[NaiNikaa]

Mustafa Bülent Ecevit (1925) Ex-Prime Minister of Turkey.

After the 1971 military crackdown by the left, the Upanishads, Gita, and Geetanjali were banned in Turkey.

Mr Ecevit, had translated Tagore's Gitanjali and the Bhagavad Gita into Turkish.





Bulent Ecevit (1925 - ) the then Turkish prime minister, was asked what had given him the courage to send Turkish troops to Cyprus (where they still remain). His answer: he was fortified by the Bhagavad Gita which taught that if one were morally right, one need not hesitate to fight injustice. Besides the Gita, Ecevit was also influenced by Nehru’s Glimpses of World History.

Ecevit first learnt Sanskrit at the Ankara University. Later his love for poetry and philosophy led him to Rabindranath Tagore. He learnt Bengali to appreciate and later translate Tagore’s writings, including some poems from Geetanjali. During his visit to India in early 2000, Ecevit fulfilled his dream of visiting Shantiniketan. After the 1971 military crackdown by the left, the Upanishads, Gita, and Geetanjali were banned in Turkey.

Turkish prime minister Bulent Ecevit's passage to India has far greater significance than that of an Indophile scholar-statesman realising his long cherished dream. Mr Ecevit, had translated Tagore's Gitanjali and the Bhagavad Gita into Turkish. Together with Delhi and Agra, he has included a visit to Shantniketan in his itinerary.

(source: The Turk who loves the Gita - telegraphindia.com).


In a 1974 British television interview, Bulent Ecevit, the then Turkish prime minister, was asked what had given him the courage to send Turkish troops to Cyprus (where they still remain). His answer: he was fortified by the Bhagavad Gita which taught that if one were morally right, one need not hesitate to fight injustice. Besides the Gita, Ecevit was also influenced by Nehru’s Glimpses of World History.





According to Ecevit, he was forced to order military strikes on Cyprus because the Greek Cypriots, in league with Greece, had staged a coup and declared unity with Greece. Turkey had to protect the Turkish Cypriots and its own interests. Besides, the situation could lead to a war with Greece. Thus even though he hated violence, Ecevit had had to order the strikes. He felt that he was morally right and had in the ultimate analysis, prevented much more damage.

The Gita had also guided Ecevit when he decided to contest the chairmanship of the Republican People’s Party in 1972 against the venerable Ismet Inonu, Kemal Ataturk’s successor. Inonu played a vital role in Turkey’s transition from one party rule to multiparty democracy. But Ecevit opposed the 1971 ultimatum issued by the military which led to the resignation of the prime minister, Suleyman Demirel, while Inonu, the leader of the opposition, acquiesced in it so as not to exacerbate the political situation. Ecevit said that while he had the greatest respect for Inonu, he differed with him on this point. Inonu lost and retired from politics.




https://www.telegraphindia.com/opini...ta/cid/1015644