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Amidst slogans like Garva se kaho ham Hindu hain, Guru Goraksha
Nath maharaj ki jai, over 2500 Muslim jogis of Mewat region
(Rajasthan) returned to their original roots, i.e., the Hindu fold,
on January 5. An impressive public function was held at Nagar town
of Bharatpur district to welcome them back to the community from
which their ancestors had been lured away in the past.
As many as 471 families were initiated into the Nath sect by the
President of Akhil Bharatiya Avadhooti Jogi Mahasabha and
Gorakhapeethadhishwar Mahant Avedyanath who himself belongs to the
Nath sect. In order to save the expenses involved in the journey by
every member of the families, only the parivar pramukhs (heads of
the families) from 40 villages of Bharatpur, Alwar (Rajasthan) and
Gurgaon (Haryana) districts, participated in the ceremony. The
return of the jogis to their ancestral faith and culture was made
possible with the efforts of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Rajasthan.
The ceremony began with all the parivar pramukhs along with other
people of the jogi community who are born Hindus, performing a
yajna and sipping holy Ganga water. Later, Mahant Avedyanath
presented each of them a rosary of rudraksh, a saffron dupatta and
Ganga water and similar sets for other members of their families.
Welcoming them to the Nath sect Mahant Avedyanath also gave them a
gurumantra. The Jogis pladged to work for and serve Hindu Dharma
throughout their life.
According to a local jogi, Shri Molhad Singh, an exserviceman who
played an important role in this "home-coming", there are about two
and a half lakh people of jogi community in Bharatpur, Alwar,
Gurgaon (Haryana) and some parts of Uttar Pradesh. About 30 per
cent of them are Muslim all the Jogis including those who are
Muslim, are followers of Guru Gorakshanath who is regarded by them
as an avatar of Lord Shiva. Worshipping in the temples and singing
songs in praise of Shiva and Bharthai has been their traditional
job. Shri Molhad Singh said that a large number of jogis had been
converted to Islam during Aurangzeb's times. But despite their
conversion to Islam they continued to follow the Hindu customs
which prevented them from losing their identity. They could not
completely assimilate themselves with Islam. The Muslim community
too did not accept them wholeheartedly and they were contemptuously
called jogana by the Muslims.
"We have not returned to the Nath sect under any pressure or
allurement. We have come here with our own will", says Rabbad
Singh, a 50-year old re-converted jogi. When asked if other Muslims
of his village objected to his decision of returning to the Nath
sect, Rilli Nath (55) says, "we hope nobody will object as it is
out own decision. But if somebody objects we can answer him very
well". He said that he did not bother about his safety.
Talking to Organiser the Associate Organising Secretary of VHP,
Rajasthan, Shri Jugal Kishore pointed out that various other
communities of Mewat like Gujjar, Jat, Rajput, Teli, Dhobi, Jogi,
Meena, Nayi and others who had to adopt Islam due to reasons of
their own, were also interested to come back to their original
roots. But some casteists elements within the Hindu society and
accommodate them in their original ancestral communities.
therefore, he added, before preparing other people to come back to
the Hindu fold, there is need to prepare their communities within
the Hindu society to accept them. He said that the jogi community
had set an ideal precedent in this regard. He pointed out that the
VHP would launch an extensive campaign to welcome back those who
had, due to some reasons, to go away from the Hindu society.
Speaking on the occasion Mahant Avedyanath called upon the Hindu
society to come forward to accept their brothers who had been
weaned away in the past. He pointed out that because of
untouchability and other social evils a large number of Hindus in
the country had been converted to Islam or Christianity. Today the
situation has changed and the people who had gone away from the
Hindu society wanted to come back to their original faith.
Therefore, the Hindu society will have to come forward to accept
them in their community, he said, adding that the Shastras pose on
problems in this regard.
The people of jogi community will also have to adjust themselves by
allowing the new entrants of participate in their religious and
cultural activities. Criticising those who oppose the home-coming
of people in their own communities, he said that they were harming
the Hindu society. Appealing to those Muslims and Christians who
are originally Hindus to come back to the Hindu fold, the Mahant
said it was the right time to correct past mistakes.
The Akhil Bharatiy Dharma Prasar Pramukh of VHP, Shri Mohan Joshi
who is the guiding spirit behind this endeavour assured the newly
re-converted people not to consider themselves isolated as the
entire Hindu society was with them.
A resolution was also adopted at the function in which the people
of the jogi community welcomed the newly re-converted families in
their community and assured them of all social and customary
dealings with the born Hindu jogis. The resolution also appealed to
other members of the jogi community to come back to their original
faith.
After the function all the participating people joined in a
samarasata bhoj (community lunch).
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