copy of my mail to VK

Subject:	Tipu Sultan mattu Bhyrappanavaru
Date:	Sun, 24 Sep 2006 01:45:03 -0530
From:	Vikas Akalwadi
To:	noorentumaatu@yahoo.com, vbhat@vijaykarnataka.com

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ಮಾನ್ಯರೆ,

ತಮ್ಮ ಭಾನುವಾರದ ಪತ್ರಿಕೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಕಟವಾದ ಶ್ರೀ ಭೈರಪ್ಪ ನವರ ಲೇಖನವನ್ನು ಓದಿ ಸಂತೋಷವಾಯಿತು. ಇತಿಹಾಸವನ್ನು ಸತ್ಯದ ಆಧಾರದ ಮೇಲೆಯೇ ಬರೆಯಬೇಕೇ ಹೊರತು "ಹಿಸ್ಟರಿ ಇಸ್ ರಿಟ್ಟನ್ ಬಾಯ್ ವಿಕ್ಟರ್ಸ್"ಎಂಬಂತೆ ಪ್ರಜಾ-ಪ್ರಭುತ್ವದಲ್ಲಾದರೂ ನಡೆಯಕೂಡದು.

ಇಂಥ ಅಮೂಲ್ಯವಾದ, ವೈಚಾರಿಕ ಲೇಖನವನ್ನು ನಿರ್ಭೀತಿಯಿಂದ ಪ್ರಕಟಿಸಿದ ನಿಮ್ಮನ್ನು - ಸತ್ಯವನ್ನು ತಿಳಿಯಲು ಪ್ರಾಮಾಣಿಕವಾಗಿ ಪ್ರಯತ್ನಿಸುತ್ತಿರುವ ನಿಮ್ಮ ಧೋರಣೆಯನ್ನು - ನಿಮ್ಮ ಓದುಗನಾದ ನಾನು ಕೃತಜ್ಞತೆಯಿಂದ ಅಭಿನಂದಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ. ಶ್ರೀ ಭೈರಪ್ಪನವರ ವಿಚಾರಗಳನ್ನು ತಿಳಿಯಪಡಿಸಿದ್ದಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ವಿಶೇಷ ಧನ್ಯವಾದಗಳು.
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maanyare,
tamma bhaanuvaarada patrikeyalli prakaTavaada Sree bhairappa navara lEKanavannu Odi saMtOShavaayitu. itihAsavannu satyada aadhaarada mEleYE bareyabEkE horatu "hisTari is riTTan baay vikTars"eMbaMte prajaa-prabhutvadallAdarU naDeyakUDadu.

iMtha amUlyavAda, vaichaarika lEKanavannu nirbheetiyiMda prakaTisida nimmannu - satyavannu tiLiyalu praamaaNikavaagi prayatnisuttiruva nimma dhOraNeyannu - nimma OduganAda naanu kRutaj~jateyiMda abhinaMdisuttEne. shree Bairappanavara vichaaragaLannu tiLiyapaDisiddakkAgi viSESha dhanyavaadagaLu.

vikAsa
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Closure of 1400 Schools in Bangalore

written at the behest / persuasion by Swarnakumar :)
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A few days back, different news channels were beaming at us reports related to a directive of the Delhi courts to certain super-specialty hospitals. The govt. of Delhi had sold the land in prime localities at concessional rates to these hospitals under the condition that they would provide free medical services to certain number of poor patients. Years had passed and these hospitals were not complying with their commitments. When the govt. asked for an explanation and why the permission should not be withdrawn besides cancellation of the allotment of land – the authorities of the hospitals came out with their argument saying how difficult it was for them to financially fulfill their obligations, pleading for the patients who were currently being treated, how they were making Delhi/India proud by offering super-specialty health services to large number of people at reasonable prices. They even attacked the govt. saying how bad the hospitals run by govt. were and advised the govt. not to interfere in micro-level administration of institutions.

Thanks to good hearted public and socialist zealots – rightly – the public felt that these hospitals should not only be penalized for their defaults, but also be made to fulfil their commitments of treating the poor. If they were unable to do so, the administration of the hospitals could be auctioned off or taken over by the govt. itself !!

* * *

Today the same TV channels were reporting about over 1400 schools in Bangalore city alone, who had taken permission from the govt. to run Kannada medium primary schools. The govt. following its own rule of 1994, had granted permission and provided financial aid to these schools. But the managements were actually running English medium schools all these years, illegally. So the govt. had no alternative but to ask the schools to change the medium of instruction to mother tongue or face de-recognition.

I naturally equated hospitals with schools, prime-land at concessional rates with financial aid, recipients of medical treatment to students, refusal to provide free treatment with providing education in mother tongue.

So I expected that the channels, panelists and the general public to laud the woken-up govt. machinery and efforts of education minister for bringing errant schools to book. I thought, the people would demand these managements why they should not be penalized(not 1 or 2 schools – 1400 schools affecting over 20 lack students in Bangalore city alone), forced to change medium of instruction – failing which the schools could be auctioned off or taken over by Govt.

But the yardsticks had changed !!

* * *

Issue of language is often described as ‘emotional’ – something lacking logic all together. Here were panelists sitting in Mumbai/Delhi preaching about importance of English to people of Bangalore !! They were pleading for ‘harmony’ and ‘tolerance’ to people of Karnataka. The govt. was supposed to let off the defaulters, violate its own 1994 rule and let the people to continue their illegal acts (or legalize the illegal). The law was to be bent on the advice of CEOs of corporate houses looking out for required workforce with skill-set, on advice of English media houses and their employees who wanted to increase their viewer base, on advice of ‘eminent intellectuals’ who knew how culturally alienated students educated in English at primary level could easily be manipulated to accept their ideologies, on the advice of workless petty politicians sitting on opposition benches – SMS counts indicating ‘popular public opinion’ to a tactically framed question !!

I would like:

1. the govt. to bring to book and make managements of schools to change medium of instruction to Kannada, something for which they have been given license and financial aid.
2. The present batch of students can either change their medium of instruction or might be allowed to receive education in English – depending on the classs in which they study.
3. To extend the law to educate the students in their mother tongue at primary level in all schools of the state – whether private or missionary/ pathashala / madarasa etc.
4. If the students are children of employees of Central govt., who face transfers across the nation, they could be admitted in schools of Central Govt. These Central Govt schools could only admit such children.

It is the duty of the govt. to implement the law while the educationists determine the frame work. Committees of Dr. Gokak and Sarojini Mahishi etc have done enough work in the field of education and administration in mother tongue and submitted their reports. There haven’t been many changes in the present times to re-look into these reports. It is the sacred constitutional duty of the govt. to implement these reports in toto.

My request to media people is to be impartial and only truth should be delivered with correct facts and figures. We respect them and trust them for their news – based on which we form our views.

Bhyrappa and Karnad

D. H. Shankaramurthy, minister of higner education at a function orgainsed to protest the distortion of history textbooks mentioned that - "Bhagat Singh, Shivaji, Rana Pratap, Guru Gobind Singh etc are being portrayed as terrorists and Aurangazeb as a saint. This kind of distortion of historical facts is not correct. The mysore kings had used Kannada as administrative language which was changed by Tipu Sultan, who made it Persian. His coins have persian writings on it, while Mysore kings had used Kannada". This appeared as headlines in newspaper under the title "Tipu was anti-kannadiga", and all the "intellectuals" got together to demand the apology of Shankaramurthy, asked CM to sack the minister and prove his secular credentials, how "dangerous"/"anti-natiaonal" these statements are etc.

Last year too, govt of Karnataka lead by Congress planned to spend crores of rupess to celebrate some-centenary of Tipu Sultan, and when BJP protested for his atrocities against malabar hindus - the newspapers carried lots of reports on how Tipu donated money to Sringeri, to SriRanganatha temple at SriRangapatnam and Nanjunda temple etc. This prompted Girish Karnda to write a novel "Tipu kanda kanasugalu", which was "critically accliamed", "highy appreciated", dramatised by his chelas etc.

Remeber how during the aftermath of demolishion of Babri structure "Sword of Tipu Sultan" used to get telecast on TV ? It portrayed the kings of mysore as baffoons (the king was a connosure of arts and has written treatise on them), Maharani lakshmi-ammanni who was an able administrator as a 'wicked witch', and Hyder Ali as a great man(who was a treacherous man and whose army was defeated once by Onake Obavva). Tipu again was potrayed as a saint sent directly from heaven and epitome of hindu-muslim unity - serial often showed a priest and a mulla sitting and discussing.

I would like to mention 3 short stories of Shri Masti Venkatesh Ayengar, stories of whom are considered historically accurate.
1. Story of Recovery of a temple in "Ranganahalli" by Ferguesson - remember "kanna mucche kade goode" song. It is story of a temple of Shri Rama that was buried as Tipu's army was destroying all hindu temples. The historian based on this song, excavates the temple
2. Story of Biligiri Ranganatha - This is a temple of Srinivasa/Lord Venkatesha (Lord in the standing posture). For the fear of Tipu's army, temple authorities and people started calling the Lord here as Ranganatha (Lord in sleeping posture) and still now he is called Biligiri Ranganatha, though it should have been Biligiri Srinivasa. Tipu did not destory Sri Ranganatha as his own capital had a large population of followers of SriRanganatha at SriRangapatna.
3. Story of a brahmin boy who was outcaste by ortodox hindus as he was made to eat beef by Sultan's men. This man became a muslim but connived against Tipu as he could not tolerate Tipu's acrocities against hindus.

You may also read
http://www.bharatvani.org/books/tipu/index.htm

Shri S. L. Bhyrappa is not given to political controversies. He stands as the tallest writer of Kannada literature today, with a huge following. 4 of his novels have been successfully made into award winning movies, 1 into a TV serial (all by socialist directors). Though he never associates himself with any sort of "isms", political parties - reason why he still hasnt received Jnanapeetha, or any kind of govt. posts and honours - he is the most read author and along with Karnath-described as the "father of kannada novels". Almost all his novels get translated into many of the indian langues and he has huge following in Marathi/Gujarati literary cicles, languages which he is familiar with.

Bhyrappa in this article also mentions how history should be dealt with - how to react when incidents related to atrocities of then muslim leaders are taught, without hurting our secular credentials.

Artilce courtesy : Vijaya Karnataka

thoughts on my primary/high school days

Karnatak high school in Dharwad is a nationalist school started in 1919 in response to Swadeshi call given by Mahatma Gandhi as part of Non-cooperation movement. I was fortunate to have studied in this school, which has had the previlege of having as its staff, dedicated and talented teachers. Many of these teachers were true Gandhians, who beleived in dedicated selfless work and were associated with RSS. The school has produced many rank holders in SSLC every year - as long as rank system existed. But more importantly it has procided good value based education to students coming from every strata of society at very little price. I remember to have pain Rs. 60/- as annual fees when the I was in 7th standard - while the missionary christian institutes claiming to have introduced "education system" in india used to charge Rs. 200/- per month apart from 'donation'.

Alas, our people have forgotten "gurukulas", universities at Nalanda, Takshashila, Kanchi and veerashaiva pathashalas, which gave both secular and spiritual education at free of cost. The society, especially the king and the vaishyas beleived that it is their dharmic duty to materially support those institutes. As shri Bhyrappa points out in his novel "sartha", though the university at Nalanda was a buddhist institute - its chief patrons were all hindu kindoms, chiefly the Guptas. This despite the fact that Guptas were followers of Vedic faith and Buddhists at Nalanda were zealous missionaries who had to present Buddhism as a superior and rational faith to Vedic faith. As the muslim invaders came and destroyed these buddhist institutes, the education system in ancient india did not collapse. Rather, the teachers started giving education at their home, giving food also to the students ! Something like positive-Raktabeeja, you destroy the Nalanda, and you get million nalandas in every village !

In this era, of capitation fees and payment seats, it appers hard to believe. But teachers then prayed for good students - "shama-dama-sampanna-brahmacharins". It was the students who approached the teachers to ask what should be their "Guru-dakshina", when they finished their study successfully as a sign of gratitudeness. The teachers on their part, thought of repaying their "guru-runa", by imarting the knowledge to successive generations. Acharyopanishad of Taittireeya Aranyaka presents a grand scene of the message of teachers to the students.

Swami Vivekananda went to west to spread the message of Vedanta to the West and to bring material welfare to help the masses of India. During those days in America, people used to pay and listen to him. But soon he discovered that he was being "socially caged" by wealthy and influential people. Many of these were not sincere students. Swamiji had to give talks on topics chosen by the contracting company - topics which were repeated and not-so-spiritual. Swamiji broke this contrct suffering financial losses and started giving lectures freely. This enabled sincere students to attend to his lectures. As the number of such students increased in leaps and bounds, Swamiji had to rent large halls. Seeing the plight of swamiji- a penniless monk - struggling for his students, somebody asked him the reason. Swamiji said, "In India, it is the DUTY of the teacher to meet the needs of his students and to provide for their welfare". Swamiji managed to earn money by giving a few lectures on secular topics, for which entrance fee was collected. That was the large heartedness of Swami Vivekananda, the teacher.

At KHS, teh assembly on weekdays used to be at 11.45 am and we used to sing the school song "Unnatiya margavanu toruvadu dhwajawu", penned by Shri Sali Ramachandra Raya, a noted kannada poet and ex-teacher of the school. Sali Ramachandra was one of the earliest 'modern kannada poets' and composed Ramayana's "Bala kandavu" and "Ayodhya KAndavu" in lucid kannada. This seemed to have became quite popular amongst the people and students. This song was followed by the national anthem "Jana-gana-mana adhinayaka jaya hey", penned by Gurudev Rabeendranath Tagore. A thousand students singing this in chorous quite zealously used to produce a great effect on the listners. On Saturdays, the classes used to be in the early morning hours and we used to sing devotionally "Vande Mataram", of Bankimchandra. Friday evenings' long prayers remined one of Gandhiji's evening prayer sessions. We, the students of all communities sang "Vaishnava janato", "Raghupati Raghava" and kannada translation of "Stitaprajnasya ka bhasha ?" from Geeta.

I often remember these prayers. Shri K G Joshi is, noted Gandhian in his advance age used to attend them without fail. In his spotless khadi dress, he used to sit throughout with erect back. He also used to take tuition classes for free to all the students of SSLC. Since i was young then, i can only say that the classes were sought after, seeing the number of students who attended them.

Not that the school did not have any defects. But all real systems have the defects, and they have to be respected as long as they show the spirit of correcting their defects.

I consider myself fortunate for having studied there. It was the time when Gokak movement was still green in the minds of the people. Many of the Kannada activists, poets and intelligentia who took active part in this, themselves sent their children to English 'convents'. My father took a conscious decision to send us to a kannada medium school for he believed that the primary education should be in mother tongue. I felt inferior abour myself during those days as my cuisines went to convents in auto-rikshwas, while i had to avail the service of "Tanga". While they wore polished leather black shoes and spoke in English, i kept writing on stone-sheet {kallu-pati}. Our servant, washer-woman herself sent her grand-childeren to English medium schools after paying 'donations'. I had to sit amongst my fellow classmates, who were children of tailors, farmers, etc. and from economically backward classes. Sometimes my tiffin boxes were stolen or just the food in it - as my classmates came from very poor families.

Now i understand what a great blessing it was to be taught by those dedicated teachers. How high the average IQ of the class was - which enabled us to excel due to competition and healthy sharing fo ideas amongst the friends. I am indebted to my father for having taken such a bold decision.

As my maternal uncles were educated at Shri Ramakrishna Vidyashala, a residential school in Mysore, my mother wanted me to study there and made sure that i joined it. SRKVS has had tremendous effect on my personality, about which i may keep on writing. It also helped me to critically look at KHS and understand the its relative strengths and weaknesses.