Hamid Dalwai was born on 29 September 1932 in a village named Mirjoli near Chiplun in Konkan. His father was a Maulvi and he wished that his son also becomes a Maulvi. But Hamid used to go to the Rashtriya Seva Dal branch in Chiplun since childhood. Therefore, he became one of the founders of two organizations, ‘Indian Secular Society’ and ‘Muslim Satyashodhak Samaj’. Hamid Dalwai turned out to be the second Muslim reformist reformer in the entire Muslim world, after Kemal Pasha of Turkey. Due to which, fanatic Muslims have made several murderous attacks on him in the seventies. But he did not give up his work. But due to suffering from kidney disease, he did not even complete half a century of his life (at the age of 45!) And he died of kidney disease on 3 May 1977.
Friends, Hamid Dalwai Ji left this world on 3rd May 1977 due to kidney disease. He lived a life of 45 years, leaving aside the first 20 years, for 25 years he was involved in social enlightenment work like Mahatma Jyotiba Phule by risking his life. And in that too Muslim social reform which was tried by Kemal Ataturk Pasha in Turkey a hundred years ago after coming to power.
But in the 1500 year history of Islam, there has hardly been any other social reformer. And Hamid Dalwai was born in a place called Chiplun in Konkan, Maharashtra. Where another social reformer Vishnu Shastri Chiplunkar was also born. Hamid was born in a small village in the same Konkan region on 29 September 1932. And at the age of 14, he joined a children’s organization called Rashtra Seva Dal, started just 9 years ago.
For this reason, at a cultured age, I decided to move forward in life with the values of democracy, socialism, secularism, scientific and nationalistic principles. Many people join different organizations. But it does not seem that everyone tries to find the goal of their life. But there are some people who, if they find the right path at the right time, become Hamid Dalwai.
When he turned 15, independence had arrived. Then the main goal was to build the country. Because before independence, due to the policy of divide and rule, the British had done a great job of supporting Muslim League on one side and Hindu Mahasabha on the other side and Sangh Parivar after 1925. Due to which independence came along with the partition of the country. In which lakhs of people were killed and crores were displaced.
Due to this, a huge gap was created between Hindus and Muslims! In which Mahatma Gandhi was also sacrificed! Therefore, how big a transitional period must have been for Hamid Dalwai from a boy to a youth? Just imagining this gives me goosebumps! And keeping oneself secular in such an environment is not an easy thing! This is possible only and only because of the values of Rashtra Seva Dal!
Your being caste-secular, your environment and time are also a reason! That is why I always felt that if I too had not been introduced to an organisation like Rashtriya Seva Dal, which inculcates values of caste-secular society, when I entered the world of my life like Hamid bhai, at the age of 13-14, then I would have become a 100% RSS volunteer! Because my dear Geography teacher BB Patil sir tried a lot to include me in the RSS! And due to his insistence, I went to the RSS branch for a few days!
I feel, if there was no Rashtriya Seva Dal in the early life of Hamid Dal, he would have become a Maulvi! Because it was his father’s wish! When I called Hamid Bhai to Amravati in the 70s! Then he himself had said this in a chat. He was very fond of gossiping! He was on the bed of Jaslok hospital due to kidney disease! Even then he was in the mood of gossiping! And he used to stay with Sharad Pawar ji! Even after knowing that his life has come to an end! I have rarely seen such a cheerful person!
In the beginning of his life, he was a worker of Samajwadi Party and a journalist too. He worked in Acharya Atre’s newspaper ‘Maratha’. At the same time, he wrote a novel named ‘Fuel’ in Marathi which has been translated into English by Dilip Chitre. He also wrote a short story collection and both his works have received awards. This means he has also contributed to literary writing. When he became obsessed with being a social reformer, he left that.
But seeing the condition of Indian Muslims, he could not stop himself. There was a group who were doing politics of Muslims by talking about the danger of Islam. And others were just using them for vote bank politics. But Hamid Bhai was troubled by the practice of polygamy and divorce among Muslims. And for this reason, on 18 April 1966, that is, when he entered the 34th year of his age, he started the courageous task of taking out the first rally of divorce-affected women at the Secretariat of Mumbai.
The trumpet of social reform was blown! And the next eleven years were spent on the path of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule! In the office of Sadhna weekly started by Sane Guruji in Pune, on 22 March 1970! That is, while entering the 38th year of his age! He founded an organization named ‘Muslim Satya Shodhak Samaj’! So that by citing Quran and Hadith in everything, Mullahs, Maulvis and Muslim leaders doing politics of power were using ordinary Muslims like sheep and goats! Hamid Dalwai was among them even before the completion of 25 years of Indian independence! Becoming a social reformer among Muslims is a matter of great revolution within Islam! And even after 46 years of his death, no one of his stature is visible till now!
And in that too, for half of the population, women are treated in the name of Shariat. Against this, the morcha of divorced women on 18 April 1966 at Mumbai’s Secretariat was a historic step. The Shah Bano case happened 20 years after that. And this is where the ‘festival of downfall’ of Indian secular politics begins. “The question is of faith, not of law.” This is where the slogan started. And the Sangh Parivar was elated. And they started baking their political bread on the issue of Babri Masjid and Ram Janmabhoomi from here.
Although the main theme of the Sangh has been hatred towards Muslims! But at the time of Hamid Bhai’s illness, the formation of the Janata Party in 1977 was the beginning of the downfall of Indian secular politics!
Because after the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, the Sangh Parivar, which was keeping mum, started getting legitimacy. During the emergency, SM Joshi and Nana Saheb Goreji went to various jails to discuss with our friends. And I told SM Joshi in clear words that “a Hindu communal party like Jansangh, which does not believe in socialism, secularism or any of our core issues, the entire party is a party of capitalists, feudal kings, chieftains, landlords, and the most objectionable thing is that it advocates the Brahminism of the upper castes. How will this form the ideological base of us socialists? If you want, you can make an electoral alliance. But I cannot accept one party.” So S M Joshi said, “Suresh, I am coming from Tihar Jail after meeting George Fernandes! And what he says is also the same as yours! I felt very relieved to hear this because even though George Fernandes was in jail at that time, he was still the President of the Socialist Party of India!
Friends, at that time George Fernandes was the president of Samajwadi Party. He must have been of my father’s age. And I was a 22-23 year old full time worker of Rashtriya Seva Dal. I told SM Joshi that “when a friend like George Fernandes, who is twice my age, is saying the same thing, then I feel my point is more solid.” But SM Joshi said that “Jayaprakash Narayan’s condition is that until all of you parties unite, I will not go out for election campaign.” In this process, Janata Party was formed.
I was among the spectators who witnessed it with my own eyes along with Acharya Kelkar at Pragati Maidan in Delhi. And a day before, I was a silent spectator of the convention of dissolution of ‘Socialist Party of India’ on the lawn of Vitthal Bhai Patel Bhawan in Delhi. The convention was presided over by my hero of that time, George Fernandes. And the same George Fernandes and Madhu Limaye broke up the Janata Party in 1980 on the issue of dual membership of Jana Sangh people in Janata Party and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the old Jana Sangh formed its own party on 6 April 1980 by taking the new name of Jana Sangh back in the name of Bharatiya Janata Party.
During the five years, they had to face a lot of defeats but being the political unit of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, they experimented with various radical Hindutva political activities. And in 1985-86, seeing the indecisive stand of the Congress on the Shah Bano issue, the Sangh Parivar started a series of Rath Yatras on the Babri Masjid Ram Janmabhoomi dispute. And in the Shah Bano case, by catching hold of the slogan of Muslim fundamentalists ‘It is a question of faith and not of law’, they have started building the temple by demolishing the mosque today with the slogan ‘Ram Mandir will be built there’. And this party has never in its life organized any movement on the issues of poverty, Dalit women, tribal society, farmers and laborers. But by inciting religious sentiments, they succeeded in climbing the ladder of power just like Hitler. And this is the reason for the defeat of Indian secularism and socialism. And today, by removing both the words from the Constitution, he is giving a direct message that we will continue to move forward by openly accepting Hindutva and capitalism!
In these 43 years, the way majority communal politics gradually grew! Hamid bhai is not alive to see this! As far as I know him! He would not have supported the so-called Equal Citizenship Act brought by Narendra Modi!
Because this Narendra Modi, while being the Chief Minister of Gujarat, massacred Muslims in the name of Godhra! And mainly the atrocities against women in the riots after India’s independence started from the 2002 Gujarat riots! Video recordings of Bilkis Bano, Kausarbi and Surat rape clippings of Muslim women! Mrinal Gore and the team of then Vice Chancellor of SNDT Women’s University Mumbai, Mrs. Suma Chitnis, have exposed this fact!
Incidents of ripping open the stomachs of pregnant women and taking the fetuses in processions on the tip of tridents have happened in broad daylight when Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister. So, how much does Narendra Modi really care about Muslim women? There is enough evidence for that. And when Narendra Modi talks about Uniform Civil Code, I take it as another tactic to scare Muslims. And maybe Hamid Bhai Sahab would have also understood this political statement of Narendra Modi. Because the Sangh Parivar has used many weapons to marginalize Indian Muslims in the last 100 years. And I am fully confident that Hamid Dalwai was not just a Muslim social reformer. He was an important member of the founders of Indian Secular Society. And my study of the literature available till date on the Indian Secular Society tells me that Hamid Dalwai, Narhar Kurundakar and AB Shah would have strongly opposed the communal agenda of the current majority community. Today, Narendra Modi has made his intentions clear by removing the words secularism and socialism.
Because in the 76 years of Indian independence, the 20-25 crore Muslims living in India were never as insecure as they are today. And this situation has been created by the Sangh Parivar for the last 100 years to increase the Hindu-Muslim divide, sometimes on the issue of temples and mosques, sometimes cow slaughter, sometimes Kashmir, Pakistan, and now the issue of citizenship. Only and only Muslims, as per Guru Golwalkar’s statement, “If Muslims have to live in India on the good will of Hindus, then they will have to live as second class citizens!” And Hamid Dalwai would have been the biggest opponent of this.
Because he was well aware of the intentions of the Hindutvaites! I have seen and heard this myself in the program of Amravati! So, in the last 50 years, the behavior regarding political Islam is more or less the same all over the world? And a genius friend like Hamid bhai would not have missed all this! Perhaps he would have been our leader in this fight! That is why the theory of relativity of time should be applied to all our ancestors! No matter who they are?
Why did Hamid Dalwai name the Muslim organisation Satyashodhak Samaj 50 years ago? According to Tukaram Maharaj’s abhang, “Satyashi man kele gwahi!” (My mind is a witness to the truth and untruth!) What is the gist of Mahatma Gandhi’s life? The search for truth. And more than 100 years before him, why did Mahatma Jyotiba Phule name his organisation “Satyashodhak Samaj”? Why would Hamid Dalwai, after thinking over all this, think of giving his organisation the same name? And that too a Marathi name!
Hamid bhai was born in Konkan, so all Muslims speak Konkani, Marathi language. Some local dialects are also spoken in Konkani. Kannada in Karnataka, Telugu in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil in Tamil Nadu and Malayalam in Kerala state. Similarly, Odia in Orissa, Bengali in Bengal, Assamese in Assam and various dialects in other parts of North East, Angika in Bhagalpur in Bihar, Maithili, Bhojpuri, Awadhi, Haryanvi, Punjabi, Rajasthani, Gujarati in Mithilanchal and Dogri, Kashmiri, Mirpuri in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakhi in Ladakh. And apart from this, the language changes every ten miles. As per the saying, my mother tongue is Ahirani because it is from Dhule district. But I am like a washerman’s dog, neither from home nor from the Ghat, so I am not able to speak or write any language fluently, I am just managing.
The reason for writing about language in such detail is that Hamid Dalwai used to insist Indian Muslims that “the language of the place where you were born should be your language. Learn Urdu and Arabic for knowledge. But Urdu is our language. If you were born in Maharashtra under the misconception, then study Marathi without any hesitation. Otherwise, you will fall behind in the trap of Urdu or Arabic or Persian. Because by studying in these languages, you will not get a job or employment opportunities!” But the Mullahs and Maulvis are doing a great harm to the Muslim society by promoting Madrasi education. They are still not showing any signs of improvement. And that is why the ratio of jobs is very low and secondly, the communalization of the majority community also does not allow Muslims to get jobs and if some people try, then they do not select them by making some excuses.
In 1971, the country which was earlier Pakistan was created on the basis of religion in the name of language. But within 15-20 years, as a result of the Bengali language movement in East Pakistan opposing the imposition of Urdu, a separate Bangladesh was formed. And even the name Pakistan was thrown out and another country named Bangladesh was created in the Indian subcontinent 52 years ago! Hamid Dalwai kept trying to tell this truth.
I have had the opportunity to visit Pakistan twice! The second time, I travelled through Attari-Wagah border, crossing entire Punjab and Sindh and then Baluchistan, reaching a place called Jhaydan in Iran, for 3-4 days! Because of travelling by land, the ingredients of Urdu and Islam have been used in Pakistan! How much respect is Urdu being given? I have had the opportunity to see and hear this scene! In Lahore, 50 kms from Amritsar, Punjabi culture was visible! And from there, if we proceed further, we find Sakkar, Attock, Sindh, Hyderabad and Sindhis in Karachi! From there, the journey ahead is of Baluchistan, Baloch speaking people! And there is enmity between them! So, India-Pakistan will seem dull! That is, the unification of Pakistan in the last 76 years is zero! That is why Islam is in danger! And the story of all the Muslims of the world coming together is being exaggerated by the Sangh Parivar in its branches for the last 100 years!
Today marks 46 years since his death. And looking at the politics of the Indian subcontinent from the international level, it is evident that for the last more than fifty years, the role of the western countries, including America at number one, Britain at number two and France and other European countries for oil, is being done by raising the fear of the so-called ‘clash of civilizations’, first in the name of Al Qaeda, Boko Haram and now ISIS. The despicable work they are doing. If Hamid Dalwai were alive today, then one more name would have been associated with Mahmud Mamdani, Noam Chomsky, Edward Saeed, Sameer Amin. That would have been Hamid Dalwai’s.
Therefore, the path shown to Indian Muslims by Hamid Dalwai till 1977 was correct. But since the 90s, mainly in our own country India, the octopus of the Sangh Parivar has gripped India. And the biggest cost in that is the people of the minority community, be it Dalits or tribals and the injustice done to women is becoming the most serious. Therefore, the ‘Muslim Satyashodhak Samaj’ which is celebrating its half century today, what should we do in the next 50 years? You people must be planning this too. Being a fellow migrant, and having whatever little contact I had with Hamid Bhai, please forgive me if I have hurt the feelings of any friend on the occasion of his 91st birth anniversary today.
And due to this, people suffering from fanaticism made lethal attacks on him. But Hamid Dalwai’s courage has to be appreciated. Because after that he toured the whole of India and continued his work of reforming the Muslim society. But during the Emergency, i.e. while entering the 43rd year of his age, he suffered from kidney disease. Then he underwent a kidney transplant. After that, he went abroad with Jayaprakash Narayan ji in 1977 for an international conference. But the transplanted kidney did not suit his body.
I went to meet him in Jaslok Hospital in Mumbai during his last days. There was water accumulated like bags under both his eyes. Mehrunnisa ji, his wife, was taking care of him. And even in that situation, his sense of humor is admirable. He did not say a word about his health. He kept on cracking jokes and talking about many interesting things. After all, I was the one who was not enjoying that show. And I myself understood as soon as I saw the bags hanging under both his eyes that he was going to be a companion for a few days. He could leave anytime.
And perhaps within a week or ten days of my meeting, the news came that the famous Muslim truth seeker, social worker and thinker Hamid Dalwai is no more!
At the age of 45, he has done a historic work! Which his followers have continued unabated! In the Pune headquarters of Rashtra Seva Dal, after I became the president in April 2017, I have given Veena Shul space to the Muslim Satyashodhak Samaj for office!
And it is hoped that that place will remain as long as Rashtra Seva Dal exists! Because I personally believe that Rashtra Seva Dal has been created to create a caste-secular society! And Muslim Satyashodhak Samaj is a unit of Rashtra Seva Dal! Because we do not want to do parliamentary politics! Those who do, they need to keep everyone happy for their votes! And for this, they have to do a lot of foolish things to keep this community happy, not to anger that community! After all, it is the demand of parliamentary democracy!
And Rashtra Seva Dal claims to be the carrier of change! So Rashtra Seva Dal will continue to show its commitment to keep alive the sapling planted by Hamid Dalwai! Because Rashtra Seva Dal claims to be against all kinds of communalism! Otherwise it will be like surrendering to Muslim communalism! And then we have no moral right to speak about Hindu communalism!
And this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Muslim Satyashodhak Samaj. And looking at the condition of the country and the world, there is a greater need for the Rashtriya Seva Dal and the Muslim Satyashodhak Samaj than ever before. We are really against communal politics. So it is our moral duty to oppose all forms of communalism. Unless we oppose Muslim fundamentalism, we have no moral right to oppose the fundamentalism of Hindus or any other religion.
Objections were raised against the reformist work of Hamid Dalwai and there were small attacks on him. Mullahs and Maulvis abused him but they did not kill him like Mahatma Gandhi or Dr. Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare, Prof. Kalburgi or Gauri Lankesh. This difference between Hindutva followers and Muslims of India is clearly visible. The Sangh Parivar never tires of calling the Muslims a barbaric oppressive Jahiloki Jamaat, they did not kill reformist Muslims like Hamid Dalwai, Asghar Ali Engineer, Jujhar Bandookwala. This huge difference between Hindutva followers and Muslims is clearly visible on Indian soil.
Sangh Parivar describes the barbarity of Islam in the shakhas to incite its volunteers. They exaggerate it. And that is why there is some difference between the people who are working to form vanguards like Nathuram, Pragya Singh, Aasimanand, Kalsungara, Babu Bajrangi, Colonel Purohit and Shri Ram Sena, Bajrang Dal, Abhinav Bharat, Sanatan Sanstha of UP, Bihar, Karnataka and the Muslims living on Indian soil.
Both reformers Hamid Dalwai and Asghar Ali Engineer died due to their illnesses! And on the contrary, during the Gujarat riots, Hindutva supporters attacked Prof. Jujhar Bandookwale’s house! And the house was set on fire! It was good that the neighbors forcefully hid Jujhar bhai and his family in their house for some time! So he and his family were saved! But everything was burnt to ashes! I am reminded of this huge difference between aggressive Hindutva and Indian Muslims today on the occasion of Hamid bhai’s 91st birth anniversary!
And what to say about the Gujarat riots? The current Prime Minister was the Chief Minister of Gujarat at that time! And how the entire riot happened with his support! This has become an open secret! People like Rana Ayub, ex-DGP of Gujarat R.B. Sreekumar, and Justice Krishna Iyer, P.B. Samant and Siddharth Vardarajan, Manoj Mitta Ashish Khaitan have shed ample light on the Godhra incident and the subsequent Gujarat riots!
And the most surprising thing is that on 27 February 2002, in the evening itself, Indian Army’s General Padmanabhan, under the leadership of Lieutenant General Zameeruddin Shah, landed 3000 Indian Army soldiers in an airplane at Ahmedabad Airport! But they were not allowed to leave the airport for three days! This too, at whose instigation? Zameeruddin Shah sahab has written about this in detail in his autobiography named ‘Sarkari Muslim Hai!’
Now it is being said that the Nanavati Commission has acquitted him! But Nanavati is a seasoned RSS volunteer, whom I myself have seen working with Advocate Mukul Sinha five times in Ahmedabad for that commission! And after the first sitting itself, I said to Mukul Bhai, “Why are you wasting your time?” So Mukul Bhai told me that “Narendra Modi wants a clean chit from this commission as soon as possible! So that he wants to be ready to become the Prime Minister of the country! And that is why I am trying to prolong this commission!” And unfortunately, two days before Modi became the Prime Minister, Mukul Bhai died of lung cancer!
Therefore, Hamid Dalwai was saved from seeing the form of ‘Hindu Taliban’ in his lifetime. Although he used to talk about this topic in his speeches. I had organized a program for his speech in Amravati. There was not a single Muslim in it. Because our programs were held in Joshi Hall only. And as soon as I saw the audience, I understood that all the Sanghis of Amravati had come. And I whispered this in Hamid Bhai’s ear. So that day he gave a classical speech on the topic of Hindu and Hindutva. Due to which the Sanghi audience was quite disillusioned.
But after Hamid Bhai left in 1977, only communalism remained at the center of Indian politics, which is flourishing today. Therefore, our responsibility has increased a lot. We should work very thoughtfully with the majority community and the minority community.
And first of all, looking at the fear psyche of the minority community, one should behave very delicately! And this is possible only by winning their hearts! And I myself have been doing this work since the Bhagalpur riots of 1989! And my experience is that you can win the trust of Muslims! And then they start trusting you! And now I go from North East to the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat to all the regions of India from time to time and meet the people there against communalism, which includes Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Andhra, Telangana, Orissa, Bengal, Bihar, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, now probably the whole of India. Anyway, I have been working on this subject for the last 30 years after the Bhagalpur riots!
And now on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Muslim Satyashodhak Samaj and 91st birth anniversary of Hamid bhai, I declare that I am now passing through the age of 70. I have been suffering from diseases like heart disease, diabetes etc. for more than 10 years. On 23rd June 2018, I had three blocks for which I underwent angioplasty and got three stents installed. And since then, just after a week, I am doing routine travel and other work. And I am not having any problem. I feel my stamina is absolutely normal. Hence, I wish to use every moment of whatever bonus life I have in this type of work.
So my request to all of you is that how should I be used? I am putting this in front of all of you friends. According to me, I am ready to complete the unfinished work of senior friends like Hamid Dalwai, Narhar Kurundakar, AB Shah, founder of Indian Secular Society. Now you all tell me what I have to do and how to do it. And what else can be done for Hamid Dalwai on his 91st birth anniversary? Because he left this world while struggling like this in his life! Had he been alive, he would have been 91 years old today! But the work he did after living less than half of his life cannot be done by anyone even in 100 years! Therefore, the right tribute to him should be to continue the work he started! Humble salutations to the memory of Hamid Bhai!
Dr. Suresh Khairnar is former president, Rashtra Sewa Dal.
