In India, there are at least five Brahmin communities who claim themselves as ‘Saraswat Brahmins’, including: Gaud Saraswat Brahmins, Chitrapur Saraswats, Rajapur/Bhalavalikar Saraswat Brahmins, Kashmiri Saraswats, Punjabi Saraswats, Sindh Saraswats, Kutch Saraswats and Rajasthan Saraswats. This community, as a whole, has produced eminent personalities including Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, Vijay Mallya, Dr TMA Pai, Nandan Nilekani, Girish Karnad, Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Deepika Padukone, Shyam Benegal, and Guru Dutt.

Though being miles apart from each other for ages all Saraswat legends claim of their ancestors having once lived on the banks of now extinct river Saraswati. Today, however, there is no doubt that Saraswats are among the oldest living communities in India – still preserving their own indigenous culture which essentially hails from the Rigveda – that which is believed to have been written by their forefathers during their stint on banks of river Saraswati.

Their relationship with Saraswati River

Even to this day many Saraswat’s in their daily Sandhyavandana rite swears their allegiance to Rigveda. This apart, several of Saraswat’ rituals are conducted by reciting the hymns from the texts from Rigveda; firmly establishing links between Saraswats, Saraswati River and Rigveda.

According to two distinguished historians and Vedic Scholars Dr. NS Rajaram and Dr. David Frawley for Vedic Aryans the holiest river was “not Ganga but Saraswati.” This they said because “In Rigveda Ganga is mentioned only once while Saraswati is lauded no less than fifty times.” There is at least one whole hymn devoted to Saraswati River. In a famous hymn, Saunaka Gritasamda, the seer of the second Mandala lauds the Saraswati as ambitame, naditame, devitame Saraswati:

Sarasvati, the best of mothers, the best of rivers, the best of Goddess…

To follow the very descriptions given in the Vedic literature, Saraswati was the greatest river that then used to flow to the west of the Yamuna but to the east of the Sutlej. According to the seventh Mandala of the Rigveda attributed to the famous Rishi (Sage) Vasistha, the Saraswati was a mighty stream that flowed from the “mountain to the sea” sustaining the lives of Vedic people:

Pure in her stream, from the mountain to the sea, filled with bounteous abundance for the worlds, nourishing with her flow the children of Nahusa.

Interestingly, this very reference ‘from mountain to sea’ gives us a valuable pointer to Saraswati’ geography. But today we have no river called Sarasvati flowing in this country or elsewhere. The question then is: whatever became of it? Thanks to archeology and satellite photography we now know that Saraswati gradually became weaker and finally dried up completely around 1900 or 2000 BCE or even a little bit earlier.

According to several recent findings Vedic Saraswati once used to flow mainly through the channel of what is now an insignificant flow called the Ghaggar close to Indus thus making part of what we now know Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro civilizations. Even Satellite photos have shown that the Ghaggar was once a great river. Paul-Henri Francfort who recently surveyed the area calls it the “immense Ghaggar system”.

Intensive research carried by Dr. Frawley and Dr. Rajaram has completely debunked the Aryan-Invasion theory. They have also strongly established that the so-called Indus Valley or the Harappa civilization (of which Saraswati River is a part) did not consist of just a few urban settlements. It was a part of a vast civilization that stretched from the borders of Iran to East UP, with some sites as far south of Godavari River; as far as its duration is concerned, it represents a continuous evolution dating back to 7000 BCE in terms of the sites and more are being found all the time. So we can see that this great civilization spanned over 5000 years!

Saraswati’s extinction

Regarding the ending of this great civilization, thanks again to recent archeological and ecological findings, we now know how that end came about. By putting together those evidences on the basis of archeological and satellite studies it was most certainly due to gradual depletion of water resources in North India that culminated in a calamitous drought in the 2200 BCE to 1900 BCE period.

Fig. 1: Map showing the flow of Saraswati from ‘mountain to sea’

Fig. 2: Area covered by Indus-Saraswati civilization and its over lap with area covered by early Vedic Civilization.

This was, also, a global phenomenon that affected civilization across an immense belt from southern Europe to India. The Akkadian (Sumerian) civilization of Mesopotamia was practically wiped out around 2200 BCE, while in Egypt, the so-called Old-Empire collapsed. In India itself, the mature Harappa civilization of which Saraswati was an integral part came to an abrupt end and there were severe dislocations. As SR Rao observed:

In circa 1900 BCE most of the mature Harappa sites were wiped out forcing the inhabitants to seek new lands for settlement. They seem to have left in great hurry and in small groups, seeking shelter initially on the eastern flank of the Sutlej and the Ghaggar and gradually moving towards the Yamuna. The refugees from Mohenjo-Daro and southern sites in Sind fled to Saurashtra and later occupied interior of the Peninsula.

That this was not restricted to India is clear from a recently concluded major French-American study in Mesopotamia. The report of the study notes:

At 2000 BCE, a marked increase in aridity and wind circulation, subsequent to a volcanic eruption, induced considerable degradation in land-use conditions… this abrupt climatic change evidently caused abandonment of Tell Leilan, regional desertion, and collapse of Akkadian empire based in southern Mesopotamia. Synchronous collapse in adjacent regions suggests that the impact of abrupt climatic change was extensive.

Whether a volcanic eruption was sufficient to trigger a drought so destructive may still be open to doubt; but whatever caused the draught, its effect now seems established beyond all doubts. The authors summarize their momentous findings as follows:

The abrupt climatic change that generated Habur hiatus I and the associated Akkadian-Gutti-Ur III collapse are synchronous with climate change and collapse phenomenon documented in the Aegean, Egypt, Palestine, and the Indus. The reoccupation of the Habur plains [in the northern Mesopotamia] in the 19^th century BC and the sudden emergence of centralized Amorite control… was evidently facilitated by the amelioration of climatic conditions…

These very recent reports make it clear that the ending of Harappan civilization was a part of a world wide climate change phenomenon that affected all ancient civilizations.

Determining age of Saraswat Community

There is no doubt that Saraswats were the people who played a pivotal role in the authoring of Rigveda. Thus the age of the Rigveda can easily be regarded as the age of the early Saraswats.

Thanks to our understanding of ancient metallurgy, we can now say that Rigveda must be older than 3500 BCE.

Kunal, a recently discovered Saraswati site in Haryana has yielded silver ornaments. This shows that their metallurgy must have been quiet advanced; for unlike gold, silver never appears in pure form and has to be extracted by separating it from other metals like copper. The archeological research dates Kunal to be much earlier than 3000 BCE.

The presence of silver ornaments at Kunal shows that it is much later than the society described in the Rigveda. This is because Rigveda dose not know silver. The oldest Sanskrit word for silver is Rajata Hiranyam – literally ‘white gold’ – and it is mentioned for the first time in Yajurveda. This evidently disapproves the currently ascribed date of Rigveda as 1200 BCE as Kunal is evidently the last phase of the Saraswati civilization. Interestingly though there are proofs to suggest a date marking the end of the Saraswati civilization there is no evidence to suggest its exact beginnings.

Thus Dr. Rajaram has suggested that:

All we have to do is look hard and deep along the Sarasvati and other Vedic rivers. Such sites are likely to date to 3500 BCE or earlier. These when found are likely to be from the Age of Rigveda. The key identifying factor will be the relatively primitive metallurgy of their artifacts.

Conclusion:

Today, though we have archeology telling us that: there was extensive trade between the Harappans, Egyptians and Sumerians besides presenting existence of science and mathematics much advanced to that age, our understanding of the Harappa Mohenjo-Daro or better put Sindu-Saraswati civilization is incomplete.

Though we have evidence to suggest existence of now extinct Saraswati we are yet to find evidence to suggest beginning of the civilization. However with the available information we can fairly conclude that:

1. Saraswats, who once lived on the riverbed of Sarasvati, have a history equivalent to that of Rigveda.
   
2. The riverbed of an extinct river found by American and French satellites near Harappan excavation are of Saraswati as the very description of the riverbed matches with that of Saraswati mentioned in Rig Veda.
   
3. The Kunal excavations discovered on the riverbed of Sarasvati belong to the Yajurveda period dating earlier than 3000 BCE. And because Rigveda was written much earlier than Yajurveda the current idea of Rigveda being authored around 1300 BCE is false.
   
4. Given this we can firmly conclude that Sarasvati civilization of which Saraswats were one an integral part has a history of at least five thousand years.
   

The author, U. Mahesh Prabhu, is a Fellow of Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, London (UK).

The book, though coupled with several circumstantial evidences and supporting theories, failed to make its point owing to several misrepresentations. But the very idea of Vedic, aka Harappa & Mohenjo-Daro, civilization having links with their American counterparts, namely Mayan & Aztec, was never completely ruled out. This was because of several resemblances found between the two civilizations in their customs and traditions though geographically miles apart. Here are few compelling similarities:

Panchisi & Patolli

Who has not heard about the game of dice – Panchisi (Pagade in Kannada)? Approximately 130 years ago Sir Edward B. Taylor[1] had point out that the ancient Mexican game of Patolli (see image) was similar in details to the game of Panchisi played in India and the whole region of Southern Asia. Later on Stewart Culin[2] proved that even the “cosmic meaning” of the Mexican game with it’s relation to the four quarters of the world and to the calendars ascribed to them was essentially the same.

Afterwards even Dr. Kroeber[3][i], leading anthropologist from California, observed that “the mathematical probability of two games invented separately agreeing by chance in so many specific features, is very low. The close correspondence between rules of two games indicates a real connection.”

The Lotus Motif

Lotus is one of the most sacred symbols in India even today. Hinduism is essentially embodied in the lotus. One of the most frequent motifs of early Indian art is the lotus plant. Interestingly, the same kind of lotus motif occurs in America at Chichen Itza (Mexico) as a border in the reliefs of the lower room of the Temple of the Tigers. Dr. Robert Heine-Geldern had long pointed out that “the water lily panels at Chichen Itza closely resemble those of southeastern Asia.” Further they state that “It is certainly remarkable that in India as well as in Middle America, the rhizome, a part of the plant not normally visible because it is submerged and deeply buried in mud should have been the basic element of a whole motif and, moreover, be stylized in the same unrealistic manner as undulating creeper.”[4] They were also of the opinion that such a combination of highly specific details cannot be accidental.

In a paper published in American Antiquity, January, 1953, Gordon Ekholm of the American Museum of Natural History, pointed out the close similarity of the lotus motif used in Buddhist (essentially derived from Vedic) and Mayan carvings. He states “Perhaps among the most significant parallels between Hindu-Buddhist and late classic and post-classic Maya art are those we can classify under the heading of lotus panels… For the Maya we will refer to carvings occurring at Chichen Itza and Palenque. The lotus motifs at these two sites are remarkably similar although the more elaborate and more Asiatic-like panels are at Chichen.”

Charak Puja & Volador Ritual

Charak Puja, a very enchanting folk festival of the Southern Belt of Bangladesh and West Bengal, is also known as Nil Puja. The Hindus, even to this day, celebrate it on the last day of Chaitra believing that the festival will carry prosperity by eliminating sorrow and sufferings of the previous year.  In this festival a human Charak is made ready and is tied with a hook on his back and then he is moved around with a bar with a long rope. Though it’s risky they arrange. Interestingly the Mexican ritual of Volador practiced in Mexico and Peru is very similar to Charak Puja. “The people take part in this ceremony asking the gods for fertility and bountiful crops.”[5]

Parasol as a Symbol of Royalty: The use of Parasol (Chattra in Sanskrit) is an age old sign of royalty and rank in India, Burma, China and Japan. The Maya Aztec and Incas also used it as a sign of royalty[6]. Frescos of Chak Multum in Yucatan show two types of parasols both of which correspond to types still in use in Southeast Asia.[7][ii]

Thrones and Palanquin: Chaman Lal in his book strongly asserts that “The use of throne and of fans mounted standard like on long poles as insignia of rank and royalty in the countries of Central and South America bears the strong imprint of India.” According to him “… the last Ayar ruler of Peru was carried in his palanquin on the day the Spaniards invaded Peru. His turban with plume and his Mudra (hand symbol) of the hand are unmistakable proofs of his Hindu origin. His four Ranis performed Sati after he was murdered by the Spaniards.”

Use of Zero: After Vedic people the Mayas of Yucatan were the first people to use a zero sign and represent number values by position of basic symbols. The similarity between the Mayan and Vedic Indian zero is undisputedly striking. Though the logical principle are the same the expressions of the principle are quiet dissimilar. While Vedic system of notation was decimal, like the European, the Mayan was Vigesimal (i.e. relating to or based on the number twenty).

Use Elephant in Sculpture: The American writer and explorer, John L Stephens, who, accompanied by Catherwood, an accomplished artist, visited the ruins of Maya civilization in Central America in the middle of the last 20^th, detected the elephant on a sculptured pillar at Copan, which he referred to as an “idol”. “The front view”, he wrote, “seems a portrait, probably of some deified king or hero. The two ornaments at the top appear like the trunk of an elephant, an animal unknown in that country.” [8] A reproduction of one of the ornaments in question should leave no doubts as to the identity of animal depicted by ancient American sculptor. It is not only an elephant, but an Indian elephant, a species found in India, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Borneo and Sumatra. The African elephant has larger ears, a less elevated head and a bulging forehead without the indentation at the root of the trunk which is a characteristic of the Indian species. The African elephant has in the past been less made use by man than the Indian, and has consequently not figured prominently in African religious life. In India the elephant was tamed since Vedic period.

[2] Stewart Culin, Chess and Playing-Cards (Report, United States National Museum for 1896, pp. 665-942, 1898), p. 855

[3] Charles John Erasmus, Patolli, Pachisi, and the Limitation of Possibilities, South-Western Journal of Anthropology Vol. 6, 1950. Pp 369

[4] Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin 151. Can be accessed online at: http://www.archive.org/stream/bulletin1511953smit/bulletin1511953smit_djvu.txt

[5] Sergioy Rosa, The ritual of the “Volador” (flyer) at Guachimonton @ http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/8f66c/

[6] Jean Leonard Gilder & Joseph Benson Gilder, The Critic Vol. 11, Good Literature Pub. Co. 1884-1906 pp. 256

[7] Shyam Singh Shashi, The World of Nomads, Lotus Press Publisher 2009, pp. 213.

[8] J. L. Stephens, Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas and Yucata, London edition, 1842, Vol. I, p. 156.

“Ok. Of the two things what comes first to you? Is it money or happiness?”

“I think its money, sir.”

“Why so?”

“Without money I can’t afford to gain basic necessities… without which I can’t gain appreciation of parents or my spouse… and given I cannot achieve their appreciation how could I be happy?”

“How much money do you want to make?”

“Is there any limitation on amount of money one desires to make, Sir?”

“Hmmm… And how far can you go to make it?”

“To be honest: I am not sure.”

“What are your strengths, weakness, opportunities and threat?”

“Haven’t ascertained it yet, I am afraid.”

“Why?”

“There is still a lot of time for it, I think.”

“What kind of spouse do you desire?”

“A very beautiful one, Sir!” he said with a spark in his eyes.

“Any other qualities you desire to have in her?”

“Again, Sir, I am afraid to say, I haven’t thought about it.”

“Why?”

“Sir, to be honest and straight which lady is going to come to me without a strong bank balance?”

Now, if you go through the aforementioned conversation what you will notice is that the student knows of one simple “reality” i.e. “money”. All that he desires in life is “money”. And other than material wealth he has not even cared to consider anything else.

True, money is an imperative for a good life. But the questions to be, but not, answered are: How much money? What are we all willing to do to achieve that? None, in today’s world, seem to have answer(s) to those crucial questions.

“What’s so great deal about it? Why make such a fuss?” one may ask. Well there is a great deal about it.

Consider the following four cases.

• Today, if you go to a doctor for treating your minor illness he/she would prescribe to you tests which are more than often aren’t even necessary. Why? Simply because they can earn a few bucks as cut from the lab owners. Is this ethical?
• A lawyer will give at least five different appointments even if he can resolve the issue in one sitting so that he can earn “few extra bucks.” Is this right?
• A lad will struggle all his life to get into a government job and then he devotes himself to make wealth at the cost of his values, self-respect and ethos. Is this a healthy sign?
• A teacher, whose primary job is to shape young minds, cribs all the time about his/her pay scale and of desires which to this day stay unfilled – that too in front of the students. How good is this for the society?

Now these are the cases of people in some of the crucial profession indulging in corrupt practices that which costs to the society pretty dearly. But why are they unethical and/or corrupt?

The answer is pretty simple. These guys were (or are?) like the very same student in the aforesaid case. If we wish to create a society bereft of corrupt practices then we need to shape values in those students of today who think “money is everything”. We can shape our society ONLY THROUGH VALUES.

“Money is like oxygen…” her friends found her saying, often. Interestingly, she wasn’t from a hapless family; hers was upper (or near to upper?) middleclass. Born into household of servicemen she hardly had anything to quetch about life and yet she would crib anyways.

We humans need food, shelter and clothing – those are our basic necessities. Because our necessities, essential or others, aren’t given to us for free everyone’s got to work and earn money.

Men are naturally (or instinctively?) trained for lies, stealing, eating and mating – never are they natural philanthropists. What’s in it for me? Is the question most, if not all, of men desire to know before giving or doing anything. Barter system stayed on for some time but soon that didn’t work much – and thus the money was born. But the system of coins which eventually evolved into currencies did somewhere go out of control. If it wasn’t so people wouldn’t have ended up fixing up ‘price’ for everything than ‘valuing’ them.

However, after the lady came of age she began to ascertain as if she knew the world. That wasn’t true because her mentors who were themselves bereft of any great pains and trails of life knew nothing of pains. Yeah, may be they had heard of them or watched through telly. When young they failed to buy things because they were beyond their budget. All that they missed throughout their life was ‘enough money’. Thus after attaining their ‘financial security’ they began to harp on the concept ‘Money is oxygen’.

Money IS important. But if prudence has to be considered it can never take place of oxygen; never ever.

Time arrived for her parents to scout for a suitable groom for their only child – an apple of their eye. Their emphasis even then was on the financials first. Fascinatingly they were unable to find any person so rich; after all, hers wasn’t a beguiling beauty.

The lad they finally chose for their daughter had a large house in the suburbs of the city. He hailed from a family of educated people. His grandpa was a doctor, father a civil engineer with Public Works Division (PWD) and he possessed a degree in engineering to earn enough to please his prospective in-laws.

The marriage was grad and a fortune was spent. It was a tardy affair with rituals spanning some three days. And just as soon they began to embark on their marital journey surprises began to show up – unpleasant ones, of course.

The boy wasn’t an engineer – his degree wasn’t original, the house which fascinated the lady and her parents wasn’t theirs. Lo and behold the lad had serious problems with his potency and in his frustration, while on bed, would brutally torture his wife.

The ego of the lady was rocked; her family – shocked. As anyone could guess matrimony headed for a divorce. The marriage wasn’t working since the day one.

Today they all curse the family unto which they made their alliance. But cursing isn’t everything. Why did this all happen in the first place? The answer, if at all they had sought would have been simple: Passion in them to attain material wealth was so great that they worried, while ascertaining the matrimonial alliance, nothing but money. The other virtues were hardly even looked for and, thus, they fell into the trap.

Some wise man had once suggested that ‘life’s a teacher which teaches the same lesson until we learn from it.’ To learn we need to retrospect. We need to look back at our own mistakes so as not to repeat them. In this case it’s hardly possible.

‘Without money we’ll all suffer…’ she still says today. But isn’t life about suffering and joy? Of what significance would be joy if we cannot appreciate sorrows?

He has so less to complain about India or Indians. And as per distinguished journalist Kuldip Nayar in his “Leaders & Misleaders” column in COVERT (15-31 December, 2009 issue) he “wasn’t bitter, nor was he against any political party.” This, according to Nayar, was when he was speaking on the eve of his 95^th birthday celebrations.

According to Nayar, in the very same piece, MF Husain is “sorry that his country’s ethos of freedom of thought and speech had got clouded. He did not blame anyone for his plight, but he stirred the conscience of those present in the room. They realized they should have spoken out in his support…”

I have been born and brought up in India. I have travelled remote corners of this land, not in search of controversial stories like other journalists, but as a humble traveller with an eye for intricacies of its culture. Every square piece of this land has so much to offer. If anyone is to suggest that “India is no more” unity in diversity I can just prove them otherwise in no time. The restraint, understanding as well as loving nature of our countrymen are lauded by everyone. Given this is – which IS TRUE – a question is certain to popup in one’s mind. Why are they so much against M. F. Husain? What did they do?

To resolve the controversy and to bring back Husain it is imperative that we have the RIGHT answers for those questions. Because loosing a great artist like Husain to an alien land is a matter of disgrace for me too. But when he is back I want to ensure, also, that my other fellow Indians aren’t hurt.

Indians are very peace loving. Yes, you may well talk of all the riots to suggest otherwise. But that’s for the sake of argument. Even in your house you can seldom assure of perfect peace – misgiving and accidents do occur. But to keep those misgivings forever is to be unwise. We need to have a big heart to forgive. I sincerely feel that Indians do, and still, have it.

MF Husain is considered “guilty” by people who protest him only for one reason: He paints Hindu deities like Saraswati and even Bharath Mata (Mother India) nude. They suggest that “he has never drawn any Muslim legends so…” And the argument is so true.

Now the question is simple: Do either parties, i.e. MF Husain and his strong critics, wish to resolve the issue? I haven’t met MF Husain but I have spoken to most of his staunchest critics. And after arguments with them I have understood that they are willing to settle down for a compromise if only MF Husain could admit his apology and destroy ONLY THOSE PAINTINGS. Some critics are even willing to compensate for his financial loss – just in case. Aren’t those reasonable?

Protagonists of Husain like Nayar himself have something to add forth this regard. They suggest that “He has depicted Hindu goddesses as an artist sees them. There is more nudity in Konark and Khajuraho than in his paintings…” But that’s a half truth. Isn’t “half truth a whole lie”? This may be unconscious mistake due to lack of knowledge on subject matter. They have failed to note that Konark and Khajuraho’s nudity isn’t on goddesses. As a recognized scholar in Asiatic arts and culture I am competent enough to assert, and even prove, it.

If only the humility of MF Husain could care to heed to the feelings of his very own countrymen I am sure he will be able to apologize and thereby destroy his painting with a promise to never repeat the mistake again.

Husain has, certainly, apologized before. But, I am afraid, his apologies were not honest. He drew couple of more paintings after that. If the violence of his critics is a sin then their instigator (Husain himself) too is no less a sinner.

With all those writing for and against him we have begun creating discord amongst ourselves. This is so unwise. Violence or negations will beget zilch but destruction.

It is important to note that Indians aren’t fanatics like Islamists. They have sought not his head but an apology. I am confident that if only MF Husain could sincerely apologize, his critics would not just forgive him but also laud him for being so understanding. But will he apologize? Would his protagonists persuade?

Time is a great healer. Let us all hope for the best. And yes… India needs MF Husain.

Author is Editor-in-chief of Folks Magazine and Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, London (UK).

History testifies the fact that most of the Sufi “saints” came to India either accompanying the invading armies of Islamic marauders or just followed them in their sweeping conquests. Hazrat Shaikh Khwaja Syed Muhammad Mu’īnuddīn Chishtī was accompanied to Ajmer and Khwaja Qutubuddin to Delhi by Muḥammad Shahābuddīn Ghorī, famously known as Muḥammad of Ghor. Hazrat Bābā Farīduddīn Mas’ūd Ganjshakar aka Baba Fareed came to Pakpattan (now in Pakistan) and Hazrat Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya of Dargah Hazarat Nizamuddin came to Delhi accompanying a contingent of the Muslim invaders.

These Sufi masters taught a faith, which though may appear different in practice, was in tune with Koran and Hadis. The “great” Sufi Saint Al-Hujuri had said that “’There is no god other than Allah and Muhammad is the apostle of Allah’ is ultimate and indisputable truth.” Also Sufi’s obsession to convert India to Islam was no less than those Islamic murderers whom they had followed or accompanied.

Throughout the Islamic rule, all Sufis have enjoyed full confidence, royal favour and support of the Islamist rulers. Distinguished historian Prof Abdul Karim in his book Social History of Muslims in Bengal (Pp 136-138) states that: “Hand in hand with the proselytizing efforts of the rulers was the work of Sufis and Maulvis. From the time of Muhammad bin Tughlaq (1326-1351) to that of Akbar (1556-1605); Bengal had attracted rebels, refugees, Sufi Mashaikh, disgruntled nobles and adventurers from North India.” Besides, he has also referred to militant Sufi conversion practices.

Professor KR Qanungo has noted that the conversion of Bengal was mainly the work of Barah-Auliyas. [Ref: “Bengal was not conquered by seventeen Turkish cavaliers (of Bakhtiyar Khalji); but by the barah-auliyas, or twelve legendary Muslim militant saints, the Pirs who cropped up after the seed of Islam had been broadcast in the plains of Bengal.” K.R. Qanungo, op. cit., p. 151.]

In the very same context, Dr IH Qureshi, who in his work The Muslim Community of the Indo-Pakistan Subcontinent (610-1947) writes: “Fourteenth century happened to be a period of expansion of Muslim authority in Bengal and adjoining territories. A significant part was played in this process by the warrior saints who were eager to take up the cause of any persecuted community. This often resulted [in clash] with the native authority, followed by, almost invariably by annexation.”

Saiyyad Muhammad bin Nasiruddin Jafar Makki al-Husaini

Saiyyad Muhammad bin Nasiruddin Jafar Makki al-Husaini, the Khalifa of Nasiruddin Chiragh-i-Delhi “held that there were five reasons which led the people to embrace Islam:

1.    Fear of death,
2.    Fear of their families being enslaved,
3.    Propagation (of Islam) on the part of Muslims,
4.    The lust for obtaining mawajib (pensions or rewards) ghanaim (booty), and
5.    Tassub (bigotry or superstition).”

[Ref: Rizvi, op. cit., p.46 citing Sijzi, Akhbar-ul-Akhiyar, p.136]

Amir Khusrau writes that under Jalaluddin Khilji (1290-96) “Whenever a live Hindu fell into the hands of the victorious king he was pounded to bits under the feet of the elephants…” [Ref: KS Lal; Legacy of Muslim Rule in India, p-120]

Amir Khusrau writes that under Jalaluddin Khilji (1290-96) “Whenever a live Hindu fell into the hands of the victorious king he was pounded to bits under the feet of the elephants…”

Because it was impractical to behead the entire Hindu population which stubbornly refused to convert they were given the alternative of living as Dhimmis (or Zimmis) on payment of a tax called Jazia – which was generally an alternative offered to Christians and Jews only. By imposing this tax Hindus were turned into a second class citizen in their very own land!

Says KS Lal in Legacy of Muslim Rule in India (p–119) “The main objective of levying the Jazia is the subjugation of infidels to humiliation; and during the process of payments, the Dhimmi is seized by the collar and vigorously shaken and pulled about in order to show degradation.” adding, “Death awaited them at every corner, because, being idolaters they could be given a choice only between Islam and death. Hindu peasants, unable to pay heavy taxes, were driven away as slaves and sold to recover the tax. It was not uncommon to see the families crying and wailing during their march to the salve market. All such salves were sooner or later sold only to Muslim buyers.”

“Death awaited them at every corner, because, being idolaters they could be given a choice only between Islam and death. Hindu peasants, unable to pay heavy taxes, were driven away as slaves and sold to recover the tax. It was not uncommon to see the families crying and wailing during their march to the salve market. All such salves were sooner or later sold only to Muslim buyers.”

“According to 14th and 15th century legends, Ismaili propagandist evolved a belief for Hindu converts that Ali, the husband of Fatima, daughter of Prophet Muhammad, was the 10th incarnation of Vishnu, that Adam was another aspect of Siva and that Muhammad was in fact Brahma.” [Ref: S Athar Abbas Rizvi, A History of Sufism in India, Volume 2, p-110]

Sufi literally means a person clad in woollen cloth. They were so called because they dressed themselves in this way, said to be the way of prophet and his companions.

In principle, Sufis believed in attaining God by meditation, fasts and singing his praises to achieve a state of ecstasy just like Hindu Saints. Thus, several scholars find a “great similarity” between these practices of Sufis and the advocacy by some of them of exercise of breath control (Pranyama) so highly praised in Hindu Yoga Shastras. They ascribe this similarity to the fact that ancient Hindu thought and ideas on mysticism had continually aroused interest in the Khurasan region and these naturally fused with the mystical experiences of the Muslim Sufis there.

All Sufis are ardent Muslims having absolute faith in the Prophet his traditions, Quran and Shariah. Thus, although their form and conduct of recollection (Jap) and Meditation (Dhyan) were often different, there was no hostility among them, and they adhered strictly to the basic tenets and frame work of Islam, which, of course, held proselytisation a very “meritorious” and “pious” work.

Muhammad of Ghazni repeatedly invaded India from 1001 to 1025 AD. During these raids and after, many talented and adventurous Sunni Sufis came to India and settled here. By middle of the century, Sufis had well penetrated until Punjab and spread their tentacles there and in the adjoining areas. Stories of “miracle” of these Sufis were spread by the gullible Hindus themselves.

Muhammad of Ghazni repeatedly invaded India from 1001 to 1025 AD. During these raids and after, many talented and adventurous Sunni Sufis came to India and settled here. By middle of the century, Sufis had well penetrated until Punjab and spread their tentacles there and in the adjoining areas. Stories of “miracle” of these Sufis were spread by the gullible Hindus themselves.

Between the 16th and 18th century, conversion of Hindus to Islam occurred in a considerable scale due to the successful proselytizing techniques used by the new Sufic orders which had considerable experience in this kind of work in Persia, Iraq and Central Asia. A large number of conversions that are taking place in India today are also due to the activities of these the Sufis – dead and alive. Music maestro AR Rehman is just one among those several converts to Islam through this means.

Chronicle of Shahid Salar Masood Ghazi

Amongst the Sufi saints who wielded the sword the name of Shahid Salar Masood Ghazi tops the list. He was Mohammad Ghazni’s sister’s son and had persuaded him to destroy the Somnath temple.

He entered India from the North-West with his father and a few hundred thousand cavalry. From the first day he offered to Hindus – ‘Sword or Koran’. His forces swelled as local recruits joined him; and he marched as far as Bahraich (UP). The route he took is littered with tombs and graves of his Soldiers and offers who were slain fighting the Hindu forces. These can be recognized by the word Shaheed (martyr) or Ghazi (Slayer of Kafirs) attached with their names.

Interestingly, two of such graves in Lucknow have recently (post-partition) became famous and now attract thousands of Hindu devotees who have contributed most of the money for their expansion and decoration.

Hazrat Shaikh Khwaja Syed Muhammad Mu’īnuddīn Chishtī

Hazrat Shaikh Khwaja Syed Muhammad Mu’īnuddīn Chishtī of Ajmer is a hallowed name amongst Sufi saints of India. He is generally known as Gharib Nawaz (the friend of the poor beseechers). Mughal Emperor Akbar is said to have made several visits to his shrine many times starting and ending his journey on foot.

He is projected as an example of “Sufi saintliness” and “secularism”, tending to all needy persons irrespective of their faith. However, little is known (or told?) about the major role that he played in Islamization of India.

The following is excerpt from “Siya-al-aqtab” compiled in the mid-seventeenth century as quoted in P M Curie’s book “The shrine and cult of Mu’īnuddīn Chishtī of Ajmer”: ‘’It is told that once when he went to perform the pilgrimage to the holy tomb of the Prophet Muhammad, one day from the inside of the pure and blessed tomb a cry came: ‘’Send for Muinuddin.’’ When Muinuddin came to the door he stood there and he saw that presence speak to him. ‘’Muinuddin, you are the essence of my faith; but must go to Hindustan. There is a place called Ajmer, to which one of my sons (descendants) went for a holy war, and now he has become a martyr, and the place has passed again into the hands of infidels. By the grace of your footsteps there, once more shall Islam be made manifest, and the Kafirs be punished by God’s wrath.’’

“Accordingly Muinuddin reached Ajmer in Hindustan. There he said: ‘Praise be to God, May he be exalted, for I have gained possession of the property of my brother. Although, at that time there were many temples of idols around the lake, when the Khwaja saw them, he said: ‘If God and His Prophet so will, it will not be long before I raze to the ground these idol-temples.’”

This is followed by tales of Khwaja coming over those Hindu deities and teachers who were strongly opposed to his settling down there. Amongst such people was a disgruntled employee of Rai Pithaura (as Prithvi Raj Chauhan was also known).

It appears that shorn of miracles the story simply suggests that Khwaja came to India determined to eradicated idolatry and paganism and establish Islam in its place. He met with a lot of resistance from the local governor of Rai Pithaura besides resistance from Rai Pithaura himself. With the help of the immense treasure at his disposal and having converted many gullible Hindus to his faith, he became strong enough to invite Rai Pithaura to convert to Islam. Having failed to persuade him, Khwaja sent a message inviting Sultan Shihabuddin Ghori to attack India. Shihabuddin made unsuccessful invasions. Rai Pithaura always allowed him to go back unmolested after his defeat. Ultimately, however, he defeated Prithvi Raj Chauhan and killed him.

The ‘Siyar al-’arifin’ says about Khwaja Muinuddin: “All were ignorant of Allah and his prophet. None had seen the Kaba. None had heard of the greatness of Allah. After Muinuddin arrived in India, “Because of his sword, instead of idols and temples, there are Mosques, Mimbars and Mihrabs in the land of unbelief. In the land where the sayings of the idolaters were heard, there is now the sound of Allah-O-Akbar.”

The ‘Siyar al-’arifin’ says about Khwaja Muinuddin: “All were ignorant of Allah and his prophet. None had seen the Kaba. None had heard of the greatness of Allah. After Muinuddin arrived in India, “Because of his sword, instead of idols and temples, there are Mosques, Mimbars and Mihrabs in the land of unbelief. In the land where the sayings of the idolaters were heard, there is now the sound of Allah-O-Akbar.”

Sufis in Kashmir

Kashmir is a typical example of Islamization both by sword and by the Sufis. Amongst the Sultans who used force to Islamize Kashmir the most notorious is Sikandar Butshikan (1389-1431). About this Sultan Kalhana in his “Rajatarangini” says: “The Sultan forgetting all his royal duties took pleasure day and night in destroying idols. He destroyed idols of Martand, Vishnu, Ishan, Chakravarthy and Tripureshwar. Not a forest, a village or a city escaped where the Turushk and his minister Suha passed…”

But this is just a small tip of iceberg. The real credit of Islamizing Kashmir goes to Sufis. Sikandar was a passing phase having lived only 42 years. Conversion by Sufis was a continuous process almost imperceptible which lasted for centuries. Sikandar’s conversions were caused by utter terror. Sufis created conditions where Hindus voluntarily came to them and got converted.

On the night of 10th May 1995 Sheikh Nuruddin’s mausoleum known as “Charare Sharief” was burnt down, very interesting, by Muslim terrorists. The Indian Press described it as “the sacred Dargah of Sufi Saint Nuruddin Nurani” (India Today), “Symbol of Secularism, a most valuable symbol of cultural identity” (Frontline) and “Adobe of Rishis” (The Economic Times) without having any idea of the person’s historical facts.

It is imperative to note that amongst the Sufis who played a major role in converting Hindus of Kashmir to Islam Sheikh Nuruddin popularly known as “Rishi Nur” holds a very high place. His way of conversion was through deceit.

Such is the story of Sufism that which is considered as the epitome of secular fabric of this nation.

Author is Founder & Editor-in-chief of Folks Magazine & Fellow of Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland, UK.

Time is not one which is encouraging and hailing
those countless virtues of Hari,
It’s a time which solemnly swears to sing
those disgraceful hymn of an evil – worry!

Enriching values of a graceful women
is shunned this moment,
Hailed are only the sordid benefits of a
Conniving whore – o impediment!

It’s a time where a favour is being returned with betrayal,
Time is such which is conspiring to turn matrimony like a sour trial,
This is indeed a moment of depression – not convivial.

This time undoubtedly destroys a dutiful,
to hail evil as absolute and look “wonderful”,
A time where Purandara Vithala’s grace
is being dreadfully termed ‘disgraceful’.

Originally written in Kannada language by Purandara Dasa
Translated into English by U. Mahesh Prabhu

I’ve got no dependable relatives not peace in life,
I’ve been hurt by tortureous words – I am in strife.

You truly are my father and mother divine,
I shall ever seek blessings – thine.

From seconds to millenium, I have waited quiet long,
Feeling worthy less than a blade of grass – seeming forlon.

Slayer of demons and protector of sages,
I have been waiting for you since ages.

O protector of Orphans and mentor of devotee’s art,
Is there no place for me in thy immeasurable heart?

Purandara’s Vitthala, the guardian of path to salvation,
You are the only worthy of my worship, for you are source of perpetual
inspiration.

Originally by Purandara Dasa
Translation by U. Mahesh Prabhu

We have loved to our heart than to the senses,
We have lived through a dream than expectations.
We have given up the urge to see fences,
and have sought to take only that which we shall win.

We may have worked and reached disaster,
We may have loved just to be betrayed.
We may have been bruised by a pitiless master,
That weak men call fate.

We will never give up our dream,
Never shall we seize to it follow
If not our love isn’t need by one person
There’s ain’t any time for us to sit an wallow

We all have short comings in times of life,
we all have to endure pain and pleasures.
We all have to live through a tumults strife,
And let not our spirits buckle under pressure.

We have a life to live all long,
If not with a companion alone.
We have to burry all our forlorn,
If not not for one – for all.

Life’s never a mournful time,
It’s certainly but a harvest season.
Life always has a wonderful rhyme,
for any heart’s mourning reason.

If not for one let’s live for all,
In all let us see our reflection,
Let us live for every ailing soul
and seek pleasure in it with utmost perfection.

U. Mahesh Prabhu