It was not surprising that Wahhabi
Mullahs have sent out directive to Madrassas in UP not to sing National Anthem,
on flimsy pretext that ‘Adhinayak’ meant King of Great Britain. This would be
funny if it were not sinister.
I say sinister because Mullahs have
brought up this issue after 70 years of Independence, on eve of Independence!
It just doesn’t leave a bitter taste in the mouth but shows their intentions
clearly. When ‘ Jana Gana Mana’ was chosen as National Anthem, there was still
time for Mullahs and their followers to go to Pakistan which they voted for as
they were not comfortable with Hindu domination of the new born nation and its
secular ethos. Pakistan was clearly built on the argument of a pious Islamic
state. They were free to choose.
I suspect now that there were
different reasons for staying behind, for hard core Islamists. Having created
Pakistan, they wished to convert India also into an Dar-ul-Islam. The slogan of
Muslim League at that time and their left-overs here was ‘Hans ke liya Pakistan, Lad ke lenge Hindustan’. The arguments that I hear on debates and media
are eerily similar to pre-Partition Jinnah arguments.
The most sinister part of this move
is to be faced squarely. This is yet another move to test the limits to which
Indian constitution, Indian democracy and Laws can be bent to further Wahhabi
ends. Jinnah had a problem with ‘Vande Mataram’ and not to sing it was one of
the conditions when he negotiated with Congress leaders. Vande Mataram was
truncated to one single para to suit Mullah taste. But, the Mullahs are still
not satisfied. They have been creating this controversy now for years.
This plan to raise the bogey of Jana Gana Mana was already in the air
since a few months. I recall reading about it. Wahhabis deliberately chose
Independence Day to poison the atmosphere. It has nothing to do with UP
government directive. Patriot Muslims have been celebrating the day for seven
decades very happily. They have sacrificed their lives for the nation singing
the beloved National Anthem.
Many like me may feel more charged
up listening to Vande Mataram, but
singing our National Anthem ‘Jana Gana Mana’
gives all of us, Indians, an immense sense of pride.
I would like to nail the lie about
Rabindranath Tagore writing Jana Gana Mana in honour of King George:
On March 13, 1939, an anguished Rabindranath
Tagore wrote, “I should only insult myself if I cared to answer those who
consider me capable of such unbounded stupidity as to sing in praise of George
the Fourth or George the Fifth as the Eternal Charioteer leading the pilgrims
on their journey through countless ages of the timeless history of mankind.”
In an interview to
Rediff.com, Ranjan Bandyopadhyay, academician,
columnist and author of five books on Tagore, on the topic, said - Tagore in a letter on November 10, 1937 to the
bibliographer, editor and annotator of his works, wrote, “A certain high
official in His Majesty's service, who was also my friend, had requested that I
write a song of felicitation towards the Emperor. The request simply amazed me.
It caused a great stir in my heart. In response to that great mental turmoil, I
pronounced the victory in Jana Gana Mana of that Bhagya Vidhata (God of
Destiny) of India who has from age after age held steadfast the reins of
India's chariot through rise and fall, through the straight path and the
curved.”
“That Lord
of Destiny, that Reader of the Collective Mind of India, that
Perennial Guide, could never be George V, George VI, or any other George. Even
my official friend understood this about the song. After all, even if his
admiration for the crown was excessive, he was not lacking in simple common
sense.”
We must also
remember that Gurudev Rabindranath gave up his Knighthood as a protest against
1919 Jallianwala Massacre.
The choice
of Jana Gana Mana has its own strange reason.
To paraphrase Nehru as quoted in a ‘The Quint’ video on this subject – “National
Anthem is more important when sung outside India, than in India…. Jana Gana
Mana is much better to play on bands and has an energy and movement.” So he
persuaded the Constituent Assembly to choose Jana Gana Mana.
I know of no
nation who chose a ‘Band worthy’ song over a song of national struggle for
independence. But, be as it may be. Fact is we have chosen Jana Gana Mana and
we sing it proudly and invest huge emotions in it.
We must
recognise the stark reality that Wahhabi Mullahs have the backing of rabidly
communal and casteist, so called Secular parties, and supposedly atheist
progressive Left. This has emboldened them to play with sentiments of Indians –
Hindus, Muslims and all other communities to thumb their nose at the Indian
democracy. It will not stop here, make no mistake. Next will be pressing harder for Shariah.
Then, our very nationhood will be challenged with active connivance of Left
intellectualism masquerading as Cultural Studies. This Bluff must be called. Courageous,
patriotic Muslims of India must rise and tell the Mullahs, enough is enough.
First published on www.newsbharati.com on 14th
August, 2017
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