[Reader-list] Shivaji a la Statue of Liberty

Sat Jun 6 16:47:54 IST 2009

The biography of Shivaji Maharaj written by Babasaheb Purandare  has an answer for any problem faced by a Hindu or Indian politicians; however for this purpose the biography should be read with shrewdness and insight. 

If read by Hindus with the immoderate vision of Gandhi with respect to non-violence, truth, pleasing Muslims, or the coloured spectacles of Nehru who with the concept of `all religions are equal’ meted out inferior treatment to Hindus, then Hindus will not even become aware of when they were circumscribed! 

Politicians have ensured that youths and adults do not get any inspiration from the biography of Shivaji Maharaj simply because it is an everflowing spring of inspiration for Hindus! 
Hence Shivaji Maharaj has been totally eliminated from the history text books at the Secondary school level.
History on Shivaji Maharaj is taught and finished in the III or IV standards as if they are fairy tales for children to read and forget. 

Shivaji was definitely not against Muslims but, In the fight for independence and establishing his own kingdom, in every aspect Shivaji Maharaj did everything possible to promote Hinduism. His assembly of eight ministers was formed based on Hindu ideals. One comes across this concept of eight ministers in the Ramayan and the Mahabharat. King Dashrath too had eight ministers. In the Shantiparva of the Mahabharat also it has been suggested that exchange of thoughts of eight ministers is necessary. During the coronation ceremony Maharaj changed the Persian names of the ministers to Sanskrut.
Lokmanya Tilak was the first to start the celebration of the birth anniversary of Shivaji Maharaj. He was followed by  Veer Savarkar in 1908 in London. Both these leaders were fully aware of the importance of this biography, but 
Gandhi and Nehru kept strict vigilance on this text ever since independence of India. That is why how a handful of Muslims invaded and destroyed Hindu kingdoms and gained control over the Hindu empire is not known to most Hindus after 1920. In fact it is because of this misguidance that they accepted the division of India without offering any resistance to it. Non- acceptance of this biography which would have inspired Indians has resulted in return of Muslim powers in the name of Pakistan and Bangladesh, to overpower Hindus- 
Consequences of not receiving inspiration from the biography of Shivaji Maharaj --
Today we compromise by releasing hard core terrorists in return for release of the kidnapped daughter of an Indian Muslim Minister, Mufti Mohammed. 
India’s External Affairs Minister flies to the Kandahar desert in a special plane only to release criminals who have butchered Hindus ! 
In Kashmir Bitta Karate who beheaded 16 Hindus is released on parole ! In the 13 days after killing Afzal Khan Shivaji Maharaj conquered 16 forts 
And in contrast within a year of independence of India our politicians lost 1/3rd of our motherland in Kashmir to enemies ! 
Fearing Shivaji’s valour, till he was alive, Aurangzeb did not dare to even talk about conquering South India. 
Yet today the cunning, crafty Musharraf arrives in India to disrupt an Agra conference or dares to hang the Indian tricolour upside down on his personal aircraft.
Hindus have not become minority community in Maharashtra only because of Shivaji Raja. 
Ram Punyani – a Sindhi had to take refuge in India after partition because his Sindh province did not produce any Shivaji.
Babasaheb Purandare has presented this History in beautiful manner.  Punyani should not teach Babasaheb how to write  History.

--- On Sat, 6/6/09, M Javed <javedmasoo at gmail.com> wrote:

From: M Javed <javedmasoo at gmail.com>
Subject: [Reader-list] Shivaji a la Statue of Liberty
To: "sarai list" <>
Date: Saturday, 6 June, 2009, 5:45 PM

Shivaji’s Statue in Arabian Sea

Ram Puniyani

Maharashtra Government has taken a decision sometime back that it will
erect the statue of Shivaji, in the Arabian Sea, a la Statue of
Liberty in US. Shivaji is one of the greatest icons from medieval
times in Maharashtra. This statue is estimated to cost around 300
crores (ten thousand, thousands) as per present projections. This
decision of the Maharashtra Government was hardly debated. Even those
who feel that there is a bigger need for funds for other development
issues, kept quite, as by now Shivaji has become a matter of big
identity politics in Maharashtra. Every party with Maharashtra
connection swears in his name. While one is scathingly critical, an
rightly so, of the statue raising spree by Mayawati, statues of dalit
icons and of her own, about Shivaji there is hardly a ripple of
protest, the debate about whether public money of such a big magnitude
should be spent on the statue, has remained on the margins.

However what surfaced as the debate took the form of caste issue.
There was a talk that Babasaheb Purandare, a Brahmin, who has written
some popular material on Shivaji will be made as the Chairman of the
committee overseeing the work of statue. In response Maratha Mahasangh
chief, Purushottam Khedekar and others objected to a Brahmin heading
the committee for a statue for Maratha warrior. They also threatened
to use violence in case their fatwa is not followed. Not to be left
behind, Raj Thackeray, belonging to another political tendency
resorting to violent methods, gave a counter threat that Purandare
must be retained on the committee.

It goes without saying that people like Khedekar and Raj Thackeray,
sail in the same boat of intolerant politics, which needs to be
condemned. Also the caste angle of controversy should be opposed
thoroughly. Still one will urge that Babasaheb Purandare should not be
on the committee. The reasons for that lie not in the fact that
Purandare is a Brahmin, but because Purandare’s presentation of
Shivaji is through and through communal. It picks up from the
tradition of British Historiography, communal historiography, which in
order to implement the policy of divide and rule, presented the
history through the prism of religion. In Maharashtra there are as
many images of Shivaji's as are the number of political streams.
Purandare’s Shivaji, as manifested through his play Jaanta Raja (All
knowing King) is primarily an anti Muslim King. Shivaji is also
presented as the great worshipper of Brahmins and cows. Purandare’s
total slant is that Shivaji wanted to build Hindu nation etc. which is
not only far from truth but also has a very divisive way of presenting
our past.

As a matter of fact, Shivaji is popular amongst people, not because he
was anti Muslim or worshipper of Cows and Brahmins, but because he
went on to reduce the taxation on the poor peasants. Shivaji adopted
humane policy in aspects of his administration, which did not base
itself on the religion. In the recruitment of his soldiers and
officers for his army and navy, religion was no criterion and more
than one third of his army consisted of Muslims. The supreme command
of his navy was with Siddi Sambal, and Muslim Siddis were in navy in
large numbers. Interestingly his major battles were fought with the
Rajput army lead by Mirza Raja Jaisingh on behalf of King Aurangzeb.
When he was detained at Agra forte, of the two men on whom he relied
for his eventual escape, one was a Muslim called Madari Mehtar. His
confidential secretary was Maulana Haider Ali and the chief of his
cannon division was Ibrahim Gardi.

His respect for other religions was very clear and he respected the
holy seers like 'Hazarat Baba Yaqut bahut Thorwale', whom he gave the
life pension and also Father Ambrose, whose church was under attack in
Gujarat. At his capital Raigad he erected a special mosque for Muslim
devotees in front of his palace in the same way that he built the
Jagadishwar temple for his own daily worship.

During his military campaigns Shivaji had issued strict instructions
to his men and officers that Muslim women and children should not be
subjected to maltreatment. Mosques and Dargah's were given due
protection. He also ordered that whenever a copy of Koran came into
the hands of his men, they should show proper respect to the book and
hand it over to a Muslim. The story of his bowing to the
daughter-in-law of Bassein's Nawab is well known to all. When she was
brought as a part of the loot and offered to him, he respectfully
begged her pardon and asked his soldiers to reach her back from the
place from where she was forcibly brought in. Shivaji was in no way
actuated by any hatred towards Muslims as a sect or towards their
religion. All this goes on to show the values of communal harmony
which Shivaji pursued, and that his primary goal was to establish his
own kingdom with maximum possible geographical area. To project him as
anti-Muslim and anti-Islam is travesty of truth.

Today rank casteist-communal forces are also in the bandwagon to ‘use’
Shivaji issue for their political goals. One recalls that Human rights
activist Teesta Setalvad had prepared a hand book of History for the
school teachers some time back. In this she pointed out that since
Shivaji was a Shudra, the Brahmins refused to coronate him, so a
Brahmin Gaga Bhat had to be brought from Kashi, who did the coronation
ritual. Since Shivaji was a Shudra this coronation was done with the
toe of his left foot by Gaga Bhat. The local Shiv Sena went on to
oppose this handbook on the ground that the writer is calling him a
Shudra. It is true that Shivaji was a Shudra and this incident is
true. Similarly Bhandarkar Institute was attacked by the same people,
Khedekar and company, on the pretext that this institute had helped
James Lane write a book on Shivaji. It is well known that this book
mentioned a rumor about the real parentage of Shivaji.

While communal historiography has been the major tool in the arsenal
of communal forces, now we are witnessing, ‘caste historiography’ to
settle the scores of contemporary caste politics. It is sad. What is
needed is to overcome these caste and communal angles to build the
nation, while giving justice to the deprived sections, while planning
affirmative actions for the marginalized sections.

One also hopes the Government thinks of using the public money in a
better way than raising statue. The making of statue should also take
into consideration the ecological factors, and if these factors permit
the statue, it should come up, with a proviso that the money for the
statue will be raised from people. The government money should not be
spent on this.

--
Issues in Secular Politics

June 2009 II
For circulation/publication

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