In Every Bandh, Public Property Bears Brunt

As the day comes to en end, a shut-down across Maharashtra called by Dalit leaders to protest the violence during the bicentennial celebration of the Bhima-Koregaon battle, the public property became main target of the miscreants. City and outstatation buses were again damaged in Mumbai and Pune.

In Mumbai, 47 buses of the civic transport service 'BEST' were damaged by protesters in Kalanagar area (Bandra), Dharavi, Kamraj Nagar, Santosh Nagar, Dindoshi and Hanuman Nagar, an official from the Disaster Management Unit of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) told. In Pune, the number was as high as 55 where Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) buses were damaged, informed PMPML chief Tukaram Munde.
Both the cities witnessed a major disruption of road traffic owing to protests. Offices too witnessed low attendance, as employees stayed away from work fearing violence.
Though the state government did not declare a school holiday, many parents chose not to send children to school. District Collectors at many places declared holiday in their jurisdiction.

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Burning Miraj Comes to Peace

Ganesh Immersion in City Tomorrow 

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and other Hindu organisations have voiced their objection over the riots in Miraj and Sangli. According to press releases issued by the organisations, murder of Afzal Khan was one of the illustrious incidents of the history of Maharashtra and India. There is hardly any counterpoint against this argument.  The riots in the southern part of the state were a unfortunate development.  Statement from the Hindu organisations have come one day after Gopinath Munde, leader of Bharatiya Janata Party was prohibited from visiting three cities by Sangli district administration.

Meanwhile, curfew in was relaxed in Sangli, Miraj and Ichalkaranji on Wednesday, as the situation was gradually improving. Communal clashes had broken out at in Miraj town and Sangli city last week. 

Trouble started on September 2 (a day before Anant Chaturdashi), when some pro-Hindutva organisations tried to raise an arch on the immersion procession route, depicting the killing of the Mughal warrior Afzal Khan by Maratha King Shivaji. This led to group clashes. According to primary reports, Muslim groups took objection to this.. But now it is clear that the police department was main hurdle in the erection of this structure. It was destroyed which gave way to riots. After three days, the fire spread to nearby cities. The gravity of the situation can be gauged by the fact that Sangli is hometown of Maharashtra's home minister Jayant Patil.

Chief minister Ashok Chavan had convened an all party meeting in Mumbai on Tuesday in this regard. A deal was struck in the meeting. Meanwhile, Sarvajanik Ganesh mandal representatives in Miraj have decided to immerse the idols tomorrow during 10:30 to 11:00 AM

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It is Deshmukh vs Pawar in Maharashtra

As the state assembly elections are nearing in Maharashtra, the political situation is taking very interesting turns. For a journalist, watching political developments unfolding is always a feast to the eyes. This time also the situation is no different. Congress and Nationalist Congress Party, who have shared the power for almost 10 years now are at loggerheads and opposition parties are also not in a better position. NCP has just completed 10 years of its existence and it has evolved from the Congress itself. In the last assembly elections, it managed to wrestle more seats than Congress and eventually claimed Chief Ministership. It was last moments at New Delhi deals that ensured five years rule of a Congressman at the helm.

That man being Vilasrao Deshmukh, he managed the state for four full years and could have continued had that fateful attack on Indian soil did not take in November 08. Deshmukh had to go from the political power from he is still an important man in the affairs of Congress party. He has a long rivalry with Sharad Pawar, who heads NCP starting from 1990 when Pawar was chief minister (then in Congress party) and Deshmukh was state industries minister. Deshmukh had rebelled (alongwith) Sushilkumar Shinde, currently union power minister and Ramrao Adik, who is nowhere in picture now. With his political acumen, Pawar survived that revolt but it created a permanent acrimony between two leaders. In the ensuing elections in 1995, Pawar was instrumental in the defeat of Deshmukh from the Latur constituency. It was so articulate a masterstroke that Deshmuk had to leave the Congress party only to return in 1997.

By 1999 assembly elections, things had changed so much. Shiv Sena & Bharatiya Janata Party alliance was in power and Congress was in the opposition benches. Just before the assembly elections, Pawar had left Congress and formed NCP. The two parties fought the elections separately and were surprised themselves when alliance was thrown out of power. The arithmetic of the seats forced two parties to come together, fulfilling Deshmukh's dream of becoming CM one day. But for him, his tenure from 1999 to 2004 was like 'Sleeping With the Enemy.' NCP tried every trick in the book to minimise Congress' reach and influence while strengthening its position manifold. Constant games and ploys by NCP reaped benefits in 2004 elections when NCP managed 71 seats while Congress could get 69 seats.

Surely Deshmukh did not forget this history when he, fresh from the victory in recently held Lok Sabha election, demanded that Congress should go alone in assembly elections. With NCP's influence fast eroding, Congressmen are toeing his line. Western Maharashtra is NCP's stronghold and when it could not get more than three seats (two of which are that of Pawar and his daughter Supriya Sule), Congressman do not see any reward in forging an alliance with the party. Pawar's image being a coy politician, few leaders in the state are comfortable with working with him. Leaders like Digvijay Singh are putting pressure on the leader with almost a statement a day asking to merge NCP in Congress. Chief minister Ashok Chavan seems to play no role in either joining hands or dissociating. He has given himself to the dictate from New Delhi and will move as per so called High Command's orders.

That brings the wrestling to Deshmukh and Pawar only. These two leaders are face to face even though Pawar is largely low profile owing to recent dribble in elections. Pawar had turned the side owing to caste equations. He had played Maratha card so cunningly to take NCP ahead of all parties. This time, Maratha organisations are already enraged over non-fulfilment of their demands. These organisations were an important aid in Pawar's political calculations, always providing a solid voter base the strongman. Also, Pawar's excessive reliance on these organisations have delineated other castes resulting in the unification of these castes. This was the primary reason why Gopinath Munde won with thumping majority in Beed and this is the reason why NCP could get only 8 Lok Sabha seats from among 48 seats. Pawar is also experiencing a deficit of support from Dalits and Muslims. The new mega alliance of splinter Dalit groups has added salt to the injury. Ramdas Athavale's defeat in Shirdi constituency was seen as renewed expression of Pawar's back-stab politics.

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The History In the Arguing

Historians Refuse to be Part of Controversy

The existing controversy between Brahmin-Maratha castes as taken a new turn with a hilarious exchange of statements today. A group which appears to be affiliated with the Sambhaji Brigade claimed that a major discussion on the history of Maharashtra will take place on Saturday, June 27. the statement issued by the organisation involved some big names like Gajanan Mehendale, who is credited with the most authentic biography of Chhatrapati Shivaji in India, Ninad Bedekar, a prominent historian and also Panduran Balkawade. But this towering figures have refused to be a part of the exercise saying they do not think it an appropriate place for the discussion.

Rashtra Seva Sangh, hitherto an unknown organisation has issued a statement that it wants to have clear discussion on the subject of Historical Research or Brahmin-Anti-Brahmin Controversy. The debate will take place at Nehru Memorial Hall, Ambedkar Road in the Camp area at 4:30 pm. The functionaries of the organisation appears to be associated with Sambhaji Brigade or Maratha Seva Sangh. Even the appearance of the statement gives a hint of that. But even before the statement could reach newspapers' offices and carried through, the historians themselves counter-fired salvo. The statement issued by Balkawade, Mehendale and Bedekar says, “We are researchers of the history. We ourselves decide as where to discuss subject related to history. We do not think this forum is appropriate for the discussion hence we have decided not to attend it.”

All Maharashtra is plagued by this inter-caste disputations over the last one month. Maratha and Brahmin castes are face to face over inclusion and deletion of certain parts in the history books taught to the students. Successive governments pertaining to political parties have added fuel to fire by constantly changing the texts in the curriculum. Now, it has snowballed into a feud between two communities in the state. With Legislative Assembly elections in the offing (scheduled to take place in October), we will be witnesses to more such things.

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Sanskrit and Marathi

A Tale of Two Languages

Sanskrit and Marathi, as anybody with a primary knowledge of languages is aware, are sister languages from the Indo-Germanic languages. In Maharashtra where the Marathi is the primary languages, both the languages shared a vibrant and cordial relation for centuries. Most of the vocabulary in Marathi is sourced from this ancient language. The scriptures from Sanskrit inspired a plethora of similar texts in the native language. Just as the Ramayana inspired Kamb Ramayanam in Tamil, the Bhagwat inspired Nath Bhagwat in Marathi. Most of the writings of leaders in the freedom struggle like Lokmanya Tilak and Swatantryaveer Savarkar was replete with Sanskrit quotations and couplets. It was no surprise then that the state emerged as one of the prominent centres of Sanskrit learning. For centuries, alongwith Varanasi (Benaras, UP) and Shringeri (Karnataka), Pune and Wai from Maharashtra were recognised as the centre of learning for the Sanskrit. So much so that University of Pune has a centre of advanced study in the language having been the only such centre in the country recognised by the University Grants Commission. Besides, institutes like Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth, Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (BORI) and Deccan College are heavily engaged in the learning, teaching and research of Sanskrit.

After Maharashtra was formed on May 1, 1960, Marathi became the official language of the state. On account of the three language formula adopted by the central government, Hindi and English replaced Sanskrit as the secondary language in the schools. Although on account of the exam pattern, Sanskrit remained scoring subject for students of the secondary schools. At the primary level though the study of the Sanskrit was discouraged as much as possible. Coupled with the government's unwillingness to continue the teaching of the subject in curriculum, nouveau intellectual voices also projected the language as a symbol of retrogression and caste supremacy. 'it is a language of Brahmins used to oppress the masses,' was a popular argument. Slowly the number of people knowing Sanskrit diminished. (at the personal level, I myself do not know much Sanskrit. I could not learn it in school because we had no teacher available. In later years, I tried to learn it and caught up a bit of skill in writing some stray sentences, but that is hardly a fluency. I can only say that I am a Sanskrit 'literate'.)

This fading of Sanskrit had its percussion on the linguistic life of the state. Speaking at a function in the city yesterday, noted Sanskrit scholar Pt. Vasant Gadgil underlined this fact. “Today we are decrying the sorry state of Marathi. but we have to understand that it is because of the neglect of Sanskrit that Marathi is fading into oblivion,” he said. And he has a point. In the last five decades or so, the formation of new words in the Marathi has taken a beating. That has made the language unpopular in the younger generation. Once Sanskrit was sidelined, hardly anybody has taken pride in using the native language. Government of Maharashtra had introduced many new words for the technical and administrative terms. But they were opposed on the ground that these words are heavily influenced by Sanskrit. The net result of this argument was that public remained away from using these words and people who opposed them could not provide any alternatives either. So first these words from English seeped in singularly and then whole language was adopted. The state of the affairs is such that in the state, number of Marathi schools is dwindling each passing year giving way to English medium ones. One more reason why English mediums schools are catching up is that it offers more opportunities for youths in contrast with vernacular languages. But that is a different subject altogether.

The severance of ties between Sanskrit and Marathi has not only affected the word additions, it has also created a void in the shaping of literature. After the tide of Dalit literary movement died down, the new Marathi literature appears heading nowhere. Its old roots have been lost and new directions are hard to get. As new generation is more prone to western influenced, it appears disinterested with the literature based on new conventions. Hardly any new book in Marathi has created wave in recent years while old classics like Mritunjay (an epic novel on the lifes of Karna) and Yayati (a novel based on a story from Mahabharata)still reign supreme in the market. This shows the affinity of common readers to its own roots. This is not withstanding with the popularity of Dalit literature which rejects the Sanskrit traditions but is more vernacular than it.

It is unlikely at the moment that Sanskrit will regain its glory in India immediately. But it continues to exist in pockets and continues to flourish, if dedicated attempts by various quarters are to be believed. However, in case of Marathi, it is unlikely to benefit by distancing itself with its source. The disadvantage will be more of Marathi and not Sanskrit.

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Thanks Raj Thackeray, you spoke it well

Caste Politics Deserved a Beating

Raj Thackeray, leader of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena has finally spoke on behalf of Shivshahir Babasaheb Purandare. He has warned of retalitory action if any attempt is made to a harm Purandare physically.

An open letter written by Raj points to the controversy over Purandare's induction as chairman of the committee set by state government. The committe will look into issues for erecting a huge memorial of Chhatrapati Shivaji in the Arab sea, off the coast of Mumbai. The total project will cost Rs 300 Crores.

Organisations like Sambhaji Brigade and Maratha Mahasangh has opposed to the name of Purandare as chairman saying that he does not deserve it. These organisations are fighting for the Maratha caste, to which Shivaji belonged. They have an old grudge against Purandare, suspecting that he had guided the US writer James Laine for writing his book, 'Shivaji: A Hindu King in Muslim India'. The book had attracted severe criticism five years ago because it had certain comments in the form of rumours deriding Shahaji, Shivaji's father. The issue was snowballed into a huge controversy then leading to an attack on Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute. Since then, Purandare is a prime target of Maratha organisations.

As is there way, the leaders of the Maratha organisations, Vianayk Mete and Purushottam Khedekar, went overboard in opposing Purandare's appointment saying that he will be physically attacked if the appointment is not cancelled. This prompted Raj Thackrey, fresh from the success of recent parliamentary elections where his party's candidates pulled in more than nine lakh votes, to issue an open letter. Raj is known to be close to Purandare and it was Purandare who attempted unsuccessfuly but vigorously to mend fences between Raj and Balasaheb Thackeray. He is one of the closest persons to Thackeray family. Given the penchant of Thackerays to the history of Marathas and in particular Chhatrapati Shivaji, it was obvious that they share a bond between them.

This also marks a good step in the politics of Maharashtra where the casteism is taking bigger and bigger roles. Raj has pointed the casteist approach of Maratha organisation and rightfully also pointed the connection of Congress and Nationalist Congress leaders with them. Both these parties claim to have a monopoly over the secularism in the state. But their role in all this drama is clearly visible. In fact, it was NCP's overstress on Maratha card that lead to its defeat in the Vidharbha and Marathwada region since these two parts have the maximum polarisation of castes in terms of voting. Purandare is a Brahmin, that also has become a disadvantage for him.

"Maratha leaders like Purushottam Khedekar and Vinayak Mete should remember that their opposition to Purandare, who is well-known across the state for popularising the Shivaji's legend among masses, will not go unopposed. Maratha leaders are trying to divide Maharashtra on caste basis and that is why they oppose appointment of Purandare, a Brahmin. Is it Purandare's crime that he belongs to Brahmin community? He has spent his entire life researching on Shivaji's life" Raj said in a statement here.

The MNS chief's comments came in the wake Khedekar, a former state government employee, announced of strong reprisal across the state if Purandare was not removed from the panel. This is not the first time that such an issue has arisen in Maharashtra. But no leader has expressed explicit support for any side like Raj except for his uncle, Balasaheb Thackeray. Shiv Sena chief is famous for his non-partisan policies as regards castes. By pronouncing his support for Purandare, Raj has taken a big risk as most of his party workers, young one that for that, come from Maratha caste. He has shown readiness to set aside this consideration for the sake of an old and reverred historian. This is a welcome move by any political leader in India.

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The Story of Loss and Win

I am writing this post full four after the election results. I have to confess that I, like all in my fraternity, could not read the mood of voters. I thought Anil Shirole will win but it was not to be. Ex-pilot and president of Indian Olympics Association Suresh Kamadi rombed home with a satisfying win having a lead of over 20,000 votes.

It is time for introspection not only for losing political parties but also for us journalists. We were way away from the actual facts and believed that whatever trend we predicted were for real. We did not read the writing on the wall because we thought the analysis we engaged in were substantial. Now that this bubble burst with a heavy wind, we have to get back to business, that is analysis.

To be fair, there was no reason why Kalmadi was to be defeated. He had carried out various development works. He is also a suave politician and keeping with the tradition of Pune constituency, also known for his reach. He has not confined himself with a particular community of strata of society. Kalmadi can be seen in Hi-Tech Pune conference as well as at Eid Milan program organized by city Congress. There is also no criminal connection with his name. Media predicted his defeat solely on the assumption that D. S. Kulkarni will eat away his votes. But that did not happen that way.

Consider these facts: Congress had alliance with Nationalist Congress Party but guardian minister Ajit Pawar chose not to attend any campaign rally in favor of Kalmadi. Being a Brahmin from Karnataka, he had also caste factor against him. He is shrewd enough not to publicize or rather cover this disadvantage. This was the first year when Kalmadi openly spoke in Kannada in a gathering at Congress Bhavan in Pune.

We are always proud of being in the midst of people and having our ears to the ground. But these election results have shown us how far we are from the ground realities. So Congress' win is a loss for us. A loss of face and loss of confidence also.

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RSS+Has+A+New+Chief

RSS Has A New Chief
Maharashtrian Brahmin Again At Helm

Rashtirya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) Mohan Bhagwat was today elected as the new chief of RSS. He replaces K S Sudarshan who held the top post of Sangh Parivar for nearly nine years. The move is significant as political front of RSS, the Bharatiya Janata Party, is trying hard to regain the power at centre. It is also important because a Maharashtrian Brahmin has returned to this post in the form Bhagwat after about 15 years.

The election of Bhagwat as Sarsanghchalak (RSS chief) came on the second day of the three-day RSS conclave. It is expected to redefine its relationship with the BJP. BJP president Rajnath Singh and Bal Apte, on deputation from RSS, were present on the occasion.

A veterinary doctor by profession, Bhagwat hails from Chandrapur in Maharashtra and became a pracharak (full time volunteer) of RSS from his early years. He is 59-year-old and is the youngest chief of RSS after Guruji Golwalkar who took the mantle in 1940 at the age of 34.

He has good relations with the BJP leadership including L K Advani. His name had recently figured in the ATS chargesheet when one of the accused in the Malegaon blasts had linked him to ISI, a charge he had strongly denied. Before becoming Sarsanghchalak, Bhagwat was the general secretary.He has held various responsibilities including district prachark for Akola, provincial pracharak for Nagpur and zonal prachark for Bihar before being made joint secretary.

Sudarshan's early years as RSS chief were tumultuous with the BJP in power at the Centre at a time when the Sangh Parivar came under attack due to the post-Godhra riots in Gujarat and the Jinnah controversy triggered by Advani during a trip to Pakistan.(Bhagwat, who will be the sixth RSS chief, is the youngest to assume the top post after Guruji Golwalkar. Bhagwat had become general secretary in 2000 when Sudarshan, an electronics and telecommunication engineer, took over the mantle of Sarsanghchalak from Rajendra Singh.

Sudarshan became Sarsanghchalak in 2009 when Rajendra Singh, popularly known as Rajju Bhaiyya stepped down from the post owing to ill health. Before him, it was said that only Chitpawan Brahmin can become the chief of the organisation.

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Brahmins Vow to Vote Heavily

It is a sacred duty, says Brahmin Mahasangh

The Multilingual Brahmin convocation was a much talked about subject in the last month. The two day event held in Pune had hit the headlines after an academician was forced to abandon her speech favouring modernism for women. Thereafter  there was talk that the even was ">hijacked by the politicians. Shyam Deshpande, chairman of Standing Committee in Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Vikas Mathkari, leader of Bharatiya Janata Party in PMC expressed unhappiness over the manner in which Sheila Dixit, chief minister of New Delhi and Suresh Kalmadi, Congress member of parliament got prominence on the dias. Deshpande even vent his ire on the dias itself refusing to accept the felicitation by organisers. Even Shalinitai Patil, leader of Kranti Sena and herself from Maratha community gave a political speech against the reservation quotas.

Now, a month after the event, some Brahmin activists again held a meeting in the city last Thursday. The meeting organised by Akhil Bharatiya Brahmin Mahasangh has called on the community members to vote in maximum numers in the ensuing parliamentary elections. It is aimed to have 70 to 80 percent of voting through the community members. A release brought out by the Mahasangh has also appealed the community members to not only vote but to encourage others also to vote in the election. The things to be considered while voting will be deliberated in the next meeting.

It is not clear how much following the Mahasangh has. It has announced that it will create a new record for blood donation in during the meet. But the organisers of the meet failed miserably. There were also some dissenting voices during the meet itself. The caste factor, an important part of the Indian politics will not be that much important this time. As Bahujan Samaj Party has put up a candidate of Brahmin caste. Suresh Kalmadi, the present Member of Parliament representing the constituency is also from the same caste. He is likely to get a continuation this time also. That means we might expect a Brahmin v/s Brahmin fight this time. 

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BJP Confused in Maharashtra

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in a fix now as it is confused in chosing an alliance partner for the coming Lok Sabha elections, especially in Maharashtra. In the backdrop of a meeing between Sharad Pawar, president of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Uddhav Thackerey, executive president of Shiv Sena, it is ready now to go on the backfoot for seat sharing formula.

 

BJP has a two decade long alliance in Maharashtra with Shiv Sena that has faced many a storms. The chief architect of this alliance were Pramod Mahajan of BJP, who was killed by his own brother two years ago and Bal Thackeray, Shiv Sena supremo who is confined to solitarity owing to old age. In the changing political scenario, Shiv Sena is cosying up with NCP or vice versa. That has ruffled BJP’s feathers.

 

Speking in Pune on Thursday, BJP leader Gopinath Mundhe said is ready to take one foot backwards while arriving at a satisfactory seat-sharing arrangement. Mundhe said he was confident that a solution could be found through negotiations. Mundhe harped on the Hindutva ideology while expressing his faith for an alliance with Shiv sena.

 

Sharad Pawar had reportedly a meeting with Uddhav on Wednesday, Feb. 18 in New Delhi. A day later he hinted at new alliances saying in Sangli said that NCP can ally with any party except BJP. That sent shockwaves in BJP camp. BJP knows that Shiv Sena is tired of the saffron alliance which was formed in 1984. It is perceived that BJP tries to wrestle more seats in each election. Also, caste factor plays a big role in all the understandings. While NCP and Shiv Sena share a common voter base comprising Maratha community, BJP is seen as a Brahminical party.

Technorati Tags     India,Elections,News,Pune,Maharashtra,Gopinath,Mundhe,Sharad,Pawar,Uddhav,Thackeray,BJP,NCP,Lok,Sabha

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Dehu Won't Host Dow

Dehu will host more programs this years coinciding with the 400th birth anniversary of Sant Tukaram. Though it is in the news for wrong reasons for quite some time, Dehu is more known for Sant Tukaram, one of the spiritual gurus of Chhatrapati Shivaji. Even after more than 300 years since Tukram left this earth, the town is heavy with the spirit of the sant who was more interested in his devotion than the worldly attachments.  

Three days ago, much of the state government was present in this town to commemorate 400th birth anniversary. The issue of Dow Research Centre coming near Bhandara Hills, where Tukaram used to meditate and compose his abhangas came up at the event. At that time, Chief Minister Ashok Chavan catgorically stated that Dow's centre will be shifted elsewhere.  That will put a heated debate to rest hopefully.

From Dehu

I was in Dehu on 22 December. I visited the temple where Tukaram used to worship Panduranga or Viththal. A scenic but quite an unclean river flows from near this temple. The build of the temple is quite old fashioned but offeres a soothing view to the eyes of a man like me who is forced to spend his days in the concrete jungle. 

From Dehu

When I completed the darshan, I was eager to click this man who was studiosly performing his duty. It was his job to recite the god's name without heeding the number of people. When I was just to click him, I found him also staring at him. I wanted to click him without getting his conscious but failed to do so. The I gave up and after taking his photo, chatted a little. He was pleased to speak with him. Later I was surprised to know that he is also from Marathwada, from where I am. 

From Dehu

Even built in old styles, temples in Dehu are being neglected like elsewhere. The main temple where the idols of Panduranga and Rukmini are placed is very dilapidated now. 

From Dehu

Indrayani flows through Dehu. It is the same river which flows through Alandi, another holy town known for Sant Dnayneshwar. In Dehu, the river has more significance as it is said that the Brahmins who did not like Tukaram's teaching and making spirituality open for all, immersed his books in the river. Tukaram then started fasting on the banks of the Indrayani. Three day later, all the books containing Tukaram's abhangas seen flating in the river. The spot where all this drama took place is shown even today. Even the spot from where Tukaram is said to have ascended to Vaikuntha has a temple now. 

From Dehu

A new temple dedicated to the works of Tukaram is coming up near Dehu now. It is made in marble and each wall of the temple has abhangas of Tukaram inscripted in it. I will always remember this temple for two reasons. One, it is here that I got a call from my friend informing me that he has lost his job and second, my footwears were stolen from this place. I have to come back to town barefoot and buy a new pair of chappals because of that.

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Maestro’s sublime act

Kudos to Illayaraja. The maestro has done again what people in film industry are seldom expected to do. The man who has mesmerized generatios with his sweet voice has shown that he can stand for his convictions when it matters.
Music director Ilayaraja and director Gnanarajasekaran shared an excellent rapport. Ilayaraja’s works in Moga Mul and Bharathy, both directed by Gnanarajasekaran, won several accolades.
Obviously Gnanarajasekaran approached Ilayaraja for his current directorial venture Periyar, a movie based on the life of the revolutionary thinker in Tamilnadu. Actor Satyaraj and Khushboo are expected to act in the film. But the news is that Ilayaraja has declined to work in the movie. Eventually the baton has been passed to Vidyasagar.
According to Ilayaraja, he has a great respect for Periyar. "Certain ideas of Periyar still holds relevant. However he was a known atheist. But my life is total contrast to the ideas and thoughts of Periyar. Hence I thought it would not be appropriate for me to work in the movie and more over I though I cannot do justice to my job," he has been quoted as saying.
Fotr the non starters, E.V. Ramasami Naicker, also known as E.V. Ramaswami, EVR, Thanthai Periyar, or just Periyar, was an atheist, social reformer, an activist, and the founder of Dravidar Kazhagam and the Self-Respect Movement in Tamil Nadu, India.
EVR’s given name was Ramaswami. He was from a prominent Kannada Naidu caste, a community that is descended from the Nayak rulers of Tamil Nadu. Hence he is called E. V. Ramaswami Naicker. "Periyar" means ‘respected one’ or an ‘elder’ in Tamil.
EVR was an atheist. He is well known for his antitheistic statement, "He who created god was a fool, he who spreads his name is a scoundrel, and he who worships him is a barbarian." He created a cult of hatred against Brahmins. In fact the most important legacy of EVR in Tamil Nadu is his Anti-Brahmanism and the effect it had on individual Brahmins. He never made any attempt to distinguish between good or bad Brahmins. He used Ganesha Chathurthi (a Hindu festival celebrating Ganesha, one of the popular forms of God in Hinduism), to desecrate and publicly destroy statues of the Gods. Though he was an atheist, he was criticized as a minority appeaser, since he choose to criticise only Hinduism and was soft on minority religions like Christianity and Islam.
Ilaiyaraaja, on the other hand is known for his spiritual leanings. A deeply person, he has composed for over 800 film in various languages like Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi. His Thiruvasagam - A Symphonic Oratorio has made history in sales, in Tamil Nadu. The audio distributors Well Gate say they have sold 35000 CDs and 25000 cassettes of the album.

http://www.raaja.com/biography.html

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