# Religious intolerance

 There is no doubt that #Rising intolerance bandwagon is growing in number and so is the heard of writers and filmmakers who are returning their awards in protest of this intolerance, which according to them has suddenly gripped entire India under its venomous tentacles. And hello hello hello who are responsible for it. No awards for guessing, because otherwise you might one fine morning decide to return this award. It’s BJP and our PM, Mr.Narendra Modi. Aren’t these people being obtuse with no rationale behind their act? India’s history is marred with instances of religious intolerance and hatred. Then why is this drama happening and why are these people painting our country in the colour of Intolerance? The answer is simple and straightforward and that is these congress fans and followers are not able to gulp or digest the fact that our country is being governed by BJP and Narendra Modi, who incidentally has been well accepted throughout the Globe. A man who was once facing the trial for Gujarat riots has swept the entire country off its feet and has become a new hope for the Indians at home as well as abroad. The kind of response he got in US was seen never before. This troubles the congress party and the band of these so called laureates and filmmakers. I am not hurt when they colour BJP and other right wing Hindu parties as intolerant. I would not even care for that.  But what hurts me and the rest of the people like me are that these people are bringing bad name to all the Indians and we are being portrayed as a bunch of murderers and lynch men. Mr and Ms Return awards, let me just give you a point wise reality check and ask you a simple question and that is why you did not return you awards when following happened:-

1.       To begin with let me give you an example of 1984 Sikh riots in which innumerable Sikhs were killed and slaughtered on the streets of Delhi. Let me just remind you that the riots were backed by your own congress men. Let me just not name them. I know it’s embarrassing for you.

2.       Now let me make you think a little more. Where were you, when 3 lac Kashmiri Pundits were ousted from their motherland. Wasn’t it religious intolerance? I know we are not a vote bank for any party. Nevertheless you could have spoken a word or two about us. You choose not to. I know you speak only as per your own convenience. If you have any other pending award with you, I request you to please come forward and return it to the government. At least you can make amendments to your mistake. Isn’t it? Mr. Ajay Raina and Sanjay Kak, our own kashmiri brethren, have also joined this bandwagon and have returned their awards. By the way, does anyone know who are they? I seriously don’t know. Sometimes as they say ignorance is bliss. But yea they have managed to catch some eye balls by doing this. At least a worthless mine.

3.       Ok now comes the toughest. Where were you at the time of Babri demolition on 6^th December 1992? Now most of you might argue that you guys had not received any award at that time. I know this fact. But fact remains that returning of the awards is not the only way to raise your voice. God has given you such a high intellect. Isn’t it? And on top of that he has given you some vocal cords. You could have certainly made use of them. Hey where are you hiding madam and Sir?

4.       The story doesn’t end here. Why didn’t you protest against the Wandahama massacare in which 23 kashmiri pundits were dragged out of their houses and brutally killed by militants on 25^th Jan, 1998. I know you guys were not instructed by your masters to do so at that time. Whether it is Kashmir muslim or Kashmiri pundits, both have been useless entities for you, till the time Nayantara Sehgal ji redeemed herself by condemning the killing of Kashmiri Muslim youth in Udhampur.

5.       Where were you when on March 20^th March of year 2000, Lashkar men killed 34 Sikh youths in Chattisinghpora (Kashmir) after asking them to assemble in a Gurdwara. We all know the aftermath of this massacre. Innocent lives were lost in the fake encounter of Pathribal. I hope I am giving you a reason to think and ponder over. Don’t become a victim of herd mentality. You are bringing disrepute to this nation and we won’t tolerate it.

6.       Shall I give you more, Mr and Ms Return awards? I know it’s hurting you. But let me just give you one more below the belt. Where were you when Dara Singh, murdered an Australian missionary and his family while they were sleeping in a station wagon at Manoharpur in Keonjhar district of Orissa. Were you sleeping or your conscience was dead at that time.

7.       Why did you choose to ignore the incidence in Chamba in August of 1998, when Pakistani militants killed 35 Hindus in cold blood? Stop being pseudo secular. We won’t tolerate your vitriol now.

8.       What about 2002 attacks on Raghunath temple (11 persons killed) and Akshardham temple (33 people killed), 2006 serial bombings in Varanasi (28 casualties) etc. I can give you more. Our history is full of such statistics.

9.       For your benefit let me tell you that between 2005 to 2009, an average fo 130 people have died every year because of communal riots in India. And during the same period, 24 states and union territories reported instances of religious Skirmishes and clashes. Everyone knows who were at the helm of affairs at centre during this period.

When nobody labelled India an Intolerant country at that time, then why now? You don’t have to be a genius to understand that. There is no doubt that some of these people in collusion with their political masters have a sinister plan of pushing this country into a panic state and then subsequently emerge as the Champions of the cause of the people. All these people have no moral stand with each one of them taking a fake stand. However to an extent they have been able to stir up a controversy with their politically motivated actions and as Junaid Mustafa says, “Only counterfeit is genuine these days”, these people might get their share of glory.

Sachin Raina

 

 

 

 

Babbar Akali's and their contribution to India's freedom struggle

India’s struggle for freedom began in 1857 and it took another 90 years to culminate into India’s independence. Anyone can imagine the kind of sacrifices our ancestors made to make this into a reality. They gave their life and blood for our freedom. We have been taught about our freedom struggle in so many ways and one of them is through the institution of school. From a very early age we have read about Indian National Congress and its contribution to this struggle. Not to mention here the names of Nehru and Gandhi, who are almost inseparable whenever we talk about our freedom struggle? But what about other people who laid down their lives in quest of India’s freedom?

Everyone knows about the contribution of Indian national congress to India’s freedom movement. But how many of us know about the other parties who contributed immensely to this cause. Why our historians have chosen not to write about these parties? Why none of these parties is in public glare. It is simply because we have read or we have been forced to read a very selective history on the instructions of the congress party which ruled India for the majority of last 69 years. The historical facts that are taught in schools and colleges in India is totally distorted, fudged and manipulated to favour a certain section of our political class.

Many of us might argue that considerable light has been shed on the history of nationalist parties like Ghadar Party, Subash Chander bose led INA, All India Muslim league, RSS etc. However there are considerable numbers of parties which don’t find even a mention in India’s history of freedom struggle. Their contribution might have been on the lower side as compared to congress but that does not undermine their impact on the struggle. I bet majority of the people would not even know the names of parties or movements like HSRA, Hindu Mahasabha, Jugantar, Babbar Akali’s, Khaskar tehreek, Khudai khidmatghar movement etc; leave aside the expectation of people being even aware about their contribution to our freedom struggle.

The aim of writing this article is to highlight the history of these little known parties who gave their blood for India’s struggle. If after just 68 years of our Independence people are unaware about these people, Imagine what will happen after 100 years into our Independence. Our posterity which is being raised on a fudged and manipulated history, the names of these people and parties will cease to exist forever. Give it a thought.

I would begin by highlighting the history of Babbar Akali’s based out of Punjab who not only took to Gurdwara reforms but also participated in India’s freedom struggle during a brief period from 1921 to 1925. Babbar Akali movement came into existence when the Akali struggle for Gurdwara Reforms was going through a crucial stage. The most popular Sikh shrines like Nankana Sahib and Taran Taran Sahib were being occupied by Mahants and were trying to convert these into their personal properties. Babbar Akalis were Gur Sikhs and vehemently opposed the Idea of Gandhi’s non violence and non cooperation formula. Majority of the babbar Akalis were returned immigrants from Cannada and some of them had actively participated in the Gadhar movement. They opposed the imperialistic British policies and at the same time they were upset about the Nankana Sahib tragedy in which hundreds of innocent Sikhs were killed. They rejected the idea of peaceful struggle for reformation in the Sikh shrines and decided to carry forward their movement separately without the active involvement and cooperation of Akali leadership.

Since the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh on June 27, 1839, Punjab was under constant attack from British and eventually they lost their sovereignty to them on 29th Mar, 1849. As a result the socio-religious fabric of Punjab received a big jolt. Sikhs lost control and direct vigilance of its sacred shrines. During the next 70 odd years the Sikhism went through a drastic change. Their religious places and Gurudwaras were directly ruled by Mahants and they started to ignore the tenets and practices laid down in the Sikhism. Sikhism came under heavy attack during this time from British missionaries and elitist Brahmans. Undoubtedly the Sikhs were surrounded by forces which threatened their existence and their gradual decline seemed inevitable.

During subsequent years there were lots of organisations which were formed by Sikhs to cater to the ever increasing demand of the public to free its Gurdwaras from British and Mahants. However it was during 1920 that they finally became successful in forming Shiromani Gurudwara Prabhandak Comittee and then subsequently its task force, Akali Dal. Later on SGPC and Akali Dal made all efforts to make their gurdwars free from the clutches of these Mahants.

Later on during one such incident, Guru Ka Bagh Morcha, the back bone of Babbar Akali movement was formed. Though most of the Gurudwars were freed easily by SGPC from Mahants, Guru Ka Bagh, which is about 20 kms away from Amritsar, was never going to be an easy task for SGPC. In 1921, Sunder Das Udasi was the mahant of guru ka Bagh. In an attempt to save the shrine from being occupied by reformist Sikhs, he signed a formal agreement with them on 31 January 1921, promising to reform his ways and make a new start, as well as, agreeing to receive the rites of Khalsa initiation. He even agreed to serve under an eleven member committee appointed by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. However, seeing how the government was everywhere supporting the mahants in their efforts to retain the Gurdwaras, he repudiated part of the agreement and said that, though he had surrendered the gurdwara to the Shiromani Committee, the piece of land known as Guru ka Bagh attached to it was still his property. He objected to Sikhs cutting trees from Guru Ka bagh for the common Langar and thus he lodged a comlaint with the police and as a result of that authorities arrested 5 Akali’s on 9th Aug, 1922 on the charges of trespass. It was just a beginning and till 17th November, 1922 the number of Sikhs that were arrested amounted to 5605. This included 35 members of SGPC. The government at that time tried evry leaf in the book to traumatise Sikhs, however that was not to be a case. The violent use of force on Sikhs had a great impact outside and inside Punjab. Large number of Sikhs who took part in Guru Ka Bagh morcha, either joined Babbar Akali Jatha or worked actively to support their cause. When guru ka Bagh morcha was in full swing in 1922, Jathedar Kishan Singh Garja, he later on became a Babbar Akali Stalwart, wrote to then SGPC secretary, and asked him to reconsider the non violent means of fighting the cause and urged him to allow Sikhs to take up the sword. There is no doubt that Babbar Akali movement took its final shape during this morcha. Sikhs who could not digest the discipline of Satyagrah took to dynamite, bomb and pistols and became the Babbar Akali’s. The heaps of atrocities thrown on Sikhs inflamed their passion for revenge and no true discipline of Guru Gobind Singh could remain loyal to the British afterwards. Hence a few Akalis who had participated in the Gurudwara reform movement became Babbar Akali’s. Infact the struggle to liberate Gurudwars from Mahants and government was considered to be the stepping stone to India’s freedom. No wonder it included, ex ghadarites, congress workers and soldiers.
The Babbar Akalis made their first appearance during the Sikh Educational Conference held at Hoshiarpur from March 19th to 21st, 1921. Later on, they organized their own meetings which were attended by renowned personalities like Master Mota Singh, Kishan Singh, Amar Singh, Tota Singh Peshawari, Gurbachan Singh and Buttan Singh and some of the returned emigrants from Canada. The working committee of the Babbar Akalis was elected in 1922 with Sardar Kishan Singh Garja as Jathedar, Dalip Singh Gosal, as Secretary and Baba Santa Singh as Treasurer. To reinforce the propaganda machinery and to promote the cause of the movement, the working committee decided to publish a newspaper called Babbar Akali Doaba Akhbar, with Sardar Karam Singh Daulatpur appointed as Editor. Their main objective was to "eliminate" certain officials and non-officials condemned as enemies of the Khalsa Panth.

They appealed to the Hindus and Muslims through articles, leaflets, Babbar Akali Doaba Akhbar and the religious congregations to join them in their war against the foreigners for freedom. To fulfil their programme Bela Singh and Ganda Singh were sent to Lahore on May 23, 1921 to take care of Mr. J.W. Bowring, considered responsible for Nankana Sahib Massacare. However on their way they got arrested and thus other members of the party like Amar Singh, Tota Singh, Chatar Singh etc landed in the police custody.

Babbar Akalis also aimed to paralyse the supporters of the British Government such as Zaildars, Lambardars, Patwaries, police informers and other stooges by terrorising them through various forms of punishments. According to the plans of the Babbars an attempt was made to kill Arjan Singh Patwari of Haripur who had allegedly helped in the arrest of Master Mota Singh. Somehow the attempt failed. Then, Zaildar Bishan Singh, a retired official of the Canal Department was shot dead on February 10th, 1923.

The continuous "elimination" created panic among the informers, agents and the Government authorities. Numbers of village officials and other loyalists to the Government started expressing fear for their lives and the desire to resign from their posts. The government took stiff measures to meet the Babbar challenge and tried to restore peace and confidence among the loyalists. Special C.I.D. was deputed to assist the police. The police force at Jullundur was increased by adding another fifty men. Above all, a special enrolment of 150 was sanctioned, and an Indian infantry of 250 and a squadron of armoured cars were deputed to assist the police in making the arrests of the Babbars. Leaflets were scattered by airplane over the affected area in order to restore peace, and the Babbars were proclaimed as an unlawful association under the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act of 1908. As a result some important leaders like Kishan Singh Garja, Master Mota Singh and Sunder Singh were arrested.

Undeterred by the arrests and deaths of the important leaders, the Babbars continued their programme of eliminating the agents and the supporters of the Government. Simultaneously, they continued preaching against the British rule. The threats by the Babbars and the continuous elimination of government officials caused considerable anxiety in the official circle in London. Members of the British Parliament raised questions about the deteriorating condition of law and order in the Punjab. The government of the Punjab was criticised, and fears were expressed about the safety of the British officials in India.

On June 4th, 1923, Sir C. Yates drew the attention of the House of Commons to the Babbar programme of murdering officers and the foreigners and wanted the Government to make a statement on the situation in Punjab. The motion was again tabled on June 14th, 1923 in the British Parliament regarding the seriousness of the Babbar Akali Movement. Upon pressure of the British Parliament, London, the government of the Punjab introduced more stringent measures against the Babbars. Hideout places of the Babbars were raided. As a result, 186 arrests were made. By the middle of 1924 all the important Babbars were either killed or arrested. However, the Akali leaders and the Congress leaders like Mahatma Gandhi did not approve of the Babbars' programme of violence. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (S.G.P.C.) issued statement appealing to the Sikhs to disassociate with the activities of the Babbars, writes Mohinder Singh, author of The Akali Movement:

Though the Akali leadership disowned both the Babbars as well as their tactics and went even to the extent of passing formal resolutions against them, the Babbars contribution to the Akali Movement and India’s freedom struggle cannot be ignored. They have and will be the integral part of our history forever. None can undermine their contribution to Sikhism and its resurgence in the early twentieth century.

Indo-Nepal relations and its fall out

Today (9.10.15) as Nepal Oil Corporation floated a global tender for supply of petrol to Himalayan nation, the focus of international community has again shifted to our complex ties with Nepal and has raised some serious questions with regards to our foreign policy with the Himalayan nation.  As our relationship with Nepal hit a new low today, it compelled me to get into the intricacies of our relationship with Nepal and dig out the reasons behind this love hate relationship between the two countries. This is not the first case of altercation between the two nations; rather their history has been marred with skirmishes like these in the past as well.

Nepal which got its independence in 1923 has a history which has been deeply influenced by its big neighbour’s; India and China. Although India’s relationship with Nepal goes back to ancient ages, however the year of 1950 has huge importance in the history of both countries. This is the year when both countries signed India-Nepal treaty of peace & friendship, which in later years became a thorn in the aspirations of native Nepalese. This treaty was signed by last Rana prime minister of Nepal, Mohan Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana and India’s then ambassador to Nepal, Chandreshwar Narayan Singh. The treaty not only allowed free movement of people and goods between the two nations but also enabled the two nations to closely collaborate on the matters of defence and foreign affairs. But it was not to last forever and as the fate would have it, just 3 months after this treaty was signed, the rana rule ended in Nepal and with this the outcry & dissatisfaction over this treaty grew in political and social circuits of Nepal. Most Nepalese viewed this treaty as an invasion of its sovereignty and integrity by India.

Although this treaty was initially widely supported by both Indian political class and Rana rulers of Nepal, however after the advent of democracy in Nepal in late 1950’s and & 1960”s, Nepal & china forged better relations and thus Indo-Nepal relations took some beating in that era. The first instance of relationship becoming cold could be seen when Nepal forced the Indian military mission to leave Nepal and proposed itself as a “Zone of peace” between India and China. India however at that time bluntly refused to endorse this new stand of Nepal. This was the first Instance when Nepal acted as an opportunist and by all means they had clearly moved on with their relationship with India. With number of Indian’s living and working in Nepal growing everyday and the involvement of India in Nepal’s politics becoming more evident, the discomfort among native Nepalese also started growing.

In 1969 our relations with Nepal soured as Nepal challenged the existing mutual security arrangement between the two countries and also expressed their resentment on India Nepal peace & friendship treaty. India at that time had to unwillingly withdraw its military mission from Nepal which was incidentally formed in 1952, when Nepal feared mutiny by the communist lead and china backed political forces. Tensions came head to head in mid 1970’s when Nepal openly criticised Sikkim’s 1975 annexation by India. In 1975 King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah proposed Nepal to be recognised internationally as a “Zone of peace”. He received support of China and Pakistan internationally and India was again left red faced with its long term ally. Nepal continuously raised this issue on international forums and by 1990 it had won the support of 112 countries which included US and UK. India meanwhile continued to endorse Nepal as a zone of Peace. In 1987, India tried to arm twist Nepal by urging expulsion of thousands of Nepali speaking people from states that shared border with Nepal. Nepal reacted by introducing a work permit system for Indians working in Nepal. During March 1989 to April 1990, because of the failed talks between the two nations, Nepal was under a serious economic embargo from India. India stopped all trade ties and treaties with Nepal. To withstand this pressure Nepal presented its case before the world community which again infuriated India. Nepal then de regularised India rupee from Nepal which otherwise circulated freely in Nepal. India retaliated by denying port facilities in Calcutta, thereby cutting oil supplies from Singapore and other sources. Nepal which was once a thriving economy in Asia, was reeling under serious economic problems by 1990. Nepal’s growth rate fell from 9.7% in 1988 to 1.5% in 1989. Nepal was now quickly slipping into the league of world’s poorest nations. Nepalese king Birendra had to step down after deepening economic crisis and was forced to institute a parliamentary democracy.  Thus Nepal got its new PM Krishna Prasad Bhattarai and in June of 1990 during Bhattarai’s visit, India lifted the 13 month long economic blockade of Nepal, although India agreed to do so, on its own terms and conditions. In subsequent years the ever fluctuating Indo –Nepal ties continued to be sweet and sour as it had been in the past. Again the recent interference from India in Nepal’s constitutional matters has not gone down well with the Nepalese masses. 

The new constitution of Nepal, which has been pushed through by three main political parties –Nepali Congress, Communist party of Nepal and the Maoists remains a bone of discontent for people living in Terai region of Nepal. These are mainly Madhesis and Tharus. This is why the whole of Terai has gone up in flames since the controversial constitution was passed in Nepal parliament. Madhesis and Tahrus had high hopes from the new constitution as it would have given them an opportunity to win their rightful share. The Nepal’s constitution was not just a book to dole out a new political system but also a new social framework for various ethnicities living in Nepal who till now had been kept unified under a monarchical system. The divide in Nepal lies between the hills and the plains. People from both places had different aspirations and hence the new Nepal constitution could have addressed these issues and grievances. However that was not the case. Madhesi and Tharu objections to constitutional provisions were brushed aside. The Kathmandu leadership was complacent and was caught napping as they never thought that Madhesi and tharu people will rise up in arms on the issue. And when they did, the Nepalese establishment resorted to violence and suppression. India had well in advance anticipated this situation and during PM Modi’s visit in August, while he was addressing the constituent assembly of Nepal, he spoke about the importance of writing a sage like (Rishi man) constitution so that views and aspirations of citizens of all communities and regions can be accommodated. However the Nepali leadership, including PM Sushil Koirala, choose to ignore this advice. Sushil Koirala by all means wants to leave a legacy in his name in the history of Nepal by sticking to the newly passed constitution.

But question arises; Why Nepal would listen to India on its internal matter? What if tomorrow Nepal starts questioning India’s stand on Kashmir? What if they start talking about AFSPA of India on international forums? Is it morally correct for India to dictate terms to Nepal on its internal dispute.

Therefore Indian government needs to be very careful while taking any step to get into this Nepali imbroglio. India although is in a tricky situation as at the same time it cannot ignore whatever is happening in Nepal. India and Nepal has an open border and therefore conflict in Nepal will directly impact India as Indian people working in Nepal and businessman having their base in Nepal will surely fled to seek refuge in border states of UP and Bihar. India will have to watch out for its long term implication. Also India would not want the Madhesi crisis to go Tamil way and thus it should by all means avoid a Sri lanka like situation to take place in its immediate neighbourhood. This can have a direct bearing on India’s political scene, particularly in Bihar and U.P.

Though our PM Narendra Modi has been very vocal in his stand with regards to Nepal and how he wants Nepal to be a strategic partner to India in its quest to become a regional superpower, Whether or not Nepal will reciprocate in the same manner remains a million dollar question to be answered. Keeping in mind the current developments in Indo-Nepal relations and the ever growing Nepal-China relations, the above aspiration of India certainly remains a far cry. In fact China has already diluted India’s effect on the Nepalese economy. Since 2006 China’s commerce with Himalayan nation has surpassed India by 17 times and China has emerged as the most favourable source of FDI in Nepal in recent times. India and its businessman have been complacent and now they will have to sit and watch for their turn. China has already overtaken India to become the largest contributor of FDI to Nepal. This shows the influence of the dragon nation is at its all time high.

In this situation India’s overseas policy makers not only need to be careful about our interference in the Himalayan nation but they also need to envisage an entirely different policy for future of Indo- Nepal ties. At the same time India and Indian’s must resign to the fact that it can no longer play the role of a big boss to Nepal as it has done in the past. The 1989 economic blockade is a thing of past. Times have changed and Nepal has certainly moved on as far as its ties with India are concerned.  PM Narendra Modi may have wanted to help Nepal by his HIT formula – Highways,, Information technology and Transmission lines – as he said in his speech at Nepal assembly. However Nepalese are by all means looking in some different direction. India definitely has a situation at hand to tackle. Situation is real and the time is running out.

 

 

 

 

European Migration Crisis

As we Kashmiri pundits are in our 25^th year of exile, my heart goes out to millions of people who are facing migration around the world due to civil wars, religious persecution and economic hardships. The “European refugee” crisis as they call it is one of the largest human displacements on earth since World War II. This crisis is reminiscent of our own situation in 1990’s, when approximately 3 lac KP’s moved out from their permanent abode to fend for their lives in Jammu and other different parts of India. None would know the pit falls of the migration better than us. One does not only lose one’s home, culture and traditions. But also gets robbed of one’s identity forever. The damage is permanent and beyond repair.

The 2015 European migrant crisis can be majorly attributed to the ever increasing number of refugees from Middle East, Africa, the western Balkan states and south Asia barging into different European countries to seek political asylum or better livelihood. Thousands of these migrants are dying daily in their quest to enter into Europe through popular refugee routes. An estimated 137,000 migrants tried to cross the Mediterranean Sea during April to June of 2015. These numbers are rising with each passing day and countries like Greece which are already under huge economic turmoil are facing the majority of the brunt as people from Syria and Iraq find it the easiest route to enter into Europe. Syrians, Eritreans and Afghans account for about 70% of these refugees. The situation is critical as the EU turns a blind eye to the great human crisis. A spokesperson for EU has termed this crisis as “Beyond Urgent” and called for a “collective response” to deal with the problem as thousands of people are trying to reach the European shores.

 According to United Nations high commission for refugees (UNHCR), the number of forced human displacement had reached 59.5 million worldwide at the end of year 2014.By latest estimates published by UNHCR in August 15, already 250,000 migrants had arrived in Europe through sea or by other means, of these around 124,000 have arrived in economically challenged country like Greece and 98,000 in Italy. Government of Greece which is reeling under a huge financial crisis, when even their ATM’s have run out of money, these refugees have been left at the mercy of few voluntary organisations who are organising aid, food, medicines, clothes and temporary shelters for them. Without any doubt the situation is getting out of control and there is total chaos in their country. Even UNHCR admits that the facilities in the country are inadequate to tackle the situation. Apart from Greece, Italy and Hungary have also borne the brunt of this huge human influx. The biggest irony today is that nobody knows how to tackle the situation.   

The picture of lifeless body of Alan kurdi , a three year old Syrian boy, on the shores of Mediterranean sea in turkey sent shock waves across the globe.  The photograph which was clicked by journalist, Nilofer Demir, spread around the world, prompting ordinary people like us to take note of the situation. It gave a chilling reminder to humanity about the magnitude of problem that exists and how human traffickers are weaving a web of death and deceit around these gullible migrants who in their desperation are putting everything of theirs at stake, even the lives of their own children. The situation is not only grim but real as well.

September 6, 1947

The dawn of independence in 1947 not only brought cheers and smiles on the faces of Indians, but also threw lot of challenges at our political leadership which was at the helm of affairs at that time. Exactly 68 years ago one such challenge came straight into the faces of Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar patel. The day was September 6, 1947. The partition had thrown open a can of worms and communal riots and violence on the streets of Delhi were threatening to bring down the capital itself. The situation in Punjab had become worse and the magnitude of migration on the borders was beyond anyone’s imagination.

On this day the most closely guarded meeting in the history of India’s political scene was held between three gentlemen.  Had the outcome of this meeting become public at that time, it would have proved catastrophic for the political career of both Sardar Patel and Jawahar Lal Nehru.

There were three gentlemen present in this meeting. Apart from India’s two greatest leaders, the other person present was the last viceroy of India, Louis Mountbatten. In this meeting these two leaders expressed their inability to control the situation and how they and their people were inexperienced to handle this huge catastrophe.

In freedom of Midnight, Dominique lapierre quotes Nehru who told Mountbatten that, “We have no experience. We have spent the best years of our lives in your jails. Our experience is in the art of agitation, not administration. We can barely manage to run a well organized government in normal circumstances. We are just not up to facing an absolute collapse of law and order”.

Louis Mountbatten sitting in chair in his magnificent study had no Idea till then what Nehru was going to say to him. All he could do was to listen patiently. Nehru had always admired Mountbatten’s administrative and leadership skills. Nehru and Patel who had devoted all their lives to India’s struggle for independence were about to make a startling proposal to Mountbatten and that was to once again take over the responsibility of running the country.

As Dominique lapierre would write in his book later, Mountbatten was aghast. ‘My God’, he said, ‘I’ have just got through giving you the country and here you two are asking me to take it back. However both Nehru and Patel kept on insisting. Mountbatten thought for a while and due to his personal respect and admiration for Nehru and Patel and his love for India, agreed to take on the responsibility. 

During next fifteen minutes India’s first emergency cabinet committee came into existence. All members of the committee were handpicked by Mountbatten himself including his wife, Edwina Mountbatten who took care red cross and other voluntary organizations. As fate would have it, after years of struggle and barely after three weeks of Independence, India was once again being run by an Englishman.

 

Grand Salam

Pakistan’s tryst with Kashmir although dates back to 1947, however it was on 1^st September 1965 that they gave their dream a strong push by launching operation “Grand slam”. It was a well drawn plan by the Pakistan military in which they wanted to bomb the vital Akhnoor bridge in Jammu and cut supplies to the entire Infantry division of the Indian Army. Simultaneously they wanted to threaten Jammu which was a vital location for Indian forces from the logistics point of view.

Akhnoor sector at that time was guarded by only four Infantry battalions and few squadrons of AMX 13 tanks. Pakistan at that time had superior M47 and M48 Patton tanks. With a clear advantage in favour of Pakistan, they made a fool of themselves by replacing their existing GOC  Maj General Akhtar Hussain Mallik by Maj Gen Yahya Khan. Due to this there was a day’s delay in attack and hence this change in guard gave India time to retaliate and send reinforcements to Akhnoor sector. On 6^th September Indian forces opened offensive from Punjab and therefore Pakistan forces had to retreat and send their forces from Akhnoor to save Pakistan’s Punjab. Rest is history.  As we celebrate 50 years of victory over Pakistan in 1965 war, let’s all pay tribute the soldiers who laid down their lives for protecting the pride and integrity of our nation. Jai Hind.

The Great Kashyap Bandhu

What great Kashmiri Pundit educationist and social reformer Kashyap Bandhu could foresee in 1929, not many of us had the vision to see that. The song that he wrote in 1929 was perhaps the outcome of social neglect and malice, Kashmiri pundits were facing in Kashmir since ages. He wrote and I quote,

“Travee Pheran lo lo

  Zooj, Pooch tye nariwar
 Yim chhi Shikasik Sardar
 Mala barhaiy gardaen
 Travee Pheran lo lo
 Pooch Pathkun Pakan
 Walna Yiwan Zangan,
 Chanda Sadkan doovan
 Travee Pheran lo lo !
 Tarang Chhuee akh khara
 Kalas Peth bodh barah
 Vank Panuk Soodh Kyah ?
 Zethem ziuth lotah
 Asan Janvaran
 Travi Pheran lo lo”

It means,

“ Give up Pheran, 0 dear
 Zooj, Pooch and narizvar
 These are agents of degradation
These have filled your neck with dirt
 Give up Pheran, 0 dear
 Pooch drags you backwards
 It envelops your legs
The hanging pocket (attached to your Pheran) is sweeping roads

 Give up Pheran, 0 dear
head wear tarang is as heavy as a ton
 It is a great weight on your head
 What is the use of long hair tail hanging through your back ?

 It is a very long tail appended
Which is attached to animals
 Give up Pheran, O dear !”

His main theme of the social reform movement was change of dress in our womenfolk who wore Pheran a long robe standing on both shoulders down to feet with no trousers or even underwear.  The head dress was white bandage Tarang with a number of turns round the head over Zooj, a sheet of white mulmul covering the head and extending to cover the neck overlapped by Pooch, a long white piece of white mulmul stretched down backwards over the Pheran.  Sheikh Abdullah's Muslim Conference Movement in 1929 which opened the eyes of Kashmiri Pandit Community to the dangers of physical onslaught of kashmiri pandit women and their overall dress being vulnerable to induce foul actions by the invaders, caused the immediate need of drastic change in the dress of our womenfolk.  So there was Kashyap Bandhu with his ready formula of a change of dress in our womenfolk from Pheran without underwear, which induced lethargy and procrastination, to Kurta and Shilwar or Dhotti with an underwear.  The latter prompted the wearer to be more active and prepared to face any physical onslaught or attempt of molestation.

Kashyap Bandhu pioneered this movement of change in dress and that too not without stiff resistance from conservative Pandits as a whole.  In this struggle of his for a change of dress, he was nicknamed as Kaesh Bandhooq which means a rifle filled with sawdust.

Kashmiri pundits because of their unique dressing style and cultural habits were always targeted by Muslim fundamentalists in Kashmir. Our Muslim neighbours or friends would very casually bulldoze us by calling us as “Daliye Batta”. That means a pulse eating kashmiri pundit who can never protect himself or herself. Or the term can simply be explained as “Coward”.  This constant deflation of our self esteem allowed them to easily throw us out of Kashmir. “ Daliye Batta” could neither save himself from the nefarious designs of Muslim fundamentalists nor offer any resistance to the mindless and brutal killings of its men and womenfolk. This “Daliye Batta” after being thrown out of Kashmir landed in Jammu. Here a new term was coined to puncture the already low self esteem of Kashmiri Pandits. It was a very innovative term and it went by the name of “LOLA”. It also meant coward.

The crux of the story is that a Kashmiri Pandit for an unknown reason has always been unacceptable whether in Kashmir or outside it. The reason I could imagine is that since majority of Kashmiri Pandits are well read and highly educated, it gives other people a reason to disconnect from us. The other important and underlying factor is that Kashmiri Pandits are not a vote bank for any political party in India. But mind it, a Bangladeshi living illegally in India is. Isn’t it ironical that first Prime minister of independent India, Jawahar Lal Nehru was also a Kashmiri Pundit? Isn’t it sad to know that we are refugees in our own country? Has there ever been a ruckus in parliament of India about the exodus of Kashmiri Pundits? Has there ever been a national debate on our fate in India? The answer is cruel and you guessed it right. It is “NO”. 

My First Brush with Fundamentalism

It was August 17, 1988 and Kashmir was witnessing a very strong anti-India movement. There were riots and arson everywhere. People of Kashmir were shouting anti India slogans from the back of their throat. Me and my sister would think that what has gone wrong for people to resort to such kind of strong agitation. It was around evening when my father returned home from his office that we came to know the reason. The reason behind such stupid agitation was the death of Pakistan’s Premier, General Zia ulHaq. He died in a plane crash after witnessing a military exercise between Pakistan and US army at Bahawalpur. I asked my dad but why this ruckus in Kashmir ? He choose to be silent. Perhaps he knew the answer but didn't want to share it. For next two days all schools, colleges and government establishments remained shut. After his funeral on 19.8.1988, slogans in his pride and honor were reverberating in the cool breeze of Kashmir.

“ Jabtak suraj chand rahenga, General Zia tera naam rahenga”

I would always wonder as a child why my Kashmiri Muslim friends used to support Pakistan cricket team in an India-Pakistan game. We used to argue how they can support Pakistan when they are living in India. I never got my answer. Perhaps we were too little to understand the undercurrent. After all we were all toddlers.  However I got my answers latter when Kashmiri pandits were thrown out of valley in the most inhuman manner. Our men were killed, children were maimed, girls and women were raped. It was a well orchestrated ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri pundit community from valley backed by nefarious design from across the border. The so called secular thread of Kashmir was broken beyond repair and forever. In January 1990 sea of Militants was flowing on the streets of Kashmir and were being asked to leave valley. The cruel announcements were being made on the speakers of mosques located in every nook and corner of the valley. As if this was not enough, a new slogan was coined to frighten the community. It was unimaginable, humiliating, nerve wrecking and painful. It was “ Assi gachi panun Pakistan, bataw ros te batnian saan”. It means we want Pakistan with kashmiri pundit women and without pundit men. It was just a beginning, more was to come in the later years that we spent in exile.