9th March 2012
We need a Museum of Liberty in India. (And: a note on the Swarajya magazine)
Over its long history, India has seen many strands of thought and action that have advanced human liberty. The idea of creating a Museum of Liberty in India was recently floated by some friends, and I think this is a very promising and timely idea.
A lot of material on liberty desperately needs compilation and curated display. Not the least of this material is the work done by people like Rajaji, Masani, and now, by S.V.Raju.
A person asked me over email about the Swatantra magazine. Turning to S.V. Raju for advice, more useful information came by. Edited extract below:
SWARAJYA MAGAZINE
[The correspondent] probably is referring to Swarajya edited from Madras. This magazine became very popular from the early fifties to the early seventies as C.Rajagopalachari's (Rajaji's) vehicle of communication. There were a number of editors from Pothan Joseph to Phillip Spratt to R.Venkatraman (post Rajaji, before he became India's President). But lead articles were (or almost always were) written by Rajaji. Also his very popular "Dear Reader" column. Not long after Rajaji died Swarajya faded away sometime in the early seventies.
More info gleaned from the internet:
The magazine was published by T. Sadavisam on behalf of Bharathan Publications.
"Old timers would proudly recall Pothan Joseph’s weekly pontification ‘Storm over the tea-cup’, in Rajaji’s Swarajya Magazine." [Source]
R.K.Laxman contributed many cartoons and writngs to this magazine [Source]
Satyam eva jayate: a collection of articles contributed by Rajaji to Swarajya and other journals from 1956 to 1961, Volume 1 (1961, Bharathan Publications) [Source]
Note: The four-volume Satyam Eva Jayate can be bought from The Catalyst Trust 3, Shanti Avenue, Dr.Radhakrishnan Nagar, Thiruvanmayur, Chennai 600041. Telefax: 91 44 – 2446 1597. Email:catalyst-trust@eth.net. It costs Rs.500 for four volumes. [Source: S.V. Raju]
Scanned copies of former President R. Venkatraman's editorials in Swarajya are ALL available online, here. He was Editor of the journal during 1975 – 77.
