1984
The Heirs of Mir Mannu:
How The Oppressors in India Keep on Mowing ... and Sowing
T. SHER SINGH
Several years ago, while doing a stint on the CBC, Canada’s national radio network, I mentioned a small list of people who had inspired me through my lifetime.
One of those I cited was Turkey’s extraordinary reformer and transformer, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
Before the end of the day, I received a call from the ombudsman at CBC, relaying to me a complaint from an Armenian-Canadian listener who said she took great offence with my citing a man as my hero who she considered an oppressor of her people, and demanded an on-air apology.
Not a problem at all, I assured the ombudsman. “Let’s do it thus: I’ll come on air and promise never to name Ataturk in any laudatory way, if the CBC would agree to never allow anyone to similarly speak of India’s notoriously corrupt politician Indira Gandhi who I considered representing the lowest point of the country’s already sad and sliding history."
The ombudsman got my point instantly, expressed her agreement and endorsed my position -- that no one should have the right to dictate who others can have as heroes … or villains. Not even if you are a Jew and you want to obliterate the name of Hitler, or if you are a Sikh and you want to wipe out the name of the despicable Mrs Gandhi from the pages of history.
And she promptly conveyed her decision accordingly to the complainant. I continue to cite Ataturk as being an extraordinary man in history, and others continue to have the right to praise even the worst in humanity.
That’s a credit to the fact that I have the good fortune to live in one of the most civilized societies in the world.
Alas, the same cannot be said of the sad land that India has become. Here’s the latest from there -- yesterday’s news! [Isn’t it strange how every day brings word of new horrors from that miserable country?]
The government in India is now demanding that the reference to Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale on the plaques that adorn the mint-new 1984 memorial (the yadgaar gurdwara inaugurated recently) within the precincts of the Darbar Sahib in Amritsar be removed.
The government wants the name wiped out from a wall within a Sikh gurdwara?
Who cares what the government wants?
The mere suggestion -- coming as a diktat from a government -- is, by definition, offensive.
Now, before I go any further, I should put some facts on the table.
I am no fan or follower of Bhindranwale. Just as I’m no fan or supporter of any of the governments or politicians or their parties or of bureaucrats who plague India today. I also have no opinion or interest in whether or not there should be a Khalistan on the sub-continent -- other than that anyone and everyone every where, even in India, has the right to have and express an opinion on whether a Khalistan is a good idea or a bad one.
And I am not willing to swallow any of the drivel that the Indian government propaganda machine has churned out in the last three decades on Bhindranwale, vilifying him and demonizing him and labelling him a Khalistani (whatever that means or implies in their little minds).
I have taken the time to check things out for myself. I’ve heard umpteen tapes of actual recordings of speeches made by Bhindranwale, and I have read endless publications carrying his speeches.
I have come away not all convinced that the course of action chosen by him was correct or in the best interests of Sikhdom. I am also not convinced that he had been left any choices by the shenanigans and machinations of a manipulative and crooked politician such as Mrs Gandhi.
But I am convinced of one thing -- though not enough to become a fan, a supporter or a follower: that I can’t think of another Indian dead or alive who is or was more a patriot than Bhindranwale. He was a good man with good intentions, and certainly nothing akin, in real life, to the caricature painted by India to date.
It is still too early for me to form a final judgement on Bhindranwale -- passage of time in history is essential if one is to see the true picture. And the dust hasn’t settled yet since 1984.
And, the way things are going in India, it doesn’t look like it’s going to settle for a while. The Indians are drunk with the false sense of security that unearned wealth brings, and continue to race through the china shop of India like a bull on toddy.
But what puzzles me is where and how does a government find the gumption to ask a minority community to remove certain inscriptions from its places of worship, merely because they offend the sensibilities of its current minions.
Free Speech and Freedom of Expression are sacrosanct -- within reason, of course! -- and should not be interfered with lightly. Even if Bhindranwale was what the country’s propaganda claims he was, how is that reason enough to require that his name not be cited by anyone who wants to?
Isn’t it the same country where Hitler is celebrated as a hero? And Indira Gandhi as a Hindu goddess?
So here’s what they should do, as a start. Wipe off all references to Indro and the Sikhs will wipe off all inscriptions to Bhindranwale.
Sometimes I wonder -- I truly do -- if the Hindu right-wing nuts haven’t secretly sold their souls to the Khalistanis and are actually working hand-in-glove with them to create a Khalistan.
I mean, ask any marketing wiz, any political spin-doctor … sure, ask Karl Rove, if you will … and I guarantee you that you will be told that one way of increasing the popularity and support and fan-base of Bhindranwale across the length and breath of Punjab is to try and ban the usage of his name or image.
All it’ll do is ratchet up the volume.
So go ahead … make their day!
That’s how you helped create Pakistan.
And that’s how, I fear, Y-O-U will create Khalistan, whether anyone really wants it or not.
Remember the couplet that Sikhs have been singing since the time of the tyrant Mir Mannu and the two Holocausts of the 18th century?
Mannu is the scythe and we are his weeds
The more he mows us, the more we grow.
So, go ahead … keep on mowing!
Republished on October 30, 2013
Conversation about this article
1: Sunny Grewal (Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada), May 07, 2013, 11:43 AM.
When I heard about the government's intervention in trying to remove Sant Jarnail Bhindralwale's name from the yadgar, I was instantly reminded of Aurangzeb. Once again an Indian government is trying to interfere with the politics of the Sikhs. Maybe they should send in their tanks and remove his name themselves.
2: Kulwant Singh (U.S.A.), May 07, 2013, 5:26 PM.
Bhindranwale was initially supported by Indira Gandhi in order to wrest political control of Punjab from the Akali Dal. He became extremely popular and put forth the Anandpur Sahib Resolution. This resolution called for the central government to address the grievances of all Punjabis, not just Sikhs. These included the water issue, the long-promised return of Chandigarh to Punjab, agricultural reforms, and recognition of Sikhs as a separate minority religion within India. Bhindranwale was arrested, but then released. He was then killed at an opportune time, along with much of the Akali Dal leadership, as part of Operation Bluestar.
3: Manpreet Singh (Hyderabad, India), May 08, 2013, 1:42 AM.
I see Sant Jarnail Singhji Bhindranwale as a revolutionary and visionary. He was the first person who demanded the autonomy of all States from the Central government - after all, India claims to have a 'federal' system of government which dictates such a configuration, but is consistently sabotaged. Nowadays there is a lot of air blown about 'Third Front' in India which also supports the autonomy of States from the Central. Sant ji knew that with a centralized structure, Indira Gandhi-like politicians will keep on looting the country's wealth and will hamper the growth of the country. He had great command of the teachings of Guru Granth Sahib and was an exceptionally good katha-vachak of the Dasam Granth. He deserves respect because he adhered to what our Gurus have taught: i.e., jeona anakh naal te marna dharam vaastey. He was in the Akal Takht till the very end and didn't sell his soul like many others who fled like cowards or gave in to the enemy.
4: Roop Dhillon (London, United Kingdom), May 08, 2013, 7:28 AM.
Sikhs are better off in the civilized west and a hundred years of hard graft have given Sikhs respect and new roots. Therefore taken seriously ... and that scares those who may have committed crimes against Sikhs as now they cannot massage and fool the world by hiding or obfuscating the truth.
5: Dinesh Jamwar (Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India), May 08, 2013, 12:32 PM.
At least Bhindranwale stood up for his principles and died like a man. Mrs Gandhi? Died like a rat, executed by her own, elite security detail. Highly trained and principled, they knew it was their job to secure the country from further crimes by her. Have we forgotten all her excesses against all Indians? The clarity of history will reveal to us one day that they were the true heroes, Indira Gandhi the villain, and Bhindranwale the wronged party.
6: N Singh (Canada), May 08, 2013, 5:39 PM.
History will judge Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale as a great man. He might not have been the greatest of strategists but he had the greatest of intentions. History will also judge K S Brar as well as K P S Gill as mass murderers and sadistic killers. Already we are seeing the true nature of Badal and his cronies, all of whom were there when the Harmandar Sahib was attacked in 1984 and were provided safe passage by the Indian Government for their betrayal of Sant ji and the Sikhs.
7: N Singh (Canada), May 08, 2013, 5:46 PM.
Interesting article! I have been thinking the same thing. The irony is that despite all their protesting, Mannu's current heirs will indeed create Khalistan ... it won't be the Sikhs doing the leg-work. And when they do, we will be ready because we will have been forged by fire and ready to step up to the plate. By that time, hopefully our leaders will have worked out who and what we want to be, worked out what sort of leadership we need, and have developed the skills to make our future independent, prosperous and strong.
8: Dr H.S. Virk (India / Canada), May 09, 2013, 1:00 PM.
I like the frank views of T. Sher Singh about both Bhindranwale and Indira Gandhi, and also about Kamal Ataturk of Turkey, who transformed Turkey into a modern nation. I visualized this change during my visit to Istanbul in 2001, but I feel it is reverting to fundamentalism again!
9: Sangat Singh (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), October 30, 2013, 6:49 PM.
Please go to the following site and let Dr. Subramanian Swamy speak for what he saw and present the real picture: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiQlfQw111o
10: Gurinder Singh (Stockton, California, USA), October 31, 2013, 3:11 AM.
Bhindranwale may be anything before June 3, 1984; I do not care. But as he faced the onslaught of the Indian army that entered my holy shrine with jack boots on, he became my hero. He fought to death like a tiger in the true Sikh traditions of Baba Gurbakhash Singh and other great Sikh warriors. No force on earth can remove that plaque. Punjab Govt wanted to remove that but sangat did not allow them to come near it. It will remain there and I thank Baba Dhumma for putting it up. His memory is etched on the hearts of Sikhs in Punjab.
11: Gurinder Singh (Stockton, California, USA), October 31, 2013, 3:18 AM.
Bhindrewale's biggest asset was his integrity as he was not for sale. He was for the rights of his people.If that is considered as fundamentalism, then be it so. We are a small minority and we want our religion and culture to be safe. India is not a monolithic country. People of different regions want their culture to be preserved. So do Sikhs. It is no fundamentalism. It is an issue of human rights.
12: Harinder Pal Singh (Patiala, Punjab), October 31, 2013, 9:14 PM.
In addition to recording, understanding and analyzing our recent history, we need to go through a serious and thorough introspection.