Rajinikanth Entry: Will it stir the politics of Tamil Nadu?

"Everything has already been done by me. All you have to do is to shoot the arrow". With a calmly smile on his face, Rajinikanth quoted these lines from the Gita to the cheering crowds of fans and supporters on the much awaited last day of 2017. He then spoke of "correcting the System" and revealed his intent to launch a new party and contest in all the 234 seats in the next State Assembly election that is three years away. The Super Star then appealed to all his fans to always speak good and do good, as usual.

While this announcement cleared the 'suspense' over the Super Star's future plans, the bare minimal nature of it in it has made the political Pundits and the general public to run into wild speculations about it, reading all kinds of "messages". Some leaders of the Tamil Nadu BJP explicitly welcomed his entry, while the mainstream DMK and ADMK just had a causal, neutral response, on the lines of "Every Indian citizen has a right to start a new party, our organization is very strong and firm and feels noway perturbed by such a development".  The small time fringe outfits espousing chauvinism and regionalism have vehemently spoken against Rajini, predictably.

So, what is to be made out of this announcement and its probable real effect, in the future politics of Tamil Nadu?

Rajini promised to usher in "spiritual politics" (aanmeeka arasiyal) transcending the boundaries of caste and religion in his announcement. His life story of having risen up to the top of stardom from very poor and humble background, coupled with this spiritual aura strikes a genuine charisma cutting across sections of the society. His personal and professional integrity in the Tamil film Industry circles is well known. This has already created a robust image of a man who is incorruptible and is ever willing to put the welfare of the poor and common people above his self interest. The erstwhile Bengaluru  bus conductor image of Rajinikanth very much resembles the erstwhile Jamnagar Tea seller image of Narendra Modi. This is an advantage of that none of his probable political contenders can claim to have.

But for a one time aberration of overtly supporting DMK even in the aftermath of 1998 Coimbatore bomb blasts, Rajini has always stood on the side of supporting Indian nationalism. He has openly expressed his Hindu religious affinity by sporting Hindu religious symbols and advising his ardent fans to indulge in Dhyana and Bhakti practices. On this count, he is a refreshing contrast  to the comical hypocrisy of many Dravidian party politicians, some of them denouncing Hinduism outright while appeasing "minorities". Brahmin hatred is a pet theme of many Tamil politicians of all hues, even writers, artists and media personalities. This is thanks to the skewed racist discourse of the Dravidian movement. It goes to the credit of Rajinikanth that he has never indulged in such hate speech, though it would have won him some favors and accolades in the overall climate of the state. So, even though Rajini has not given any hints about his chosen political ideology, it is believed that it will certainly be a form of 'soft Hindutva', much closer to the BJP ideology than any other parties.

The remarkable identity mix of Rajinikanth, of being born in a Marathi family as Shivajirao Gaikwad, growing up in Karnataka and attaining stardom among Tamils - this in itself is a great tribute to National Integration and the idea of a United India. The 'problem' of Rajini being not native to Tamil Nadu is pepped up only by the fringe groups at present. It is never an issue for mainstream parties and people.

The caste politics of Tamil Nadu has always been an important factor in the electoral victories of both ADMK and DMK. But, it is more of a back stage drama and is never spoken openly in the political discourse of Tamil Nadu unlike the other South Indian states, where the "strength" of caste groups like Lingayats and Kapus is a subject that is openly discussed in TV shows. In Tamil Nadu politics, what comes to the foreground is the charisma of the strong leader, like Karunanidhi, MGR or Jayalalitha and the caste equation factors only in the ticket distribution, giving proportionate share to all the castes. It is to be noted that none of the above mentioned leaders were from dominant castes of Tamil Nadu. Given this history, if Rajini's charisma works the same magic, combined with the practical caste calculation born out of realpolitik, he has much brighter chance of capturing the imagination of Tamil Nadu voters. Because no other political leader, be it Stalin or OPS or EPS or anyone, has such a charisma like Rajini.

It is well known that Rajini has been hinting his political ambition on and off screen right since the start of 1990s, with sudden hypes and scenes of euphoria about his "entry" and the subsequent drubbing off and frustration of the hype being a "false alarm". Though there is a well established network of fan clubs ("Rasikar mandram") in every Taluk of the state with a decent membership of local youth, turning this into a political party work force remains a very big challenge. We already have many examples of failure in this context, like the Telugu actor Chiranjeevi. Rajini and his new party have to put a lot of hard work on this count.

Overall, Rajini's announcement has already stirred the political debate in Tamil Nadu. Lets hope it will bring positive development to the state.

****

Kannada translation of this article was published in Vikrama Kannada weekly, 21 Jan 2018. 

Kannada version here:

School shut-down by Christian bodies to protest Orissa events: highly unethical and a political blakmail

Today, On 29th August all Christian schools in India remained closed to heed to the call given by Catholics Bishops Conference of India (CBCI), apparently to "peacefully" protest the violent attacks on Christians and Churches in Orissa. Some Christian groups have gone to the extent of demanding President's rule in Orissa making shrill noise abt "safety for their lives" in "this" country.

Violence by anyone for any reason is not justifiable in a civil and democratic society like ours. But, let us put the facts straight. There is a palpable Hindu anger behind the recent happenings in Orissa. The brutal murder of 84 years old Swami Laxmanananda and 4 innocent Hindus at the night of Krishna Janmashtami at the hands of more than 25 armed thugs who barged into his Ashram literally shook the state and the nation like. After all, Swamiji was a highly respected Hindu monk, Guru, a great social worker and also a VHP leader in the Christian-missionary-ravaged tribal belt of Kandhmal district of Orissa. He had been rendering yeoman service to the tribals of the area for more than 25 years that earned him such reverance and affection, and also the wrath of the missionary-mafia which was out to establish its aggression and dominance over the region.

Gory details about Swamiji's murder

The intial statements from the state govt. that the murder was by Maoists was not taken by anyone, including the Maoists who denied it. Because, there were more than 8 attempts in the past to kill Swamiji, *all* by militant Christians in the area and there was a perennial threat to his life. To add credibility to the well-grounded suspiscion, police arreseted 3 suspects after the murder, all associated with Christian bodies.

Background of the Christian vs Hindu-tribal conflict in Kandhamal district

It is highly deplorable that these details are totally blacked out in the media stories that contain high pitch reporting about the burning of Churches and attacks on Christians. This creates a baseless impresion in the minds of an average citizen that all this violence was started by Hindus unprovoked.

We have to view the move by Christian bodies to shut all the schools under their control in this context.

It is highly unethical on their part to exploit their hold on Educational institutions for a clearly political and communal mobilization like this one, that aims to streotype all Hindus of Orissa as militant and aggressors. Quite a few of these institutions are "Christian", purely because of their British colonial legacy, which the post-Indepedance "secular" govts. and the citizens of this country have allowed to continue without questioning. Many of them even recieve grants and patronage by the govt at present and are bound by the laws that govern such bodies. Plus, the majority of the students and teachers of these schools are all Hindus from whom the schools recieves work, support as well as money in terms of fees and donations.

On what grounds, do the Christian bodies claim legal or moral right to "force" such a shutdown on their staff and students? Even if they organize a purely political protest march such as this in the school premises and make it "optional" for students to participate, that is highly questionable. But they have gone several steps overboard, confident that gullible Hindus who work and study in the schools will never raise their voice against this and nor will the govt or media question this blatant transgression. This is using one sort of "power" to force their version of opinion on the society, eventhough it is rooted in falsehood and shady grounds, to gain another sort of "power". It is nothing short of a political blackmail of the worst kind.. and its a cruel joke for such groups to call themselves as 'service' missions.

It is a dangerous state of affairs that a religious group can *stage* such an act in this country, without having to answer anyone. It is a shame on media, that it just reports this as yet another news, without pointing out the ugly agenda.

Another thing to note. We have come a very long way from the days of the British and Chrisitian missions are not at all the whole and sole providers of education in this country. The govt. and other private institutions far outnumber the Christian ones today. In fact, the biggest Education NGO in the country today is NOT any Christian group, but Vidya Bharathi, a Hindu organisation. If you count all Hindu Educational intitutions in the country (that includes the ones by Sangh Parivar affliated ors, various Maths and Ashrams, Temple bodies, spiritual leaders, local NGOs and various other trusts), that would far outnumber the Christian ones. Currently all these Hindu schools are totally apolitical - they impart neutral, secular education, with probably a small dosage of basic Hindu cultural values.

Hindus better learn such political tactics from the precedent set by Christians in this regard and show their real "power", whenever and wherever Hindus are attacked and Hindu human rights are compromised. If the state of affairs continue this way, it will not be long before we are forced into such a situation.

மார்க்சிஸ்டு வெறியர்கள் உடைத்த பள்ளியை சீரமைக்க உதவுங்கள்

கேரளத்தில் இந்து அமைப்பு ஒன்று நடத்தும் பள்ளியில் இருந்து கீழ்க்கண்ட செய்தி வந்துள்ளது. எந்த அளவுக்கு வெறுப்பும், வன்மமும், குரோதமும் இருந்தால் முழுவதும் பொதுமக்கள் உழைப்பில் உருவான, பொதுச் சொத்தான ஒரு அழகிய பள்ளியை இப்படித் திட்டமிட்டுத் தாக்கி அழிப்பார்கள் என்று எண்ணிப் பாருங்கள்.

அழிவு சக்தியான மார்க்சியத்தை ஒழியுங்கள்.
ஆக்கசக்தியான இந்துத்துவத்திற்கு ஆதரவு தாருங்கள்.
பள்ளியை சீரமைக்க உதவுங்கள்.

Adiyodi Vakeel Smaraka Tagore Vidyapeetam, a reupted school in Thalassery, Kerala was attacked and destroyed by a gang of CPM (Communist Pary of India Marxist) criminals on 27th January 2008. This calculated attack was done within 24 hours of the Republic Day Celebrations.

The school is named in the memory of Late Adv. Gopalan Adiyodi, a well respected social worker and RSS leader of Kerala. It started as a primary school in 1990 and has grown into a full fledged high school now. This is the only Hindu Educational Institution in Kannur district amidst the several institutions run by the Christian and Muslim managements. With the coming up of Tagore Vidyapeetam, a long cherished wish of the Hindus of this area had come true. It is to provide affordable, quality education and impart Hindu values that the selfless RSS workers of this district started this school. To acquire three acres of land and to build up a full-fledged school complex was really a Herculean task, but the brave Swayamsevaks did it all, that too within a few years, all through public donations. The infrastructure and other educational facilities were appreciated by one and all.

The brutal destruction of the school, a public property is just another bloody chapter in the continuing attack on Hindu activists and institutions by the CPM goons in this area. The Hindutva movement started in Kerala in 1942 at Calicut. In 1946 the RSS sakhas started in Thalassery. Many prominent personalities including advocates, doctors and teachers started attending the sakhas. And from that time onwards the Communist forces were trying to build up impediments to curb the growth of Hindu movement. Actual bodily clashes started in Kannur district in 1969 in which Sri Ramakrishnan, a Mukhya Sikshak, was killed. Pinarayi Vijayan present CPM State Secretary was one of the accused in this case. Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, the present home minister (CPM) was one of the accused in the second murder which followed very soon. From 1969 to 2008 May, 63 Swayamsevaks were murdered in and around Thalassery. Though the entire Kannur district witnessed Marxist terrorism, Thalassery Thaluk has been the main area of their attack. More than 200 swayamsevaks received fatal injuries in the past years. Many lost their limbs, many became blind and duff. They are all unable to earn their livelihood.

Since the very inception of this institution the Marxists were trying to put an end to this move through several methods and this attack was the final one. All our dreams, all our efforts came to nil with this CPM attack. The building was partially demolished. The Principal’s room, staff room and many class rooms were destroyed. 60% of the furniture was totally destroyed. The well furnished computer lab consisting of 35 systems and one LCD projector with lap top, which was sponsored by an NRI group, was all smashed to pieces. The science Labs were all gone. All this was done by an unruly crowd of more than 200 CPM activists, in the full presence of the Police force.



At present more than 700 students are studying in this school with a staff strength of 62. All the members on staff are well qualified and trained by Vidya bharathi, an educational NGO that operates in many parts of the country. The Principal is very well respected in the area and was formerly a CBSE school teacher in Arunachal Pradesh. All the batches presented for the X CBSE exams attained 100% success.

Our school reopens after summer vacation on June 2nd. It is beyond our capacity to find means to put things in place. The managing committee appeals to one and all to help us to re-build this Hindu educational institution. It is our sincere request to help us to rebuild the school infrastructure as it was before.

Vande Mataram.

How you can help :

1. Monetary donations may be sent as cheque, draft or Money order favouring "Adiyodi Vakeel Smaraka Educational Trust" to The Secretary, Adiyodi Vakeel Smaraka Educational Trust, Thiruvangad, Thalassery 670103, Kerala
2. Electronic transfers and direct deposits can be done to the following account:
Current a/c no.: 30072288490, State Bank of India, Main Branch, Thalassery – 1
3. Receipts will be sent to all the donors. Donors, please send in your name and address along with the donations. (Those who do bank transfers can send the details thru email to vidyapeetam@gmail.com)

4. To rebuild the computer lab, you can donate new computers or even used ones in good condition.

All donations are exempt from Income Tax u/s 80-G.

For further details, contact:
Sri M K Sreekumaran (9446373383), Sri Banish (9446166407)

Power Gurus and Hindutva : "The Week" story

Here is my letter to The Week, regarding their recent cover story "The Power Gurus" .

Dear Editor,

Whatever maybe the motives behind this cover story, please accept my compliments for such a wide coverage. Your story will serve to highligh the need for Hindu Gurus to be concerned not just about the Hindu religion and spirituality, but also the challenges, pains and aspirations of the Hindu society. Needs that cover politics as well as social reforms. This time around, such "alerts" will not make the Gurus and their followers to move away from the social mobilization, as many in the "secular" side would wish, but will hopefully serve as further impetus to get deeper and broader into it.

The interview with Mata Amritanandamayi is a gem. Thank you for publishing the full text version as well. To a leading question on the difference between Hinduism and Hindutva, her answer ".. selflessly serving one's nation and its people is Hindutva" conveys a divine blessing and reassurance for countless Hindutva activists across the world, including those inside and outside the Sangh Parivar.

The perspective of Koenraad Elst that Hindutva does find very many vibrant experssions and is not just confined to the grand old, elephantine organisation called RSS is very refreshing. RSS leadership should take his harsh criticism in the right sprit, as a doctor's prescription, as Elst, the author of "Decolonizing the Hindu mind" deeply knows the symptoms of the diseases that ail the self alienated Hindu society.

Thanks,
Jataayu

Arundhati Roy's article on Genocide - some comments

My response to the article Listening To Grasshoppers by Arundhati Roy in Outlook Magazine, 4-Feb-08 issue.

That was a long and frustrating article by the erudite Arundhati Roy in a crisp and gripping language. But I wish the article also contained more truthfulness, honesty, neutrality, non-suppression of already known material and other such qualities as well.

It starts with her repeating the totally discredited theory of Nazi-ness of Hindutva based on 2-3 quotes from the obsolete and disowned “We, our nationhood defined” by Guru Golwalkar of the 1940s fame. These quotes were analyzed in-depth by Dr. Koenrad Elst in a detailed essay “Was Guru Golwalkar a Nazi?” in his book “The Saffron Swastika” and found echoing just the popular sentiments of the prevailing time and nothing more.. In fact the Communist praise at that time, for Hitler and Nazis would far outnumber these 3 quotes and will fill up a year worth of Outlook Issues! Will Ms. Arundhati call the CPI-M formed in the “mould of Nazis”, when there is a far stronger case for that??

Her listing of various RSS outfits among extension plans of its “evil ideology” will only evoke ridicule. The organizations like Vidya Bharati and Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram have been cited as glaring examples of selfless services even by the adversaries of RSS!

She goes all over the world to evoke heart rendering tales of genocide and destruction – from Ottoman Empire to 15th century butchering of Native Americans by the armies of Columbus to Africa to Australia. Very Good. Admirable.

But she miraculously forgets everything about the centuries of genocide that happened in her own country, her own backyard. The genocide of Hindus at the hands of Muslim aggressors and invaders. A genocide invoked by Will Durant in his “Story of Civilizations” in such strong words - “"...the Islamic conquest of India is probably the bloodiest story in history. It is a discouraging tale, for its evident moral is that civilization is a precious good, whose delicate complex order and freedom can at any moment be overthrown by barbarians invading from without and multiplying from within." A genocide, the very thought of which makes V.S.Naipaul call India as “wounded civilization”.

Let’s pardon the lady for her memory lapse about the medieval history. A good half of her article is devoted to the 2002 Gujarat riots (I seriously pity her struggling hard to fit the official UN “definition” of genocide to these grievous incidents), while she mentions the bigger, 1984 genocide of Sikhs by Congress goons in passing.. Great. But, what about the genocide and large scale displacement of Hindus of Kashmir valley that took place in between these 2 incidents? According to the official govt. figures there are about 5 lakh Hindus displaced from the Kashmir valley since 1990. An undisputed act of ethnic cleansing punctuated by the mass murders of Sangrampora, Jagatsingpura, Wandhama and Nandimarg (2003). The lady does not utter a single word about this. Her only usage of the word “Hindu” is to denote murderers and perpetrators of crimes.

Arundhati, is your heart so harsh, is your intellect so numb, and is your loyalty so dubious that you do not remember to mention even one event in history where Hindus are the victims?

Towards the end of the essay, you say, “Perhaps these many million Constraining Ghosts of the Past wonder what advice Gandhi would have given the Indians of the Americas, the slaves of Africa, the Tasmanians, the Herero, the Hottentots, the Armenians, the Jews of Germany, the Muslims of Gujarat…”

Don’t the Hindu victims of Bangladesh, Pakistan, Kashmir, Fuji and other places even merit as one of the many items in such a customary list?

What have the Hindus done to you, Arundhati?