Franklin Ram Mahomed - 'Mr. D.V. Narasimha Rau renames himself...'

The Secretary, Constituent Assembly, New Delhi

Duddukur,
4th April ’48.

The Editors of Newspapers,
[unclear]

Would you please publish the accompanying item of news in the ms[unclear] of your paper and be so kind as to offer your valuable comment, and ge[unclear]?

Yours Sincerely,
FRANKLIN RAM MAHOMED,
(Full address given in the enclosed announcement)

s[unclear] to:-
1. The News Agencies, and
✓2. Eminent Publicists,
for favour of further publicity and/ or valued comment and other necessary and fitting assistance.

Mr. D. V. Narasimha Rau renames himself as
F R A N K L I N    R A M    M A H O M E D.

Mr. D. V. Narsimha Rau (Head-master, Board Secondary School, kur[unclear] P.O., Ongole Taluk, Guntur District, Andhra), andMrs Narasimha Rau med[unclear] Jaganmoksha Lakshmi Vratam-worship of Mother-World personified deity[unclear], after the fashion of other Vrathams- on 3-4-48 in the presence of [unclear] and other ladies and gentlemen of the place. When the stage of “-taking”[unclear] and “Benediction-seeking” in the course of the performance of tham[unclear] was reached, Mr. Narasimha Rau read out the enclosed statement (night[unclear] of 3rd-4th of April 1948) announcing to the audience that he [unclear] from then, i.e. from 4-4-48, give up his old, rather Communalistic and [unclear] communalistic” name “D. V. Narasimha Rau” and would thence- [unclear] call himself and be called FRANKLIN RAM MAHOMED. The reasons for the [unclear] have been given by him in the statement in detail, which runs as [unclear] :-

single language as their mother tongue [unclear]

Statement

WORLD AMITY PATH.

World, today, is a patch-work of religions and religious subsects, of castes and communities, of various races and tongues. Mere accident of birth is forcing[unclear] individuals to be described as belonging to one or the other of these myriad denominations. Generality of mankind is, needlessly but almost invariably, found suffering from Pride and Vanity on the one hand, Partiality and faulty identifying on the other, and worst of all from Hatred and Illwill, and suspicion and distrust, based on a sort of glorification of the particular denomination of one’s birth which is but a mere accident. A few individuals or groups of individuals are, here and there, preaching, propagating and practising amity between these divisions and mutual toleration among them. The efforts of these latter are, in effect, proving futile and they too, as if they formed yet another special denomination, are frequently made the targets[unclear] of hatred and illwill, suspicion and distrust, emanating from the votaries of the other, older denominations, and worse still are being openly despised, ruthlessly condemned, and cruelly dealt with. The tragic death of Gandhiji, one of the World’s Greatest Benefactors, at the hands of an inhuman assasin on 30-1-48 is a glaring catastrophe falling under this category.

It looks as though- nay, it could be clearly seen by every thinking mind-that existence and continuance, separately, of different denominations on the one hand, and amity, at the same time, among them on the other, are impossible of achievement, even though we strove hard towards that end for scores of centuries to come.

The only remedy for this distressing state of human relations evidently lies not in advocating the co-existence of these two incoherent conditions, but[unclear] in practising, voluntarily in the beginning, and enforcement compulsorily in the long run, of total, merciless obliteration and effacement from the face of the earth, of all types of differentiations, big and small, ancient and recent. Peace on Earth, if it should ever be established, can therefore be secured by only one method and that is the obliteration, as observed above, of all communities and differenciations etc., of all types from the surface of the Globe.

This can, and should, be brought about in several ways, the more difficult of them and not capable of immediate achievement being, to name only the chief among them, Firstly, the adoption by entire humanity of a single language as their mother-tongue – not merely as a common tongue -a new one to be invented for this purpose by the topmost linguists of the various parts of the World; Secondly, the bringing into existence of a single political State for the entire World-to be ushered into existence by the genuine ones among the leaders of the present U. N. O; and Thirdly, other similar bold and clear-cut benefiicial innovations. A comparatively easier of these vital reforms-nay revolutions-and not so very difficult for immediate adoption, would be for individuals to renounce denominational religions etc. thrust upon them by mere birth, and to introduce and adopt, in their stead, a single Universal Religion based on the foremost and sublimest of tenets most common to all the erstwhile “Religions”, picking up and collectiong together of the common kernel of the most progressive moral codes, and extinction of restrictions on association, dining and marriage, based[unclear] on air-tight compartmentation now of the World’s human inhabitants and their various spheres of activity. Fullest freedom of co-dining, and marriage, not defiled by the slightest tinge of any denominationism[unclear], should come into force,-the same as and corresponding to what are termed, in the language of the torn World of today, inter-dinng, and inter-caste and inter-religious marriages etc. One of the several easiest portions of the preliminary but not less vital task towards this end, however, would be for men and women to forthwith renounce their present circumscribed denominational names given to them by their parents by dint merely of their birth, and to rename themselves[unclear] in terms suited to World Amity Path based on the principle of oblite-ration, immediate and ultimate, of present castes, communities, religions, and other differentiations[unclear], and to give their childern; hereafter to be born, names coined after the same fashion.

This will in the first place give an individual the sublimest satisfaction that he belongs to no “denomination” whatsoever at all, but is one with, while yet being a part of, the whole and single, vast humanity; and in addition will have, especially during the transition period, the highest propagandistic value. Every time one hears such a name, one naturally gets more and more inclined and enthused to himself or herself join this World Amity Crusade. There is a real and genuine expression and manifestation of righteousness in this kind of propaganda, and human heart is always sure to get attracted, sooner or later, towards righteousness of this type and degree.

As far as India is concerned the best method-most fruitful under the present circumstances – to be followed towards this end would be to adopt new names formed by conveniently combining three small names pertaining to the three “Major” “communities” of the pitiably torn present-day India – i.e. One from Hindu, one from Muslim, and one from Christian personal names. For example, one may rename oneself, or name a new-born child, as, say, “Franklin Ram Mahomed” Or “.Joseph Sankar Sherif”

These views and convictions had been very strongly agitating my mind even before 30th January 48. But Mahatmaji’s tragic demise has aggravated the agitation to its highest pitch, and I now find myself unable to resist some sort of an inner urge that I should not, under any circumstances, allow myself to any further postpone the putting into action, be it in my own way, of these very deep-rooted and irresistibly persistent convictions. I therefore hereby announce, and intimate to all men and women that people India’ and World, that I shall and should hence-forth (i. e. On and from 4-4-48) call myself and be called “Franklin Ram Mahomed”, and appeal to them all, as well, to rename themselves in the manner suggested, and to thus hasten the alighting on this, Mother Earth of ours the Goddesses of Peace, Amity and Happiness.

As legal recognition has to be obtained for, or rather registering has to be got done of, this new name of mine in several spheres of life with which I now happen to have connections and as this may take time, I shall be using, for some time to come, along with this new name, my erstwhile name, too, as ” Alias D. V. Narasimha Rau”, and shall give up using this alternative, old name immediately after securiug such recognition from, or registration at, all the necessary quarters.

I am preparing a list of such other Word Amity names for use by, or assistance otherwise to, such other individuals-males and females-as might grow inclined to follow and tread through this partcular avenue of the wide World Amity Path and to thus rename themselves, etc. The list will be published through the Press, as soon as it gets ready.

Friends interested in this matter and desiring to correspond with me, will please write to the following address, sending, when replies are expected, pre-stamped and self-addressed covers.

DUDDUKUR,  }
4-4-48               }

(Upto now), D. V. Narasimha Rau,
(& Hencforth), FRANKLIN RAM MAHOMED.

My Address :-
Franklin Ram Mahomed, B. A., B. Ed.,
Alias D. V. Narasimha Rau,
(Head-Master, Board Secondary School,)
DUDDUKUR, P. O.
VIA. ONGOLE, (GUNTUR DT.), SOUTH INDIA.

(Notes:
1.Certain content in the document was unclear or incompletely written. The same has been marked as [unclear].
2.Typographical errors in the original document have been retained to ensure authentic reproduction of the original document.)