The article has not said anything new,but the point that does get across is that we pride ourselves as a "tolerant " race to such an amazing extent that we have stopped calling a spade a spade. We keep brushing things under the carpet, and now no one can walk over it without stumbling and cursing!!! Long live India... lets rename Mahatama Gandhi Road as Chenghis Khan Road... he too had a couple of virtues, and probably was a devout. Why annoy any section of the society...? Just as there is a difference between "ego" and "self respect", so also is cowardice different from tolerance. WE should stop the politicians from playing one group against the other, (it only makes them millionaires )and this can be achieved if we open our eyes and reflect only on our own faith and religion and thus become a more mature and tolerant race with rational ideas and love for all humanity.
RE:Every one has a right to express one's views
by Kalai Selvan on Feb 17, 2007 08:18 PM Permalink
Francois Gautier is twisting facts again.Dara Shikoh was murdered not because he was soft on hindus but primarily because he was the greatest threat to aurangazeb's throne. Dara was the darling of the masses for hindus & devout muslims as well. So he was eliminated in the power struggle.Francois Gautier is accusing the politicians of playing one caste against another but he is playing one religion against another to the delight of fundamentalists in all religions.First it was the Sc/St/ Bc who had to face Gautiers wrath, then it was the turn of the christians and now the muslims have to bear the brunt of it. A very clever game this french man is playing,a game started by his fore fathers on the southern shores of this country 100s of years back and the saddest part of it is he is getting away with it !!!!
RE:RE:Every one has a right to express one's views
by rajeesh nair on Feb 17, 2007 09:38 PM Permalink
what Francois Gautier has said is the biograph of aurangazeb which included killing/suffering of his own family member. so there is nothing politic in that. People like cannot understand things properly and support such fundamentalist.
RE:Aurangzeb... a monster
by mahesh kumar on Feb 17, 2007 08:07 PM Permalink
Here comes Hasnain Gandhi Now we have a new entrant in the list of bastards. You are dreaming that the Shia community will expand? You Shia's are the most selfish people on this earth. By executing one brave Sunni you are thinking that you will expand?
RE:AURANGAZEB WAS AN INTEGRATOR TOO
by haresh talreja on Feb 17, 2007 07:47 PM Permalink
At the same time, you would have been Muslim due to your forefathers embracing Islam so would I....
Aurangzeb was a great King of Indian history, he was always gaven the help to Non- Muslim, some indian anti hindu's blame this great Mughal King and change the history books. Always Mughal help the all people they can't see who is muslim or hindu, in their palace always open the door for their common people not like now ruling leaders. Just back the history and see the Great Nizam's govt. what he done thir common people and see his view of long thinking, Osmania Hospital, Osmania University, etc., for common people, now 75 years gone people are getting help from this facility for common people. Muslim King have mercy in their heart and they feel every people like same not hindu, muslim, sikh etc.,
RE:This is Truth
by on Feb 17, 2007 08:37 PM Permalink
I wish another historin also look into the facts of the Nizam rulers aswell. Why leave the lone comunists in raising their words against him?. The revolution of the farmers in telangana should not go in vain. Facts about the tirants of the Nizams ( not all ofcourse ) should be excavated. The half demolished status of the temples at Telangana often remind me of how grandeous and helpful the rulers were. Infact the telugu language has suffered a major blow during his time and not to talk about the conversions under his rule.
Why blame Aurangazeb for all that cruel taxation during a time when there were not many resources to tax except mainly agriculture produce. A lot of this money went for the various war expenses he fought during those times and to maintain the royal household.
Our rulers since independence, whether at the centre or in the states are worse tyrants. From time to time, they have introduced taxation on virtually everything including Chidambaram's new cash cow called service tax. Tens of thousands of crores are collected every year and proposed to be spend on poverty alleviation, rural job generation, upliftment of the various sectors of economy, building of infrastructure etc. Every thing is simply squandered away - where are the good roads in cities leave alone the rural country side. Power cuts are rampant. Rural and urban poverty is spiralling. We can't even have good irrigation projects that farmers in hundreds are committing suicide every where. 2% on every thing is collected as Education cess. How many schools have been rebuild, rejuvenated and provided basic facilities like benches and desks or just the basic simple amenity of a clean toilet with running water.
Aurangazeb seen in today's context should be seen as a benevolent man (I do not have authentic knowledge of his edicts regarding other matters during the period of his reign) as compared to our rulers of today who compete with each other in their ingenuity to "invent" new taxes.
How many of you know the number of taxes we pay as a common man. I will list a few (not inclusive of the complicated ones included in Company taxations). Here it goes - basic income tax, surcharge of 10%, education cess of 2%, Central sales tax (CST0, excise duty, state sales tax or VAT in its new avatar, Octroi (this too is a tax in one way as it adds upto the cost), entry tax, basic customs duty, road tax, registration fee (again a tax only), stamp duty on registration, taxes on fuel.
Have you ever wondered why your petrol costs so much. In Karnatka, there is a beggar tax, library tax etc included in the cost of fuel. Has any one asked how many public libraries have been rejuvenated and stacked with books using this money or how many beggars have bee rehabilitated.
Or the road tax, which is so exorbitant. When you buy a car, say for 5 lakhs, you pay almost 55000 rupess as road tax. But we still have to trudge through the pot holes or how many state highways or rural roads have been done up. I can give one example. Every one would exult - the Bangalore - Mysore road is pretty good now. I happened to have travelled from Talecaud to the Bangalore - Mysore road via a Maddur about 5 months back. For those who are not aware - Maddur was the constituency of H M Krishna, former chief minister of Karnataka. The road was in such a pathetic state that we jumped and hit our head uncountable number of times during an hour's journey which should not have taken more than 10 minutes. Infact, there was no road only a Kacha raasta. If as a Chief minister cannot give a good road in his own constituency with all this money at his disposal, you can imagine how sincere they are in utilising all this money collected from our hard earned work.
Praise Aurangazeb for his mercy because our Chidamabaram or state finance ministers are greater despots, for they may not trample you with their elephants but would skin you and roast you alive if you don't adhere to their dictatorial taxation policies
RE:Why blame Aurangazeb for his taxation
by haresh talreja on Feb 17, 2007 07:52 PM Permalink
Dear Menon, I understand your frustration for the current political leaders...but you cannot pardon Aurangzeb for his atrocities just because today's leaders are bad.....do not change the track of debate to today's issues...
This is a real eye-opener and timely article. Our present education system has done away with our past in the indian history and allowed our children to feed on either no history or distorted one. CONGRATS for this fearless exposition. I will request the writer to unearth some other facts like how many muslim invaders plundered India innumerable times and murdered, raped, forcibly converted and tortured lakhs of hindus in the past, apart from carrying away all the wealth from india and destroying innumerable temples. Characters of Personalities like Sultan Mahmood, Md.Ghori, Temar lain, Chengis Khan, Kala Pahar etc may be exposed. How Md. Ghori attacked Prithwi Raj three times and was forgiven twice by Prithwiraj. But the third time when Prithwiraj was defeated, he (Prithwiraj) begged mercy but Md. Ghori brutally murdered him. Mercy was not there in the dictionary of Md.Ghori. Some people will argue that we should not discuss about our past. But we should not forget that on the basis of our past only, our govt. is doing the present vote bank politics and making reservations and quotas for the so called people who were underpreveledged in the past, though may not be at present. The progeny of Aurangjeb, Md. Ghori etc are now enjoying first class citizens in india and demanding more reservations for them but the people who sacrificed their lives, wealth and all for the freedom of this country are now leading a virtual second class citizens' life.
To speak about a religion, kindly go through its scriptures first, unbiased. And when you fully understand the message, then only you have a right to give your opinion. As regards Islam, unless you read and understand the Glorious Qur'an, every time you talk about it, you will fail, your opinion will have no effect on people. Once you try to honestly understand it, you will forget to say that Islam is just 1500 years old. You will realize that Adam and Eve(May Peace Be Upon Them, the first people on the earth, were muslims. I won't talk about Auranzeb, because there are more reliable authors who praise him. Even if he was not a good ruler, you have no right to blame his religion. So, my kind suggestion to all people who have misconceptions about Islam is to read and understand Glorious Quran.
