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By:

Rajeev Puri

24 October 2024 at 5:11:37 am

Before Sholay, there was Mera Gaon Mera Desh

When the comedian and television host Kapil Sharma recently welcomed the veteran screenwriter Salim Khan onto his show, he made a striking claim. India, he joked, has a national bird and a national animal; it ought also to have a national film. That film, he suggested, would surely be Sholay. Few would quarrel with the sentiment. Released in 1975 and directed by Ramesh Sippy,  Sholay  has long been treated as the Everest of Hindi popular cinema -quoted endlessly, revisited by generations and...

Before Sholay, there was Mera Gaon Mera Desh

When the comedian and television host Kapil Sharma recently welcomed the veteran screenwriter Salim Khan onto his show, he made a striking claim. India, he joked, has a national bird and a national animal; it ought also to have a national film. That film, he suggested, would surely be Sholay. Few would quarrel with the sentiment. Released in 1975 and directed by Ramesh Sippy,  Sholay  has long been treated as the Everest of Hindi popular cinema -quoted endlessly, revisited by generations and dissected by critics. In 2025, the film marked its 50th anniversary, and the release of a digitally restored, uncut version introduced the classic to a new generation of viewers who discovered that its mixture of revenge drama, western pastiche and buddy comedy remains curiously durable. The film’s influences have been debated almost as much as its dialogues – from scenes taken by the Spaghetti westerns of Sergio Leone, particularly ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (1968) or to the narrative architecture of ‘Seven Samurai’ (1954) by Akira Kurosawa. Others note echoes of earlier Hindi films about bandits and frontier justice, such as ‘Khotey Sikke’ (1973) starring Feroz Khan. Yet, rewatching ‘Mera Gaon Mera Desh,’ directed by Raj Khosla, one cannot help noticing how many of the narrative bones of  Sholay  appear to have been assembled there first. Released in 1971,  Mera Gaon Mera Desh  was a major hit at the box office, notable for holding its own in a year dominated by the near-hysterical popularity of Rajesh Khanna. The thematic framework of the two films is strikingly similar. In  Sholay , the retired policeman Thakur Baldev Singh recruits two petty criminals - Jai and Veeru - to help him avenge the terror inflicted upon his village by the bandit Gabbar Singh. In  Mera Gaon Mera Desh , the set-up is not very different. A retired soldier, Jaswant Singh, seeks to protect his village from a ruthless dacoit and enlists the help of a small-time crook named Ajit. Even the villain’s name seems to echo across the two films. In Khosla’s drama, the marauding bandit played by Vinod Khanna is scene-stealing performance is called Jabbar Singh. In  Sholay , the outlaw who would become one of Indian cinema’s most memorable antagonists was Gabbar Singh. There is an additional irony in the casting. In  Mera Gaon Mera Desh , the retired soldier Jaswant Singh is played by Jayant - the real-life father of Amjad Khan, who would later immortalise Gabbar Singh in  Sholay . The connective tissue between the two films becomes even clearer in the presence of Dharmendra. In Khosla’s film he plays Ajit, a charming rogue who gradually redeems himself while defending the village. Four years later, Dharmendra returned in  Sholay  as Veeru, a similarly exuberant petty criminal whose courage and irrepressible humour make him one half of Hindi cinema’s most beloved buddy duo alongside Amitabh Bachchan as Jai. Certain visual motifs also appear to have travelled intact. In Khosla’s film, Ajit finds himself bound in ropes in the bandit’s den during a dramatic musical sequence. A similar image appears in  Sholay , where Veeru is tied up before Gabbar Singh while Basanti performs the now famous song ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan.’ Other echoes are subtler but just as suggestive. Ajit’s pursuit of the village belle Anju, played by Asha Parekh, anticipates Veeru’s boisterous attempts to woo Basanti, portrayed by Hema Malini. Scenes in which Ajit teaches Anju to shoot recall the flirtatious gun-training sequence between Veeru and Basanti that became one of  Sholay ’s most cherished moments. Even the famous coin motif has a precedent. Ajit frequently tosses a coin to make decisions - a flourish that would later appear in  Sholay , where Jai’s coin toss becomes a running gag. Perhaps most intriguingly, the endings of the two films converge in their original form. In  Mera Gaon Mera Desh , the villain is ultimately killed by the hero. The uncut version of  Sholay  reportedly ended in a similar fashion, with Gabbar Singh meeting his death at the hands of Thakur Baldev Singh. However, censors altered the climax before the film’s 1975 release, requiring that Gabbar be handed over to the police instead. All this does not diminish  Sholay . Rather, it highlights the alchemy through which cinema evolves. The scriptwriting duo Salim–Javed took familiar ingredients and expanded them into a grander narrative populated by unforgettable characters and stylised action. On the 55 th  anniversary of  Mera Gaon Mera Desh , Raj Khosla’s rugged western deserves a renewed glance as the sturdy foundation on which a legend called  Sholay  was built. (The author is a political commentator and a global affairs observer. Views personal.)

The 99-Year Journey: RSS’s Contribution to India’s Rise as a Global Leader

Updated: Oct 22, 2024

Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar’s vision was influenced by the idea of Hindu Rashtra, a nation that draws its strength from its cultural and civilisational heritage, rooted in Hindu philosophy and culture. The organisation sought to instill a sense of pride in this heritage while addressing social issues such as caste discrimination and untouchability.

In its early years, the RSS focused on building a disciplined cadre of Swayamsevaks to serve the nation. The daily routine of the Swayamsevaks included physical exercises, group discussions on history and culture, and various forms of social service. The RSS also placed a strong emphasis on education, believing that an informed and disciplined populace was essential for nation-building.


Freedom Struggle

During the Indian freedom struggle, the RSS, while aligned with the broader goal of freeing India from British rule, maintained a distance from the Indian National Congress and other political movements. The RSS believed that the focus on political independence was overshadowing the need forsocial and cultural unity. The RSS was wary of the Congress’s policies of appeasement towards the Muslim League and its emphasis on non-violence, which the RSS saw as impractical in the face of British repression.

Despite these differences, the RSS was not completely disengaged from the freedom movement. Many RSS members, including Dr. Hedgewar himself, participated in various nationalist activities. However, the RSS’s primary focus during this period remained on character-building and social unity, believing that these would be crucial for India’s long-term strength and stability.


Response to Partition

After India’s independence in 1947, the country faced deep divisions along religious and caste lines, with the partition leading to widespread violence and displacement. In response, the RSS saw its mission of promoting social unity and national integration as more critical than ever. It set up camps for refugees, providing food, medical aid, and assistance in resettling displaced families, particularly in Punjab and Delhi. In the aftermath of partition, the RSS intensified its efforts to foster Hindu unity and nationalism, playing a significant role in aiding communities affected by the communal violence.


Rebuilding of India

Following independence, the RSS focused on nation-building through grassroots efforts, believing India’s strength and prosperity depended on active citizen participation in social and cultural renewal. They established a network of affiliate organisations, the Sangh Parivar, which worked in education, rural development, health, and economic self-reliance.

In 1951, under the leadership of Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the RSS established the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS), the political wing of the RSS that aimed to provide a nationalist alternative to the Congress Party. Although the BJS remained a relatively small party during its early years, it laid the foundation for the eventual rise of the BJP, which would later become the dominant political force in India.

Cultural Initiatives

The RSS placed a strong emphasis on education as a means of fostering national consciousness and cultural pride. In 1952, the Vidyarthi Parishad (now known as the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, or ABVP) was established as the student wing of the RSS. The ABVP aimed to promote national values among students and provide an alternative to leftist ideologies that were prevalent in many Indian universities. In addition to the ABVP, the RSS also established the Vidya Bharati network of schools, which sought to provide an education rooted in Indian culture and values.


Role in Defending Democracy

A defining moment in the history of the RSS was the Emergency (1975-1977) when then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi suspended civil liberties while the government clamped down on political opposition, censoring the press, and imprisoning thousands of activists and leaders.

The RSS, along with other opposition groups, resisted the Emergency and defended democratic rights. RSS Swayamsevaks were at the forefront of the JP Movement, led by Jayaprakash Narayan, which called for the restoration of democracy and civil liberties. RSS members were arrested and imprisoned, but the organisation continued its activities underground, helping to mobilise public opinion against the government’s authoritarian measures.

The RSS’s role in defending democratic values earned it widespread respect and legitimacy, even among sections of the population that had previously been critical of it.

(The writer is a fellow with Vishwa Samvad Kendra in Mumbai. Views personal.)

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