SUPER EXPLODER OF MYTHS =MAHARISHI DAYANAND

THE SUPER EXPLODER OF MYTHS ; SWAMI DAYANAND SARASWATI THE SUPER EXPLODER OF MYTHS By Brigadier Chitranjan Sawant, VSM Truth has been the watchword of the Aryas. Aryas are the people who lead a life as enjoined on them by Dharma. Dharma is the path of righteousness. The original source of righteousness is the holy VEDAS. Right at the beginning of the creation, God revealed the Vedas – the knowledge to the Rishis for the guidance of Man. Thus the celestial knowledge, the holy VEDAS, is for the guidance of the entire mankind. No sect, region or religion or race can monopolize it. All men and women are entitled to receive and recite, preach and practice the Ved Mantra or the contents of the Vedic hymns. A denial of this divine right by man to man is mythical and unethical . Many a time an ignorant or ill advised coterie makes an endeavour to deprive a majority of men and women of the fruits of divine knowledge, the VEDAS, and thus gives birth to myriad of myths. Thus myths are born in ignorance, nurtured in greed and nourished in senseless and meaningless rituals. The generators and perpetrators of myths are enemies of mankind. To let the vast humanity be benefited by imbibing the knowledge of the VEDAS, the coterie which prevents the free flow of the divine knowledge must be busted. Myths created to cow down the less privileged by the over-privileged and pampered segments of the social order must be exposed. Such a super exploder of myths was an ascetic, a sanyasi, Swami Dayanand Saraswati. It was he who gave the clarion call ``Back to the VEDAS.’’ The decay that had set in was rectified to a large extent by Swami Dayanand Saraswati’s relentless campaign in propagating the Vedic way of life. He launched a two pronged attack on the decadent human society, cleanse it of moral, mental and physical ills and pave the way for our souls to attain the state of bliss, viz MOKSHA. Let us take a look at his modus operandi. Haridwar-Rishikesh road runs almost parallel to the Ganges. The scene is set on the banks of Ganga along that road at milestone six from the famous ghat. ``Hari Ki Pauri.’ The KUMBH fair of 1867 is in full swing. A tall, well built, fair and impressive sanyasi is standing below an ochre flag exhorting the flocks of believers to live by the tenets of the divine knowledge, the VEDAS. The Dev Nagri inscription on the flag cannot but attract attention. ``Pakhand Khandini,’’ i.e. an exploder of myths and deceptions. The essence of the Sanyasi’s sermon on the Sand was: (a) God is Omnipresent and is NIRAKAR i.e. imageless. He is not bound in a form. He is never born and, therefore, does not die. (b) God is the fountainhead of all true knowledge. (c) VEDAS are divine; prescribes the path of righteousness for man. (d) Forsake falsehood, myths, and superstitions. (e) Those who swindle the common man in the name of false precepts are not Dharma gurus but Bhrashta gurus and parasites on society. The sanyasi giving discourses under the Myth-Exploder Banner was none other but Swami Dayanand Saraswati. He distributed a small pamphlet ``Exploding Myths,’’ free of cost. Its theme exposed the falsehood of Vishnu Bhagwat, a Puran full of falsehood, by highlighting its negative approach, its propagation of false gods thereby betraying ignorance of the Vedic way of life. People who made money by throwing the Vedic Dharma overboard and narrated cock and bull stories by inventing false gods were nothing but thugs and criminals preying on people. Swami Dayanand Saraswati took it upon himself to cleanse the society of false gods and criminals masquerading as god men. These men and women were like cancer and jeopardized health of the society. False Gods, superstitions and false gurus not only sapped strength of society but prevented growth of scientific approach and scientific mind. He enjoined on the Arya Samaj founded by him in 1875 in Mumbai to wage war against the negative, superstitious god men and promote the theistic scientific approach of the Vedic Dharma. He and his fellow Aryas enacted 10 principles of the Arya Samaj in 1877 in Lahore to guide the common man to attain bliss, the MOKSHA. Swami Dayanand Saraswati traveled far and wide in India to explode many a myth - these were indeed making man moribund. From Multan in the west to Calcutta in the east, from the Himalayan heights in the north to the plains of Pune in the Deccan were his preaching playgrounds. The myriad myths that he exploded and spurious institutions that he attacked, smarted under his verbal and written onslaught. The learned Swami held discussions with preachers of faiths like Christianity, Islam and converted captains and commoners, preachers and priests to his own point of view, the Vedic Thought. Among the 55-odd books and pamphlets that he wrote, the most widely read is the ``Satyarth Prakash,’’ or the ``Light of Truth.’’ Let us go through a few of its noble and enlightening gems of true knowledge contained in 14 enlightening chapters. The Vedic trinity is: God; soul; and matter. In Hindi it is: Parmatma; Jeevastma; and Prakriti. The most common myth is: God comes to this world in the form of a man. The ignorant ones call it ``an avatar.’’ In the Vedic trinity, God is God, there is only one God, and God has no image or idol. And, therefore, idol worship is an exercise in futility. Likewise, a Jeevatma can never become God or Parmatma. Men of weak minds elevate stronger men to Godhead. Consequently, there are god men galore even in the 21st century, notwithstanding all avenues of enlightment that are available to the modern man. Today god men, sadhus and fakirs are just fakes and frauds – out to cheat the gullible in the guise of teaching tenets of religion. Vedic mantras quoted in the Satyarth Prakash show us the path to enlightenment; teach us to be mentally robust, physically fit and militarily strong to vanquish all foes. Mind is the man. Make your mind strong through meditation, pranayam and righteousness. You will, thus, make the fake fakirs vanish in thin air. The myth of god- men making gold watches for the rich and ash for the poor in a magician style will stand exploded. In a society where the guru cheats the shishya (disciple) and the shishya cheats the guru, both are bound to sink together. Let us not cheat each other and malign the pious bonds. Sailing in a made of stone , are they not? No way but to sink! They are indeed sunken souls and cannot be redeemed because of their bad Karmas, action based on deceit. Let us take a close look at the falsehood perpetrated on the so called scientific societies. Can a Virgin be impregnated without mating with a man? Here is a case of normal pregnancy of a married woman whose marriage has not been consummated. She never had a chance to share the marital bed with her legal husband. There is a natural birth and the boy born thus is hailed as a son of God. Ask yourself, the enlightened ones! Isn’t it out and out a case of promiscuity being sanctified in the name of Father,Son and the Holy Ghost. Isn’t it the biggest myth in man’s mythology? Swami Dayanand Saraswati exploded this myth neat and proper in the 13th chapter of the ``Light of Truth.’’ Preying on feeble minded men, many Muslims are masquerading as Bengali Tantrik babas in rich areas like Greater Kailash of New Delhi. These frauds are neither Bengalis, nor babas nor tantriks. Just Thugs. Here is an area where myths must be exploded. A subsidized sale of ``The Light of Truth’’ will be in order. Further the Muslims all over the world should reconsider the process of slaughter of animals after reciting a verse of Koran. ``Let us begin in the name of Allah, who is kind and merciful.’’ And the animal is slaughtered. It is a contradiction of terms in precept and practice and needs urgent reconsideration. Let us, therefore, take a pledge that we will explode myths, follow the path of truth as enjoined on us by the VEDAS, as interpreted by Maharishi Swami Dayanand Saraswati and enshrined in the Ten Principals of the Arya Samaj. Let us all, men and women strive for salvation – the MOKSHA. UPVAN, 609, Sector 29, NOIDA-201303 INDIA Telephone : 0091-120- 2454622 Mobile : 0091-9811173590 Email ; sawantchitranjan@yahoo.com Sawantg.chitranjan@gmail.com

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ACHARYA KIZHANELLUR PARAMESWARAN NAMBOOTHIRI PASSED AWAY

      Vetyeran Arya Missionary and Vedic scholar Acharya Kizhanellur Parameswaran Namboothiri (92) passed away today morning at Perinthalmanna in Malappuram district of Kerala.  He served as an Acharya in a Arya Samaj Gurukul (Gurudath Bhavan) at lahore and returned to India when his Gurukul was destroyed by burning by miscrents during the 1946 partition time riots. He collected a handful of vedic literatures and managed to escape from Lahore. He travelled through Karachi and reached Bombay. He was a leading force behind the rejuvenation of Arya samaj movement in Kerala especially in Malabar Area. He translated the famous hindi book Vaidik Sampathi of Pt. Raghunandan Sharma into malayalam. Also translated Dayananda Bhashyam of Yajurvedam and Parts of Rigvedam. Samavedam and few Kandas of Atharva vedam also translated to Malayalam. He was a great scholar of Sanskrit, English, Hindi, Gujarathi, Marathi, Pustho, Pali etc. With his demise Arya jagath lost a great scholar.

     Pranam to Acharya Kizhanellur parameswaran Namboothiri.

RAREST OF THE RARE HONEST PATRIOTIC POLITICIAN NAMED LAL BAHADUR SHASTRI

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   HONEST POLITICIAN NAMED SHASTRI JI

      By Brigadier Chitranjan Sawant,VSM

Fortyseven years ago tbe second Prime Minister of India, Lal Bahadur Shastri breathed his last on 11 Jan 1966 at Tashkent after signing an agreement to end war with Pakistan fought in 1965. USSR had sponsored the Truce. Shastri Ji's sad demise was termed as mysterious by many stalwarts, including his widow, Lalita Shastri and three politician sons. The Indian Nation has not yet been taken into confidence by the government of India about the cause of death of our beloved Prime Minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri Ji.

As I recall his image today, I come across a great man, a clean politician of international stature and a saintly person who made no money under the table. Shastri Ji worked for Bharat and succeeded in making the enemy beat a retreat be it battlefield or economic affairs. Many men, not forgetting women, who came to mock, stayed to pray; so disarming style of conversation Shastri Ji had.

JAI JAWAN  JAI KISSAN - THAT WAS THE SLOGAN HE GAVE TO ALL iNDIANS TO TIDE OVER PROBLEMS OF DEFENCE AND FOOD SHORTAGE.

Shastri Ji had galvanized the Indian nation that stood behind him to fight and defeat the age-old enemy,Pakistan. Shastri Ji was mocked at in the initial weeks of his Prime Ministership but praised sky high after he beat Pakistan in the 1965 war.

Shastri Ji led the Indian nation so well during his tenure of 18 months as Prime Minister that the common man praised his leadership more than that of Jawaharlal Nehru. No wonder the small time politicians of the Nehruvian Thought demurred in praising Shastri Ji and giving him a high status. Shastri Ji’s widow, Lalita Shastri had to threaten the powers that be with a hunger strike if the late second Prime Minister of India was not cremated on the banks of Yamuna in the area of cremation of Jawaharlal Nehru.

Lal Bahadur Shastri had a sense of humour. He was asked before departure for Tashkent to talk Truce with General Ayub Khan as to how a chat would materialize since the General was so tall and he was so short. Shastri Ji answered wittily in Hindi:

    “  Main sar utha kar baat karunga aur who sar jhuka kar baat kareinge.” ( I shall discuss with my head held high whereas the General would bend himself to talk to me.)

Lal Bahadur came of a poor but honest family of Srivastava Kayasth of Benares-Mughal Sarai area of the eastern UP. He plunged into the freedom movement against the British rule and gave up his studies in a govt school to join the Kashi Vidyapeeth from where he graduated with a first class degree of SHASTRI. Thus he came to be known as Lal Bahadur Shastri. He was opposed to system of caste in the society and gave up writing Srivastava. His three sons in politics too write Shastri as a surname although they never toiled to rec eive that degree.

 PATRIOTISM HONESTY AND SINCERITY OF SHASTRI JI

Lal Bahadur Shastri climbed up the ladder of his political career rung by rung and what pushed him up was his honesty, sincerity and above all PATRIOTISM. Even in his lifetime Shastri Ji was known as the politician who never made money under the table. Naturally he was always SHORT OF CASH TO RUN THE HOUSEHOLD BUT NEVER BEGGED, LEAVE ASIDE BORROW OR STEAL. Once while he was in a British jail, news came of his daughter’s serious illness. He was released on parole to be by her sick bed. However, he could not give his daughter the medicines that she needed because they were expensiv e and he had no money. He saw his daughter breathe her last sans proper medical treatment bu7t did not ask the British government for monetary help as that would have compromised his political stand on freedom from a foreign power.

GENTLE JACK KILLED BRUTAL GIANTS

Lal Bahadur Shastri was a mild mannered man who never raised his voice to discuss a problem, domestic or political. His father had died when he was just one year old and his mother moved to her mother’s place for sustenance and education of her three sons and two daughters. Lal Bahadur knew that as he was a fatherless child, he could not enter in to a fracas with boys who had the support of grown ups in large families. Nevertheless he had learnt in the school of hardship how to solve problems and thus cultivated a Pragmatic Approach to Problem Solving. This was an asset that held him in good stead when he was called upon to solve national and ticklish problems. Lal Bahadur had won the  confidence of Jawaharlal Nehru and the apostle of Peace, Nehru relied upon dimunitive Shastri to play the role of Jack the Giant killer to bring back Peace where strife was thrashing social order. When the holy hair of Prophet Muhammad, PBUH, was stolen from the shrine in Srinagar, Nehru asked Shastri Ji to go to Srinagar and restore peace. The small sized problem solver returned abd reported to Prime Minister Nehru, “ Mission Accomplished.”

I must take you, dear Reader, into confidence and narrate how unprepared Shastri Ji was physically to go to the Kashmir valley in winters when snow was there all around and he had no warm clothes worth the name. Jawaharlal Nehru was aghast. He lent for good his own mink overcoat to Shastriji and had it altered to fit him same day. The said borrowed mink coat of Nehru was the only one that Shastriji possessed for a long time. So simple and self-effacing was our Shastriji.

The common man feels redeemed a wee bit thatg Shri Pranab Mukherjee, President of India, paid a visit to the Vijay Ghat to offer a floral tribute to the great son of Bharat who had been snatched from us as many as 47 years ago by the cruel hands of death. However, we know not why and how our beloved leader and Prime Minister breathed his last. Indeed it was an extra-ordinarily unnatural death but alas! No post mortem was ever carried out to ascertain and determine for posterity and for good the cause of that sad demise. The Indian Nation is still groping into the dark and has little option but to pray to Param Pita Parmatma for a SADGATI of soul of self-made man named LAL BAHADUR SHASTRI.

Email:  sawantg.chitranjan@gmail.com           Mobile:  9811173590.

LIGHT OF TRUTH : SECOND WORKSHOP

A second workshop in the series of LIGHT OF TRUTH for college students will be held at Ottappalam (Palakkad District of Kerala) on 25 Jan 2013 from 8 am to 4 pm. The workshop will cover Agnihothram, the concept of GOD as per Vedas, the vital role to be played by Arya Samaj in the current Socio - Religious conditions prevailed in the country. Interested persons may contact/email for registering their names with full bio-data to our email ID i.e.aryasamajvellinezhi@gmail.com before 15th Jan 2013 as we can accommodate limited students only (first come first basis) due to lack of resources.

ASCENDING ACADEMIC HEIGHTS FOR SOCIAL COHESION

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 ASCENDING ACADEMIC HEIGHTS AT BEMETARA, C G

                                    By Brigadier Chitranjan Sawant,VSM

CG stands for Chhatisgarh, a State that was carved out of Madhya Pradesh a little over a decade ago and has been famous for its tasty and fragrant rice all over the world where rice is eaten. Now a new feather has been added to the State’s much feathered cap in the realm of education of the new generation . With a view to achieving new academic excellence, the Chhatisgarhi boys and girls needed a modern GURUKUL where the Acharya  cares for his Shishyas and alround development of their personality. Unfortunately none existed.

Chhatisgarh, as the name suggests, was a region where numerous rulers of small principalities held sway and were proud of their Forts, the wild life and jungles and their produce of rare varieties of rice and allied grains, not forgetting their poor relation, coarse kodau, that was of immense dietary value to diabetic men and women. Notwithstanding the sylvan surroundings and perfect peace and tranquility that the jungle offered, the biggest by-product of the natural VAN SAMPADA, a GURUKUL or a RISHIKUL was conspicuous by its non-existence.

With the coming to power of the Bhartiya Janata Party and Dr Raman Singh as Chief Minister of the State, a new push to and advancement of SHIKSHA OR EDUCATION that has a fusion of the ancient and the modern values of life was but natural. Thus the seed was sown and in due course of time it germinated in the form of a secondary school named ACADEMIC HEIGHTS PUBLIC SCHOOL, Bemetara just two years ago. As of now only day scholars attend the classes but the day is not far off when the institution will have a hostel and a 24-hour a day contact between the Faculty and the students.

SECOND ANNUAL DAY

This weekend I have had the privilege of coming in close contact with the Principal, Shri Bharat Bhushan, members of the staff and students of the primary level up to the VIII class. I had a fleeting hi and  bye with Shri Ashok Singh, an eminent educationist and shubh chintak of the fledgeling institution currently celebrating its Second Annual Day. It is the dynamic personality of the Chairperson, Bhawana Ji who looks after the administration from the managerial angleand her husband who is just a call away to lend modernity, that lend a helping hand in shaping policy at higher echelon. The Management remains in close contact with the Principal, more as a help and never as a hindrance, through Counsellor, Vineet Rajoria who is a young MBA with modern ideas for education of the new generation. It is the perfect coordination among the Management, the Principal and the Staff that has an impact on the growth of students. This positive aspect of running a new school is worth emulating. 

Celebrations of the Second Annual Day were indeed a Gala Affair. The school presented its talented students on stage who gave a performance of which a professional theatre company would be proud. Histrionics is yet to be introduced as a subject but even the tiny-tots of the junior wing comprising nursery and KG classes took to stage like fish to water. The teachers were present in the Wings to boost the morale of students on stage. The Greenhorns felt confident and faced a large audience comprising parents, relatives and guardians of performing students without a hitch.

I was told by Bharat Bhushan Ji, Principal, that the School Management is spending a large amount of money in making the Annual Day Show a grand success. After all it is the mouth to mouth publicity of events in the school that bring a good or bad name to the school. On the persistent request of the student community, the Principal, Staff and the Management agreed to invite Meiyang Chang, the famous Indianised singer  of Chinese origin of Bollywood  fame whose pronunciation of Hindi words is as perfect as that of a Prayag-born Indian singer. He gave a performance on stage for a couple of hours and enthralled men and women of all ages. Of course, the fat purse of money presented to him as his honorarium defies an intelligent guess.

“ If Music be the food of love, play on…” so said Shakespeare, the famous playwright of the English language. On the stage of the Academic Heights Public School, there was surfeit of it. The students and their parents or guardian enjoyed every moment of the show. Histrionics was in play too. Meiyang Chang walked across the aisle, down the stage to talk to the audience and have them involved as singers of a chorus or two. The CC camera caught and projected this impromptu performance on the giant screens placed for the convenience of guests and they enjoyed it. “” Paisa Wasool”, I do not know but the Gen X would not have enjoyed the musical performance so much if only local talent was called to grace the stage.

The prize distribution to students from different classes was held before the musical show. It was a delight to see small children come up the stage, receive their prizes for excelling in one aspect or the other, and walk back clutching the prizes lest a competitor who missed making the grade came from behind and snatched it. Fortunately, training in culture and behavior given by the school academic staff held them in good stead and nothing of that sort happened.

FUSION OF ACADEMICS AND SPORTS

Academic Heights Public School pays attention to its students achieving excellence in the academic subjects. Indeed it will help them in excelling in the competitive examinations both at the State level and at the Centre level. Nevertheless for achieving an all round development of personality, it is necessary that students excel in sports and games too. The school had also organized a Sports Day a day after the cultural show. BACHPAN – the small children’s wing of the Academic Heights made a debut right at the beginning. The march past was perfect and the students of that tender age were performing as well as an adult athlete.

After a fierce competition in various disciplines and sharing the prize giving ceremony, the Sports Meet was declared as closed. Thus the one-day event came to a close.

The thirtysix fort region is indeed proud of its martial tradition. It is hoped that the Academic Heights Public School will give another opportunity to the government and citizens of Chhatisgarh to be proud of the Academic Excellence and for breasting the tape higher, faster and stronger by students of the Academic Heights Public School, Benemtara, Chhatisgarh. May Param Pita Parmatama bless them – One and All.

Brigadier Chitranjan Sawant,VSM

UPVAN  609,  Sector 29,  NOIDA – 201303.

Email:  sawantg.chitranjan@gmail.com            Phone:  9811173590.

                                                                  

VEDA SWADHYAYAM

"വേദം പഠിക്കുകയും പഠിപ്പിക്കുകയും പ്രചരിപ്പിക്കുകയും ചെയ്യേണ്ടത്  എല്ലാ ആര്യന്മാരുടെയും  (ശേഷ്ടന്മാരുടെ) പരമ ധര്‍മ്മമാണ് " - മഹര്‍ഷി ദയാനന്ദ സരസ്വതി. "It is the paramount duty of All Aryas (enlightened persons) to read, study and propagate Vedas" Maharshi Dayanand Saraswathi.  See this link for reading Malayalam vedic articles http://agniveer.com/category/lang/malayalam/ വായിക്കുക! പ്രചരിപ്പിക്കുക! 

WORLD WAR ONE CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

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           WORLD WAR I CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS-2014

                                        By Brigadier Chitranjan Sawant,VSM

The First Great War it was. Fought globally as the major European belligerants had colonies in other continents too, the war came to be known as the World War I. The people and the Military were tired of this prolonged Trench warfare wherein everything underwent a change. The cavalry regiments felt cheated as the gallant horsemen now had no chance to lead a cavalry charge at the gallop where the opposing infantry was overwhelmed by the enormous mass of horse flesh, equipment steel and, of course, the human body guided by the human mind. The full throated battle cry of trained horsemen at the gallop with their lances poised for a kill was soon going to be a fascinating event of the past.

The innovative trench warfare was going to establish the Infantry once again as the Queen of Battle and simultaneously relegate the royal horsed cavalry to pages of history. Their role was reduced from battle field to tattoo grounds where they drew appreciation in the form of full throated battle cries the recording of which was of immense use for a later day regimental reunion.  

It was in World War I that the last act of chivalry in a mounted attack on the infantry trenches was seen and heard of. Naib Risaldar Badlu Ram Saheb of the Deccan Horse led a cavalry charge at the gallop against the Turkish infantry in trenches and yet won laurels and success. He was decorated with a Victoria Cross and many more gallantry medals shone on the chests of cavalry officers and sowars. Thereafter those fine men and brave beasts faded away into the pages of military history to be read and recorded by junior officers preparing for promotion examinations. Of course, their names were recalled, remembered and narrated to the local audiences whose ancestors had dedicated themselves to preserve, protect and defend the honour of the cavalry regiment concerned with their life.

Indeed it was a lifelong bond written in blood and preserved as a part of regimental history that came alive on each regimental day.    

WORLD WAR II DESCENDED

World War I was fought by both sides to stop such wars in future. It was said that men and animals would not be slaughtered by the enemy sabres on the battle field in future. But that was not to be. When World War I was over, armistice was celebrated and the Treaty of Versailles was signed, it paved the way for the next war that came with a bang in 1939. It changed the global scenario in many respects. Thereafter the nations never sat in peace; they always prepared for war. Sometimes it was a cold war and sometimes a shooting war. Nevertheless, it was war and came to be known as World War II.

The friend of World War I became a foe in the World War II. They fought against each other with vehemence never witnessed before. War is a War and not a joke. Once a nation declares a war, there is no going back on it. A belligerent nation stops just for the Remembrance Ceremony. The hell breaks loose again thereafter. Let us take a look at the names of Nations of Europe who were on the side of the Central Powers and those who were with the Allied Powers.

CENTRAL POWERS

The German Empire – Germany located in Europe was the main cou                                                                                                 ntry and its empire that extended to other continents besides Europe’

The Austro-Hungarian Empire ;  The Ottoman or the Turkish Empire,

The Kingdom of Bulgaria.

ALLIED POWERS

The Triple Entente – on ground that meant The British Empire and that extended to all the Continents known to the Mankind and the Sun never set on the British Empire.

The Republic of France

The Russian Empire spread over Europe and Asia. While the World War I was going on, there was a Bolshevik Revolution led by Lenin and the monarchy was abolished, the Royalty exiled and the Empire was renamed as the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) in 1917 and it withdrew as a belligerent power.

ITALY,  Imperial  Japan,  Belgium,  Serbia,  Monte-Negro, Greece, Romania and  Czechoslovakia.

The United States of America too entered the Great War as  an Associate Power in 1917.

The array of Nations on both sides was impressive and awe inspiring. However, it was the entry of America into the war that made a material difference to the capability of the Allied Powers to wage war. No wonder, within a year thereafter the Central Powers collapsed and sued for Peace. The Treaty of Versailles was signed and of all defeated belligerents, it was the German nation that was forced to eat the humble pie. No self-respecting nation would have accepted those funny conditions that Germany was subjected to. Thus the foundation of World War II was laid and it was just a matter of time before a World War began again in 1939. 

The great Strategist of all times , Chanakya was   of the opinion that enough escape route should be  given to the enemy forces so that they do not counter-attack and take the easy exit route. However, at the end of World War I the Central Powers were humiliated and, therefore, they vowed for revenge to retrieve their lost self-respect. The self-respecting German nation kept its word. The rest is history.

HIGHLIGHTS OF WAR

Waging war is not like cracking a joke. It is a serious business and must be treated as such. Many unfortunate soldiers lose their life and limbs. Psychologically speaking, a soldier sustaining a grievous battle injury where he could have lost his life, is not the same man as he was when he went into action. Even a walking-wounded has to be treated humanely and treated with concern. A nation that does not treat its wounded soldiers with heartfelt sympathy or does not Honour the War Dead appropriately will never see Light at the end of the tunnel. It is the sacred duty of the Nation to treat the battle casualties well and rehabilitate them in life and society lest they become rogue elephants and behave as such.

The Battle of Somme was the watershed of the four year world war I. It began on July 1, 1916 and officially ended in July 1919 when Germany signed the Treaty of Versailles.

The British nation has been celebrating the Armistice Day with reverence, pomp and show that it deserves. Those who laid down their lives for the defence of the free democratic world were as many as TEN MILLION MEN whose departure from the mundane world was termed as Military Deaths. As many as 20 million men were wounded.

 It was on 11^th November 1920 that the grand ceremony had taken place at the Cenotaph, the Whitehall on 11 November 1920. All nations all over the world observe two minutes silence at 11 AM on 11^th November every year in Remembrance of the World War I Dead and Departed who made the supreme sacrifice for the cause of the country.  

INDIAN SPIRITUAL TOUCH

As many as 53 grievously war wounded Indian soldiers were evacuated from the battlefields  in Europe to the Kitchener Hospital in the United Kingdom. They were cremated in Brighton,UK and a Chhatri was raised in their Remembrance and as a mark of respect to them. In 2010 the Commonwealth War Graves Commission raised a screen wall there near the traditional Chhatri in the Hindu Crematorium and all 53 names of the War Dead were engraved there. Great care was taken to cater to the religious requirements of the departed soldier and nothing was done to hurt the religious feelings of the living Hindus and Sikhs.

In New Delhi, India an edifice was erected within the municipal limits of the Imperial zone and the reputed architect of the new British capital in India, Lutyens was entrusted with the task of raising a suitable war memorial to the Indian soldiers who laid down their lives in World War I and the Third Anglo-Afghan War. A magnificent blueprint was drawn and approved by the Viceroy. The construction of the War Memorial began in 1921 and took ten years and six hundred thousand Indian rupees to complete in 1931. Lord Irwin, the then Viceroy of India had inaugurated this magnificent War Memorial with great fanfare. He eulogized the bravery of the Indian soldier and commended the fighting spirit. They fought like a tiger wherever they were posted in defence of the Realm, said the Viceroy.

As manyas a million men in uniform, as soldiers and labour force, left the shores of India for France, Flanders and other parts of Europe and Middle-East. Of them 70,000 laid down their lives for the King and the country and never returned to see their home and hearth again. As many as 16,316 soldiers never found a permanent resting place in the lap of mother Earth nor were cremated as their mortal remains could not be traced or identified. May I take the liberty of striking a personal note here. My grand uncle, Shri R.L. Sawant was a part of this Force that went to Europe to defend democracy and freedom of thought and expression. We are grateful to God that he returned home alive and led a healthy and happy life thereafter in the midst of loved ones.

The Amar Jawan Jyoti was added in January 1972 right after the Indian Army had decisively defeated the Pakistan Army and dismembered the vanquished nation. Bangladesh was born to fulfill the aspirations of the Bengali speaking Moslems of Pakistan who wished to communicate in their own language, Bangala and live a free life. Their aspirations were met with the active armed help of the Indian Army. To commemorate those brave soldiers who fell while discharging their military duties in independent India, the Amar Jawan was raised as a war memorial in January 1972.

Prime Minister of India, on behalf of the Nation, pays homage to the Indian soldiers who became martyrs for the cause of the country, every year on the morning of the Republic Day by laying a wreath at the foot of the Amar Jawan.

The Indian officers and Jawans of the three Services live for and die for Bharat, our motherland. For them the NATION is supreme and stands above all. The Nation honours the brave war dead who fought for and died for the Motherland, Bharat. The brave dead lived for and died for the succeeding generations; they died so that we can live. We honour them; we SALUTE them!

Brigadier Chitranjan Sawant,VSM

UPVAN  609, Sector 29,  NOIDA – 201303,  INDIA

Mobile:  sawantg.chitranjan@gmail.com       Mobile:  9811173590