Ageh Bharti’s book, Allah Gawah Hai (Allah is the Witness) was rewarded in Jabalpur.
Once a year, a group of friends in Jabalpur hosts a large India-wide event to recognise authors and poets with the Kadambari Award. The organizers include Acharya Bhagwat Dube, Dr Raj Kumar Tiwari ‘Sumitra’, Shri Rajesh Pathak ‘Pravin’, and Smt Sadhana Upadhyay, who they themselves received multiple India-level awards previously.
Writers throughout India are invited to send in their books by a certain date, which are then examined by five juries who rate them and decide who will be recognized by awarding points.
Ageh Bharti sent his novel Allah Gawah Hai (Allah is the Witness) for consideration almost too late but it made it just in time.
Ageh Bharti said, “To my delight, I received notification that 66 novels out of 500 had been chosen for the awards, and my work was one of them. The event would take place on December 4, at 4.30 pm at Shahid Smarak Bhavan in Jabalpur. When I arrived at the given day, my eyes welled up with tears as I remembered that this is the same venue where my beloved Master Osho used to give monthly discourses.”
Poets and authors had travelled long-distance from all over India and the Kadambari delegates took the best care of everybody and accommodated them in superb hotels.
As Ageh Bharti had submitted his book quite late, he was the 61st person to be called up. In his introduction, Shri Rajesh Pathak, the Chief Secretary introduced Ageh Bharti and spoke about his background and the fact that he has written more than 350 articles in Hindi and in English that have been published in the media. He also spoke of Ageh Bharti’s close relationship with Osho, touring across India with him on multiple occasions.
He also mentioned that twenty books by Ageh Bharti have been published in Hindi, two have been released in English and a third, comprehensive book in English, is being presently compiled and edited. He also said that he is a regular contributor to the Osho News Online Magazine. He closed his speech by saying, “Kadambari feels privileged to honour this internationally known author and disciple of Osho.”
Ageh Bharti was presented with a Kadambari Award certificate, a shawl, cash, and a 50-page book containing images and detailed introductions of the 2021 honourees. The delegates from Kadambari were also recognized at the end of the event for their outstanding hospitality and other services.
Ageh Bharti told us that Allah Gawah Hai had been published in 2010. “This book descended on me in four days, much like the Quran did on Muhammad, with the exception that it descended on him over several months. I was writing for 22 hours every day, eating and drinking water at my desk. The first chapter is a hard answer to a talk by Dr Zakir Naik, which I had heard on a CD, in which he says very hurtful things about Osho and Krishna, and I tried to give new meaning to many things in the Quran that Muslims don’t comprehend. I also agreed to debate with him on the condition that if he spoke for two minutes, I would speak for two minutes as well; I would speak for an hour if he would, too.
“I took a big risk in the first chapter and my first sentence in the book states, ‘Allah is witness that I will write only what I have known, realised and lived, and not a word that is not truth.’
“The remaining chapters are filled with immense love for humanity as a whole. While writing, I was constantly in tears. Dr Zakir Naik is mentioned in the foreword of the book. I sent him a copy via courier but received no answer.
“I also sent a copy of the book to my brother, Pratap Bharati, who responded, ‘When I held the book in hand and started to read the first paragraph I couldn’t stop until the end, even though I had some urgent work to do that day. God has begun to speak through you. It’s fantastic. You should not, however, send a copy to Dr Zakir Naik.’
“Pratap was aware of the importance and calibre of the issues I had clarified, and his advice to not send the book was valid, although I disregarded it. One reason for this was that I had dedicated the book to Dr Naik and felt it was my moral obligation to send him a copy. Second, I am not terrified of getting killed or anything like that. It would be a good death if I was killed for telling the truth. He was terrified of the risk because he is my brother. For my part, if I am given the opportunity to speak in Pakistan, even in a masjid, I will do so.”
¹ Dr Zakir Abdul Karim Naik is a controversial Indian-born Islamic televangelist and preacher. In July 2017, India revoked Dr Naik’s passport and he currently resides in Malaysia.
Comments are closed.