Author: Ashok Chowgule
Publication: Mid-Day
Date: March 17, 2003
On the issue of Shri Rama Janmabhoomi,
the behaviour of the secular intellectuals is always intriguing.
Having confidently stating that the Hindu claim for the site is without
any historical justification, they should be welcoming the order of the
Lucknow High Court for excavation, instead of opposing it.
The reasons for this behaviour are:
the evidence would be inconclusive; correcting the past serves no purpose;
there will be a demand for investigations at other sites.
While archaeological evidence may
not be conclusive, it can corroborate other evidences and thus provide
a whole picture. Illiad was thought to be a myth, until the famous
city of Troy was discovered. However, the basis of the investigation
was Illiad itself. Archaeology discovered Mohenjodaro and Harappa,
and similar finds are being made even today, impacting the appreciation
of our past.
Archaeological study has been previously
done at the Shri Rama Janmabhoomi site in the late 1970s. It showed
the existence of pillar bases, which were aligned in the same direction
as those in the structure, with the distance between them being the same.
Destruction of indigenous places
of worship by Islam and Christianity has happened all over the world, with
the prominent ones being replaced with an alien place of worship.
India has not been spared such vandalism. Denial of such a custom
is a negation of history, and only means that the original objective, that
is providing an ocular reminder that a new religion rules even over the
holy indigenous sites, is sought to be continued.
The memory of the destruction, and
the trauma associated, are etched in the Hindu's conscious memory.
The distress is even more when one considers the greatness of our history.
Correcting the past, therefore, has a purpose of enabling the people to
have a focus for the future.
Hindus have been making continuous
efforts to recover the Shri Rama Janmabhoomi site, right from the destruction
of the temple in 1528 AD. Recognising the deep attachment of the Hindus
to the site, Akbar permitted the construction of Ram Chabootar within the
premises of the Babri structure. At this place continuous Ram kirtan
was conducted.
In the late 1700s, a French traveller
recorded the worship of the Hindus at the site. In 1885, the judiciary
upheld the Hindu claim that the site was holy to them. Various historical
records attest to the destruction of the temple and the construction of
the Babri structure in its place.
In the recent past, Hindus have
held discussions with three prime ministers for a negotiated solution.
They were not allowed to reach the logical conclusion at the altar of vote-bank
politics.
The secular intellectuals are aware
of the facts. They are afraid of that the true history will be confirmed
by the present archaeological investigations - a history that they have
made serious efforts at negating.
At the time of discussions with
the Chandrashekar government, VHP clearly stated that the Hindus are asking
for return of only three sites, and not the thousands that have been vandalised.
The VHP also said that if this was done in a willing manner, it would indicate
a formal break with a painful past.
Hence it is a canard to say that
knowing the truth of the Shri Rama Janmabhoomi site will open up the demands
of the thousands of vandalised site. At the same time, we need to
understand the Mahabharat. The Kauravas refused to accede to an immensely
reasonable compromise proposed by Shri Krishna - five villages to the Pandavas
instead of half the kingdom. Duryodhan said that they will not give
land measuring a pinhead, and in the process lost his whole kingdom.
The Muslim community is being misled
not by an obscurantist religious leadership, but by those going under the
guise of secularists and claiming to be their protectors and benefactors.
It is time the saner elements rescue the community from their clutches.
(Ashok Chowgule is President, Vishwa
Hindu Parishad, Maharashtra.)
