4. P. N. Awasthi

I have gone through both the letters written by a Pune Swayamsevak for the RSS organisation. The issue pointed out in the letters is quite genuine and crucial, particularly after the formation of Pakistan and Bangla Desh. We had the same Constitution before also, but partition could not be prevented in spite of the sacrifice of Mahatma Gandhi - showering liberties on a people bent on separation.  Retaining the same Constitution automatically invites the same happenings repeatedly. If this is really intended, at least after the partition the country should have been named as �Secularistan� or �Sam Dharmastan� or something like that to indicate its proper nature. If this was put to vote people would have known what they were preferring. But calling it �India� and �Hindustan� with a permanent policy of strangulating the original inhabitants of this land - forced to be recognised by the foreign identification �Hindus� - who did not convert, in spite of all the atrocities, to recently originated religions, born in the places once under the umbrella of the culture and civilization of this land, has confused the people.

I have heard the debate in Parliament when BJP could not prove its majority. The people talking there were all bound by the Indian Constitution. But there were quite a good number talking of India not as one Nation but as multi-nation. More vocal were those pleading for disunity and disintegration. They were keen to show their separateness. They were the representatives of Indian Nation, Indian Constitution! If expression and toleration of all this is the speciality of our Constitution then divisions must be our glorious future.

I am a freedom fighter, and I have painfully seen four chunks of my Motherland falling apart and now called as foreign. The present map of India is incomplete in my eyes, a pain to my eyes such as can never be realised by the younger generation.

The names given to us are all from those who separated from us. Our trouble is that we still harbour our original spirit, and those calling themselves �Others� harbour the opposite - their original spirit.

It is under such diagonally opposite psychologies that emergence of a common totality - the feel of a Nation - has become impossible. But it is to be noted, this all is away from actual living conditions. This is mental and is created by separatist politicians. None of us can annihilate the other. But the other side cannot be overlooked. The so-called minorities in this country are a problem on account of their narrow vision, hostile philosophies and attitudes, and irrational fanaticism. As against this, the philosophy and history of the majority of this land has constantly proved its capacity to sustain the society. It is, therefore, necessary that erosion of the base of this majority is prevented, broadened, and the whole is consolidated. Hatred-based religions and their followers cannot be appeased or satisfied because their survival means the non-survival of others.

I am concerned with RSS only through newspapers. I think it is not a political organisation. I believe it has tried to create self-confidence in the people of this country who are the original inhabitants having not converted to any prophet-based religion. They have quite a wide field for themselves. They have no reason to please those who are bent upon being recognised as Others - outsiders. Even from political angle it is the solidarity of the majority that matters rather than help from Others.

In all organisations, there are always different trends. It all depends on the character, knowledge, experience and outlook of the individuals of the organisation. The commonness of the objectives becomes thinner and thinner as these varieties increase. Somehow our culture is habituated to openness and liberties. In the West, it is the opposite in the name of etiquette and descipline.

I remember that in the earlier Congress there were people like Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Madan Mohan Malaviya, Purushottam Das Tandon and many others who knew Sanskrit, ancient treatises etc., and had different depths of thinking. They had a different image of independence. The wave of Communism swept all those educated in the West, on account of absence of basic moorings on home stuff. The RSS also might be having problems, but if the common wall of objectives is allowed to erode the edifice is bound to fall apart. This in particular should be realised by those creating diversions. They have to see whether they are constructive.
 

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