On Friday (5th January) Kiran Shelar – the editor of Mumbai Tarun Bharat – refused to receive the Darpankar Balshastri Jambhekar Memorial Award for Journalism (दर्पणकार बाळशास्त्री जांभेकर पत्रकारिता पुरस्कार) from Prakash Pohare – the editor of Marathi daily newspaper Deshonnati – who during his speech in this program questioned the existence of Lord Shri Ram and criticised the Ram Mandir to be consecrated on the upcoming 22nd January. Shelar then received the award from Sukrut Khandekar – the editor of the Marathi daily newspaper Prahar – who was also present as a guest in the program.
In Maharashtra 6th of January is celebrated as Journalists’ Day to commemorate the first publication of the English and Marathi periodical ‘Darpan’ started by Balshastri Jambhekar who is also called the pioneer of new Marathi journalism. He started ‘Darpan’ on 6th January 1832. The Mumbai Marathi Journalistic Writers’ Association (Established in 2001) celebrates its foundation day and gives an award to a journalist every year in memory of Balshastri Jambhekar on 5th January. This year the award was being presented to Kiran Shelar.
According to a report by Maha MTB, the program was organised in the Surendra Gavaskar Memorial Hall of the Mumbai Marathi Granth Sangrahalaya. A lit-fest of journalists and writers was also held on this occasion. Mumbai University’s former vice-chancellor Dr Bhalchandra Munagekar was chief guest of the program. Ciciliya Carvalho and Sukrut Khandekar were among the other dignitaries on the dais. Prakash Pohare was the president of this program. Chairman of the Mumbai Marathi Journalistic Writers’ Association Eknath Birwadkar and other office bearers of the association and many journalists, writers, and others were present for this program in the Dadar area of Mumbai.
All the guests presented their thoughts before the award ceremony. Prakasha Pohare also expressed his views. During his speech, he questioned the existence of Lord Ram and criticised the Ram Mandir as well as the grand preparations going on for the upcoming consecration ceremony of the temple in Ayodhya. Prakash Pohare then detailed the problems of Dalits, tribals, ‘have-nots’ etc.
Reacting to this, Kiran Shelar stood up and said, “The problems of this country raised by the earlier speakers are real and the existence of Lord Shri Ram is also real. So I don’t want awards from those who believe that Shri Ram is an imagination, I will not accept it. However, I don’t want to insult the pioneer of Marathi journalism Balshastri Jambhekar. Therefore, the Mumbai Marathi Journalistic Writers’ Association should decide whether to give the award or not.”
Kiran Shelar’s stand on not accepting the award was greeted with a grand welcome from the audience, with a unified chant of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ from the people present in the auditorium. The audience also congratulated him for this stand rather than for the award. Finally, honouring the organisers’ request. Kiran Shelar received the award from Sukrut Khandekar – the editor of ‘Prahar’.
Kiran Shelar, while replying to the award, refuted many of the issues raised by Prakash Pohare. At the same time, he made his point by showing alternative ways, not just protesting the propositions by earlier speakers. Kiran Shelar said, “There are many ways of enlightenment in society today. A conscious society must reach out before the wrong tendencies reach the paths we haven’t seen so far. You have to look at those paths, you have to do your job honestly. There are obstacles to moving forward with your loyalty, but I’ve learned a lot from my 24 years of journalism experience. This is an award for my journey.”
He added, “As long as meaningful content is produced by writers and journalists, society’s appetite for better quality will not be quenched. Mumbai Tarun Bharat is a daily newspaper run by RSS volunteers. But all kinds of ideologies are for human welfare only. No one should discard them. Continuity in quality content creation must be maintained. The platform of the literary festivals is nowadays used for non-literary things. It should not happen with such a stage associated with journalism. The new generation should also be given a place on the platform.”
Kiran Shelar later detailed this incident in his Facebook post
Kiran Shelar informed about the whole sequence of events from his Facebook account later. He wrote in his post, “A month ago, Eknath Birwatkar, president of the Mumbai Marathi Journalistic Writers’ Association, came to the Office of Mumbai Tarun Bharat and asked me if I would accept the award given in the name of Balshastri Jambhekar. Late Yashwant Padhya started the Mumbai Marathi Journalistic Writers’ Association and ‘Mumbai Tarun Bharat’ and our editor at that time had a good relationship with the organisation. There was nothing to say no to. I was told this award was for new experiments in journalism. I agreed, too.”
Kiran Shelar added, “When the invitation letter was received, it was learnt that the award would be presented by Prakash Pohare, Sukrit Khandekar and Bhalchandra Munagekar. I didn’t think there was anything wrong with that at all. Munagekar gave his usual speech which was boring but at least he did not mock anyone. Prakash Pohare, however, slipped unceremoniously on Lord Shri Ram. The speech was completely contradictory and bizarre. Later, the comments he made on Lord Ram and Ram Mandir made me angry.”
Kiran Shelar further said in his Facebook post, “Sukrut Khandekar was sitting next to me. I told him that I did not think it was right to accept the award from him. I’m not going to accept it. Khandekar said ‘It was his personal stand. Not of the organising committee. This is an award named after Balashastri, you should not insult him.’ In fact, I am a system-abiding person and it is not in my nature to flare up just because I don’t like things that are going in a certain manner. Then I got up straight and took the mic and made my point.”
Describing what happened next, Kiran Shelar further wrote, “Our faith about Lord Ram is as real as the problems in this country presented by the speakers. So I don’t want an award from such a person. I said this straight away. Chants of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ started from the people sitting in the audience and there was an unprecidented ruckus. It was Khandekar who saved the face of the organisers at that time and gave me the award. I left the award there itself and got off the stage in a fit of rage and walked through the crowd. Some people were congratulating me, some were shouting slogans. My seven-year-old son Adamya Kiran Shelar clenched his fists and raised both his hands and chanted ‘Jai Shri Ram, Jai Shri Ram’. I smiled. We got out of there. The program ended too late.”
‘Questioning the existence of Lord Ram won’t work in front of me’, says Kiran Shelar
Kiran Shelar further clarified his stand about Lord Ram while he recalled the making of a journalist over the past 24 years of his working experience. He wrote in his Facebook post, “In fact, twenty-four years ago, I had decided not to leave ‘Mumbai Tarun Bharat’, no matter how big a package I got. That’s where I found my Ram. The respectful pay that the organization gives me, the support I get from colleagues and the freedom I get from my seniors are enough for this job. I don’t expect any award and it’s not in my nature to apply for it.”
He added, “In fact, I am a complete believer. But I am a man who seeks Ram in work (duty) rather than any ritual. I still believe that there are some good people even in the ideology I don’t believe in, and that they do a good job too. They should think about why people are no longer rallying behind them. Being a ‘Hedgewarite’, I have a lot of work to do and I can’t get over it.”
In the end he said, “I was so angry. Because we, as Hindus, respect everyone’s beliefs and faiths and you still question about the existence of Lord Ram. It won’t work. It’s not at all going to work in front of me.”
The leftist-liberal anti-Hindu bias of Marathi media and importance of Kiran Shelar
Notably, like every established national and regional media in India, the Marathi media brags and boasts a leftist-liberal anti-Hindu bias for the past so many years. It started with social reformers during the ninteenth century when it was aimed at bringing a so-called modern approach to the Marathi people. However, it went on to become more of an agency disseminating anti-Hindu thoughts on a regular basis over the last more than 100 years.
Stalwarts in the late ninteenth and early twentieth century like Lokmanya Tilak and Veer Savarkar are long forgotten by those in the Marathi media who claim to be progressive liberals. Having an essentially leftist bias they do not mention these names. Even if they do, they do so to demean, discredit, defame and misquote them in a way suitable to the narrative they want to peddle.
Questioning the existence of Lord Ram, criticising Ram Mandir, taking dirty jibes spit slurs at a Prime Minister who carries his Hindu identity on his sleeves, guilt tripping Hindus for demolition of disputed structure at Ram Janmbhoomi, abusing Hindu festivals, disrespecting Hindu traditions, and distorting the meanings assigned to various Hindu rituals is their standard operating procedure before these journalists resort to abuse Brahmins – the so-called traditional custodians of Dharma and worship rituals.
Girish Kuber once questioned the Christian way of assigning sainthood to Mother Teresa. He immediately withdrew the Loksatta editorial and furnished unconditional apology. Mukesh Machkar incited people to burn women from upper Hindu castes. Vishwambhar Choudhari and Nikhil Wagle‘s ‘Nirbhay Bano’ campaign against Narendra Modi has become a platform for anti-Hindu propaganda.
Asim Sarode‘s willful advocacy for the accused in the parliament security breach depicts the urban naxalism under the garb of constitutional activism. Niranjan Takle wrote a book on Justice Loya’s death wherein the only basis of arguments given to accuse Union Home Minister Amit Shah of conspiring the alleged murder of the late justice is hearsay and insinuation.
In fact, the inner core of the Marathi media is so intolerant towards Lord Ram that no other media gave the news of this incident as detailed as Kiran Shelar’s Mumbai Tarun Bharat and its web portal Maha MTB. Mruga Vartak who was also present for the ceremony reported this event for Maha MTB. OpIndia confirmed from her that representatives of many other media were also present there.
Against this backdrop, Kiran Shelar taking a firm stand and refusing to accept the award from the hands of a journalist who doubted the existence of Lord Ram is a ray of hope in Marathi journalism. Increasing the number of such journalists who vocally advocate the civilisational interests, respect others without compromising one’s own pride and faith and widespread reach, attention, and support of people to such journalists is the only way to turn this exception of being a Kiran Shelar into a norm in contemporary Marathi media.
