Wasey, former President, Maulana Azad University, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, in his presidential address, said that Muslims came to India as traders and invaders. But once they came here, they delved into the culture and traditions of India and became one who enriched the nation to encourage pluralism. Muslims have contributed to India’s prosperity.
He said that how Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam became a global personality of Indian origin—a Muslim. The country couldn’t think of its missile programme without his theoretical contributions, he said.
Technical Session I
The 1st Technical Session began with the theme, “Genesis of Pluralism in India.” Professor Arshi Khan, Department of Political Science, AMU, Aligarh, as Moderator & Chairperson.
Dr. Ram Puniyani, Human Rights Activist and Writer, said, “There is a misconception in the country, especially against Muslims.” The alliance of civilizations defines plurality. Religions don’t have any nationality. They are universal. The Kings in India, whether Muslim or Hindu, ruled the nation for centuries with people of different faiths as their core governance teams. There was nothing like Muslim Kings or Hindu kings then, he explained.
He observed that calling Indian cultures as Hindu is a bigoted idea. Leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad brought secular spirits into the country. We have Sufi and Bhakti traditions that describe the morality of religions and humanity in India.
Professor Mohammad Sohrab, MMA Jauhar Academy of International Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, described pluralism as a definition both from a conceptual and theoretical perspective. Primarily a religious and moral philosophy, pluralism was the acceptance of diversity. It is more than tolerance of differences. The conception of ‘We’ was essential to assess pluralism through organic social bonding. Pluralism in the Islamic context of acceptance and the country’s scenario today should be understood in the context of how the nation’s spirit developed in Madinah during the time of the Prophet, he elaborated.
He said that pluralism demands that your neighbour be considered an asset, not a liability. Diversity with pluralism creates resilience, but diversity without pluralism brings disaster, he concluded.
Gurtej Singh, IAS, Chandigarh, spoke about how India’s constitutional and political federalism paved the way for the constitution. The atrocities against Sikhs and their resistance were part of history, he said. The examples of pluralism can be understood from the Guru Granth of Sikh religion.
His book Sikh and Indian Civilization sheds light on how Sikhs were projected during partition.
Sanjay K. Rai, a social activist from Lucknow, mentioned that “diversity doesn’t accept dictators.” He highlighted the importance of multicultural societies. Linguistic Pluralism was the need of the hour in today’s context. Societies with pluralism also impact by technological growth. Communities can’t be defined through one particular race or culture. He felt that there can’t be nation-building and growth without taking Muslims along who constitute 15-20% population in India. The One Nation, One Culture concept can only work in some countries. One can’t find books on Hitler in Germany today. Mussolini’s home has been destroyed in his country as people don’t want him to be remembered. It symbolizes how those going against pluralism perish from the leaflets of history, he concluded.
Mr. Gurdeep Singh, a Sikh leader from Bhatinda, Punjab, stressed that it was high time to focus on the future, in view of the experiences of the past and present to grow in a plural society. Mistakes could be there in the past, but remembering those only won’t solve the purpose. It will hinder progress. He warned that today’s rulers in India were breaking the very ascent of Indian culture and unity.
He said that when Kashmiri Muslims are tortured, others in the country feel their pain.
Dr. Lubna Naaz from the Department of Islamic Studies, Women’s College, AMU, spoke on “An Islamic Perspective on Peaceful Coexistence.”
Technical Session-II
Focused on the theme, Role of Islam to Strengthen Pluralism in India, the Technical Session II started under the Chairperson, Professor M. Ishaque from the Department of Islamic Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia.
Maulana Abdul Hameed Nomani, Former General Secretary, All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat, Delhi, highlighted that two things are required to be properly understood: the Creator, and the Creator’s motive. He said that Sufis always made one feel the independence to think and lead life. Islam always propagates the rights of neighbours, relatives and much more. Sufi Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti wore similar dresses like Indian Sadhus to ascertain people of his time, irrespective of their religious faiths, connected with him.
He said that Swami Dayanand and Raja Ram Mohan Roy kept Hindu philosophy out of their movements but promoted social reforms in the societies applicable to all faiths for social betterment. “Faith is vital, like Allah’s mercy, unlike social practices that change with time,” he said. India’s beauty was in its diversity of religious thoughts. In pre-Islam Arab tribes kept fighting for generations on a single issue of their forefathers, but the scenario has changed. Islam accepts variety in pluralism, from religious to traditional to social practices. Islam as a religion must not change its basic principles. It is a Sanatan religion with firm principles, he concluded.
Prof Faheem Akhtar Nadvi, Head of the Department of Islamic Studies, MANUU, Hyderabad, emphasized that the role of Islam in strengthening pluralism in India is vital. Pluralism is a society where people of all religions reside and respect each other. India is one of the best examples where pluralism has stayed for centuries. He emphasized that India will grow only when pluralism is projected in practice.
To be Continued..
source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> Featured News / by News Desk (headline edited) / February 25th, 2023
Eight minarets of Hamid Manzil, a magnificent building that houses the world’s famous Rampur Raza Library located some 200 kilometers from New Delhi, is a great symbol of pluralism in India.
The first part of the library minaret at the bottom is built in the shape of a Mosque; the part just above this resembles a Church, the third part reflects the architectural design of a Sikh Gurudwara, and the top-most part is built in the shape of a Hindu temple.
The religious symbols
This spirit of inclusiveness promoted in the princely State early on continues to inspire the people of this Uttar Pradesh district to live in harmony.
Rampur also famous for the Rampuri Chaku (knife), is one of the few princely states in India where no major communal riots or disturbances ever took place during the British colonial era or in the years afterward.
What makes the symbolism of the building remarkable is that it was constructed between 1902-05 much before India got its Independence and the nawabs were in the power of the 15-gun salute Princely State. They consciously chose to keep the sequence of symbolism with a secular spirit.
The unique architecture of the library building tells a long story about the nature and politics of the erstwhile Rampur Princely state. The interior of the building is also inspired by European architecture. The architect of the building was French architect W.C. Wright, who made the structure on the instructions given by Nawab Hamid Ali Khan.
The interiors of the library
The Nawabs of Rampur were Rohilas, who had their origin in Roh, Afghanistan, and were renowned for their secular and liberal outlook. They patronized the arts, culture, and education, and were known for their love of music, poetry, and architecture. They also promoted social and religious harmony by patronizing scholars and religious leaders from all faiths, including Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs. Raza library continues to be one of the most important cultural institutions in India and houses a vast collection of rare manuscripts, books, and other artifacts.
The library is now managed by the Government of Uttar Pradesh but remains closely associated with the Nawab family. Its minarets capture the true soul of the syncretic traditions of India. The Rampur Raza Library collection was started by Nawab Faizullah Khan in 1774. But the building came up much later.
The library initially had the personal book collection of Nawabs of Rampur who were patrons of the arts and avid collectors of books and manuscripts. Over the decades, the library has grown to become one of the largest collections of rare books and manuscripts in the country.
The library houses a vast collection of 17,000 manuscripts, including 150 illustrated ones with 4413 illustrations and about 83,000 printed books besides 5,000 miniature paintings in albums, 3000 specimens of calligraphy, and 205 palm leaves. Many rare and valuable texts are in Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Hindi, and other languages. The collection includes works on a wide range of subjects, including history, philosophy, science, literature, and religion.
The Raza Library is also home to several rare artifacts, including miniature paintings, coins, and other objects of historical and cultural significance. The library has a conservation lab that works to preserve these artifacts and ensure that they are protected for future generations. Nawab Murad Ali Khan, the son of the last nawab Murtaza Ali Khan has been on the board of the library management. His brother Nawab Kazim Ali Khan was also involved.
He has been MLA for five straight terms from the Suar constituency. He has twice been a Minister in Samajwadi as well as the Bahujan Samaj Party Government of Uttar Pradesh. He has continued the legacy of his ancestors in furthering a tolerant and secular culture in his region. Maulana Azad was the first MP from Rampur, who also became the first education minister of independent India. The Nawabs of Rampur were particularly famous for their patronage of Urdu poetry and music.
The general view of the library
Nawab Yousuf Ali Khan learnt poetry from Mirza Ghalib, who had been employed by his court. The nawabs were avid collectors of musical instruments, and many famous musicians and singers, including Ustad Allauddin Khan and Ustad Faiyaz Khan, were associated with the Rampur court.
The Rampur-Sahaswan gharana of classical music is named after the princely state and continues to be popular among music enthusiasts in India. Even though Rampur was a predominantly Muslim state, the Nawabs encouraged the development of Hindu temples and other places of worship for non-Muslims.
They also supported interfaith marriages and were known for their efforts to bridge the gap between different communities in their state. Rampur Raza Library is today one of the biggest symbols of India’s syncretic heritage and continues to attract visitors from across the world.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Stories / by ATV / Posted by Shaista Fatima / February 22nd, 2023
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s name is taken with great pride and respect in Maharashtra. Every year on February 19, Shivaji Jayanti is celebrated with great pomp across the state. The coronation day of Shivaji Maharaj is also celebrated on June 6, 1674. About 350 years ago, Shivaji Maharaj was coronated at Raigad Fort in the presence of thousands of people.
There have been many kings but people remember only those who worked for the good of the people. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is one of them as he established Swaraj based on the values of equality, brotherhood, and justice. During his rule, he worked for public welfare without any discrimination.
These days, Shivaji Maharaj is portrayed as a Hindu ruler by vested interests like political parties and organizations. Is it fair to see a great personality like Shivaji Maharaj only in the frame of religion? To see Shivaji Maharaj only as a protector of religion amounts to diminishing his stature. Shivaji’s life was spent following high ideals.
He respected Saints, Peer Auliyas, and all religions. For this reason, when he established Swaraj, along with the local Marathas, a large number of Muslims also supported him. At that time the Marathas who were in his army were called Mawle of Shivaji. Thousands of Muslims participated in the battles he fought; his administration also had Mawle. That is why even today Muslims of Kolhapur, Satara take part in Shivaji Jayanti processions with great fanfare.
During the rule of Shivaji Maharaj, public welfare, justice, and brotherhood were given priority. That’s why he and his regime are remembered even today.
Shivaji Maharaj’s family respected Sufi saints a lot. His grandfather had named his two sons Shahji and Sharifji after the Muslim Pir Baba Shah Sharif. Shivaji Maharaj had great respect for Sufi Saint Baba Yakut. Before leaving for the war front he visited Baba to seek his blessings. He also had oil lamps lit on various dargahs, the resting place of the Sufis.
Women were respected during Shivaji’s reign. Even during the war touching a woman was prohibited. It seems that after the governor of Kalyan was defeated at the hands of Shivaji’s forces, his beautiful daughter-in-law was presented to Shivaji. He was ashamed of his General’s act of using a woman as a booty. He apologized to the Muslim woman and told her she is like his mother and returned her to her homeland with full state honour.
Shivaji Maharaj had unwavering faith in his Muslim soldiers. There were more than 60 thousand Muslim soldiers in his army. He had also established a strong Navy and its command was in the hands of Muslim soldiers. Even the management of sea forts was entrusted to experienced Muslim governors like Darya Sarang, Daulat Khan, Ibrahim Khan, Siddi Mistry. Many Muslim warlords like Rustamozman, Hussain Khan, Qasim Khan left the princely state of Bijapur and joined the army of Shivaji Maharaj along with 700 Pathan soldiers. Siddi Hilal was one of the closest Sardars of Shivaji Maharaj. His acts of bravery in the war are famous.
Most of the cannons used in Shivaji’s army were manned by Muslim soldiers. Ibrahim Khan was the chief gunner; Shama Khan and Ibrahim Khan were the head of the Cavalry squad.Siddi Ibrahim was one of Shivaji’s bodyguards. In the encounter with Afzal Khan, Siddi Ibrahim saved Shivaji Maharaj by risking his life. Later, Shivaji Maharaj appointed him as the head of the Fonda fort. All the facts bear testimony to a close bond between Shivaji and his Muslim associates.
When Shivaji was under arrest in Agra Fort, a Muslim man named Madari Mehtar played the most important role in his escape. While Shivaji escaped from the fort, Mehtar masqueraded as him.
With his secular ways, Shivaji Maharaj won the hearts of his colleagues and they were ever ready to make sacrifices for their king.
Qazi Haider, a scholar of the Persian language was Shivaji’s Chief Law officer. He had a major role in the administration’s correspondence and agreements and secret plans. Once a Hindu Sardar expressed doubts about Qazi Haider and advised Shivaji against trusting him. Shivaji told him rather curtly: “Honesty is not tested by looking at someone’s caste (religion), it depends on that person’s deeds”.
The preparations for the coronation of Shivaji Maharaj had started long back. New buildings including temples were being constructed when Shivaji Maharaj reached Raigad to review the work. On his return to his palace, he asked his Sardars while they have built magnificent temples why no mosque for Muslim subjects has been built. Immediately, a mosque was built right in front of the palace and it stands there even today.
Today the rivalry between Shivaji and Afzal Khan is presented as a story of Hindu-Muslim tension. The truth is after Afzal Khan died, Shivaji Maharaj ordered that his body be buried with Islamic rites. A concrete grave was built for Afzal Khan; his sons were pardoned.
Such behaviour of a ruler against his enemy is rarely found in history.
All these incidents of history prove that the war between Shivaji Maharaj and the Mughals was of mutual conflicts between the kings for political interests and not for religious supremacy.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Story / by Mukhtar Khan, ATV / posted by Aasha Khosa / February 22nd, 2023
At the Battle of Malegaon, Muslim soldiers in the Maratha army defied the British army for a full month when they had no hope of victory as the Chhatrapati and Peshwa had already surrendered.
These battles, says Colonel Anil A Athale (retd), are in contrast to the colonial mindset driven narrative of Muslim separatism.
The current politics of both communities ensures that the heroes of Malegaon — or for that matter personalities like Ibrahim Khan, who led the Maratha artillery at the battle of Panipat in 1761 — are forgotten.
IMAGE: The Malegaon fort. Kind courtesy: Wikipedia
On January 1, 2018, the bicentenary of the defence of Koregaon by a small British force — that had a number of Mahar troops — was observed with great fanfare.
The British — the victors in the third Anglo-Maratha war — erected a pillar to commemorate the event.
During the same war, Muslim troops of the Marathas defied British forces for a full month from May 15, 1818 to June 13, 1818.
Since the Marathas were on the losing side, this saga of bravery was obliterated from history by the British.
As we approach the bicentenary of that event it is time to remember the brave soldiers of the Maratha army who continued to fight even when they had no hope since the Chhatrapati had already been captured by the British and Poona and Satara were under British occupation.
The loyalty to the Maratha flag by its Muslim soldiers even in a hopeless situation deserves to be remembered.
My own research in 1990 began with a question posed by the late Major General D K Palit, a military history scholar of repute.
The question he posed was this: How is it that the Marathas — who spiritedly fought a 22 year-long guerilla war against the mighty Mughal empire — succumbed to the British without a fight?
It is this quest for truth that led me to research the story of the Anglo-Maratha struggles of the 18th and 19th century.
The Battle of Malegaon fought in May-June 1818 was the last major attempt at resistance by the Marathas.
On May 15, 1818, a brigade strength force under Lieutenant Colonel A MacDowell reached the vicinity of Malegaon fort.
The British expected that this show of force would be sufficient to overawe the defenders of the Malegaon fort.
The British were in for a nasty surprise.
In response to summons to surrender, the defenders fired on the British camp leading to panic.
The quadrangular fort of Malegaon is located near the bend in the Musam river so as to cover two side of the fort, Malegaon town being on the other sides.
The fort had two lines of defence built of masonry surrounded by a seven feet wall and a 25 feet deep 16 feet wide ditch.
The outer wall had watch towers built of mud and stone. The inner fort or the citadel was 60 feet high with 16 feet wide ramparts.
On May 16, Colonel MacDowell reached the west bank of the river and began work to erect barriers of breastwork to deploy guns for the final assault.
At 8 am the British began bombardment of the fort with 20 guns, an assortment of 12 pounders (the biggest calibre gun then in India), 8 pounders and mortars.
The defending soldiers sortied out of the fort, destroyed the batteries and killed two British officers and several soldiers.
At the same time 7 guns from the fort opened devastating fire on the British lines on the west bank of the river.
The ding dong battle continued for six days.
On May 22, after particularly heavy shelling from the fort, the British were forced to abandon the breastwork for the guns and retreated.
On May 26, the British — through constant bombardment — succeeded in creating a breach in the inner wall of the fort.
The next day the British launched a three pronged attack after a bombardment lasting nearly two hours.
One column was led by Major Greenhill and consisted of a native battalion of 1,000 soldiers with 100 Europeans to directly go into the fort through the breach.
Another column of 800 sepoys under Lieutenant Colonel Stewart crossed the river downstream to outflank the fort from the west.
The third column consisting of 300 sepoys and 50 Europeans under Major Macbean went towards the river gate.
Each column had pioneers with tools, mines and ladders to tackle the fortification.
But the defenders of the Malegaon fort proved equal to the challenge.
The attacking British were met with a hail of bullets and gunfire. The attempt to scale the inner wall failed. Many of the engineer officers leading the attack suffered injuries.
Both the columns led by Majors Greenhill and Macbean were ordered to withdraw.
Only Lieutenant Colonel; Stewart’s column met with some success and he occupied part of the town.
The stalemate continued till June 4.
On that day another column under Major Watson arrived from Ahmednagar with a battalion of native infantry and a large number of siege guns.
For nine days, till June 13, the fort was subjected to heavy bombardment by the British guns.
On June 13, at 3 pm, the fort garrison accepted surrender and the Union Jack was hoisted in place of the Maratha saffron jari patka flag.
The next morning the garrison of 300 men marched out of the fort and surrendered their arms.
The British strength at Malegaon numbered over 2,000 troops. During the battle the British casualties numbered 11 officers and 220 soldiers (killed or wounded).
Thirty Maratha defenders died while 60 Maratha soldiers were wounded.
The British record states that in the end they used 36 guns, fired over 8,000 shells and used 35,500 pounds of gunpowder.
The British were so impressed with the valour and chivalry of the defenders that they permitted the surrendered soldiers to keep their daggers.
Historian N C Kelkar notes in his Marathi book Marathe ani Ingraj that at one stage the desperate British sent a message to the Muslim soldiers of the Maratha army that since the Chhatrapati had already surrendered, they should do likewise.
The doughty defenders replied that they were indeed aware that their king was in British captivity, but they were yet to receive instructions from him to surrender and therefore would keep fighting.
The devotion to duty and loyalty to their king was of the kind seen later only during World War II when many Japanese soldiers continued to fight even after Japan surrendered.
There is neither any victory pillar nor are the names of these brave soldiers engraved anywhere.
Even two hundred years after the event and the departure of British 70 years ago, the Muslim heroes of battle of Malegaon remain unknown, forgotten and unsung.
Two hundred years ago, the third Anglo-Maratha war fought in 1817 and 1818 ended in the Maratha Chhatrapati and Peshwa (prime minister) surrendering to the English.
After having defeated the Holkars and Shindias in early 1817, the British turned to the conquest of Maharashtra proper.
The full story of the Maratha struggle with the British has for long been swept under the carpet. In its place a modern myth of the British having directly taken over India from the Mughals or accidently acquired an empire has gained currency.
Ignoring the Marathas and their role in ruling most of north and central India was part of the grand colonial project of disinformation that sought to then play up Mughal-Rajput rule.
I recall an interesting news report some years ago, datelined Aligarh, where an Aligarh Muslim university ‘scholar’ had discovered that a major battle between the Marathas and the English had indeed taken place in Aligarh in 1803!
The worthy had, of course, never heard of the second Anglo-Maratha war that took place in 1803-1804 with battles at Delhi, Lassawari near Agra, Aligarh, Shekohabad etc.
The British had sound reasons to whitewash the Maratha period of our history.
Since the Marathas formed a formidable alliance with the Muslims, Jats and Sikhs in resisting the British, they posed a potential threat.
The distortions continued post-Independence as writing and teaching history was hijacked by the left-leaning Delhi elite. But those who ignore the Maratha or Sikh epoch fail to answer a simple question.
The Marathas fought three wars with the British, so did the Sikhs, the Gorkhas and Tipu Sultan in the south. Is there any mention of the Anglo-Mughal wars, even in the doctored historical narrative?
Note: The information about the Battle of Malegaon is based on a British Indian Army General Staff Publication (Simla 1910), Maratha and the Pindari War pages 89-91.
Colonel Anil A Athale (retd) is a military historian. This article is based on extracts from his forthcoming book, The Story of the Mighty Marathas and their Empire.
source: http://www.rediff.com / rediff.com / Home> News / by Colonel Anil A Athale (retd) / April 10th, 2018
Waris Shah’s 300th birth anniversary on January 23 may have gone unnoticed, but the Sufi poet’s magnum opus — a narrative of threatened love in a space governed by unbending socio-religious norms — still finds huge resonance. He remains, by far, the most important Punjabi qissakaar.
A sketch by Imroz.
I FIRST heard the name literally in my infancy. In the semi-refugee colony where I grew up in Delhi, I recall faint invocations of this name, Waris Shah. It must have been in the late 1950s.
The streets of Naiwalan were now full of people who had been displaced from the multiple regions of Punjab during the Partition of 1947. They spoke different dialects and were not always comfortable conversing with people from other regions.
Waris Shah’s tomb at Jandiala Sher Khan in West Punjab, Pakistan. Courtesy: Saif Tahir
There were a few culturally uniting features though. For the young, the great unifier was the Indian film music and All India Radio. For the rest, there were the gurdwaras and the unbroken chain of Gurbani recitation, and singing on the one hand and the rare but energising jagrata gatherings on the other. The Muslim presence had nearly been wiped out from the cultural imagination of the Punjabis, who had been thrown into alien lands full of unfriendly sounds. However, the feminine work culture had retained an inherent link to a past. Early morning, my mother and foster grandmother would recite verses from Guru Granth Sahib under their breath even as they went about setting up the house for the day ahead. Most prominently, we would overhear Baba Farid being mentioned — from whom the Sufis had drawn much of their local identity. That was one side of the story. The other was Farid’s formidable presence within the field of language from where all Punjabis drew their ethical core. The very grain of their existence would wake up to his ‘dar derveshi’.
The hujra(small room) at a mosque in Malka Hans, (erstwhile Punjab now in Pakpattan, Pakistan), where Waris Shah composed ‘Heer’. The wall shows the opening couplet (translation above) of the Sufi poet’s epic work. Photo courtesy: Muhammad Imran Saeed
Outside of this religio-cultural space, there were two Muslim poets that, as children, we heard on almost a daily basis: Baba Bulleh Shah and Waris Shah, who could well have been near contemporaries, separated as they were by nearly 40 years of age difference. I wonder if the two ever met, especially as both shared a fiercely transgressive spirit.
Waris Shah’s 300th birth anniversary, which fell on January 23, went unnoticed on both sides of Punjab. That the State is past caring is a no-brainer, but how could the community of litterateurs forget the day?
Waris Shah was born in Jandiala Sher Khan of Sheikhupura (now in Pakistan Punjab) at a time when the Mughal empire was showing early signs of disintegration. There was, hence, an abounding atmosphere of increased repression and latent rebellion all around. Waris grew up as an orphan. He is said to have been a keen observer of the ordinary life — a fact to which his magnum opus bears testimony. He remains, by far, the most important qissakaar of our language and among the finest across the globe.
People sing verses of ‘Heer’ near Bulleh Shah’s mazaar in Kasur, Pakistan. Amarjit Chandan
There were a few editions of Waris Shah in Gurmukhi and Shahmukhi in our library, which I was unfortunately not able to read as I went to a Hindi medium school. However, there was one particular passage from ‘Heer’ — “Doli charhdeyaan maariyaan Heer cheekan” (Ascending the palanquin, Heer cried out bitterly, complaining) — which was repeatedly played on the radio and which initially seemed to catch everyone’s attention. The singer happened to be the iconic Asa Singh Mastana, who was more than an acquaintance of my father and had visited us a few times in the 1960s. His arrival was always greeted with excitement. Those were the days when I heard Waris Shah being mentioned in almost axiomatic two-liners that the wise and elderly would often use to clinch an argument…
It was much later in life that I heard Mastana singing a passage from ‘Heer’, where this newly married rebel of a girl named Heer pours her heart’s pain out to her father before being put into the palanquin and ceremoniously sent away to her husband’s home. This singing seemed as much about forced exclusion as the pain and suffering the refugees had experienced as part of the exodus from their homeland from which they had not quite recovered.
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Kehi Heer di tareef kare shayar: Matthe chamakda husn maahtab da ji…
How does the poet praise Heer:
Her crown shimmers like the beauteous moon…
A Couplet from Heer
Begin by remembering the Cosmic Self
Who created the world in the image of love
He began first by Himself falling in love
The Prophet Nabi Rasool is His beloved
Opening Couplet from Heer
Aashiq, bhaur, faqeer te naag kaale/bhaajh mantron mool na keeliye ni
Lovers, bumblebees, faqirs and king cobras cannot be tamed without special spells
A Couplet from Heer
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The song was unlike any other I had heard as a child. The melody unfolded in a slow, languorous narration. It had a feel of haunting simplicity that encouraged many of us to try it out in the seclusion of our houses. However, things became a little complex when within the same slow rendition, there arose a sudden burst of fast, quivering, high notes around a single word, or even a lone vowel sound. It was like an unexpected gush of turbulence in the otherwise gently flowing waters. This melodic surge returned equally suddenly to its sedate narrative core, but by now the maelstrom of emotions that had been stirred moved the young and old to look deeply into what had hit them.
Women often cried as the poetic narration took off in musical notes. Men, too, were visibly moved even if they soon recovered their wits to make parodies of these verses to restore their somewhat damaged masculine ego back to health. Many years down the line, when I became a little known as a singer, the impassioned audiences would still persist with requests to sing Heer’s heartbreaking send-off, even if that passage had by then been declared as an unacceptable interpolation.
‘Heer Waris’ stood out as an emotive link to our erased folk memory. The poetic thread ran through an incredibly detailed landscape of a people’s life — their mornings, evenings and nights; their work cultures; their rites of passage; their undying bonds, desires and envies; their transgressions of the social, religious and gender codes; their masquerades. No other poet had been able to embark upon such a vast cultural map with a comparable poetic intensity and masterly conviction. Through his qissa, one could enter the playful piety of playful hamds (Odes to the Almighty) and manqabats (Odes to the Dervishes) of the Punjabi Sufis; the spaces of longing through the lived carnivals and heartbreaks of the ordinary lives; thus, the Punjabi qissakari tradition would come alive spontaneously and with unmistakable signs deep of yearning, despite the unexpunged ghosts of Partition. Thanks to Waris Shah, we were still the people that we once were… Heer-Ranjha’s tale of almost willed displacement in languorous pursuit of love, as against the forced exodus of the people, had its lasting lure. There was still hope for a creative resurgence of a community of people who had walked through the inferno of 1947 and lost the rhythmic beat of celebration and had fallen into a litany of pain…
I walked across the other part of Punjab primarily through how ‘Heer’ was rendered by a range of iconic singers and how it had been received by both the ordinary folks and the cognoscenti. The sheer experience of being exposed to such an incredible range of styles and diverse grain of voices was a heady experience. To begin with, I was introduced to Tufail Niazi Saab’s rendition by a non-Punjabi and my dearest friend, the late Safdar Hashmi. Tufail Saab is, in fact, the reason why I took to singing beyond the anonymity of my house. Listening to his singing, I understood why ‘Heer’ demanded a melodic narration without the support of percussions. Both he and Inayat Bhatti Saab would interrupt their singing with ready dialogic wit and commentary. I heard the distinct flavours of their dialects from Doab and Gujarat interacting with the poetic registers of Waris Shah’s Majhaili. This was quite unlike the ‘Heer’ I had heard in our part of Punjab. This also became a way of recovering a lost cultural selfhood that the unfortunate Partition had buried so insensitively. Through ‘Heer Waris’, I was able to significantly break down the uneasy gap that had created a tangible ‘other’.
Much later, when I was gifted an audio tape of ‘Heer Waris’ rendered by the matchless Sharif Ghaznavi by Ajoka Theatre’s Shahid Nadeem, I felt nearly ready to take the narration of ‘Heer Waris’ on to public platforms. It was the time in the late ’70s and the entire following decade when nothing was making sense anymore. The State and the ideologues of a particular persuasion were engaged in a fiery exchange. For me, the singing of ‘Heer’ by Waris and the Kaafis of Baba Bulleh Shah sublimated into cri de coeur and eventually an act of faith. The melody, its projection and its interpretations on stage were beginning to change, especially as the real stakes of existence were getting increasingly intractable and no longer easily resolvable. Waris’ text was coming out of a limited cultural interiority to now address larger anxieties all across. This was approximately the time when I heard Rabbi Shergill’s angry outpouring to the so-called neutral letter writer about his grievously wounded love. As Bob Dylan would have put it, ‘The times they are a-changin’…
— The writer is a composer, musician
source: http://www.tribuneindia.com / The Tribune / Home> Features / by Madan Gopal Singh / February 27th, 2022
