Heartiest Greeting
from plural and inclusive Banaras!
Varanasi, one of the
oldest and continuously inhabited cities in the world is known also as Banaras
or Kashi and incorporates the different school of thoughts, religions which
makes it the centre of attraction among people across the globe.
One side it is known
as the prominent city for followers of Hindu religion and on the other hand it
is known also as the place where Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon[i]
(dhamma chakkra parivartan) in 528 BC. It is one of the holy cities of Jainism,
and one of the epicentres of the Bhakti movement (a current dating back to
Hindu medieval times very close to Sufi Islam, ed.) Guru Nanak Dev, founder of
Sikhism, visited Varanasi in 1507 and was inspired by the city. The three
Tirthankars[ii] of
Jain religion were also born at this place. Thus Varanasi holds equally high
place among followers of Hindu and other religions.
Varanasi has been the
birthplace and work place for Sant Kabir[iii],
Sant Raidas[iv] and
Sen Nai, opposing sectarian thinking, communalism and casteism. They
established the dignity of labour with spiritualism. Maulana Alvi brought here
the world famous Banarsi silk artisan saree work that now has a Bollywood
celebrity as its brand ambassador. Banaras has been home to several great
personalities from the field of art, culture, music and literature.
A poet-saint, reformer
and philosopher Tulsidas[v]'
doctrine has been described as an assimilation and reconciliation of the
diverse tenets and cultures of Hinduism taught reconciliation. Munshi Premchand[vi], an
Indian writer famous for his modern Hindustani literature was famous for both
his Hindi and Urdu writings. Great author Bhartendu Harishchandra, Jai Shankar
Prasad, Dr Shyam Sunderdas and Acharya Ramchandra Shukla have had Baranas as
their home.
The city has had four
Bharat Ratna(the highest civilian award of the Republic of India)[vii]
recipients too. The Shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan[viii],
Lal Bahadur Shastri[ix]
the second prime minister of India, Pt Ravi Shankar[x] the
renowned Sitar player and Bhagwan Das[xi] an
Indian Theosophist who was allied with the Hindustani Culture Society and was
active in opposing rioting as a form of protest. For a time he served in the
Central Legislative Assembly of British India. As an advocate for national
freedom from the British rule, he was often in danger of reprisals from the
Colonial government. He was the fourth recipient of India's highest civilian
award. He established the Kashi Vidyapeeth in association with Mahatma Gandhi.
In the 16th century,
Varanasi experienced a cultural revival under the Muslim Mughal emperor Akbar
who invested in the city, and built two large temples dedicated to Shiva and
Vishnu. The Raja of Poona established the Annapurnamandir and the 200 metres
(660 ft) Akbari Bridge was also completed during this period. The earliest
tourists began arriving in the city during the 16th century. In 1665, the
French traveller Jean Baptiste Tavernier described the architectural beauty of
the Vindu Madhava temple on the side of the Ganges. The road infrastructure was
also improved during this period and extended from Kolkata to Peshawar by
Emperor Sher Shah Suri; later during the British Raj it came to be known as the
famous Grand Trunk Road.
Anie Basent[xii] the
prominent British socialist, theosophist, women's rights activist, writer and
orator and supporter of Irish and Indian self-rule was active in city and
Theosophical Society of India. In April 1911, Besant met Pandit Madan Mohan
Malaviya[xiii]
and they decided to unite their forces and work for a common Hindu University
at Varanasi. The Banaras Hindu University started functioning in October 1917
with the Central Hindu College as its first constituent college.
There is something
special about the Banaras Gharana[xiv] of
music that is based upon Indian classical instruments quoting Hindu Gods and
Deities and it also incorporates the Sarod[xv] from
Afghanistan, Shehnai[xvi] and
Sitar[xvii] from
Persian culture with the same pride as they do for the Indian instruments.
Reconciling various
branches of Indian philosophy from Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism,
Bahai, Jainism, Sikhism, Sufism, and Jew all have an equal connect in this
ancient city that believes Varanasi as a centre for pluralism and inclusive
cultural based on reconciliation and diversity. This has been the heritage of
pluralism and inclusive culture based on civilization of River Ganga.
People across the world can learn on how to
live and make co-existence meaningful even as there are differences among
people yet they live in harmony as inclusive culture based on diversity and
pluralism. It is therefore necessary that Varanasi or Banaras be given status
of a Living HERITAGE CITY of inclusive and plural culture. It is necessary that
the city of faith, belief, indigenous wisdom and logic be declared a heritage
city. It is required that the water in the city should be Ganga Jal (water) and
not Ganda (dirty) Jal. Sand (Bul) the favourite animal of Lord Shiv be given dignity/honour
in the city and provide health support to them by trained veterinarian.
It is necessary that
the old city be conserved as heritage as done in Singapore and the new city be
developed with expansion plans for future in sight. The artisans of the city be
given means of livelihood. Weaving, toy making, zardoji be promoted and helped
grow. It is noticeable that police and military badges of various countries are
made in Varanasi. Dress of Hindu Gods and Deities are made by Muslims in
Varanasi. The history of pluralism, inclusive culture based on reconciliation
be taught to young students in the schools. This is not important just for the
sake of the past but for the very fact that in India and South Asia, there is a
need to end communal/sectarian thinking based on caste and to bring “positive
conflict resolution” that shall be the manner to develop complete concept of citizen
in the region.
This shall help to put
an end to torture and large scale organised violence arising out of casteism,
sectarian thinking and communal fascism.
It is in this very
context that a BANARAS SAMMELAN (Banaras Convention) has been called upon on
August 09, 2014 at the Moolgadi Kabirchaura Math[xviii],Kabirchaura,
Varanasi,India at 11 am. The programme shall start with the Panchnaad by Pt
Vikash Maharaj[xix]
(renowned Sarod player) and Pt Prabhash Maharaj (Tabla player).
You are cordially invited
as a distinguished guest for the programme as an ambassador of inclusive and
plural culture.
Yours truly
Lenin Raghuvanshi
General Secretary
PVCHR
समावेशी व बहुलतावादी संस्कृति के लिए बनारस कन्वेंशन
समावेशी और बहुलतावादी संस्कृति वाले शहर बनारस की तरफ से आपको हार्दिक अभिवादन!
दुनिया के प्राचीनतम शहरों में एक बनारस/वाराणसी/काशी विभिन्न विचार धाराओं, धर्मों के साथ दुनिया भर में आकषर्ण का प्रतीक रहा है। जहां यह हिन्दूओं का पवित्र शहर है। वहीं महात्मा बुद्ध के प्रथम उपदेश (धर्म चक्र प्रवर्तन) के लिए बौद्ध धर्मावलम्बियों का प्रमुख केन्द्र भी है। जैन धर्म के तीन तीर्थंकर यहीं पर पैदा हुए। साम्प्रदायिकता व जातिवाद के खिलाफ संत कबीर, संत रैदास व सेन नाई की जन्मस्थली तथा कर्मस्थली यही रही है। वही दूसरी तरफ बनारस की बनारसी रेशमी साड़ी को मौलाना अल्वी साहब ले आये। समन्वयवाद के तुलसीदास, हिन्दी व उर्दू के महान कथाकार मुंशी प्रेमचन्द, महान साहित्यकार भारतेन्दु हरिश्चन्द्र, जयशंकर प्रसाद, डा0 श्याम सुन्दरदास एवं आचार्य रामचन्द्र शुक्ल और बनारस घराने के प्रसिद्ध संगीतकारों की जन्मभूमि व कर्मभूमि यही रही है। वाराणसी से चार भारत रत्न महान शहनाई वादक उस्ताद बिस्मिल्लाह खाँ, देश के दूसरे प्रधानमंत्री लाल बहादुर शास्त्री जी, महान सितार वादक प0 रविशंकर और स्वतंत्रता संग्राम, ऐनी बेसेन्ट व हिन्दुस्तानी कल्चरल सोसाइटी से जुड़े तथा महात्मा गांधी के साथ काशी विद्यापीठ की स्थापना करने वाले डा0 भगवान दास का जुड़ाव यहीं से रहा है। बनारस घराना के संगीतज्ञ जहाँ एक तरफ हिन्दू देवी-देवताओं की स्तुति पर अपना शास्त्रीय संगीत प्रस्तुत करते हैं। वही अफगानिस्तान से आये सरोद, ईरान से आये शहनाई व सितार का गौरव के साथ उपयोग करते है। भारतीय दर्शन की विभिन्न शाखाओं के साथ हिन्दू, इस्लाम, ईसाई, यहूदी, बहाई, बौद्ध, जैन, सिख, सूफी सभी का बनारस से जुड़ाव रहा है। जो बनारस को बहुलतावाद व समावेशवाद का केन्द्र बनाता है और यह केन्द्र ‘गंगा तटीय सभ्यता का हेरिटेज’ है। जिससे भारत ही नहीं, पूरी दुनिया के लोग सीख सकते है कि अपने अन्तर्विरोधों के साथ सहिष्णु व फक्कड़ तरीके से कैसे रहा जा सकता है। इसलिए जरुरी हो गया है कि ‘आस्था, विश्वास व तर्क के शहर’ बनारस को ‘हेरिटेज शहर’ घोषित किया जाये। उसे ‘गन्दा जल’ नहीं, ‘गंगा जल’ मुहैया कराया जाये और भगवान शिव के प्रिय साड़ को बनारस शहर में पीने का पानी और पशुचिकित्सक भी मुहैया कराया जाये। सिंगापुर की तर्ज पर पुराने शहर को हेरिटेज के तौर पर संजोया जाय और नये शहर को आधुनिक दुनिया की तरह बसाया जाय। वही शहर के बिनकारी, खिलौने के काम, जरदोजी को प्रोत्साहित व संरक्षित किया जाय। विदित है कि दुनिया के विभिन्न सेनाओं व पुलिस के बैज भी बनारस से बनते है। हिन्दू देवी-देवताओं के वस्त्र बनारस के मुस्लिम बुनकर बनाते हैं। बनारस के बहुलतावाद और समावेशी इतिहास को कम से कम बनारस के स्कूलों में जरुर पढ़ाया जाय। ये इसलिये जरुरी है कि केवल बनारस में ही नहीं, बल्कि भारत व दक्षिण एशिया में जातिवाद व साम्प्रदायिक सोच को खत्मकर इंसानों के बीच सकारात्मक एकता (Positive Conflict Resolution) स्थापित किया जा सके, जो नागरिक बनाने की प्रक्रिया को मजबूत कर सके। जिससे जातिवाद व सम्प्रदायवाद से होने वाली यातना व
No comments:
Post a Comment