CHINA THREATENS BUT INDIA COWERS NOT

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              CHINA THREATENS BUT INDIA COWERS NOT

                                     By Brigadier Chitranjan Sawant,VSM

A.K.Antony, India’s Raksha Mantri is now in Beijing leading an official delegation. China knows all about the mild personality of the man from Kerala who never gets provoked and always keeps his cool. What he says carries weight because the world knows that he is Sonia Gandhi’s man. He is an honest man. So he has not purchased any type of guns for the Indian Artillery in the last quarter of a century. Bofors was the last of the long range effective howitzers bought by Rajiv Gandhi before his fall from grace and loss of his Congress party at the polls. Antony  is against the concept of history repeating itself. Keep smiling is his motto. Never mind what the Chinese PLA General, Luo Yuan said in public and our press corps interpreted it as a warning.

China is a powerful country both economically and militarily. Much water has flown down the Ch’ang Jiang river between the colonial days more than two centuries ago when eight nations, including USA, UK, Japan etc had divided China among themselves and controlled both economy and governance. That was the time when China lost the Opium war and was forced to cede large territory around Hong Kong to the United Kingdom. The wheel of history has turned full circle and the Chinese have recovered lost ground diplomatically without firing a shot.

ART OF WAR

Sun Tzu was a great philosopher and past master of strategy who wrote treatises on Art of War. His concept is taught and discussed in colleges of combat in many countries including India. Acharya Chanakya wrote and practiced the Chanakya Neeti and became a famous  philosopher in both civil and military circles. Unfortunately Acharya Chanakya did not come in the limelight as his present day compatriots slavishly followed the former British masters and the latter had degraded every thing that was Indian in origin.

The Art of War by Sun Tzu as practiced in China emphasizes brow beating the enemy to such an extent that he loses will to fight and surrenders. The Chinese generals of today dutifully follow the philosophy of life, the art of war etc as enunciated by their ancestors many millennium ago. Ancestor worship is a part of Dharma in China.

With a view to  browbeating the Indian leadership before the arrival of Antony led delegation in Beijing, a Major General of the People’s Liberation Army issued a public statement to be carried by the global media, warning the Indian authorities to desist from provoking the Chinese government and their powerful military lest it boomerangs and harms the Indian interests. It would be appropriate to recall that just before the arrival of the Prime Minister of China in India, the Chinese PLA troops had intruded almost nineteen kilometers into the Indian territory, destroyed some hutments, had threatened the local cowherds before withdrawing on a reciprocal basis. Their aim was to put the Indian Prime Minister, meek Manmohan Singh on the backfoot and psychologically dominate his thinking so that he accepts whatever the Chinese Prime Minister dictates. The Chinese strategy was a success.

What General Luo Yang said and did is a repeat performance of the previous script that was successfully enacted by the Chinese in the Ladakh region that had its direct effect in Delhi. Let not a shot be fired and force enemy psychologically to surrender. Men like Manmohan Singh and his foreign minister are ever keen to walk into the Chinese lap to avoid an aggressive argument. After the Chinese intrusion into Ladakh, when the Indian Foreign Minister visited Beijing he cared not to raise the intrusion issue with his Chinese counterpart as he did not believe in grave digging to unravel the past. A wek kneed policy that brought shame to India.

ROBUST RESPONSE NOW

Antony may be what he is but certainly not to be compared with the personality of Mark Antony of Rome and Cleopatra fame. One need not worry in New Delhi now. As members of the Indian delegation are Lt General Dalbir Singh, an Army Commander slated to be Army Chief in due course of time, and,of course, Admiral Kohli already nominated to be the next Chief of the Naval Staff. These two Chief material officers know how to stand their ground in a discussion on military strategy and not allow the Chinese generals to have the upper hand. India in the year 2013 is much different from India of 1962 that the PLA of China had defeated in NEFA, now Arunachal Pradesh. Even then Ladakh was a different story. More about that on a later date and not now.

Suffice it to say that the Indian troops in 1962 were ill clad, ill armed and ill trained for mountain warfare. There was more politics practiced in the corridors of power and the Army Headquarters than military strategy. The situation is so different now that the Chinese generals would not like to launch a probing action and burn their fingers. Just issuing a public statement warning Indian generals to desist from war mongering would be good enough for the time being. Nevertheless India must not lower its guards and must be ever ready to go to war. Prepare for war and look for Peace to enjoy life.

KNOW THY ENEMY

In the diplomacy of today we meet diplomats and strategists of every nation and say, Good Morning with a smile. Even when armies have moved forward and stand deployed in the battle zone in battle order, never lose a chance to negotiate Peace. We all know that Peace brings Prosperity but war brings destruction and devastation. However, to talk to enemy, we must know the enemy. Let us assume for a moment that the Chinese nation would be India’s adversary, if not a declared enemy. With a view to dealing with the adversary effectively, a thorough knowledge of his culture, language, people at large and behavior of common man or average citizenry in war and peace is an absolute must. Lack of knowledge about the enemy may be suicidal. So, before knowing yourself and your allies, make an endeavour to know the enemy.

The Chinese are an enigmatic people. Everything in China is an enigma. One has to understand nuances of a particular question or reference made before answering it. It does not matter if answering a query takes time; take your time but understand it well before answering it. It is said that the Chinese diplomats and leaders are, generally speaking, non-committal even on issues of normal conversation, what to say of matters military and issues of international diplomacy. If you meet a Chinese person in the morning and after saying Good Morning, just ask him, out of courtesy, how is the weather today?, he will look up and down, look at your face and just smile rather than committing about the state of weather. No wonder it takes a lot of time in discussing an issue of international diplomacy and preparing a document for signature of political or military representatives of both India and China.

The present delegation of India in China knows how to stand firm and not yield ground to wily opponents. The Indian delegation comprises of seasoned army and navy officers who know what is what and are not to cower before an empty threat of a Major General of the People’s Liberation Army. Indeed we know very well that even innocuous statements issued for public consumption or just for the crowd back home, are read, scrutinized and cleared by the Intelligence people and accorded political approval before being used.

In the present case, the Chinese leaders wished to assess the reaction of an average citizen in the cosmopolitan cities before proceeding further. Now they know that India of today is different and must not be put to test by firing paraflares. Our compatriots must rest assured that there is no imminent danger of a shooting war and normal life should go on.

Let there be business as usual.

Email: sawantchitranjan@yahoo.com   Mob.  9811173590

IMMORTAL MARTYR MAHASHAY RAJPAL

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              THE IMMORTAL MARTYR MAHASHAY RAJPAL

                                                   By Brigadier Chitranjan Sawant,VSM

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IS A FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT. The United Nations Organisation has enshrined it in its august list of varied rights. Geneva based International Publishers Federation made a decision a few years ago that individual publishers who contributed substantially to upholding the right of expression be recognized and honoured in their respective countries.

Mahashay Rajpal of Lahore who had laid down his life on 06 April 1929 was chosen by the United Nations Organisation to be so honoured posthumously in New Delhi defending the right of freedom of expression. The UN award was presented by Shri Lal Krishna Advani to Shri Vishwanath, a son of the Martyr Mahashay Rajpal and presently a publisher of repute himself. The life and times of Mahashay Rajpal were written on and published extensively. His qualities of head and heart were eulogized and the strength of character was highlighted.

UNFOLDING OF EVENTS

Mahashay Rajpal was born in a not so well  to do family in the cultural city of Amritsar in the Punjab that was founded by the Fifth Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Arjan Dev Ji. Besides imbibing the ethos of Amritsar, Rajpal Ji came in contact with the Vedic Renaissance of Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati, a socio-religious reformer who had taken a vow to cleanse the Hindu society of social ills, religious superstitions that had stunted the growth of personality of both the individuals and also the Hindu Samaj. As a young and forward-looking young man, Rajpal Ji too came in contact with the Arya Samaj movement and remained a devoted worker until his last breath.

Lahore, as the capital city of the undivided Punjab was the hub of socio-religious and political activities and the Arya Samaj was no exception to it. The Gurudutt Bhawan housed the Punjab Arya Pratinidhi Sabha and the Vidyalaya for training of Ved Pracharaks. It is said that at any given time, more than one hundred Vedic missionaries would leave Lahore and fan out in the interior Punjab. No wonder the Arya Samaj was growing strong day by day until August 1947 when the partition of India and, of course, Punjab gave a massive blow  to it.

Mahashay Rajpal used to attend  and participate in various activities of the Arya Samaj in Lahore, Amritsar and other major centres in the Punjab. As a publisher, he had to remain in touch with the latest goings on in the relm of religion. HE WOULD PUBLISH THE MATERIAL SO COLLECTED FROM ALL OVER THE PLACE FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL ARYAS.

Arya Books, Rajpal Ji’s book shop was the rendezvous of Arya Samajists who happen to be in Lahore at any given time. Not only activities of the Arya world were discussed and debated but the future course of action would be decided too. The inter-religious discourses were encouraged and commented upon, of course, with the permission of the Arya Pratinidhi Sabha. By and large, the inter-religious discourses or the  SHASTRARTH USED TO BE IN AN ENVIRONMENT OF PERFECT PEACE AND TRANQUILITY. But that would not last long, thanks to the bigoted elements among the Sunni Muslims. I am leaving out the Shiites and the Qadiyanis or the Ahmedias for the time being because they were, generally speaking, under attack of Sunni Muslims and had little time for religious discourses with the Arya Samajists.

The mischievous and garrulous elements among the Sunni sect of the Punjabi Mussalmans were ever ready to provoke the Hindus in general and the Arya Samajists in particular. Of course, more often than not, the provocationists were paid back in the same coins. Presently we shall see an incident of that nature taking place; the setting indeed is early 20th century British India and the dramatis personae are from the good old undivided Punjab.

RANGEELA  RASOOL  PUBLISHED

Provocation to the Hindus, read Arya Samajists, came from the Punjabi Musalman, mainly from Lahore. The Muslims published two books that could be called offensive to the religious susceptibilities of the Aryas. One was titled: 

KRISHNA TERI GEETA JALANI PADEGI;  AND THE OTHER WAS TITLED

Unnisvin  sadi  ka  maharishi – very obnoxious references to Swami Dayanand Saraswati, founder of the Arya Samaj and interpreter of the VEDAS in Hindi for the common man.

There was, of course, furore in that part of the Punjab from where the young lady was kidnapped in broad day light. A man of erudition, Pundit Chamupati, M.A. and strong willed vowed to revenge the wrong done. He informed Mahashay Rajpal that he would write a tract-like simple literature answering back to the Sunnis answering their offensive without diverting into any blood letting. Mahashay Rajpal Ji was supporting this scheme wholeheartedly and was itching for a headlong confrontation without costing any lives.

RANGEELA RASOOL MADE ITS IMPACT FELT IN BOTH THE LITERARY AND THE INTELLECTUAL WORLD.  No one knew who gave the Mss and who did the proof reading; who is the Publisher and which Press finally published it. The book did not enrage even a tiny Hindu girl or an aggressive Muslim Mulla who are ever ready to defend the prophet’s name and fame. Nights came but caused no arson or a loot and faded into te glow of a rising sun. Days were as uneventful as nights and Rangeela Rasool gave no chance to the goonda element to loot and burn the property of an average citizen.

Lo and behold! Riots broke out in parts of Punjab. Who was Agent Provocateur?

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi wrote in his weekly paper, Young India, that local leaders must ensure that Rangeela  Rasool is withdrawn from circulation and both the writer and the publisher be punished as per law. Gandhi Ji, in furtherance of his policy of appeasement of Muslims, had assumed the role of a Defender of Islam, ready to ride at the gallup at the head of a Crusade since the number of Muslims was dwindling.

Under the pressure of diehard Sunni Muslims, the government of Punjab chose to file a case against Mahashay Rajpal. The legal proceedings went on for over four years in all types of courts, first the District Court, then the Sessions Court and finally the High Court of Punjab. Mahashay Rajpal ji who had been sentenced to one and a half years imprisonment, a fine of Rs 1,000.00 was finally acquitted by Mr Justice Duleep Singh of the Punjab High Court. His Lordship agreed with the plea of Mahashay Rajpal Ji that his book, Rangeela Rasool contained nothing new and the entire material was borrowed from writings of Islamic scholars. Moreover, TRUTH was the hallmark of Rangeela Rasool.    

THE  ASSASSINATION

The bigoted Muslims of undivided   Punjab took upon themselves to punish the one who had insulted the Prophet of Islam. The Mullas in mosques dwelt on the theme of Islam in Danger day after day, week after week and prepared a man named Ilmdeen, who has not read even a primer of the Urdu language, what to talk of reading and understanding Qura’an, to kill Mahashay Rajpal. Of course, he would do it for a fee. One April afternoon while Mahashay ji was resting in bed in his book shop, entered Ilmdeen and thrust a sharp double edged long knife into the abdomen of Mahashay Rajpal ji . The three wounds were so deep and the cuts rapacious that the good soul parted company with the body. Ilmdeen was caught, prosecuted and hanged till death.

Thus ends the life story of a 44-year old noble soul who lived and died for his  DESH AND DHARMA.

Email:  sawantg.chitranjan@gmail.com       Mob.  9811173590.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

SAJAY DUTT SIDED WITH MUSLIM TERRORISTS IN 1993 MUMBAI RIOTS.

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             Plea for pardoning sanjay dutt frivolous

                      By Brigadier Chitranjan Sawant,VSM

The Supreme Court of India in its recent judgement found film star Sanjay Dutt guilty of possessing automatic

weapons of prohibited bore without a valid license and sentenced him to five years imprisonment. It also transpired that the weapons had been delivered to him by notorious gangsters behind Mumbai blasts of 1993. Indeed, it was a tragedy that had claimed 257 lives and 713 persons were injured and maimed.

There was unimpeachable evidence of violation of the Arms Act and under TADA the Court had no option but to impose the minimum sentence of five years imprisonment. Indeed the convicted man,Sanjay Dutt had already spent 18 months in prison during pendency of the case and was entitled to a remission of that period. Thus, now the fact of spending three-and-a-half-years in prison stared him in the face.

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·         Sanjay Dutt: In and out of controversies

·         Justice Katju criticized for seeking pardon for Sanjay Dutt

In Focus

Here come his friends and sympathizers opening a campaign asking the government to grant him pardon. It has led to a debate in the society whether it is a fit case for pardon or is just propaganda for the cause of terrorism, if it could be called a cause.

Why did the matter suddenly spring up and made headlines in the national dailies. The electronic media was not to be left behind. Times Now, an English news channel, stole the limelight by fielding Justice Markandey Katju, Press Counicl Chairman and a retired judge of the Supreme Court of India , Mahesh Jethmalani, an eminent advocate of Mumbai and Delhi who were later joined by Majid Memon, an advocate from Mumbai.

The immediate provocation to hold a TV discussion with the channel editor, Arnab Goswami as the anchor was a letter written by Justice Katju to the governor of Maharashtra, K. Shankar Narayanan pleading for pardon for Sanjay Dutt because he had committed the crime two decades ago and is now a reformed man doing social service.

Senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani opined quite articulately that Justice Katju’s plea of sympathy for Dutt, a convicted man now, was misplaced and misconstrued. He brought out a legal point that the governor of a state had neither authority nor legal powers to grant pardon to the convict who was sentenced to a prison term for violation of provisions of the Arms Act by a TADA court.

Justice Katju cited Article 161 of the Constitution of India under which the governor enjoys constitutional powers that cannot be curbed or over ruled by other Acts of legislatures and, therefore, he had petitioned the governor. I must appreciate Jethmalani’s erudition and insight into the constitutional law that he promptly cited Article 162 of the Constitution of India that the powers of a governor to grant pardon are restricted by this over-riding Article applicable to cases of violation of the Arms Act. Justice Katju was gracious enough to concede the point to Jethmalani and said that now he would write to the President of India making out a case for pardon for Dutt.

Let us leave aside the legal aspects of the case and take up the social repercussion as an offshoot of the grant of pardon or otherwise to the so called “bad boy now turned a good boy”.

The laws are enacted by legislatures for smooth governance of the society. The prosecution brings criminals to courts of law with the assistance of police, and judiciary decides on the question of conviction or acquittal, based on the evidence on record. After the judicial process is over, the convict is given a chance to appeal to the Head of the State for grant of pardon that is decided on merit. The Head of the State takes many factors into consideration while making up his mind whether the particular case deserves to be pardoned or not. What social impact will the ultimate decision have? After all, it is the social system that has to be protected. In a democratic society all citizens enjoy Equality before Law. The age-old maxim goes thus: However high one may ever be, the law is above him.

It is clear that the law of the land treats one and all, be he an actor or a labourer, as equals. Had there been an ordinary farmer or a labourer in place of Dutt, will the legal system and the bigwigs therein go all out to make out a case for pardon and present it to the Head of the State? If not, why should there be a special treatment given to actor?

As far as reviving Gandhigiri is concerned, the convict in question did his job as an actor and was paid for it. Like a farmer reaps what he sows, an actor should get a reward or a punishment for an act or omission and he does not deserve a special treatment. There is no need to raise brouhaha and grant the convict pardon.

Have we gone to the bereaved families and ascertained their views? Many a family lost its bread winner and now lives in penury. The loved ones became victims of acts of terror and the 34-year-old man, Sanjay Dutt was no innocent kid then that he knew not impact of his acts and omissions. It is on the Mumbai police’s record that Sanjay Dutt was hob-nobbing with notorious terrorists, and was indirectly instrumental in causing a trauma to fellow Mumbaikars. Does such a man deserve pardon after his conviction by the Supreme Court of India?

Lastly, has Dutt expressed regrets for his role in the serial bomb blasts? No, none of the terrorist gangs expressed remorse about their role in that sordid act. If they are not sorry for whatever role they played in executing their devilish designs, why should some social activists fall head over heels to seek pardon for the convicts? Frankly speaking, there is no cause that merits attention of social and political workers. Let the case rest where it is now.

Read more at:http://www.merinews.com/article/plea-for-pardoning-sanjay-dutt-misconstrued/15883316.shtml&cp

PLEA FOR PARDONING SANJAY DUTT MISCONSTRUED

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             PLEA FOR PARDONING SANJAY DUTT

                                       By Brigadier Chitranjan Sawant,VSM

The Supreme Court of India in its recent judgement found film star Sanjay Dutt guilty of possessing automatic weapons of prohibited bore without a valid license and sentenced him to five years imprisonment. It also transpired that the weapons had been delivered to him by notorious terrorists and anti-national elements who were involved in the anti-Hindu riots in Mumbai in 1993. Indeed it was a tragedy that had claimed 257 lives and 713 persons were injured and maimed. The victims were residents of the Hindu dominated areas and the cruel bombers were Muslims who later found safe havens in Pakistan. Sanjay Dutt was intimately in touch with Islamic  terrorists because his mother ,Nargis Dutt was a Muslim and the young Dutt felt emotionally closer to the Muslim community. Of course, he found shelter in his Hindu father’s residence as it was a safe place being a house of a Member of Parliament, Sunil Dutt.

There was unimpeachable evidence of violation of the Arms Act in riot areas and under TADA the Court had no option but to impose the minimum sentence of five years imprisonment. Indeed the convicted man, Sanjay Dutt had already spent 18 months in prison during pendency of the case and was entitled to a remission of that period. Thus now the fact of spending three and a half years in prison stared him in the face. Here come his friends and sympathizers opening a campaign for grant of pardon to Sanjay Dutt by the Government of India through the President. It has led to a debate in the society whether it is a fit case for pardon or is just a propaganda for the cause of terrorism, if it could be called a cause.

LEGAL LUMINARIES LEAD

Why did the matter suddenly spring up and made to the headlines columns in the national dailies. The electronic media was not to be left behind. Times Now, an important TV news channel stole the limelight by fielding Shri Markandey Katju, a retired judge of the Supreme Court of India, Shri Mahesh Jethmalani, an eminent advocate of Mumbai and Delhi who were later joined by Shri Majid Memon, an advocate of Mumbai who is quite media savy. The immediate provocation to hold a TV discussion with the channel editor, Arnab Goswami as the Anchor cum compere was a letter written by retired justice Katju to the Rajyapal of Maharashtra, Shri K. Shankar Narayanan pleading for pardon for Sanjay Dutt because he had committed the crime two decades ago and is now a reformed man doing social service.

Senior Advocate Mahesh Jethmalani opined quite articulately that Justice Katju’s plea of Sympathy for Sanjay Dutt, a convicted man now, was misplaced and misconstrued. Shri Mahesh Jethmalani brought out a legal point that the Governor of a State had no authority nor legal powers to grant a Pardon to the convict who was sentenced to a prison term for violation of provisions of the Arms Act by a TADA court. The retired judge of the Supreme Court, Justice Katju cited Article 161 of the Constitution of India under which the Governor enjoys constitutional powers that cannot be curbed or over ruled by other Acts of legislatures and, therefore, he had petitioned the Governor. I must appreciate Senior Advocate Mahesh Jethmalani’s erudition and insight into the constitutional law that he promptly cited Article 162 of the Constitution of India that the powers of a Governor to grant Pardon are restricted by this over-riding Article applicable to cases of violation of the Arms Act. Justice Markandey Katju was gracious enough to concede the point to Senior Advocate Mahesh Jethmalani and said that now he would write to the President of India making out a case for Pardon for Sanjay Dutt.

Let us leave aside the legal aspects of the case for grant of Pardon to Sanjay Dutt or otherwise and take up the social repercussion as an offshoot of the grant of Pardon or otherwise to the so called “ bad boy now turned a good boy”.

SOCIAL  IMPACT

The laws are enacted by legislatures for smooth governance of the society. The Prosecution brings criminals to courts of law with the assistance of the Police and the Judiciary decides on the question of conviction or acquittal based on the evidence on record. After the judicial process is over, the convict is given a chance to appeal to the Head of the State for grant of Pardon that is decided on merit. The Head of the State takes many factors into consideration while making up his mind whether the particular case deserves to be pardoned or not. What Social Impact will the ultimate decision have. After all it is the social system that has to be protected. In a democratic society all citizens enjoy Equality before Law. The age-old maxim goes thus:

    HOWEVER HIGH ONE MAY EVER BE, THE LAW IS ABOVE HIM.

It is crystal clear that the law of the land treats one and all, be he an actor or a labourer, as equals. Had there been an ordinary farmer or a labourer in place of Sanjay Dutt, will the legal system and the bigwigs therein go all out to make out a case for Pardon and present it to the Head of the State? If not, why should there be a special treatment given to actor Sanjay Dutt? As far as reviving Gandhigiri is concerned, the convict in question did his job as an actor and was paid for it. Like a farmer reaps what he sows, an actor should get a reward or a punishment for an act or omission and he does not deserve a special treatment. There is no need to raise a brouhaha and grant the convict a Pardon.

Have we gone to the bereaved families and ascertained their views? Many a family lost its bread winner and now lives in penury. The loved ones became victims of acts of terror and the 34 year old man, Sanjay Dutt was no innocent kid then that he knew not impact of his acts and omissions. It is on the Mumbai police record that Sanjay Dutt was hob-nobbing with notorious terrorists from Pakistan, India’s arch enemy, and was indirectly instrumental in causing a Trauma to fellow Mumbaikars. Does such a man as Sanjay Dutt deserve Pardon after his conviction by the Supreme Court of India?

Lastly, has Sanjay Dutt expressed Regrets for his role in the serial bomb blasts of 1993 in Mumbai? No, none of the terrorist gang expressed remorse about his or her role played in that sordid act. If they are not sorry for whatever role they played in executing their devilish designs, why should some social activists fall head over heels to seek pardon for the convicts? Frankly speaking, there is no cause that merits attention of social and political workers. Let the case rest where it is now.

Email:  sawantg.chitranjan@gmail.com            Mobile:  0-9811173590.

HOLI HOLI HAPPY HOLI

HOLI HOLI HAPPY HOLI

By Brigadier Chitranjan Sawant,VSM

Holi is a major Hindu festival that welcomes the spring. Holi celebrates the new life and energy of the new season. The weather is balmy and there is fragrance all around. Holi encourages the healthy revelers to spring into action and achieve their individual and collective aims. Indeed, Holi is a vibrant festival that brings unadulterated joy of pleasing colours to the entire social fabric literally and figuratively.  Bharat, that is India, is a predominantly agrarian country. Holi is preceded by harvesting of a variety of crops and, therefore, it gives the farmers and their families a genuine springboard to go in for real merriment. The fresh grain is offered as ``aahuti`` to Agni when the Holika, bonfire is lighted. The roasted grains are given to the assembled men, women and children as ``yajna-shesh or prasad. Thus a predominantly social festival also assumes an agrarian touch.  Going by various legends about the origin of Holi one finds that the festival of colours is immersed in the literary and theatrical activities of the society in the entire country, mainly in the northern parts of India. In Hindi literature poems of Surdas recount the Holi – sprinkling of water colours – in the Braj Bhumi which was the scene of action of Yogeshwar Shri Krishna. Another legend talks of Prahalad, a child devotee of Lord Vishnu being chastised by his own father, Hiranakashyap who was an atheist out and out. The sister of the said atheist king, named Holika had a boon to walk through rising flames of fire and come out unscathed. Although miracles are illogical and the Vedic Dharm does not subscribe to it but some people believe that when the said sister called Holika tried to harm the devotee Prahalad by sitting with him in a lighted bonfire, it was he who survived and she was reduced to ashes. Lighting of the bonfire on the eve of Holi – Holi of sprinkling colours – reminds people of the evil being destroyed by burning and the Truth surviving against all odds. Some of these legends give religious roots to the festival of Holi.  Another version of the burning of the evil is sighted as burning of Kamdev, lord of passion by Lord Shiv. Indeed, Shiv is the Vedic name of the Almighty who inspires human beings to do good Karm and reap the harvest accordingly.  SOCIAL SOLIDARITY In order to move forward on the path of progress, a society needs cohesion. People need solidarity and unity of purpose. The festival of Holi provides a golden opportunity to the entire society to go in for a big-big celebration, without any discrimination of caste, creed, colour or sex. In celebrating Holi one is for all and all are for one. The King and the commoner are encouraged to embrace each other after sprinkling colours or applying dry colours on each other’s face.  In the sprinkling of colours there is a free flow of fun and frolic, mirth and merriment. Although social ``Lakshman Rekhas`` exist but they are crossed more often than not. One covers ones excesses by offering an excuse in a sentence saying ``Bura na maano Holi hai. ``(please do not take it ill, after all it is Holi). So say the young and the old alike. For a change there is no gender bias at all.  Old foes may make up and become friends by embracing each other on Holi. The festival may also bring a change of heart. Generally speaking it is for the better. HOLI AND HUMOUR Holi is humour in action. While humour is predominant, poems of amorous nature are not conspicuous by their absence. In fact recitations of love poems are encouraged in certain sections of the society. In some parts of the country, a day or two after the main festival of Holi gatherings are organised to celebrate ``ALL FOOLS DAY.`` It is a part of the weeklong celebrations in the merry making society. The continual merry making also promotes `hasya kavi sammelan or humour dominated poetic symposia. There is fun in ample measure. At the end of the day a jury of sorts selects ``dunce of the day``. This title is given to a man or a woman who says the silliest sentence or performs the most foolish act which will put an ass to shame. The person so chosen is crowned with a dunce cap, is given a seat of honour and is politely requested to perform a foolish act for the assembled audience once again. The dunce of the day is the focus of attention until the closure of the event. Of course, it is a part of the ongoing fun and frolic where no offence is meant and none taken.  The spring festival similar to the Indian Holi is celebrated in many other parts of the world too. Of course, in the Indian sub continent it is celebrated in March every year. Going by the Hindu calendar, the celebration is on the full moon in the month of Phalgun. A synonym of Holi is Phag or Phagwah, apparently a derivative of the month of Phalgun.  The Spring is around. If a spring comes, can Holi be far behind? So it is time for burning the evil and imbibing the noble. Celebration with gusto is an integral part of human nature. Man loves festivity. Dancing, singing and feasting form a part of Holi celebrations. Exuberance is in evidence all over. Indeed, the spirit of bonhomie and brotherhood emerges and provides social solidarity. Brigadier Chitranjan Sawant, VSM 609, Sector-29 Arun Vihar, NOIDA-201303. INDIA Tel: 0091-120-2454622 Mob: 0091-9811173590 Email: upvanom@yahoo.com Vedicupvan@ redifftmail.com

EXODUS OF KASHMIRI PUNDITS SEVEN TIMES SINCE ISLAM CAME.

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              READ & RESOLVE TO RESETTLE VICTIMS IN KASHMIR

                                                         By Brigadier Chitranjan Sawant,VSM

If there is a Heaven on Earth, it is here, it is here, it is here, so said Firdaus, the Persian poet for the Iranian city of Isphahan. The Moghul kings in India found the valley of Kashmir so bewitching and enchanting that they had the said Persian couplet written in the Moghul gardens of Srinagar.

The Kashmir valley was regarded as heaven on earth with periodic disruptions during reign of cruel Afghan and other foreign kings from time to time. The cruelty, both mental and physical, was so devilish that many Kashmiri people, especially the Pandits- Shaiv Brahmins - chose to migrate to safer parts of plains in India rather than convert to Islam and continue living in their ancestral land with different faith, names and an alien cultural milieu. The bloodshed, disrobing of their women and dishonoring them was on such a massive scale that they deserted their original home and hearth in droves and it was given the name – Exodus of Aborigines. The last exodus happened in 1989-90 and continued for a couple of years.

The rest of India read about it in bits and pieces and forgot all about it until a patriot Kashmiri Pandit, a victim of Islamic terror himself despite his being a regular Army officer of the million strong Indian Army, was banished from the land of birth, his habitat consigned to flames and his old parents were abandoned on the road on a wintry evening in the snow laden cold valley. He is Colonel Tej K. Tik00, Ph.D. who refused to suffer in silence. He made up his mind to share the trials and tribulations of the unfortunate Kashmiri Pandits with the rest of the world who cared to listen.

 Most of the Kashmiri Pandits were shell-shocked that their neighbours joined the foreign terrorists as they professed the same faith, Islam, in terrorizing centuries-old Hindu friends. The Muslim Kashmiris went to the extent of threatening their Hindu Pandit neighbours to leave the valley for good but leave their youthful daughters behind to be ravished by JIHADIS of ISLAM and be converted to Islam. The KPs or Kashmiri Pundits were  made of sterner stuff and chose their own path of independence.

The Kashmiri Pundits have survived in other parts of Bharat despite no major help coming to them from the State of Jammu & Kashmir. The book titled “ Kashmir : Its Aborigines and their Exodus” written painstakingly with an eye on historical details by Colonel Tej K. Tikoo. He was commissioned in the First Battalion of the Naga Regt on completion of training at the Indian Military Academy, Dehra Dun. Colonel Tikoo knows professionally what insurgency is and indeed he knows from the land of birth, Kashmir, what Islamic terrorism is.

Where do we go from here? It would be wrong on the part of the Indian population to let the Kahmiri Pandits suffer in isolation in a remote village in the valley or in a crowded locality in Jammu without a proper roof over their heads. After all the Kashmiri Pandits are citizens of India and it is incumbent on the Govt of India that our unfortunate compatriots should get two square meals a day have a shelter overhead and a little petty cash for a rainy day. It should be the aim of the central govt of India and the State Govt of J&K to escort the Kashmiri Pandits and their families back to the Kashmir valley and rehabilitate them there with honour and dignity.

Men and women in the rest of India who have a barbed tongue must ensure that they have just a word of sympathy for our Kashmiri brethren and not dig old graves of history to say that they deserved what they eventually received. Allow me to say that the Kashmiri Pandits are our compatriots, our kith and kin and it is our sacred and moral duty to provide succor the needy brethren and sisters.

I salute the Kashmiri Pandits for their perseverance, resilience and love of the Hindu Dharma that they still profess despite adverse circumstances. May ISHWAR give them courage to walk on the difficult path of life as it is and May they live in happiness for  ever .

Email:  sawantg.chitranjan@gmail.com            Mobile:  9811173590.

LEARNING ROPES TO HAPPINESS ON INTERNATIONAL HAPPINESS DAY

AUM

            LEARNING ROPES TO HAPPINESS

                     By Brigadier Chitranjan Sawant,VSM

With the permission of our readers, may I say again : Happiness is a state of mind.  That explains why I say it aloud every now and then: old boy, your mental make up says that you may not live long to be a Centenarian. I dismiss the idea as it is hostile to my game plan. I command myself “ Get up, get going and learn from the experience of sages of yore to imbibe that and merge with the day-to-day life of modern times The difference between the Gurukul life of yore and the life in a modern Gurukul is tremendous. In the interest of the Vedic way of life ,we may abjure a comparison between the two. Both are products of the Vedic way of life but the long gap in time and living has made them two separate entities. . Remind yourself that Happiness Is yours just for the asking. Indeed there are certain pragmatic steps that the man or a woman seeking  happiness has to imbibe until It becomes his and her second nature.

Let us take a look at our time table of learning basic steps that would take us to our El Dorado where one lives and learns the basic ropes with eye set on the ultimate goal;  happiness.

ALBERT SCHWAITZER has observed people around and lived life as a pragmatic philosopher. He says :

                “ Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”

Happiness Is a state of mind characterized by contentment and satisfaction .Sources of happiness are diverse and unique. So are the people we come across. After having talked to men and women from different sections of the society both in India that is Bharat and abroad, it is found that certain common factors emerge. Let us take a look at them. I call those factors that lead to happiness as the Golden Nine.

GOLDEN NINE

Many observant friends and colleagues of mine, both in uniform and in the civil society have had an engrossing chat with me on the road that leads to citadel of happiness. I concurred with some and differed with others. Here I give a resume of what our common and combined operation and observations were. These Nine factors have been worked out and chosen after a brain-storming session.

UNSHAKABLE BELIEF IN ISHWAR

When I need Divine help, I pray for it. Believe me, the help was always around corner and came on time. Of course, I too never sat idle. I used to strive for a favourable solution and also pray to Param Pita Parmatma. There was a confluence of prayer and  purusharth. This kind of confluence never goes haywire. I took the first step to the rope and climbed clumsily but I did come to know the ropeway to happiness. Thus the journey that began that way refused to stop despite clumsy attempts o f second ladder of relations and friends to throw a red herring. As stated before, my wife chose to hover around me and so did the daughter. In India, that is Bharat blood is still thicker  and  stronger than  water.

Spiritualism  is worth looking for as a pillar of strength. There are no rituals but the belief in  the  Nirakar ISHWAR who is omnipresent and sees all without being seen firms up. Here is the natural reserve of strength that a supplicant may draw from as and when the need arises. Thus when a devotee has the divine strength to fall back upon, he cannot but be Happy.

POSITIVE THINKING

Positive Thinking is not mere absence of NegativeThinking. When one ceases to think or act in a manner that causes pain and grief or a loss to others no more due to an act or omission of the gentleman that is, we may say that the said person has given up Negative attitude to life and sailed to the state  where he or she entertains only Positive Attitude to life and letters. In this kind of frame of mind, there are no commas but full stops only. An individual with a Positive Attitude  to life cannot but be happy.

BE YOURSELF

Natural way of life is a happy way of life. Be yourself and never try to put up a  show. Please do not show off either because that show would be without naturalness. Happiness lives in a natural person but abandons a soul that shows off. An unnatural life or an unnatural act leads to punishment as they violate one law or the other. If you are your natural self, you are a happy man.

LAUGHTER IS LOVELY

The Reader’s Digest runs a column of jokes taken from all societies and published unedited. The jokes in their natural form are either a hit or a miss. In this case, I find that the joke was a  hit and guests had gone delirious. They are all happy men and women. Laughter is a piece of evidence to prove that the man who laughs a lot is indeed a happy man.

A good laughter strengthens the lungs and prevents cardio-vascular problems .Laugh a lot and effect a tremendous saving on medical bills. A healthy person is indeed a happy person.

LIVE IN THE PRESENT

Happiness follows one who lives in the Present. You feel the Present and you solve the problem of the Present. Those who live in the past lose touch with the Present and in due course of time become incompetent to tackle the present day crises. Those who live in the Future are invariably gripped with Fear of the Unknown. FEAR is the biggest enemy of Man. To overcome this, the VEDAS suggest chanting  o a Mantra and fortifying your beliefs to make your mind  ABHAY – free from  fear. A fearful person can never be happy. A fearless person will always be happy.

CULTIVATE CULTURE

Fine Arts, Music –vocal or instrumental ,painting or forming a word picture of an  event or individual are various branches of Culture. The culture has to be cultivated by an  individual because it  does not come on its own. In difficult times,  one may paint or sing or play on a musical instrument and divert the mind from problems that cause unhappiness. When unhappiness  or a  tense atmosphere is taken care of, a  relaxed atmosphere will replace a  tense situation. Happiness will follow as a natural corollary.

HAVE HEALTHY SEX

The sexual attraction draws a man and a woman close to each other. They not only admire each other but also touch gently  or grope into the forbidden zone. If both are adults, they proceed further in the privacy of a house or a garden and have sexual intercourse. That mutual act is indeed a source of joy. More of it gives more joy. So, having healthy sex between two consenting adult males in  the privacy of the house is now legal as per a judgement of the Delhi  High Court. Since sex is a source of joy, so go ahead and have more of it until you are happy and wish to enhance the state of sex-generated happiness no more.

MAN IS WHAT HE EATS

Mind is the man. The way you eat, what you  eat and how much you eat will determine your mental make-up and  physical  body. One of the  Vedic Rishis who was also a  physician  had  recommended to both the masses and the classes all about  the food  intake. In  anutshell,his advice was:  Eat  what is beneficial  to mind and body. Thus healthy diet of green leafy vegetables, no red meat  and over-spiced dishes,a lot of fluid and abjuring junk  food was described  as  a source of happiness. Secondly, eat less than what your stomach  can accommodate. Finally ,eat food bought with money earned by the sweat of brow and not by murdering the moneyed men.

Indeed, a lot of emphasis was placed on a lean diet, a healthy diet and an honest purchase of food. Well, it is this kind of food that may be joy-generating.

HEALTHY MIND IN HEALTHY BODY

Right from childhood I have been hearing from the school counselors that a systematic daily exercise will keep the body fit and a mental exercise will not let mind be lethargic. Since everybody wishes to live long ,one patiently listens to the piece of advice that  is repeatedly given by  both the PT instructors and other teachers. However, words are  not enough to see you through. Practice and practice will  make a man  healthy. Health  and  happiness  are twins. A healthy man is a happy man._________________________

Postal Address:

UPVAN,   609, Sector 29,  NOIDA  -201303,  INDIA.  Email:  sawantg.chitranjan@gmail.com

Mobile:  0091-9811173590.

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