Sunil Dutt: On and Off Screen Hero

                                                                                            

Sunil Dutt was one of God’s great gifts to humanity. He was undoubtedly one of the most acclaimed and talented Bollywood actors of all times, a compassionate human being, social activist and politician. He wore many hats and excelled in the plethora of roles that came his way - both on and off screen.

Born as ‘Balraj Dutt’ on 6^th June 1930, in the village of Khurd, in Jhelum district which is now in Pakistan, he lost his father when he was only five and his mother at 23. Life had taken him through the trauma of partition.  After partition, his family moved to Mandoli, a small village on the bank of river Yamuna, which is now a part of the Yamuna Nagar district of Haryana. A few years later, Dutt moved to Mumbai, to fulfill his long cherished dream of acting. There, he gained admission in Jai Hind College, as an undergraduate, and also took up a job.

He started his career as an announcer on the Hindi Service of Radio Ceylon, the oldest radio station in South Asia. From there, he moved on to films, debuting in the film industry with the movie ‘Railway Platform’, released in 1955. The next year, he was seen in ‘Ek Hi Raasta’. The first big hit came Dutt’s way was ‘Mother India’ (1957) the  film in which he co-starred with Nargis, as her short-tempered son. During the shooting of the film, a fire erupted at the sets. It is said that Dutt saved Nargis from the fire and won her love.

Dutt was one of the stars reigning over Bollywood in the 1950s and 1960s. He appeared in a number of box-office hits, including ‘Sadhna’ (1958), ‘Sujata’ (1959), ‘Mujhe Jeene Do’ (1963), ‘Khandaan’ (1965) and ‘Padosan’ (1967). During this time, he also did a number of films with B.R. Chopra and ended up delivering hits like ‘Gumraah’ (1963), ‘Waqt’ (1965) and ‘Hamraaz’ (1967). One of the most memorable films of Dutt, as a director and actor, is ‘Yaadein’ (1964), a unique movie in which he was the only actor in the cast.

Dutt tried his hands on production with his first film being ‘Man Ka Meet’ (1968), in which he introduced his brother Som Dutt. His next venture came in ‘1971’, when he produced, directed and starred in the big-budget period film ‘Reshma Aur Shera’ (1971). The movie turned out to be a huge failure at the box office. However, this did not deter Dutt and he was seen in a number of successful films, like ‘Pran Jaye Par Vachan Na Jaye’ (1974), ‘Nagin’ (1976), ‘Jaani Dushman’ (1979) and ‘Shaan’ (1980). Dutt also starred in Punjabi religious movies, in the 1970's, including ‘Man Jeete Jag Jeet’ (1973), ‘Dukh Bhanjan Tera Naam’ (1974), and ‘Sat Sri Akal’ (1977). In 1981, he appeared in ‘Rocky’ (1981), the movie which served as the launching pad of his son, Sanjay Dutt’s career. From ‘Rocky’ onwards, Dutt started appearing as a character actor. Amongst his last films were ‘Parampara’ (1992) and ‘Kshatriya’ (1993). Thereafter, he retired from the film industry. His last screen cameo was in Rajkumar Hirani's immensely popular laugh riot 'Munnabhai MBBS', where he played on-screen father to his son Sanjay.  

In 1982, he was appointed as the Sheriff of Mumbai, an apolitical titular position. The position was bestowed on him by Maharashtra government, for the period of one year.  Dutt contested his first Lok Sabha elections after the assassination of Mrs. Indira Gandhi in 1984. He was a personal choice of the late Rajiv Gandhi. Winning the Mumbai North West seat in his maiden attempt he retained it in the 1989 and 1991 elections. However, the arrest of his son, following Hindu-Muslim clashes in Mumbai, put a brief break on it He  did not contest the 1996 and 1998 elections as he was preoccupied with a case against his son Sanjay by the Mumbai police. He won the 1999, 2000 and 2004 elections. After U.P.A.-I came to power in 2004; Dutt became the cabinet minister for Youth Affairs and Sports (2004-2005).  As a minister, he not only had time to hear the plight of sportspersons, he also made a concerted effort to improve the standard of Indian athletes by taking up several initiatives. His death, on 25^th May 2005, put an end to his term as a cabinet minister. 

Sunil Dutt got married to actress Nargis on 11^th March 1958, one year after the release of their film ‘Mother India’. The couple had a son and two daughters. He helped Nargis to form the Ajanta Arts Cultural Troupe, which roped in several leading actors and singers of the time, and performed at remote frontiers to entertain the Indian soldiers; it was the first troupe to perform at Dhaka, after the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 and the formation of Bangladesh. Later when Nargis worked for the cause of spastic children the role of Dutt was unforgettable. Nargis became the first patron ofThe Spastics Society of India.  But soon she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and underwent treatment for the disease at Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Upon her return to India, her condition deteriorated, and she was admitted to Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai. She sank into a coma on 2 May 1981 and died on 3 May 1981.

After the death of Nargis, he set up a foundation in memory of his wife. The foundation is indulged in cure of cancer patients. During his life, Dutt also sponsored the India Project, a Nobel Peace Prize-nominated organization similar to Operation Smile. It is involved in the treatment of Indian children with facial deformities. Besides being a big supporter of secularism, he was totally against the concept of dowry and it is said that he told his wife to come in the same dress that she wore during the wedding to his house. He also made a film "Yeh Aag Kab Bujhegi" on this topic

            Dutt received Film-fare Best Actor Award, for Mujhe Jeene Do in 1963, for Khandaan in 1965, for Milan in 1967. In 1995 Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award, in 1998 Star Screen Lifetime Achievement Award, in 2001 Zee Cine Award for Lifetime Achievement and in 2005 Phalke Ratna Award, by the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy were bestowed to him. He was awarded with the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award, by Government of India and received the "Glory of India Award", by IIAF, London

 
            Fate seemed to have meted out a never ending spate of tragedies in Dutt's life, but bitterness and self pity seemed to find no place in his soul, in spite of his receiving one shattering blow after another. All tragedies failed to deter the man from following his first love -- cinema -- and he served the community through politics. After his wife's death, he lost himself in politics and his involvement in it was complete. When Dutt spoke about the country, he spoke selflessly from the heart. He can perhaps, best be described in his own words while quoting the philosophy of the Bhagvad Gita. 'You are just expected to perform your duties and not expect any rewards. As a citizen of India, I am concerned with giving my best’.

Shiv Kumar Batalvi: The Keats of Punjabi Literature

              Shiv Kumar Batalvi: The Keats of Punjabi Literature

                                    (His Death Anniversary falls on 7^th May)

                                                                                                          

                             Zindgi us ke liye ik maut thi
                             Who pa gaya hai zindagi darasal mar jane ke baad. 

Poetry has been a part of Punjab’s culture as an important feature of Punjabis’ living experience since at least, and probably long before, the time of the first major Punjabi poet, Baba Farid (1173-1265). During the following centuries, it took many different and distinct forms and besides producing a long line of distinguished poets in the Sufi and kissa (epic love story) tradition, its oral tradition encompasses a wide variety of popular poetry in its folk songs and verse-dramas on the themes of religious mythology. The classical period of Sufi and kissa Punjabi poetry came to an end at the turn of the 20th century.

By then, Punjabi poets had already started adopting modern verse forms. Bhai Vir Singh was the first Punjabi poet who introduced free verse in Punjabi poetry. During the first half of 20th century, Punjabi poetry went through the process of a complete transformation from traditional to modern with the political, economical and cultural changes that were taking place in India and the rest of the world. The world wars on international front, Marxist/Leninist revolution in Russia and India’s own independence struggle on the national level brought about several changes in the life and outlook of people that were also reflected in Punjabi literature.

By the time Shiv Kumar Batalvi started writing poetry in late 50’s, the classical Punjabi poetry period was already long over and post-partition poetry was represented by many emerging progressive and modern trends, dominated by Prof. Mohan Singh, Amrita Pritam and other stalwarts of modern Punjabi poetry.

Shiv was not just a poet of a few dozen popular poems nor was his poetry limited to a couple of topics. He was a very versatile poet of many different styles and a wide range of subjects. Throughout his brief poetic career, his poetry shows a continuous progression from the early pangs of birha (separation from loves ones) to increasingly complex emotions and different reactions to his inner sufferings and towards society at large. His sense of his own identity also went through many changes. He travelled a great distance from his first collection of poems Peeran Da Paraga (A Handful of Pains), published in 1960, to his last major work Mein Te Mein (Me and Myself) published in 1970. 

Peeran Da Paraga (A Handful of Pains) is Shiv’s first published collection of poetry consisting of 25 poems. It includes poems that he had written between 1957 and 1960 expressing pain and sorrow of separation and his desire for death. It includes some of his early popular poems.  Lajwanti (The Shy Maid) came single year after the publication of his first collection Shiv appeared to have arrived at a level of maturity that was not as prominent in his earlier poetry. This collection has some remarkable poems on many different subjects. In all of his poetry, there are certain subjects that he has touched upon once, writing a memorable poem on it, and then never coming back to the same subject. In this collection, Sheesho, an exceptionally beautiful and comparatively long poem, falls in that category. Shiv’s description of the exploitation of a poor village girl by the rich landowner is remarkable both for its poetic qualities and for Shiv’s heart wrenching pity and compassion about the poor girl’s plight. A long poem, Geet (A song -Uchcian paharan diya ohle ohle soorja – O Sun, hiding behind the high peaks of mountains) is an example of Shiv’s mastery of describing natural scenery:

The sun peeks out
From behind the high mountains, 
Planting little seedling of light.
It crushes the yellow sunshine 
Into small pieces, 
To make anklets for the mountaintops!

Ankle deep in the wind
Flow fragrances,
The birds fall asleep.
Through a clump of green trees
A water channel flows
Piping a melody!

Seeing the blue lotus
In the mirror like water
The drooping leaves weep.
The wind has tied
Tiny anklets around its feet,
And stamps her heels as she walks!
………….

[Translation: Suman Kashyap]

A totally different mood from the sadness of some of his other poems, dominates another poem by the tile of Geet (A Song):

Where rivulets of perfume flow,
There my beloved lives.
Where passing breezes halt,
There my beloved lives.

Where dawn arrives on little bare toes,
Where night throws henna-beams on feet.
Where fragrance bathes in moonlight,
There my beloved lives.
…………

[Translation: Suman Kashyap].

Atte Deean Chirian (The Sparrows of Kneaded Flour) is quite different from the previous two collections, both in matter as well as in its various themes. Shiv experimented with different themes under a dominant mood of sensuous feelings. He also returned back to the topic of birha in Shikra (A Falcon) and couple of other poems. Once again, there are poems in this collection that display his wide versatility of subjects, including various themes that are limited to single poems, i.e., Hijra (Eunuch) and Zakham (A Wound). Shiv also further experimented in some poems by writing them in the prevalent style of expressing post-modern consciousness. Shiv was awarded the first prize from the Language Department of Punjab for this collection.

Mainu Vida Karo  is another collection of songs full of symbols of death and pain of separation that he expressed in different forms .

Assan Taan Joban Rutte Marna
Mur Jana Assan Bhare Bharaye
Hijar Tere di kar Parkarma
Assan Taan Joban Rutte Marna

(I am going to die in the season of youth,
I am going to depart without emptying my contents,
After completing a cycle of separation from you,
I am going to die in the season of youth)

            Loonan  is an epic-like verse play and is considered by many of Shiv’s critics as his masterpiece and most significant literary achievement. Shiv reworked the theme of Puran Bhagat, a mythical folklore of Punjab about the implications of marrying a young girl with an old man. In the traditional story the young wife is depicted as an evil villain in her relationship with the grown-up son of her husband from his first marriage. Shiv wrote his poem from the perspective of injustice to the young wife. He altogether changed the traditional character of Loonan that is portrayed in the legend as a wicked, lustful and cruel woman. He made Loonan a sympathetic character and challenged the male dominated society to reconsider their norms and moral values. Shiv was awarded Sahitiya Academy award for this book in 1967.

            In Loonan, Shiv presents a remarkably incisive and insightful appreciation of women’s sufferings in a patriarchy and exposes its moral values as the tools that force women to sacrifice their individuality to fit in various roles assigned to them. Reading the deliberate politics of the monarchical discourse in the legend, Shiv presents it from women’s point of view. More importantly, Shiv rejects the glorification of patriarchal assignment of women’s role and instead

            Mein Te Mein (Me and Myself) is a long narrative poem that is written in a very different style and on themes that Shiv had not fully explored before. With this book, Shiv reached the height of his poetic evolution and practically the end of his poetic career. It is in the form of a monologue in search of his identity and inner self that is being torn apart by the demons of past and emotional responses to different events in his tortured life. The poem depicts the tragedy of modern man’s life in many different settings. There appear many autobiographical elements in this poem and it can be considered as an investigation by the poet of the complexities of his own life.

            One of the most prominent aspects of Shiv’s poetry is its ever-increasing popularity that has continued to grow since his death and has surpassed all other Modern Punjabi poets. Besides more than 20 books and numerous articles that have so far been published on his life and poetry, his poetry has also been the research topic of many doctoral theses at various Indian universities. Perhaps the most important market-based indicator of the popularity of Shiv’s poetry is the large number of recordings of his poems made for commercial audio albums by Indian and Pakistani Punjabi singers, including: Surrinder Kaur, Jagjit Zirvi, Pushpa Hans, Assa Singh Mastana, Mohinder Kapoor, Jagjeet Singh, Chitra Singh, Kuldip Deepak, Jagmohan Kaur, K. Deep, Dolly Guleria, Bhupinder Singh, Mitali Singh, Kavita Karishnamurthi, Deedar Pardesi, Jasbir Jassi, Neelam Sahani, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Shazia Manzoor, Ghulam Ali, Tufail Niazi, Shaukat Ali and others. Hans Raj Hans released an album in October 2002 solely based on Shiv’s poems.

             Other than Punjabi Sufi and Qissa poets of classical period, no Punjabi poet except Shiv Kumar Batalvi has ever gained mass popularity on such a large scale. Shiv’s popularity has now reached a point where ignoring it as a yardstick to measure the significance of his poetry will amount to a contempt of the collective mind of Punjabis. He has hit a chord with the psyche of Punjabis of all backgrounds. A closer look at his poetry reveals that the success and popularity of Shiv’s poetry, to a large extent, has its genesis in following the centuries old traditions of classical Punjabi poetry. Not in its purpose, content or message, especially of Sufi and religious poetry, but in skillfully adopting the diction, vocabulary, symbolism and many of its other important aspects. By imbibing the essential elements of classical Punjabi poetry, Shiv articulated an acute historical sense and combined it in the most aesthetically pleasing way in his otherwise contemporary poetry.

            At a time when many of his contemporaries were looking towards the western and, in particular, the progressive literature from around the world to learn new techniques of writing poetry, Shiv Kumar Batalvi took his inspirations from the classical literature of his own land. He adopted many of its techniques to express the crisis of disintegration of human soul as he saw it in his own life and time. In most of his poems, the listener and reader encounter the same familiar characteristics of Punjabi classical poetry: simple language and idiom of village folks; celebration of death; lyricism; images and metaphors of rural Punjab and skillful depictions of Punjabi culture. Shiv stands out among all Punjabi poets in his unique representation of various colours and shades of Punjabi culture.

Mahatma Mangat Ram ji: A Man of God

            Mahatma Mangat Ram Ji: A Man of God

                                    

                                

India is, and has been a land of saints since the beginning of history. Gurudev Mangat Ram ji stands in this great tradition connecting the past with our present and with the future of mankind. He was the most profound advocate of the path of spiritual progress which leads to self-realization. The very path was not propagated by Sh. Mangat Ram ji but by a number of spiritual teachers like Vasisht and Patanjali in the ancient times and saints like Kabir, Dadu, Guru Nanak in the medieval times.

Sh. Mangat Ram ji was born in a pious family in village Gangothian Brahman of Rawalpindi (Pakistan) on 24^th November 1903. He lived a life of immaculate purity. Prayers and meditation were the reigning passion of him, right from the tender age of 3 to 4 year. The quest of Eternal Truth or the Supreme Being went on increasing with years. No comfort and no pleasure of the world lured this young seeker from the path of intense love of God. His remembrance, His worship, His devotion, His meditation, His vision, His glory, His grace and His service alone counted Young Mangat and nothing else.

In the age of thirteen he realized self. He lived a life of deep meditation, austerity and inward solitude. This twentieth century saint, through his deep insight, revived the ancient “Samata” spirit of Upnishads. His philosophy, the vision of life, was shaped through the divine inspiration he derived from mining ancient wisdom.

Like Kabir or Guru Nanak Mangat Ram ji has bequeathed to the people, a rich treasure of God-inspired Vani in simple, lucid, current Hindi-Urdu language. The verses complied in a book called Granth Shri Samata Parkash which covers about 1500 pages. To the seekers of truth the book provides a clear cut guidance concerning the path of yoga, knowledge, detachment, selfless-service, right-conduct, right-association, the glory of God, supreme joy of Samata and several related topics. In addition, his utterances have been collected and published in Shri Samata Vilas (Prose) and this book has been translated in English. Shri Samata Vilas contains the saint’s exposition on the various facets of Dharma, Current beliefs,rituals and means of upliftment of individual and society.

In his books, he basically laid down five cardinal principles which can help mankind to achieve self-realization. These are: Simplicity, Truth, Selfless-service, Right-association and Meditation. And as criteria for holy men, he referred to five virtues, namely: Desirelessness, Humility, Detachment, Equanimity and Dedication. All these virtues adorned every bit of the life of this great saint.

According to this great saint God is the core of Universe. He is the life of Universe. He is Eternal and free from joy and sorrows. From Him has emerged all creation and in Him it abides. With in all beings He is present. He is complete with supreme might. He is Peerless and Incomparable. He (though present in all beings) is totally unaffected by the desire evil of desire or anger. Without Him there is nothing and yet He is free from any attachment. One, who realizes Him, merges in Him fully. By realizing Him, all worldly desires vanish and one attains contentment. Without Him nothing has ever existed nor will ever exist. Vedas, Upnishadas, Koran, Bible, and all holy books describe His glory and yet He is indescribable.

Sh. Mangat Ram ji always advocated reverence towards prophets, gurus and saints of all religions. At one place in Shri Samata Parkash this point is specially stressed. He points out that it is the glory and light of the Supreme Being which is manifested itself through the perfect souls and their teachings. Revelation of the Creator corresponded to the mode of love adopted by men of God who achieved freedom and became liberators for the people. They laid down principles with due regard to their environment of time and place. There is no difference in the substance of their teaching.

He believes that Ram Rajya is possible only when there is moderation in desire (for the comforts of life). In other words, there should be restraint from the life of ostentation and luxury. People should be free from superstitions and their faith should be firm in the Supreme-Self. There should be mutual affection among those serving the State (rulers and bureaucracy) and the people. Those serving the country should be impartial, free from greed and persons of high characters. Education should promote values. There should be strict control on drugs (narcotics) etc. and harmful articles of consumption. All business should operate within certain norms and constraints of time. There should be separate schools for boys and girls. To stress the same point, he says that the imparting of education should be accompanied by character building. Everyone should get that type of education for which he is best fitted. The rising wealth of state should be used more and more for the spread of education. All people should have the opportunity and assistance to rise to their constructive capability. Righteous principles i.e. simplicity, truth, selfless-service, equality and love towards others should be propagated to the maximum extents. Those serving the state should have a high sense of responsibility and dedication to public duty.

On analyzing the outcome of luxurious and materialistic life, the saint comes to the conclusion that it is vanity and ego in man which compels him to make such discoveries so as to establish supremacy by one stronger over the weaker or one such country over the other and so on. Even if man extends his knowledge to such extent that he may fully establish control over the natural celestial powers such as the sun, the moon, the air and water etc. It is impossible to get rid of the inner turmoil and turbulence from within the human mind. He, therefore, opines that all right thinking men and statesmen of the world to start the search for truth instead of their probe in matter. He believes that the cause of concern for humanity today is not the achievement of scientific knowledge or inventions but it is the devilish mentality of human mind which is responsible for utilizing these for destructive purposes.

Mahatma Mangat Ram ji left this mortal world on Feb.4^th 1954. His last message was “the mission of this body has been completed. Every seeker will find his answers in the books (Shri Samata Parkash and Shri Samata Vilas).”His teachings will keep on enlightening humanity till eternity.       

Shaheed Udham Singh: A Tribute

                Udham Singh also known as Ram Mohammad Sigh Azad is a symbol of the unification of the three major religions of India: Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism. Singh was a Marxist and militant nationalist. He is considered one of the best known revolutionaries of Indian freedom struggle. He had been referred as “Shaheed-i-Azam” by Pt. Nehru in 1962 in the daily Partap: “I salute Shaheed-i-Azam Udham Singh with reverence who kissed the noose so that we may live.”

Udham Singh alias Sher Singh was born on 26^th December 1899 in Sunam in the district of Punjab in a peasant family headed by Sardar Tehal Singh who belonged to Jummu clan of Kamboj lineage. Tehal Singh was a watchman on the railways crossings. Sher Singh’s mother Narayan Kaur died in 1901 and his father in 1907. He along with his elder brother Mukta Singh was admitted to Central Khalsa Orphange Putlighar, Amritsar. Both brothers were administered the Sikh initiatory rites at the orphanage and received new names. Sher Singh became Udham Singh and Mukta Singh became Sadhu Singh. Sadhu Singh died in 1917 which was also a great shock to young Udham Singh. While at orphanage, Udham Singh was trained in various arts and crafts. He passed his matriculation examination in 1918 and left the orphanage in 1919.

The brutality of Jallianwala Bagh Massacre left an indelible impression on the mind of Udham Singh. He mainly held Michael O’Dwyer responsible for the tragedy and this incident proved a turning point in his life. He turned to revolutionary politics and dedicated his whole life to the cause of people.

He moved from one country to another to achieve his secret objective that is to avenge Jalianwala Bagh Massacre, aiming ultimately to reach his prey in Landon. At various stages in his life, Singh went by various names: Sher Singh, Udham Singh, Udhan Singh, Udey Singh, Frank Brazil, and Ram Mohammad Singh Azad. In 1924, he reached America and there he actively involved with freedom fighters of the ‘Ghadar Party’. He spent three years in revolutionary politics and organized oversea Indians for the freedom struggle. He returned India in July 1927 on the orders from Bhagat Singh. He was accompanied by 25 associates from the U.S. and brought a consignment of revolvers and ammunition. 

On August 30, 1927 he was arrested at Amritsar for the possession of unlicensed arms and copies of prohibited paper of Ghadar Party called Gunj-i- Ghadar. He was prosecuted by the colonial masters and sentenced to five years rigorous imprisonment. He stayed in jail for four years and missed the peak of Indian revolutionary period and the actions of menlike Bhagat Singh and Chander Shekhar Azad.

Udham Singh was released from jail on Oct. 23, 1931. He returned to his native place Sunam but constantly harassment from police on account of his revolutionary activities led him back to Amritsar and then finally to England in 1934. In Landon he purchased a six-chamber revolver and always remembered his real objective that is to take revenge the massacre. Despite several opportunities to strike Michael O’Dwyer, he awaited perhaps he wanted to kill him when this could make more impact and to internationalize the event.

At last the opportunity came on March 13, 1940, almost twenty one years the massacre. A joint meeting of the East India Association and the Royal Central Asian Society was scheduled at Caxton Hall, Landon and among the speakers was O’Dwyer. Singh concealed a revolver in a book specially cut for the purpose and managed to enter in the hall. At the end of the meeting when O’Dwyer moved towards the platform to talk to Lord Zetland, Singh fired and O’Dwyer died immediately, Zetland was also struck because he was secretary for state in 1919 in India. Udham did not intend to escape. He was arrested and prosecuted.

During his prosecution facing the judge he exclaimed: “I say down with British Imperialism. You say India does not have peace. We have only slavery. Generations of so called civilization has brought us everything filthy and degenerating known to the human race. … All your British Imperialism will be smashed. … I am talking about the British government. I have nothing against the British people at all. I have great sympathy with the workers of England. I am against the imperialist government.”

Magistrate Atkinson sentenced him to death. On July 31, 1940, he was hanged till death at Pentonvile Prison. As with other executed prisoners, he was buried later that afternoon within the prison ground.  In July 1974, Udham Singh’s remains were exhumed and repatriated to India at the request of his cousin. He was later cremated at his birth place Sunam.

Udham Singh represented the best traditions of the people of Indian Subcontinent: courage and the spirit of self sacrifice in the fight against oppression, and unity in struggle irrespective of religious, communal or ethnic background. Today, when the forces of exploitation and fascism are becoming dominant in our society, the importance of heroes like Udham Singh has increased many folds.              

Satguru Mangat Ram ji

India is, and has been a land of seers since the beginning of history. Satguru Mahatma Mangat Ram stands in this great tradition connecting the past with our present, and with the future of mankind. He was the most profound exponent of “Samta” or oneness. His teachings are the quintessence of Samta. He taught nothing that he did not practice, and practice to perfection. It is only in the family of chosen once that a man of god is born. Blessed also is the land where such an event takes place. Shri Mangat Ram Ji incarnated in a pious family in village Gangothian Brahmana, Tehsil Kahoota in Rawalpindi district (Pakistan) on Tuesday 24 November, 1903. Even as a child of four/five years, Satguru Mangat Ram ji would get up in the middle of the night and start meditating for hours well past into midnight rather than to sleep. He was admitted to school at the age of five. By the age of eight years. Satguru started leaving home at midnight. He would go to a deep ravine near the village and sit in contemplation on a stone by the river. It was no ordinary feat for a child to leave the comfort of home for hard penance at a desolate place. He was good at studies and was personally offered a scholarship by the headmaster not only to complete his high school studies but right up to post graduation. He, however consciously renounced formal education at this point of his life. This seemed to him to be too self centered. As he said of himself later, “This one’s concern was with the knowledge of god that alone could benefit the ignorant of the world.” He spent most of his time in meditation in high altitude areas, dense forests and other lonely spots. Open sky remained his night companion for life. A wandering Fakir with no possessions but a love of God : his living was star tingly simple. For years at a stretch, he sustained himself on a single glass of milk-tea per day. He overcame sleep, hunger and thirst. He took up a job at the behest of his mother but gave it up when she died. He remained in service of his mother till her death in March, 1928 and felt released thereafter from his final domestic responsibilities. He remained a bachelor and a true ‘brahmchari’ throughout his life and led an ascetic life of intense unremitting contemplation. He was an embodiment of simplicity, humility & intellectual excellence with complete dedication to meditation.

CHALISA: As already mentioned, Satguru was dyed deep in God love right from childhood. When he was studying in class VII, he went into uninterrupted meditation for 40 days, such a penance was no easy task. He attained self-realization at the age of thirteen. All those living around were surprised. His body has become weak but his face shone with unique brightness.

MAHAMANTRA: Three days after this incident he was sitting near the banks of rivulet outside his village. Suddenly the first three words of the “MAHAMANTRA” appeared to him, thus: “Om, Brahma, Satyam”. The second day he emerged with “Nirankar, Ajanma, Advait Purukha ”. On third day he was blessed with words “Sarvabyapak, Kal Yan, moorat, Parameshwaraya, Namastang”. Each he would note them down on a piece of paper. How child-devotee Mangat Ram found God or came across the divine light of truth has been described in the sacred words of the “Mahamantra” for the edification of seekers of God. Later he fully expounded the significance of this “Mahamantra” in a section of his magnum opus “Shri Samata Prakash”. In that work, he has explained in some detail each words of this 13 word mantra.

Readers may find the mantra in its original form at the beginning of this book. It is enough to say here that this “Mahamantra” carries a significant effect. There is a special power inherent in it. Sincere and repeated recitation of this “Mahamantra” has been found to bring great benefit. It is also helpful if recited before starting any auspicious undertaking. He spent most of his time in meditation in high altitude areas, dense forests and other lonely spots. Open sky remained his night companion for life. A wandering Fakir with no possessions but a love of God; his living was startlingly simple. For fourteen years at a stretch, he sustained himself on a single glass of milk-tea per day. He overcame sleep, hunger and thirst. Sat Guru Mangat Ram sees similarity in the teachings of the founders of all religions the world over. The principle aim was to redeem man from the transient world he is born in and enable him to realize the bliss that is true and real. Sat Guru Mangat Ram had deep respect for all great souls. He accordingly advised study of their lives and teachings with reverence. However, cautioned against the futility of study if it was merely a mental preoccupation. He says: “The greatness of prophets and saints alone will not bring salvation unless their noble principles are actually adopted in life.” The revelatory verses of the “Vani” welled-up from the depth of his “Samadhi” and flowed for hours together.Bhagat Banarsi Dass who served at the master’s feet for over 16 years collected as many of these as he could and compiled them into Granth Shri Samta Prakash. The prose sayings on questions of applied Dharma and the way to right living are conserved in the Granth Shri Samta Vilas. Revelation and doctrine converged on a single focus: Samta - the point where difference and duality vanish, the state wherein the mind ascends the world of senses, and where phenomenon entities and experiences disappear and the individual being merges into the Supreme Being leaving behind the limit of time and space.

LIFES MISSION: With deep meditation, constant Self-remembrance and complete Brahmacharya (celibacy), Sat Guru Mangat Ram Ji had attained the supreme state of yoga. Vairagya (dispassion) within him had grown to boundless proportions. There was nothing more to be attained. The only mission before him now was to people who were burning in the fires of desires and snares of the senses. They were to be made aware of the real aim of life and introduced to true happiness and peace. Simple ways of spiritual progress were to be outlined for them. He preached what he practiced on himself. He was an embodiment of exquisite humility, undaunted fearlessness and an un-desiring state of mind: a true example of Selflessness. He left his mortal frame on 4 February, 1954 at the young age of 50 years at Amritsar in Punjab. He was the greatest exponent of Samta which he described copiously in the two “Granths” mentioned above. These scriptures are an ocean of spiritual knowledge for seekers of Truth or Ultimate Reality.

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad is one of those rare personalities through whom the distinctions of the 20th century can be recognized and possibilities of the 21st century determined. He stood for a learning society through liberal, modern and universal education combining the humanism of Indian arts and the rationalism of western sciences, a society where the strong are just and the weak secure, where the youth is disciplined and the women lead a life of dignity – a non-violent, non-exploiting social and economic order. He was free India’s first Education Minister and guided the destinies of the Nation for eleven years.

He was the first to raise the issue of the National System of Education which is today the bed-rock of the National Policy on Education (1986) updated in 1992. The concept implies that, upto a given level, all students, irrespective of caste, creed, location or sex have access to education of a comparable quality. All educational programmes, he said, must be carried out in strict conformity with secular values and constitutional framework. He stood for a common educational structure of 10+2+3 throughout India. If Maulana Azad were alive today he would have been the happiest to see the Right to Free Education Bill getting cabinet approval for the approval of Parliament. The Right to Education Bill seeks to make free and compulsory education a fundamental right. The wealth of the nation, according to Maulana Azad, was not in the country’s banks but in primary schools. The Maulana was also a great votary of the concept of Neighbourhood schools and the Common School System.

Born in Mecca on November 11, 1888, his father Maulana Khairuddin was a noted scholar, his mother Alia was an Arab, niece of Shaikh Mohammad Zahir Vatri of Madina. His father gave him the name of Feroze Bakht but he became Abul Kalam and the name stayed. At 10 he was well-versed in Quran. At 17 Abul Kalam was a trained theologian recognized in the Islamic world. His studies at Al Azhar University Cairo further deepened his knowledge. At Calcutta where his family had settled he started a magazine called ‘Lisan-ul-Sidq’. His early influences were Maulana Shibli Naomani and Altaf Hussain Haali, the two great Urdu critics.

Azad made a debut in politics when the British Government partitioned Bengal in 1905 on religious grounds. The Muslim middle classes supported the partition but Azad rejected it outright. He took active part in the agitation, joined the secret societies and revolutionary organization, came in contact with Sri Aurobindo Ghosh and Shyam Sundar Chakravarty. He stood for a unified India and never deviated from his stand. He writes in his famous book ‘India Wins Freedom’ : ‘It is one of the greatest frauds on the people to suggest that religious affinity can unite areas which are geographically, economically and culturally different’. It is a fact of history that while other Congress leaders accepted the partition in 1947, Maulana stood steadfast. His famous statement on Hindu-Muslim unity stands out as Magna Carta of his faith : “If an angel were to descend from the heavens and proclaim from the heights of Qutab Minar: Discard Hindu-Muslim unity and within 24 hours Swaraj is yours, I will refuse the preferred Swaraj but shall not budge an inch from my stand. The refusal of Swaraj will affect only India while the end of our unity will be the loss of our entire human world.”

At the age of 20 he went on a tour of Iraq, Syria and Egypt and met the young Turks and Arab nationalists including Christians. The tour proved very useful to Azad to crystallize his thoughts on the neo-colonialists who were exploiting those countries and how India could help them. On return he started a journal in Urdu named ‘Al Hilal’ in 1912. It was this journal where he aired his liberal views, ‘Rationalist in outlook and profoundly versed in Islamic lore and history’. Writes Nehru in his ‘Discovery of India’. The Maulana interpreted scriptures from the rationalist point of view. Soaked in Islamic tradition and with many personal contacts with prominent Muslim leaders of Egypt, Turkey, Syria, Palestine, Iraq and Iran, he was profoundly affected by political and cultural developments in these countries. He was known in Islamic countries probably more than any other Indian Muslim.

The journal ‘Al-Hilal’ became extremely popular and in two years its circulation rose to 30,000. The inevitable happened when in 1914 the British Government confiscated the press and banned the journal under the Defence of India Act. Azad was arrested and sent to Ranchi jail where he suffered untold hardships.

Released from jail he resumed his educational writings. He spoke in a new language, writes Nehru. It was not only a new language in thought and approach, even its texture was different, for Azad’s style was tense and virile though sometimes a little difficult because of its Persian background. He used new phrases for new ideas and was a definite influence in giving shape to Urdu language as it is today. The older conservative Muslims did not react favourably to all this and criticized Azad’s opinion and approach. Yet not even the most learned of them could meet Azad in debate and argument, even on the basis of scriptures and tradition, for Azad’s knowledge of these happened to be greater than theirs. He was a strange mixture of medieval scholasticism, eighteenth century rationalism and modern outlook. There were a few among the older generation who approved of Azad’s writings, among them being Shibli and Sir Sayyaid of Aligarh University.

After the confiscation of ‘Al-Hilal’ Azad brought out a new weekly called ‘Al Balagh’ but this too came to an end when Azad was interned in 1916. He remained in jail for four years. When he came out he was an acknowledged leader and took his seat with the great might of the Indian National Congress. In 1920 he met Tilak and Gandhi which was the turning point of his life. Gandhi had launched the ‘Khilafat Movement’ under the Deoband School and Firanghi Mahal where Gandhi and Azad were frequent visitors. But when Muslim League denounced Gandhiji’s Satyagraha, Azad who had enrolled himself in the League when a boy, left the Muslim League forever. His popularity was so high that at 35 he became the President of the Indian National Congress, the youngest ever to hold that office. In 1942 during the Quit India Movement he was elected as the Chief spokesman of the Congress. This distinction he also had during the negotiations with the Cabinet Mission in 1946 at Simla.

As Education Minister (15.08.47 to 22.02.1958)

In 1947 when the Interim Government was formed Maulana Azad was included as Member for Education and Arts. On August 15, 1947 when India attained Independence he became Free India’s first Education Minister with a cabinet rank where he achieved a number of distinctions and established institutions of excellence to promote education and culture.

Among the new institutions he established were the three National Academies viz the Sangeet Natak Academy (1953), Sahitya Academy (1954) and Lalit Kala Academy (1954), the Indian Council for Cultural Relations having been established by him earlier in 1950. The Maulana felt that the cultural content in Indian Education was very low during the British rule and needs to be strengthened through curriculum. As Chairman of the Central Advisory Board of Education, an apex body to recommend to the Government educational reform both at the center and the states including universities, he advocated, in particular, universal primary education, free and compulsory for all children upto the age of 14, girls education, vocational training, agricultural education and technical education. He established University Grants Commission (UGC) in 1956 by an Act of Parliament for disbursement of grants and maintainence of standards in Indian universities. He firmly believed with Nehru that if the universities discharged their functions well, all will be well with the Nation. According to him the universities have not only academic functions, they have social responsibilities as well. He was pioneer in the field of adult education. His greatest contribution, however, is that in spite of being an eminent scholar of Urdu, Persian and Arabic he stood for the retention of English language for educational advantages and national and international needs. However primary education should be imparted in the mother-tongue. On the technical education side he strengthened All Indian Council for Technical Education. The Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur was established in 1951 followed by a chain of IIT’s at Bombay, Madras and Kanpur and Delhi. School of Planning and Architecture came into existence at Delhi in 1955.

Student Unrest

Secular to the marrow of his bones Maulana’s advice to students was: ‘Bury communalism once for all.’ Student indiscipline, however, continued to worry him. Presiding over the meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) on February 7, 1954 he said: “What worries me most is that the extent and magnitude of the student’s unrest is very often without any relation whatsoever to the supposed cause. Such unrest among the students strikes at the root of our national culture. The student of today is the potential leader of tomorrow. He will have to sustain the social, political and economic activities. If he is not properly trained and does not develop the necessary resources of character and knowledge he cannot supply the leadership which the national will need”.

As an Author

Maulana Azad was a prolific writer with books in Urdu, Persian and Arabic notably amongst which is ‘India Wins Freedom’, his political biography, translated from Urdu to English. Maulana’s translation of Quran from Arabic into Urdu in six volumes published by Sahitya Akademy in 1977 is indeed his ‘Magnum Opus”. Since then several editions of ‘Tarjaman-e-Quran’ have come out. His other books include ‘Gubar-e-Khatir’, ‘Hijr-o-Vasal’, ‘Khatbat-I-Azad’, ‘Hamari Azadi’, ‘Tazkara’. He gave a new life to Anjamane-Tarrqui-e-Urdu-e-Hind’. During the partition riots when the ‘Anjamane-Tarrqui-Urdu suffered, its Secretary Maulvi Abdul Haqq decided to leave for Pakistan alongwith the books of the Anjaman. Abdul Haqq had packed the books but Maulana Azad got them retrieved and thus saved a national treasure being lost to Pakistan. He also helped the Anjaman to revive by sanctioning a grant of Rs. 48,000 per month from the Ministry of Education. Likewise he increased the grants of Jamia Millia Islamia, Aligarh Muslim University in their days of financial crisis. He paid particular attention to the Archaeological Survey of India’s efforts to repair and maintain the protected monuments.

Throughout his life he stood for the chords of cordiality between Hindus and Muslims and the composite culture of India. He stood for modern India with secular credentials, a cosmopolitan character and international outlook.

As an orator Azad had no equal among his contemporaries. When he spoke the audience listened to him spell-bound. Recalling the memories of the Roman and the Greek orators, there was magic in his words, his language was chaste, civilized, his speech was dramatic. In October 1947 when the Delhi Muslims were leaving for Pakistan tens of thousands of them, he spoke from the ramparts of Jama Masjid, like an ancient oracle: “Behold, the high towers of Jama Masjid are asking you: where have you lost the pages of your history. Only yesterday your caravans had performed ‘Wazu; (Ablutions) on the banks of Jamuna. And today you are afraid to live here. Remember that you have nourished Delhi with your blood. You are afraid of tremors, time was when you yourself were an earthquake. You fear darkness when you yourself symbolized light only recently. The clouds have only poured dirty water and you have raised your trousers for fear of being drenched. They were your forefathers who had dived deep into the seas, cut across the mighty mountains, laughed away the lightnings, answered the thunder of the skies with the velocity of your laughter, changed the direction of the winds and turned the typhoons that they have been misled to a wrong destination. It is an irony of faith that those who played with the destinies of the kings are victims of their own destiny today. And in doing so they have become so forgetful of their God as if it never existed. Go back it is your home, your country….”

The effect of his speech was dramatic. Those who packed up their baggages to migrate to Pakistan returned home filled with a new sense of freedom and patriotism. There was no mass migration thereafter. In the history of international oratory Maulana Azad’s Jama Masjid speech can only be compared with the Gettysburg address of Abraham Lincoln, Birla House speech of Nehru on Gandhi’s assassination and recently of Martin Luther’s speech: ‘I have a dream’.

As a man Maulana was even greater, he led an austere life. He had the madness of a Spinoza, the courage of Prometheus Unbound, the humility of a Dervesh. At the time of his death he had neither any property nor any bank account. In his personal almirah were found some cotton ‘Achkans’. A dozen ‘Khadi Kurtas’ and ‘pyjama’, two pairs of sandals, an old dressing gown and a used brush. But there were lots of rare books which are now a property of the Nation.

A man like Maulana Azad is born rarely. Throughout his life he stood for the unity of India and its composite culture. His opposition to partition of India has created a niche in the hearts of all patriotic Indians.There he stands with Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, his senior an Ashfaqullah his junior. In the words of Iqbal : Hazaron sall Nargis apni benoori par roti hai, Bari Mushkil sey hota hai chaman mein deeda var paida. ( For a thousand years the Narcissus weeps for her blindness, With great difficulty is born in the garden a man with vision). Maulana Abul Kalam Azad’s Birthday 11th November has been declared as National Education Da y.