Volume 4, No. 3, March 2003

— Selvam

December 29th 2002 goes in the history of Karnataka as an important day, for both the progressives and Hindu fascists. It has become a day of great import for secular and democratic forces because it heralded the resurgence of secular and democratic forces which took a low swing after the Moditva’s victorious march over dead bodies in Gujarat. It became an unforgettable day for the Hindu fascists because their grand plan of using the Bababudangiri issue as a southern Ayodhya to pave the way for saffron march in not only Karnataka but whole of South India received a blow delivered by the masses of Karnataka. It was historic because just ten days before the whole town and nearby taluka centers were turned saffron. And on the 19th December in the name of Datta Jayanthi, Praveen Togadiya had declared the death sentence for the progressive and secular forces in Karnataka, by giving a stern warning to Muslims to give away Bababudangiri to Hindus, and warning the journalists from using the word Bababudangiri and to use Dutta peetha as the reference.

This was taken up as a serious challenge by the secular and democratic forces in Karnataka. The initiative was taken by the Karnataka Vimochana Ranga to mobilize all secular, democratic and progressive forces in the state to give a frontal reply to the saffron assault. It suggested that instead of the usual seminars and conferences about the issue we should pursue aggressive secularism and go to Chikkamagalur and demonstrate the secular will of the people and these saffron forces should be taken head on.

What followed was a heartening saga of solidarity and support from all the corners of the state and all walks of life. All this culminated in a massive demonstration of peoples will in Chikkamagalur on Dec. 29 where around 10,000 people participated in the rally and the public meeting which went on for the full day and to late in to the evening. A brief history of the issue and the growing communal atmosphere in the state may help the readers appreciate the event.

Karnataka has a great history of communal harmony and collective life which has given birth to many syncretic cultures of Hindu and Muslim traditions. Deccani urdu language is one important manifestation of such syncretic collective life of the people of Karnataka. While urdu has been increasingly portrayed as the lingua franca of the Muslim community, the fact of contemporary history remains that in northern Karnataka the language of the public domain is urdu along with Kannada; and in many places of Hyderabad Karnataka urdu is the principal mode of popular communication than Kannada.

Along with this one important manifestation of harmonious existence of the two communities and interaction and interchanges between the two communities is the preponderant existence of sufi tradition in the metaphysical life of the people. All over Karnataka sufi shrines, dargas, were and are in good numbers especially in the villages, assuming a form of peasant religion. Hence it did not have the bearing of secatarian religious practices attached to it. All over Karnataka, especially in rural Karnataka, folks from both the religions offer prayers and hold Urs (a kind of annual congregation) which are no different from jatras of hindus. Even the prayer reflects both the religious traditions.

Historically the arrival of sufism coincided with the emergence of Natha, Dutta and several such anti vedic and anti brahmin cults or traditions all over India. Historians agree that many cult practices of natha and sufi converge and there would have been great amount of exchange between these two non fundamentalist, and anti hegemonic cults. Hence it had an inherent potential of integrated existence. So much so their identities could not be differentiated from each other. Historians have found many such incidences from Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and elsewhere. According to Yoginder Sikand, a renowned intellectual, many sufi saints in Gujarat and Kashmir have their hindu counter part. For example, Syed Shamsuddin took the name of Shamas rishi; Pir Sadruddin became Sahadev and Harichand. In Kashmir there is a list of sufi chisties identified by the suffix rishis like nanda rishi, zaina rishi, nuri rishi, biki rishi etc. As another noted scholar observes the close links between the Dattatreya tradition and sufism are readily apparent in the Maharastara bahkthi saint of Paithan, Ekanath. According to another scholar, immensly popular sufi saint, Shirdi Saibaba is said to have announced I am not Faquir; I am lord Dattatreya himself.

In Karnataka the gurus of the Dutta cult and chisties of the Sufi cult merge in the folklore. One could not be differntiated from the other. Duttatreya is identified as an avtar of Vishnu; but unlike the other avtars, the Dutta pantha is part of the avaddhut tradition with a strong anti brahminical thrust. Even the representation of Duttatreya is so visibly anti brahminical that hindtvavadis had hitherto found it difficult to assimilate. While the prayer practises are again a syncretic mixture of hindu and muslim traditions, the very depiction of idol which has four dogs surrounding him is popularly taken as four vedas reflecting the utter discontent against the brahminical order. Even the official gazetter of Karnataka thus say that the Dattatreya represents not only the synthesis of Shaivism and Vaishnavism but also the sufi cult.

The present case of the Bababudangiri-dutta peeth shrine is part of such a great popular peoples syncretic culture. Way back, since many centuries Hindus and Muslims from all over Karnataka and neighbouring states visit the durga offering prayers, which is situated on the hill top of the Sahyadri ranges some 20kms from Chikkamagalur and 270 kms from Bangalore.Accoding to history, one Dada Hayat Quladar , a sufi saint from Arabia came to this part of the world spreading sufism. In the course of his mission he stayed in giri and the folktales and oral history surrounding the shrine say that in no time he became immensely popular because of his attempts to liberate peasants from the cruel exploitation of palegars — the local fiefdoms. He was considered by the people as the incarnation of Duttatreya himself. Dada Hayat, after a brief stay of a few years, later appointed capable and elderly desciples to look after the shrine. In the course he chose, one Sayyad Shah Jamaluddin Maghribi, a native of Yemen, who is popularly known as Baba Budan today, to look after the shrine. He is believed to have played a major role in reviving the durga and it is also believed that it is this Baba Budan who introduced coffee growing to this area which he belived to have brought back from Yemen.

Baba Budan named his nephew Syed Musa Hassan Shah Quadri as his successor and Sajjada Nishan of the duragah just before his death. There after the custodianship of the shrine continued with the family. The late Sayyed Pir Quadri Qualandar who passed away in October 1999 was fifteenth in the line.

In fact it is intersreting to note that there was no dispute about the succession or the property ownership till the mid 60s. And even then the dispute was raised by the Karnataka waqf board which claimed possession which was disputed by the Muzarai deparartment. But the Sajjad Nishan of the Durgah declined the claims of the waqf board and said that since the shrine belongs to both hindus and muslims the waqf board can not claim it as belonging to muslims alone. In 1975 the state government directed the durgah to be vested with the waqf board which was struck down by the district court in 1980. The Waqf board took the matter to the high court. In 1991 the high court dismissed the appeal of the waqf board and ordered the restoration of the pre -1975 status, which was subsequently upheld by the supreme court also.

It means: 1) the Durgah is under the jurisdiction of the muzarai department and not the waqf board.
2) the muslim Sajjada Nishan, the quadri family, is the sole administarator of the dargah.
And very importantly, 3) Only the rituals of reciting fatiha and breaking the coconuts in the court yards shall be continued and not tampered with.

What Sang Parivar wants to do is to exactly disturb this status quo, and claim it as a purely Hindu shrine. They claim that it was previously a Dutta peetha, lord Duttatreya is only a hindu god (read brahmin) and later, as part of muslim conquest, even this hindu peetha was appropriated by muslims, which they would liberate, for which they are even ready for a blood bath..etc. And since 1989, they have been trying to create communal passions around this issue.

AS such, Karnataka is seen as a relatively peaceful state. During the colonial period there was only one big communal riot in the 1920s, on the issue of the Ganesh festival. During the post-colonial period uptil the late 1980s the number swelled to 30 which was a small number compared to other parts of India: Belgaum, Hospet, Bagalkot(1957), Gulbarga (1964), Mangalore (1967), Chickmagalur and Munireddy Palya (1968), Hubli-Belgaum, Gulbarga and Bantwal (1978), Kolar and Bijapur (1979), Hassan, Kollegal and Sira (1980), Shimoga (1981), Robetsonpet (1982), Davangere (1984),Shivaji Nagar Bangalore (1984), Bangalore, Mysore, Shimoga and Bidar (1987), finally Sidlagatta and Kolar(1988). These are the places known for acute contradictions between Hindus and Muslims on such issues as capturing the economy, larger market and labour power. Nonetheless, what changed the course of syncretic culture or communal harmony is the Babri mosque-Ayodhya issue.

The post 92 communal history of Karnataka clearly establishes the growing focus of the Sangh Parivar on Karnataka. The economic crisis, Karnataka being one of the worst victims of globalisation policies, with its attendent social, political and emotional crisis, and the weak and defensive left movement in the state, provided a fertile ground for the Hindutva forces to prey on. The Babri masjid issue had opened up a new and unending agenda for the saffron camp. Hence in the post 92 period there were severe communal clashes in one or other part of the state. Thus the communal flames of post Babri Masjid reached Karnataka also. In 94, anti urdu riots claimed around 20 lives in Bangalore. In the subsequent years Hindu Jagarana Vedike flared up communal passions in Dakshin Kannada. The Idga maidan dispute at Hubli snowballed in 1995 also. During 98-99 the new round of attacks on Christians had its count in Karnataka also. During 99-2000 there were hindutva sponsored clashes in Puttuir, Suratkal, Madikeri..etc. And now, through the so called Dutta peetha dispute, the Sang Parivar is trying to get a firm hold in the south.

It was in 1989, at the height of the Rama atha yatra, that the Karnataka unit of the VHP formed Dutta Peetha Samrakshana Samithi, and for the first time in the history of the shrine brahmins, belonging to the VHP, conducted poojas. Thus, both the processes of communalisation and braminisation were initiated simultaneously. The destruction of the Babri Masjid, and the rich electotal dividends, showed the Sangh Parivar in the country a new way of enraging the fanaticism in society in service of the ruling classes. Right from 1989 the VHP is continuously trying to use this issue to get a firm foot hold in the south. As a part of its post 98 agenda, after coming to power, it initiated saffronising the history and also reclaiming the past glory. While on the one hand Christian missionaries were under attack, the syncretic culture of one represented by Bababudangiri was antithetical to their designs. They set on a vigorous communal propaganda and attacked the very non brahmnical beliefs of the people. During their propaganda they totally appropriated Dattatreya into the brahminical fold by offering homa, havana and poojas by brahmins. As there was no strong sudra assertion against this brahminical appropriation this went unchallenged. Moreover, since the artificial enemy was shown as muslims, the non brahmin belief and faith in the Dutta guru was channeled in suuport for their anti muslim campaign and for the so called liberation of Datta Peetha in a typical Ayodha way..!

Again in 1998 the resurgent Bajarang Dal and VHP decalred war against Bababudangiri. To mobilise support for their evil designs they took out five ratha yatras in a typical Modi way! All of them congregated in Bababudangiri on 3rd December, which attracted a crowd of around 10,000 people. The VHP and Bajarang Dal activists gave warnings to the government and posed grave threats to Muslims by pulling down green flags and even desecrating the auspicious places. Again in 1999, following the death of the 15th Sajjad Nishan Shah Quadri, the Bajarang Dal claimed total posession of the shrine opposing the Quadris son’s succession and organised a three day Dutta jayanthi utsav defying the court order.

And now for the past two years the Bajarang Dal has been organising what is described as Dutta male for a period of two weeks before the Dutta jayanthi with connivance of the government and administration. In this two weeks period decentralised daily congregations are organised at different places in the district as a preparation for the final showdown at the Giri. This time an estimeted 15,000 people attended the 3 day Dutta jayanthi, shoba yatra from all over the disrict. The victory of Moditva had given the Bajarang Dal fanatics added vigor in their propaganda against Muslims. The three day Dutta jayanthi in Chikkamagalur and a one day congregation at Bababudangiri had really converted the Chikkamagalur and the Giri into a Modiraj like Gujarat, even though there were no physical attacks on muslims, thanks basically to the patience shown by the muslim youth. Ugly verbal venom against muslims were thrown which could not be described in words. Even the local muslim minister was not spared. Huge banners describing the muslims as terrorists and giving a stern warning to the community in vulgar language was displayed all over the city and also in the Giri. On Dec.19 Praveen Togadia, in the socalled dharma samavesh at the Giri, which itself was against the court verdict, in his usual vulgar fascist language, declared the death sentece to all secular and democrats, and vowed to convert Karnataka into another Gujarat and the Giri into another Ayodhya — all with the total connivance of the government and district administration which will be dealt with separately.

For those who still believe that the Congress can be used as an instrumnt against hindu fascism, the connivance of the Congress government with the saffron brigade in this episode will help as an eye opener. Right from the beginning the Congress government in Karnataka, which was and is in power in all the crucial years, has helped the saffron agenda through its omissions and commissions. So much so that it is collaborating with the saffron thugs annually to defy the court order. The local incharge minister, Chandregowda, haling from the dominant Okkaligga community, which is slowly shifting towards the saffron brigade, has done precious little to avoid this communal congregartion. Instead he himself participated in the Bajarang Dal’s Dutta jayanthi. This is not an individual act but is part and pracel of the soft hindutva policy pursued by the Congress party. Even though there was a strict verdict of not allowing any other performances other than what was done in the pre-1975 period, the Congress government constituted what is called as the Duutatreya Peetha-Bababudangiri Adalitha Mandali in the name of facilitating both the Dutta jayanthi and the Urs. And in the process the government legitimized the unlawful assembly of the Bajarang Dal, giving it a legal status. And every year the district collector participates by inaugurating the ritual sanctifying the saffron agenda. Every year the district administration takes the utmost care to provide all amenities to people who come to the congregation. This time the administration even plyed buses from all centres to Chikkamagalur, only to help the swelling of numbers in the congregation. And every time it replies that it cannot avoid taking the Datta idol or perfoming poojas, contrary to court order, because of the massive numbers in the congregarition and the subsequent law and order problem it may generate if it is prevented. This only reminds one of the way the Congress government colluded with the Sangh Parivar to destroy the Babri Masjid.

This year also the government and the district administration behaved in a typically 1992 fashion. Even though the government-constituted mandali meeting was called on November 26th, the saffron brigade openly defied to comply with any restraint during the yatra, and even declared that they would install the Dutta idol this time posing an open challenge to the government. Instead of taking measures to curb the assembly, the administration, with due sanction from the government, went out of its way to help the Dutta maale by providing bus, water , shelter, and more so, Z category security to Praveen Thogadiaya!

On the other hand, right from the begining the district administration tried to create hurdles to the harmony rally which was organised by the secular and democratic forces. This went on till the day of the convention. The previous night, two important organisers were arrested on flimsy grounds. The allegation was that it was these organisers who pasted the poster of spurious origin (planted by the Bajarang Dal) which said those who blame muslims are bastards. They even arrested an ametuer film unit which came to shoot the event. They denied permission to a long procession in the name of security risk. They even tried to disturb the inaugural ceremony infront of the taluk office.

It is this challenge that the rally for communal harmony at Bababudangiri suceesfully faced a stubborn and saffron sympathetic administration, a soft Hinduvadi government, a resurgent and modified saffron camp, terrified muslims, aunxious secular and democratic forces. It was absolutely necessary to break this silence of the graveyard and stop the onward march of hindutva forces now and here. With that firm resolve Karnataka Vimochan Ranga, took the initiative to call for a broader meeting of all like-minded people on November 24 at Shimoga. Shimoga was selected because it was here that the secular forces, democrats and the revolutionary democrats could decimate the saffron voice with consistent efforts, through protests and mobilisation of students, youth, women and minorities. This successful effort paved the way for the formation of the Communal Harmony Forum. It was at the behest of this forum, in January 1999, that a huge protest demonstration and huge human chain was erected against the designs of the hindutva forces to communalise the Bababudagri issue at Chikkamagalur. That rally had given a stern warning to the saffron forces then. Hence, no wonder that the response to the call given by the very same genuine democratic forces was overwhelming.

Many state level organizations and prominent individuals were present in the meeting. And many more asked to hold another meeting since they were unable to attend that meeting. That meeting resolved to hold a huge rally in Chikkamagalur on the Dec-29; ten days after the saffron brigade’s so called Dutta yatra.

Another meeting for the preparation was held again in Shimoga on the 8th of December. By the time more than 100 organisations and around 200 prominent intellectuals, artists, professors, literary persons, lawyers had consented to be part of the committee and declared their fullest support to the rally and the cause. A prominent Kannada daily opened an exclusive column about the rally and invited reader’s response. Hundreds of letters from different corners of the state poured in. Several press conferences, solidarity meetings were held in different places, colleges, universities, etc. The rally was assured to give ventilation and space for the much needed resolve and struggling edge to the democratic forces.

On the ground, more than 75 volunteers belonging to various organisations assembled in Chikkamagalur on the very day of the Dutta Jayanthi. A two day workshop was held for the volunteers explaining the historic significance of the rally. The need to get prepared to face any threats from the saffron camp, the need to take the fascists head on with firm resolve which is the only way to fight fascism etc. The ideologically equipped volunteers were split into batches and were sent to campaign for communal harmony and against the fascist designs of the saffron brigade, into the very areas where the Sangh Parivar claim to have a stronghold. The common experience of all the teams was — either they could convince the people who were emotionally swayed away to the saffron camp or could thoroughly expose the Bajarang Dal elements infront of the people. Not that every thing was fine. In many places like Koppa, Mudigere, Tarikere, where the Bajarang Dal had relatively good presence, they tried to create a nuisance, but got a fitting reply from the teams and also from the masses. In many places like NR pura, Tharikere, many organizations came voluntarily and took the teams to their areas for the campaign. The response from the minority areas and dalit busties was encouraging. Teams could propagate that the Sangh Parivar is the chariot wheel of the march of globalisation. By linkig the crisis in the local coffee economy, the role of the Parivar’s pro imperialist policy and how Bajarang Dal and the Dutta issue are only a ploy to divide the people for perpetuating exploitation of the people and pillage of the nation.

In Chikkamgalur itself, the Bajrang Dal tried to create problems by tearing of the posters and beating up an activist at midnight. But the reply given to them was stern and fitting. The very next day 150 volunteers went in the daylight and pasted posters, while wielding lathis in their hand. This not only enthused the masses, particularly the dalits and minorities but also demoralised the Sangh Parivar camp..

This brave fight with a revolutionary resolve of the activists belonging to several democratic organizations and the revolutionary democratic organizations at the ground level and the flood of democratic support from all corners of the state, heralded a new beginning on the dawn of Dec.29th in Chikkamagalur.

The rally was inaugurated by Swami Agnivesh of the Banduva Mukthi Morcha preceded by revolutionary songs from the revolutionary singer, Gaddar. Eminent persons, intelectuals like Father Ambrose Pinto, GK Govinda Rao, Dr.Rahamat Tarikere, Prof. Sridhar, Allamaprabu Bettadur spoke at the inagural session. By the time procession started at 12 noon, thousands of people started pouring in who had come from different parts of the state — from Belgaum to Kolar, and Karwar to Raichur. Different flags and banners were there, but raising the same slogan: let us save the harmony of Bababudangiri shrine; down with the hindu fascists; jeena hai tho marna seeko, kadam kadam par ladana seeko; Karnataka cannot be another Gujarat; etc. reverbated in the town. Emotions of the highest solidarity, of the humanity, brotherhood and vigilance against fascist ploys, were exhibited to its fullest extent.

The public meeting was held at the famous Azad park. By the time the rally reached the park the number swelled to around 10,000 and more.. Muslim participation was overwhelming along with many secular-minded hindus. Even though the meeting started at 2.30, the meeting went on upto late in the evening. More than 37 speakers spoke. But people were ready to hear more. The rally provided ventilation to the anger and anguish of the people of Karnataka against the hindu fascists. The state secretaries of the KVR, CPI, CPM, Mahila Jagrithi, Bandaya Sahitya Sangatane, PUCL, Jana Matha, JD(S), muslim organisations, intelectuals like Prof. K. Ramdas, Prof.Rajendra Chenni, GK Govinda Rao, Banu Mushthak, Dr. Mallika Ganti, prominent individulas like SK Kantha, Champa, Sridhar, revolutionary singer Gaddar, and several others spoke. The gist of the speaches can be summed up in what Swami Agnivesh said:
Praveen Togadiya wants to convert whole of India into another Gujarat..but we will tell him that we will convert whole of India into Chikkamagalur.

A senior and veteran leftist commented at the end of the meeting :
Now the time has come to forge an Anti fascist united front and that requires the bravery and resolve shown by the organizers of this rally.

Yes..the success of the rally has heralded the arrival of a new agenda into the camp of democrats. The maturity of propaganda into struggle..the maturity of the struggle into frontal struggles on the streets, in the campus..and also in academics..the preparedness for the ideological, political and street battle against fascism. It is this resolve that has given a new hope in the state. Still the road is long. Ideologically anti communalism should mature into anti fascism. Politically aggressive secularism should evolve into a revolutionary war against imperialism and feudalism and their worst manifestation. Hindu fascism.

Chikkamagalur has shown the way. And is a small but firm step towards that end.

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