Author: Shriram Joshi
Publication: Mumbai Tarun Bharat
(Marathi Daily)
Date: February 20, 2004
Azam Sheikh, Second Year Trained,
responsibility: Taluka Bouddhik Pramukh. Azam Chand Sheikh,
a youngster crazy after his objective. He hails from small village Bhure,
Taluka Mulshi, District: Pune. For last two days he was in Delhi.
He lived at Keshavkunj in Zandewala, the office of Rashtriya Swayamsevak
Sangh.
Got shocked? The organization,
which has been given many epithets like communal, extremist, bigot, or
rather, which was considered to be the alternate word for all these adjectives,
it would be a great surprise for these secular people to know that a Muslim
young person is staying in the RSS office in the capitol for two days.
No, it could not be. He must not be a Muslim or he must have given a false
name.
Nothing of the sort is the case.
Azam Chand is a nationalist Muslim youth who says Namaaz five times a day
and observes the fasts of Ramjaan. Age about 24-25.
Everyday, he holds Shakha in his
village. Hoists saffron flag and recites the prayer of Sangh which is in
Sanskrit. He desires that the Muslims should be given lessons of patriotism
while saying "Param Vaibhavam Netumetat Swarashtram" (To lead my nation
for the highest prosperity"). As he does not have any anathema for Green
colour, neither has he any anathema for Saffron. He does not only hold
Shakha and is playing with Hindu and Muslim children, but he has successfully
brought many children from Muslim families in the Shakha. The Mukhya
Shikshak of his Shakha is also a Muslim youth.
Azam Chand is not selfish. He is
not pseudo-secularist to enter in the Muslims and abuse Hindus and Hindutvavadis.
He has kept himself faraway from publicity. He does not think himself to
be something special and hence should have some importance. When introducing
himself, he simply says, "Azam Chand Sheikh. Resident of Bhure, Taluka
Mulshi, District Pune. Second Year trained. Current responsibility:
Mulshi Taluka Boudhdik Pramukh."
While looking at the Shakha in the
village he started attending it. Nobody brought him by force or nobody
stopped him from coming. While listening to the Boudhdiks and singing the
songs of Sangh, he went on getting attracted to Sangh more and more. He
experienced himself that in Sangh nobody is asked about his caste, sub-caste,
religion or language. And he formed his own opinion about Sangh. Azam then
expressed his desire to attend the first year training camp of Sangh to
Taluka Karyahav Madhukar Dattatraya Bhosle. Later, in 1997, he joined
the FY Training camp of RSS, which was held in the ground of New English
School on Tilak Road at Pune. He was attached to Sangh more and more
and attended the Second Year training camp held at Thane Sangh Shiksha
Varga. He wants to take the third year training, which is invariably
held at Nagpur, and for attending that he is saving money.
In the Shakha of Sangh the things
listened by Azam about patriotism impressed him deeply. He is now
of the firm opinion that if one wants to know about patriotism, Sangh is
the only place. He has been now obsessed with the objective of making his
Muslim brethren to understand Sangh which he has understood himself in
its original thinking At present he is also working for 'My Hindusthan'
movement (This is run by nationalist Muslims and getting good support).
This movement is taking root among Muslims from Kashmir to Kanyakumari
and Porbandar to Silchar.
In Azam's own words, this is a movement,
which while dissuading the Muslims youth from the ways of terrorism also
brings them in the stream of patriotism. It has now spread all over the
country. Under the aegis of this movement a 2-day camp was held in the
Youth Hotel in Chanakyapuri at Delhi. It was attended by 154 Muslim representatives
from 13 states. Sarsanghchalak Sudarshanji, All-India Saha Prachaar
Pramukh Indreshji, leader of this movement, Muzaffer Hussain, Dr Taher,
and Dr Mahammed Afzaar etc, addressed this 2-day camp. It is worth mentioning
that, 30 women representatives had participated. Highest number of attendants
was from Jammu-Kashmir. In this camp, a determination was expressed to
implement programmes like Cow-Slaughter Ban and remove the chasms between
Hindus and Muslims. Just as the religion of Muslims in Britain is
British, should not the Muslims in Hindustan have their national religion
Hindu? This and other points were discussed at length. A consensus was
reached on the point, "My national religion would be Hindu and my personal
religion would be Muslim". Resolutions passed to increase the feeling of
brotherhood between Hindus and Muslims were: Cow-slaughter Ban should be
imposed, Ayodhya issue should be solved through dialogue and understanding,
Article 370 should be abrogated, the Muslim youth turning to terrorism
should be brought in the national stream and Muslim women should have equal
status. To look after the management and arrangements of this camp, Azam
Chand had come to Delhi. Observing the response to the camp and the opinions
expressed during it, Azam is now reassured that in the near future, the
feeling of nationalism will grow among Muslim youths, they will abandon
the way of terrorism and Hindu-hate and join the national main stream.
He has more enthusiasm. He is going to work more energetically to propagate
this work in his area.
