FOCUS : APRIL- 2023 K. K MUHAMMED & SINU JOSEPH THEIR RELEVANCE TO INDIAN SOCIETY

Karingamannu Kuzhiyil Muhammed, all of 70, was born on 1st July 1952 in Koduvalli, Calicut, to Beeran Kutti and Maryam. After completing his schooling from the Koduvalli Government Higher Secondary School, he completed his M. A. in History from the Aligarh Muslim University in 1975. He joined the School of Archeology of the Archeological Survey of India, New Delhi and completed his Postgraduate Diploma in Archeology 1977. Having started as Technical Assistant and then Assistant Archeologist with Aligarh Muslim University, he joined as Deputy Superintendent Archeologist with Archeological Survey of India (ASI). Having started in 1988 in ASI he left ASI as Regional Director (North) in 2012. In a service lasting over quarter of a century K. K. Muhammed (KKM) did seminal service to the ASI and in turn to the glorious cultural and archeological history of India. No details are available of his early childhood and that of his upbringing. However what is available by way of his conversation, statements in public, his interviews to the media, his public posture, all reported and written down, gives abundant impression of his global liberal view. Some of the very important discoveries / findings of KKM have been Hall of Inter-Religions Discussion or Ibaadat Khaana, Excavation of Babri Masjid at Ayodhya, Bateshwar Temples of Chambal Valley and some others. However, excavation of Babri Majid and establishing the findings of temple being there originally before the Babri Masjid was built, is the most famous. Recorded information available informs that, it was Prof. BB Lal, the then Derector General of ASI, who was heading the excavations team of Babri Masjid site in Ayodhya. By quirk of fate KK Muhammed was the lone Muslim who took part in the excavation at Ayodhya. Was it pre-ordained! In fact, most of India came to know of KKM only after the November 2019 Ayodhya judgment by the Supreme Court. It was during 1976-77, Babri Masjid excavation team started working in Ayodhya. KKM writes that “On inspection it was found that pillars used for mosque were actually temple pillars with typical Hindu motifs of 11th -12th centuries. Lower part of pillars were engraved with Purna Kalasha”. According to him “there is an Arabic inscription on the front side of the mosque expressly declaring that parts of 27 temples have been used for the construction of the mosque.” Thus it became clear that mosque was built over the remains of a Hindu temple by reusing black bassalt pillars. However, leftist historians of JNU with the active connivance of Aligarh Muslim University cabal of Marxist historians led by Prof Irfan Habib tried every possible trick to prove KKM wrong, but miserably failed. Since there were incontrovertible evidences to the contrary, this so-called secular brigade could do nothing to change the evolving history in the making. To put the matter in proper perspective for setting right a historical wrong, KKM took a great personal risk of writing to the press after due deliberation with his seniors and other well meaning scholars. While elaborating that there indeed was a temple below the Babri Masjid and that he was a participant in the excavation project under Prof BB lal. He wrote, “I can reiterate it with greater authority, for I was the only Muslim who had participated in the Ayodhya excavation in 1976-77 under Prof Lal,” while adding, “Ayodhya is as holy to Hindus as Mecca and Madina are to Muslims. Muslims should respect the sentiment of millions of their Hindu brethren and voluntarily hand over the structure for constructing the Shree Rama Temple” The letter published in the Indian Express on 15/12/1996 created the expected storm. For the Aligarh and JNU historians it was like a bombshell. The professional transgression of going to the press could have led to the suspension of KKM from his job. But mercifully having complete knowledge of the circumstances that led to the publication of statement in the press, concerned individuals took action to transfer him from his then posting at Madras (Chennai) to Goa, instead of suspending him. On 6th Dec 1992, however Hindu Karsevaks brought down the Babri Masjid. Rightly or wrongly, on that day a part of the Indian ethos was ruptured beyond repair. Reportedly entire archeological fraternity grieved the demolition. KKM writes on the demolition, “we could have saved the monument and transplanted it to some other place had both the groups come up to some understanding. But the adamant attitude of the Babri Action Committee aided and abetted by Marxist historians had driven Hindu fanatics to a scorch earth policy that they decided to destroy it to the last brick”. Thus KKM realizes that the attitude of a section of Muslims had indeed drove a section of Hindus to take the extreme action of demolishing the historic mosque. However, he adds, that “one of the important antiquities found after the demolition of the Babri Masjid was a revealing stone plaque with Devanagari inscription. It was embedded in one of the wall of the mosque.” Epigraphy specialists, both by the court and public confirmed it to be dated back to 12th century. The Chief Epigraphist of India Dr K. V. Ramesh, under reference from the honorable court, also confirmed it to the Gahadvala dynasty of Govinda Chandra, who ruled the area around Ayodhya from 1114-1145. “This inscription was one more unassailable proof of the existence of the temple before the Babri Masjid” writes KKM. Now that the issue was settled on 19th Nov 2019 by a unanimous judgment of the Supreme Court in favor of temple construction and construction is in progress, this is only an attempt to highlight the persona and contribution of KKM as an individual of impeccable integrity, every Indian can be justifiably proud of. In fact it was his seminal contribution, honestly and sincerely put forward, as a professional archeologist and stood by it, despite demands of contrarian pulls and pushes. He deserved PADMA BHUSHAN not just PADMA SHREE. Now that KKM has become a deservedly famous man, he has been in demand for tet-e-tete especially by visual media. Soft spoken and unassuming, he has been a toast of T V interaction. Sources in the public space informs that former Archeological Survey of India official KKM has observed that Hinduism is the most liberal religion in the world that is suited for modern times “I am a rationalist but if at all one wants to have a religion, I would say HINDUISM is the best option available. It’s the most tolerant of all, there are no dogmas, you are free to believe or not to believe, whatever you want you can believe in one God or many Gods. There are no restrictions on one’s personal belief. Some of the most influential thinkers and scientists of the world were inspired by Hinduism” he had stated. According to him “a true Hindu can’t be a fanatic but there are fringe elements that are making outlandish claims. They are ruining the name of Hinduism” he added. Claims by some Hindu zealots who claim that Taj Mahal is Tejo Mahalaya, is outlandish and illogical. A staunch devotee of Lord Shiva, KKM belts out Sanskrit shlokas with absolute ease. According to him “some incident that happened to him in his life brought him close to Lord Shiva”. A journalist, who knows him closely confirms, that “He has tremendous intuition. Whenever he passes through a place where there is Shiva, he starts getting signals. In 99% cases there will be a Shiva temple, such is his connection with Lord Shiva.” It is incredible that, despite all kinds of characters in society around him, he managed to hold himself head and shoulder above millions of Indians with his liberal openness and accepting nature. He is a truly democratic person, in letter and spirit. In his autobiography he recollects vividly his experience of meeting Malayaali Muslim youth then working in Oman. KKM was part of an exploratory excavation team led by Dr. Michel Janson of the Aachen University, Germany, to excavate Al Balid, a medieval trade port in Salalah in southern Oman. During the course of his engagement in Salalah, he came in contact with the staff, many of them from Kerala, who wanted him to give a talk to them, since they knew of his statements on Ayodhya. He readily agreed, since he felt it was an opportunity to make his stand clear because those Malayalee staff was members of SIMI (Students Islamic Movement of India). He agreed to have a question/answer session subject to discipline being maintained and to respect people with opposite view, to which they all agreed. During the course of tet-e-tete with those SIMI members he made it very clear that ‘there indeed was a Hindu temple below the Babri Masjid and that the historical wrong Hindus have suffered has to be corrected and they should have their temple in Ayodhya.’ Apparently there was silence from his interlocutors. He dared to ask them, ‘what would have happened if reverse was the case!’ KKM, then embarked on his presentation of how ‘Hinduism is the most tolerant of all religion and it is due to their secular outlook that we are living safely,’ while posing, ‘would such secular atmosphere be there in India, if Muslims were ruling India? This is the greatness of Hinduism and its board mindedness.’ He made it clear that ‘adjustment and elasticity are required more from Muslims than from Hindus. Hindus have demonstrated their ability to swim together. Muslim should modify their thinking that theirs is the only right religion and apart from them, all others would go to hell.’ Clearly, KKM left no stone unturned to drive home the truth that Muslims can co-habit with Hindus, if Muslims accept Hindus as much as Hindus accept Muslims. We only wish there are more like KKM so that IDEA OF INDIA is strengthened and sustained. Sinu Joseph, as the name suggests, belongs to some Malayalee Christian denomination. There are no details available in public space about her parents, if she is married, to whom she is married or if she has any children etc. From her appearance in media space she looks to be in her late thirties. Indeed these details are not relevant to what she says and does. What are her ideas and what kind of a person she emerges as a citizen of a dynamic society? Whatever that can be heard from horse’s mouth, it’s clear that she is intellectually gifted with very serious, very responsible, responsive and conscientious human being, meaning well for her surroundings. Born and brought up in Bengalooru, she is an Engineering graduate. However, she didn’t opt for a career in engineering instead over the years she has grown into a serious educator, a writer of significance and a penetrating counselor. Pleasantly, she says that she has problems with working keeping only money in mind, when questioned why she didn’t opt for a career in engineering with good pay. She has a very clear thought process and clarity in her vision. She began as a volunteer at Youth for Seva. After some months, she was offered full time position. There was no looking back since then, she avers. She worked for about 4 years for Youth for Seva for an initiative called DOCTORS FOR SEVA. Those years with Youth for Seva probably prepared her for the rest of her life. She took-up the subject of MENSTRUATION and educating women, especially rural adolescent girls and women, became her over riding passion. Somewhere in 2014, she formed Mythri Speaks, a trust. It is a grass-root voluntary organization that focuses on women’s health. It is operating in different parts of the country by focusing on developing realistic solution on women’s health issues. While working with communities it focuses on addressing rural issues concerning its women folks. It has conducted numerous awareness workshops across states like Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Manipur, Meghalaya and Tamil Nadu. The trust produced an animation film MYTHRI on menstruation which has reached millions of adolescent girls in government schools. According to her, the primary area of interest of Mythri Speaks is exploring science behind cultural practices around menstruation and understanding menstrual restrictions through indigenous science. She has already published a book ‘Rtu Vidya: Ancient Science behind Menstrual Practices. Her passion for the health of rural women folks made her dig deep into Ayurveda. To a direct question some years ago, she answered as follows. “If there is one thing I really regret not seeing enough of it, is the promotion of our native sciences like Ayurveda, Yoga, Mudra, Chakras and Tantra. Ayurveda has gone only as far as part of the integrated medicine. Thus Ayurveda gets insultingly reduced to herbal medicines when it is the life science that teaches us how the body can heal itself without any medicine. Temples are only known as places of transactional prayer, when it is an energy vortex that can completely alter one’s physiology in a very scientific manner. This lack of scientific know-how is why our cultural practices get reduced to a belief system or worse, get dismissed as superstition. That’s what lands her at the doorsteps of Sabarimala Temple, the controversy surrounding the non-admission of women in their menstruating years, into the portals of Swami Ayyappa Temple in Sabarimala. It is another matter that Supreme Court in its ignorance looked at the issue as only gender discrimination, without understanding the inherent logic embedded in the practice. According to Sinu Joseph “we are simply going in circles talking about equality and women’s rights when the reality is about women’s health.” She had interviewed way back in 2016, Smt. Devika Devi, mother of the chief priest of Sabarimala Temple, who had stated that the reason why women are restricted from going to Sabarmala Temple is that it negatively impacts their health, but men didn’t listen to her and made it all about a celibate deity not wanting women to come near him. Such conversations are insulting to both women and the deity who is beyond all such discrimination, she tells with innate feelings. Thus she has concluded in her book ‘Rtu Vidya’,that ‘visiting temples during menstruation can badly affect women’s menstrual and reproductive health.’ If her passion for indigenous science is of high order, her take on Hinduism and its affiliates are pleasantly surprising. According to her, ‘unlike the word Hinduism which is used in the contest of religion, the word Hindutva gives a sense of resurgence, a revival of the ancient philosophies, science and culture that was intrinsic to this land. It is only through Hindutva that all religions and philosophies can have freedom to co-exist and appreciate differences.’ She thinks ‘anyone born in this land is first a Hindu and it is an unalterable fact. Since culture of this land is a way of living, all are by birth Hindus, whether we like it or not.’ She speaks about being an atheist and hence she is no more a Christian. While in school, ‘it was very stifling to be a Christian’, she feels, ‘since being Christian one looks down upon non-Christians.’ She even tells that, ‘in school Christian teachers would quietly weave-in disrespect for other religions. History teachers would tell the class that Christianity is real because the existence of Christ is documented in history, whereas Hinduism is just mythology without historical evidence.’ When asked if she considers herself a Hindu, she is emphatically affirmative. Having been born in this land everyone is automatically Hindu, she tells. Talking about RSS, she feels it is the safest place for any woman to take part in its activities. Due to her Christian upbringing, RSS was always looked down upon as something to be stayed away from. According to Ms. Joseph, the thought process was that RSS is a fanatic organization that aims to dissolve all minority institutions and religions, and how within the family they were told that it does not matter whom you vote as long as you don’t vote for BJP. Somehow most Christians feel that their survival is at risk as long as there is RSS. But she affirms that if Christians are having a peaceful existence in India, it is because of the accepting nature of RSS and Hinduism. She narrates her experience with RSS as follows. “Where I come from violence on women is not uncommon or unusual. When women go though such situations for long period of time, we either become meek or suppressed or utterly ferocious. For me it was the latter. So it was with claws extended and ruffled feathers that I stumbled upon the RSS.” “Before I got to know men from RSS, I instinctively resented men in positions of authority. It was therefore a very big surprise to experience kindness from men in RSS. I did not expect it. Within the RSS eco-system, I found that women are treated with so much gentleness and respect. This was in stark contrast to my personal experiences outside the RSS. I feel most comfortable and safe in RSS baithak, even though I am sometime the only woman in the room. I wish more women could experience that sense of safety and security that is inherently there within the RSS ecosystem.” “The other stunning discovery I made was how open the RSS is to opposing points of view and how it encourages people to question. In the first few years of my work with RSS based organizations, I questioned everything. I was deeply moved by the way in which the questions were received. Not once was I told not-to question. Not once did they dodge any question. Never was I treated as an outsider or with disrespect. The gentle way in which they deal with people forces even the wild ones like me to become mild! I don’t think that there are too many other groups out there which are so genuinely open, kind and welcoming of opposing views” Hence she recommends that those who are there with the agenda of maligning RSS or those who have no idea of what RSS stands for, should try to get closure to it and if possible work with it to understand for the larger good of our socio-political environment within the country. Hope her message goes across so there is mutual understanding resulting into lasting peace in our society.