Guest guest Posted October 21, 2000 Report Share Posted October 21, 2000 >OFBJP Admin <BJP-News >vaidika1008 >[bJP News]: Swadeshi Stars at Sangh Shibir >Wed, 18 Oct 2000 10:21:51 -0400 > >Title: Swadeshi Stars at Sangh Shibir >Author: RADHIKA RAMASESHAN >Publication: Telegraph >October 15, 2000 > > New Delhi, Oct. 14: > The khakhi shorts and saffron flags were >in place as were the > anthem and the Sanskrit commands for the >ritual drill at the > Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) >mahashivir (grand > camp) which started in Agra yesterday. > > The only departure from tradition was >the roping in of a > constellation of swadeshi achievers and >entertainers for the > occasion. The celebrities in >Shastripuram included media baron > Subhash Chandra of Zee TV and television >star Nitish > Bharadwaj. “Supercomputer architect” >Vijay Bhatkar and > turmeric patent case winner Raghunath >Maslekar were among the > other invitees. > > RSS sources said Chandra, Bharadwaj and >Chandraprakash (who > produced and played the lead in the >teleserial, Chanakya) were > invited as “observers”. Bhatkar and >Maslekar, along with Param > Vir Chakra winner Dhan Singh Thapa and >Ashok Chakra winner > Jasraj Singh, will be honoured. > > RSS sources said the special invitees to >the camp — which used > to be a closed-door exercise — were >meant not just to add > “colour” but also to get the much-needed >certificate of > endorsement for an organisation that to >most still symbolises > rigidity and an obsession with a >medieval past. The nattily > dressed Chandra and Bharadwaj were >supposed to convey the > message that the RSS was trying to keep >up with the times. > > However, the personality and career >profile of the guests were in > sync with the Sangh’s concept of >“nationalism”. Reports from > Agra said Chandra arrived yesterday in a >silver-coloured > limousine, wearing a suit. But minutes >later, he was on the dais > with K.S. Sudarshan and Rajju Bhaiyya in >a dhoti-kurta. > > The sartorial makeover wasn’t all. The >media magnate who had > held the “nationalist” flag aloft >against Rupert Murdoch said he > had been a swayamsevak in his childhood >and being at > Shastripuram was like “rediscovering” a >part of himself. > > Bharadwaj, who wore his trademark Fab >India kurta, had played > Krishna in B.R. Chopra’s Mahabharat, >which along with > Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan, was >acknowledged by the BJP as > promoting Hindutva. > > Chandraprakash was always known as a >Sangh sympathiser and > his teleserial Chanakya was thought to >extol the last chapter of > the “golden Hindu rule”. > > The turmeric patent winner is the right >advertisement for the > RSS’ brand of swadeshi economics, while >the “supercomputer” > architect is meant to send a message to >non-resident Indian > whizkids in Silicon Valley. > > Lama Lobzang, a member of the National >Commission for > Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, >was also present at the > camp. Lobzang reportedly claimed that he >was there to propagate > the Ladakhi cause and their “struggle” >against the Jammu and > Kashmir government. The RSS has covertly >supported the > Ladakhi “struggle” by pleading for the >trifurcation of Jammu > and Kashmir along religious lines. >---- > http://www.ofbjp.org >---- >A worldwide community of BJP's friends, supporters and activists: >Friends of the BJP - Worldwide: http://www.ofbjp.org/fob >featuring Monthly Chat: Second Saturday of every month, >10 AM Eastern US time (calculate local time accordingly) >---- > > _______________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.