AIM OF LIFE -a page from Jail Note book

AIM OF LIFE

Aim of life is no more to control mind, but to develop it harmoniously , not to achieve salvation hereafter, but to make the best use of the here below,and not to realise truth,beauty and good only in contemplation ,but also in the actual experience of daily life; social progress depends not upon the ennoblement of the few but on the enrichment of many; and spiritual democracy or universal brotherhood can be achieved only when there is an equality of opportunity in the social, political and individual life

Jail Notes By Shaheed Bhagat Singh in his own hand writting

This new series on the blog is being started to make  available hand written jail notes page by page
Pag1    Signatures and initials
Page 3

Page 3 of Notes taken by Shaheed Bhagat Singh ,READS
 "Lover , lunatic and poets are made of the same stuff "
* * *
 Inductive from particular to general
Deductive from general to particular
* * *
 Centrifugal -tending from the centre
 Centripetul - tending to the center
******
"My strength is the strength of oppressed , my courage is the courage of desperation"

 ****** Urdu couplet
"Kuri Khak hai gardash main tapash se meri,
 Majn vo majnu huan jo Jindan main bhi azad raha "

 ******
 " Money is the honey of mankind'
                  Dostrovesky

Spirituality a Tranquilizer for Rich

Shahid Bhagat Singh wrote  , " That was the turning point in my revolutionary career. " Study" was the cry that reverberated in the corridor of my mind. Study to enable yourself  to face the arguments advanced by opposition.Study to arm yourself with arguments in favour of your cult. I began to study. My previous faith and convictions underwent a remarkable modification, The romance of the violent methods alone which was so prominent amongst our predecessors , was replaced by serious ideas. No more mysticism , no more blind faith. Realism became our cult . Use of force justifiable when resorted to as a matter of terrible necessity: non-violence as policy indispensable for all mass movements "

Why I am Athiest , 5 Oct, 1930

Here is a speech by Javed Akhtar need careful reading and pondering

Speech: Javed Akhtar:

India Today conclave session on

 Spirituality – Halo or Hoax.

INDIA TODAY CONCLAVE
DAY 2, Saturday, February 26, 2005
Session: Spirituality – Halo or Hoax.

SPEECH: JAVED AKHTAR

I am quite sure ladies and gentlemen, that in this august assembly nobody would envy my position at this moment. Speaking after such a charismatic and formidable personality like Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is like coming out of the pavilion to play after Tendulkar has made a sparkling century. But in some weak moment I had committed myself.

There are certain things that I would like to make very clear at the very outset. Don't get carried away by my name – Javed Akhtar. I am not revealing a secret, I am saying something that I have said many times, in writing or on TV, in public…I am an atheist, I have no religious beliefs. And obviously I don't believe in spirituality of some kind. Some kind.

Another thing. I am not standing here to criticize, analyze, or attack this gentleman who is sitting here. We have a very pleasant, civilized relation. I have always found him to be an extremely courteous person.

One is talking about an idea, an attitude, a mindset. Not any individual.

I must tell you that when Rajeev opened this session, for a moment I felt that I have come to the wrong place. Because, if we are discussing the philosophy of Krishan and Gautam and Kabir, Vivekanand, then I have nothing to say. I can sit down right now. I am not here to discuss a glorious past of which I suppose every Indian is proud, and rightly so. I am here to discuss a dubious present.

India Today has invited me and I have come here to talk of spirituality today. Let's not be confused by this word spirituality, you can find two people with the same name and they can be totally different people. Ram Charit Manas was written by Tulsidas. And the television film has been made by Ramanand Sagar. Ramayan is common but I don't think it would be very wise to club Tulsidas with Ramanand Sagar. I remember, when he had written Ramcharit Manas, he had faced a kind of a social boycott. How could he write a holy book in such a language like Avadhi? Sometimes I wonder fundamentalists of all hues and all colors, religions and communities…how similar they are. In 1798, a gentleman called Shah Abdul Qadir, in this very city, for the first time translated Quran in Urdu, and all the ulemas of that time gave fatwa against him that how could he translate this holy book in such a heathen language.

When Tulsi wrote Ramcharit Manas and he was boycotted, I remember a chowpai that he had written.

"Dhut kaho abdhut kaho rajput kaho ki julawa kohu

Kohu ki beti se beta na biahab, kohu ki jaat bigaar na chahu

Mang ke khaibo, mehjid ma raihbo, lebe ka ek na debe ka dohu"

Ramanand Sagar, when he made his television serial, he made millions. I am not undermining him, but obviously he is much lower in the rung.

I will give you another example. Perhaps it would be more direct and more appropriate. Gautam came out of a palace and went into wilderness to find the truth. But nowadays we see, the modern age gurus, come out of the wilderness and wind up in the palaces. They are moving in the opposite direction. We can't talk of them in the same breath. So let us not hide behind names which are dear and respectable for every Indian.

When I was invited to give this talk, I felt that yes, I am an atheist, try to be a rationalist in any given situation, Maybe that's why I have been called. But suddenly I have realized that there is another quality that I share with Modern Age gurus. I work in films. We have lot in common. Both of us, sell dreams, both of us create illusions, both of us create icons, but with a difference. After three hours we put a placard – the end. Go back to reality. They don't.

So ladies and gentlemen, let me make it very clear that I have come to talk of this spirituality that has a supermarket in the world. Arms, drugs and spirituality – these are the three big businesses in the world. But in arms and drugs you really have to do something, give something. That's the difference. Here you don't have to give anything.

In this supermarket you get instant Nirvana, Moksha by mail, a crash course in self realization, cosmic consciousness in four easy lessons. This supermarket has its chain all over the world, where the restless elite buy spiritual fast food. I am talking about this spirituality.

Plato in his dialogues has said many a wise thing, and one of them is – before starting any discussion decide on the meanings of words. Let us try to decide on the meaning of this word spirituality. Does it mean love for mankind that transcends all religion, caste, creed, race? Is that so? Then I have no problem. Except that I call it humanity. Does it mean love of plants, trees, mountains, oceans, rivers, animals? The non-human world? If that is so, again I have no problem at all. Except that I call it environmental consciousness. Does spirituality mean heartfelt regard for social institutions like marriage, parenthood, fine arts, judiciary, freedom of expression. I have no problem again sir, how can I disagree here? I call it civil responsibility. Does spirituality mean going into your own world trying to understand the meaning of your own life? Who can object on that? I call it self-introspection, self assessment. Does spirituality mean Yoga? Thanks to Patanjali, who has given us the details of Yoga, Yam, Yatam, aasan, pranayam…We may do it under any name, but if we are doing pranayam, wonderful. I call it healthcare. Physical fitness.

Now is it a matter of only semantics. If all this is spirituality, then what is the discussion. All these words that I have used are extremely respectable and totally acceptable words. There is nothing abstract or intangible about them. So why stick to this word spirituality? What is there in spirituality that has not been covered by all these words? Is there something? If that is so then what is that?

Somebody in return can ask me what is my problem with this word. I am asking to change it, leave it, drop it, make it obsolete but why so? I will tell you what is my reservation. If spirituality means all this then there is no discussion. But there is something else which makes me uneasy. In a dictionary, the meaning of spirituality is rooted in a word called "spirit". When mankind didn't know whether this earth is round or flat, he had decided that human beings are actually the combination of two things. Body and spirit. Body is temporary, it dies. But the spirit is, shall I say, non-biodegradable. In your body you have a liver and heart and intestines and the brain, but since the brain is a part of the body, and mind lies within the brain, it is inferior because ultimately the brain too shall die with the body, but don't worry, you are not going to die, because you are your spirit, and the spirit has the supreme consciousness that will remain, and whatever problem you have is because you listen to your mind. Stop listening to your mind. Listen to your spirit – the supreme consciousness that knows the cosmic truth. All right. It's not surprising that in Pune there is an ashram and I used to go there. I loved the oratory. On the gate of the lecture hall there was a placard. Leave your shoes and minds here. There are other gurus who don't mind if you carry your shoes. But minds?…sorry.

Now, if you leave your mind what do you do? You need the Guru to find the next station of consciousness. That hides somewhere in the spirit. He has reached the supreme consciousness, he knows the supreme truth. But can he tell you. No sir, he cannot tell you. So can you find out on your own? No sir, you need the guru for that. You need him but he cannot guarantee that you will know the ultimate truth… and what is that ultimate truth? What is the cosmic truth? Relating to cosmos? I have really not been able to understand that. The moment we step out of the solar system the first star is Alpha.Centueri It is just four light years away. How do I relate to that!! What do I do!!

So the emperor is wearing robes that only the wise can see. And the emperor is becoming bigger and bigger. And there are more and more wise people who are appreciating the robe.

I used to think that actually spirituality is the second line of defence for the religious people. When they get embarrassed about traditional religion, when it starts looking too down-market, they hide behind this smokescreen of cosmos and super consciousness. But that is not the complete truth. Because the clientele of traditional religion and spirituality is different. You take the map of the world, you start marking places which are extremely religious, within India or outside India, Asia, Latin America, Europe…wherever. You will find that wherever there is lot of religion there is lack of human rights. There is repression. Anywhere. Our Marxist friends used to say that religion is the opium of poor masses, the sigh of the oppressed. I don't want to get into that discussion. But spirituality nowadays is definitely the tranquilizer of the rich.

You see that the clientele is well heeled, it is the affluent class. Alright, so the guru gets power, high self esteem, status, wealth…(which is not that important), power…and lot of wealth too. What does the disciple get? When I looked at them carefully I realized that there are categories and categories of these disciples. It's not a monolith. There are different kinds of followers. Different kinds of disciples. One, who is rich, successful, doing extremely well in his life, making money, gaining property. Now, since he has everything he wants absolution too. So guru tells him – whatever you are doing, is "niskaam karma" – you are playing a role, this is all "Maya", the money that you are making everyday and the property that you are acquiring, you are not emotionally involved with it. You are just playing a role. You come to me because you are in search of eternal truth. Maybe your hands are dirty, but your spirit and soul are pure. And this man, he starts feeling wonderful about himself. For seven days he is exploiting the world, and at the end of the seven days when he goes and sits at the feet of the guru, he feels – I am a sensitive person.

There is another category. That too comes from the affluent class. But he is not the winner like the first one. You know winning or losing that is also relative. A rickshaw-wallah if he is gambling on the pavement and wins hundred rupees will feel victorious, and if a corporate man makes only 300 million dollars, while his brother is a billionaire, he will feel like a failure. Now, what does this rich failure do? He needs a guru to tell him – who says that you have failed? You have other worlds, you have another vision, you have other sensibility that your brother doesn't have. He thinks that he is successful…wrong. The world is very cruel, you know. The world tells you honestly, no sir, you have got three out of ten. The other person has seven out of ten. Fair. They will treat you that way and they will meet you that way. There he gets compassion. There he plays another game.

Another category. And I will talk about this category not with contempt or with any sense of superiority, not any bitterness, but all the compassion available one that is a very big client of this modern day guru and today's spirituality, is the unhappy rich wife.

Here is a person who put all her individuality, aspirations and dreams, and her being at the altar of marriage and in return she got an indifferent husband. Who at the most gave her a couple of children. Who is rather busy with his work, or busy with other women. This woman needs a shoulder. She knows that she is an existential failure. There is nothing to look forward to. She has a vacuous, empty, comfortable yet purposeless life. It's sad, but it is true.

Then there are other people. Who are suddenly traumatized. They lose a child. The wife dies. The husband dies. Or they lose the property, they lose their business. Something happens that shocks them and they ask – why me? So who do they ask? They go to the Guru. And the guru tells him that this is Karma. But there is another world if you follow me. Where there is no pain. Where there is no death. Where there is immortality. Where there is only bliss. He tells all these unhappy souls – follow me and I will take you to the heaven, to the paradise, where there is no pain. I am sorry sir, it is disappointing but true that there is no such paradise. Life will always have a certain quota of pain, of hurts, a possibility of defeats. But they do get some satisfaction.

Somebody may ask me if they are feeling better, if they are getting peace then what is your problem. It reminds me of a story that I have read. It's an old Indian story told by a sage, that a hungry dog finds a dry bone and tries to eat it and in the process bites its own tongue. And the tongue is bleeding and the dog feels that he is getting nourishment from the bone.

I feel sad. I don't want them, these adults, to behave like this because I respect them. Drugs and alcohol are also supposed to give mental peace and serenity, but is that kind of piece or serenity desirable or advisable? The answer is no. Any mental peace that is not anchored in rational thoughts is nothing but self-deception. Any serenity that takes you away from truth is just an illusion – a mirage. I know that there is a kind of a security in this which is like the security of a tri-cycle. If you are riding a tri-cycle you can't fall. But adults do not ride tricycles. They ride bi-cycles. They can even fall. It is a part of life.

There is one more kind. Like everybody who is the member of the golf club is not fond of golf. In the same way everybody who is seen in an ashram is not a spiritual person. A film producer who is an ardent follower of a guru, whose ashram is about two hours from Delhi once told me that you must go to my Guru. You will see the who's who of Delhi there. Let me tell you my Guruji is another Chandraswami in the making. Now this is a contact point for networking.

I have great respect for people who are spiritual, or religious, and in spite of this they are good people. And I have a reason. I believe that like every emotion or feeling, you have a limitation.

I am feeling slightly pressurized about time, can I get another five six minutes please…may I sir… Rajiv Mehrotra "yes you can"

You can see upto a point. And you can't see further. You can hear upto a point, but beyond that you won't be able to register sounds. You can mourn upto a point and then you will get over your mourning. You will feel happy upto a point and then you will be through with your happiness. Same way, I am sure that you have a certain capacity for nobility also. You can be as noble and no more. Now suppose if we count this capacity for nobility in the average man as ten units, now anybody who goes to pray in a mosque five times is consuming his five units, there anybody who goes to the temple or sits in the feet of the Guru, he is consuming his quota of nobility there. And in a totally non-productive manner. I don't go to pray. I don't pray. If I don't go to any guru, or mosque or temple or church, what do I do with my quota of nobility. I will have to help somebody, feed somebody, give shelter to somebody. People who use their quota in worshipping, praying, adoring religious figures and spiritual figures, in spite of that, if they are left with some nobility, hats off to them.

You may ask me, that if I have this kind of ideas about religious people, why should I show such reverence for Krishan and Kabir and Gautam? You can ask me. I'll tell you why I respect them. These were the great contributors in the human civilization. They were born in different points of time in history, in different situations. But one thing is common in them. They stood up against injustice. They fought for the downtrodden. Whether it was Ravana, or Kansha or the pharaoh or the high priests or the British Samrajya in front of Gandhi – or the communal empire of Firoze Tughlaq in the times of Kabir, they stood against that.

And what surprises me, and confirms my worst feelings, that today, the enlightened people who know the cosmic truth, none of them stand up against the powers that be. None of them raises his voice against the ruling classes and the privileged classes. Charity, yes, when it is approved and cleared by the establishment and the powers that be. But I want to know which was that guru which took the dalits to those temples which are still closed to them. I want to know which was that guru who stood for the rights of the Adivasis against the thekedaars and contractors. I want to know which was that guru who spoke about the victims of Gujarat and went to their relief camps. They are human beings.

Sir…It is not enough to teach the rich how to breathe. It is the rich mans recreation. It is the hypocrites' pretension. It is a mischievous deception. And you know that in the oxford dictionary, mischievous deception is a term that is used for a word, and that word is…HOAX.

Thank you.

Source: http://www.javedakhtar.com/itc.htm

Remembering Rabindera Nath Tagore on 150th Birth Anniverssary: Bhagat Singh picks up the following basic concept

Bhagat Singh Jail Note Book page 38

"Capitalism  and Commercialism"

Rabindra Nath's address to an assembly of Japanese students:
 You had your own industry in Japan; how scrupu|ously honest and true it  was, you can see by its products - by their grace and strength, their
 conscientiousness in details where they can hardly be observed. But the  tidal wave of falsehood has swept over your land from that part of the  world where business is business and honesty is followed merely as the  best policy. Have you never felt shame when you see the trade
 advertisements, not only plastering the whole town with lies and
 exaggerations, but invadlng the green fields, where the peasants do their  honest labour, and to hilltops which greet the first pure light of the mornlng?
  . . . This commercia|ism wlth its barbarity of ugly decoratlons is a terrible  menace to all humanity, because it is setting up the ideal of power over the perfection. It is making the cult of self-seeking exult in lts naked  shamelessness. Its movements are violent, its noise is discordantly loud.  It is carrying its own damnation because it is trampllng lnto distortton  . . . the humanity upon whlch it stands. It is strenuously turning out  money at the cost of happiness . . . The vital ambition of the present  clvllisatlon of Europe ls to have the excluslve possession of the devil.

Lahore conspiracy case record concerning Martyrdom of Shahid Bhagat Singh ,Rajguru and Sukhdev handed over by Pakistan High Court

Gurukul Kangri Vishav Vadyala Hardwar Vice Chancellor gets copy of proceedings of Lahore Consipiracy Case 1930 from Pakistan. This is reported by Shalini Joshi BBC Correspondent

लाहौर केस के दस्तावेज़ भारत में

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शालिनी जोशी

देहरादून से, बीबीसी हिंदी डॉट कॉम के लिए

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लाहौर षडयंत्र केस के मूल दस्तावेज़ लाहौर हाईकोर्ट में रखे हुए हैं

भारतीय स्वतंत्रता आंदोलन का सबसे विवादास्पद और चर्चित मुक़दमे 'लाहौर षडयंत्र केस' के कोर्ट ट्रायल के दस्तावेज़ पहली बार भारत लाए गए हैं.

इस मुकद्दमे के दस्तावेज़ की प्रति लाहौर हाईकोर्ट ने हरिद्वार स्थित गुरूकुल कांगड़ी विश्वविद्यालय को सौंपी हैं.

क़रीब 2000 पन्ने के इस दुर्लभ दस्तावेज़ को विश्वविद्यालय के अतिविशिष्ट श्रद्धानंद संग्रहालय में रखा गया है.

उल्लेखनीय है कि आठ अप्रैल 1929 को भगत सिंह और बटुकेश्वर दत्त ने विधानसभा में बम फेंकने के बाद खुद ही गिरफ्तारी दे दी थी. उनका मक़सद था अदालत को मंच बनाकर अपने क्रांतिकारी विचारों का प्रसार करना.

बाद में जब ये पाया गया कि भगत सिंह ब्रिटिश पुलिस अधीक्षक जेपी साण्डर्स की हत्या में भी शामिल थे तो उन पर और उनके दो साथियों राजगुरू और सुखदेव पर देशद्रोह के साथ-साथ हत्या का भी मुक़द्दमा चला जो लाहौर षडयंत्र केस या भगत सिंह ट्रायल के नाम से इतिहास में विख्यात है.

अहम दस्तावेज़

इन दस्तावेज़ों में यह शामिल है कि मुक़दमों के दौरान भगत सिंह और उनके साथियों ने क्या कहा था.

इसके अनुसार भगत सिंह ने असेंबली में बम फेंकने के बाद जो पर्चे फेंके थे उसमें लिखा था, "किसी आदमी को मारा जा सकता है लेकिन विचार को नहीं."

भगत सिंह ने 'बड़े साम्राज्यों का पतन हो जाता है लेकिन.विचार हमेशा जीवित रहते हैं' और 'बहरे हो चुके लोगों को सुनाने के लिये ऊंची आवाज जरूरी है' जैसी बातें भी पर्चों में लिखी थीं.

हमारे लिये ये गर्व की बात है. विश्वविद्यालय की स्थापना गुजरांवला में ही हुई थी जो अब पाकिस्तान में है. मैं पाकिस्तान के मुख्य न्यायाधीश के निमंत्रण पर लाहौर गया हुआ था. वहां उन्होंने वो कक्ष और रिकॉर्ड दिखाए जो इस मुकद्दमे से जुड़े हुए थे. मैंने इसकी एक प्रति के लिये अनुरोध किया और मुझे खुशी है कि पाकिस्तान हाईकोर्ट ने इसे स्वीकार कर लिया

प्रोफ़ेसर स्वतंत्र कुमार, कुलपति, कांगड़ी विश्वविद्यालय

इतिहासकार कहते हैं कि इसी घटना के बाद उन पर देशद्रोह का मुकद्दमा चला जिसने एकबारगी पूरे ब्रिटिश राज को थर्रा दिया था और देश भर में जन-आक्रोश उमड़ पड़ा था.

विश्वविद्यालय के कुलपति प्रोफेसर स्वतंत्र कुमार इन दस्तावेज़ों को भारत लाए जाने को बड़ी उपलब्धि मानते हैं.

वे कहते हैं, "हमारे लिये ये गर्व की बात है. विश्वविद्यालय की स्थापना गुजरांवला में ही हुई थी जो अब पाकिस्तान में है. मैं पाकिस्तान के मुख्य न्यायाधीश के निमंत्रण पर लाहौर गया हुआ था. वहां उन्होंने वो कक्ष और रिकॉर्ड दिखाए जो इस मुकद्दमे से जुड़े हुए थे. मैंने इसकी एक प्रति के लिये अनुरोध किया और मुझे खुशी है कि पाकिस्तान हाईकोर्ट ने इसे स्वीकार कर लिया."

वो कहते हैं, "कई बार आदमी काम करता है और उसे अंजाम पता नहीं होता लेकिन इन तीन युवकों का जज़्बा देखकर लगता है कि उन्होंने अंजाम ही सबसे आगे रखा और फाँसी के लिये ही तैयारी की."

पाँच मई 1930 को शुरू हुआ ये मुक़द्दमा 11 सितंबर 1930 तक चला था.

इतिहासकार कहते हैं कि ये मुकद्दमा इसलिये भी अभूतपर्व था क्योंकि इसमें क़ानूनी न्याय तो दूर की बात न्याय के प्राकृतिक सिद्धांत को भी तिलांजलि दे दी गई थी जिसके तहत हर अभियुक्त को अपना पक्ष रखने का अवसर दिया जाता है.

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संग्रहालय के निदेशक कहते हैं कि इससे भगत सिंह पर शोध करने वालों को मदद मिलेगी

वे बताते हैं कि सरकार ने एक अध्यादेश निकालकर ऐसे अधिकार हासिल कर लिये जिसकी मदद से वो गवाही के सामान्य नियमों और अपील के अधिकार के बिना भगतसिंह और उनके साथियों पर मुकद्दमा चला सकती थी.

तमाम विरोधी स्वरों और गांधीजी के आग्रह के बावजूद 23 मार्च 1931 को तीनों को फांसी पर लटका दिया गया.

इन दस्तावेज़ों में पुलिस अधिकारियों का पक्ष और जजों की टिप्पणियों के साथ अदालत की हर कार्यवाही का विस्तार से वर्णन है.

जजों का फ़ैसला सहित पूरी कार्यवाही फारसी में लिखी गई है हालांकि नाम अंग्रेजी में लिखे हुए हैं.

संग्रहालय के निदेशक डॉ. प्रभात कहते हैं, "भगत सिंह की विचारधारा को लेकर कई धारणाएँ और मान्यताएँ है और उनके अध्ययन में ये दस्तावेज़ काफ़ी उपयोगी होगा."

26th January - Oath of complete Independence

Teesra Sawtantrta Abhiyan (Third Freedom Movement )
The oath of Complete independence was taken and 26th Jan was declared as Sampuran Azadi Divas.

This historical document has been missing. Why? The Study of this document will explain.

Background

As a great saying that freedom is recognition of necessity. The historical necessity can be under stood by finding cause behind the objective conditions . The objective conditions under the British rule were the devastating effect of great famines which killed tens of lacs followed by killing of same size by plague and other disease epidemics . The poverty into which crores of hard working masses were pushed in and peasantry was drowning under debt and suffering under coheresion in spite of sufficient food availability they were dying in famines.

The conditions of masses were deteriorating after all the assurances of 1833 , declaration of Victoria of 1858 and number of following declarations of assurance of good government capable of addressing problem of masses, The farmer was under debt and lost his purchasing power so were the artisan class whose handicraft was destroyed by unfavorable policies. The pathetic conditions produced by British Rule were no longer a puzzle as the inner government documents were accessed by Dada Bhai Narojee and R C Dutt an ICS turned professor into London University.

In 1901 Dada Bhai Naroojee after failure of all efforts to tell British Government of Indian masses conditions , he published a book " Poverty and UnBritish Like Government" .He emphasized that poverty in India has been caused by drainage of resources from India and managing it to fulfill the greed of British ruling class.

Then in 1906 he proposed that the poverty can only be removed by " Swaraj" , when the government is run to distribute wealth to give purchasing power to the masses.

On the other hand R C Dutt came forward with "Economic History of India Under Victorian Era ". This was also published in 1901. Poverty and low wages were among the indirect products of colonial rule. Romesh Dutt traced a decline in standards of living to the nineteenth-century deindustrialization of the subcontinent and the narrowing of sources of wealth which followed:

India in the eighteenth century was a great manufacturing as well as great agricultural country, and the products of the Indian loom supplied the markets of Asia and of Europe. It is, unfortunately, true that the East Indian Company and the British Parliament ... discouraged Indian manufactures in the early years of British rule in order to encourage the rising manufactures of England . . . millions of Indian artisans lost their earnings; the population of India lost one great source of their wealth.

He also forced his analysis of famines which were recurring every other year and killing tens of lacs. 1905 he purposed in Banaras Congress that Swedeshi is the only solution to this problem.

Thus the basic cause underlying Poverty and Depleted condition of Peasantry and masses who suffered due to great famines was tarced into the evils of British Imperialism .

The Swadeshi was made more potent by adding the boycott of imported goods to make it . This idea of boycott was contributed by Bal Gangadhar Tilak . The victory achieved in reversing Bengal partition in 1906 and Punjab colonization rules in 1907 were the great successes of "Jan Rashterwad " the nationalism of masses which emerged strongly in the country . This was followed in 1913 by great awareness of Gadar Party on whose one call 8000 indian migrants to America and Canada returned to India with an aim of establishing the democratic rule of equality, liberty and Fraternity. The young leadership of 19 year old Kartar Singh Sarabha along with 22 year old Vishnu Ganesh Pingle not only unified the various regions but became great inspiration for the coming generations. Gadar party was grown out of a consciousness that even your hard labour and honour is not safe in foreign countries till there is a strong pro-people government at home. This can only be achieved by throwing the British out. They made great sacrifices. This was followed by Hindustan Republican association under the leadership of Ram Parshad Bismal and Ashfaq Ula khan . The group of revolutionaries pushed the idea of complete independence further by direct action against British rule and thus weakening it. In the mean time following Jallianwala Bagh , Gandhijee invited masses to join the national movement for "Swaraj in a year" . But that could not be achieved. Molana Husrat muhani a militant U P leader came up with a proposal that calls for "Complete Independence" in 1921. The debate continued for some time between the leaders who were feeling satisfied with Dominion status, which meant rule by Indian but under the Umbrella of British Imperial policies. The other group felt it strongly that nothing short of Complete Independence could be effective way to eradicate poverty and minimize damage caused by famines. Within congress Netajee Subhash and Pt. Jawahar lal Nehru purposed complete Independence in 1928 Calcutta congress. But Mahatma jee got it postponed by one year in a hope that British may grant something closer to Dominion Status. In the mean time Shahid Bhagat Singh and his colleagues interjected with a more clear ideas managing society for "permanent peace " and eradication of poverty and other factors which disable the masses. The slogan raised by Bhagat Singh which echoed in Indian masses was " Down Down with Imperialism and Long live Revolution" . They also raised the issue of how to organize the society for the benefit of the working masses. He strongly made a call for Socialistic patern of society. On 13^th September the Death of Jatin das after 63 days of hunger strike in jail so enthusitically received by masses that lacs of people paid him tribute at stations on his dead body's journey from Lahore to Calcutta. If there were three lac people at Lahore then at Calcutta there were six lac people marching with his body. This changed the political scene. Gandhijee declined presidentship of Lahore congress and projected Pt Nehru as a youth leader to be president. The one year period was also closing hence Netajee pushed his resolution of Complete Independence as in last year. It was passed on the mid night of 31^st Dec,1929. It also declared that now onward 26^th January will be celebrated as " Complete Independence day" i.e "Sampuran Azadi Diwas." So having appreciated that complete independence was adopted as a solution to the problems of masses. Gandhi jee these words on 30^th Jauary ,1930 make it ample clear.

The people are " not agitating for a shadow. Hundreds of thousands of people do not gather … in order to secure independence in mere name, they gather in the hope that the glow of freedom, when it comes, will be felt in the remotest village. The greatest evil is undoubtedly the economic pressure and the corroding feeling of inferiority which the people experience in every walk of life."

Gandhijee drafted the oath of complete independence which is reproduced here under.

Declaration for Complete Independence January 26

" We believe that it is the inalienable right of the Indian people, as of any other people, to have freedom and to enjoy the fruits of their toil and have the necessities of life so that they may have full opportunities of growth. We believe also that if any government deprives a people of these rights and oppresses them, the people have a further right to alter it or to abolish it. The British Government in India has not only deprived the Indian people of their freedom, but has based itself on the exploitation of the masses, and has ruined India economically, politically, culturally and spiritually. We believe therefore that India must sever the British connection and attain purna swaraj or complete independence.

India has been ruined economically. The revenue derived from our people is out of all proportion to our income. Our average income is 7 pice (less than two pence) per day, and of the heavy taxes we pay, 20 per cent are raised from the land revenue derived from the peasantry and 3 per cent from the salt tax, which falls most heavily on the poor.

Village industries, such as hand-spinning, have been destroyed, heaving the peasantry idle for at least four months in the year, and dulling their intellect for want of handicrafts, and nothing has been substituted, as in other countries, for the crafts thus destroyed.

Customs and currency have been so manipulated as to heap further burdens on the peasantry. The British manufactured goods constitute the bulk of our imports. Customs duties betrary clear partiality for British manufactures, and are venue from them is used not to lessen the burden on the masses but for sustaining a highly extravagant administration. Still more arbitrary has been the manipulation of the exchange ratio which has resulted in millions being drained away from the country.

Politically, India's status has never been so reduced as under the British regime. No reforms have given real political power to the people. The tallest of us have to bend before foreign authority. The rights of free expression of opinion and free association have been denied to us, and many of our countrymen are compelled to live in exile abroad and cannot return to their homes. All administrative talent is killed, and the masses have to be satisfied with petty village offices and clerkships.

Culturally, the system of education has torn us from our moorings and our training has made us hug the very chains that bind us. Spiritually, compulsory disarmament has made us unmanly, and the presence of an alien army of occupation, employed with deadly effect to crush in us the spirit of resistance, has made us think that we cannot look after ourselves or put up a defence against foreign aggression, or even defend our homes and families from the attacks of thieves, robbers and miscreants.

We hold it to be a crime against man and God to submit any longer to a rule that has caused this fourfold disaster to our country. We recognize, however, that the most effective way of gaining our freedom is not through violence. We will therefore prepare ourselves, by withdrawing, so far as we can, all voluntary association from the British Government, and will prepare for civil disobedience, including non-payment of taxes. We are convinced that if we can but withdraw our voluntary help and stop payment of taxes without doing violence, even under provocation, the end of this inhuman rule is assured. We therefore hereby solemnly resolve to carry out the Congress instructions issued from time to time for the purpose of establishing purna swaraj. "

Young India, 23-1-1930

Where are we today

Where is that complete Independence? 35 Crore are living with less that 12 ruppee per day income , then other 45 crore are living with income less than 20 rupee a day.

Let us be clear about the falseness of development or growth of 7percent. What drives it?

Agriculture which provide employment to 60 percent population and contribute 17.2 percent to GDP has stagnated growth. Industry employ 12 percent of workforce and contribute 29 percent to GDP has a growth around one or two percent. Service sector which employ 25 percent and contribute 23 percent to GDP has a growth rate of 4 to 5 % , but mining sector which employ hardly 2 to 3 % contribute 30 percent to GDP and is growing at the rate of 9 to 10%. Read with this the other factor that contribution of this sector to tax collection is hardly 5 to 7%. Hence it is not drain of our natural resources now.

The British ruled with the boot of Military bureaucracy so are we now Military Budget has been increased many fold in last few years. Current budget is 1,41,703 crore. The Military bureaucracy got the shot in arm after 1971 and thus got success in turning the monument of 90 thousand cold bloodedly murdered Indian soldiers in first world war as a centre of the 26^th January national celebrations.

The shameful act on the part of Indian nation is entirely forgetting the self sacrificing crores of patriots who contributed by life, property and relatives without any expectations to the Indian Independence movement from 1757 to 1947. They reflect unity of Indian rising above religion, cast and creed differences. Where is the monument for them? This monument of United strong India should we owe our freedom and republic. The monument which will remind us that interest of country and future is to be given preference over individual and present. Self less service is the great service.

Remembering Netajee's Advice

On Netajee Subhash Chander Bose's birthday, the best tribute is to remember and follow his declaration in the Anti Compromise conference at Ramgarh ,Bihar on 19^th March 1940. He warned that no compromise should be made with imperialism. The compromise with British imperialism will create such a problem that for decades the country will feel the pain. How true he was. To oppose imperialist designs on loot of natural resources , distortion in education system, exploitive health system and getting our agricultural system destroyed by introduction of sterile and poisonous seed technologies, is paying tribute to Neta jee.

An appreciable book on Gadrites in Canada 1913 onward

A new book suggests Gadar movement and its roots in Canada  

 

Gurpreet Singh
Senior Journalist from Vancouver
 

A new book on Gadarites by Sohan Singh Pooni suggests that the movement had its roots in Canada. Authored in Punjabi, Canada De Gadri Yodhay (The Gadar combatants of Canada) is the biographies of 41 freedom fighters of India, who were mostly associated with the Gadar Party, a revolutionary group that believed in armed struggle against the British occupation of India.

Though the group was formally established in America in 1913, the Gadar movement had its roots in Canada where the Indian immigrants had to endure racism. It was the discriminatory attitude of the Canadian establishment that partially made these men politically aware of the need to fight against the foreign rule back home.

Most of these men came to Canada in the beginning of the twentieth century as British subjects. Their dreams for better living were shattered as the Canadian government systematically discriminated against them by restricting their immigration, family reunions and disfranchising them. As a result a need for struggle for both social justice and freedom arose. Gadar Party was therefore a byproduct of this abusive environment that motivated about 300 people in Canada alone to become members of this militant group, according to Pooni, who took nine years to complete his work. However, he could only write about 41 participants of the freedom struggle.

His research took him to India and across the border, where he visited the archives and other places to lay hands on rare documents and pictures apart from interviewing the descendants of these men. Most biographies are accompanied by authentic pictures while some with portraits by Sheetal Anmol. Each chapter begins with verses from the revolutionary poetry written by the Gadarites. Niranjan Singh Pandori, Bhagwan Singh Preetam and Munsha Singh Dukhi were among those who had written the radical poems. The book includes their biographies.    

Published by the Singh Brothers, Amritsar, India the book explains what shaped the ideology of the Gadar heroes. The common thread between these men was that they were mostly the rural Sikhs from Punjab some of whom had served in the British army. Most of them came to Canada as British subjects and were disillusioned by the fact that the British Empire was not treating all its subjects fairly. They had to pay heavily to travel to the British Canada. Initially, they tried to challenge the continuous journey law, the bar on bringing their families and the institutional racism through petitions and appeals but they realized soon that their slavery was the root of these problems and to end that an armed resistance was necessary. Subsequently, these men became the members of the Gadar Party that was officially launched in San Francisco. Most of them returned in a hope to initiate rebellion that was supposed to be the sequel of the Gadar revolt of 1857 only to face gallows or life imprisonments.   

Among them were prominent ideologues like Bhag Singh, Tarak Nath Dass, Hussein Rahim, Harnam Singh Sahri, Balwant Singh Khurdpur, Karam Singh Daulatpur, Bhagwan Singh Dosanjh and Munsha Singh Dukhi. The book reveals their connection with Canada. Apart from leading the Gadar movement to set India free from the British rule these men participated in the community services in British Columbia. They not only established Sikh temples but also joint businesses of their own.

Realizing that the misery of their compatriots in India was to be blamed on lack of education, they had helped in building schools in Punjab. Despite challenges from the orthodox and conservative social environment of India they had resolved to encourage female education. Some of them later turned into Babbar Akalis or communists while others were hanged or got killed otherwise.

Bhag Singh was the first Indo Canadian martyr, who was shot at by Bela Singh, the agent of an infamous immigration officer William Hopkison in 1914. He was the leader of the Khalsa Deewan Society that governed the oldest Sikh temple of Vancouver.  He was instrumental in encouraging the former Sikh soldiers to burn their medals and certificates to break loyalties with the British Empire in 1909. This wasn't an easy task as the Sikh preachers in India were pro British and prayed for the long life of their English masters back then. The book begins with his biography, which is followed by the profile of Badan Singh, who had also died with him after being hurt in the shootout. These killings were avenged by Mewa Singh, who assassinated Hopkinson and was hanged for the murder. His profile suggests that he may have done this at the instructions of the Gadar leaders.

The biography of Hari Singh Soond is also a part of the book. Soond had killed Bela Singh in India.

The book gives a detailed account of the activities of Hussein Rahim who was in the forefront of the fight for the right to vote besides the struggle to let the passengers of the Komagata Maru ship set foot on the Canadian soil. The ship was turned back on July 23, 1914 under the racist immigration law. This incident had added fuel to the fire and strengthened the foundation of the Gadar movement.

Harnam Singh Sahri was the cofounder of the Swadesh Sewak, the first Punjabi newspaper to be launched in Canada in 1910. While Pooni has done a good research on his activities, he failed to give the profile of the other   cofounder of the publication, Guran Ditta Kumar. Kumar was another important ideologue. Though the book has some passing references about Kumar, but Pooni could have written more about him.    

Despite being Sikhs, some devoutly religious the Gadar heroes mentioned in the book were liberal and secular. After all, one of the objectives of the Gadar Party was to keep the politics and the religion apart and promote unity. Some of these men who had returned to India had saved the Muslims from the Hindu and Sikh fundamentalists during the partition of India and Pakistan on religious lines in 1947. Among them were Chanchal Singh Jandiala, Bhagwan Singh Dosanjh and Sher Singh Vein Poin. These men did not buckle under pressure from the religious zealots and had helped the Muslims in reaching safe destinations. These details in the book will help in understanding the secular indoctrination of the Gadarites. The book ends with the biography of Darshan Singh Canadian, a communist leader of Punjab, who was murdered by the Sikh separatists in 1986. He had spent several years in Canada before India's independence and had participated in the struggle for right to vote and different labour movements.

Very little is written about the Gadar movement and its participants by the mainstream historians, who had virtually ignored the contributions of the Gadarites. Perhaps, the perception about America being the breeding ground of the Gadar movement is also an outcome of this ignorance. Whatever little is available is based on oral history and interviews. More needs to be done to dig out credible evidence and documents. Pooni has tried to meet those challenges and his book has a potential to become an accepted document on the Gadar history.