Aurangazeb Exhibition Controversy

02-25-2008, 07:59 PM

Another bunch of losers that are unhappy that their pseudo secularist propanganda history is not being taught to children to brainwash them into hating themselves and their culture.

03-07-2008, 05:06 PM

Aurangazeb exhibition creates flutter 

Chennai, March 6: The Chennai police on Thursday detained three women associated with an art exhibition after forcing them to close down the show, where a French artist had displayed his paintings on Mughal emperor Aurangazeb.

The police took Saraswathi (65), Dr.Vijayalakshmi (62) and Malathi (47) to the Thousand Lights station at around 7.30 p.m. for enquiry into charges of assisting an exhibition by French journalist Francois Gautier at Lalit Kala Akademi's (LKA) Regional Centre on Greams Road. They were detained in the station for half-an-hour.

Earlier in the day, tension prevailed on LKA premises when the police, Hindu Munnani president Rama Gopalan and Prince of Arcot Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali visited the exhibition. The visit of the police came in the wake of three letters including one from an advocate Mr Zainudeen to Lalit Kala Akademi stating that the exhibition would disturb communal harmony. The police initially suggested removal of two pictures depicting demolition of Keshava Rai temple in Mathura and that of Somnath temple by the armies of Aurangazeb.

However, the organisers of the exhibition told the police that they would not remove the pictures as it violated their artistic freedom. Janata party president Ms Chandralekha rushed to the spot to express solidarity with the organisers of the exhibition. Talking to this newspaper, Ms Saraswati (65) said, "The police was rude to us. They asked us whether we were terrorists. We were detained in the station for more than half an hour and they did not allow us to contact our family." Ms Malathi said, "The police entered the exhibition hall at 7.30 pm and threw away some paintings." However, the police and LKA officials denied breaking any art pieces put up at the exhibition.

Later in the day, two Muslim outfits Tamil Nadu Towheed Jamaat and Samooha Neethi Peravai protested in front of the LKA demanding that the exhibition be called off as it would disturb religious amity. FACT (Foundation Against Continuing Terrorism), an art foundation of Mr Francois Gautier, has been organizing historical art exhibitions on emperors such as Aurangazeb and Shivaji in the metropolitan cities including New Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai for the last two years.

Mr Francois said, "I have conducted the same exhibition at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, Pune and Bangalore. No one protested. It is necessary to create a dialogue between communities and put an end to the intolerant culture of Aurangazeb. Let us inculcate the cosmopolitan spirit of Dara Shkoh, the brother of Aurangazeb, who learnt Upanishads and had a dialogue with the Hindu brethren." Ms Chandralekha said, "This is atrocious. The DMK-led government has always been against the Hindus. This incident also vindicated that."

Mr Balasubramanian, Joint Commissioner of police, said, "The exhibition is called off temporarily as a few people raised objections to the exhibits. As we feared that it might create a law and order problem, we advised the organisers to obtain permission before holding the exhibition again." Meanwhile, artist Francois met the Joint Commissioner and said he did not have any ulterior motive in holding the exhibition and had only wanted to create an awareness on Indian history.

Bharatvarsh · 03-07-2008, 08:47 PM

QUOTEControversy puts an end to Aurangazeb exhibition

Curtains came down abruptly on an exhibition, depicting the life history of Mughal emperor Aurangazeb, at the Lalit Kala Akademi in Chennai in the wake of some Muslim outfits and Hindu organisations failing to see eye to eye on some of the portraits on display.

Trouble started when some Muslim organisations and Prince of Arcot Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali took up cudgels against some portraits, claiming it would disturb peace in the state and demanded the expo 'Aurangazeb as he was according to Mughal records' be cancelled.

Jumping to the defence of the exhibition of paintings by French artist Francois Gautier, a few Hindu outfits opposed any move to cancel the show, contending that 'only historical facts' were on display.

Police provided tight security on the premises, with the two groups unrelenting.

Fearing that the exhibition could whip up communal passions, the city police and Akademi Regional Secretary R M Palaniappan ended the expo, which began fours days ago, abruptly, three days ahead of schedule.

Police also detained three women associated with the exhibition -- Saraswathi (65), Dr Vijayalakshmi (62) and Malathi (47) -- for half an hour for inquiry.

Hindu Munnani leader Rama Gopalan and Vishwa Hindu Parishad working president S Vedantam condemned the police action at the exhibition, organised by the Foundation Against Continuing Terrorism.

www.rediff.com/news/2008/mar/07expo.htm
QUOTENo Room for âFACTSâ !
07/03/2008 07:11:56Â Anjanasudhan

FACTS ABOUT THE FACT â Exhibition on Aurangazeb!
FACT (Foundation Against Continuing Terrorism) had organized an Exhibition of Paintings under the theme "Aurangazeb 'as he was' According to Moghol Records" in Chennai from the 3rd of March to 9th of March, 2008. The venue of the Exhibition was " Lalit Kala Academy " (National Academy of Art), Greams Road , Chennai.

The exhibition was inaugurated by Mr.Vittal, Former Chief Vigilance Commissioner, Mr.B.Raman Former Additional Secretary of UOI & RAW Official and Mr.S.Gurumurthy, Columnist, on the 3rd of March at 5 pm . The inauguration was attended by about 100 people. Prior to the inauguration, a Press Meet was also conducted.

From the next morning onwards, visitors started coming and the numbers gradually increased towards the evening. On Wednesday the 5th, a group of Muslims (around 15 people) visited and argued with the volunteers of the exhibition about the authenticity of the paintings and the historical information. The evening news paper "News Today" carried a report about the inauguration of the exhibition.

A Thursday of Torment!
At the venue:-

On Thursday the 6th morning, City Express (City edition of The New Indian Express) carried a report about the Exhibition. A few Police officers from the local area police station (Thousand Lights-F4) were posted at the venue, because of the ruckus caused by the Muslims the previous day. The academy in-charge Mr.R.M.Palaniappan asked the organizers to vacate, in anticipation of problems. The Asst.Commissioner of Police Mr.Murali visited the venue, went around the exhibits, questioned the organizer & volunteers, allegedly made some arrogant remarks and went out. Then, Hindu Munnani President Shri.Ramagopalan and VHP office bearer Shri.Gopal ji had visited. Shri.Gopal ji had arranged for the visit of press persons and TV anchors, who all came and covered the exhibition. Smt.Tamizhisai Sounderarajan, State Deputy General Secretary of BJP and her colleagues had also visited in the afternoon. Smt.Chandralekha, IAS (Retd) & President of Janatha Party, Tamil Nadu, too had visited.

Then around 3 pm , Prince of Arcot Mr.Mohammed Ali had visited and gone around the exhibits. He had debated and argued with the volunteers present there about the truth & authenticity of the paintings and the information they carried. He had even contested that all are fabricated and distorted history and had questioned the necessity of conducting such an exhibition in Chennai. He had also blamed the organizers that, they have a hidden agenda of inciting communal hatred. He had opined that the exhibition must be closed with immediate effect. He had departed saying that he would issue statements through press meet about the exhibition and that he would also take the issue to the appropriate authority.

Then in the evening some TV crews and press reporters had visited to cover the exhibition. They had a mini interview with Mr.Francois Gautier, the Founder Trustee of FACT. At that time a group of Muslims, allegedly from TMMK (Tamilnadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam) and MNP (Manitha Neethi Paasarai) had come to the venue, took photographs of a few exhibits with their mobile phone cameras and picked up arguments with the volunteers, most of them elderly women from decent family backgrounds. Later on, the Muslims had threatened Mr.Francois and the volunteers to close the show immediately or face the consequences the next day. When all these arguments were going on between the organizers and the Muslims, the police had not bothered to come up (The hall was in the first floor) from basement. All the exchange of arguments and the Muslims' threats had been captured on camera by the TV crews and they had flashed the news all over during the 7 pm bulletin and thereafter.

The group of Muslims, then, had gone out and protested to the police officers who were posted there. Then they had started mobilizing their cadres through phone calls and slowly their numbers have started swelling. In the meantime, as the Ass.Commissioner Mr.Murali was adamant on the closing of the show, Mr.Francois had left the venue for meeting the Comissioner of Police after having failed to convince the ACP Mr.Murali. The man in-charge of the venue Mr.Palaniappan had given a letter of termination of the show to the organizers / volunteers and asked them to accept and sign. But, the volunteers were believed to have requested him to wait till the arrival of Mr.Francois.

In the meantime, as the crowd of Muslims had started swelling, the ACP Mr.Murali got tensed up and shouted at the volunteers. He had rushed up to the hall with his full team of around dozen officers and started pulling down the exhibits with force despite the repeated plea of the volunteers to wait till the arrival of Mr.Francois from the City Police commissioner's office. Even when the volunteers had pleaded that they would remove the paintings themselves, he had not bothered to listen to them and abused them in unparliamentarily language. He had used worse & unprintable words against Mr.Francois and had termed him as 'terrorist'. Then he had forced the volunteers to close & lock the hall and arrested four organizers / volunteers (Mrs.Srarswathi, Mrs.Vijayalakshmi, Mrs.Malathi and Mr.B.R.Haran) and one senior citizen (Mr.S.Raman-a visitor from RSS) and took them to the local station (Thousand Lights-F4). Mr.Sadagopan, Editor, Vijayabaratham, who was there on the spot had rushed for arranging lawyers for helping the organizers / volunteers.

At the Police Station:-
When the poor volunteers were taken by a police van, a big group of Muslims were seen standing outside the gates enjoying the show. The five people had been detained in the station for about 45 minutes and enquired. The enquiry had been conducted by the ACP Mr.Murali inside his cabin and the volunteers had been offered seats in front of him. They had been questioned about their profession and their connection to Mr.Francois. The ACP had even talked of confiscating the Passport of Mrs.Saraswathiâs daughter Ms.Anupama. He had again termed Mr.Francois as a "Foreign Terrorist" and had blamed that the volunteers were helping & assisting him to incite communal violence in the otherwise peaceful Tamil Nadu. He had asked the venue in-charge Mr. Palaniappan, in front of the volunteers, to give a written complaint on the organizer / volunteers.Â He had not bothered to listen to the explanations given by the volunteers and started taking notes of their details. Before that, he had asked the senior citizen Mr.Raman (72) to go saying that someone had phoned up for him.

In the meantime, as the news of the arrest of organizers / volunteers had spread, Mr.V.sundaram, IAS had phoned up the Home Secretary & DGP thrice, Mrs.Chandralekha IAS & Dr.Subramania Swamy (from Delhi) had phoned up the Commissioner of Police, Chennai City and Smt.Radha Rajan Secretary, VIGIL Public Forum, had spoken to the Joint commissioner Mr.Bala Subramaniam condemning the highhandedness of the police and demanding the immediate release of the detainees. While the ACP Mr.Murali had been vehemently blaming the volunteers during the course of the enquiry, he had got a call from the Joint Commissioner and immediately after that, he had calmed down and asked Mr.Palaniappan to stop writing his complaint and had ordered the Inspector to allow the volunteers to go after taking a written statement from them. They had been asked to give a statement saying, "We were brought to the station from Lalit Kala Academy , the venue of the exhibition for enquiry and were allowed to go home after completion of the enquiry".

The four volunteers, who had been detained in the station, have very decent family backgrounds, are well educated and they have never gone inside a police station even once in their lives so far. It was the Muslims thugs, who had barged in to the hall, created trouble and threatened the volunteers and organizers, while the volunteers had been calm and composed and trying to explain things to them. The police had let the trouble shooters free and took the organizers to the station! A thing like this can happen only in Tamil Nadu, where a "Minority Government" runs for the welfare of only "Minorities" and the TN Police, as usual, are stooges for the party / alliance in power. The four volunteers had lost their peace on Shivrathri and finally they could neither go to the Temple nor do poojas at home!
Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â - Anjanasudhan.
PS: -Â The Effect:-

The TOP leaders of Hindu organizations like, Shri.Surya Narayana Rao & Shri.Kuppuram of RSS, Shri.Ramagopalan ji of Hindu Munnani, Shri.Gopal ji of VHP and Shri.Sukumaran Nambiar of BJP, with the help of Shri.Sadagopan are working on the issue and they are likely to take serious measures.

Dr.Subramanyam Swamy, Mrs.Chandralekha IAS and Mr.V.Sundaram, IAS are also focusing on the issue and are likely to take it to Senior Government authorities.

Smt.Radha Rajan and Shri.S.V.Badri will be meeting Senior Police Officials on Saturday the 8th of March on this issue.

Mr.Francois Gautier, who had left for Mumbai today ( 07-03-08 ) for another exhibition on Shivaji, is likely to get back tomorrow or the day after.

All are determined to conduct the exhibition again successfully!
http://www.haindavakeralam.com/HkPage.aspx...EID=5746&SKIN=B

**shamu** · 03-07-2008, 11:56 PM

Can somebody, who knows them, request them to post those paintings on the internet?

dhu · 03-08-2008, 12:04 AM

http://www.fact-india.com/Aurangazebgallery.php

http://picasaweb.google.com/vee4ru/ShivajiExhibition

http://picasaweb.google.com/vee4ru/AurangazebExhibition

ramana · 03-08-2008, 12:32 AM

In Dec 1991 I went to India and toured the normal tourist places around Delhi. Our driver took us to Mathura and Vrindavan on our way back from Agra to Delhi. At the small Krishna Deo temple I was shocked to see a big masjid structure(dome like) and asked our driver what was that? He told me its the mosque built by Aurangazeb. I am not areligious person but all kinds of hidden passion rose inside me. I totally condemn that structure as an affront to my faith. I refused to go see the Qutb Minar later when we went back to Delhi.

**shamu** · 03-08-2008, 03:27 AM

QUOTE(dhu @ Mar 8 2008, 12:04 AM)http://www.fact-india.com/Aurangazebgallery.php

http://picasaweb.google.com/vee4ru/ShivajiExhibition

http://picasaweb.google.com/vee4ru/AurangazebExhibition
[right][snapback]79412[/snapback][/right]

It would have been better if descriptions for those paintings are included in each of the pictures.

I think this post describes those paintings.

03-08-2008, 04:31 AM

Here's the irony.

Secular-vaadis who whine about Gujarat cops have no problems raising museum in Ahmedabad Soon, a museum in the memory of riot victims in Ahmedabad
Guess there's no problem about race/regilious tensions or oppression by Modi Govt on this.

BUT, hear ye, hear ye.... in Chennai the heartland of Dravidian politics, the cops and govt are suddenly concerned about an exhibition of a king who's been dead for over 300 years now!! And cops had the behave like Gestapo???
Only in Ulta Pulta world <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/blink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='blink.gif' />

03-08-2008, 05:12 AM

QUOTE(Viren @ Mar 7 2008, 04:01 PM)Here's the irony.

Secular-vaadis who whine about Gujarat cops have no problems raising museum in Ahmedabad Soon, a museum in the memory of riot victims in Ahmedabad
Guess there's no problem about race/regilious tensions or oppression by Modi Govt on this.

BUT, hear ye, hear ye....Â in Chennai the heartland of Dravidian politics, the cops and govt are suddenly concerned about an exhibition of a king who's been dead for over 300 years now!! And cops had the behave like Gestapo???
Only in Ulta Pulta worldÂ <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/blink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='blink.gif' />
[right][snapback]79421[/snapback][/right]


Why not by giving Chennai incident as an example close down the museum in the interest of maintaining communal harmony. <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/b_cowboy.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='b_cowboy.gif' />

03-09-2008, 02:09 AM

I want to see when Sonia change Janpath road to LTTE Prabhakaran Road to show her secular creditionals. I hate to see Aurangazeb Road in heart of Delhi. but Sonia sicko seculars are against changing road name.

03-09-2008, 03:03 AM

QUOTEArtistic freedom yes, but not with Aurangzeb 
Pioneer.com
Kanchan Gupta | New Delhi
Artistic freedom in increasingly 'secular' India has come to mean the right to denigrate Jesus Christ and Goddess Shakti, as was done by a callow student of the fine arts faculty of Maharaja Sayajirao University in Baroda last year. But permission to exhibit exquisite miniatures and firmans related to Aurangzeb has been denied, because 15 Muslims and a bogus nawab have demanded so.

French journalist Francois Gautier's Foundation Against Continuing Terrorism (FACT) has painstakingly -- and at great expense -- put together a collection of 40 miniatures and firmans that tell the story of Aurangzeb's rule. The exhibition is called Aurangzeb as he was according to Mughal records. "We have taken care to present all facets of Aurangzeb, including his piety," says Gautier.

The collection was first exhibited to critical acclaim at the Habitat Centre in New Delhi. It next travelled to Pune where one lakh people visited the show. It was equally well received in Bangalore where the popular Gallery G hosted the exhibition. FACT then decided to take the collection to Chennai where it was supposed to be exhibited at the Lalit Kala Akademi from March 3 to 9.

The exhibition was inaugurated by N Vittal, former Chief Vigilance Commissioner, and B Raman, security expert and former R&AW official, March 3 at 5 pm. Some 100 people attended the inauguration. Since March 4, a continuous stream of people came to see the exhibits

On March 5, a group of 15 Muslims (Gautier says "they were no more than six") affiliated to the Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam, Manitha Neethi Paasarai and other Muslim organisations, entered the exhibition hall and confronted FACT volunteers who were present there. Raising their voice, they rubbished the show and alleged that it did not portray the right image of 'their' Aurangzeb.

"They threatened they wouldn't allow the show to go on, that they would send hundreds of protesters after Friday prayers from a nearby mosque," says Gautier. The organisers lodged a complaint with the local police station and the next day policemen were posted at Lalit Kala Akademi.

Meanwhile, RM Palaniappan, manager of Lalit Kala Akademi, rattled by the protest by 15 men, asked FACT to pack up and leave. He panicked after Assistant Commissioner of Police KN Murali visited the exhibition hall, had a cursory look at the miniatures and firmans (written in Persian and hence unintelligible to him), worked himself into a rage and shouted at the organisers, lacing his diatribe with expletives, before stomping off, threatening to return.

On March 6, Prince of Arcot Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali made a surprise visit to the exhibition at 3 pm. After spending some time looking at the miniatures and the firmans, he lashed out at FACT volunteers and accused them of "misrepresenting facts". He was particularly enraged by two miniatures -- the first depicted Aurangzeb's army destroying the Somnath temple and the second showed the destruction of the Kesava Rai temple in Mathura.

He insisted that the paintings amounted to "fabrication and distortion of history" and that Aurangzeb had never done anything to harm the Hindus. He demanded that the exhibition be immediately shut down and said he would take up the issue with "higher authorities" in the State Government. Later, the 'Prince of Arcot' issued a Press statement, claiming, "the exhibition seemed to dwell only on Aurangazeb's alleged misdeeds and not a word about his munificent contribution. The exhibition would only promote enmity between various groups."

By Thursday, March 7, "higher authorities" in Tamil Nadu Government had issued instructions to the police to shut down the exhibition. Murali, along with his men, stormed into the exhibition hall on Thursday evening and began taking down the paintings. "He was looking for the paintings showing the destruction of Somnath and Kesava Rai temples. He threw them to the floor," said a FACT volunteer.

The police say they acted after receiving "three complaints that the show would disturb communal harmony". They wanted the exhibition to be shut down immediately as the next day was Friday. The police also forcibly took into custody three FACT volunteers -- Saraswathi (65), D Vijayalakshmi (62) and Malathi (47) -- although women cannot be detained after sunset in police stations. They were not allowed to contact their families.

The hall has been sealed and FACT has no idea about the fate of the paintings and other exhibits, including the priceless firmans. "I am told some of the paintings have been damaged beyond repair. This is shocking, especially because what we have witnessed is vandalism by the police," says Gautier.

dhu · 03-09-2008, 09:48 AM

dhu · (This post was last modified: 03-09-2008, 10:12 AM by dhu.)

QUOTEAurangazeb and Islamic compassion-I 
V SUNDARAMÂ

FACT (Foundation Against Continuing Terrorism) had organized an Exhibition of Paintings under the theme âAURANGAZEBâ as he wasâ according to Mughal Recordsâ in Chennai from 3 to 9 March, 2008.

The venue of the Exhibition was âLalit Kala Academiâ (National Academy of Art), Greams Road, Chennai. The exhibition was inaugurated by Vittal,Â former Chief Vigilance Commissioner, B Raman, former Additional Secretary to the Government of India and S Gurumurthy, columnist, onÂ 3 March at 5 pm. The inauguration was attended by about 100 people. Prior to the inauguration, a press meet was also conducted.Â From the next morning onwards, visitors started coming and the numbers gradually increased towards the evening. On Wednesday ( 5 March), a group of Muslims (around 15 people) belonging to the TMMK (Tamilnadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam),Â MNP (Manitha Neethi Paasarai)Â and other Muslim outfits, visited the exhibition hall and spoke in an intimidating manner to the volunteers of the exhibition about the authenticity of the paintings and the historical information that was being exhibited. This newspaper had carried a report about the inauguration of the exhibition.

A few police officers from the local area police station (Thousand Lights-F4) were posted at the venue, because of the ruckus created by the Muslims at the venue of the exhibition the previous day. The Lalit Kala Academi in-charge R M Palaniappan asked the organisers to vacate, in anticipation of problems. The Assistant Commissioner of Police Murali visited the venue, went around the exhibits, questioned the organisers and volunteers, allegedly made some barbarously arrogant remarks and went out. Then, Hindu Munnani president Ramagopalan and VHP office bearer Gopalji made a visit to the exhibition.Â Gopalji had arranged for the visit of press persons and TV anchors, who all came and covered the exhibition. Tamizhisai Sounderarajan, State deputy general secretary of BJP and her colleagues also visited in the afternoon. Chandralekha, president, Janata Party, Tamilnadu, too had visited the exhibition.

Then around 3 pm on 6 March, Prince of Arcot Mohammed Ali visited and went around the exhibits. He hotly debated and argued with the volunteers present there about the truth and authenticity of the paintings and the information they carried. He expressed the view that all the paintings on display about the atrocities of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb (Persian: ????????Â (full title: Al-Sultan al-Azam wal Khaqan al-Mukarram Abdul Muzaffar Muhiuddin Muhammad Aurangzeb Bahadur Alamgir I, Padshah Ghazi) against the Hindus of India constituted a form of fabricated and distorted history. He questioned the necessity of conducting such an exhibition in Chennai. He also blamed the organisers for having a hidden agenda of inciting communal hatred.Â Finally he concluded that the exhibition must be closed with immediate effect. Before leaving, he said that he would issue statements through a press meet about the exhibition and that he would also take up the issue with the appropriate authority. The Prince of Arcot in a press release has said, âthe exhibition seemed to dwell only on Aurangazebâs alleged misdeeds and not a word about his munificent contributions.Â The exhibition would only promote enmity between various groups.â In this context, I wounder weather the Prince of Arcot and other Muslim outfits were promoting communal harmony at all in the real sense at the venue of the exbition?

The Assistant Commissioner of Police who later visited the venue used most unparliamentary words against the organisers including againstÂ Francois Gautier who was the main architect behind the exhibition.Â I have it on the authority of Chandralekha, president, Tamilnadu Janata Party and many other respectable citizens who were present at the venue that the police functioned in a reprehensibly partial manner expressing themselves in open support of the Muslim outfits. After forcing the volunteers to close down the exhibition, the police took four organisers / volunteers ( Saraswati, Vijayalakshmi, Malathi and B R Haran) and one senior citizen (S Raman-a visitor from RSS) into custody and took them to Thousand Lights Police Station after 7 PM. This was in gross violation of the instructions of the Supreme Court of India regarding the procedure to be followed by the police before arresting any person.Â Moreover the Police had no business to arrest highly educated and cultured women from decent families after 7 PM.Â Sadagopan, editor, Vijayabaratham, who was there on the spot rushed outside for arranging lawyers for helping the organisers / volunteers illegally apprehended by the police.

The four volunteers, who were detained without any cause in the station, have very decent family backgrounds, are well educated and they have never gone inside a police station even once in their lives so far.Â The Muslim who had barged in to the hall, created trouble and threatened the volunteers and organisers, were let free by the police. The police had let the trouble shooters free and took only the organisers to the station! A thing like this can happen only in Tamilnadu, where a âMinority Governmentâ runs for the welfare of only âMinoritiesâ.

FACT, Foundation Against Continuing Terrorism, was started in 2003 by Francois Gautier, a French journalist and writer who has been covering for 25 years India and South Asia as a political correspondent for numerous newspapers such as Journal de GenÃve, Le Figaro, or Ouest-France. All throughout his reporting years, he noticed that most western correspondents were projecting the problems, warts and all, the shortcomings of India, but never its positive points. He also felt that the problems of the Hindus, the majority community of India, are never highlighted, but that rather, they are despised or made fun off. On top of that, their history has been written in such a biased and unscientific manner, that very little of its unparalleled greatness and unique spirituality comes through.Â Hence when Francois Gautier got a Journalism Prize (Natchiketa Award of Excellence in Journalism) from the Prime Minister of India, he used the prize money to mount a series of exhibitions highlighting the plight of Hindus today and throughout the ages. The first one dealt with the ethnic cleansing of the Kashmiri Hindus, four hundred thousand of them having become refuges in their own country. This exhibition was shown successfully in Delhi, Bangalore, Poland, Germany, Israel, England, and Holland and in the US Congress last July. Another exhibition on the Hindus in Bangladesh is ready, path-breaking project on Aurangzebâs times has started and one more on the Inquisition in Goa is on the cards.Â The exhibition that has been illegally closed by the police belongs to this series.Â What is legal in Delhi, Bangalore, Poland, Germany, Israel, England, Holland and USA, becomes illegal in Tamilnadu, thanks to our enlightened police force.

I will now endeavour to present in a series of well documented articles based on original Islamic sources about the large scale destruction of Hindu Temples in India by Muslim invaders and Rulers from 8th century AD to the end of the 18th century AD. Aurangazeb, the Mughal Emperor, belonged to this anti-Hindu tradition.Â Sita Ram Goel in his classic volumes Hindu Temples, What happened to them? has furnished irrefutable historical, photographic, epigraphic, literary documentary evidence regarding the large scale destruction of Hindu Temples in India from 700 AD to 1800 AD.Â To quote his words in this context:

âThe evidence presented in these volumes, from purely Islamic sources, shows that the destruction of Hindu Temples at the hands of Islamized invaders continued for more than eleven hundred (1100) years, from the middle of the seventh century to the end of the eighteenth century.Â It took place all over the vast cradle of Hindu Culture, from Sinkiang in the North to Tamil Nadu in the South, and from Seistan in the West to Assam in the East.Â All along, the iconoclasts remained convinced that they were putting into practice the highest tenets of their Islamic Religion.Â They also saw to it that a record was kept of what they prized as a pious performance.Â The language of the record speaks for itself. It leaves no doubt that they took considerable pride in doing what they did. It is inconceivable that a constant and consistent behaviour pattern, witnessed for a long time and over a vast area, can be explained except in terms of a settled system of belief which leaves no scope for second thoughts.Â Looking at the very large number of temples, big and small, destroyed or desecrated or plundered or converted into Muslim monuments, economic or political explanations can be only a futile, if not fraudulent, exercise.Â The explanations are not even plausible.Â In fact, it is not at all difficult to locate the system of belief which inspired the behaviour pattern for eleven hundred years.Â We have only to turn to the Scriptures of Islam - the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet, and we run straight into what we are looking for.Â The principles and the pious precedents which were practiced and followed by the subsequent swordsmen of Islam are, all of them, there.Â The Scriptures of Islam do not merely record what happened in the past; they also prescribed that what is recorded should be imitated by the faithful in the future, till the end of time. That is why the swordsmen of Islam who functioned in times much later than that of the Quran and the Sunnah, did what they did.Â It is a very nature of Islamic Scriptures that they make permanent what can otherwise be dated and dismissed as temporary aberrations.âÂ Â Â Â Â

The scriptures containing the above message are still being taught even today in hundreds of maktab-s and madrasa-s over the length and breadth of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.Â Missionaries of Islam that are turned out by these Institutions, year after year, are never told by their teachers that the prescriptions regarding other peopleâs places of worship stand abrogated or are out of date.Â At the same time, the swordsmen who destroyed innumerable temples and monasteries all over the vast cradle of Hindu culture during the last fourteen hundred years, retain their halos as the heroes of Islam. This alone can explain why Hindu Temples become the first targets of attack whenever Muslim mobs are incited against the Hindus by the Mullahs and Politicians in India, Kashmir and Bangladesh.

This story is not the end; not even the beginning of the end but only the end of the beginning.

Bodhi · (This post was last modified: 03-10-2008, 02:26 PM by Bodhi.)

also standing exposed are the so called leebharal and phree media outlets like Times Of India.

Look at the matter-of-factly tone of TOIlet paper (copyright on this name by Shambhu) on this news report. No outrage, no anger and sermons on freedom of speech.

Besides the news has not yet made to the print edition of this champion of freedom and liberal values:

QUOTECHENNAI: An exhibition on Mughal emperor Aurangzeb at the Lalit Kala Akademi in Chennai was abruptly closed down and the paintings taken away by the police after protests that some of the depictions were objectionable and a distortion of history.

According to Foundation Against Continuing Terrorism (FACT), which organised the exhibition, the miniature paintings at the show depicted Aurangzeb's "cruelty against not just his father and sons but the entire Hindu clan". But within days of its opening on March 3, there were protests from certain quarters against the exhibition.

Among the paintings were depictions of demolition of famous temples in Somnath and Mathura. Thursday last, the cops asked the organisers to remove the objectionable paintings, but it was turned down.

"By the evening, there were arguments between some VIPs who visited the exhibition. Soon a group of people arrived and threatened that they would take to the streets if the pictures were not removed. We seized the paintings and closed down the exhibition to avoid a law and order problem," said Nungambakkam DCP Murali.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/E...how/2850608.cms


and compare the tone above with that while reporting the case of MS University (some art student producing MF-Hussain style work)

QUOTEVADODARA: A student was arrested on charges of hurting the religious sentiments by painting Hindu gods and goddesses and Jesus Christ allegedly in 'obscene postures', police said on Thursday.

Chandra Mohan, a post-graduate student of Fine Arts at M S University and winner of last year's Lalit Kala Academy award, was arrested from the university premises for displaying his works at the institution's annual exhibition on Wednesday night, they said.

He will be produced in a local court later in the day, they added.

He has been charged under IPC section 153 (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence language etc.) and 114 (abettor present when offence is committed).

General secretary of the city unit of BJP, Niraj Jain, had registered a complaint against Mohan with Sayajiganj police station after which the latter was arrested.

According to college authorities, the BJP workers after learning about the display of the art work, rushed to the varsity campus and damaged some of the exhibits.

In-charge dean of the Fine Arts department, Shivaji Panikaran, said that police had entered their premises without consulting with the university authorities.

Meanwhile, noted artists, including Padma Shree awardee Gulam Mohammed Sheikh, Nilima Sheikh and Surendra Nair have criticised the act as "vandalisation of art works at the university on the pretext of moral policing".

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/S...how/2025021.cms

along with loads of editorials, op-eds, opinions and what not, for whole week or two:

QUOTEThe Gujarat policeâs record in this field is a tragic joke, but then other states have not distinguished themselves either. The Mumbai police stood by when Shiv Sainiks attacked cinema theatres showing a Deepa Mehta film, while the Pune police did nothing when a mob destroyed priceless original documents in the Bhandarkar Institute (because Richard Laing had done some research for his Shivaji book there). Recently, Mumbai cops did some moral policing of their own, arresting young couples found in âcompromising positionâ (policespeak for young men and women having their arms around each other).

Leading these attacks are religious groups of many colours: Muslim groups (Satanic Verses), Christian groups (Da Vinci Code), but most of all Hindutva groups (everything). They are led by people like Niraj Jain, apparently a leading light in the Vadodara BJP who has been known to brandish a revolver, and throw eggs at the Gujarat education minister for including them in school mid-day meals.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/artic...055679.cms


And in the case of FACT exhibition at chennai, TOIlet paper has NOT YET printed the story in its print-edition - or may be it is so small that it missed the eye.

03-10-2008, 09:21 PM

When it comes to Muslim, all toilet and other sundry newspaper just ignore news. Even fake Hindu Karkat is silent. Only her car got damaged.

03-11-2008, 07:40 PM

Pictures of the event are here:

Dim-witted thugs in uniform making Aurangazeb proud in his grave. <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/mad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='mad.gif' />
http://s260.photobucket.com/albums/ii33/sv...nt=21ac2193.pbw

03-11-2008, 09:38 PM

http://www.dailypioneer.com/columnist1.asp...&writer=kanchan
QUOTEArtistic freedom in increasingly 'secular' India has come to mean the right to denigrate Jesus Christ and Goddess Shakti, as was done by a callow student of the fine arts faculty of Maharaja Sayajirao University in Baroda last year. But permission to exhibit exquisite miniatures and firmans related to Aurangzeb has been denied, because 15 Muslims and a bogus nawab have demanded so.

French journalist Francois Gautier's Foundation Against Continuing Terrorism (FACT) has painstakingly -- and at great expense -- put together a collection of 40 miniatures and firmans that tell the story of Aurangzeb's rule. The exhibition is called Aurangzeb as he was according to Mughal records. "We have taken care to present all facets of Aurangzeb, including his piety," says Gautier.

The collection was first exhibited to critical acclaim at the Habitat Centre in New Delhi. It next travelled to Pune where one lakh people visited the show. It was equally well received in Bangalore where the popular Gallery G hosted the exhibition. FACT then decided to take the collection to Chennai where it was supposed to be exhibited at the Lalit Kala Akademi from March 3 to 9.

The exhibition was inaugurated by N Vittal, former Chief Vigilance Commissioner, and B Raman, security expert and former R&AW official, March 3 at 5 pm. Some 100 people attended the inauguration. Since March 4, a continuous stream of people came to see the exhibits.

On March 5, a group of 15 Muslims (Gautier says "they were no more than six") affiliated to the Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam, Manitha Neethi Paasarai and other Muslim organisations, entered the exhibition hall and confronted FACT volunteers who were present there. Raising their voice, they rubbished the show and alleged that it did not portray the right image of 'their' Aurangzeb.

"They threatened they wouldn't allow the show to go on, that they would send hundreds of protesters after Friday prayers from a nearby mosque," says Gautier. The organisers lodged a complaint with the local police station and the next day policemen were posted at Lalit Kala Akademi.

Meanwhile, RM Palaniappan, manager of Lalit Kala Akademi, rattled by the protest by 15 men, asked FACT to pack up and leave. He panicked after Assistant Commissioner of Police KN Murali visited the exhibition hall, had a cursory look at the miniatures and firmans (written in Persian and hence unintelligible to him), worked himself into a rage and shouted at the organisers, lacing his diatribe with expletives, before stomping off, threatening to return.

On March 6, Prince of Arcot Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali made a surprise visit to the exhibition at 3 pm. After spending some time looking at the miniatures and the firmans, he lashed out at FACT volunteers and accused them of "misrepresenting facts". He was particularly enraged by two miniatures -- the first depicted Aurangzeb's army destroying the Somnath temple and the second showed the destruction of the Kesava Rai temple in Mathura.

He insisted that the paintings amounted to "fabrication and distortion of history" and that Aurangzeb had never done anything to harm the Hindus. He demanded that the exhibition be immediately shut down and said he would take up the issue with "higher authorities" in the State Government. Later, the 'Prince of Arcot' issued a Press statement, claiming, "the exhibition seemed to dwell only on Aurangazeb's alleged misdeeds and not a word about his munificent contribution. (why doesn't the Nawab hold an exhibition at local hat store telling tales of how wonderfully Aurangazeb used to weave his own hats)The exhibition would only promote enmity between various groups."

By Thursday, March 7, "higher authorities" in Tamil Nadu Government had issued instructions to the police to shut down the exhibition. Murali, along with his men, stormed into the exhibition hall on Thursday evening and began taking down the paintings. "He was looking for the paintings showing the destruction of Somnath and Kesava Rai temples. He threw them to the floor," said a FACT volunteer.

The police say they acted after receiving "three complaints that the show would disturb communal harmony". They wanted the exhibition to be shut down immediately as the next day was Friday. The police also forcibly took into custody three FACT volunteers -- Saraswathi (65), D Vijayalakshmi (62) and Malathi (47) -- although women cannot be detained after sunset in police stations. They were not allowed to contact their families.

The hall has been sealed and FACT has no idea about the fate of the paintings and other exhibits, including the priceless firmans. "I am told some of the paintings have been damaged beyond repair. This is shocking, especially because what we have witnessed is vandalism by the police," says Gautier.

03-11-2008, 09:40 PM

Article by B Raman one of guest who inaugurated the exhibition:

AURANGZEBS OF TODAY By B. Raman

**acharya** · 03-12-2008, 02:09 AM

The sordid truth behind Gautier's exhibition in Chennai

From: [edited]
Date: Tue, Mar 11, 2008 at 12:01 AM
Subject: The sordid truth behind Gautier's exhibition in Chennai

I donât know who organizes Gautier's exhibitions in other cities but the exhibition on Aurangazeb in Chennai was organized by three women with no experience in these things but with tons of commitment to work for a public cause. These three women are aged 65, 42 and 27. The 27 year old has a 6 month infant. Keep this in mind and also that like all worthwhile causes they were getting nothing out of this.

After the inauguration ceremony attended by Francois himself and his good friend
S Gurumurthy, Francois left Chennai leaving these women to manage. After 3 days, the exhibition ran into trouble. The hall authorities closed the exhibition without warning on the morning of the 6th even as school children were standing outside the gates to come in.

There was police deployment. Upon enquiry by these women as to why the children were being turned away the police and the hall authority Palaniappan told the women volunteers that they had received two letters from two Muslims asking for the exhibition to be shut down.

The women called Gautier and asked him to come to Chennai to deal with the situation and he told them he would be there by the afternoon.

Assistant Commissioner of police Murali from the local police station stomped into the hall and asked the women to remove two paintings if they wanted the exhibition to remain open -- Aurngazeb destroying the Somnath temple and the Mathura Keshavrai temple.

The 3 women refused and told him that Gautier alone could take this decision and Murali must wait for Gautier to return. Murali stomped off and the exhibition was kept open again and children began to come in.

At 3 in the afternoon, the bogus nawab, mabadaulat.....whatever whatever nawab of Arcot, Prince Mohammad Ali sailed into the hall and told the women the exhibition was false, not authentic, fabricated, with a hidden agenda to disturb communal harmony, so âshut it down immediately; if you donât shut it down I know how to get it doneâ.

An hour later, a Muslim employee from Tamilan TV visited the exhibition and immediately began to call local Muslims over the cell phone asking them to assemble at the venue. It was all quite open, nothing secretive here.

A person by the name Sadagopan rushed to AC Murali and told him about what he had overheard but he scumbag Murali treated the warning lightly.

Within a few minutes a Muslim mob had assembled at the venue and began to demonstrate and protest. They told the three women to shut the exhibition down immediately or face the consequences the next day (Friday) after Friday namaz.

The police were standing by and watching. In all this noise, Malathy alone was upstairs.
Gautier was already there. Murali was asking for the exhibition to be shut down and when he failed to persuade the AC to see reason, Francois went away from the venue on the pretext that he was going to see the Commissioner, leaving these three women alone with the raging lunatic. Gautier didnât help matters when on his way out he allegedly made some indiscreet remark about Murali's mustache to his face

An enraged Murali, without the courage to take on a foreigner and even less courage to take on the Muslim mob, however found it easier to demonstrate his manhood to these three women.

He stomped upstairs and shouting âthe audacity of the white dog to speak to me thusâ,
he pulled a painting from down the wall and smashed it on the floor, splintering the glass.

Hearing the commotion upstairs the other two men and two men visitors rushed up too to see the woman volunteer leading with Murali with folded hands not to damage the paintings.

But Murali and his subordinate Sudesan began to abuse the women and started to
pull all exhibits from the walls and damaged several of the paintings and exhibits.
(Also see this & this).

âThat white dog is a terrorist and you women are his associatesâ he shouted making them sound like gangsters molls. âI am arresting all of you -- you, you and you. Give me your mobiles all of you, you cannot use them, you cannot call anyoneâ. The young lady voluteer rushed away with her infant son, and after implying the women to be Gautierâs associates and worse, Murali hustled the other two women and another woman visitor and two other men -- one of them 74 years old. Murali kicked the old man down and thrashed him with his lathi.

He hustled the 3 women into the police van at 7.20 in the evening. The Muslim mob standing by the gates watching the whole thing in glee shouted âallah o aakbarâ as the women were driven away.

Obviously the scum called Nawab of Arcot pulled strings at the highest quarters and these alternate channels by-passed the Commissioner of Police, the DGP, the ADGP law and order and issued instructions directly to scumbag Murali to frighten the women, shut the exhibition down and arrest at least one of them as a salutary and exemplary measure.

I am certain because within 5 minutes of the arrest I was called and informed. I was tragically away from Chennai on that day and was sitting in the Mumbai airport. I immediately called the Joint Commissioner and told him how three women, all aged, had been arrested at 7.30 in the evening and were being taken away. He didnât believe me; I shouted at him to verify for him self and also told him that I wanted the women out of the police station within the next 10 minutes. He assured me that if this were true he would see to it that the women were released immediately, and he did. The women were out by 8.

You cannot remove women for enquiry in a police van after 6 in the evening. If you are arresting them you have to give an arrest memo. And you must have a woman police officer or constable present.

None of these guidelines were followed. The b@st@rd didnât expect to get a call from the JC. He had actually issued instructions barely a minuet before the JC called him to file an FIR against the woman volunteer under section 153.

Now this tale of shame --

Gautier had abandoned these women, Hindu organizations, in spite of knowing that trouble was brewing, did not send their cadre to be present at the venue to deal with the trouble. The women were alone; the 2 men arrested along with the women were just as petrified. None of them was thinking. They went along with the rascal Murali because although they knew the law, they were too terrified to send the asshole packing.

Gautier said he was going to see the Commissioner. He did not come back to the venue after his meeting. We do not know where he went. He did not keep track of the events thereafter; else he would have known that the women had been arrested. He didnât go to the police station either. No one went to the police station.

I want all of you to realize and feel the humiliation and the fright of these three women. The b@st@rd Murali also issued a veiled threat to the woman volunteer about impounding her daughter's passport. I am only surprised that he didnât arrest the infant.

After the trauma and the humiliation, the lady volunteer called Gurumurthy to express her distress and in the hope that he may offer words of solace. All that Gurumurthy could tell her was, âyou should not have involved Gautier in the trouble. You should have constituted an organizing committee and you ought to have known that you cannot organize such meets without prior police permissionâ.

Bravo, bravo. Wrong as usual and wrong on every count. If Gautier and Gurumurthy can be present at the inauguration in full view of the media, surely they can also deal with the problem. Or is arrest and humiliation the lot of willing Indians who are ready to do chaprasi work of the high and the mighty?

And no it was not for the women voluteers to know about prior police permission, the hall authorities have to tell those that are renting the hall to seek police permission for conducting meetings and seminars and exhibitions. And even if it was an oversight, it was because of ignorance. And not to commiserate with these women and not to have lifted a finger then or thereafter has me speechless. If only the gentleman had had half the consideration for these women that he had had for a well-preserved Gautier!!

PS: I am holding a public meeting on Thursday the 13th on the issue. I promise to settle all cores on that day. I owe these women and the bogus nawab and allah o akbar this much.

* * *
Police appeasement of a handful of Muslims
To see the pictures please click on each of the following links:
1. Handful of Muslim Fundamentalists:
http://s260.photobucket.com/albums/ii33/svbadri/?action
=view&current=HandfulofMuslimfanaticscausetrouble.jpg
Just a handful of Muslim fundamentalists outside Lalith Kala Academy, Chennai on the 06th March was enough for the Police establishment to crack down on a great exhibition.
2. Arrest against all norms:
http://s260.photobucket.com/albums/ii33/svbadri/?action
=view&current=HinduladyvolunteersarrestedatHalfPa.jpg
The arrest of women beyong sundown flouting all norms and guidelines of arrest. ACP Murali forces them to declare in writing that they were taken to police station only for inquiry. This was after his senior policeman was made to intervene in the matter.
3. Elderly lady arrested beyond 7 P.M.:
http://s260.photobucket.com/albums/ii33/svbadri/?action
=view&current=ElderlyladyHinduvolunteerbravingpol.jpg
They have never seen a police station in their lives. They come from highly respected families. And this is what is the punishment for being born as Hindus in Hindu India.
4. ACP Murali abusing young volunteer:
http://s260.photobucket.com/albums/ii33/svbadri/?action
=view&current=YoungHinduladyvolunteerverballyabus.jpg
ACP Murali dared to call the young Hindu volunteer as "Terrorist". He abused her that she was assisting the "white dog", alluded to Francois Gautier, quite a racist remark, indeed.
5. Police ransack the exhibition premises:
http://s260.photobucket.com/albums/ii33/svbadri/?action
=view&current=Policeransackthepremises.jpg
Under order from ACP Murali, Police continued to ransack the FACT Exhibition premises.
6. Police Follow Their Leader:
http://s260.photobucket.com/albums/ii33/svbadri/?action
=view&current=PolicefollowtheactionsoftheirACPMur.jpg
The police, under the order of their leader, ACP Murali bring down all the exhibits, destroying quite a few.
7. ACP Murali brings down exhibits and destroys them:
http://s260.photobucket.com/albums/ii33/svbadri/?action
=view&current=ACPMuralidestroyingexhibitsdespitep.jpg
ACP Murali brings down the exhibits despite protests from Hindu volunteers. He is out to prove his devotion to the Muslim fundamentalists.
8. Police rushing to appease Muslims:
http://s260.photobucket.com/albums/ii33/svbadri/?action
=view&current=PolicerushingtoappeaseMuslimfundame.jpg
The police rush into the LKA to appease muslims. Afterall, these muslims consider themselves the successors of Aurangazeb, the moghul ruler who was known for the number of Hindu Mandirs he razed to ground and the number of Hindus he killed.
- - - - - -
See the picures as an album:
http://s260.photobucket.com/albums/ii33/sv...?albumview=grid

http://s260.photobucket.com/albums/ii33/svbadri/
See them as a slide show:

http://s260.photobucket.com/albums/ii33/sv...mview=slideshow

* * *

03-12-2008, 04:24 PM

If possible, please attend:
<img src='http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v130/indiaforum/vigil.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />

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