I
read with interest Shri Ram Chandra Guha's article titled 'Bhagwat's Ambedkar'
published in the Indian Express on 10th December. I was amused;
amused to learn that historians are only interested in the past and are
oblivious of the present. But
Society
and Social Institutions, if they are not fossilized, work and move on the
well-known principle of “By the past, through the present, to the future.”
Hindu society has moved, through the ages following this benevolent principle.
Dr S. Radhakrishnan has correctly stated that “Hinduism is a movement, not a
position; a process, not a result; a growing tradition, not a fixed
revelation.” (Hindu View of life) RSS too, as a staunch follower of Hindutva,
moved on, on this principle.
Now
about certain facts.
1)
The
erudite author writes “RSS took part in neither Salt Satyagraha nor the Quit
India movement.” When was the Salt Satyagraha started? Ignoramus as I am, I
think it was in 1930. Average age of the RSS volunteers must be around 15 or 16
at that time. Are they expected to take part in that Satyagraha? But I may tell
Mr Guha, the founder of the RSS Dr K B Hedgewar took part in the forest
Satyagraha, an equivalent of Salt Satyagraha, in Vidarbha. He was arrested and
sentenced to nine months rigorous imprisonment. It will be pertinent to know a
few facts about K B Hedgewar. He was a revolutionary from his childhood. He was
rusticated from the school for welcoming a school inspector with the slogan of
Vande Mataram. After matriculation he went to Calcutta to become a Doctor. He
preferred Calcutta to Bombay which was nearer to Nagpur. The reason is easy to
know. After coming from Calcutta, he joined the Congress and was sentenced to
undergo rigorous punishment for delivering anti-British speeches. He was the
secretary of the Provincial Congress Committee and was the head of the
volunteer corps at the 1920 All India Congress session held at Nagpur.
2)
As
for 1942 Quit India Movement, I will request Shri Guha to note that Gandhiji
did not want to start the movement in August. He had given six months time to
the British to 'Quit India'. The British knew that Gandhiji was not giving them
six months time to pack up, but was taking time to organize his agitation. I
have a reference in my mind, but I cannot exactly quote it here. But I request
Shri Guha to find out from the confidential letters published in five volumns
by the British Govt in 1972, under the title 'Transfer of Power'. In one
letter, the then U. P. (United provinces) Governor wrote to the Viceroy, that
Mr Gandhi is planning to start a violent agitation in February-March 1943, in
India, when Subhash Chandra Bose will be attacking India from the East. You add
six months to August, and you get February 1943. The then British Govt decided
to crush the movement and meticulously planned to arrest the Congress leaders.
The arrest-warrants were ready. The preparations for lodging the Congress
leaders were all made before hand. After the arrest, the Quit India movement
started but got scattered and erratic. There was no organized All-India plan.
It was intense and wide-spread in Bihar but not in U. P. It was stringent in
Satara in Southern Maharashtra but not in Pune. In Vidarbha, Chimur, now a
tehasil place witnessed a violent outbreak, but Chandrapur, a district place
was comparatively cool. Had Gandhiji got time to plan and organize he would
certainly have contacted the RSS. However, the RSS volunteers, on their
own, took part in that agitation. In
Chimur episode, those who were convicted and sentenced to death, included one
RSS worker. The person who hoisted the tri-colour flag at the Govt building in
Ramtek (District Nagpur) was a RSS volunteer. Mrs Aruna Asaf Ali while
underground, was given asylum in Hansraj Gupta's house in Delhi. (Shri Gupta
later on became chief of RSS Delhi Unit.) Shri Nana Patil of Satara, who led a
fierce anti-British agitation was for many days, staying underground in the
house of Pandit Satwalekar, the Sanghachalak of the nearby town.
Now
about Dr. Ambedkar. Author writes that RSS and its associated bodies litterly opposed Dr. Ambedkar in the year 1949-1951. Which
were the associated bodies of the RSS in
1949-1951? I will be extremely happy if the author throws some light of
his erudition on our ignorant faculties. JanSangh was started in 1951. How can
RSS be held responsible for opposing Hindu Code Bill. Are Shankaracharyas members of the RSS? Those who are associated
with Hindu religious activities can inform you how difficult it is to bring all
Shankaracharyas, Mahantas, and Mathadhipaties on one platform. It was only in
1964 that because of RSS efforts they could come on one platform and take a
historical decision to declare that
untouchability is not sanctioned by our Dharma. The slogan was 'all Hindus are
brothers and no Hindu is fallen.'
It
is true that RSS was against partition. But it did not propose transfer of
population. On the contrary Dr. Ambedkar had proposed the transfer of
population. Mr. Guha should read Dr. Ambedkar's book on partition and find out
the truth.
It
is a fact that RSS had felt convinced that Mahatmaji will not accede to
partition. In the 1946 elections, the main point of the Congress manifesto was
United India, while that of the Muslim League was partition. Muslim League did
not get majority even in N. W. F. P. where Muslim population was 95%, but the
Congress won handsomely. So also in Punjab, Muslim League was routed by the
Unionist Party. Even Gandhiji had said that the country will be partioned 'over
my dead body'. What happened after that is a mystery and betraying the people's
mandate the Congress accepted 'Partition.'
In
the RSS daily Shakha functioning, 'Ekatmata Stotra' (hymn for integration) is
recited. It was first introduced in the fifth deade of the last centrury. It
was known at that time as 'prathsmaran'- meaning rembrance for good morning. It
was a collection of old shlokas (i. e. stanzas) in praise of old saints,
warriors and incarnations. It was revised in the seventies and was titled
'ekatmata stotra'. It included the names of the modern great men, viz.
Ramkrishna Paramhans, Dayanand, Rabindranath Tagore, Raja Ram Mohan Roy,
Ramteerth, Vivekanand, Arabindo, Dadabhai Naoroji, Gopabandhu of Assam,
Lokmanya Tilak, Mahatma Gandhi, Raman
Maharshi, Pt. Malviya, Subramanya Bharati, Subhashchandra Bose, Pranavanada, V.
D. Savarkar, Thakkarbhai, B. R. Ambedkar, Mahatma Phule, Narayan Guru of
Kerala, and lastly Hedgewar and
Golwalkar. Dr. Ambedkar's greatness has not dawned on the RSS in 2015.
The new hymn was conceived during Emergency.
It
should be admitted that it is not easy to understand RSS, because it does not
fit into any model of existing parties an instilutions. RSS is unique. To
understand RSS you have to get your mind free from prejudice. It is also
necessary to note that RSS aims at organizing the 'entire' society. The word
'entire' is very very important. Society is a complex existence. It functions
through various spheres of activities. Politics is one of them but not the only
one. Education, Religion, Labour, Agriculture, Health, Cooperation and many
others are different functions of social behaviour. Organizing the entire
society means organizing all these sections of social life; and RSS has
gradually entered into these fields. RSS is not a political party. It is a
cultural organization; culture means, a certain value system. We understand 'culture' as restricted to
dance, drama, music etc. No. Culture is a value system- a value system that is
the basis of nationalism. A nation is a
cultural concept. One race, one religion, one language are not essential
conditions to become a Nation.
Nation
and State are two different concepts. But to explain the essential distinction
between the two will require another essay. So also for understanding the
distinction Between Dharma & religion. 'Hinduism is not a religion' as Dr
Radhakrishnan has said; “it is a common-wealth of many religions” and yet
something more than religions. Dharma is related to both this-worldly and
other-worldly affairs; that is both material as well as spiritual.
-M.
G. Vaidya