Fwd: Peace Mumbai Re: [Citizen-Mumbai] Re: PRESS CONFERENCE & PROTEST AGAINST LIFTING OF JAMES LAINE BOOK ON CHATRAPATI SHIVAJI MAHARAJ

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Feroze Mithiborwala <feroze.moses777@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Jul 11, 2010 at 8:17 AM
Subject: Re: Peace Mumbai Re: [Citizen-Mumbai] Re: PRESS CONFERENCE & PROTEST AGAINST LIFTING OF JAMES LAINE BOOK ON CHATRAPATI SHIVAJI MAHARAJ
To: peace-mumbai@googlegroups.com

Dear Suklaji, 

The difference between Brahmins & Brahmanism is clear to us.

I have also written that the greatest levels of violence on the Dalits does come from the Marathas, who are the overwhelmingly politically dominant caste.

Thus we do not work with Marathas who are with the RSS or such communal & Brahmanical organizations.

The problem is that secular-liberals have tried to see this entire controversy in a rather simplistic manner, without going into the complexities of the caste struggles, waging across Maharashtra & the rest of the country.

As for Bush, coming from an avid Obama supporter, who is busy killing civilians in their thousands in Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen, the coup in the Honduras, supporting the bailouts - the largest & quickest transfer of wealth in history - suppression of democracy within America - continued support for the murderous crimes of Israel - etc etc etc - in the name of protecting our 'common democratic values & civilizational values' - so lets leave it there.

All those who supported - or the few continue to support Obama are falling flat on their faces.

Those who work with us, are more than aware of our democratic credentials, both in terms of forming broad alliances, including people & activists from across all castes & religions & not limiting our work to a panel dominated by Brahmin speakers, be it on the Nuclear issue, Pakistan or Palestine.

We are democratizing the issues that have been dominated by secular-liberal Brahmins. And thus the uproar from those quarters. Never before have our Dalit-OBC & Muslim youth been involved in the substantial nos. on the issues that I have mentioned. 

If I'm wrong, do correct me & also do state the reasons.

The only point is those of us who are involved in mass political work amongst the people have to contend with far more complexities than those who have to write articles or send out emails  - & that is understandable.

You can afford to take a puritan line, we cannot. It is as simple as that.

Thus you did not conveniently refer to the the other political forces that we all work with - be it the Congress that you so love to defend & the others on the Left & their timely alliances with the Right - i think they call it pragmatism . . .  

Look at Manmohan & Chidambarams' actions in Dantewada, the North-East or Kashmir. Murderous. Genocidal.

You circulate emails on practically everything under the sun, but whenever Muslims are released by the Courts in the terror related cases, that people like you have always suspected them of - you conveniently skip them. 

Any way, we all have our preferences, so I'll give you the benefit of doubt on that one. 

I only raised it because your silence on Headley, Karkare, Abdus Samad, Fahim Ansari, Ishrat Jahan & all the questions & counter-facts on 26/11 et all have been a little intriguing. You have a dissenting voice on most issues, but when it comes to terror - you are silent, though from earlier there is a marked improvement, as your fingers always pointed where the State wanted them to point, be it 9/11 or 7/11 or 26/11 or other 11's or 12's.

And Sukla Senji - no Freedom is absolute, not in Obama's America or our country as well. Ask Helen Thomas & Norman Finklestein & Arun Gandhi. They have lost their jobs for uttering a line or two or for a few articles.

Our objection is only to a few lines on page no. 93 that insult & tarnish the memory of Shivaji Maharaj & his mother Rajmata Jijau. For the masses who have borne far too too many insults, this is a matter of their Self-Respect & Dignity, not a matter of Sacrilege.

Understand that if you can.

And this is related to the larger issue of caste struggle within Maharashtra, not only about a book.

Regards

Feroze

On 11 July 2010 07:27, Sukla Sen <sukla.sen@gmail.com> wrote:

This culture of banning books, the ugly display of muscle powers, the motto of Democracy for Bush and Autocracy for Me is deeply disturbing.

If one has a problem with a book, or a portion of a book, which one can very well have, one is welcome to contest.

But demanding a ban on the ground of sacrilege is truly disturbing. That too when it comes with the threat of using violence.

As I've not read the book, I've personally nothing to defend the book nor there is any point in my taking up cudgel against it.

But the essential point is trying to gag the voice is rather imprudent and morally unacceptable.

Here there is another disturbing trait. The attempt to play up the historical frictions between Bramhins and Marathas in the implied belief that it will act as a glue for a projected Bahujan-Muslim alliance. 

Even if we overlook the ethical basis for such exclusionist alliances based on birth, the implied assumption is all Bramhins are the historical legatees of the sins of their Bramhin ancestors and Marathas the virtues of their Maratha ancestors. And they must be treated accordingly. 

This implied call for righting now the historical wrongs committed in the past, too familiar otherwise, is evidently too dangerous.

Sukla

On 11 July 2010 06:50, Feroze Mithiborwala <feroze.moses777@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear Kavita, Jyoti, Mallika Sarabai, Anand bhai & Daniel bhai,

As for the James Laine Book, we are only opposed to the few lines on page number 93, which seek to question the very parentage of  Shivaji Maharaj.  

On that page, James Lane writes that it was the whispering of 12 Punekar Brahmins in the Bhandarkar institute that told him that the father of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was Dadaji Kondev (a Brahmin), thus insulting the very memory of Rajmata Jijau & claiming  that Shivaji was a Brahmin - whilst conveniently forgetting that Shivaji Maharaj was refused his Rajabhishek by the Brahmin priests of Maharashtra & that the first fatal atack on Shivaji Maharaj was by Bhaskar Rao Kulkarni, another Brahmin & not by Afzal Khan.

The Dalit-OBC & Maratha organizations are going to find out who these 12 Brahmins were.

There is no other problem with the book. Many articles & books critiquing Shiavji Maharaj have been written & none have objected & called for a ban.

The only demand is to delete those few lines & the rest of the book is very good.

I have personally not read the book & I have not even been able to obtain a copy of the same.

But I trust my Dalit-OBC-Maratha friends in what they say - & they have never knowingly misled me.

The greater fault in this entire matter lies with the Maharashtra government for failing to win the battle mainly due to their lackadaisical attitude. They had a lawyer from Kerala defending their case, whilst they could have got the best from Bombay. Intriguing.

True, Sambhaji Brigade did attack the Bhandarker institute & we, the Awami Bharat or Bharat Bachao Andolan - have not supported that action.

Most of the Secular & Left political parties that we all hob-nob with are far more violent & have killed far more people than the Sambhaji Brigade. And to my knowledge the Sambhaji Brigade has not killed anybody. Do correct me if I am wrong.

The other is the Maratha movement in Maharashtra, especailly the Maratha Seva Sangh that is trying to break the shackles of Brahmanic Religion & Culture that the dominant Maratha castes still follow. The Shiv Dharma movement was initiated by them as well amongst other key people as well - namely A H Salunke.

The Maratha Seva Sangh has blunted the anti-Dalit & anti-Muslim edge of the RSS lobbies active within the Maratha community, as the overwhelming atrocities on the Dalit community have been perpetrated by the Marathas.

And today also at the Press Conference we made it very clear that we will oppose the James Laine book through non-violent stayagraha & will not be part of any violent action.

I understand the sentiment with which people are reacting, but our ground realities are for us to assess. Many a Left Union works with the Shiv Sena & its affiliates, just as the Left Unions do work with the BJP & its Unions, both at the State & the National level.

Though for me the Sambhaji Brigade is a Secular organization & I know them personally & all our Dalit & OBC friends attend their meetings & we have not found them otherwise.

Our friends from other castes could have a different opinion.

Regards

Feroze

On 10 July 2010 16:47, Kavita Srivastava <kavisriv@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear Feroze,

I was very disturbed to read your email. Not only do you believe in
promoting undemocratic values like banning books but I also see the
name of Sambhaji Brigade which is your partner in organising this
press conference.

I remember very clearly that Sambhaji Brigade had lead the attacks on
the Bhandarkar Oriental research Institute in 2003 when James Laine's
book was out. They had destroyed the  Institute. I remember hearing
the tragedy of it all from the late Prof Dilip Chitre's himself. How
call you ally with those who epxress their opinion with a lathi. If
there was a difference with the book there are  other democratic ways
of responding

And Feroze, while we all have tremendous problems with the biases of
the Judiciary. But you cannot say that a judgement of upholding the
Freedom of Speech and expression is out of  a Brahmanical bias of the
SC. That is being very short sighted.  I hope you will call of this
programm of yours and also delink yourself from organisations like
sambhaji brigade. Which are clones of the Shiv Sena.

Kavita

On Sat, Jul 10, 2010 at 11:17 AM, Feroze Mithiborwala
<feroze.moses777@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> SHIVRAJYA PARTY / SAMBHAJI BRIGADE / BHARAT BACHAO ANDOLAN / MARATHI BHARTI
> PROTEST AGAINST LIFTING OF JAMES LAINE BOOK ON CHATRAPATI SHIVAJI MAHARAJ
> PRESS CONFERENCE: MARATHI PATRAKAR, CST / JULY 10, SATURDAY, 2009 / 3-4pm.
> FOLLOWED BY A PROTEST- JAIL BHARO ANDOLAN  & COURT ARREST: AZAD MAIDAN, CST / JULY 10, SATURDAY, 2009 / 4-5pm
> WE OPPOSE THE LIFTING OF THE BAN ON THE BOOK BY JAMES LAINE THAT HAS INSULTED THE MEMORY OF CHATRAPATI SHIVAJI MAHARAJ BY QUESTIONING HIS VERY FAMILY ANTECEDENTS. HIS VERY MOTHER, THE REVERED RAJMATA JIJAU, WHO IS A VENERATED FIGURE WITHIN THE NON-BRAHMIN MASSES OF MAHARASHTRA HAS BEEN THE TARGET OF THIS CALUMNY & THUS THE UPROAR AMONGST THE BAHUJAN-DALIT, OBC & MARATHA MASSES & THIS CUTS ACROSS ALL RELIGIONS OF THE MARATHI PEOPLE.
> THIS IS CLEARLY THE RESULT OF THE STRANGLEHOLD OF THE CASTEIST BRAHMANICAL FORCES WITHIN THE BUREAUCRACY, ESPECIALLY THE JUDICIARY.
> WE THUS ALSO DEMAND THAT THE PRINCIPLE OF RESERVATION BE EXTENDED TO THE JUDICIARY, IF THIS DISCRIMINATION & CASTEIST BIAS IS EVER TO END.
> BRIGADIER SUDHIR SAWANT (STATE PRESIDENT, SHIVRAJYA PARTY),
> KISHORE JAGTAP (NATIONAL PRESIDENT, MARATHI BHARTI),
> FEROZE MITHIBORWALA (NATIONAL PRESIDENT, BHARAT BACHAO ANDOLAN),
> JYOTI BADEKAR, VILAS GAIKWAD, YAWAR ALI KAZI, SANJAY SAKHARKAR, PRAMOD SHINDE, JAGDISH NAGARKAR, MULNIWASI MALA, PRAVEEN AMRE, SUDHIR DAWALE, SHYAM SONAR, AVINASH KAMBLE, HARSHAVARDHAN VARTAK, PRAVEEN BANGERA, POOJA BADEKAR, AARTI BONKAR, AMOL MADAME & OTHERS.
>

--

Kavita Srivastava
(General Secretary) PUCL Rajasthan

Address for correspondence :

76, Shanti Niketan Colony, Kisan Marg, Barkat Nagar, Jaipur-302015
Tel. 0141-2594131
mobile: 9351562965

--
Feroze Mithiborwala

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Feroze Mithiborwala

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Palash Biswas
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