MODERN
INDIAN HISTORY – FULL OF MURDER, MAYHEM AND MASALA
Truth, as
we all know, is stranger than fiction. If peppered with the right amount of
creative liberty, we get some amazing movies like The Big Short or series like Wild
Wild Country. However, Hollywood has figured out the recipe for creating the
perfectly balanced ‘inspired from a true story’ that encompasses everything
from 300 to something like Charlie Wilson’s war or any biopic for that matter.
Bollywood
or more appropriately Indian storytellers have been… a bit hit and miss about
it. Well more miss than hit. True to the modern state of our cuisine, we keep
adding so much masala to it that the original flavour is lost. Like 83 or
Bajirao Mastani’s second half, the unnecessary amount of masala results in an
indigestible and upsetting dish. However, we have had some good ones like The
Tashkent Files, Gumnaami (2019 Bengali movie about the mysterious death of
Netaji Bose available on Prime) and the surprisingly successful The Kashmir
Files which delve into our rich and mysterious history with the right amount of
creative liberty. Or something like the massive blockbuster RRR which is complete masala but in the best possible ways.
On the
streaming front, Sony Liv has been scoring better than their peers Hotstar,
Netflix and Prime. Instead of just adding crude language, violence and sex just
because they can, Sony actually put its money and heart into producing series
like Scam 1992 – about the Harshad Mehta scam and its recently released Rocket
Boys – about India’s nuclear program and its architects : Dr. Vikram Sarabhai
and Dr. Homi Bhabha. If you are a history buff (like yours truly), the life
particularly the circumstances surrounding death of Homi Bhabha would have
immediately had you intrigued about the series.
There is no
need for much additional when our history is full of stories so strange and
intriguing, that only a small bit of imagination would be needed. Here are 5
very real stories that deserve telling –
5.
Chandraswami
Speaking of
Scam 1992, the series has a scene of someone calling a politically influential
religious man in Delhi about Harshad Mehta’s scam and requesting their
intervention in it. The god-man in question was Chandraswami.
Born
Nemichand Jain, Chandraswami supposedly learnt Tantra vidya and attained Siddhi
after 4 years of penance. His proximity to politician and later Prime
Minister Narsimha Rao was the source of the spotlight on him. It is said that
Rao seldom took any important decision without consulting the swami first.
Also, Chandraswami’s roots apparently went deeper than that since his ashram in
Delhi was built on land allotted by Indira Gandhi. He was present in many
international religious conferences. He was also dispensing advice to
well-known figures like the Sultan of Brunei, Elizabeth Taylor, Margaret
Thatcher and even some claim to Dawood Ibrahim.
Like most
modern self-proclaimed Swamis- Chandraswami had a lot of hidden wealth. He had
been subject to various IT raids and apparently, he had made payments of up to
USD 11 million to an infamous Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi. The Jain
commission even alleged his involvement in Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination.
His story
has everything that a good series needs political drama, controversy, mystery
but it may lack something which a great story needs- a blockbuster ending.
Sadly
Chandraswami’s death was not as interesting as his life and he died of organ failure
in a hospital.
However,
imagine a movie inspired by this character with the right amount of masala
would make for a perfect potboiler.
Sam Hormusji Framji Jamdhesji Manekshaw a.k.a Sam Bahadur – His carrier and achievements are even bigger than his name. Perhaps modern India’s most celebrated military leader. Born in 1914 to a doctor and one of 6 children, Sam Manekshaw’s story comes built in as a proper script with excellent dialogue. I mean who says “I am always ready, sweetie” to the most terrifyingly powerful Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi when asked if he was ready for the 1971 war?
Sam
Manekshaw’s quotes alone make for the most witty and entertaining reading. (you
can read them here *insert link). He had that natural Parsee wit and charm
coupled with the no nonsense military outspokenness of a man who had seen all
kinds of hardship. He was the architect of the 1971 victory over Pakistan that
resulted in the liberation of Bangladesh. When asked what would have happened
if he had opted for being in Pakistan army before the partition he merely
answered –
“Then I
guess I would’ve won the war”
Sam wasn’t
just all talk and no walk. He suffered life threatening injuries when fighting
the Japanese as part of the British Army in Burma. Even when being treated, he
protested and asked the surgeon to treat the other soldiers first. He was also
instrumental in reshaping the Indian army’s training manuals and techniques to
a modern era.
It is of
course no surprise that a movie titled Sam Bahadur is being made by Meghna
Gulzar starring Vicky Kaushal on Sam’s life. However, his wiki page alone has
so much content, a 6-7 episode limited series would do a better job of
capturing the larger than life figure that was Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw.
3. Ajit
Doval
Speaking of
larger than life figures, Ajit Doval ‘s story is now in fact so well known and
so interesting that don’t be surprised if Askhay Kumar is already starring in a
movie about him. Jokes apart, what more can be said about India’s super spy
that people don’t already know.
His 7 year
stint living as a muslim in Pakistan is grounds for a series alone. Especially
an incidence when a muslim man noticed his pierced ear (a Hindu practice of
piercing the childs ear) but warned him in private about it. Doval had a
plastic surgery done to remove it. His other lesser known exploits include
handling intelligence during 1971 merger of Sikkim with India and also handling
various Indian Airlines hijacking during the 1980’s. He was also involved in
crushing the Khalistani terrorist movement along with KPS Gill.
His later political career is perhaps better known as the
man who helped the Modi government come to power. The man whose plans have
plans and those plans have plans as well. In a 2014 speech, he famously
threatened to do to Balochistan what Pakistan was doing to Kashmir. That
statement alone was supposedly enough to have Pakistani intelligence searching
under their own beds.
James Bond meets Game of Thrones?! Who wouldn’t want to see
that? The only issue with his story might be that we may never get to see the
most mysterious of parts of it.
Coming to the more mysterious stories of India, Have any of
you ever heard the name – Azad Bharat Vidhik Vicharik Kranti Satyagrahi? No?
Okay how about – Swadheen Subhas Bharat Sena? Still no?
Any of you remember reading this news in 2016- about a
mysterious cult who had made their home in Mathura’s Jawaharlal Park, who were
involved in violence that killed 24 people? If still no, then oh boy, do you
have a really interesting story on your hands.
There were 3000 people headed by one Ram Vriksha Singh
Yadav – who was a disciple of someone called Tulsidas Maharaj. They had
encroached upon the park and had created their own village for 2 years. They
had their own currency, own constitution and producing their own goods. The
bizarreness doesn’t end here. Yadav claimed to be disciple of a mysterious man
named Tulsidas Maharaj a.k.a Jai Gurudev. Tulsidas Maharaj was a lesser known
political figure whose birth and origin is shrouded in mystery. Gurudev
apparently had amassed wealth of Rs. 12,000 crores before his death in 2012.
His followers believed him to be the reincarnation of Netaji Subhas Chandra
Bose.
The cult led by Yadav had even weird demands were for
discontinuation of the current Indian rupee and its replacement by the Azad
Hind Sena currency notes promoted by Netaji. They also wanted 40 litres petrol
for Rs. 1 and 60 litres diesel for Rs. 1. The cult also demanded the dismissal
of the current Indian parliamentary system as they saw it as a remnant of
British Colonialism.
Also, in case you want more masala, the cult was apparently
there because they staked a claim over Jay Gurudev’s properties and were in a
dispute with some other faction about it. Police later invaded the encroachment
and 24 people were killed. However, the leader has apparently ran away and has
not yet been found.
This story is just a writer’s free candy shop (or happy
hours in a bar, because that’s what makes any writer really happy). So much
built-in mystery and bizarreness that it would make for a perfect
indoctrination story, conspiracy story as well as a political thriller.
Although not related to the Netaji cult, this is one story
that is definitely equally bizarre and perhaps more mysterious. The cult has
its origins in Gujarat among the tribals. They believe their founder Keshari
Sinhji was gifted all the forest land of India by Queen Victoria herself before
the British left India. They do not believe in the sovereignty of the Indian
government
Well if that’s not the weird part, they completely reject
any rules of the Indian government, they do not have Ration or aadhar cards and
apparently many (some out of fear) don’t send their children to free govt
schools or even give them vaccines. NGO’s and healthcare workers have tried but
have been met with stern resistance. What is the terrifying part is that a cult
which was present in parts of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, has now spread to the
tribal and Naxal affected areas of Chhattisgarh as well.
Apparently some tribals in Jharkhand are not happy with this
new cult invading their centuries old cultural ethos.
This story makes for a fascinating window into the lives of
tribal communities of India.
1. 1.Anandmargis
How this story has escaped India’s pop culture is a bigger
mystery than the organization itself. On the surface, the Anand Marga movement
is like one of India’s many Hindu philosophical movements advocating
meditation, Yoga sadhana etc. However, the story is full of action, political
drama, extreme violence and oh yeah skull dancing –
Skull dancing isn’t even the most terrifying part. The organization was founded by Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar in the 1950’s in Bengal. It’s popularity and socio-political influence really grew in the 1960’s when missionaries were being sent to different parts of the country and also over the world. The organization also criticized the Indira Gandhi government and if we have learnt anything from history is that if you are not Sam Manekshaw, you can’t escape criticizing Mrs. Gandhi. The organization was banned and its founder was arrested in 1974. Sarkar was allegedly poisoned in jail but survived. He was released from jail after 4 years in August 1978.
In September 1978, a bomb exploded in Sydney at the Hilton
Hotel where a meeting of some international diplomats (including PM Morarji
Desai) was going on. The accused were both members of the Ananda Marga. Morarji
Desai had claimed had the Ananda Marga had tried to kill him for the
imprisonment of their leader. There was also allegations of other attacks by
Ananda Margis on other foreign diplomats in Australia.
The growing popularity of Ananda Marga brought it in
conflict with the Communist Party which had its roots deep in Bengal. As is the
Communist tradition, there were various incidences if ruthless violence between
them. The most notable being the 1982 Bijon Setu Massacre in which 17 Ananda
Marga monks and nuns were dragged out of their vehicle in broad daylight and
killed in public. Of course no one was arrested.
But the most mysterious case regarding Ananda Margis is the 1995 Purulia Arms drop case. This story sounds so bizzare it might as well have been typed by a bot. A Latvian aircraft dropped several AK 47 rifles in Purulia district of West Bengal. The plane was later intercepted by the IAF and grounded in Mumbai. The crew arrested were ex British Military and a few Latvians. A Danish man named Niels Hock was also arrested who had been a social worker in West Bengal. The man claimed that the arms drop was intended for the Ananda Margis as the then Indian PM Narsimha Rao wanted to use the Ananda Margis to fight communist influence. However, for the sake of brevity , somewhere somehow the Bangaldeshi army is also reportedly involved in the case.
This story is a mix of John Le Carre’, Fredrick Forsyth, Tom
Clancy and Dan Brown composed into one! Add in a good star cast and a good
director and you have a certified hit on your hands.
