Tipu’s Ring and Ram Rajya
By Dr Basheer Ahmed Khan
Garden Grove, CA
On the eve of election results after one of the longest and successful endeavors to fortify Indian democracy an article appeared in the most respected and widely read newspaper of India, The Hindun about the auction of Tipu Sultan’s Ring. In this article the historian Mr Settar urged the government to stop this auction and bring back the ring to India. The article read: “The ring that Tipu Sultan wore when he was killed in the battlefield has the name of Ram inscribed on it, and is a part of private collection of Fitzroy John Somerset. The gem-studded ring, bearing the name ‘Ram’ in Nagari letters, “provides solid historical evidence to show that Tipu respected Hindu religion as much as he respected Islam.”
One of the readers of this article calls it a “marketing joke”; perhaps to assuage the feeling of frightened minorities at the prospect of the BJP coming to power with Mr Modi at its helm with all the memories of Gujrat riot associated with him; and also perhaps to prepare the ground for Ram temple for which there is intense pressure on Mr Modi from the forces of “Hindutva”.
Even though Mr Modi had focused his campaign on development and clean government, the news item about the auction of Tipu’s Ring was necessary to tell the minorities to join the people shouting Jai Ram Ji Ki to keep themselves safe, and to help Mr Modi in carrying out the agenda of Hindutva forces . Indian Muslims just don’t want to shout Jai Ram Ji Ki, but they want the real Ram Rajya to come and end the Kal Yug that is haunting them. For this it is neither the Ram Temple nor the Tipu Ring that is essential. These are just symbols but those who want to divide the people use the symbols and lose the substance. What is important is the message of Ramayana which inspires one to stand for justice. The concept of Laxman Rekha, loyalty of brother Laxman to Sri Ramchandarji and the devotion of Hanuman, have to be developed to usher in this Ram Rajya more than Ram Temple and Tipu’s ring.
I know of some prominent Muslim scholars who regularly watched episodes from Ramayana and Mahabharatha when it was screened by Door Darshan some decades ago. This they did to understand the Indian psyche which Muslim scholars had ignored for long to their disadvantage. One of them said: Sri Valmiki who is the author of original Ramayana was the Nietzsche of his time which is prehistoric and Sri Ramchadar Ji was his ideal man. He used to lament that only if the Muslims had kept the message of Nabi SA pure and lived according to it the Hindus would have seen the reality of Sri Ramchandarji in the life of Nabi SA.
The world is at cross roads as it has always been. The difference this time is that the consciousness of the people is much more awakened than at any time before and the means to express it is also manifold. As the world is engaged in fighting terrorism for the past few decades, fascism promoted by greed is engulfing it by promoting clash of religions, cultures and nationalities to keep the people engaged in it as fascist forces usurp the resources of the world, and this is not a good omen. People of the subcontinent should become aware of the scheme to pit one against the other in the name of religion by the vested interests to carry on their agenda. They should avoid this pitfall and emulate the real message of their religions and unite mankind on its bases rather than divide and destroy themselves by pursuing symbols of religion while sacrificing its substance.
Mr Modi’s has expressed his love for the city of Varanasi, which is also called Allahabad (Abode of Allah), because of Ganga. Maulana Abul Hasan Ali Nadvi RA also had a great reverence for this place which is also the abode of many pious Muslims. Maulana Ali Miyan started his Tahreek e Payam e Insaniyat from this place to promote communal harmony which was destroyed by political forces in the name of religion in the eighties. Varanasi has a mythical significance to Hindus because of its Sangama where three rivers meet. Ganga and Jamuna are the two visible water channels giving rise to life and the third invisible, Saraswati, joins the undercurrents of the water of Ganga and Jamuna to guide this life through her knowledge. Without this invisible stream of knowledge all the visible life which Ganga produces is not enough to bring the real Ram Raj. The secular credentials of Tipu Sultan are impeccable and are evident from the financial support he offered to the temples in his state and in several offices held by Hindus in his rule. The tablet that is on display at the gate to KRS Dam, which was conceived by Tipu Sultan, envisages that the dam that is being built must be used for just distribution of god-given water to everyone irrespective of religious and political affiliation and economic status. Many more such state papers are a testimony to Tipu’s just rule and secular credentials. But what can be done when the skeptics are not convinced by any proof and their skewed concept of secularism is not to respect all religions but following all of them.
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