GOVERNOR BROWN SIGNS TWO IMPORTANT BILLS

'PACIFIC COAST KHALSA DIWAN SOCIETY' HOSTED A PRESS CONFERENCE TO CAMPAIGN AGAINST DEATH PENALTY TO PROFESSOR BHULLAR

Stockton's historical Landmark 'Pacific Coast Khalsa Diwan Society' hosted a press conference on July 10, 2011 to campaign against death penalty to Professor Davinderpal Singh Bhullar. Sikh religious societies and human rights organizations participated in the meeting. Professor Bhullar's mother Mrs. Upkar Kaur was a special invitee. Custodial deaths at the hands of Indian police during tortures are very common. Professor Bhullar's father and uncle were never traced after they were picked up by the Indian police. Through a unanimous resolution, the "International Coordination Committee to Free Professor Bhullar" was formed. Manjit Singh Uppal, President of Stockton Gurdwara, Bhajan Singh Bhinder of Sikh Information Center and Tejinderpal Singh Bhullar, brother of Prof. Bhullar were included as founding members. The purpose of the committee is to coordinate efforts at the international level to expose mockery of justice and denial of due process of law to victims belonging to minorities in India and failing to protect life of all human beings under Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

It is strange that India is not a signatory to the Resolution of Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The resolution was adopted in 1985 and India continues to defy international pressure to honor Article 55 of the Charter of the United Nation. Bhullar was tried under a fabricated and controversial law TADA which was allegedly used against minorities in the name of controlling terrorism. None of the 133 witnesses could link him with any terrorist activities, the presiding Justice of the three-member Bench of the Indian Supreme Court ruled not only against the death penalty, but also acquitted Prof. Bhullar of any terrorist activities. But two other justices under reportedly political pressure upheld the sentence. A confessional statement was typed on a blank paper on which Prof. Bhullar was coerced to put his thumb impression.
Professor Davinderpal Singh Bhullar's death sentence has aroused worldwide attention. Canada's NDP leader Jack Layton has termed Bhullar's trial 'questionable' and his conviction 'doubtful.' The European Parliament expressed doubt at India's ability to remain on 47-nation UN Human Rights Council as India in May 2011 assured to 'uphold the highest standards.' The campaign to free Bhullar has support of World Coalition Against Death Penalty, American Civil Liberty Union, and Amnesty International.

A report entitled The Faces of Terror in India researched and written by Bhajan Singh Bhinder and Patrick J. Nevers of Sikh Information Center was distributed to the participating members. It narrates with evidence how government of India runs systematic and orchestrated false flag operations to malign members of minority communities. The involvement of a serving Colonel in providing RDX from the military arsenals to arrange bomb blasts in the name of Muslim terrorist groups was detailed in a separate chapter. The killing of 36 innocent Sikh villagers during visit of the then president of the United States Bill Clinton too had links with Hindu terrorist groups. These groups are quite often disguised in robes of Swamis, and decorated civil and military officers.

Husan Laroya of Ajit Jalandhar, Satnam Singh Khalsa of Sade Lok, Gurjatinder Randhawa of Punjab Mail, Kuldeep Dhaliwal of Indo-American Dialogue and Amrik Singh of Examiner.com participated in the press conference. Representatives of different organizations addressed the issues related with the Sikh community. Manjit Singh Uppal, President Pacific Coast Khalsa Diwan Society, Ajit Singh Aloarakh, Gen Secretary of Akali Dal Amritsar, Niranjan Singh Samra Gen secretary of Gurdwara Ceres Modesto, Bhai Gurmeet Singh Khalsa, Ex-president Gurdwara, Fremont, Pavinder Singh Kariha President of Gurdwara Tierra Buena Yuba City, Balbir Singh Dhillon , president of Gurdwara West Sacramento, Resham Singh from Bakersfield, Karnail Singh Khalsa of Khalsa Jagriti Lahir, Mohinder Singh, Gen Secretary Gurdwara Tracy, Harbans Singh Pamma of Live Oak, Kulwant Singh Khaira of Gurdwara Fremont, Jaswant Singh Hothi President of AGPC, Davinder Singh Bahiya of American Sikh Organization, Gulwinder Singh Gakhal, founder of Sikh Youth of America, Manjit Singh Brar Ex vice president of Sikh Youth, Darshan Singh Sandhu, Kuljeet Singh Nijjar, President Akali Dal Amritsar of California, Jasbir Singh Takhar, Harnek Singh, Kashmir Singh Thandi, Balhaar Singh, Darshan Singh Mundy, Coordinator of Media and Sacramento Interfaith Groups, Amarjit Singh Dadwal, Chairman Election, Stockton Gurdwara, Amarjit Dhanesar, ex-president Gurdwara Stockton, Amarjit Singh Tung, Bhai Baljit Singh, Joga Singh, Gurmel Singh Khela, Karmjit Singh Treasure, Harbhajan Singh of Ceres and Balwinder Singh Dhanola shared their views and extended support to the campaign for immediate release of Professor Bhullar. Penalty
Posted on July 12, 2011

The US President goes overboard in extolling M.K. Gandhi Dr. Amrik Singh

Air Force One is the powerful symbol of US’s predominant position in the world. President Barack Obama used this customized airplane for his ten day visit to Asia. It is literally a royalty in the midair. About three thousand officers and secret service agents traveled with the president in 40 separate warships. The glitz and glamour of President’s fabled visit to India was however, tarnished by results of the midterm election. It exposed limits of President’s rhetoric, and diminishing hold on the leftover mess of the Bush era. It became immediately a matter of great concern for democrats.

The first African American president in the White House aroused not only more curiosity in the world, but also great expectations. President Obama’s first hundred days seemed to mark big achievements. He signed the first executive order for closing the Guantanmo Detention Facility in Cuba. But due to the intervention of the court, his orders could not be implemented. Second major success was touted to be the healthcare reforms. He successfully created circumstances in which the healthcare measure was passed. But the problem is how to fund the bill when economy has been experiencing one setback after the other.

He had picked Joe Biden for Vice President on the advise of his well-wishers in preference to Hillary Clinton. But the mid term results have revealed how shortsighted the decision was to dismiss the proposal of Ms. Clinton as VP. It would have in fact strengthened his presidency. Obama doubted Clinton would dominate even in her secondary position. Doubts seem to be still persisting as the State Secretary didn’t accompany the president to his Asia trip. No doubt, Obama is very comfortable his VP, but whether he can be successful with him is still questionable. Hillary for sure would have reminded him about 3 AM call in the white house.

Flight aboard Air Force One might have given the president some respite. His dreams about journey to India must have soothed his frayed nerves. At the same time, the republicans rejoiced at their phenomenal victory that wouldn’t have been otherwise possible for a long time. President Bush started two wars, drained off the economy with his tax cuts, and left the US without any credible influence in the international affairs. It is amazing that republicans with so low rating could rise in so short a time.

Before the midterm election President Obama could have provided an organized leadership as he did during his own campaign. The president could not understand Tea Party Epress and its high decibel noise that targeted mainly those who had voted for Clinton in the primary. Tea Party escalated Ground Zero Mosques controversy single-mindedly for gains in the election. The president could have dismissed it by remaining quiet. He gave his opinion in a professorial tone only to contradict himself the following day.

President Obama’s visit to Asia was expected to raise his stature. The lowest point of Bush’s presidency was when he had to duck his head to dodge a shoe-missile. Fortunately, Obama still commands greater respect among Americans. Though people haven’t dismissed him as yet, they are however scrutinizing everything he proposes. The treatment he got in South Korea wasn’t a good sign for his presidency. In India, the president almost became slavish to the Gandhian myth which the world knows is more of a construction of non-violence than the reality of peace.

American military engineers’ erection of a 1.2 Kilometer bulletproof, air-conditioned tunnel for facilitating the president’s visit to the residence of Gandhi (Mani Bhavan) in Mumbai only showcased technological aspect. The president remarked in the guestbook that M.K. Gandhi was not only India’s leader but of the entire world. Analysts believe that the president Obama used platitudes to please the upper castes of the Indian society. In such a world Untouchables and minorities hardly exist. Chief Minister of the largest state of India, Ms. Mayawati represents the Untouchable segment of the society. She quite often complains from the public forum that Gandhi fought for only making rich, richer, and poor, poorer. She doesn’t even make any secret in saying that he was an imposter.

Mayawati’s inspiration to become one of the most powerful women of the world was her mentor Dalit leader Kanshi Ram who was a staunch opponent of M.K. Gandhi. Kanshi Ram held Gandhi responsible for status quo of Untouchables in India. Gandhi also humiliated Dalit intellectual, an alumni of Columbia University Dr. B R Ambedkar psychologically and emotionally. A Dalit American Gopi Dass of Stockton said that Gandhi could be a world leader only if Untouchables and their leaders are not part of it. Gopi Dass observed that all alliances Gandhi formed were to defraud minorities and Untouchables. His sole aim was to lay the foundation of Hindu nationalism. Gandhi entered into a conspiracy with a few Muslims to push the demand for Pakistan. Dr. Ambedkar writes: “Why did Mr. Gandhi come forward to give the Musalmans their fourteen demands at this particular juncture? These fourteen political demands of the Musalmans rightly or wrongly were rejected by all. They were rejected by the Hindu Maha Sabha. They were rejected by the Simon Commission. They were rejected by the Congress. There was no support for these 14 demands of the Musalmans from any quarter whatsoever. Why did Mr. Gandhi become ready to grant them except with the object of buying the Musalmans so that with their help he could more effectively resist the demand of the other minorities and the Untouchables? ----In my view Mr. Gandhi was not engaged in making any bonafide agreement. He was inducing the Musalmans to join in a conspiracy with him to resist the claim of the smaller minorities and the untouchables. It was not an agreement with the Musalmans. It was a plot against the Untouchables. It was worse; it was a stab in the back.” 322 Vol. 5

About Hindus’ denial of Untouchables to enter their Temples, Dr. Ambedkar writes, “Not very long ago there used to be boards in club doors and other social resorts maintained by Europeans in India, which said ‘Dogs and Indians not allowed.’ The Temples of the Hindus carry similar boards today, the only difference is that the boards on the Hindu temples practically say “All Hindus and all animals including dogs are admitted only Untouchables not admitted.” the situation in both cases is on a parity.” 382 Vol. 5

In the Indian parliament, the president went overboard in saying that he became the president of the United States of America only because of Gandhi. How naive, contradictory and self-congratulatory the president became in extolling Gandhi, who according to Arthur Koestler, is one of the greatest anachronism of the twentieth century. Presidents can’t afford half measures. The consequences can be far reaching. 43rd President George W Bush never found weapons of mass destruction for which he sent troops to Iraq. Bush would never admit he was wrong. His newly released book is steeped in his self-righteousness and ups and down of his journey to the White House.

When Obama gave Gandhi full credit for his being in the oval office, he was discrediting American voters who elected him so enthusiastically. Where did American voters get the appreciation for making a better choice? His personal narrative no doubt has the power to sway them, but that was only during his personal campaigns

President Obama’s speech in the Indian Parliament neither touched hearts of 80% Indians living below poverty line, nor he addressed aspirations of average Americans. The mention of Dr. Ambedkar’s name with a reference to Indian constitution came up only to fill the gap in the narrative. Gopi Das stated, “Gandhi’s views about African blacks are racist. He helped the Whiteman in strengthening apartheid. He called African blacks savages and kaffirs. His fight was to help the Whiteman in suppressing blacks and thus secure preferential rights for Indians in South Africa.”
Gandhi says all this in his own words:
September 2, 1907
“From these views expressed by a White we have a lesson to learn: We must encourage the Whites too. It is a short-sighted policy to employ, through sheer niggardliness, a Kaffir for washing work. If we keep in view the conditions in this country and patronize the Whites, whenever proper and necessary, then every such White will serve as an advertisement for the Indian trader.” ~ Vol. VI, p. 276

In the Indian Parliament, it is so ironical that most, who were listening to the president praising Gandhi, also were privately aware of Gandhi’s racist views about blacks in Africa.

Posted on November 17, 2010

Yuba City occupies a special distinction for Punjabi Community of United States of America. It organizes a largest religious gathering of Punjabi Diaspora outside Punjab every year. About a hundred thousand people converge to celebrate Guru Granth Sahib’s “Gur Gaddi Divas” in the first week of November. Yuba City also enjoys preeminence in the cultural field as the biggest Punjabi Festival is organized annually by Punjabi American Heritage Society. Despite the fact that there are many restrictions for entry, a great number of Punjabis make to the festivities. The main reason of its popularity is that it keeps all norms of Punjabi decency. Organizers never let it deviate into a bad taste. Only those items are presented that promote creative, entertaining and chivalrous aspects of Punjabi culture. Very prominent artists are invited to amuse the audience.

ALIEN LAND ACT AND PUNJABI PIONEERS OF CALIFORNIA A Book Review by Dr. Amrik Singh Sacramento

The Life and Times of Pakher Singh Gill A Panjabi Californian in the Early Twentieth Century By Nirmal S. Mann, M.D., Ph.D 89 pp. Rose Dog Books. $14

One of the most difficult tasks for an intellectual is to recover the lost history from the margins of times. Stories of toil and trials remain buried under twists and turns of those at the helm of affairs. Dr. Nirmal S. Mann’s reconstruction of Pakhar Singh’s life is emblematic of towering Punjabi pride that blossoms in the distant lands in spite of all-pervasive threats to its existence. It has a great significance for the emerging history of Punjabis in California. It is a multilayered story that needs to be carefully understood in a larger context. It is as much a saga of struggle and survival as it is a patriotic response to India’s freedom and love for America. Pakhar Singh was first and foremost a Jutt with Scythian blood in his veins. Scythians of Steppe, according to the author, settled in India during 7th B.C. On top of it Pakhar Singh was a Sikh with an outgoing and friendly attitude towards others. Rising from a farm hand to a lease holder of 320 acres land in Imperial Valley, Pakher Singh became an envy of Anglo American settlers. He worked shoulder to shoulder with Mexicans to produce a rich lettuce crop. They looked upon him as their leader. However, it was not a smooth ride for him. Alien Land Act of 1913, 1920 barred Indians to buy lands in their names, therefore, verbal leases became common. Pakher’s three Anglo American friends violated the verbal agreement with him that not only exiled him from his leased-estate but also racially abused him. Since the law was not on his side, Pakher settled scores first by shooting two of them —Victor R. Sterling and William B. Hagar and then battering their heads with his axe. He went off to kill the third one too, but changed his mind on the plea of his pregnant wife. The story created a sensation in the Imperial Valley. Each community reacted differently to two white men’s murders.

The story of Pakhar Singh Gill unfolds in the second half of the book. In the first part, the author tries to solicit all influences that worked in making up of Pakhar Singh’s character. The foremost influence, according to the author is his ancestry and racial stock. Scythians invaded Punjab in 6-7th BC and Jutts according to Mann are the direct descendants. The fearless fighters, great revenge seekers, ruthless killers, Scythians can survive in the most hostile circumstances. They literally sleep on their horsebacks. The next immediate influence, the author has tried to trace is Pakhar Singh’s Sikh heritage. Mann tries to sketch an outline of Sikh history with a view to illustrate the psychological factors in determining Pakher’s volatile action. Pakher started his life in Imperial Valley in 1917 with his active involvement in India’s freedom movement by the Gadhar Party. He would help it in fund raising efforts. Lala Hardyal would stay with him during his visits to the valley. He knew about atrocities on freedom fighters in India by the British. Interestingly, a majority of white settlers in the Imperial Valley hailed from Britain. Some of them behaved like colonial masters. Preceding Pakher Singh’s murders on 1st April, 1925, Jallianwala incident in Amritsar had shaken all Indians. Peace loving protesters were showered with bullets killing several thousands of them just in a single incident.

The gold rush in California drew Anglo-whites to California. They constituted a multi-cornered system of repression to establish their hegemony on other communities. American Indians became the worst victims of discrimination. 100 Native Indians were executed for every white man killed by the American Indian. Black, Mongolians, and American Indians were not admitted in Public schools. When California Constitution was ratified, other minorities didn’t get the right to vote. The slavery was though illegal, but Fugitive Slave Act was operative under which any slave could be arrested. Negroes were not allowed to testify against white people. American Indians and the Chinese being from Mongoloid stock were barred from testifying against whites. In 1870, California formally established segregation system for separate schools. Whites having preemption right to American Indians’ land expelled them from their own lands which they had occupied for thousand of years.

After the annexation of California, Mexicans were the great target of discrimination. Mexicans too became a helpless minority. The California gold rush attracted all sorts of outlaws, gambler, criminals from the west and the Europe. The foreign Miners’ tax in 1850 mainly affected the Chinese and Mexicans. In 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act was passed. Japanese too were stereotyped. In such a background, Indian immigrants to California shores wouldn’t have been welcome.

When they started settling in the Imperial Valley in 1910, it appeared as if the ‘Turban Tide’ would occupy the whole valley. Most Anglo farmers benefited from Punjabis’ hard work and they relied on them more than anyone else. But they didn’t like voraciousness for owning more and more lands. Punjabis enlarged their land holding to 32,380 acres in a short period of hard labor. They supplied for large corporations and British shipping companies. The trio Victor R. Sterling, John B. Hagar and William Thornburg worked for British Shipping Company. Victor R. Sterling was an agent who entered into lease agreement with Pakher Singh Gill. Sterling was the one who insulted Pakher by blurting out “goddamn Hindu” that triggered his ire to commit the crime. At the time of the murder there were some Mexicans and a white man present there. Their witnesses ultimately bailed Pakher Singh Gill out of the prison.

The author rues the fact that Congressman Dalip Singh Saund hasn’t mentioned his name in his autobiography. It is a fact that Pakher Singh went to Jail for 10 years and after that he was a freeman. It had a very momentous effect on people at large. His friendship with the Judge, Bank Manager of Brawley, and Sherrif point out to the fact that Pakher was regarded basically a good man. Dalip Singh Saund may have been benefited from the situation that was created by Pakher Singh, yet he refrained from acknowledging it simply because he professed Gandhianism in Public.

Nirmal S. Mann’s effort in recreating Pakher Singh’s genealogy deserves appreciation on all accounts. He has done a lot of research work to authenticate his narrative. He seems to have spent sometime in the Imperial Valley to connect bits and ends of Pakher Singh Gill’s story. Mann has tried to incorporate as much background knowledge as possible to delineate the story of Pakher Singh Gill. As a result, his life embodies a multilayered narrative of his struggle. His marriage with 18 years old Mexican women Alicia at 66 years of his age is another chapter. The author’s endeavor to interview Gill’s wife and four sons was not a happy experience. Sons didn’t permit him to interview Alicia. It points out to the alienation that might have taken place in Mexican Punjabis due to the lack of a viable connectivity with the mainstream Punjabi community. Mann’s book raises many a question about the next generation, and the present efforts to integrate them with values. The author suggests that Mexican Punjabis have done a lot to sustain the pioneers in California; therefore, a suitable way of appreciation should be worked out for their honor.

The author appears to be suggesting different and sometimes intersecting perspectives in demonstrating underlying factors of Pakher Singh Gill’s action. The racial superiority shown by Anglos in their actions in India and California comprises a system of exploitation of non-white races. The actions of Udham Singh, Bhagat Singh and Kartar Singh Sarabha were free responses to the regime of repression. Nirmal S. Mann’s Scythian discourse about Jutt’s ancestry appears congratulatory at times. The racial factors are not fixed contingencies in the long history of mankind, but they are manipulated to segregate one from the others. The study of races had been pioneered by the British; therefore, it was a greatest invisible weapon in their hands.

Shakespeare’s predecessor, Christopher Marlowe in his play Tamburlaine presents Timur, the lame as a Scythian shepherd who rose to become the most powerful on earth. Elizabethan knowledge of Timur was influenced by Ottoman Empire and Europe’s anxiousness to stop its expansion whereas the real Timur India knew was much different.

Dr. Nirmal Singh Mann is a Clinical Professor of Medicine & Gastroenterology at UC Davis. He has won many awards for teaching excellence. The biography of Pakher Singh Gill will go down as a major work to reconstruct lives and times of Punjabi Pioneers in California.

POSEURS AND PRAGMATISTS: WARS OF THE SPACE AGE Dr. Amrik Singh Sacramento

Norwegian Nobel Peace committee applied a different yardstick to award 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. It was more for the possibilities and prospects of peace in the nuclear-armed, terror-ridden and fiscally-starved world than for any accomplishments in these areas. Diplomacy in the 21st century is no more a play of tricks, but a commitment to high ideals of integrity, honesty and humanity. The lack of the same in the last two centuries brought much manmade havoc on humankind. Agent provocateurs, secret societies and pseudo divines only made this planet more vulnerable to devastation. Unethical standards in the shape of scientifically proven policies were more to control one kind with the other. Warfare is no more the same old strategic advantage. The meanings of heroism and patriotism have changed and compel a point of departure from old immorality of conflicting times.

Only a ‘no strike principle’ can save the planet from impending nuclear annihilation. Who can instill such a moral responsibility even in ones who are ready to blow themselves up for their heavenly dreams? Who can stir the conscience of invisible terrorist mentors in administrative set-ups, religious orders and welfare clubs who thrive on people’s money and hog media attention for their facade of diplomatic acumen? May be, no one, but if there is a possibility; it can be the US president.

While accepting the honor, President Obama measured up to verbal expectations in his highly analytical speech. He divested himself from all hangovers that he had used in his famous speeches before and after assuming the office. He realized it was necessary to distinguish the rhetoric from reality. War has been a determining factor for making or unmaking of nations. Regardless of horrors, “just war” as a last resort is waged against evils. Fighting nation enter treaties to protect human rights, end genocide and secure liberty in the hope of establishing “imperatives of just peace.”

THE SECULAR AND THE SECESSIONIST Dr. Amrik Singh, Sacramento

Attitude, competency and knowledge are three components of problem-solving and positive environment. Experts believe that mere knowledge gaining skills can’t help in building positive environment if social attitudes that hamper it are not challenged. Indian universities and colleges may have promoted knowledge and competency, but appears to have done very little to challenge social attitudes. Ingrained in our consciousness, attitudes determine our responses to commonplace social situations. Quite often, we become helpless in getting out of the ghettos of our attitudes, even when it is socially and economically unviable. As a consequence, we are ready to jeopardize social cohesion, economic loss and political stability. Political parties form alliances to accommodate prevailing attitudes. Gerrymandering guided the creation of states, constituencies and districts. The challenging and dismantling of all those attitudes which warp our judgment requires a conscious decision.

In Punjab, attitudinal politics of religion, class and caste created two types of diametrically opposite leaderships: urban leadership represented by Congress and BJP and the rural leadership represented by Akali Dal. Left and Dalit parties dangled between these two poles having no solid identity of their own. For their presence they indirectly supported the agenda of the two: quite often one over the other. The urban leadership is based on the assumption that Sikhs’ political aspirations were separatist. It supported the programs that subverted the nucleus of Sikh ambitions at the political and religious levels. Congress coordinated all efforts from within and without to lead other Indians about Sikhs’ secessionism. Four decades of power provided governmental and media support to Congress’s efforts. The rural leadership represented by Akalis couldn’t create support at the national level to reverse Congress and RSS systematic campaign. The support of Dalits could have created national support, but Akalis’ fixation with Hindutva restrained them from going into that direction. Paradoxically, Akali leadership instead helped Congress and RSS with all the proofs they needed to prove Sikhs’ separatism. The opposition between the Secular and the Secessionist had many advantages for Congress and the RSS as it became easier to execute pending plans like demolition of Babri Mosque at a greater scale.

The tension between the secessionist and the secular was allowed to reach climaxes at many times. But attitudes never changed, or challenged or sought to be reconciled, simply because the simmering pot is what determined the unique character of Indian democracy. In the context of Punjab, cows' heads and tails were found once in Hindu temples, cigarettes in Sikh Gurdwaras and pages of Guru Granth Sahib in the streets. People of Punjab still didn’t come out in the streets to slit one another throats. They only wondered why political leaders were thrusting difficult choices on them. Concrete evidence was collected of the involvement of a political party in power, but that was dismissed. Urban leaders created fears of agitating peasantry as a threat to the Nation on the Move. News media promoted passionately all that was imaginary.

It is a time for the public to scrutinize the role of Sikh and Hindu leadership across party lines in maintaining negative attitudes and thus endangering peaceful coexistence. The post emergency politics of the Congress targeted Punjab for its sectarian politics. Sikh-Nirankari disputes should have been only the affair of Sikhs and the Nirankaris, but it developed into Sikhs and the rest of India issue. Lala Jagat Naryan representing Punjabi Hindus supported Nirankaris’ contention that Guru Granth Sahib was not the eleventh Guru. Lala had no intention of accepting Nirankari chief as his spiritual Guru, but he supported him because such an attitude had a record of politics behind it. The confrontation started the row that brought Indian Army to the Golden Temple in 1984 and plunged Punjab in the tragic mode. Even when people of one community were targeted in buses and trains, Hindus and Sikhs didn’t kill each other in the streets. However, mainstream Hindu leaders projected the movement of peasants for their social and political rights as anti-India. The establishment had not only maligned Punjabi peasants, but also everyone professing Sikh religion. Urban Punjab suffered a lot. Many businessmen left Punjab to other states, but couldn’t get traction in their business. The rise of militancy and its veering towards terrorism should have taught many lessons to both Hindu and Sikh leaders, but it only strengthened their resolve to repeat the tragic play again when the politics required it.

The failure of both Sikh and Hindu leaders of Punjab in dismantling negative attitudes speaks of the degradation of ethics in the polity. Sikhs in BJP, Congress, and left parties not only subscribed faithfully to the sectarian party agenda, but also showed more enthusiasm in clobbering members of the maligned community. Instead of challenging negative attitudes of their respective parties, they donned the cloak of pseudo-nationalism that had no place for those Sikhs who demanded their social and political rights under the constitution of India. Such pseudo-nationalism has been also denying basic rights to Dalits from times immemorial.
Ledership of the Shiromni Akali Dal after a prolonged and unsuccessful battle with the Congress conceded defeat and submitted to invincible Hindutva for its political existence. Akalis have come to such a pass that they couldn't even express their difference of opinions. On December 6th, Akalis felt paralyzed in front of supermen of RSS, Shiv Sena and BJP. They yielded to them unconditionally, thus plunging once again a phase of uncertainty in Punjab.

During Dera Sauda melodrama, Punjab BJP at no time shared the perspective of Sikhs that they had a right to respect Guru Granth Sahib as their Guru. Currently, Harish Bedi, a sitting MLA evoked all those attitudes that would humiliate Sikhs. It is strange that Badals could not convince their coalition partners about the explosive nature of the situation. On the other hand, Badals became apologetic to Hindu hardliners. Unable to resist the Congress’s subtle attacking policies, Badal went for a total submission. Badal’s unconditional support to BJP was the only way to maximize his vote bank that he lost to congress. Hindus being in majority would help him more than Sikhs in minority can bring him back to power. His dependence on Hindu hardliners created many anomalies in the practice of Akali Dal’s policies.

Sikh leadership across party lines can't be absolved of its complicity in the genocide of Sikh community. Analysts argue that after Indira Gandhi’s assassination, the President Giani Zail Singh appointed Rajiv Gandhi as Prime Minister of India by violating all the protocols. Gaini only wanted to exhibit his unconditional loyalty to Nehru family. Constitutional experts averred that had Giani been a statesman, he would have appointed the senior most cabinet member as interim PM. The senior most cabinet member at that time was the present Finance Minister Parnab Mukherjee. Recently, his statement in the parliament that 1984 Sikh Massacre was most tragic in India’s history, implied Giani Zail Singh’s faux pas.

Zail Singh's personal allegiance to Nehrus crossed all limits of decorum. By appointing the senior most cabinet member in 1984, the president would have given time to Congress party to decide the leadership questions later. Giani acting out of his extreme servitude had cleared all decks for party members to concentrate their energies in arranging Sikh massacre all over India. It was the only way to show devotion to newly appointed Prime Minister who happened to be the grieving son of the assassinated leader. It is often alleged that Giani Zail Singh by indulging in unprofessional, un-statesmanlike behavior prepared grounds for tragic events of Delhi. The Sikh president clearly saw how circumstances were building up, but he didn’t respond even when he could have. Giani Zail Singh blinded by his unconditional faithfulness, abject servility, and apologetic fixation might have made an oblique statement that he would remain a lapdog at the doormat of Nehrus even at the cost of his people. Is it the only way for Sikh leaders to show their loyalty?

Posted on December 28, 2009

THE LESSONS OF FORT HOOD Dr. Amrik Singh, Sacramento

Shooting rampage at the largest military installation has sent tremors all over the world. Fort Hood was no combatant zone, it was no enemy territory, but it was a 340 square mile military base for more than 40, 000 fellow US soldiers. The shooter, Nidal Malik Hasan was no teenager brainwashed to act as a suicide bomber, but a high ranked military officer in the medical corps who was trained in etiquettes of the elite force that educated and employed him. He took two guns in the fashion of a Virginia Tech killer and positioned reportedly like a Jihadist to inflict the maximum damage on fellow soldiers. He wantonly killed 13 and injured more than two dozens others. He may face death sentence for his crimes.

The brutal massacre has raised many questions, the answers for which are not easy to find. The foremost is the mental health of soldiers who are sent in the combatant zone. The fight against terrorism that the former President George W. Bush had vowed to take to the enemy’s home ground, has struck a tragic note in our own home. The phrases like axis of evil or a crusade against America’s enemies had earlier evoked weird associations with early medieval times. In an effort to decipher the shape and size of the monster of terrorism, Bush administration came under heavy criticism for putting American troops in the harm’s way. Soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from mental agony interpreted as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. As a physician Nidal Malik Hasan assuaged their frayed feelings and suggested the ways to cope with their fears and obsessions The therapeutic practice rests on the premise that when the patients narrate the contours of their obsession, mental health starts returning. But this kind of practice needs time. Major Hasan appeared to have no time for increasing number of wounded soldiers. He might have become bearer of so many gruesome stories from the field. It reportedly leads to “compassion fatigue” or second hand post traumatic stress disorder. The evaluation of mental health of the psychiatrists is non-existent.

The training to keep everything private might have created an overload of hypersensitive secret knowledge. Patients’ narratives might have been hard for him to grasp. No evidence shows that other military officers discussed with him any strategies that could have put salve on their emotional and psychological wounds. He had no family to share his grief with. He sought a discharge when he couldn’t handle himself. 408 psychiatrists in the cadre of more than 500 thousand soldiers reveal a reality that remained overlooked during war times. Caught in the trauma of the battlefield, some soldiers had more than a year wait time for consulting a psychiatrist. In 2009, about 117 soldiers suffering from unspeakable emotional and psychological setbacks committed suicide. The rising number of physically wounded and mentally hit could not be practically accommodated in psychiatrists’ schedule. Overwhelmed and affected with the secondary trauma, Major Hasan might have sought comfort in religion. But finding no cure for his inner afflictions, Hasan allegedly became obsessed with stories of suicide bombers.

He went to a Mosque to make sense of his mental agony. But he was not able to communicate what he felt deep inside. It is said when feelings become pent up, it leads to disaster. Investigation points out to his communication with radical leaders, but tone and tenor didn’t arouse any suspicion. The catastrophe that befell too soon on unarmed, unsuspecting and welcoming group of soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas was unimaginable. It is not clear what triggered such a hostile behavior.

On August 15, 2009, John Van de Walker, a soldier who returned from Iraq scratched the passenger side of his car and ripped the bumper sticker “Allah is love.” The incident caused a damage of $ 1000 and resulted in a police case. The accused was evicted from the apartment. But Major Hasan could not afford to be angry during Ramadan fast that lasted from Aug 21, --September 19, 2009.

It is reported that Hasan gave two week notice to the apartment Manager before the shooting rampage. If the ripping of the bumper sticker “Allah is Love” is the trigger, Hasan probably planned massacre after September 19 to the day when he gave two week notice on October 23. The alarm signals were already there. The incendiary feelings raging inside his mind only needed a trigger. Once ignited flames engulfed whatever was in the vicinity.

Today, the US policy makers are struggling to identify goals to be achieved in Iraq and Afghanistan wars. But during the primaries, the Iraq war was projected as unnecessary and avoidable. The candidate for President Barack Obama promised to bring troops back home and protect them from harm’s way. Hillary Clinton’s judgment of supporting the unjust war in the Senate became the rallying point for Barack Obama’s criticism. The talk of withdrawal now having been replaced with the question of surge in Afghanistan is totally a reversal of the situation.

There are very serious questions before the investigators. The fact that the psychiatrist indulged in killing spree due to his weak mental health should draw serious attention. Many massacres earlier occasioned only a momentary reflection. Due to their disturbed family life, such criminals find alibi for their depression in violence. Since they have no sense of good and bad, they pick their target randomly. As obsessed with their action plan, they only think of themselves and their grievances, and has no sense of what is chivalrous and what is cowardly behavior? For them, their very act of shooting is a brave gesture that supposedly would attract the attention of the entire world. They become apathetic to the feelings of their victims. They find refuse in some kind of their own martyrdom for their fellow beings. Since they have not been confronted with opposing views, they are convinced in their own righteousness. Major Hasan might have been victim of such a mindset.
Suicide bombs have been causing a heavy toll both in Afghanistan and Iraq. Several thousands of Muslims have lost their lives inside mosques, public squares and office buildings. American troops’ success is predicated on the cooperation of Muslim populations. American media’s effort to malign all American Muslims as would be terrorists may jeopardize US Military’s plans to succeed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Most American –Muslim organizations have condemned the massacre as a heinous crime. But still the fear of backlash bothered the army mandarins. One brutal act should not result in hitting American tradition of diversity in the military. It is easier to stereotype all Muslims for what Major Nidal Hasan has done, but it will be disastrous for the American forces. The patriotism of Muslims who are serving the US army can’t be doubted simply because Major Hasan involved his faith to attack his fellow soldiers. Every mental wreck would find cover in the archetypes of what he believes in, whereas the real culprit maybe wounds of the psyche which are not unique to Muslims alone. The alienation and malignity exists within. The manifestation often results in painful moments. Major Nidal might have been treated badly for his faith at Walter Reed. But it is no justification for what he did. There are many acceptable ways of voicing one’s grievances. .

It is sad that alarm signals were ignored for long. The military top brass should have intervened on time. Mental health of soldiers should be a top priority. The psychiatrists involved in the process should have some evaluation or exit strategy. The chaos of mind often causes a bigger chaos in the society.

Posted on December 23, 2009

Masked Genocide and Posturing for Peace By Dr. Amrik Singh, Sacramento   Image Courtesy : theprudentindian

The ruling Congress is overwhelmingly convinced that Jagdish Tytler is no embarrassment, but a zealous soldier of the party. It doesn’t matter if law makers in the parliament once forced Dr. Manmohan Singh’s government to dispense with his tainted services in the Union Cabinet. Tytler has greater resilience to bounce back. Though a shoe missile had hit him in the eye, Tytler startled the civil society again with his appointment as chairman of the Commonwealth Games Organizing Committee. It seems Sonia Gandhi can go to great lengths to accommodate his interests. Dr. Manmohan Singh can imperil his own fair name for the sake of the like of Tytler and suggest to the Sikhs to forget the past. Home Minister P. Chidambram endured the slight of the shoe but did not miss defending Tytler. What a shame for a sovereign India that one of its top dignitaries could be arrested in London for murders committed in Delhi 25 years ago!

Vir Sanghvi of Hindustan Times had reacted to shoe fiasco in a questioning way. He wondered why Congress issued tickets to Tytler and Sajjan Kumar in the first place? Then why had it withdrawn their names after Jarnail Singh’s impatience stared in its face? Sanghvi knows quite well that the politicians who become an eyesore for minority politics are in fact trump cards for majority politics. Mainstream media that Sanghvi represents does not stand up for the muffled people. When Sonia, Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi declared in tandem that Dr. Manmohan Singh was their candidate, think tanks of the party negated his Sikh credentials by purposely issuing tickets to Tytler and Kumar who clearly are champions of turban terminators. Congress’ think tanks were sure of Sikhs’ protests and that was what they needed to stir the nerve of the Hindu majority rule in the ensuing elections. In their view, it was a device par excellence!
Rewarding mass murderers has been in vogue since ancient times. Shudras suffered wrath of marauding mobs at different times. Convinced of their status at “the holy feet of Brahma”, they had no language, no myth, no religion that could liberate them from their subjugation. Those who aspired to a better life were either absorbed in the Vedic dharma or were torn from the community they vowed to serve. Deprived and depraved of any life affirming forces, Shudras’ highest pleasure was to serve their masters without question. That was the only condition of peace in the Brahmnical order.

Buddhists once embarked on a path to reverse the said dictum of peace. A systematic invasion continued until Buddhists stopped claiming their religion as separate from Hinduism. In the early seventeenth century, when Shudras’ voice found a parallel status with all other spiritual traditions in Aad Granth, an earthshaking paranoia seized the top tier of Brahman hierarchy. It erupted in an organized plot against the Holy text and the Harmandir built to preserve it.
Armed with all arts, knowledge and occult mantras, Brahmins found allies in rulers of the time. They aligned all their goals with those of the rulers with a view to decimate emerging Dharma. Any attempts to empower Shudras over and above Vedic edicts amounted to blasphemy. The West believes that occult Brahmins are unparalleled in smearing campaign. Pandits’ slander follows uninterrupted path until a majority becomes polarized to their opinions.

That precisely is the signal for henchmen “Strike when the iron is hot.” Blue Star operation came after a consistent campaign of projecting the entire Sikh community as violent and bloodthirsty. In November, Indira’s India rose to rid the land of “Sikh demons”. The message traveled with equal emphasis to the executive, the judiciary and the parliament to suspend their operation completely for 72 hours and partially thereafter. Earlier in June 1984, the Indian Military was given 48 hours to finish everything in the Golden Temple. The symbolic sweep of secretive messaging affected all political parties. The 1985 parliamentary elections ratified genocidal hunger in the shape of ¾ majority to Indira Gandhi’s Congress. Her party won 408 parliamentary seats to convince the world how necessary it was to kill Sikhs in free India. The largest democracy in the world set new precedents: bash minorities to save democracy.
Orwell’s 1984 is so true in case of Sikhs’ persecution. Totalitarian regimes’ guiding principle is ‘who controls the past, controls the future.’ In Orwell’s novel, Ministry of Truth is engaged in altering old poems to the spirit of party’s ideology. In the similar fashion, the Indian Army ransacked Golden Temple reference library at the behest of Indian Big Brothers. Their attempt to control the Sikh past is quite obvious in sheltering anti-Sikh spiritual traditions and fearless interference in the practice of their religion. All pervasive surveillance, mind control strategies, and voiding of citizenship rights are themes of George Orwell’s novel 1984 that he wrote in 1948.
Orwell had served in Indian Imperial Police for five years from 1922 to 27 and had remained the BBC Talk Producer for India in 1941. Thus, he had witnessed the alliance of the British with Occult Brahmins as sure steps towards totalitarianism. Orwell’s vision is often referred to Stalinism, but his oblique references to the desire of the British and Brahmins to control religious, social and the political life of people round the globe are often ignored.

True to Orwellian vision, Sikhs are target of all pervasive government surveillance, mind control strategies through diversionary techniques, and voiding of their citizenship rights. So far they demanded justice for 3000 murders in the Capital of the country. A greater number of Sikhs were killed in other cities, for which even victims have not raised their voice yet.
In the month of November, Indira Gandhi’s death anniversary and Sikh pogroms evoke mixed memories. Congress makes every effort to laud Indira Gandhi role in Indian politics and ignore Sikhs’ demand for justice. Some gestures sound satirical, deliberate and depressive for victims of anti Sikh violence. For instance on November 15, 2004 “Seavey Awards” was given to Delhi police for ‘High Quality Enforcement Through Community Policing.’ In November, Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development worth 25 Lac Rupees is given to renowned national and international figures. Among 22 recipients, Jimmy Carter, Bill Gates, Mikhail Gorbachev, Kofi Annan are few of prominent personalities.

Director Krishna Shah has announced making a film in English on Indira Gandhi that will be shot in India, U.K. U.S.A and Russia. Madhuri Dixit has agreed to play the role of Indira Gandhi. The Film “Mother: The Indira Gandhi’s Story” will probably constitute a myth of Indira’s greatness in quelling Sikhs’ seditious intents.

With 22 recipients of Indira peace awards, a film in English shot in most influential countries of the world, and a Sikh prime minister at the helm of affairs will establish Indira’s credentials for peace and non-violence. Sikhs with their self-contradictory statements, and murky politics of Delhi and Amritsar Gurdwara Prabandhak Committees will probably indulge in self-defeating posturing to lay blame somewhere else.
Posted on December 03, 2009

Dalit Emancipation and Sahib Kanshi Ram’s Captivity Dr Amrik Singh writes from Sacramento

In the modern context, Sahib Kanshi Ram’s name has become synonymous with Dalit empowerment. The complexion of Indian democracy significantly changed with his rise on the political horizon of India. Major Indian political parties were taken by surprise. The era of one-party rule ended paving a way for the coalition politics at the Center. He entered in politics like an ascetic by renouncing the comfort of hearth and home for writing a new chapter on making of the Indian Nation. Utter Pradesh Chief Minister Kumari Mayawati, his keen follower, created history by winning absolute majority in predominantly Hindu majority state of Utter Pradesh. A spate of pro-Dalit developments undergoing in Utter Pradesh would not have been otherwise possible for several decades. The day is not far when she may even occupy the seat of power in Delhi. A majority of Dalits are proud of Kanshi Ram and his protégé Kumari Mayawati for empowering them, but few experience alienation for not being allowed to participate in the celebratory moments of their patriarch’s vision.

According to a report published in Times of India on 10/19/2008 , Sadhanshu Kumar, a youth from Bhagalpur and an ardent follower of BSP icon Kanshi Ram has been singularly campaigning at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi for a CBI probe into his unnatural death. Nobody can miss the banner displaying, “Kanshi Ram Ne Di Sardari, Mayawati Ne Ki Gaddari” (Kanshi Ram put a crown on her, but she betrayed him.) Sadhanshu Kumar may be among very few who would try to belittle Mayawati’s remarkable history being the first woman of Dalit origin to command so much authority. Everyone knows that UP CM could jolt influential persons like Mrs. Sonia and Rahul Gandhi out of their smugness, sometimes just to demonstrate the sweep of her unquestionable power. Dedicated supporters of Kanshi Ram like Sadhanshu Kumar from Bihar are relatively very poor and non-entities in comparison to the immensurable strength of Utter Pradesh Chief Minister.

On Kanshi Ram’s second death anniversary, Kumari Mayawati announced 3000 crores development projects. One of the projects, “Dr. Shakuntala Mishra Handicapped University” has been named after BSP General Secretary, Satish Chandra Mishra’s mother. Mishra, a Brahmin is currently the undisputed king of Utter Pradesh CM’s strategies and policies. The naming of the Handicapped University after Mishra’s mother to memorialize Kanshi Ram’s death anniversary, appears to be a cruel reminder of Kanshi Ram’s 95 year old mother who died during a prolonged struggle to liberate her ailing son from Mayawati’s clutches. Critics say Mayawati used purposely Mishra’s mother to demoralize Kanshi Ram’s relatives who still allege that Mr. Ram was killed while in her captivity. The act of naming Handicapped University after her General Secretary’s mother, according to a Kanshi Ram’s supporter, is like rubbing salt in the festering wounds of his survivors.

A school teacher who had dreamed of becoming a civil servant at the most, Mayawati fantasized her life on the roller coaster when she met Kanshi Ram in 1980. Kanshi Ram’s matter-of- fact style captivated her. She could not get over what he had prophesied about her ‘being the ruler instead of being ruled.’ She started monopolizing him from the very first day of her meeting with him; and thought she would not only win him over to her side completely, but also not tolerate anyone sharing the special pride he had.

Mayawati recognized that Kanshi Ram had set a mission on a higher plane where wealth, marriage and family ties could not distract him. His vows about not marrying and amassing wealth during his BAMCEF days reflected the singularity of his purpose and extreme dedication to the cause of Dalit upliftment.

Mayawati figured out that Kanshi Ram’s detachment from worldly allures had created a void that he wanted to fill by empowering Dalits in the national politics. She set her eye on the empty space of his life and started filling it with her domineering presence. She presented herself as the agent of change that Kanshi Ram had most advertized. The aggressiveness she showed by venting her vitriol against Brahmins, Bania and Thakurs had convinced Kanshi Ram of her potential and eagerness to work for the party cause.

The experience of being three time chief minister of India’s most populous state during Kanshi Ram’s life time, Mayawati had carved her own independent line that ran contrary to her mentor’s beliefs. Some supporters feel Kanshi Ram’s resolve to remain unaffected by political corruption and relatives’ promotion was woefully reversed. She showed her tendency to amass unlimited wealth and got embroiled in Taj Corridor corruption case.

After 1998, Kanshi Ram decided not to contest any election for the public office.

He planned to improve the party functioning and make it more attached to the grassroots level. But by 2000, he realized that he had lost the command of the party to Mayawati’s new alliances and tremendous financial clout. As he had no wealth, no home, no friends, he experienced helplessness typically like millions of Dalits who end up in traps of Chankayan making. Since Mayawati increased her surveillance to monitor his movements and people he met with, Kanshi Ram apprehended a grave threat to his life. He allegedly gave hints of a conspiracy to his supporters. Before Kanshi Ram could wriggle out of the trap, he suffered the paralytic stroke making him completely at the mercy of Mayawati, an Amazonian figure in Dalit politics. Earlier, Kanshi Ram tried to spend more time in Punjab. Mayawati had vehemently disapproved of his new love for his family. According to a report, she even used a filthy language for his 93 year old mother. Mayawati now had resolved to demonize Kanshi Ram’s family, and she spared no effort to succeed in her mission. Consequently, all the aggressiveness that was reserved previously for Brahmins, Banias and Thakurs had shifted singularly against Ram’s family whom she considered as a threat to her fiefdom. She skillfully substituted slandering Brahmins in UP with vilifying his family in Punjab.

Kanshi Ram’s increasing interest in Punjab was ascribed to his remote fixation with his family. Mayawati needed a strategy to project his family, and the Sikh background as fundamentally opposed to the national interests. Such a scheme had a greater traction in it as it would help Kanshi Ram become harbinger of hopes for Dalits and Brahmins in UP. As the paralytic stroke affected the right side of his brain, it was strong reason to retire him compulsorily to the bed. Mayawati idolized him to an extent that he existed as an Icon of Dalit revolution, but had nothing to do with everyday politics. Kanshi Ram tragic withdrawal from active politics left a void. Circumspect Dalit leaders apprehend that Brahmins were looking for long to fill the void created by Ram’s absence.

In real politics, Kanshi Ram was immediately replaced by Satish Chander Mishra as the most dominant influence in Mayawati’s life. She said that Mishra helped her in difficult times when Kanshi Ram had a stroke and his family was instigated against her. The son of the former Chief Justice of Guwahati High Court, Satish Mishra as her legal counsel, bailed her out of Taj Corridor corruption case. Mayawati got Mishra elected to Rajya Sabha seat. She also appointed him general secretary of BSP. As soon as Mishra took the center stage, it is believed, a major shift in Ambedkar’s ideology took place.

According to a report, Satish Mishra travelled 22,000 Kilometer across about 70 districts of Utter Pradesh between July1, 2006 to Sept 2006. Earlier, he had convinced Mayawati that the iconic value of Kanshi Ram’s life could not be allowed to waste away by his family in Punjab. A few days before his death, Mishra had completed his tour of magnetizing Brahmins to the BSP fold. He now needed to manipulate media so that the family feud turns to BSP advantage. After Kanshi Ram’s death on October 9, 2006, a host of well coordinated strategies were seen in operation.

Since Delhi High Court unexpectedly rejected the plea of Kanshi Ram’s family for the post-mortem of the body, his brother and sister became mute spectators to what followed at the funeral rites. The manner of hurriedly disposing of Kanshi Ram’s body aroused some people’s suspicion. The body was supposed to be for the public view for about two hours, but it reached one hour late leaving hardly any time for his supporters to have the last look. The funeral was advanced from 3PM to 2 PM. The cremation was carried out hurriedly according to Buddhists rites. Kanshi Ram’s family had neither any leader nor any court on their side. The funeral pyre was lit by Mayawati herself in the presence of the BSP founder’s brother and sisters. The last severe blow came with the announcement that his ashes would be the exclusive property of the party.

Satish Mishra next planned strategies to cash on the sympathy wave in ensuing 2007 elections. On October 17, 2006, Mayawati took Kanshi Ram’s ashes in an urn to Lucknow. It took six hours from Lucknow Airport to Ambedkar Bhawan where she made one hour speech to several hundred thousand people emphasizing that she was the sole inheritor of his political legacy. She appealed to voters to honor Sahib Kanshi Ram by electing her with absolute majority. Voters indeed surprised pollsters by giving Mayawati absolute majority in the Vidhan Sabha. On the eve of his two death anniversaries, many development projects were announced, but the question still remains, “Is Mayawati, the sole inheritor of what Kanshi Ram’s symbolized in his life?” If she is, she will definitely give a program for social emancipation of Dalits in accordance with the ideology of Kanshi Ram and Ambedkar.

Kanshi Ram said that once Dalits ‘capture power, social emancipation would follow keeping in line with most progressive political philosophy and ideology.’ In the next Parliamentary elections, Mayawati maybe a strong candidate for Prime Ministerial berth; if she gets the coveted post, she will fulfill the prophecy of her mentor. The question of ‘social emancipation’ as it is more complex and subtle, will require entirely a different strategy. Dalits have to be extricated from the swamp of ‘inferiority complex’ on the one hand and their self-esteem has to be attached with power structures of the social domain on the other. Social emancipation is more akin to personal growth of character and conviction. It has a fundamental difference with the Varna system which seeks to empower through exclusion. Social emancipation takes guidance from spiritual stock that promotes inclusiveness and bipartisanship even with rivals. Kanshi Ram’s siblings in such circumstances maybe partners with Mayawati for a new era of pride and glory

BSP founder Sahib Kanshi Ram was an alumnus of Government College Ropar where the writer once worked as a teacher. drsinghamrik@gmail.co

Note: Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not necessarily those of  ambedkartimes.com

Posted on October 30, 2008