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Sita Ram GoelIndian historian, religious and political activist, writer and publisher
Date of Birth: 16.10.1921
Country:  India |
Content:
- Sita Ram Goel: A Maverick Historian and Advocate of Hindu Nationalism
- Works
- Colin Maine's "The Dead Hand of Islam"
- Petition on the Calcutta Quran
- Hindu Temples – What Happened to Them
- Legacy
Sita Ram Goel: A Maverick Historian and Advocate of Hindu Nationalism
Early LifeSita Ram Goel was born into a Hindu family in Punjab in 1921, but spent his childhood in Calcutta. His family revered Sri Garibdas, a nirguna saint akin to Kabir and Nanak, and his poetry, the "Granth Saheb," was often recited in their home. Goel graduated with a degree in history from Delhi University in 1944. As a student, he was an active social worker, serving at a Harijan ashram in his village. His sympathies for the Arya Samaj, Harijans, and the Indian independence movement, as well as his outspoken support for Mahatma Gandhi, brought him into conflict with many in his village. Goel also became fluent in Sanskrit during his college years.
Works
The Hindu View of Christianity and Islam (1993)In 1993, MP Syed Shahabuddin, who had earlier in 1988 demanded a ban on "The Satanic Verses," called for a ban on Ram Swarup's book, "The Hindu View of Christianity and Islam." Goel and Swarup went into hiding, fearing arrest. The court granted bail, and the authors emerged from hiding. Arun Shourie and K.S. Lal protested the ban.
Colin Maine's "The Dead Hand of Islam"
In 1986, Goel republished Colin Maine's essay, "The Dead Hand of Islam." Some Muslims filed a criminal complaint against Goel, alleging that he had violated Sections 153A and 295A of the Indian Penal Code and similar sections of the Customs Act of India. The judge acquitted Goel, relying on an earlier court precedent, "1983 CrLJ 1446." Speaking on the importance of this precedent, the judge remarked, "If such a submission is accepted, the day is not far when that part of history which is inconvenient to a particular religion will have to be cold-storaged on the plea that the publication of such history would constitute an offence punishable under Section 153A IPC. The ambit of S-153A cannot be stretched to such an extent as to obliterate history. (...) The position otherwise will be highly precarious. The nation will have to forget its own history and in course of time, the nation will have no history at all. (...) If somebody intends destroying the history (by banning its publication) of the nation on the pretext that if he takes action under the aforesaid sections, his action should be held to be bona fide."
Petition on the Calcutta Quran
Goel published "The Petition on the Calcutta Quran" alongside Chandmal Chopra in 1986. On August 31, 1987, Chopra was detained by the police and held in custody until September 8 for co-publishing the book with Goel. Goel went into hiding to avoid arrest.
Hindu Temples – What Happened to Them
In November 1990, proposals arose in Uttar Pradesh to ban Goel's book, "Hindu Temples – What Happened to Them."
Legacy
Sita Ram Goel has been described by Koenraad Elst as an "intellectual Kshatriya." David Frawley said of Goel that he was "the greatest intellectual Kshatriya of modern India" and "one of India's most important thinkers in the post-Independence era." According to Frawley, "Sitaram had a strong rationalist mind that would not compromise truth for the sake of pleasantries. His intellectual rigor is unparalleled in Hindu circles..."
