Author: Dr. Balram Misra
Publication:
Date: April 1, 2004
English daily 'Hindustan Times'
published Tarun Vijay's article 'Hate never pays', on Sept. 16, 2003. He
established the fact that despite centuries of hate attacks on Hindus,
their all-encompassing tolerance always prevented them from turning against
the aggressors. On Sept. 25, 2003 H.T. published Sita Ram Yechuri's rejoinder
'Fundamentally flawed' which was written in response to Tarun Vijay's article.
Since Sita Ram Yechuri could not find adequate arguments to refute the
facts mentioned in Tarun's article he thought it proper to attack the second
RSS chief, M.S. Golwalkar, quoting a book, 'We Or Our Nationhood Defined'.
Why did he pick up this book for criticism should not be difficult to understand.
This book has repeatedly been quoted by Marxists for political propaganda.
They say that this book was "written" by Golwalkar, and it contains the
writer's hatred against Muslims. Sita Ram Yechuri never mentioned the fact
that the book was not actually "written" by Golwalkar.
On May 10, 2002 English daily 'Hindu'
published a 'News Analysis' titled 'Golwalkar and the BJP' written by Neena
Vyas. As expected, she quoted that book to further her arguments that RSS
has been anti-Muslim. On 13 May, 2002 'The Hindu' published historian Devendra
Swarup's letter captioned "Golwalkar and BJP."
The letter reads, 'It was the CPI(M)
leader Sita Ram Yechuri who in 1992 dug out the book 'We Or Our Nationhood
Defined' and projected it as the most authentic piece on RSS ideology.
Since then it has been a refrain with every Marxist pen pusher to quote
the "We" out of context simply to malign the RSS and the BJP. These socalled
intellectuals have never cared to mention that Golwalkar "wrote" this book
in 1939 when he was a new entrant to the RSS. It was not his original work,
but only a free English rendering of a book titled 'Rashtra Meemansa' written
by G.D. Sawarkar in Marathi. Golwalkar had distanced him-self from the
views expressed in the book and it has not been published since 1947. The
whole story was penned down by me in the Hindi weekly 'Panchajanya' of
February, 17, 1980, much before the CPI(M) had discovered "We", but for
Marxists any stick is good enough to beat their adversaries with. Why don't
they realize that like Marx and Gandhi, Golwalkar's thinking process was
also dynamic and progressive".
Bereft of any sound reason for attacking
RSS Sita Ram Yechuri again raised the same stereotype and obsolete topic
- 'RSS is anti-Muslim', and for that he quoted the book "We Or Our Nationhood
Defined" in his said article. Not satisfied with the contents of his article
I wrote a rejoinder and sent to H.T. on Oct. 6, 2003 for publication.
It was a pleasant surprise for me
to know that my article was accepted for publication. However it could
not get space the next week, or, in any of the weeks, that followed, till
today, the 1st of April 2004. H.T. editor Shri Indrajeet Hazra is certainly
a very erudite journalist and columnist. Though I have never met him, his
writings and editing of my articles earlier published in H.T. make me have
a very high opinion about him. He himself appreciated my article and promised
its publication. Encouraged and assured I persisted with him to publish
the article. My pesterings never annoyed him. Each time I reminded him
of the non publication he responded in a sweet and calculated voice, "yes
Mr. Misra, it will certainly be published on (such or such date)." Usually
he told me every time I spoke to him that my article would be published
on either Wednesday or Saturday. Thus started my badgerings for the gentle
editor. Every week, religiously, since then, I made at least four telephonic
calls for him, two for requesting and two with bleating complaints. Shri
Hazra never lost his temper. He always promised sweetly, giving some other
date. Sometimes he said that he was 'professionally bound' to entertain
the other side of the story. My date has yet to come, but I rest assured
that my article would be published.
As far as I remember, it was Oct.
7, 2003 when I shared my joy with friends who were happy to know that my
article written to clarify the correct position of M.S.Golwalkar ("Param
Poojaneeya Shri Guru Ji", as we Swayamsevaks call him) on whether RSS hated
Muslims. The more than 6 months process of sharing and unsharing joy has
been swinging between hope and despondency, between optimism and pessimism
and between trust and mistrust. To some of my friends I am 'a gullible
fool' who does not understand the tricks and tantalizing traits of modern
journalism to condemn an unwanted writer to tantrums. I sternly refuse
to buy such arguments, for, I can not afford doubting my belief that Mr.
Hazra must be exerting to find a way, perhaps to convince some pro-Marxist
lobby in H.T. which may be mulling to suppress the views which refute the
Marxists' well cherished hypothesis on the alleged intolerance of RSS.
I refuse to accept the view that H.T. is anti-RSS or pro-Marxists. It has
been publishing articles written by both, pro-RSS and anti-RSS writers,
and to my reckoning, that sort of neutrality has made H.T. the most popular
newspaper. I refuse to accept the argument that the learned editor will
buzz from his supposedly pre-determined path of fairness and honesty. I
refuse to given up my hope in Shri Hazra, for, to me his appreciation of
my article and his commitment to professionalism is most important. I refuse
to represent my case to H.T. chairman K. K. Birla or to the President,
Press Council of India, to force H.T. for publication of my rejoinder too.
I don't want to believe that H.T. would connive with Marxists to play the
game of hit and run.
I can never forget the mental torture,
humiliation and ignominy I have been subjected to during the last about
six months, but I do hope that Mr. Hazra would definitely publish the article
which throws some light on Shri Golwalkar's ideas on Hindu-Muslim relations.
I must express my gratitude to Shri Joshi and Madam Elizabeth of the editorial
deptt. of H .T. for answering most of my atleast four telephonic calls
every week for the last six months, in absence of Shri I.J. Hazra.
(The writer is Chief RSS Media Centre,
Delhi)
April 1, 2004
Indraprastha Vishwa Samvad Kendra
8-B/6428-29, First Floor, Dev Nagar,
Arya Samaj Road, New Delhi-5,
