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"If we take the full meaning of the term society into consideration, it will be seen that till now human beings have not been able to form a real society. If India builds a society for only Indians, Pakistan for only Pakistanis, and England for only the English, then these three separate societies will exist, but we cannot look upon them as the society of humanity. Because humanity is divided into groups, one society will naturally try to thrive by exploiting the vitality of others. �You will notice that efforts are being made to establish so-called societies in some particular part of the world, for some particular section of the people, and based on some particular 'ism" or faith. A social consciousness based on such divisions lies latent in the minds of the people, whether they are Indian, Pakistani or English, so they remain absorbed in thoughts of their smaller groups." - Shrii Prabhat R. Sarkar


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"Human beings have still not been able to form a human society, and have still not learned to move with the spirit of a pilgrim. Although many small groups, motivated by self-interest, work together in particular situations, not even a small fraction of their work is done with a broader social motive. By strict definition, shall we have to declare that each small family unit is a society in itself? If going ahead in mutual adjustment only out of narrow self-interest or momentary self-seeking is called society, then in such a society, no provision can be made for the disabled, the diseased or the helpless, because in most cases nobody can benefit from them in any way... in that case there always remains the possibility of some people getting isolated from the collective. All human beings must attach themselves to others by the common bond of love and march forward hand in hand; then only will I proclaim it a society." - Shrii Prabhat R. Sarkar

"Power concedes nothing without a demand.' The struggle for justice must never be adjourned. The forces of injustice do not take vacations. Societies are not static in this regard. They await the political and civic energies of individuals who engage the arenas of power, multiply their numbers and emblazon in deeds and institutions the immortal principle that "Here the People Rule." - Ralph Nader

No to Communalism: Bababudangiri Refuses to be Ayodhya of the South


Since 1989 the fundamentalist, extreme right-wing Hindu organization called Sangh Parivar demanded that the Sri Guru Datatreya Bababudan Swami Dargah, a Sufi shrine near Chickmagalur in South India, be converted to a Hindu temple. This year the Sangh Parivar went one step further and organized a Hindu pilgramage (Shoba Yatra) to that very site. However, the coalition government mobilized thousands of supporters to the shrine along with police and turned the area into a fortress and blocked the so-called Hindu pilgrimage organized by the BJP. It was a great victory in the fight against communalism. If every state government acted similarly, then Hindu fundamentalism could be wiped off the map of India and be replaced by a neo-humanist harmony among all religious and affiliations!

by N. Bhanutej - Karnataka

Peace eluded the Sri Guru Dattatreya Bababudan Swami Dargah ever since the Sangh parivar began agitating for it to be declared a Dattatreya temple in 1989. In recent years, the VHP-Bajrang Dal has mobilised thousands of supporters to the Sufi shrine near Chickmagalur, where a homa is performed on Dattatreya Jayanti every December. This year, Karnataka’s coalition government took over the shrine (dubbed ‘Ayodhya of the south’ by the parivar) and imposed prohibitory orders in Chickmagalur town to prevent the parivar’s Shoba Yatra on December 25. The police turned Chickmagalur into a fortress and arrested 14 MLAs who had come to participate in the yatra.

Outnumbering divisive forces: Unprecedented security at the shrine

The outnumbered parivar called for a bandh on December 25 and issued a ‘boycott Datta Jayanti’ call for the following day. "We oppose the state-sponsored Datta Jayanti which will not have a Hindu way of worship," said C.T. Ravi, BJP legislator from Chickmagalur. The BJP had earlier agreed to a state-sponsored function at an all-party meeting convened by Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh.

A look at legal documents shows that the celebration of Datta Jayanti and the introduction of Brahminical practices like homa are against the spirit of all court orders delivered on the issue. All the orders uphold the judgment of the Chickmagalur Civil Court delivered in 1980, which champions the syncretic tradition of the shrine. The judgment said that the religious practices that existed prior to June 1975 should be retained; these do not include Datta Jayanti. Research done by the Forum for Communal Harmony, which comprises many activist groups and academicians, notes that the introduction of homa and Datta Jayanti contradicts the faith observed in the shrine and thus violates the Places of Worship Act, 1991.

From 1989, the state has been accommodating the demands of the parivar in order to maintain peace. In October 2000, the state violated the spirit of the law further by forming an administrative committee to facilitate Datta Jayanti. In the last three years, the Forum for Communal Harmony has set the pitch for a debate on the issue. Supplementing activism with academic research, it compelled the government to act in a secular manner.

Says K.L. Ashok, secretary of the forum: "This is a historic victory in the fight against communalism. Our Bababudangiri experience, which can be called aggressive secularism, shows the way for the fight against fascist forces." Considering that the country cannot afford another Ayodhya, ‘aggressive secularism’ seems to be the way to go.


Last Updated May 1, 2005 8:09 PM

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