Destruction / Restoration at BORI: Eyewitness accounts from Dr Bedekar

[Guest guest]

vbedekar <vbedekar@b...>

Tue Jan 6, 2004 9:55 am

Re: Helping BORI

 

Some Facts:

 

1. As a member of Regulating Council of BORI, I was contacted by BORI

Office

about the sad incidence around 1300 hrs. I stay at Thane near Mumbai

(~120km

from Pune.) I immediately rushed to BORI and reached there at around

1700hrs. The scene was like an earthquake. Most of the senior

scholars were

sitting there as if somebody had died in their house and literally

speechless. Some of the staff and members couldn't hide their tears.

Shri

Mohanrao Dharia, Shri Prataprao Pawar (Brother of Shri. Sharad

Pawar), Shri

Pathan (Education Secretery, Govt. of Maharashtra), Vice-chancellor

of Pune

University and many other VIPs were present there all condemning the

act.

Around 1800hrs Shri R. R. Patil (newly appointed Home Minister of

Maharashtra) arrived and surveyed the damage. In the press conference

immediately aftarwards, he condemned the act and promised all co-

operation

and necessary legal actions. He also announced a help of Rs. 10 lacs

(10,00,000) from chief minister's fund. He also said that he has

taken this

matter very seriously. Mayor of Pune also announced Rs. 5 lacs.

 

In my personal conversation with Shri Prataprao Pawar, he accepted the

suggestion of Rs. 5 lacs each also should be given from Pune MP and

MLA

Funds which will amount to about Rs. 25 lacs. However he said that

there are

certain government regulations which will have to be checked in and

then

only the announcement can be made.

 

Just as a note : Shri Prataprao Pawar has always been sympathetic and

helpful to the institution.

 

Around 2100hrs when practically everybody had left, Myself, Shri

Bahulkar,

Shri Manjul and with some other Regulating Council members, we called

all

staff thanked them for their courage and requested them to start

afresh to

rebuild this institution.

 

They all promised to work towards restoring BORI. Many students who

frequently visit also are going to join in the process.

 

I must also note that many other social organisations and leaders

also have

offered their voluntary help : physical, material and monetary.

 

2. A group of about 125 Young Individuals entered the BORI Campus and

ransacked all buildings within 30 minutes. They were shouting some

slogans.

 

3. The act was well planned and well organised.

 

4.. They had brought with them an E-TV cameraman.

 

5. Some of the miscreants even took photographs standing on the heaps

of

rubble.

 

6. Police were informed by some of the staff and they arrived within

30

minutes. They arrested a mob of seventy giving slogans and waiting

outside.

 

7. The previous day, Ex-Librarian of BORI, Shri. Manjul received a

letter

with some abuse and hinting him to be the next target.

 

8. The incidence took place between 1100hrs and 1130 hrs and a press

conference was taken by one of the member of so-called Sambhaji

Brigade at

Aurangabad (>300Km from Pune) at around 1300hrs, justifying the Pune

Incidence.

 

9. Some fax messages have been received stating that this is just a

trailer

and next target would be Shaniwarwada.

 

10. Today all marathi papers from Pune and Mumbai carried this news

on the

front page with photographs. They also have written very strong

editorials.

However, English media showed their insensitivity by carrying this

news in

4th, 5th or 7th pages by simply describing the act.

 

11. Marathi news channels carried this news. However, again, none of

the

Zee, Star, Sahara etc. carried this news till today. There was very

short

news of about 10 secs on National News channel (English) at around

2300hrs

on the day of incidence.

 

12. Some of the comments printed today in the newspapers are highly

disturbing. One of the heirs of Shivaji from Satara Justified the act

saying

it is a natural emotional outbreak.Similarly, more or less same

justifications were given by other Maratha Maha Sangha Office bearers.

 

13. Unfortunately, the motivation of this sad incidence is anti-

brahminism

and Shivaji's book is just a lame excuse.

 

14. Many of you who are familiar with post-Independance Maharashtra

Politics, should be familiar with this strong movement in maharashtra

which

actually dates back to Mahatma Jyotiba Phule period in later half of

19th

Century. This movement has been fostered and thoroughly exploited

first by

leftist ideology and tacitly supported by missionay movements. I am

not

going into the details of this history as there are sympathisers to

this

movement in practically every political party today. We thought it is

dying

and irrelevent. However, this incidence proved us wrong.

 

15. Kindly note that there are no Central Government Grants given to

BORI.

As Dr. Kalyanaraman mentioned, we had recieved Assistance of Rs. 50

lacs and

not 5 crores about two years back to make CDs of critical editions of

Mahabharata and volumes of Dharma Shastra. The CDs of Mahabharata are

ready

(Devnagari Text - 5 volumes) with devanagari and english search. The

work of

volumes of dharma shastra is in progress. The response to Mahabharata

CDs is

poor. The Maharashtra government is supposed to give 50% component of

DA to

the Institute. We have not recieved this grant from GOM since 2000AD.

This

amount is about Rs. 27 Lacs. the condition of BORI financially is not

good.

Very recently, some land of BORI was acquired by Pune Municipal

Corporation

for Road widening. We got some TDR (Transferrable Development Rights)

which

we sold in the market and could get about Rs. Two Crores. This money

is kept

in the bank as corpus fund. The only source of income of BORI is Sale

of

their publication and out of some hoardings. Inspite of this, this

year we

may face a deficit of about Rs. 5 lacs. Due to the lack of funds and

Government not compensating for their component, the salaries of some

office

and other support staff were not really adequate. They were protesting

during last two months and a notice of strike was given. Taking all

condition into consideration, an agreement was reached between union

and

management by giving them practically a salary closer to other similar

institutions. This has added to our financial burden. Needless to say

again

that many many infrastructural and civil works needs to be done to

these old

buildings which will cost substantial amount. BORI library is still

functioning in old fashion. For mdernisation, we need to infuse new

staff

which is again going to cost us, which is beyond our means today.

Respective

secreteries and other office bearers have been pointing this out to

Central

and State Governments from time to time. What is get in return are

sweet

words.

 

16. Due to this financial position, BORI is unable to buy many books

and

to International Journals. Most of the journals we are

gettings

are either through exchange program of BORI annals or simply

complimentary.

 

17. BORI is definitely a non-political and relatively better

functioning

institute in the country. Unfortunately, we have been losing scholars

practically every year. As members of this list must be aware that Dr.

Kashikar died at the age of 93 few days back who was closely

associated with

the functioning of this institute for last 5 decades.

 

18. This incidence has literally demoralised one and all in the

Institute.

However, I am sure, from what I could see yesterday, scholars and

staff both

have decided to rebuild this institution by literrally trying to

forget

yesterday's incidence.

 

This lengthy mail is just to keep members of this list informed.

 

Regards

 

Dr. Vijay V. Bedekar

Thane

********

 

vbedekar <vbedekar@b...>

Tue Jan 6, 2004 10:51 am

Re: [indianCivilization] Re: Helping BORI

 

 

1. Fortunately, Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts, New Delhi have

microfilmed most of the manuscripts of BORI.

 

2. I just talked to Dr. Bahulkar and, though a very early assesment,

90% of

the books and Manuscripts can still be salvaged. Of course it is a

costly,

lengthy and painstaking process. Books perhaps can be restored, but

manuscripts will have to be done very carefully.

 

3. Shri Modak whose firm has done the job of Mahabharata CD, has

offered to

scan all manuscript at his own cost.

 

[sNIP]

 

Regards,

 

Vijay Bedekar