A letter by the Central University of Karnataka Registrar, written under the university letterhead, seeking an appointment to meet Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat to meet him has stirred up a storm. In his letter, the Registrar, Basavaraj Donur tells Bhagwat that he would like to meet him in Nagpur on January 8 or 9.
“With high spirits and humbleness, I am approaching you through this letter. As I am in this holy town of Ramtek, which also is the birthplace of revered late Shri Golwalkar Guruji, I would like to pay a courtesy visit to you in the RSS headquarters, Nagpur on January 8 or 9, 2022. I know, you have been extremely busy travelling across the nation to attend to different sections of society through RSS. In your hectic schedule, if possible, kindly confirm my appointment with you," reads the letter.
While many have criticised this online and offline, Donur does not feel that he had done anything wrong. Speaking with The Hindu, he said, “I agree that I have written a letter. There is nothing wrong with it. There is no rule that I should not use my letterhead when I write a letter. It is a courtesy visit and there is nothing controversial about it," adding, "I personally believe that for building a strong nation and all tolerant society people representing all faiths should come together... politically-driven and evil-intentioned people are giving an ugly and morally objectionable twist to a simple, courtesy letter written to a fellow Indian... I know some people, who are intolerant of my academic and career growth, are trying to tarnish my image and also harm the university."
At the same time, he told Deccan Herald that he had to visit Kavikulguru Kalidas Sanskrit University in Maharashtra to deliver a lecture in January and that the organisers had asked him to send a letter as they planned to introduce him to Bhagwat.
