Column | Vande Mataram Has Definite Fragrance of Hindu Culture, Says BJP's Vinay Sahasrabuddhe

Let me explain my point by giving an example of a prayer of Rotary International. It is an international organisation and which is present in Asia, Africa, America and also in Europe.

Since the origin of the organisation is in Christian land, naturally, the international Rotary organisation has a prayer which is obviously addressed to the Lord Jesus Christ.

There was, in a particular a gathering, where I was present for a debate with a Muslim Rotary scholar, objected or rather questioned the prayer. The gentleman questioned that since Rotary doesn’t belong to any religious group, why should it have a prayer addressed to Jesus Christ?

The then international president of Rotary gave a wonderful response to the question. He said that every culture, every organisation or every nation for that matter does not take shape in a vacuum. It evolves amongst the people. Therefore, the identity of that particular society, identity of those people, including the symbolism, iconography and language, all these things definitely reflect in the process of evolution of an organisation very naturally.

So, it was but natural that since the Rotary movement originated and later on evolved in a Christian country, the prayer is addressed to Jesus Christ. The president of the organisation further explained that those who may not be subscribing to Jesus Christ or Christianity should consider that this prayer is addressed to whatever the God they choose to worship.

Likewise, Vande Mataram also has definite fragrance of Hindu culture. The stanzas, which the Muslim League objected and now the Congress is also toeing the same line, are addressed to several deities which are revered by Hindus.

If somebody does not want those deities to be saluted or worshipped, they can consider that this salu­tation is to their dear God. This should be the ideal way of looking at Vande Mataram.

Forget the stanzas of Vande Mataram. There are people in our society whom I will not name or their way of worship, but who believe that their particular way of worship allows them to bow their head only before the One and Supreme God in which they believe. So, even to offer a salutation to motherland, which is the core of Vande Mataram, is anathema to them and is not acceptable to them.

Leave aside Vande Mataram, the lines Maa Tujhhe Salaam is also not acceptable to a certain set of people. Now what do you do of them?

So, the question is not about the stanzas, but the decision of the Congress party which chose to compromise once again, moving the hands of the clock backward. In 1937, the Congress decided to go only for two stanzas and allowed a truncated Vande Mataram.

The compromise made by the Congress in 1937 led to the compromise of 1947, when the Congress agreed to accept a partitioned India. While one can forget the compromise of the Congress in 1937, 90 years later, why would India accept the same compromise?

Can we forget that the origin of this particular psyche is in the pro-fragmentation, pro-separation, pro-cessation thought process emerging from the argument that ‘we are different, you are different’ which was the basis of the two-nation-theory?

Remember, before accepting a partitioned India, they had partitioned our national song. If the Congress party today is going back to 1937, then this decision of the Congress party is retrograde. It is unnecessarily promoting the ideas of Muslim League.

The Congress leadership is promoting the mentality of the Muslim League, and in a way, laying a red carpet before those who may be further dreaming of dividing this country again. It is dangerous and sinister as well. And therefore, it should be opposed by one and all.

Now, coming to the resolution of Parliament, which gave equal status to the national song and to the national anthem. The will of Parliament only decided to affirm that there was nothing inferior about Vande Mataram.

Even when the debate on Vande Mataram took place before India became independent, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru objected that the song may not suit the military band of that time. This argument was rubbished by a musician called V. D. Paluskar, who also demonstrated that Vande Mataram is suited for the army band as well.

The objections by Congress leaders were futile then, as they are now. These arguments have no meaning at all. The concern voiced by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the strong words used by him in critiquing the Congress resolution in the Congress Working Committee meeting are valid because the habitual approach of the Congress has been to put or to apply only one yardstick, which is ‘what the Muslims would feel?’

Let me recall my experiences when I was in the Yerwada Central Jail, Pune, during the Emergency, like several thousands of satyagrahis. Since we come from Sangh background, we don’t believe in ideological untouchability. We used to invite many so-called progressive, Leftist, Communist and Socialist speakers to address our Sangh workers who were in a separate barrack in the Yerwada Central Jail.

After having delivered their speeches, the Left or Socialist leaders would very arrogantly leave the gathering leaving the Vande Mataram half incomplete, even though others were still singing it very respectfully. They lacked basic decency and civility. It only shows arrogance and indulgence in vote bank politics. Again, with the only consideration, what the Muslims would feel?

The mentality of the Congress to go an extra mile to win over the hearts of Muslims has become a centrepiece of their politics and it must stop now.

(Views expressed are personal)

Vinay Sahasrabuddhe is member, BJP national executive, and former Rajya Sabha member