The senior scribe reacted sharply on Marathi actor Vikram Gokhale supporting Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut’s remarks wherein she had said that what India achieved in 1947 was “bheek”
Nagpur: The comments by veteran Marathi actor Vikram Gokhale supporting Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut’s controversial remarks wherein she had said that what India achieved in 1947 was “bheek” (alms) but the country got the real freedom only in 2014 when Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister, drew sharp reactions from various quarters. Taking head on, the veteran journalist Ganesh Kanate harshly reminded the Marathi actor, that the freedom was achieved by his forefathers through great sacrifice.
“It is but natural for Vikram Gokhale and Kangana Ranaut to think that freedom achieved by India in 1947 was a ‘bheek’ because no one from their family participated in the freedom struggle, suffered imprisonment, took lathis-bullets, faced the gallows. Nothing. Absolutely nothing,” Kanate lamented.
“However, lakhs of men and women in this country sacrificed a lot for freedom. They staged agitations without caring for their own self, took lathis, bullets. Some went to jails and some faced gallows. For them and kids like us, freedom was achieved through sacrifice. And it is very true.”
Ganesh Kanate further says, “Tears rolled down from my eyes after seeing a video in which Nagpur’s veteran social activist and freedom fighter Leelatai Chitale reacted angrily over the issue. The video has gone viral.”
Kanate has attached a two-page photograph of the Amravati Jail record in which names of some freedom fighters belonging to Shendurjana, Tehsil Morshi, District Amravati, have been registered. Of these freedom fighters, three members are of his family. His father Wamanrao Kanate, father’s uncle Mahadevrao, and another uncle Annaji Likhitkar, are all freedom fighters. Besides this, there is a village named Chandas Wathoda near Warud. Here two houses belonged to the Kanate family. From this family too, one of his father’s uncles, Bhagwatrao Kanate took part in agitations and was also jailed. It shows three freedom fighters from four families!!
“After their release from jails, the lives of some of them were totally ruined. My father could not carry education further because he was rusticated from the school. Until settled in Nagpur quite late, he did petty jobs all over India, went hungry, slept on streets, cleaned ships with a tin sheet at Mumbai port,” Kanate narrated.
“All these points are beyond understanding of Vikram Gokhale. All these people trembled and stayed miles away from the freedom struggle with just mention of lathis, bullets, and jail. Vikram Gokhale and his thinking fits the bill of such people. They think 1947 freedom as bheek,” the veteran scribe Ganesh Kanate stated.
“I shudder to write in foul language. Or else I would have resorted to choosing Nagpuri expletives and showed him his real place. But I won’t do this. But this Gokhale and Ranaut should be condemned with the strongest of words,” Kanate said.
-As posted by Ganesh Kanate — senior scribe in his Facebook
