Countering the white-washing of history

Shivaji-Afzal Khan encounter marks the change of tide in the affairs of Hindus in India. Being subjugated by Muslims for over 500 years, the first stirrings of a Hindu re-bounce were perceived in the religious movement led by Guru Nanak and a 100 years later, in the political activities of Shivaji Maharaj. Had the result of the encounter been otherwise, Hindus would have lost their self confidence so totally that a revival could have been ruled out. However, Hindu-might in full flow was yet a distant possibility and the British could extend their suzerainty to the whole of India without much resistance. British rule, in its turn, would have marked the total triumph of the missionaries in converting the bulk of Hindus. But that was not to be because another encounter took place a 100 years ago – between Ramakrishna Parmahamsa and Narendra Dutta, later to be known the world over as Swami Vivekananda. Swami Vivekananda began a spiritual rediscovery among the Hindus, the reverberations of which continue manifesting more and more a hundred years since the charismatic Swami delivered his Advaitic message. A recent survey of church-goers in America pointed out that 76% of them had incorporated Hindu views in their religious outlook. Just as it took a hundred years for a Shivaji to follow a Nanak, a 100 years after Vivekananda, another Narendra, Narendra Modi, is symbolizing a Hindu political ascendancy. It is clear that Hinduism is on the verge of hoisting its triumphant saffron flag on the pages of history after long 1000 years of enfeeblement.

It is this triumphant march that is being sought to be whitewashed by those who do not want the depiction of Shivaji’s victory over Afzal Khan to inspire the present generation. It is this whitewash of history that is reflected in Jaswant Singh's ‘scholarly’ tome on Jinnah. Whitewashing history, incidentally, is a favourite Muslim trait, where they seek to whitewash the blood-stained progress of Islam through the annals of history because it counters their proclaimed stand that Islam is a religion of peace.

Bal Thackeray’s call to plaster the pictureisation of the victory of Shivaji over Afzal Khan all over the place is a call that should be taken up with alacrity by Hindus if they are to seize this moment and defeat the forces that wish to stall its onward march to glory.