Fwd: 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 6:50 AM
Subject: Re: PRESS CONFERENCE & PROTEST AGAINST LIFTING OF JAMES LAINE BOOK ON CHATRAPATI SHIVAJI MAHARAJ

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

--
Palash Biswas
Pl Read:
http://nandigramunited-banga.blogspot.com/