From: DXA4@psuvm.psu.edu
Newsgroups: soc.culture.indian
Subject: RSS and Mahatma Gandhi
Date: 10 Sep 92 02:36:14 GMT
Organization: Penn State University
Supersedes: <92253.200310DXA4@psuvm.psu.edu>

For the past several days, several readers have been commenting on the issue
of RSS vs Mahatma Gandhi, and some have accused RSS for denigrating Gandhi Ji
constantly at its shakhas, which is far from truth. My personal experience
with RSS leadership at various levels, and my association with shakha activity
since my childhood (mostly in UP towns such as Varanasi, Kanpur, Moradabad, and
now in States), has not diminished my reverence for Gandhiji or my appreciation
of his selfless work for national awakening which eventually forced British to
leave India. Hereunder, I express my  personal opinion on this issue:

In RSS Mahatma Gandhi is revered very highly, a great soul (MAHATMA), one of
the greatest son of mother India, a humanist par excellence, and a real saint
(Sant). He is remembered each morning at RSS shakhas in its Pratah Smaran
(morning prayers) and among hundreds of great men who are revered by RSS, he
has been placed,even at much higher order than the founder of RSS, Dr. Hedgevar

RSS Parivar is the true torch bearer of the Gandhian Philosophy in its real
sense. And not the ones who merely don Gandhi cap twice a year (30th January
and October 2) when they have to visit Rajghat for fake tribute to Bapu, and in
their life flount and violate all the principles and ideals of Gandhiji. The
real tribute is paid by the ones who are carrying on the legacy of Gandhiji
by various social programs, and for them to participate in such ceremonial
functions is not that important.

The only difference between RSS and Mahatma Gandhi was the latter's approach
to solve HIndu-Muslim problems, and that is the only area where RSS people
criticize him, and they do not feel shy about expressing their differences
on this approach. Gandhiji was too a simple man to understand the real Muslim
psyche. All his programs, appeasement, cajoling, persuasions to bring Muslims
and thier leaders into mainstream or instill in them a same sense of brother-
hood, failed miserably. He contended  that by supporting Khilafat movement, he
would be able to win their confidence, thereby preserve the national integrity,
this did not happen. India was partitioned on religious lines. His numerous
gestures to placate muslim demands and yielding to their pressures, in the
hope of reciprocity or instilling a sense of common cause among communal
muslim leadership, could not create a long lasting brotherhood between two
communities and prevent from bloodshed and frequent riots before, during or
after partition, and has caused numerous innocent lives. It only resulted in
whetting muslims' ever increasing appatite for more concessions, and hardened
and intolerant attitude.

Mahatma Gandhi was a too simple man, too good and always thought, said, heard
good about everybody. His saintly mind just could not comprehend the muslim
psyche. That was Gandhi's only failure in this area. And RSS has been bringing
out this aspect to the public so that in future we do not have to make same
mistake again. There is no denigrating or casting any insult to a great leader
India has produced. It is just diffrence of opinion on certain issue of
national importance. Nehru also had serious and irreconcilable differences with
Gandhiji, both when he was Congress president and PM of India. And he expressed
these differences openly in public and in private, and it is a fact that he ca-
ried out several programs in open defiance of Gandhi Ji's wishes. However,
this did not reduce his high esteem he held  Mahatma Ji in his heart, and
no body accuses him for denigrating Bapu. What he was doing he thought was in
the best interests of the nation.

Similarly RSS has serious difference of opinion with Gandhi Ji on dealing with
Hindu-Muslim relationship and how to bring Muslims in the national mainstream.
Since independence even after giving up one third of the territory, and
following same appeasement policy of proven disasterous consequences, we have
not been able to solve Hindu-Muslim problems instead they are even getting
more and more frightening. Does not that indicate that our old policy in this
sphere is not working and a new approach is urgently needed?

In other areas for RSS, Mahatma Gandhi has been a real inspiration for many of
RSS projects of social upliftments and eradicating social evils. In fact,
except the Hindu-Muslim issues, RSS has been a real messanger of Gandhian
ideals as will be evidenced from the following:

There is no untouchability in RSS. The silent work without any propaganda
carried out by RSS trained people in this area has now been recognized and
perceived by many. Seva Bharati's several projects to remove untouchability,
to educate and make the underprivilleged classes self-sufficient throughout
the country, has even earned this RSS inspired organization Presidential
award two years ago. Even once Gandhi ji in 1945 while visiting a RSS camp had
recognized this fact and issued a commendable statement that RSS truly has
been able to remove untouchability from its ranks.

RSS does not recognise any castism. Everybody at shakha is equal and is treated
& regarded as such irrespective of his origin, birth, cast, social & financial
status. This was the hallmark of Gandhiji's social movements too.

Gandhi Ji always gave prime importance for the personal character of an indivi-
dual. His motto was simple living and high thinking. In this respect even
opponents of RSS give it high marks that RSS is an istitution to produce men
of high character who live a simple life, are committed to sacrifice everything
for the national cause.

The concept of Swedeshi which was the back bone of the freedom movement, was
actually conceived by Gandhi out of pure patriotism and his love for the things
produced in India. Today only RSS and its affiliated organizations are the ones
who are educating the masses on this issue, and trying to rekindle  the same
patriotic sentiments in the hearts of Indians, which once became the mantra for
the freedom movement. And the irony is that those self proclaimed fake Gandhi-
ans who swear to Gandhi name day and night, are the ones opposing this concept
now.

Gandhi Ji used to call himself a staunch Sanatani HIndu, and most of his
programs were based on his Hindu beliefs and his upbringing as a Hindu. He was
contantly inspired by Hindu scriptures (mainly B. Gita) and he always after
his return from S. Africa remained a man of the soil. This was the main reason
he was immensely successful in communicating with Indians in villages, in
remote areas, uneducating masses, etc. and this was also the key of his
successfully building up a great mass movement of unprecendented scale. RSS's
approach and philosophy is exactly same.

Regarding Hindus and Hindu Dharma, Gandhi Ji used say, " Today our eyes are
dirty, thoughts dirtier, and bodies dirtiest of all, because we are denying
Hinduism". RSS understands the anguish of Bapu Ji, since this was precisely
one of the reasons Dr. Hedgawar launched RSS in 1925, to restore Hindu-glory
and cleanse our minds, purify our thoughts, and strengthen our bodies.

Gandhi Ji further said," Hinduism is a relentless pursuit after truth and if
today it has become moribund, inactive, irresponsive to growth, it is because
we are fatigued; and as soon as that fatigue is over, Hinduism will burst forth
upon the world with brilliance perhaps unknown before." RSS is in perfact
harmony with Gandhi Ji's sentiments and share his confidence about the future
of Hinduism.

Regarding people of other faiths in the Indian society, Gandhi Ji used to say,
"There is in Hinduism room enough for Jesus, as there is for Mohammed, Zoroas-
ter amd Moses." And he even invited Muslim Indians back to their ancestral
faith when he stated, "The majority of the Muslims of India are converts to
that faith from Hinduism through force of circumstances. They are still Hindu
in many essential ways, and in a free, prosperous, progressive India, they
would find it the most natural thing in the world to revert to their ancient
faith and ways of life." Even an RSS pracharak can not articulate more aptly
the Sangh position in this regard as Gandhi Ji has done here above.

(all the quotes here have been taken from 'To the Hindus and Muslims' by M.K.
Gandhi, edited by A. T. Hingorani, 1942).

Even on Ramjanambhoomi dispute, perhaps in this century he was the first
Congressman who publicly had the courage to accept the truth of Ayodhya and to
this effect in an editorial of Navajivan (Ahamdabad, 1937), he appealed to the
Muslims to volunteerly hand over the disputed structure to Hindus for righting
a grave injustice done to the Hindu sentiments by an invader and also to usher
into a new era of harmonious relationship between the two communities. To cite
a little bit more recent history of RJB-BS dispute, this piece of Gandhi Ji's
editorial had inspired another veteran Congressman, Shri Dau Dayal Khanna (who
hails from Moradabad in UP and has been a minister in 1960's in Congress govern
ments in the state, and now is about 80 years old) to propose for the first
time in 1983 at the plenary session of VHP in Haridwar to launch a mass move-
ment for the liberation of the Ramjanabhoomi. This proposal received wide
acceptance by Hindu leaders, and rest is the recent history which continues to
baffle the HIndu-bashers. So there is a great invisible contribution of Gandhi
Ji in the Ayodhya movement, no doubt about it.

Further, it was not VHP who first realized the potential of Ram and how strong
deeply the Indian masses feel about Him, it was not mere coincidence that the
Ramayana Serial on the TV became universally popular and it was erroneous to
suggest that the serial made the Ram and Ramayan popular among the masses,
and it did not occur to Shri L. K. Advani the magic of the Ram mantra until
he rode on the Rath-Yatra from Somnath to Ayodhya and criss-crossed the
villages, towns and cities across India; but it was Mahatma Gandhi who really
knew the pulse of Indian society who had all along knew the potential and
effecacy of the Ram mantra, that is why he always started his public or
private meetings in the asharams with the singing of Ramdhun, as he knew
that it would create a right atmosphere and he would be able to communicate
with the audience very easily. VHP et al. are realizing this fact only now.

So, it is the Gandhi-legacy which is being caried on by RSS parivar in the true
sense. It is sheer rediculous to suggest that RSS has been creating an evil
out of Gandhi Ji. Men like Gandhi are rarely born. Einstien had put very aptly
that the future generations would marvel that a man like Gandhi ever rode on
this earth.

Dinesh Agrawal...