Ramakrishna Paramhamsa (1836-1886 AD)

 

Ramakrishna's childhood name was Gadadhar Chattopadhyay. He was born in 1836 AD in a poor Brahmin family in Hooghly district of Bengal.

He had no interest in education since childhood. He was engrossed in religious thoughts all the time. When he was 17 years old, his father died.

At the age of 21, he became a priest in the temple of Kalidevi in Dakshineswar near Calcutta.

He learned Tantric practice for two years from a Brahmin monk named Bhairavi.

A great Vedantic monk named Totapuri taught him Vedanta practice.

Through his spiritual practice, he proved that religion and knowledge are not a matter of knowledge, but a matter of experience.

Ramakrishna died of tuberculosis on 16 August 1886.

His biography was written by Max Muller. Then Romain Rolland also published a biography.

                            Personality of Param Hans

1.     Not a Pandit but a Saint

There is the same difference between a Pandit and a Saint as there is between the heart and the intellect. What the intellect cannot understand even after trying hard, the heart suddenly sees.

Through the propaganda of Dayanand, Rammohan Roy and Annie Besant, it was proved that Hindu religion is not condemnable but noble, but the public wanted to see what the living form of the religion is like. He saw this living form of religion when Paramahamsa Ramakrishna (1836-1886 AD) appeared.

2.     Not logic but feeling

With the arrival of Ramakrishna the experience of religion became evident. He showed through his life that religious truths are not merely an object of intellectual speculation, they are a matter of direct experience and in front of them all the desires and pleasures of the world are completely insignificant.

He practiced all the paths of Hinduism. For some days, he became a true Muslim and practiced Islam and for some time he also practiced Christianity. There can be no bigger and more useful solution to the religious problem of India than the one given by Ramakrishna. By becoming Vaishnav, Shaiva, Shakta, Tantric, Advaist, Muslim and Christian, Paramhansa Ramakrishna proved that the external forms of religions are only external forms. They do not make any difference to the basic principle. There are many means and ways. Man can choose anyone among them.

3.     The embodiment of religion

He took initiation into Advaita practice from Mahatma Totapuri who himself came to his hut. He got the practice of Tantra from a Bhairavi who herself had reached Dakshineshwar while travelling. Similarly, his guru of Islamic practice was one Govind Rai who had converted from Hindu to Muslim and he practiced Christianity with Shambhu Charan Mallik who was well-versed in Christian scriptures. But, even while delving into all the spiritual practices and investigating the deep secrets of religion, his faith in the feet of Kali remained unshakable.

Paramhansa Ramakrishna was the embodiment of the depth and sweetness of Hinduism. His senses were completely under his control. From head to toe he was full of the light of the soul. The glow of joy, purity and virtue surrounded him. He remained engrossed in spiritual thoughts day and night. Worldly happiness and prosperity, even Suyash, had no value in front of him.

4.     Disenchantment with Kanchan

To test the fact that Ramakrishna does not touch money and the mere touch of it causes pain, Narendra Dutt one day surreptitiously hid a rupee under Paramahamsa ji's bed. When Ramakrishna returned and sat on the bed, he felt as if he had been stung by a scorpion and he jumped up and stood up. People looked around, but there was nothing anywhere. Finally, when he removed the bed and looked down, he saw that there was a rupee lying under it. Everyone was stunned. Only Narendra was surprisingly serious. Ramakrishna was aware of his mischievousness and said, “Okay Ray; The Guru should be examined to his heart's content." This aversion towards money kept increasing in him. At last it became such that he could not even touch a bronze vessel without wrapping his hand with a cloth.

5.     Indifference towards wife

Ramakrishna was a monk who remained with his wife till his last days. He had left his home after marriage and the truth is that he had not even formally left his home because, even after attaining maturity, he went to his village and lived there with his family in the same manner as The householder should stay. After this journey, his wife joined him in Dakshineshwar and Paramhansaji did not hesitate at all in keeping her with him. But, he did not have physical relations with his wife, this is known from all the details.

He said that although women are a part of Jagadamba, yet they are sacrificial for the seeker and sage.

6.     Preaching in the saint's way

His style of presenting the subject was exactly the same which was adopted by the ancient sages of India like Parshvanath, Buddha and Mahavira and which has traditionally been the method of preaching of Indian saints. He used to take less help of arguments; whatever had to be explained, he used to explain it through analogies and examples.

He said, “If the attachment of Kamini-Kanchan is completely destroyed, then the body is separate and the soul is separate, this becomes clearly visible. When the coconut water dries up, the copra (Gari) inside it gets separated from the drain, the copra and the drain both start appearing separately (like that), or as can be said about a sword kept inside the scabbard. That the scabbard and the sword are two different things, likewise, know about the body and the soul.”

To understand the idea that idol worship also has real importance in the worship of God, he would say, “Just as the court is remembered when we see a lawyer, in the same way, God is remembered when we see an idol.”

“Maya is the power of God, it resides in God only, then is God also as bound by Maya as we are?” To solve this problem he would say, “Oh, no brother! It is not like that...look at this. There is always poison in the snake's mouth. He always eats and drinks with the same mouth, but he himself does not die from that matter.”

The famous Brahmo-Samaji seeker and scholar Acharya Pratapchandra Majumdar has written that “Before having the darshan of Shri Ramakrishna, no one even understood what is called religion. It was all ostentation. What a religious life is like, I came to know after benefiting from the company of Ramakrishna.”

Prarthna Samaj

 

        

In 1864 AD, Keshavchandra Sen went to Bombay and wanted to open a branch of Brahmo Samaj there. Due to his influence, Prarthana Samaj was established in Bombay in 1867.

Its founding president was Atmaram Pandurang, but the real inspiration behind it was Mahadev Govind Ranade.

The efforts made by the Brahmo-Samajis of Bengal to establish unity among all religions, the aim of the Prarthana-Samajis was similar.

In the prayers of the society too, mantras, Vedas, Upanishads, Quran, Zendavesta and Bible were taken from all the religious texts and the members of the society had equal faith in all the religions.

Their main leader was M.G. Ranade, RG Bhandarkar and NG Chandavarkar.

Ranade founded the Deccan Educational Society in 1884 and the Widow Remarriage Association in 1891.

Prarthana Samaj published a newspaper named Subodh Patrika and also established the Dalit Uddhar Mission.

A night school was opened to educate the working class.

Pandita Rama Bai, a talented Marathi woman, contributed to the establishment of Arya Mahila Samaj.

Objective of Prarthana Samaj-

1. Opposition to caste system

2. Support for widow remarriage

3. Promotion of women's education

4. Barrier to child marriage

Caution – The connection with the past should not be broken and all relations with our society should not be broken.

Mahadev Govind Ranade

Achievements - Just as Raja Rammohan Roy was the first leader of Hindu revival in Bengal, similarly, Mahadev Govind Ranade started this movement in Maharashtra. Ranade was almost equal to Ram Mohan Roy in intellectual height.

Ranade was a Chitpavan Brahmin. He was born in 1842 AD in Nashik district. He was a great scholar of literature, politics and economics. He was in government service and, eventually, he also became a High Court judge.

Many institutions were born through his hands. He opened so many institutions in Pune that Pune became a pilgrimage site for public workers.

Just as Hindutva had given birth to Rammohan Roy in Bengal to protect itself from the attacks of Christianity and European ideas, in the same way it gave birth to Ranade in Maharashtra and like Rammohan Roy, Ranade also wanted to answer Europe with European means. Were.

Weaknesses - He was an ardent reformist and wanted to present a pure form of Hindutva by erasing the stereotypes. But, his time was only the time of birth of reforms and Hindu fundamentalism was not ready to be suppressed by the reformers at that time.

Some of the misfortune that had followed Keshavchandra in Bengal also remained with him. The thing was that Ranade's first wife passed away and he married an eleven year old virgin girl instead of a widow.

It is said that he had to marry against his wishes and feelings due to his father's stubbornness. But, he had to suffer the punishment for this and he continued to silently listen to the taunts of his critics throughout his life.

Opposition to Tilak

It was also an irony of history that Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak had to oppose the reforms that Ranade wanted to bring in the society. Ranade and Tilak remained divided into two opposing camps throughout their lives and Tilak's arrows kept raining down on Ranade throughout his life.

1.      ‘Age of Consent Bill’

When the Age of Consent Bill was presented in the Imperial Council in 1891, Tilak strongly opposed it. It seems that Tilakji was more practical and timely than other reformers of his contemporaries. The Hindu people of the nineteenth century were dreadfully fanatic. She was extremely cautious in matters of caste and untouchability and was not ready to give even the slightest leeway to anyone.

2.      Sharda-Sadan- 11 March 1889

The second incident happened regarding an institution called Sharda-Sadan. This institution was established by Pandita Rama Bai. Pandita Rama Bai was a Brahmin and had extraordinary authority on Sanskrit knowledge. She married NonBrahmin, and returned to America as a Christian. He opened Sharda Sadan for the education of girls. But, due to his radical thoughts and behavior many people turned against him. Ranade and Agarkar believed that there is no harm in Hindu girls studying in Sharda Sadan. But, Tilakji said that this organization is going to take Hindu girls on the path of Christianity. Therefore, it should be boycotted.

Effect of Tilak

On top of that, the Hindu-Muslim riots that took place in Bombay and Pune in 1893-94 AD worsened the situation even further. After these riots, Tilakji started Ganesh-puja and Shivaji-mahotsav in Maharashtra, due to which the sentiments of Hindu nationalism rose strongly. In front of this flood of past-oriented sentiments, the reformers were uprooted and the leadership of Maharashtra passed into the hands of Tilakji.

Shri D.S. Sharma has said that when Tilak ji's donation was given to Gandhiji, then in a way, the burden of the bow of nationalism was left from Parashuram and came into the hands of Ram.

Importance of Prarthana-Samaj

1.     Although Ranade did not enter politics, whatever he did on the cultural field gave enough impetus to the nationalism of India.

2.     Prarthana Samaj was opposed to the caste system, he wanted to break the practice of considering one person as superior and the other inferior by birth and he wanted to promote women's education and equality between men and women.

3.     It is true that the people of this society were impersonalists; But, this society did not have the condition of giving up idol worship and traditional rituals, like many conditions were imposed by the Brahmo Samajists in Bengal.

4.     In Brahmo-Samaji Bengal, only people from the rich and learned classes were involved, but Ranade wanted that the uneducated people should also enter the prayer society, although his wish was never fulfilled.

5.     Similar to the Bhakti movement that arose in medieval Maharashtra, Ranade wanted to take the prayer society everywhere and there was no fault in it. Gyandev, Eknath, Tukaram, Ramdas and Janardan Pant, these saints were very generous. He patronized the equality of human beings.

Demand of Pakistan

Iqbal

Poet and political theorist Muhammad Iqbal is considered the originator of the idea of a separate state for Muslims, Pakistan, and is said to have "given the movement the necessary emotional foundation". Inspired by the spirit of Pan-Islamism, Iqbal said at the Allahabad session of the All India Muslim League in 1930, "If this principle is accepted that a permanent solution to the communal question of India is to be found by the Indian Muslims in their own India, If the country has the right to the full and free development of its culture and traditions, then I would like to see that the Punjab, the North-West Frontier Province, Sindh and Balochistan should be united into one state, whether inside or outside the British Empire, a North-West Indian Muslim State. The formation of the Muslim League appears to me to be the ultimate goal of the Muslims, at least in North-West India.

Rehmat Ali

The definite idea of a separate homeland for Muslims to be called Pakistan originated in the mind of Rahmat Ali, a student of Cambridge University. He thought that the Punjab, the North-West Frontier Province (which can also be called the Afghan province), Kashmir, Sindh and Balochistan should be the national country of the Indian Muslims and he called it Pakistan. The word Pakistan was formed by taking the first letter of the first four provinces and the last letter of the fifth province. Rahmat Ali was of the view that Hindus and Muslims are basically separate nations. He said, "Our religion, culture, history, traditions, literature, economic system, rules and regulations, succession and marriage are completely different from Hindus."

Jinnah, March 1940, Lahore session of the League

Hindus and Muslims are separate nationalities, it was announced in no uncertain terms by Muhammad Ali Jinnah at the March 1940 Lahore session of the League. “They (Hindu and Muslim) are not religions in the orthodox sense of the word, and distinct social conditions and it is a dream that Hindus and Muslims may ever together form one nation. To bind such two nations together in a state in which one is a minority and the other a majority, will increase discontent and the machinery for the government of such a state will ultimately be destroyed." The Muslim League passed a resolution demanding the partition of India. Thus the Lahore session of the Muslim League gave the League an aspiration and a programm. Thereafter, Pakistan became as important a part of the religion for the Muslims as the Quran.

Cripps Mission (1942)

The Cripps Plan (March-April 1942) gave further impetus to the Muslim League's demand for the partition of India. It was clear in the announced resolutions of the government that the constitution made after the war would be accepted only on the condition that-

(a) If any province of British India does not accept this new constitution and wants to maintain its provisional constitutional position, it can do so. And if later it wants to merge with the Indian Union, it will be possible.

(b) For the provinces not so merged, if they so desire, the British Government will recognize a separate constitution for them and that too will have a status equal to that of the Indian Union.

The League also rejected the Cripps Plan and reiterated the demand for Pakistan.

Wavell Plan (1945)

Lord Wavell called a conference in Shimla in June-July 1945 to resolve the differences between the Congress and the Muslim League. The Congress proposed to appoint two Congress Muslims from among its members. Jinnah insisted that all Muslim members should be nominated by the League itself. Lord Wavell ended the conference due to deadlock, that is, in a way it was accepted that Mr. Jinnah had every right to block India's constitutional progress.

Cabinet Mission Plan (1946)

In the general elections of 1945–46, the Muslim League won a majority of seats in all the Muslim-majority provinces except the North-West Frontier Province. He got about 75% of the votes of the Muslims. The plan of the Cabinet Delegation was published on 16 May 1946. In it the demand for Pakistan was rejected and in its place a central government was suggested under which foreign affairs, defense and means of communication would be handled. But it partially accepted the demand of the League and suggested dividing all the provinces into three parts. These groups were to have complete self-government and this almost sums up the essence of Pakistan.

Nehru's newspaper announcement July 10, 1946

Nehru took over as Congress President in July 1946, and thereafter issued a statement to the newspapers, in which he said that in the Constituent Assembly, "we will be able to modify the Cabinet Delegation Scheme as we please." This statement of Nehru was like a bombshell for Jinnah. He was already not very happy with the plan. Now he took it to mean that the Congress was rejecting the plan. Maulana Azad described Nehru's statement as "those unfortunate one of the events which changed the course of history." Jinnah came to the firm conclusion that there was no way out for the League except through Pakistan.

Direct Action and Communal Riots (1946-47)

The Muslim League withdrew its acceptance of the plan of the Cabinet Delegation and observed 'Direct Action Day' on 16 August 1946. This direct action was not taken against the British to take Pakistan, but against the Hindus for the same purpose. The League instigated communal riots in Bengal, U.P., Bombay, Punjab, Sindh and North-West Frontier Province.

Attlee's statement of February 20, 1947:

Attlee announced  on February 20, 1947 that his government was determined to hand over sovereignty to the Indians before June 1948. If the Muslim League does not cooperate, “the British Government will have to think to whom the central sovereignty of the British territories should be handed over by a certain date. Should all the power be transferred to some kind of central government, or to the provincial governments in other provinces, or in any other way that is fair and in the interest of the Indians. Will be maintained in some form, had changed, that means there was a possibility of becoming Pakistan.

Partition of India accepted in Mountbatten Plan:

Lord Mountbatten announced the partition of India in a declaration of June 3, 1947. The Indian Independence Act was passed by the English Parliament in July 1947 and according to it, from August 15, 1947, India was divided into two independent nations, India and Pakistan.

Causes for Partition of India

 

वा न करना फ़िरक़ाबन्दी के लिए अपनी ज़ुबाँ, छिपके है बैठा हुआ हंगाम-ए-महशर यहाँ।

वस्ल के सामान पैदा हों तेरी तहरीर से, देख, कोई दिल न दुख जाए तेरी तक़रीर से।

महफ़िले-नव में पुरानी दास्तानों को न छेड़, रंग पर जो अब न आएँ उन फ़सानों को न छेड़।

                                     सर सैयद अहमद के लिए इकबाल

 

हिन्दी होने पर नाज़ जिसे कल तक था, हिजाज़ी बन बैठा

अपनी महफ़िल का रिन्द पुराना आज नमाज़ी बन बैठा।

                            इकबाल के लिए आनंद नारायण "मुल्ला"

 

ये दाग़ दाग़ उजाला ये शब-गज़ीदा सहर, वो इंतिज़ार था जिस का ये वो सहर तो नहीं

ये वो सहर तो नहीं जिस की आरज़ू ले कर , चले थे यार कि मिल जाएगी कहीं न कहीं

                                      सुबहे आज़ादी, फैज़ अहमद फैज़

 

हिन्दू भी सुकूँ से है मुसलमाँ भी सुकूँ से, इंसान परेशान यहाँ भी है वहाँ भी

उठता है दिल-ओ-जाँ से धुआँ दोनों तरफ़ ही, ये 'मीर' का दीवान यहाँ भी है वहाँ भी

                                                   निदा फ़ाज़ली

 

Why did the partition of India happen? The leaders of the Indian National Congress have generally attributed this to the policy of 'divide and rule' of the British, while European writers have attributed the partition to the lack of unity among Indians and mutual enmity between Hindus and Muslims. In the view of the Muslim League, the establishment of Pakistan was inspired by the desire of a new nation to forge its own ideals and culture, which could not be satisfied with anything other than a separate state. If the various circumstances at the time of partition of India are studied, it is known that in reality no one reason can be held responsible for the partition of India. The following reasons were mainly responsible for the partition of India -

1. Growth of Muslim communalism

In the first freedom struggle of 1857 AD, Hindus and Muslims had jointly opposed the British rule, but with the passage of time communalism developed among the Muslims and they started to feel that their interests and those of the Hindus were different. Muslims also started thinking that Hindus were in large numbers in India and Muslims were also backward from educational point of view. In such a situation, if the British leave India, they will become dependent on the Hindus. This is corroborated by Jinnah's statement to Mountbatten. In the words of Jinnah, “I consider that partition is necessary. We cannot trust Hindus."

2. Resurgent politics of Hindutva

Many such reformers emerged in the nineteenth century who reminded the Indians of the glorious past of ancient India and inspired the public to work for the revival of Hinduism. Although the aim of these social reformers was to improve the condition of India, but due to this, Muslims started to look at Hindus with suspicion. For example, 'Ganesh Chaturthi' and 'Shivaji festival' by Tilak, 'Kali Panth' by Arvind and Lala Lajpat Rai breathed new life into Arya Samaj. Although these works were not anti-Islamic, they indirectly helped the separatist policies between Hindus and Muslims.

3. Divide and rule policy of British rule

The Battle of Plassey was called the Plassey Revolution by the British and it was explained to the Hindus that it was their liberation from the cruel rule of the Muslims. Due to the attack on Somnath, the soul of Hindus was suffering for thousand years, its first claim was made in 1848 in the Common Assembly of Britain. After the revolution of 1857, the Muslims were told through Hunter's Indian Musalman that it was better for them to stay away from the Hindus and its benefits were enumerated. So, he started following the policy of 'divide and rule'. As a result of this policy of their, the distance between Hindus and Muslims continued to increase. In the beginning, they tried to incite the feeling of communalism by taking Sir Syed Ahmed Khan under his influence, but when it did not get the desired success, Bengal was partitioned in 1905 AD. On not being satisfied even with this, in 1909 it was announced to implement the communal election system by passing an act. This work of Lord Minto greatly helped in increasing communalism and greatly increased the distance between Hindus and Muslims. This is why Dr. Rajendra Prasad has written, "The real father of Pakistan was not Iqbal or Jinnah but Lord Minto".

4. Congress's policy towards the Muslim League

Some policies of the Congress were also responsible for the partition of India. The Congress always adopted the policy of appeasement towards the Muslim League and also accepted its wrong demands, due to which the feeling of communalism increased. For example, in 1916, the Congress, in agreement with the Muslim League, accepted the separate electoral system. Similarly, at the time of the Communal Award (1932 AD), the Congress adopted a wrong policy, which encouraged separatism. Similarly, the Congress made a big mistake by including the Muslim League in the interim government, because the ministers of the Muslim League made the functioning of the interim government difficult. This led to the conclusion that the Congress and the Muslim League could not rule jointly, hence the demand for Pakistan gained strength.

5. Dogma of Jinnah

Although the original idea of creating Pakistan was not Jinnah's, but once it was accepted, Jinnah was not ready to accept anything less than Pakistan. English policies also promoted Jinnah. Due to this stubbornness of Jinnah, it became impossible to find a solution to the Indian problem. In this context, the statement of the then Viceroy Lord Mountbatten is remarkable, "I was proud of the fact that I could make people do the right and proper thing, but it was not possible to do anything in the case of Jinnah. It was made (for Pakistan) and no power could shake it. I admit that I failed in Jinnah's case.

6. Communal riots

The partition of India had become necessary because of Jinnah's obstinacy. Along with that, the way communal riots took place in India from time to time, it also became clear that the partition of India was necessary. The manner in which a large number of people were killed on the 'Direct Action Day' on August 16, 1946 forced the Congress to think that in reality it was impossible to reach an agreement with the Muslim League and make it permanent. This is also confirmed by the statement of Acharya Kriplani, "Seeing these terrible scenes, my thoughts regarding this problem have been greatly influenced and like others, I am also forced to think that partition is the only solution to this problem."

7. Doubts in the stability of Pakistan

Many Congress leaders were of the view that even after the formation of Pakistan, it would not be able to survive and it would be merged with India, so these leaders accepted the creation of Pakistan as a temporary solution to the problem, but unfortunately this hope was never fulfilled.

8. Threat of transfer of power

By 1947 AD, it had become clear to the British government that it was not possible for them to maintain authority over India for a long time. Therefore, on February 20, 1947, British Prime Minister Attllee had announced that by June, 1948, power would be handed over to the Indians. Due to this announcement of the British, the Indian leaders were forced to think that if the Indian problem is not resolved soon, then the British government will act at its own discretion and transfer the power, which could be harmful for India and if there is a civil war, India will be divided into two. It could be divided into more than 100 parts, so the Congress leaders got ready for the partition of India by accepting the Mountbatten Pact.

9. Congress finally agreed

The Congress was initially strongly opposed to the partition of India. Mountbatten wrote that, "Nehru was horrified at the idea of partition". Mahatma Gandhi told Mountbatten, "Come what may, he should not even dream of the partition of India." But seeing the situation at that time, finally the Congress leaders were forced to change their views and they realized that there was no other way than partition. Sardar Patel also accepted this fact and said, "I felt that if we did not accept the partition, India would have been divided into many pieces and would have been completely ruined, I felt that instead of one Pakistan in our country, many will become."

10. Mountbatten's influence

Shortly after coming to India, it became clear to Mountbatten that the partition of India was necessary, because he had seen that it was impossible to have any agreement between the Congress and the Muslim League with Jinnah present. In the words of Mountbatten itself, the situation in India had become so explosive that it was as if standing on a volcano. So, he explained to the Congress leaders to get ready for the partition. Lady Mountbatten (Edwina) also helped a lot in this work of Mountbatten. Referring to the influence of Lord Mountbatten on the Indian leaders, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad has written, “Pt. Nehru, if not a supporter of partition, was at least a staunch opponent of the formation of Pakistan within a month of Lord Mountbatten's arrival in India. became neutral. I think that one of the main reasons for this change was the personality of Lady Mountbatten.

In this way, all the above reasons created such conditions that apart from the partition of India, there was no other option for the Indian problem. Thus, India became independent on August 15, 1947, but a day before that India was partitioned.

Be that as it may, today we must turn our historical gaze beyond the 'causes of Partition' to the people who lived through Partition, the nightmare it created, and the transmigration it brought. We should be looked at. In fact, the "truth of Partition" lay in the violence it generated, and so recent historiography has moved away from causal-centrism to a meaningful extent and has become more interested in its experiences. This is evidenced by the recent spate of publications that focus on memories of Partition, creative literature depicting that tragic experience, and pictorial representations of the " great tragedy" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hee6EMHMAk . So that while learning from it, we do not become its victim again.

Causes of Failure and importance/contribution of extremist nationalists

Despite all the sacrifice and austerity of the extremists, there was no dearth of their critics. They were criticized on the basis of many things. Their main criticisms are as follows -

1. Firstly, the extremists propagated the new concept of nationalism, in which religious sentiments were mixed and due to which many problems emerged in front of the country. A direct result of this came in the form of increasing distance between Hindus and Muslims. It is said that the establishment of the Muslim League in 1906 was not just a historical event but it was the era when extremist politics was at its peak in the politics of the country. Thus perhaps a new sub-nationality emerged in the Muslim society.

2. The second thing that is said against the extremists is that despite their sacrifice and penance, the extremists could not create mass movement on a large scale. There was a big movement only against the partition of Bengal. It is also argued in favor of this establishment that after 1907 when the government started its cycle of repression on a large scale, the extremist politics got scattered and they could not face the government on a large scale.

3. The third thing is that they could not take a clear view on the question of violence, non-violence. Arvind used to believe that even the use of violence when necessary is not to be discarded. Tilak also did not adopt a very clear policy on this issue. When some people opposed the British rule through violence, they indirectly supported them. In this sequence, it is worth remembering that in 1908, he was sentenced to six years because of the support of the Bengal revolutionaries.

4. Thus, some people believe that it was due to the extremists that the armed movement emerged in the country and they were its fathers.

But many things can be said in opposition to all these arguments. 

Firstly, it would be wrong to call him anti-Muslim. Because Tilak had an important role in the Lucknow Pact in 1916. Secondly, As far as it is concerned that he did not conduct a big mass movement, we have to remember that due to the break-up and home rule movement, an army of people working for the national interest was prepared, which benefited Gandhiji in his movement. Thus it is not entirely true to say that Tilak and other extremists were not able to create a mass movement. Thirdly, a lot can be said on the question of non-violence, violence. Tilak's main belief was that the matter of violence and non-violence is not in our hands, but how the government treats the agitators will decide which way the people will fight for freedom.

                 Contribution of extremists to the national movement

Despite all these arguments, it can be said that the extremists played an important role in the national movement.

1. The first thing is that his contribution at the ideological level was very important in itself. He gave a new concept of nationalism. We must remember that liberals were mainly influenced by the nationalism of Europe which emphasized on geographical, historical, cultural unity among people. Thus the concept of a secular state was the main thing in it.

2. The extremists added many new dimensions to this concept of nationalism. He gave birth to a very emotional thought stream by adding the symbol of motherhood to nationalism. He tried to create an unprecedented emotional connection between the nation and the people. The Arya Samaj also played its role in this and by reviving the Vedic society and Vedic ideology, he created a feeling of fierce nationalism. Lala Lajpat Rai had said in clear words that our aim is to inculcate a new type of patriotism. It should be broadcast as a religious sentiment so that people can live for it and die if need be. But in Bengal Bankim Chandra went further and portrayed the country as a mother whose chief duty was to work for her emancipation. Arvind Ghosh made it a living symbol. He clearly said that nationalism is not a political program but a religious act given by God. Calling upon the youth of the country, he said that we all have to serve the country with our body, our intellect, our wealth and our worship. This mother-son relationship became so emotional that it reached the public mind in Bengal.

3. The third contribution of the extremists was the concept of Swarajya. For the first time Arvind talked about complete freedom. Other extremists like Tilak were also talking about Swarya. There was no special difference between Tilak's Swaraj and Arvind's Purna Swaraj. For the common people, Swarajya meant freedom. In this way, the extremists took the national movement to a high point, which in itself was a big contribution. Arvind said in clear words, 'There are many people who are afraid to talk about freedom', but I wish for complete freedom of my country. Taking this point further, he says: “We want such a Swarajya in which there is no foreign control. We firmly believe that the people of every country have the right to conduct their national life according to their ideals and nature.

4. The fourth contribution of the extremists was that by setting a personal example of their renunciation and austerity, they created a new wave of idealism among the people. Lokmanya Tilak openly opposed the British rule fearlessly and was also punished for it. This was the first open opposition to the Congress and he became so respected in the public mind that people gave him the title of 'Lokmanya'. He was established as a national hero. But Tilak was not alone in this. All the people like Lala Lajpat Rai and Arvind Ghosh etc. set an example of sacrifice and penance in front of the country, which affected the public mind.

5. Their fifth contribution appeared in the intention to implement his ideas effectively. In fact, it was due to his militant political methods more than his political aim that he got the distinction of being militant. In the Calcutta Congress of 1906, Tilak clearly said that boycott is our political right. We will not support the British in the war outside India in which a lot of our resources have been wasted. We will not cooperate with them even in the administration of the country. We will set up our own courts and if need be, we will even refuse to pay taxes. If we can do this, tomorrow we will be free. Arvind Ghosh also established the importance of boycott. In fact, Gandhiji's Satyagraha was a sophisticated form of boycott. In the end, it would not be wrong to say that the extremists made their own unique contribution to the objective of the national movement and the effective way of achieving it. He also put the matter of Swarajya, Swadeshi, boycott and armed rebellion in front of the people.

In this way, where on one hand the stream of Gandhian politics emerged from his thoughts, on the other hand the stream of armed revolutionaries also kept getting inspiration from him. In a word, the extremists played an important role at the critical juncture of the country.

Theosophical Society and the works of Annie Besant

The Theosophical Society was an important cultural movement in India that influenced the religious and social life of the country. The word Theosophy is a combination of two Greek words. Theos in Greek means God and Sophia means wisdom. In Sanskrit it is called Brahma Vidya. The term theosophy was first used by the Greek scholar Iamblichus of Alexandria in the 3rd century. In modern times this term was used by the Theosophical Society. 

A Russian woman named Helena Petrovna Blavatsky was considered to be an expert in ghost knowledge(spirituality). In those days, there was a lot of discussion about ghost knowledge in America and a gentleman named Colonel Alcott was deeply interested in this Knowledge. Blavatsky went to New York, where he was introduced to Alcott and together, they laid the foundation of the Theosophical Society on 7 September 1875. It is said that there were some superior souls in Tibet who had contact with Mrs. Blavatsky. She used to work under the guidance of these souls. These holy souls further gave this message to them that you should come to India with your organization. Complying with this order, Blavatsky reached Mumbai on 16 February 1879. Here Arya Samaj gave him a grand welcome. As soon as they came, they started thinking of a way to stop the propaganda of Christian missionaries and started insisting that there should be a change in the education system of India and the study of Sanskrit education should go on in a more important way here. In 1882, the office of the Theosophical Society was moved to Adyar Madras. After a few days Blavatsky went to England after becoming ill and did not return. His book Secret Doctrine was published in England, after reading this Annie Besant was initiated into the Theosophical Society.

The objectives of this institution were as follows-

(1.) To discover the laws of nature and to develop the divine powers of man.

(2.) To establish co-ordination among all the religions by not giving patronage to the bigotry of any religion.

(3.) To assist in the study of ancient religion, philosophy and science which may be found anywhere in the world.

(4.) To develop world brotherhood or world recognition.

(5.) To study and spread the religions and philosophy of eastern countries.

 

                        Works of Annie Besant

Mrs. Annie Besant was a highly educated, aristocratic, Irish woman. She came to India on 16 November 1873 at the age of 46 and became active in the cultural movement of India. He contributed a lot in spreading the work of Theosophical Society. She was Irish by birth but she considered India as her motherland. He had immense love for Indianness, Hindu religion and Hindu society. He believed that the future of India is linked to Hindu religion and culture. Many scholars and leaders, influenced by his great personality, joined the Theosophical Society.

 

1. Made India as home

Annie Besant believed that she was a Hindu in her previous birth. That's why as soon as he came to India, he painted himself completely in the colour of Hindutva and adopted Indian dress and food. She used to roam in Hindu pilgrimages. He spent most of his time in Kashi where he established the Central Hindu College which later developed into the Hindu University. The pundits of Kashi gave her the title of Sarva-Shukla-Sarasvati.

2. Service of Indian Culture

While living in Banaras, he wrote the stories of Ramayana and Mahabharata and translated the Gita. He gave powerful speeches in favour of Hindu religion and culture. Service of Hindu religion by Mrs. Annie Besant the most important work of Hindu religion. Raja Rammohan Roy and Swami Dayanand emphasized on the worship of formless God and denied idol worship, incarnationism, pilgrimage, fasting rituals and mythological things, but Annie Besant, while recognizing the importance of Vedas and Upanishads, idol worship, polytheism, yoga, reincarnation, Through Karmavad, Tirtha, Vrat, Gita, Smriti, Puranas, Dharma Shastras and Epics etc., supported the holistic form of Hinduism in a logical and scientific manner.

3. Hinduism the future of India

She often used to say this in her speeches- 'Hinduism is the soul of India, Hinduism is the soil in which India's roots are buried. If that soil is removed, the tree like India will dry up. India has no future without Hindutva. Only Indians and Hindus can protect Hindutva. There are many religions, many castes that find shelter in India, but none of them have reached the past of India. None of these have the guts to keep India alive as a nation. Even if each one of these vanishes from India, India will remain India, but if Hindutva vanishes, nothing will remain. The welfare of the world can happen only with the awakening of Hindutva.

4. Planting self-pride in Indians

When Annie Besant came to India, English educated Indians had started losing faith in Hindu religion and culture. At such a time, Annie Besant took the initiative to revive Indian ideals. Annie Besant himself travelled to Hindu pilgrimages. He travelled to Amarnath barefoot and entered the temple after bathing in cool water there. Seeing an English woman doing this, it got stuck in the mind of Hindus that their religion is not inferior to other religions but is superior. Annie Besant translated the Gita while living in Kashi, wrote short commentaries on the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Praised the importance and glory of Hindu religion and culture in front of the people of Europe and America. When the English educated people of India heard the glorification of Hindu religion and culture from the mouth of an English woman, they started re-awakening their faith in their religion. Annie Besant's speeches instilled a sense of self-respect among the Indians.

5. Scientific explanation of religion

The Theosophical Society believes in monotheism. According to this- 'The basis of the development of mankind is the divine plan of development, and all religions are different forms of this plan. That's why there can be no conflict between them. There is no conflict between religion and science. The followers of this institution believe in the fruits of action and reincarnation. According to him, after death, the soul is reborn according to his deeds and he enjoys the fruits of his past deeds. Their aim is to develop brotherhood among all classes of the world.

6. Interference in Indian politics

Annie Besant changed his field from religion to politics in 1914 AD. She joined the Home Rule Movement launched by Lokmanya Tilak. In 1917, the Madras government put Annie Besant under house arrest, but due to the strong public agitation, the government immediately freed him. She was elected to the post of President of the Indian National Congress. As an active member of the Congress, she did an important job of awakening political consciousness in India. The Theosophical Society established schools, colleges and hostels at many places. This organization did the work of social reform by protesting against evils like child marriage, bride-groom-selling, untouchability etc.

Evaluation

The work of the Society not only strengthened the religion and social reform movement, but also gave new life to the national movement. No Hindu has done as much work as Mrs. Annie Besant has done for Hindu awakening. Gandhiji has written about him- 'As long as India is alive, the services of Annie Besant will also be alive. He had accepted India as his birthplace. Whatever he had to give, he offered it at the feet of India. That's why she has become so dear and revered in the eyes of the people of India.