Contentions Unjust: Defying the allegations against the RSS

By U. Mahesh Prabhu

I am not an integral part of the Rastriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). I am neither a Pracharak nor do I have any responsibilities within the organization. The comparatively underpaid job that I have currently as the Editor of ‘Aseemaa: Journal for National Resurgence’ has hardly anything to do with RSS, though it was founded by some of its notable affiliates. It’s not a mouthpiece of theirs unlike Organiser or Panchajanya, both published from New Delhi, in the first case. The journal is run by me completely independent of RSS on the editorial side.

Aseemaa is today considered by many of the distinguished intellectuals in this country, and abroad, to be ‘Liberal’ magazine carrying thoughts of writers hailing from almost all school of thoughts, and also from all part of the world. It has articles authored by premier journalists like M J Akbar, Aijaz Zaka Syed, Caroline Glick, and many who hardly have anything to do with Hindutva, or any other ideologies propounded by RSS. Some of them have even, at times, strongly criticized RSS. Yet when I changed my profession, from a management-man to a journalist-editor, people shouted at me saying that I am going ‘fascist’.

‘Fascist’ is the word they wanted to convey, also, to RSS and all its respective organization and its people too. I was taken completely aghast. ‘RSS and Fascism, what do they have it to do together?’ I thought for myself. The allegation was a serious one and I had to answer them all. Within no time I did answer them and completely shut them up.

But recently I happened to write an article entitled ‘We shall continue to live to the end of times, for we have done no wrong’. It was published by over 4 significant medias, both print and internet. While many hailed my efforts many more ever angered for I having taken the name of RSS. A site called Mutiny.in which featured the article found over 60 responses with a few shouting the same old allegation of ‘fascism’, directly and indirectly. Some even called RSS and Sangh Parivar – ‘fundamentalist’, one ‘whose funda is mental’. I am bound to put pen to paper owing to those 70 and odd responses and emails I have received to my previous article, mentioned above, with the aforesaid accusations. I don’t really know as to whether I can convince them that we are neither ‘fascist’ nor ‘fundamentalist’, but all that I can to is to prove that their contention is completely spurious.

Why army is the most important political factor in Pakistan?

With the elections done and Nawaz-Zardari joining hands together to form the government, people in Pakistan and around the world might be of the impression that Pakistan’s military is out of the scene, as if obvious. But I can only wish it to be so. This I say because army is the most important political actor in Pakistan. Even without being a formal political party, it can influence or manipulate most things in the country: from managing its nuclear weapons programme to conducting census. The Fauj is everywhere. It shall not be wrong to state that it’s omnipotent as well as omnipresent even in the presence of a successful civilian government in power. Wearing the Khaki uniform allows you unprecedented status, and transforms you into being part of that tiny elite corps of Pakistanis whose writ run everywhere.

It might just be a surprise for many of you to know that from the areas as disparate as running businesses to finding ghost schools, the army is the ubiquitous face of Pakistan’s government. Besides it also builds roads and fights insurgencies; less important to say that its membership is superior to any exclusive club. From one phase of a military regime to another, the army has ever taken care of its own.

We shall live to the end of times, for we have done no wrong

By U. Mahesh Prabhu

I am not a celebrity writer and hence the kind of responses I receive to my articles, which are mostly on Hindutva, National or International issues are very few, nothing more than 20-30 mails, on average, per day. But many of the mails I receive have a common question to pose. It’s ‘What do you feel is the future of Hindus.’ The question, initially, I thought, considering my low response rate, was inquisitive to few. But with each passing day I am forced to believe that many, especially the youth of this nation, are eager to know as to what do Right-Wing writers like us have to say in this regard.

‘Will we survive the subjugation, would we be united against the oppressive political forces that which is keen to divide the Hindus for vote bank politics?’ I was asked by a student at a recently concluded NSS’ National Integration Camp at Moodubidri, where I had been to deliver a lecture, rather too pryingly. The answer was not readily available to me either, and I had to apologize to that young and enthusiastic looking lad.

Of all the things, the debt which the world owes to our culture, now rightly called as Hindu, is immense. Taking country with country, I bet, there is not one race on this earth to which the world owes so much as to Hindu, who is mostly patient and mild. ‘The mild Hindu’ sometimes is used as an expression of reproach; but if ever a reproach concealed a wonderful truth, it is in the term, ‘the mild Hindu’, who has always been the ‘blessed child of God’, as said by Swami Vivekananda in his maiden speech at Colombo after returning from the US, where he had attended the Parliament of Religions.

Civilizations have arisen in other parts of the world too. In ancient and in modern times, great ideas have emanated from strong and great races, wonderful ideas have been carried forward from one race to another. In times, ancient and modern, seeds of great truth and power have been cast abroad by the advancing tides of national life; but mark you, my friends; it has been always with the blast of war trumpets and with the march of embattled cohorts. Each idea had to be soaked in a deluge of blood. Each idea had to wade through the blood of millions of our fellow beings. Each word of power had to be followed by the groans of millions, by the wails of orphans, by the tears of widows. These, in the main, other nations have taught; but India has for thousands of years peacefully existed.

There was activity in this land when even Greece did not exist, when Rome was not thought of, when the very fathers of modern Europeans lived in the forests and painted themselves in blue. Even earlier, when history has no record, and tradition dares not peer into the gloom of that intense past, even from then until now, ideas after ideas have marched out from her, but every word has been spoken with a blessing behind it and peace before it. We of all nations of the world have never been a conquering race, and that blessing is on our head, and therefore we live.

Let us seldom forget those times when at the sound of the march of big Greek battalions the earth trembled. Vanished from off the face of the earth, with not even a tale left behind to tell, gone is that ancient land of Greeks.

There was, also, a time when the Roman Eagle floated over everything worth having in this world; everywhere Rome’s power was felt and pressed on the head of humanity; the earth trembled at the very naming of ‘Rome’. But the Capitoline Hill is a mass of ruins; the spider weaves its web where Caesars ruled.

There have been other nations equally glorious that have come and gone, living a few hours of exultant and exuberant dominance and of a wicked national life, and then vanishing like ripples on the face of the waters. Thus have these nations made their mark on the face of humanity.

But we continue to live, and if Manu came back today he would not be bewildered, and would not find himself in a foreign land. The same laws are here, laws adjusted and through thousands and thousands of years; customs, the outcome of the acumen of ages and the experience of centuries, that seem to be eternal; and as the days go by, as blow after blow of misfortune has been delivered upon them, such blows seem to have served one purpose only, that of making them stronger and more constant.

Let us also not forget, that we Hindus have never preached our thoughts with fire and sword. If there is one word in English language to represent the gift of India to the world, if there is one word in English language to express the effect which the literature of India produces upon mankind, it is this one word, ‘fascination’. It is the opposite of anything that takes you suddenly; it throws on you, as if, a charm imperceptibly.

To many, Hindu thought, Hindu manners, Hindu customs, Hindu Philosophy, Hindu Literature are repulsive at the first sight; but let them persevere, let them read, let them become familiar with the great principles underlying these ideas, and it is ninety-nine to one that the charm will come over them, and fascination will be the result. Slow and silent, unseen and unheard yet producing the most tremendous result, has been the work of this calm, patient, all-suffering, spiritual race upon the world of thought.

So I can say it with conviction that we Hindus shall continue to live without fear of being perished from the facet of the earth, should only we get organized. For we have all the moral right, as well as reason, to live to the end of the world. The organization of the Hindus is being done, thanks to the wonderful people at the Rastriya Swayamsevak Sangh. We need conviction and need to stay united against the evil forces that is committed to spark mutual collision, in the name of conversion, liberation, reservation and many.

The old proverb ‘United we stand divided we fall’, is very apt in this regard. Let us continue to bear it on the top of our thoughts.

Author is the Editor-In-Chief of Aseemaa: Journal for National Resurgence | indiamahesh@gmail.com | February 24, 2008

The Role of Media in National Integration

Lecture by:

• U. Mahesh Prabhu,
• Editor-In-Chief,
• Aseemaa: Journal for National Resurgence,
• At: SEMAA BHARATI – National Integration Camp on 23^rd February 2008.

 

Distinguished dignitaries and my dear friends,

It is indeed my privilege and honor to have this opportunity to speak on the topic of ‘Role of Media in National Integration’.

Before I take you to the depth of the subject of media’s role in integrating this nation – India, We need to know what Nation is and why it is important. We also need to understand why ‘Internationalism’ one that is being propounded by the Capitalists, Communists and Wahhabi Islamists hasn’t hold good for the past, present and the future.

In the current context many people in our country hold the view that any venture that we undertake should be based on a grand world-thought capable of rendering good to the whole of humanity eschewing all narrow limitations of the country, community and religion. In support of this view, some proclaim that in this age of missiles, rockets and internet distance has vanished, boundaries of countries have become meaningless and the whole world has shrunk. They, therefore, feel that the very concept of country nation, etc., has become outdated, that the spirit of world unity alone should inspire all our activities. They conclude that the modern ‘isms’ which have taken up ‘internationalism’ as their watchword can alone lead us to that cherished goal.