My Encounters with Swami Agnivesh

Irfan Engineer

It is very saddening news that Swami Agnivesh is no more amongst us. Swamiji enriched our understanding of Hindu Vedic religion in particular and all religions in general. He remained a critic of all religions and advocated for spirituality. Religion that amounted merely following rituals of worship and life cycle was “fatalism” to him. Swamiji called the religion presided by priestly class as religion “for profit and comfort of individuals” or for personal salvation or moksha. The status-quoist approach to religion teaches us to seek individual salvation, fragment God into numerous compartments, divisions, and attribute numerous names and identities and claim exclusive rights and access to the fragmented God. The fragmented notion of God with exclusive access results into creating fragmented communities with sameness, uniformity and homogeneity, pitted against other such homogenous communities. The third notion of religion thrived on fear of God seeking personal reprieve from uncertainties and calamities. This notion of religion offers rewards after their death for non-rebellious conduct accepting all the sufferings and injustices in this world.

Swamiji rejected all the three approaches to religion. For Swamiji religion is a lifelong engagement for social transformation; lifelong struggle to understand the purpose of God; to understand the truth by engaging with religion and with society. Religion – particularly the Vedas for him – was a source of truth. However, other scriptures too are a source of truth. Religion is a source of values, guidance to the establishment of an ideal society and God’s order on earth. In fact, Swamiji refers to such a socially engaged approach as “applied spirituality.” Swamiji asserted that truth is God, and God is searching for truth. Conviction in truth makes a person fearless of all human agencies and the person strives to establish order where all human beings are treated equal by the state and society, dignity of all human beings is respected and needs of all human beings have priority over everything else.

For Swamiji, to be spiritual is to be is to be subversive and prophetic and heretical. Prophets were not accepted by the established elite as they questioned dogmas of their time. They were persecuted. Jesus of Nazreth and Muhammad, both were subversive. What they preached and propounded was violently opposed by those who wielded power within the society. Yet they changed the face of the society. They risked violent attacks on themselves. A spiritualist is a seeker of truth. A seeker-spiritualist’s liberation lies in seeking truth. To be spiritualist is to be compassionate towards the most needy – the last person on earth – “serving the poor, the victims, the excluded, the deprived, the exploited, the enslaved, the suffering is the surest way of serving God.” A spiritualist is engaged in the dynamics of liberation and empowerment of the most oppressed. Truth of the Divine should be seen as an invitation for personal as well as collective liberation and to work for universal harmony. To be a spiritualist is to shift from exclusivism to inclusivism and believe in universal brotherhood and sisterhood; to break the walls that separate and divide people on the basis of rituals. A spiritualist embraces all diversities in the spirit of vasudhaiva kutumbakam (whole universe is one family). A spiritualist transforms the society, experiences God (not through and rituals of worship) but embraces the Godly values of justice, truth and compassion. A spiritualist is not partisan and sectarian, seeing only evil in other religions and not what is “good and beautiful” in them and ignores harmful or outdated traditions within. In fact, it is the reverse – s/he examines inhuman, harmful and oppressive traditions within his/her own tradition first and thoroughly before seeing it other traditions. Saint Kabir in the fifteenth century says exactly this in his composition “Bura dekhan jo mein gaya; bura milya na koi; jo tan dekhyo aapno, mujhsa bura na koi”. Finally, a spiritualist is not one unless s/he becomes an agent of social liberation and transformation.

II

It is with this religious perspective that Swamiji was always in midst of activism to address injustices in the society. Instead of starting an ashram or a math where he would train young people in religious studies and study of scriptures, he took to social field to begin addressing injustices that he saw around him, as the best school, ashram and math to inspire and train young minds and orient them towards the applied spirituality. Swamiji always practiced what he preached. Nay, he always preached what he practiced.

His social interventions greatly strengthened the social movements for liberation of the oppressed and the marginalised and addressing inequities in the society. Unlike the social movements led by the left, Swamiji’s social engagement brought in moral and spiritual dimensions into the movement, often questioning and critiquing the established religion and religious institutions. He was delegitimizing the religious dogmas and beliefs that either actively supported or remained silent spectators to the oppression of the most marginalised. The fear of God, religious dogmas and blind faith within the oppressed would be greatly reduced when a learned Swami in saffron robes spoke against them and castigated as nothing but inventions of the oppressor to enable him to continue the status-quo. The movement would gain moral legitimacy and empower those who were rendered meek.

Swamiji’s engagement with social movements can be classified: 1) Liberation of the most marginalised on account of social traditions and customs claiming from religion (Liberation of bonded labourers and child labourers and for equality and equal dignity of dalits); 2) Opposing the religious traditions and customs that oppress women – e.g. the campaign against Sati following the murder of Roop Kanwar in Deorala, Rajasthan in 1987; 3) Question the greed and morality of capitalism and economic structure that leads to huge inequalities in the society wherein some are dying of hunger while others are guilty of vulgar consumption and consumerism (campaigns against liquor, campaign against corruption etc.).

Swamiji was a supporter of the reform movement within the Dawoodi Bohra Community which was led by my father – Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer. The reformist Bohras are struggling to defend their human rights and Constitutional right which are encroached upon by the Bohra priestly class in the name of religion. The Dawoodi Bohra pontiff uses religious doctrines to claim that he is the owner of body, soul, mind and all the properties of every Dawoodi Bohra, reducing the Bohra citizens to his slaves. Swamiji attended several conferences of the Bohra reformists and extended all the support he could. His addresses at the conference in support of the human rights of the Dawoodi Bohras was listened to with rapt attention and highly applauded. The reformist Bohras felt that Swamiji was representing their religious morals when he addressed them questioning the priesthood among the Bohras.

Swamiji and my father, an Islamic Scholar who dedicated his life to work for peace, communal harmony and interfaith dialogue have been two good influences in my life. My father and Swamiji were great friends and I see a lot of similarity in their religious beliefs and lives, although there were differences too between them. On account of the similarities, I instantly took to liking Swamiji. Both were born in the same year – 1939; both lived their lives with utmost simplicity; both gave up their lucrative careers and were motivated by their respective religions to work for the marginalised and disadvantaged sections of the society; both questioned the established religious dogmas, priesthood and religious institutions and believed in socially engaged religion which requires to work for liberation of oppressed and the exploited. Engineer gave up his job as an engineer in Bombay Municipal Corporation and Swamiji gave up his career as a lecturer in a prestigious management college in Kolkata. Both saw all religions to be true and both did not overemphasise their religious traditions as the only way of worship and even as superior way of worship of God. For both, the religious value system was the more important aspect of their religions, like love, compassion and justice and engaged in interfaith action to establish a just society.

My father and Swamiji were jointly given the Right Livelihood Honorary Award in the year 2004 and which is considered an alternative Nobel Prize. The Award is conferred in Stockholm. The Award only recognized the shared work done by both. Millions of suffering humanity will carry on this joint struggle for a just society.

(The author is with Centre for Study of Society and Secularism, Mumbai.)

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Reforming the Society: Life and Mission of Swami Agnivesh

Ram Puniyani

Before taking up the engagement with issues related to communal harmony and national integration, I was trying to associate with issues of labor movement. During that time I used to hear from friends the name of Swami Agnivesh in the context of movement against bonded labor. Later after the demolition of Babri Mosque, I decided to understand the issues of communalism in depth. This is what brought me closer to my late friend Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer. Dr. Enginner during the course of our discussions regularly used to bring up the name of Swamiji and his various initiatives. It’s from here that I came to know Swamiji from close quarters. I was invited by him in a talk show and also enjoyed the hospitality at his home. There was also an occasion when another dear friend Harsh Mander, organized a lecture for street children. The lecture on communal harmony was organized in Swamiji’s Ashram.

From the decade of 1990, I did have the privilege of interacting with Swamiji off and on and was deeply touched by his modesty, affectionate and loving nature. Also saw his deep commitment to oppose the communal forces. He was upright and never compromised on his principles even in the face of adverse circumstances. This is what led to attacks on him by the followers of Hindu nationalist politics. They were very much disturbed by Swamiji’s various bold stands regarding idol worship, and his opposition to using of Hindu identity for political goals. Here I do recount several of my observations and experiences which touched me and made me respect his commitment to abolition of Sati in particular. Globally he did make a mark for his dogged fight against bonded labor.

As far as Hindu nationalist politics is concerned, he had to face their wrath in a large measure. I do deal with some of those in this article.

On 17th August (2018), during the funeral procession of the former Prime Minster of India, Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Swamiji was assaulted outside the BJP head office, when he was trying to participate in the funeral procession. The assaulters, some members of the crowd, began to heckle him and then they physically attacked him. They were raising the slogans, Bharat Mata ki jai and ‘Deshdrohi Wapas jao’. (Go back anti-National). This reference of anti National was in tune with BJP followers abusing those who differed from their own values. This was mostly due to his criticizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement related to imagined glories of ancient India.

A month before this, in Pokur Jahrkhand, Agnivesh was brutally assaulted, allegedly by student wing of BJP. The attack was severe and as a matter of great relief he survived while his turban was taken away and his clothes were torn asunder. In the wake of this attack many a BJP supporters, justifying the attack circulated the video of Swamiji’s speech. In this video he is criticizing the Prime Minister Modi for his statement that there was plastic surgery in Ancient India as seen in planting of elephant’s head on a boy’s neck or Kauravas’s being born though stem cell technology. He went on to criticize Modi for his public pujas in Nepal and Dhaka.

Attacking Amarnath yatra and idol worship, Agnivesh pointed out that the Barfani baba, the ice shivling is a natural phenomenon which gets formed due to natural processes of deposits of stalactite and stalagmite. In the same video he points out that one of the years, when the deposits were inadequate to form the ling (the Shiva idol), ice had to be put to give it the shape of linga (idol). Similarly criticizing the Kumbh mela, people congregating to wash their sins, he points out that bathing in such polluted water on contrary can lead to new diseases.

Overall, Swami has been part of various social movement like as mentioned earlier Bandhua Majdoor Mukti Morcha, (against bonded labor) for which he also participated in global eradication of modern form of bonded labor, under the aegis of UN. He has been associated with movements opposing female feticide and against sati. He has been part of Arya Samaj organization for long time.

In recognition of his work he has received various awards like Right Livelihood (Alternate Nobel) in 2004. This I remember with more fondness as he had shared the award with my dear friend Asghar Ali Engineer. Apart from this he received Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavna Award again in same year. There are various issues on which one can disagree with him, like his interpretation of Hinduism exclusively to Vedic period etc., still what is important is his constant engagement with issues related to downtrodden of the society, to those related to modern forms of bonded labor, to sati, female feticide to name the few.

This saffron clad swami was regularly targeted by the followers of Hindu nationalist brigade. These attacks on him are akin to the series which began with murder of Dr. Dabholkar, and later took the lives of Com. Govind Pansare, Dr. Kalburgi and Gauri Lankesh. As intolerance is growing in the society, those having opinions contrary to ruling dispensation are being targeted. As the culprits are enjoying impunity, appreciation from the leaders of ruling party, they know they can get away with hate crimes of this dastardly nature. Lets imagine, a saffron clad Swami is coming to pay last respects to the ex Prime Minster of India and he is heckled and insulted! These hooligans, drunk on fake nationalism and false pride in things in the name of religion, get encouragement from the powers that be, the real culprits are those who support them, appreciate them, those who in the first place disseminate this ideology which is sectarian and looks down their opponents or their ideas as anti national or anti religion.

What is more surprising is that all this is being done in the name of Hindu religion, which celebrates diversity to its core. We know that most of the religions have a single founder and single holy book, still they develop sects within. Christianity has Catholics, Protestants, born again, Pentecostals among others. Muslims have Shia and Sunnis in the main while Sufis and Ahmadiya are also very much there. Buddhism Jainism Sikhism also have sects within them. In contrast Hinduism has no single founder, no single Holy book, and no single pattern of clergy or rituals. It is a collation of diverse traditions like Brahmanism, Tantra, Nath, Siddhanta, Shaiva, Vashanav and Bhakti among others. Diversity is the very core of Hindu religion. Right within Hindu fold Swami Dayanand Sarswati could form Arya Samaj and propound his ideology that Hinduism is primarily founded and based on Vedas.

While Idol worship is part of some sects of Hinduism, as such Hinduism also encompasses animist nature worship, to tri-theism, to polytheism to Nastik (atheist) tradition of Charvak as well. The concept of God also varies from the idol worshipers to those who believe in formless God. Swami Agnivesh propounds that Vedas are the base of Hindu religion.

The central focus of Agnivesh has been social reform, and that’s probably his most important of his engagement with the society. Irrespective of his views and his contribution to the cause of social issues, he has his own version of Hinduism. No one can usurp one’s right of following and propagating one’s own version of Hinduism/religion. The attacks on him by the followers of Hindu nationalists are not grounded in the values of tolerance of Hinduism, they are rooted in the politics, they are part of the sectarian interpretation of Hinduism and selective use of Hindu identity for mobilizing Hindus for political goals, there is nothing religious about it.

The nation did heave a sigh of relief that attack on Swamiji failed. With his consistent efforts for social reform with full strength and gusto; his contribution to social change is immense. Social change for a more just society is a long journey and Swamiji has contributed to it with all his might.

[Ram Puniyani is a human rights defender and a former professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT Bombay).]

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Agnivesh (1939-2020): The Man Who Tried to Reclaim the Colour Saffron from Political Opportunists

John Dayal

Vepa Shyam Rao died ten days short of a precise 81 years in the Intensive Care Unit of a Delhi hospital, of the long-term impact of injuries sustained two years ago when the lone unarmed man was surrounded and beaten by armed assailants in Jharkhand. A lynch mob, you could call them.

Even for people who did not read newspapers or did not watch television, it was not difficult to spot Agnivesh, the name that Rao later assumed. If anyone had seen a calendar painting of Swami Vivekananda, they would recognise Agnivesh, by colour, clothes and stance.

As Swami Agnivesh, the global chief of the breakaway denomination of the Arya Samaj, the man from Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh fought for more than half a century to reclaim the sanctity and honour of the bhagwa, or ochre-saffron of the ascetic, from charlatans and political opportunists who had used it successfully to propel religious nationalism to power in India. Those were his words to me.

He challenged them on their turf, and defeated them more often than not. They learnt not to confront him face to face, even if they continued to occasionally nip at his heels, or, in later days, troll him in paid packs.

Learned and conscientious

Perhaps it will be said that Agnivesh, in the end, lost what he had set out to achieve as a young management graduate, who later collected degrees in law and commerce, taught in Jesuit institutions, and one day, sort of, gave it up to become an human rights activist and the Hindu version of a Jesuit – learned, conscientious and singular in pursuit.

That is the Swami I encountered early in my reporting days, and grew up with as a friend, occasional colleague and often comrade in activism against communalism and the erosion of civil liberties.

We shared hundreds of platforms in India and in the West, arguing why it was so important not just for us as Indian citizens, but for the world and its peace, that our home land remained secular, democratic, a respecter of human rights, and if possible, an example to the world.

He was absolutely the darling of the international media, world leaders and fellow activists, striding the public platform as a colossal in his ochre kurta-dhoti, and the trademark turban of the same flaming hue adding even more stature to his tall and strong frame.

Little wonder that he could hold his own in Haryana where, for a short while, he fought and won an election to the state assembly and was made a minister. Not for long, but it did give him an insight into the way politics is played in India.

It was in Haryana he discovered a modern form of slavery – the phenomenon of bonded labour. A marginal farmer or a landless laborer would borrow money, sign a paper, and then discover that just to pay off the interest, he and his wife would have to serve the lender for the rest of their life. And then the children would inherit the debt, and the bondage.

Agnivesh devoted his life to eradicate this menace. He would expose it in India in meetings and seminars, leading his band of followers to rescue bonded labour from brick kilns in villages and outside towns. It could become a street fight.

Fighting India’s inequities

Agnivesh once led a band of a few score ragged children and adults to raid the Ashoka Hotel, crying out how could seven-star edifices co-exist with people who had no present, and no future. The police and the governments were not amused.

But Agnivesh made the world conscious of this and many other inequities that still beset India – including the inequities of caste, and the worst manifestation of caste, manual scavenging.

We have together been a part of movements against this. And once in the birthplace of Bhim Rao Ambedkar, in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, both of us had the privilege of washing the feet of manual scavengers. Among them was a woman who had vowed to give it up and get everyone else to also do so. Her daughter was a student of law. Agnivesh was in tears. He was not the only one.

At home as much on the street and in demonstrations at one or another of the many offices in Delhi or elsewhere, Agnivesh was in full flow on the global stage. We were at the World Parliament of Religions where once, in Chicago, Swami Vivekanand had spoken of the greatness of Hinduism. Agnivesh mounted the stage and cautioned the world what would become of Vivekananda’s words if the communalism gnawed away at the very superstructure of Indian democracy. The many thousands gathered rose in acclamation. Days later, I spoke at the valedictory on the underbelly of South Asia.

International wards and honorary positions sat easy on his frame. He had been the international chair of one of the United Nation’s committees on Modern Forms of Slavery.

The Swami had his quirks, if I may so call them. A celibate, teetotaler, a vegetarian, he followed an Arya Samaj that did not believe in idols and idol worship, or things others of his faith held sacred. He surprised many audiences greeting them in Urdu and a few words of Arabic he had picked up in his globe-trotting.

He often said, repeating the words of Mahatma Gandhi, that he loved Jesus, but perhaps not some of those who claimed to follow him. He was averse to evangelisation, and opposed conversions. He stuck to his point of view even if one told him opposing conversions – not just to Christianity – also meant that one did not accept that the poor, dispossessed and the so called outcastes had agency in matters of faith, but were doomed to die in bondage both to religion and to caste.

A charasmatic, brave man

I salute one of the most charismatic and bravest men I’ve ever met.

Who else, clad in the dress once worn by Swami Vivekanand, could argue with and answer back everyone from a Shankaracharya down to the knife-wielding thug who said he was protecting India?

Of course they attacked him, more than once, grievously injuring him sometimes. But they got a taste of his whiplash tongue that they would remember.

He once whiplashed the Israeli border guards at the Jordan crossing when they refused us – a small delegation invited by the Palestinians and with proper visas from both Jordan and Israel – permission to enter Israel. The Israeli guards had confiscated our passports and would not return them. The Swami sat on a dharna, screaming at the officials, giving a speech to the motley gathering of refugees, visitors, Israeli nationals and Palestinians crowded in the hall.

The officers did not know what hit them. Interpreters were called, officials and diplomats were mobilised, and we were out on a bus back to Jordan, and back home.

That was my last trip outside India with Agnivesh.

Now, the Covid-19 pandemic has prevented us from paying personal homage to a friend, and a crusader.

(John Dayal is a journalist and human rights activist in Delhi.)