I was born and brought up in Poona and came to England in 1966. For the last few years I have been engaged in study and research on Indian History, which as presented in our text books is frequently misleading and at times intentionally falsified. Lately my attention has been focused on the events in Punjab, which I began to look at with total dismay and disbelief. I am at a complete loss to understand, how any Hindu can oppose naming of a road in Anandpur after the great Guru Gobind Singh, who sacrificed everything from his father to his children, all in protection of our Hindu Dharma. We Maharastrians have a special place for him in our hearts in the same way, as we have for Shivaji. We remember them as defenders of our faith. Tears come to our eyes when we read about the two children of Guru Govind Singh, refusing to denounce their religion and embrace Islam. Their defiance, even when being bricked up alive, fills our hearts with courage.
Veer Savarkar, the great Indian revolutionary (and a Maharashtrian) was in London during 1906 to 1910. In those dark days of gloom, despair and despondency for Indians, he was searching for source of inspiration. He turned to the great heroes Shivaji and Gur1 Govind Singh. On 29 December, 1908 he organized a meeting of Indians in Caxton Hall, London, under the chairmanship of Bipinchandra Pal (a Bengali). They celebrated Guru Govind Singh’s birthday. Professor Gokulchand said “Guru Govind Singh means to us Hindus what Christ means to Christians”. Lala Lajpat Rai said that Guru Govind Singh was a real lion. After a speech by Bipinchandra Pal, Veer Savarkar explained the meaning of the Deg, Teg and Fatteh. He said “Deg is principles, Teg is the sword and Fatteh means success”. Principles, however noble, must where necessary, be backed by the force of arms. Deg, Teg Fatteh is the basis of the Sikh sect. After the distribution of karaprasad by Savarkar, the programme ended with “Guru Govind Singh Ki jai and Vande Mataram. They paid tributes to him from ‘their hearts to derive inspiration for fighting the British.
While in London Veer Savarkar took the trouble to learn Gurmukhi and made detailed study of Adi Granth, Suraj Prakash, Vichitra Natak and other Sikh scriptures. (Which other leaders did so?)
In 1910 Veer Savarkar was sent to fifty years imprisonment in the Andaman (Kalapani), a sentence unparalleled in the history of the British Empire. He was not allowed to read or write, so what did he do? He constructed Guru Govind Singh’s biography in poems. But why Guru Govind Singh? Savarkar explains “I chose Guru Govind Singh because during the struggle against the Mughals, he lost his mother, wife and his four sons, he was even betrayed by some of his own people and yet this great Guru accepted his fate and suffered these catastrophes with magnanimity. I wanted to obtain the courage to survive through the ordeal of fifty years of Kalapani by remembering how the great Guru faced the calamities which fell upon him”. During the eleven years of Kalapani, Savarkar celebrated the birthday of Guru Govind Singh every year. At the end of that day Karaprasad would be distributed. Once Savarkar even organized a strike to ensure that the Sikh prisoners were given palatable (not salty) water and soap to wash their hair and some oil to keep their hair tidy.
But then what brought about the present day bitterness and hatred in Punjab? Let us examine the chronology of the events. After the death of Tilak in August 1920, Gandhi became the unchallenged leader of Congress. He became President of Congress in 1924 In 1925 Gandhi denounced Guru Govind Singh and Shivaji for fighting with arms instead of practicing Ahimsa against Aurangzeb, and yet himself consented to sending the Indian Army (not satyagrahis) for Kashmir war within two months after independence, People had to tolerate such insulting remarks of Gandhi, as there was no other leadership available.
While still in prison, Savarkar published his famous book Hindutva in 1923. He wrote … really if any community in India is Hindu beyond cavil or criticism, it is our Sikh brotherhood in Punjab. Brave Sikhs placed their heads by the hundreds under the executioner’s axe, rather than disown their Guru or religion. Their great champion Guru Teg Behadur laid down his life for the cause of Hindu liberation in Punjab… his illustrious son Govind, the poet, the prophet and the warrior of our Hindu race explains in Vichitra Natak, .. . “May this Khalsa panth flourish everywhere, so that long may Hindu Dharma live and all falsehood vanish”.
Veer Savarkar writes: “great Guru had chosen the Khalsa of distinct identity as a band of the best and the bravest of the Hindu Race”. He proudly said, “The Sikh of today is the Hindu of yesterday and the Hindu of today may be the Sikh of tomorrow”. Sikh Gurus he said were children of Hindus. Many Sikhs are proud of their Sikh religion and their roots from Hindu-race and society
Savarakar was released from jail in 1924 but interned and barred from taking part in politics, till 1937, After his release, for next ten years, he tried to keep India united. Time and time again he warned of the horrible consequences of partition. He warned not to trust the Congress leaders. But all his warnings fell on deaf ears. Jn 1946 Congress leaders got elected on the promise that they will never accept partition. But once in power, in true Gandhian style, they agreed to partition with callous disregard for the safety and security of millions of Hindus and Sikhs.
As if the horrors of partition were not enough, new trouble started in Punjab in less than four years when in the 1951 census the Punjabi Hindus were misguided by the Arya-Samaj and other extremists into registering that their mother tongue was Hindi and not Punjabi. RSS chief, Golwalkar Guruji declared openly that Punjabi Hindus should not deny the fact that their mother-tongue was Punjabi. This false declaration on an unimaginable scale was the root cause of the current crisis. Even after such a census, the natural outcome should have been the formation of a Punjabi speaking Punjab however small. But that was not to be. In 1956 Punjab was deliberately declared a bi-lingual state. When Master Tara Singh started the agitation for Punjabi Suba, Punjabi Hindus did not support it, and as a result, people in India got the impression that it was only a Sikh movement and not a linguistic one, and that the Sikhs were demanding a separate independent state. Naturally they got no support from other Indians. And this must have led to much alienation, frustration and bitterness among the Sikhs. Once again RSS Chief Golwalker Guruji said publicly: ““The demand for Punjabi Suba is not separatist demand”. Finally when the Suba was created in 1966 after a long and unnecessary delay, it was mischievously deprived of its capital and some Punjabi speaking districts. If Haryana was invented, because of its supposed Hindi language, then why was it not amalgamated to the bordering Hindi state of UP? The problem of Chandigarth would then never have arisen. But this would have resulted in peace and harmony which was against the congress policy of divide and rule.
My research shows that the troubles started much earlier, Taking advantage of Gandhi’s assassination in January 1948, Veer Savarkar (who was already bed-ridden) was put in jail, without trial, for one year. Patel and Nehru tried to implicate him in Gandhi’s murder trial, but failed. And as soon as Savarkar was declared innocent. Master Tara Singh was disgracefully thrown into prison by Sardar Patel (February 1949). This is how the man, who was largely responsible for saving East Punjab from the aggressive designs of Pakistan, was paid. He was released in October 1949, and replying to the telegram of congratulations from Veer Savarkar, Masterji said that he was extremely worried about the widening rift between the Hindus and the Sikhs in East Punjab and requested him to come to Punjab and study the crisis and find us a solution. But Veer Savarkar was banned for one year from leaving Bombay and was arrested when he was going to Punjab. Once again in January 1952 Masterji declared “‘we will accept Savarkar’s decision in the current Hindu-Sikh dispute. But this was so because Sikhs had great respect for the sincerity, honesty and integrity of character of Veer Savarkar, which was in sharp contrast to the treacherous, selfish and self-centered Congress leaders.
28 May, 1958 was Savarkar’s 75th birthday. Speaking at that function Mr B F Bharucha an old Parsee Congress leader said: “In my opinion the Government should seek Savarkar’s help in solving the crisis in Punjab. As he is equally popular with both Hindus and Sikhs, he could definitely find a solution. But the Congress Ministers would not agree as they hate him bitterly for only one reason that he is a Maharashtrian”. It was quite clear even to Congress leaders that Nehru was not interested in solving the Punjab crisis. All that he cared for was his own power and glory. Veer Savarkar died at the age of 82, on 26 February 1966. The hundredth birth anniversary of this great patriot fell on 28 May 1983.
Strange as it may sound, Punjab and Maharashtra though a thousand miles apart are historically connected and have the same fate. Maratha Saint Namdev’s bhajans are to be found in Granth Sahib and after the tactical retreat at Chamkaur, Guru Govind Singh came to Nanded in Maharstra to spend his last days. Guru Teg Bahadur was tortured to death by Aurangzeb in 1675. As a result the Sikhs became a marshal race determined to die for the protection of Hindu Dharma. No amount of calamities would crush their spirit. Shivaji’s son, King Sambhaji, when captured in 1689 was also tortured to death for refusing to embrace Islam, by Aurangzeb, His martyrdom so inflamed the Marathas that they fought with the mighty Mughal Army for next eighteen years even without a King and literally buried Aurangzeb in Maharashtra.
In 1760 Marathas came to Punjab because Sikhs were not powerful enough to resist the Pathans. One lakh Maratha soldiers died in the battle of Panipat to prevent Pathans from getting any foothold in North India. Few years later Marathas came to North once more and Mahadji Shinde (Scindia) made a tripartite agreement between Marathas, Sikhs and Pathans and with it Marathas ensured that there was peace and stability in Punjab.
In 1879 Vasudev Balawant Phadke revolted against British rule, in Maharashtra, Ramsingh Kuka did the same in Punjab. When the Gadar movement was started in 1913, the pioneers among Sikhs included two Maharashtrians Dr Khankhoje and Mr Pingle. Bhagat Singh was a Sikh and Rajguru was a Maratha, they were hanged together in March 1931. In March 1940 in London, Udham Singh shot and killed Sir Michael Odwyer, responsible for the Jalianwala Bagh massacre. And who praised him in India? Only Savarkar. All the Congress leaders condemned the brave Udham Singh. At the time of Jalianwala Bagh massacre (April 1919), Gandhi did not even go to Amritsar and advised the Congress enquiry committee not to ask for the trial of General Dyer.
Thus the Sikhs and Marathas have much in common. During the linguistic agitations, both suffered at the hands of Congress. The similarity is very striking. After reorganization of States in 1956, Bombay and Punjab were the only bilingual States, all other States were unilingual. Nehru said at that time on radio “Bombay may belong to Maharashtra but we (i.e. the Congress High Command) have decided otherwise.” Chandigarh was victim of similar mentality and still continues to be so. Marathas were told that if Bombay went to their state then Gujratis will move their industries out of Maharashtra. Similar tactics were played against Punjabi suba formation. Both the threats proved phone. Marathas even had to fight naming their state as Maharashtra. Soldiers of Maratha Light Infantry Brigade were forbidden to say ‘Shivaji maharaj ki jai’. Today I hear that Sikh soldiers are not allowed to carry their sacred kirpan. Maratha cause was deliberately misrepresented by news media and given bad publicity. The Sikh struggle too has been subjected to same treatment if not worse. Their Suba issue was mischievously misquoted everywhere as a demand for a Sikh State and not a linguistic one. Even in Nehru’s biography (Vol LI page 327) Mr Sarvapalli Gopal, Director of Historical Division in Nehru’s Ministry of External Affairs (19541966), describes Tara Singh as a prominent Sikh leader who agitated for division of East Punjab to provide a ‘separate province for the Sikhs’. Where can one look for justice and fairness when even prominent historians of Mr Gopal’s caliber can stoop to that degree of distortion and fabrication even today. What a pity that our Punjabi Sikh brothers, who sacrificed so much for our independence and who suffered terribly during partition should still have to struggle for a capital for Punjab after 35 years!
It is no coincidence that every politician that is anti-Sikh is also anti-Maratha. Both their national leaders Master Tara Singh and Veer Savarkar until their death suffered same unending humiliation from the Congress leadership after the independence, for which they both fought with greater spirit and patriotism than most of the celebrated Congress leaders. They must therefore work together, not just for mutual self-interest but for the interest of whole of India. Holkar asked for Ranjit Singh’s help but that was refused, as a result he was defeated by the English. Later Sikhs wanted the help of Bajirao IJ, that too was refused as a result Sikhs were defeated. The whole country suffered terribly as a result of non-co-operation between these two brave and self-sacrificing communities. Every Sikh should have a biography of Shivaji and Veer Savarkar and every Maratha a biography of Guru Gobind Singh.
Sat-Sri-Akal’! Har Har Mahadev!! Vande Matram!!! Prof. V. S. Godbole
