BJP leader Ram Madhav’s latest book launched in Edison, NJ

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The Overseas Friends of Bharatiya Janata Party, OFBJP, held a book launch in Edison, New Jersey, April 23, 2023, for party leader Ram Madhav’s latest work, Partitioned Freedom.

Madhav, who is a former national general secretary of the BJP, and national executive of the RSS, as well as founding member of India Foundation, spoke about his book and his thinking regarding the partition of India and what led to the traumatic separation of the Indian Subcontinent as the British departed.

Among the guests at the event were Dr. Sudhir Parikh, chairman of Parikh Worldwide, H.R. Shah, founder of TV Asia, who were invited to speak at the event, as well as other community members.

Partitioned Freedom speaks to one of the biggest tragedies in history where one million people died and millions more had their lives destroyed in the communal violence that followed the 1946-47 separation. Madhav’s book focuses on the political events that went into making the Hindu-Muslim divide over the four decades before independence. From a situation where Hindus and Muslims fought side-by-side for freedom, the 1905 partition of greater-Bengal by Lord Curzon, its annulment in 1911 by King George V, who saw the furor it caused all over the Subcontinent. It also discusses the decisions made by leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Mohammad Ali Jinnah that went into the mix of division and the ultimate partition.

At the book launch, Madhav dwelt briefly on the highlights of his book and why he had written it at this time.

Two years ago, Prime Minister Modi while addressing people on Aug. 15 independence day, called on them to think about what happened on Aug. 14, before the formal partition took place, Madhav said. Since then, on Aug. 14, many events take place around India to draw lessons for the present and the future, he added.

The book, Madhav said, “is about two partitions” – the one of Bengal, and the other of India as whole. Viceroy Lord Curzon thought “only the Bangalis would be unhappy in 1905, but all of India rose against it,” the author noted. That movement was led by “the Lal, Bal, Pal trio,” he said naming the three leaders – Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, and Bipin Chandra Pal – of the Swadeshi movement.

Dr. Parikh described Madhav as an important thinker from India, who “symbolizes the need for freedom of thought, speech, and ideas. He has demonstrated how to do that in a democracy.” Now with India’s 1.4 billion people and it’s march to global leadership, it was important to know the nation’s history. “We can express our thought, freedom of speech, ideology. I am well aware of the need for that as a publisher,” Dr. Parikh said, adding that his publications and 24/7 television channel cater to Indian Americans and the diaspora, all of whom need to be informed.

Shah addressed the accomplishments of Madhav in his speech, as did other speakers at the event.

Madhav told ITV Gold that there was a “great transformation” taking place in India and urged non-resident Indians to be a part of that. He thanked NRIs for their support in India’s journey to progress.