Gujarat seers Sadaram Bapu, Baldevnath Maharaj seek normal relations with Pakistan: Indo-Pak peace marchers

The mahant of Dev Darbar Math

By Kaleem Siddiqui
The India-Pakistan Friendship and Peace march, which started from Ahmedabad's Gandhi Ashram on June 19, completed about 170 kilometers till last Monday. Halting for night at in Thar in Banaskantha district, the next day the foot marchers walked around 15 km in the morning to reach Dev Darbar Jageer Math Ashram, where they were given a grand welcome by the ashram people.
After the completion of the welcome ceremony, all the foot marchers, including Magsaysay award winning activist,-scholar Sandeep Pandey, met mahant Baldevnathji Maharaj.
The Dev Darbar Math is located in Banaskantha district and is only 80 kilometres from the Pakistan border. He said, “Across the border in the Hyderabad region live Hindus. Nearly 500 Madhavani Hindu families living there are the followers of the Math. Last year, they organized a five-day Satsanga in Pakistan, where I addressed both Hindus and Muslims."
"Earlier, many followers would visit the Math in India, but due to bitterness and tension in both the countries, they cannot come to India from Pakistan. So I visited Pakistan last year. Not only did I visit the spot, I also helped them construct a magnificent temple. A grand hospital named Hey Nath is under construction for the people of Salempur in Pakistan", he said.
"One of our friends is Ghanshyam, MLA in Pakistan", Baldevnathji said, greeting the foot marchers, adding, "Generally people of both the countries love each other, they are very few people who work to spread hatred amongst us. Mutual love between people of the two countries will create brotherhood and harmony, which is necessary for progress and prosperity."

Sandeep Pandey outside the Math

Pandey said, "When we met Sadaram Bapu in Lotana village, he was a very pleased that this kind of march came out to connect the hearts of the two countries. There are Hindu religious leaders who are very much secular and want good relations with Pakistan. After marching to north Gujarat we came to know that there is no poison of communalism in these areas."
Yet, he regretted, no space is given by the mainstream media to such religious leaders. "North Gujarat is connected to the Pakistan border. Yet there is no open way for Pakistan, which is unfortunate. Baldevnathji, Sadaram Bapu and many people want bus service should be started between Suigaam in India and Nagar Parker in Pakistan. Persons like Sadaram Bapu and Baldevnathji play an important role in creating harmony in north Gujarat. Being religious leaders, these people can play a role in people's diplomacy "
Pandey further said, "We asked Banadevnathji that in Pakistan there is a lot of tyranny with Hindus, they are forced to convert their religion, and some media organizations in India claim that there is no permission to construct temples. Baldevnathji replied, 'I have lived in Pakistan for a month in October 2017. Although my follower may belong to a particular community, Muslims of Pakistan also met me respectfully and gave us honour, as if they were our followers. I am constructing a hospital in salempur in Pakistan called Hey Nath. I found there is no forced conversion. Anyone can built temple , there was no need for permission, except that you are required a purchase or get a donated land. Even today, there is a Hindu Kingdom (Omar Kot)'."
The marchers will reach Nadabet border on June 30, which is the last stop. Kaushar Ali Saiyyed, one of the foot marchers, said, "I have police permission till Nandeshwari Mata but we are waiting for Nadabet border permission from BSF. We have written a letter to BSF IG and are in talks with BSF. Hopefully we will get the border permission before June 28.”

Comments

US-China truce temporary, larger trade war between two economies to continue

By Prabir Purkayastha The Trump-Xi meeting in Busan, South Korea on 30 October 2025 may have brought about a temporary relief in the US-China trade war. But unless we see the fine print of the agreement, it is difficult to assess whether this is a temporary truce or the beginning of a real rapprochement between the two nations. The jury is still out on that one and we will wait for a better understanding of what has really been achieved in Busan.

When growth shrinks people: Capitalism and the biological decline of the U.S. population

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak* Critically acclaimed Hungarian-American economic historian and distinguished scholar of economic anthropometric history, Prof. John Komlos (Professor Emeritus, University of Munich), who pioneered the study of the history of human height and weight, has published an article titled “The Decline in the Physical Stature of the U.S. Population Parallels the Diminution in the Rate of Increase in Life Expectancy” on October 31, 2025, in the forthcoming issue of Social Science & Medicine (SSM) – Population Health, Volume 32, December 2025. The findings of the article present a damning critique of the barbaric nature of capitalism and its detrimental impact on human health, highlighting that the average height of Americans began to decline during the era of free-market capitalism. The study draws on an analysis of 17 surveys from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (...

Mergers and privatisation: The Finance Minister’s misguided banking agenda

By Thomas Franco The Finance Minister has once again revived talk of merging two or three large public sector banks to make them globally competitive. Reports also suggest that the government is considering appointing Managing Directors in public sector banks from the private sector. Both moves would strike at the heart of India’s public banking system . Privatisation undermines the constitutional vision of social and economic justice, and such steps could lead to irreversible damage.

Gujarat civil society to move Supreme Court against controversial electoral roll revision

By Rajiv Shah A recent, well-attended meeting of Gujarat civil society activists in Ahmedabad , held to discuss the impact of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, has decided to file a petition in the Supreme Court against the controversial exercise initiated by the Election Commission of India (ECI) across the country. Announcing this, senior High Court advocate Anand Yagnik , who heads the Gujarat chapter of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), said that a committee has already been formed to examine the pros and cons of SIR. “While the SIR exercise began in Gujarat on November 4 and is scheduled to continue for a month, we will file a supporting petition in the case against SIR in the Gujarat High Court or the Supreme Court after observing how it proceeds in the state,” he said. Yagnik’s announcement followed senior advocate Shahrukh Alam —who is arguing the SIR case in the Supreme Court—urging Gujarat’s civil society to also file ...

Why PESA, a Birsa Munda legacy, remains India’s unfulfilled commitment to its tribal peoples

By Raj Kumar Sinha* Nearly three decades ago, the Indian Parliament enacted a landmark law for tribal regions — the Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996, better known as PESA. This legislation sought to restore the traditional autonomy of tribal societies and empower them to use local resources according to their customs and needs. However, such decentralization never sat well with today’s developmental politicians, capitalists, and bureaucrats. The question therefore arises — what makes PESA so important?

Trump escalates threats of war against Venezuela, as millions in US set to lose essential benefits

By Manolo De Los Santos The United States government is in the grips of one of its longest-running funding gaps in history. The ongoing government shutdown has already stretched beyond 30 days and now, the food security of millions of Americans is at risk as the funding to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is drying up and Trump officials have refused to tap into contingency funds . Approximately 42 million individuals per month rely on SNAP benefits and are set to lose them beginning on November 1.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

New RTI draft rules inspired by citizen-unfriendly, overtly bureaucratic approach

By Venkatesh Nayak* The Department of Personnel and Training , Government of India has invited comments on a new set of Draft Rules (available in English only) to implement The Right to Information Act, 2005 . The RTI Rules were last amended in 2012 after a long period of consultation with various stakeholders. The Government’s move to put the draft RTI Rules out for people’s comments and suggestions for change is a welcome continuation of the tradition of public consultation. Positive aspects of the Draft RTI Rules While 60-65% of the Draft RTI Rules repeat the content of the 2012 RTI Rules, some new aspects deserve appreciation as they clarify the manner of implementation of key provisions of the RTI Act. These are: Provisions for dealing with non-compliance of the orders and directives of the Central Information Commission (CIC) by public authorities- this was missing in the 2012 RTI Rules. Non-compliance is increasingly becoming a major problem- two of my non-compliance cases are...

History, culture and literature of Fatehpur, UP, from where Maulana Hasrat Mohani hailed

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Maulana Hasrat Mohani was a member of the Constituent Assembly and an extremely important leader of our freedom movement. Born in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh, Hasrat Mohani's relationship with nearby district of Fatehpur is interesting and not explored much by biographers and historians. Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri has written a book on Maulana Hasrat Mohani and Fatehpur. The book is in Urdu. He has just come out with another important book, 'Hindi kee Pratham Rachna: Chandayan' authored by Mulla Daud Dalmai.' During my recent visit to Fatehpur town, I had an opportunity to meet Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri and recorded a conversation with him on issues of history, culture and literature of Fatehpur. Sharing this conversation here with you. Kindly click this link. --- *Human rights defender. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/vbrawat , X @freetohumanity, Skype @vbrawat

Search This Blog