Insaf Morcha: Convener Shahabuddin's Statement, 22 November, 1998

"The Insaf Morcha welcomes and endorses the call of Maulana Syed Abul Hasan Ali Nadvi, President of the Ali India Muslim Personal Law Board, Rector of the Darul Uloom Nadvatul Ulema, Lucknow, and he most eminent Islamic scholar of the country to the Muslim community to withdraw their children from Government schools if Saraswati Vandana and Vande Mataram are incorporated as compulsory elements in school curriculum and culture. His call has resounded not only across the country but also throughout the world.

To impose Saraswati Vandana on the Muslims is subversive of their faith and violates Article 25 of the Constitution relating to Freedom of Conscience and Article 28  prohibiting religious instructions government schools. Because the essence of the Islam is monotheism and the adoration or worship of any other object as deity is the most grievous sin a Muslim can commit. This applies equally to adoration of Bharat Mata.

Vande Mataram is no doubt our National Song and its recital has its place in official functions and ceremonial occasions. But to make it a compulsory feature of school assembly or of roll call or any school activity in the name of inculcating patriotism is equally an act of imposition, reminiscent of the chauvinist slogan "Is Desh me Rahna hoga, To Vande Mataram Kahna hoga!" which has now been revised by the Sangh Parivar and the UP Sarkar to say, "School me Padhna hoga, To Vande Mataram Kahna hoga!". Compulsion and political motive make such innovation obnoxious.

The Sangh Parivar has its purpose: to put the Muslims in their place. If inculcation of patriotism is the purpose, the school day may begin with the National Anthem or any other patriotic songs without a religious edge, such as "Sare Jahan se Achcha Hindustan Hamara". Muslims will respond enthusiastically, as they are second to none in their love of their motherland.

The Government of UP has recently made Sanskrit compulsory. from the primary level. The major linguistic minority in UP has Urdu as its Mother Tongue. The net impact will be to deprive the Urdu-speaking children of their right and duty to learn Urdu because no child can learn more than 2 languages at primary and 3 at the secondary level. Denial of Mother Tongue amounts to cultural genocide.

The Insaf Morcha sees this as a deliberate attempt by the Sangh Parivar and its captive, governments to erode the concept of the secular state and to use State authority to promote one religion at the cost of the integrity of another, to brain-wash Muslim children and to eventually assimilate Muslims in the Hindu fold. It confronts the Muslims with a cruel choice between religious assimilation and educational backwardness! But when religious identity is under attack, the first duty of any religious group is to protect its identity. So will the Muslim Indians, at any cost. Nor will they accept cultural genocide.

The Insaf Morcha appeals to the Muslim community to respond unitedly and massively to the timely call of Maulana Ali Mian.

The Insaf Morcha calls upon to the secular parties to pressurise the BJP not to push the Muslims to the wall by attacking their religion and culture.

The Insaf Morcha appeals to the BJP-led Government at the Centre to advise the Government of UP to withdraw immediately its orders relating to introduction of Saraswati Vandana, Bharat Mata Puja, Vande Mataram and of Sanskrit as a compulsory subject in schools.

Avaidya Nath ko Gussa Kyon Ata Hai?

The Vikas Bharti School, a public school in Gorakhpur celebrated its Founder's Day on 1 November, 1998 with a cultural programme presented by the school children. Mahant Avaidya Nath, ex-MP and head of the Gorakhnath Temple, walked out of the function alongwith his supporters in protest against the presentation of Iqbal's well-known Urdu poem "Bachcho ki doa" 'Lab pe aati hai due ban ke tamanna meri, zindagi shamma ki surat khudaya meri' ....

(Source: The Times of India, Lucknow, 9 November,1998)

Saraswati Vandana - Translation By Prof. K.B. Sitaramayya

Luminous tongued, radiart - robed,

Beautiful Boon-Giver, Sarada.

May out life be filled with bliss,

White-bordered Flame, Shining Light!

Pure World-Souled, Bright Conqueror,

Player on the glorious lute,

May tranquil notes, Walker in Light,

Echo in vast, pathless skies!

Chooser of Swan, Pure-footed one,

Delighter with decorated nails,

Wearer of a glowing garland of flowers,

Shining with splendid ear-ornaments.

Spouse of the Birth-less, accorded by all

Gods, demi-gods, seers and men,

Also worshipped by Power and Grace,

Beautiful Boon-Giver, Sarada.

Vikram Kumar on Vande Mataram

Anyone opposing the rendition of Vande Mataram, the battlecry of the nationalists against British imperialism, runs the risk of being branded an anti-national. Yet we would do well to ask ourselves why the Muslim community would go out to put its nationalist credentials under a cloud. Understanding the text and context of Vande Mataram might help us better appreciate the misgivings of the major religious minority of the country.

Vande Mataram was originally written in 1875 by ... Bankim Chandra Chatterji. It became popular in Bengal after Rabindranath Tagore composed new music for it in 1882. It became a nationalist slogan when protestors against the 1905 partition of Bengal chanted it while facing lathi blows from the British police. The British government proscribed it in 1905 and made it immortal. However, the song is mostly remembered in the context of Anandamath which Bankim Chandra wrote in 1882

The novel is set in 1771 - in famine-stricken Bengal. The story revolves around the efforts of a Sanyasi, Satyananda, to organise a band of volunteers called the Santans (children of the motherland which is identified with Goddess Durga). In the novel Anandamath, Vande Mataram is the invocation song for the Santans. Satyananda is captured by the troops of a Muslim king ... Satyananda is released the Santans go on the rampage against Muslims ...

The theme of violence against Muslims recurs so often in the novel that it is impossible to avoid the conclusion that it is integral to the novel ...

Contrary to popular belief, Anandamath does not evoke the kind of patriotism with which we would like to indoctrinate uur children. It is not an exaggeration to say that Bankim's best-known novel is a manifesto of cultural animosity towards Islam. It is not for the first time that our national song Vande Mataram has run into controversy. Repeated efforts officially to consecrate it as a hymn of Indian nationhood have come up against resistance from the major religious minority of the country ...

... Vande Mataram certainly does not have the pan- Indian vision required of a national song. It is because of its overwhelming Hindu imagery that most members of the Constitutional Assembly rightly preferred Tagore's song Jan Gan Man as India's national anthem. However ... it must also be pointed out that over time Vande Mataram as a song ... acquired an autonomous character.

.. Tagore was highly critical of the idiom of political mobilisation which Bankim Chandra propagated in his novel. Bankim's novel Anandamath has cast its shadow on Indian polity in more than one way Bankim's Santans would be happy to find their political cousins in Bajrang Dal ...