The Forum Gazette Vol. 1 No. 4 July 16-31, 1986

7/28/2019 The Forum Gazette Vol. 1 No. 4 July 16-31, 1986

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f"8rumM;,,;,,;;;..;;..:edia;:,...:"w . . : . . . . : a ; : , . : , . : t c ~ h__________ Gazelle _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

The Punjab Press Speaks to The Forum GazetteLike all other aspects of the Punjab situation t h ~Pressmust share a distinct responsibility in th e present crisis.Th e Punjab Press ha s few parallels. In less than 40years it ha s witnessed twice s o c i ~ p o l i t i c a lupheavelswhich have threatened th e very generic definition ofPunjab an d its people. In both instances its role ha sbeen controversial and the charge specific; 'communal','partisan', 'sensationalist'. The murders of Lata JagatNarain an d hi s so n Romesh Chander of the famousHind Samachar Group ha s both sparked an d legitimizedthis controversy. Another interesting aspect of th e Punjab Press is that despite Punjabi being the official language the largest circulation is in Hindi while Urdu stillremains prominent, a poignant reminder of the Punjabof yesteryears.

T he Jalandhar based Vernacular Press has an im. pressiv e 8 daWes to itscredit ',,'lith the larg es t share ofcirculation shared bv the thr eeoldest dailies, Himi' Samachar14 ,16 . 244) Pratap 155,0001 and Ajit11.25 ,0001 . Ironi ca lly , since allthree ar e f a m i l v - o ~ n e dit is th esecond gene 'ration in each casewho are , facing the challenges ofth e ir founding fathers but with adilference. Th e tollowing is 'aninterview with the managingeditors of the four rnajor : daili es:Vijav Kumar IHind Samachar)Vash PallMilapJ , Chander Kumar(Vir Pratap ) and Barjinder SinghIAjit l.

Why has the Punjab Pressbeen repeatedly a( :cused 0"being communal ?

Vijay Kumar - Well if ca llinga spade-a spade is communalthen we may be guilty. Ours has

been a very positive role in thepres e nt situation an d we arefrom a group and family whichhas been outspoken againstinjustic e of any natur e . Myfath er the late Lala Jagat Narainhad joined the Akalis in theiragitation against the EmergencyI'Ule and Romesh Chander hadsquarely blamed Mrs . Gandhi ofaccelerating the Punjab crisis.Today we ar e equally critical ofthe Akali role. It is actually thisnew breed of journalists whounder the guise of investigativejournalism cash in on sensa-

Panel of Consulting EditorsJustice V.R. Krishna Iver,I.K. Gujral, Madhu Kishwar,Khushwant Singh, Jaya Jaidy,Rajni Kothari, Amrik Singh,Kuldip NayarChairman, Board of Editors

t ionalism an d communalism, inwhich case your Delhi Press isno exception. We in Pun;ab ou rincreasingly aware of the delicacy of the situation.

l'ilsh Pill - No! We aremaligned .bul we have been discree l wh e n we have ha d to :Though it seems that the voulhhav e Ihe ultimat e say todav: weare all defunct. .'

C!randcr Kumar - No ! Howcan you call th e rol e communalwhen whatever the Press has'said has come to be , The -minority communit y is fucing the AkaliParty who is zealously guarding.or rnisguarding th e interests ofthe Sikhs an d caus .ing uneasiness in th e other community. Itis they who are communal' notthe Pres s.

Bariind er Sin,.;h - The Pressmay have pla ye d a communalrol e but there is a contexl.

Before parlilioll Urdu was a neutral language for all Pttnjabisincluding Muslims but postparti t ion and particularly postcensus the split becam e defined .Hindus read Hindi an d Sikhsread Pun;abi. The Akali strugglealso banked on Sikh sympathyan d began to comTl)unicatethrough the Pun;abi media. Ithink that the older generationin the Punjab Pr'Cst; ma y havebeen inclined on communallines perhaps to woo r'Cadership.Today there is a visible change,an d the .younger gener 'aLion ofeditors have realized the implications of that tr'Cnd .

Is th e responsibility 0" th evernacular Press ' greater?

Vijav Kumar - Well the

Press must and does thrive onobjectivity , vemacular 01' otherwise.

Yash Pal - Language ma ywell play a !'Ole because of th ecommunity it might finall y reach.

A Report by Jasjit PurewalSince ou r paper is in Urdu wedon ' t have that problem and aimbasicaUy at both communities .

Chander Kumar - Yes agreater responsibility does liewith th e vernacular Press and inthis case the Punjab Press, and Ithink that the gr'Cater responsibility has been r'Calized . In Indiagiven the ethmic differences andconflicts the line of discretionmay be fine but the press mustbe aware of it.

Barjinder Singh - In anycase the responsibilitv of th eeditor is far greater is striking abalance if langua ge be comessynonomous with co mmunity.This is th e strongest case forhaving a widely u sed officialstate languag e.

What do \,ou se e as th e Icrux of the p;oblcm in Punjabtoday?

Viiay Kumar - Basicall y thereis a problem with the unemployed youth , both Hindu an dSikh wh o . actually wants a white

, collar . job with lillie ellorl. Thusthe influx of labour from Biharand U.P. That ' element has beenexploited through r'Cligious se n -timenl for political en d . .

Yash Pal - I think this is amalicious conspiracy q)" thosewhQ am jealous of Punjab.This iswhY th e Hindu -Sikh riots startedoutside of Punjab. No,:v' Akaliapath y is largel y to blame fo rthis rampant lawl ess ness .

ChandaI' KumaI' - The Akalis hav e ex ploited Sikh sentimentand religion an d succeeded increating a rif1 between theHindu and Sikhs. The unemployed youth. ma y hav e taken todacoity but they ar'C not beingcriticized by their leaders . Continual p!'Opaganda against Hindumaterialism , Operation Blu es taran d the November )iots all seemto have settled in the Sikhpsyche but there has be e n noself-analysis e ither , just a feelingof hurl. All this has cr'Cated astrong division between the twocommunities.

Barjindel 'Singh - Politiciansand religious fundam e ntali s tsmust share th e blame for whathas happened to Punjab today.

What about Hindu migration?

Viiav Kumar - The AkaliGovern "ment is pmoccupied with

dissension an d th e Prime Minister is bother'Cd only about theaccord While there is a gmwingbelt in Punjab where even theleaders are afraid to go . With thepolice , both partisan and demo-

Lt. Gen. Jagji t Singh AW'Ora (retd.1 Attention Advertisers!Managing EditorBaljit MalikEditorsG.S. Sandbu, Harji Malik,A.S. Narang, Jasjit PurewalAssociate EditorAvtar Singh Judge

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ralised, there is no one to protect the Hindus . Migration isnatural.

l'as h Pal - It is a very complicated situation. Then " eITOI'ists have a plan to first drive outthe Hindus an d then all thpmoderate Sikhs from the borderareas . This will then be theirstronghold permanently. Withpolic e complicity an d ineffectiveand co rrupt security forces thereis no one to check their activiti es. The Akalis do not seem particularlv con ce rn ed aboul lawand order and th e Hindus thenhav e littl e c hoi ce bu t 10 flee . TheSikhs in these amas , I found , donot want th em to leave but areequally ins ec ur e.

ChandaI' KumaI' - The migration of Hindus "viII assumeeven grea te r proportions if thissituation is not co nt!'OlIed soon.Th e police is in e tlective , thesec urit y forces am confused andno one seenlS to b e in charge.There just is no accountability.

Barjinder Singh - Wheth\3r itis Hiildu migration from Punjabor Sikh migration into Punjabth e problem lie s \vith an ineffective .government' ma c hinery .

What ha s been th e I'olean d impact ,of th e Shiv Sena?

Viiay Kumar - Basicall v aHindu youth resource w hi chhas no i been tapped by th eB.J .P. or th e Congress an d hastherefOl'C taken the shape of thi sdis Organised group. The y ' ar'Ci n e f f e c t . i v ~an d have been playedup by the pr'Css outside Punjab .Theil' only a contribution is to

create further tension b.v makingunnecessary speeches.\'ash Pal - A completely

misdirect ed an d disorganisedgroup of yo ung Hindus who se ethemselves as an answer to Sikhmilitancv .

C h i l ~ d a rKumar - Theyhav e no compl'Chensive leadership an d th e Hindu communitymay see them as a securityblank e l but th ey seem only tofurther the c ~ u s eof communalism.

Barjinder Singh - A reaction

no doubt since it is not really anorganised body yet. Their !'Ole sofar has bee n negative since thereis no leadership and they reactsporadically an d ilTCsponsiblywhich finall y just leads to hatred .

Is ' Khalistan' a possibility?Yash Pal - No I But the Sikh

psyche must be appeased afterBluestar an d the riots , which isnot being done . IlTCsponsiblestatements by Mr . Gandhi aboutfalling trees an d tremor 's don 'thelp Akali demands ar e ;ust ,an d we do need water sinceagriculture is ou r mainstay .

Chandal Kumar - 'Not amalitv I ('an visualise but a verydiffi ciJ lt period lie f ahead forPunjab Chandigarh must begiven to Punjab and the issues ofwater and industry must be paidheed to immediately since ou r

problem s are basically economic .Barjinder Singh - Not practical at all and nol possible . ln ,general Sikhs ar e not for 'Khalistan ,

Where will Punjab go fromhere?

Vijav Kumar - Therewi1l bepeace finally , ma y be in an'other4 ye ar s.

Fash Pal - I think if Punjabha s to return to normalcy thesolution lies in President 's rule 'ma v be for th e next 10 veal's. Nopopular government can function h er e effectively a nd it is bette r to suffer a loss of right s thanbe sacrificed to this powers truggl e .

ChandaI' Kumar - We are

h ea din g for social. eco nomican d political disast er. Governor"srule may be ou r only refugesince no government has been ~able to guarantee sec uritv of life. ,

Barjind er Singh - " At thisstage a lot depends on rile Centre an d their implementation ofthe Accord. The Chandigarhissue an d the Misra Commissionare not exactly lending credibility to their commitment. If theAkalis cannot survive these challenges there will be totalconfusion.

Consulting Editors fo r Gazette

The fOl'Urn Gazelle familyhas been added to with a panelof co nsulting editors.

former Supreme Court judg ean d Minister of Education in theKeral a Left Government in the

fiftie s, Justice V.R. Krishna IYel ',along with I.K. Gujral , KuldipNayar, Madhu Kishwar , JayaJa itly and Khushwant Singh , i I lbe advising the paper as well ascontributing to it.


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F8rumF _ o _ r _ n n ~ ~ ~ t F _ O _ C U _ S_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Gazettc __________________________ _

LALDENGA "WE MUST ALL FEEL ONENESS"Th e signing o f th e Mizo N a tio nal Front- Gove rnm e n t of In dia IVIp.mOl'andu m of Sc t1le m e n1 byMNF le ad e r Mr Lal d e ng a a nd Uni on Home

Secr e tary Mr R.D. PI' a dhan is a m em ol 'ab le p.ve ntafter 20 years of th e bloodie st in s Ul'genc y th ec ountry ha s witn e s se d . M r Lald e ng a talk e d to Th eForum G.)z e tt e o n th e eve o f h is d e pa r ture fo rAizwal.

H as peace cOllle III Ivliz{)ram a iter :w v e a r ~ of


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F8rumO _ u r ~ T i m _ 'e_s_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Gazettc - - - - - - - - - - ___

Away Fro m Antise ti CiII

I ationAn Experience with the Bastar Tribals .

DATELINE: BASTAR

15th June 1986:Ringo , Ringo , Ringo ....Riya , Riya, Riya Riya ....Ringo , Ringo , Riya Riya ...

Th e Sirah th e tribal .doctor 'in the unreserved forests ofMadhya Pradesh was chantingthese 'mantras ' in the rapidrhythm of a superfast train rumbling over th e rail track . Th e stillness an d dark of th e denseforest at midnight accentuatedth e eerie effect of the chantingswhich reverberated in the atmosphere with unusual force .

In front of Kanga's mu d hut,in th e courtyard a slow fire wa sburning . Th e 5irah sat crosslegged, shaking hi s whole bodyvigorously in wide circular motions . Kanga sat on his haunchesnear th e Sir'a/J, his hands folded ,his face aglow with anxiety inth e darkness . His wife . S u k h i~ tenmonths pregnant , sat on iheground outside the courtyard . Asmall d(va (earthen lamp ) Ilic ker e d n ea r he r as sh e moan e dan d writhed in th e pain s 01lab o ur . Th e res t of th e m e mb e rso f th e ho u se h o ld, n ea rl y seve nin ! lumb er , lay l . I n m o ~' i n g inth e ir beds in thl ) co urtyard .

Th e Sirah c hant e d. .. HilWaRingo. Riya H ~l 'a ... .. up to 2 .:\0a .lll . n ever c hanging hi s te mp o .Saliva and froth pour e d trom hi smouth ; sweat from hi s face ands trea ms of pe rspiration How e ddown his back. c h es t and belly .

And Sukhi all alone, unatt e nd e dwailed in the light of th( ! rl( l'a tod e live r h e r ba b Y. S h (~ re di 'I( !dagainst th e trun "k o f i.l tr l !e. h e rfeet apart . hi.lnds ellItching herabdomen .

Time Stands StillThis is tt w h ea rt of th e

um -eserve d ror es t 12 kIll avvayb v kuclla fores t road all t la'noth er 25 km or pu c eil "oadIrom th e tehsil h ea dquar t e rs .the only place in th e area

4 WednelMlay 16-3t July 1986

Devdutt

A lribat I'amity in Madhya Pra d e s h

w h e re Ilwdi c al ai d c an heobtained in an ()JlWrgHll cy.

fo r rn e ti m l' ha d s to )l)l p d .Th e chan ti n g,; uf S ir i lh Il l('Illum e d g l ' o a n i n g~ u l Suh.hia nd Il l(' occa si onal 5 1 rl' ings 0 1Ih e bird s on til!! tf'()('s -antianimals ill th e blJ s h SC(J ' II({dinn nih !. c turn a l. !\ d ep )1 I t~ a l 'a nd h e lpl es s n e s s fill e d n1Vh e ar t F(!al' , b ec a ll sf' tl w labou '"pains h a d begun just a s I ha dreac h e d Kan ga 's hu t at nli d night after tr ekki n g 12 km

th rough a dark . Iig ht l es s ju n g lep a th . Ip.d b v 50 yea r o ld Baisakh i wh o ' ca r rie d to kg 0 1j\.f a i l l i i l 011 h e r Ilf' ad. I wa .;ap pn !h C'ns iv i' ; wlla t if s u mem is ha p la k(!:. pILlep.? H o \\ ' w illKanga ':- el d ers a nd otlwl ' rd ati " I!S reia ll ' I11 V arTil 'a l ,,,,;111 Ilwp rubabl e I l l i ~ h a p' ? \OVill t ll l'yinterprel I l ly ar r ival a & an il l.o n1l'I1 ')

H e l p le s sl l f ~s s . b ec a u se I wa ss tu c k. with n Olhin g tu be clan 'in th e h e ar t or th e d a rk n ig ht

to re lieve 0 1' sa v e a y o un gwoma n i n labo ur pain s . Thevi llage in th e thi c k fores t is 37km away from th e n e arestmedi ca l filciliti es. T o ge l as s is tan ce would ta ke at lea s t 24hOlll' S.

AnguishedHelplessness ... an d

OptimismWe ha d n ever expedenced

such numb anguished helplessness . We ha d never seen suchstoi c heroism from a motherdelivering he r child herself withno as s istance . My worshipful

'admiration an d my spontaneousinvo ca ti on to th e benevolent andmerciful -aspects of nature outweighed m y feelings of anguishan d helpl es sness . A d ee p se nse

of c alm optimism and reconciliation filled m v heart . Th e Sirahkept up his ch a nt , "Ringo , Ringo , .Riya Riya ". Sukhi co ntinued tomoan an d groan ; th e d ~ l ' aga veout its flickering light an d thefire smould ered on .

Sudd en ly , th e Si rah stoppedhis chantings . "S h e will deliverw it hi n tw o h o ur s. Let m e go tos lee p . I am t ired he to ld Kanga .He lav d(}\-vll at th e s pot wherehe w a s s illin g an d covere d hisfac e w it h a pi ec e of clo th , an dinstan tly b ega n t o s n ore. T hephone ti c re lief p r o, ~ d e dby thec ha ntings of 'Ringu , Ringo . Riya... .. va ni shed . Th e s tilln es s of thedark fores t a nd th e ni gh t a cce ntuated the impa c t of til(' gro a nsof t he mother in labour , alone

out s id e t h e co u rtyar d .Ka ng a a nd I sa t dose to on eanoth er, ou r eyes fi xed o n theflickerin g diy a near Sukhi Ou rheart s beat fast with anxiety. 1.\do not know ho w long we sa\ -ilike thi s . But suddenlv Sukhistopped m oaning . There wasto tal silence , bu t on l y for a s plitsecond to b e as su dd en Iv enlivened by the cries of a n ew bornbaby . There it lay on th e bareground in the glow of th e diya ,it s tiny ro sy arms an d leg s waving in the ai r . Kanga looked atme , held m y shoulders and said,"Sahib , it is all well ." I was stillin a trance .

Other members of Kanga 'shousehold were stilI awake . Theynow go t up an d sat in a circle .

An elder woman o f th e housewent close to Sukhi , bent downan d caressed the bab l', thencalled out to he r so n and askedfor somethin g. He brought anarrow and ga ve if to he r . She satnear the no w ye llin g baby all thebare ground , and in th e light ofdiya, I sa w he r c ut th e umblicalchord with th e arrbw . Sukhi col-lected h ers elf, pick ed up th ebab }1 an d walked into iI smallhu t c on s / . r uc l ( ~ d ou tsid e thec ou , . ~v ar d of Kanga 's h UI . Shewould Ih 'e a lon e . cook he r o wnfood . feed Iw f' bah v all b ll herse lff o n~i g hI rlay;. . ' .

Life Flo ws OniVh a l w e saw in tlw c mll 's!' o f

o U / ' vis it 10 th i ' un msPI\ 'c d an dnot e asi h a c c e ~s i bl " i~ m ~ ~1 I illage o n 9th .Jun e J 9H6. h ;; pp e n sto t hollsancis o f fa.nLiJit'/; II I th.isfores t. Th ou s a n d s 0 1 mOl irersex pe !i (-lIcc (hi:, (' ['('ati l" p ain ;

COil ( i l u cr i Oi l [la p' S . c u i. I


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Back from the markeL Ba!ltar.

Continued fium page. 4

thousands of children born inthese primitive conditions arestrong and healthy . Thousandsof women go back to work onfarms and fields after eight days.Life flows on as freely, purelyand as hazardously as thestreams and waterfalls in thearea

We wonder , what is thesecret of Sukhi 's sUlvival? Whatis the secret of regeneration ofthousands of Sukhi 's in India 'srural and forest regions , itsmountain areas and deserts ,which are far away in mind,space and time &om the highlyprotected antiseptic, cotton-woolcivilisation we are building atsuch heavy cost in the cities an dtowns. Is it the innate

spiritualpotential o f motherhood an dth e will fo love that helpedSuldJi? Is it the intrinsic faithin the benevolent powers ofnature which enabled Sukhi 'shusband to e ndure th e sightof his we gilling birth unaidedunde r th e tree? Is it th e inex. 1 u ~ t i b l epatience to suffer an dto reconcile with crisis? Ordoes Sukhi 's case suggest dlatin dJe ultimate human beingsar e condemned to suffer inabsolute aloneness and solitariness:>

Another way of looking at

Sukhi's case is that Sukhi had no

choice. The planning process inIndia by-passed Sukhi's forestvillage . So the only option opento her waS to deliver her babywithout medical and other assistance and to fall back uponhe r own spiritual psychologicaland physcial resources.

On the basis of this argument, it follows that the onlyway to help Sukhi an d millionslike he r in India is to acceleratethe extension of the modemdevelopmental process in theforest and rural areas. Thosewh o believe in egalitarian valueswould be justified in using Sukhi's experience to renew theiratIad on the expbtative and Iop-sidedcharacter of the system and ofdeveJopmen tal processes in

India since 1947. They wouldalso be justified in ridiculing theslogan of th e twenty first centuI)' raised by a leadershipwhich has never known realityfirst hand an d which acquiresits knowledge either throughfilms on through flying visits tothe tribal areas .

Whatever the obviou s differen ce between those two approach e s, there is no disagreement about th e failure of themodem developmental model todeal \vith pmblems faced bypeople like Sukhi But nor is itright to glorify the case of Sukhi

A moment to spare.

for it is acce pt ed th a t c ultu ralvalu es clo not e m erge in avacu um : th ev are de tem 1in ed bvobiec tive cO'ndition s. Th ereforeavailabilitv o f m e dica l and oth e raids f or 'c hild birth d e te m1inlth e ritual s re lating to c hild birthThi s appears also to other rituals .

But Sukhi 's case also point sto a greater truth whi c h is notge nerall y perceived viz, thathuman beings in direct communication and harmon y vvithnature and the cosmic law , donot require man-made artifactsand technology for performingcertain primary, elementary functions , induding child-bearingand child-rearing . Therefore , it isneither a miracle nor a fluke thatmillions of women like Sukhi ,who are uncorrupted by 'civilisation ', wh o retain their closerelationship to laws of natureand order their lives conformingto the cultural values theirancestors derived &om th e basiclaws of nature, ca n endure painand tribulation with dignity an d

vvithout the aid of technology .An Unfailing Friend

lo sop h y of c ruelty ?All o f LIS d es ire th e w e lfar e

a nd happin ess of ollr de pJive dbreth e rn . But some of us havere ali se d , a nd Sukhi 's e xampl econfirm s o ur realisation , thatth e pres e nt model of development has been doubly ham1-

ful to them . First , it destro ysth e h ealth y organi c relationship that exists between huma n beings an d nat';1re an dthe c osmic laws , an d thusundermines the instrinsic strength of human beings . Itgenerates a set of wrong cultural values . It interferes withparticular cultural attitudes towards pain , discomfort an dcrisis , Brought up in th e socalled modern way we arefrightened of things like hob- .goblin : we fear nature an dtreat it as an adversary whichshould be conquered an dtamed, as if it is an enemy.Consequently , we are buildingup a high cost defensive , antiseptic civilisation - deodard

ized , pastuerized, immunized,sterlized - into which natureis no t permitted to intrude.Th e result is that modernhuman beings have becomevulnerable, dependent an dhelpless. They have lost theirautonomy an d dignity . Second-

The drawings on these pagesare b v R.K. Laxman fium hisb o o ( Madhya Pradesh -Random Sketches . Publishedby Madh y a Pradesh Madhyam ,1985 .

Iy it is not possible to cove r thee ntir e c ountry 's populationvvith thi s antiseptic model ofdev e lopment even within acentuI)' . As if this wa s not b iidenough , th e model of deveiopment we have chosen istotall y inimical to th e Sukhi 'sof India . They are the first victims of the dynamics of modern development.

'rherefore , Sukhi's experien ce should compel us toreject th e modern model o fdevelopment an d inspire usto look for an alternativemodel. A model which restso n th e organic ha rmonybetween man, nature an dcosmic laws which harnes8-es an d develops th e intrinsic

psychic an d spiritual powerso f human-beings. wh i c h isbased o n a fearless ap p ro ach to nature, which acceptsnature an d exploits th e therapeutic value o f crisis forovercomIng an y difficultiesnature ma y engender.

Nature , in its deepest sense,is an unfailing friend. philospherand guide of human beings .Sukhi's cas e shows that ou r tribal brethern , in remote ruralareas and the millions of otherIndians wh o still live outside thebounds of the modem developmental process , including thosebelow the poverty line, survivebecause of nature 's creative andregenerative resou rces and alsobecause they have developedcertain natural cultural attitudesspecially towards physical an dpsychological crises and conditions. The y b e l i e v ~that since acrisis has a therapeautic value, it

must not be feared ; on the contrruy , it must be allowed to runits natural course and not beshort-circuited or suppressedinstantly .

Th e gnarled race of a tribal

Fundamental QuestionThis rai ses of fundamental

question: should the modernmedical system , which is anin separable part of today'sdevelopmental process, reflected in India's Fiver Year Planssince 1952 be reje c ted'! Shouldwe allow millions of mothersin India to go through Sukhi 'sexperi e nce? Is that not a phi-

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R d t1 F8rum_e_"_e_W_n _ R_e__ _c_no_n_s_______________ ; a z e l ~ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -___

Rabindranath TagoreArtist Supreme

In Rabindranath Tagore , one

finds the artist supreme.Endowed with the pure, de

limited aesthetic sensibility of anartistic creator he fulfilled himself in his lifetime, in composingthe rhythm of an enchantingmusic, the cadence of a soulstining poetry, an d also, in th erealm of pure visual ar t .

On th e occasion of Tagore's125th birth anniversary, art lovers of Delhi ha d the happy fortune to view some hundred odddrawings, sketches an d paintings by him at th e NationalGallery of Modem Art .

"My pictures are my versification, in lines" - From a suffusion of black ink strokes, held indynamic tension v.rithin the fouredges of the frame , semi-real

faces come into their own, asthe interplay of the light of thepaper an d the dark of th e inkproduce the abstract semblanceof eyes, lips , hair." enmeshedin the throes of an inner turmoil.

There is more than a metaphysical affinity between Tagore's verse an d his art ; Tagore'sdrawings literally took shape onhis manuscripts as he wove theerasures on his manuscriptsinto a pattern an d shape discovering that, " in th e universe of

i\ IJage from the manuscript 0.-Raktabravi.

~ . . ; Y . r

Vibha Sharma

forms there is a perpetual activity of natural selection in lines ,and only the fittest surviveswhich has in itself the fitness ofcadence " an d that th e "interrelated balanc e of fulfilment iscreation itself ."

f}, ' ~ 5-(1q.. .{O XYi1Y )lf5iVrfYY7'lf 'W:J

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( X " ~~ d < > m r ',. f.i'3

'7 ~ ~ " )lJ NT ".1 NThll ~ i o n e e r sof Himalayan treks. jungle lodges and wildlife camps

.2 .

i l G I : l tiOI '5MOUNT ~ IN i l t A " I : ' . 1N ) I / ~

l / i Rani , Jhansi Road NEW DELHI 110055Phones: 771055; 731075. 777483. S23057. 521932

Telex: 31-63016 TREK IN

From the Religion oi' Man.E..-dsures on a manuscript.

Thus, the strong c ubi s ticgeometry of Seven Figures delienat es in its sharp angles an dunsparin g straight lines the quintessential rowness of humanafflictions, An array of faces, grotesque an d personal . figuresreal. fantastic an d cubistic. allpartake of the drama of a personal, emotional phantasmagoria, Masks of sarcasm , masks of

terror , wrinkled folds o f age, ovalmoon-faces of silent lips an deyes to transfix - ar e all entitiesbelonging as much to the stateof awakening as to that of dreaming ... Embodiments of deepmoods reflected in titles likeBrooding an d figures in waitingat a window materialised out ofvague an d dark mysterious depths , improbable protagonists of aprivate melodrama. The diffusedsoftened glow of landscapes litup with light touches of yellowan d green to impart a sense ofwholeness of Nature .

Through the highly connotative associations of imagery an dcolour, th e rich an d complexsensibility of th e artist becomesmanifest in a way that only th eliberty of visual syntax affords.

A ' memorable exhibition,which hopefully wiH be repeatedto enable those wh o missed it totake in a rare aspect of Rabindranath's genius . _

HNEW DELHI TIMES"A Film that Falled

B.S. Rattan

The film was released -

"uncut", says the blurb -in May after being withdra\-vn from Doordarshan at theeleventh hour a month ago . Thisgave th e film a free publicitybuiJd-up Mystery and expectations thus raised , though apparently preparing a ready audienceor the film. actually proved detrimental because the film failsmiserably on more than on ecount.

Cinema , as a mode of af'tisticcommunication . offers a uniquetechnical challenge, It is notenough to pick up a radicaltheme , An equally radical use ofcinematic techniques is necessary, if such a theme is not to bemuflled up in easy rhetoricalslogans and utte r simplifications , This is precisely whathappens to this film ,

The technique s of cinema ifhandled hone s tly. that i s, \-vithout succumbing to glamourwhich is inherent in cinema, canbe a mode of discovel\/. Thedire c tor of "New Delhi Times "ob\riously lacks thi s creat ivegumption, Henc e. he us es g immicks that r e du ce th e film to aty pical commercial pot-boiler -and a very poor one at that too- besid e s offpring a verv di stort ed an d superfi c ial e.,(planation of th e political m aJa dyengu lfing u s,

Politi cs ha s be e n totall v criminali ;-;ed , Thi " is th e t11e mati cstat e ment t!-if' lilrll see m s to

m a kp, How do es it a dd to whatw e kno w , an d hav e kno\ vn farmore virul e ntl y and grim ly inou r live s durin g th e las t fourvears '! In lac t th e film mo c ks a t~ ' V h a tha s ucpn ou r agoni;-;ingexper ie nc e in real life. Staging ari ots- sce n e an d shuvving a manin tlam es is v ul garity o f a verylow ord e r hec all se com pa re dwith our actuaJ Ii\,in g ex pe rienc eof th e terror o \' being burnt aliv e,th ese scenes merelv sensationali;-;e, We alsu know how ruthles sly e ffici e nt ha s been thenexu s betwee n th e media andth e politians during th e lastdecade, To pres e nt a situation inwhich a plush life-style journalistis at logger 's head with the politically ambitious is ghring a kind

of pseudo-anal ys is which bluntsrather than sharpens ou r understanding of the political chaosenveloping us ,

Dangerous Political Thriller

The film ha s be e n officiallycaptioned as "A Political Thriller ", Yes , it is politica] . but in afar more dangerous sense thanwhat it pretends to be, It is dangerous because in the garb ofsimplicity it detracts attention

from the real understanding of

political chicanery. an d , thus .misch eviously perpetuates it.

The film uses all the tricks ofa crime thriller , and does morehaml than good because it pretends to generate an awareness .which , in truth , is false, An ordinary crime thriller does nothalm because we participate init with a willing suspension ofdisb elief This film . however ,asks us to believe in it simplybeca use it is framed in suchsimple terms un d er a false mvththat peopl e cannot u n d e r s t ~ a dcomplexity. Th e film has beenrej ec ted by the common audience instinctivel y, though theycannot articulate their rejectionanalytically. Only the pseudoint e llec tuals are bus y projectingthe film as 'meaningful' . A littlemore careful examination wiIJrevea J th e 'fraud ' that this filmsee ks to p er pe trat e,

Name anv of the well-knownthrill e r-gimnlick s, an d vou ha veth em in this film - heavy r ai ns.swinging lights , plu sh interior s.thre e-ti er silting 1'00ms , a beautiful dissuading ' wife . th e onlvchild away at boarding s c h o ~ lan d in danger of being kidnapp ed ; cars running . accidents ,a plump woman s trip -teasing inth p ba c kgl'Ound whil e vital infoI"mation is be in g passed amidstgar ish light s, smokp and clinkinggia ssps " A he d -roo m scene withmall i ll c lil1lbing p os tlll 'f', ahea\:,,' sonorou s sound- track int er

s lwrsed with ;111 kinds of creepy,m e tallic nni scs , a heartattackwith its se ntim e ntal ap pea l. AJItlw ev il ch aracters in a t y p i ~ ldev ili sh g rin an d muscle displaywh ile a ll th e goo d o nes c herubicill cxpress ion, te rror \\Tit larg eon faces brou ght h ome by handh e ld cam c ra , In th e con tex t ofth e mo c k-se ri o us ness of th e tilm .th pse trick s a ls o fail to exc it e, asth e.v do in c rim e- thrill ers ,

Politi cs is c h oking o ut allva lues Irom ou r lives bec aus e itoperates with such smoo thn essand such te c hnologi ca l finnesse,By superficially pr esen tin g evilas obviousl y repulsive th e filmsucceeds onl y in distra c ting usfrom tearing off th e ma sks 1T0mthe evil. This film is its e lf aninstance of the enormous damage that the canker of corruption , easy praise and quick success hav e done to ou r society,

The only happy s ign is thatthe masses hav e rejected thefilm , though without knovvingwhy. Only the 'learned ' elite ispretending to b e cat harsi se d bythis film in an auto-congratulatory manner -u tter ing excitedanimal cries of "ows" & wows "

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7/16

Reviews and Reflections:The

~ ~ - - - - - - - - - -

Admissions Time at D e ~ U n i v e r s i t yI s College-'a three year paidholiday' as Rahul Kam aapplying for the M.A. Historycourse regards it? Or 'a period ofconcentrated study, more thorough than at school' as Bhaghirath i Sharma, from Delhi Public School. hopefully expects?Either way, the rush for collegeadmissions is on, heavier thisyear than ever before at DelhiUniversity. Myriad young faces,eager an d anxious, are rushingfrom college to college in theheat of July. Will the fee-receiptbe finally held in hand, with asigh of relief? The variables takeninto account before the correctequation is found are sometimesheartbreakingly complex.

Education implies rationalthinking, discipline an d balance. As th e ne w batch enterscollege their views an d aspi

ration acquire impor tance ata time sadly lacking in theseattributes. A cross-selection of'freshers ' interviewed during theadmissions rush spoke of theirproblems an d expectations.

What is a college careerabout? Most people were vaguein their responses. Does thispoint to a general carelessnessamongst school going studentsabout their future? Graduation is'required ', 'has to be done' , arethe attitudes found all too oftenin those applying even at prestigious institutions like HinduCollege an d St. Stephen's Col-

lege . This curious lack of interestmay lead to cynicism. For thecollege student quickly findsthat accomplishments in collegeare at one's own initiative ; thereis little of the constant encouragement received at school.Too often attending classes becomes an easily neglected partof 'college life ' which is 'free an dfun' , Even those with extra curricular talents or those good atsports lose their initiative in theface of the slower moving pace,

. jJ~Cour1iesy : PAWF, Colombo

an d prefer to have 'a good time'.Very few colleges offer the kind .of year-round activity that cankeep up interest 01 college boysan d girls an d generate involvement.

Many students, includingShantanu Prasad of St. Columbu s School, Delhi regard collegeas a stepping stone, with onlythe competitive exams in mind.Shantanu does not think thefaculty can offer him much evenacademicaly; he will have tostudy on his own. An interestingside-light was his apprehensionof another strike by the teachers.Delhi University's reputation ofclear academic years appears tohave been lost after two longprotracted strikes by the D.u.T A.in the last four years.

Securing admissions is oftena tortuous process as many

applicants strongly affirmed . Thevariation in policies an d percentages in different colleges forcesthe applicants to run around .Raakhi Handa, applying forHistory IHonours) , had alreadymade eight trips to the northcampus from her home in Saket.an d expected to make at leasttwo more. With the first list !..lpon July 1st , the second on t h ~5th an d interviews being held inSt. Stephen's College betweenthe 1st and 8th , confusion reigned. An added complication wasthat most colleges required original certificates to be deposited,

an d retrieval of these vital documents later was not easy.Raakhi said angrily that theentire process could be simplified an d made uniform.

Deepak Sharma, from MayoCollege , Ajmer is applying foradmission through the sportscategory. His experience is thatthe admissions are preselectedan d trials an elaborate farce .Deepak said that overall achievement should also be includedin the criteria for admission . Anex-school captain with a finerecord in sports an d debatingan d a 69% aggregate, he is stillfacing problems du e to thepresent system of cut off percentage. Many students simply secured admission in a particularcourse because their aggregatepercentage was within the cutoff at a 'reputed' college an dlater they faced problems be-cause they lacked genuine interest in the subject.

Milind Wab n k ar, has completed a year at St. Stephen's

. College with BA. IPass) as hisoption . Now finding the coursenot challenging enough, he hasdecided to op t for English(Honours) at Kirori Mal College .English Literature ha s been his

Tar u n K. Saint

Waiting for admission 10 Delhi Uniwl'8ity.

long time interest. His final decision is to drop a year, an dswitch, a step not many dare \0take . Milind appreciates a Humanities degree which he feels leadto a broad outlook and a varietyof interests . For him participation in extra-curriclilar activitieslike drama an d debating are animportant part of college life,though he feels this is more acontinuation of school interests.

Manoj Rao, from the M.S.College, Champaran, Bihar facesdiscrepancies between the criteria listed an d the decisions ofthose in charge of admissions .He had travelled hundreds ofkilometres and is staying at ahotel spending Rs. 50 a day withthe hope of studying PoliticalScience . For Manoj, residencewill be a ful1her problem: forexample Hindu College has just180 seals , wilh a strength of1800. The percentage for hosteladmission is rarely below 83%an d it is decided long after college admission. Dozens of outstation students are forced torent rooms or stay with relatives ,for the situation is as ba d orworse at other colleges , barringSt. Stephen s.

This year applicants for apost graduate degree are goingthrough a period of agonizinguncertainty . Most results of theprevious years ' examination hadnol been declal'ed by the 5thJuly an d the last date for registration is July 8th. Aditya Singh,applying for a seat at the DelhiSchool of Economics after BA(Economics) Honours at HinduCollege , was studying for theentrance test without knowing ifit would be required of him ornot. since those with 60% an dabove were exempted . This toois the backwash of the two an d ahalf month strike last year an dthe consequent postponementof examinations . Thousands ofgraduates have their careershanging in the balance, for everything depends on the thirdyear results.

Problems are faced by all an daspirations are not as differentas might be expected. But newentrants show a wide range of

opinions when asked for views easily by orators. The threat oton a problem of nat ional impor- terroris ts should be rapidlylance-the Punjab issue . countered she says, Perhaps

Students from Bihar are the organized groups could stop themigration of Hindus which she

majOlity in most hostels in the feels is a dangerous trend.University . Manoj Rao, as afulure Delhi University student , Another Delhi student , Shan-is actively concerned. According tanu Prasad , supports Mr . Bar-to him , ih e youth in Bihar are nala 's efforts, although he feelsvery conscious of issues. Pres- the Punjab government shouldently , all eyes are on Punjab . complete the Sutlej Canal beforeManoj stated that the Prime the transfer of Chandigarh .Minister should take firm deci- Shantanu wants Hindu com-sions like the late Mrs . Gandhi, munal organisations like the

since new demands seemed to Shiv Sena to be banned. Thecome up with each settlement. Hindu youth should not counterThe Sikhs , a brave people , aJ'e the AISSF with violence and thepari of a free state in a free Sikh youth must be brought onnation . the side of national integrity .

Manoj visualises a strong The girls interviewed , by androle for the youth . A national large, have no comment on theleader like the late Jayaprakash issue . Milind Wakanka . hadNarayan could unite the youth stopped worrying about Punjaban d utilise their power . He cited after repetitive news in the pap-the example of the Chhatra Yuva ers. Kulpreet Singh of Mata JaiSangharsh Vahini in Bihar. Stu- Kaur Public School said politicsdent organisations are active did not interest him. though iteven at school level in his state . was a shame on us if the issue

Oeepak Sharma, a public was not resolved .school product, is candid about It is difficult to describe ath e lack of interest an d invol- typical college applicant. Theinvolvement in such issues at wide spectrum of people metschool. He reads the newspap- precludes easy classifications.ers , but few of his friends do so, But cert ain patterns do emerge ,or think seriously about the depending on the background of

tUlmoil in the North. Deepak's the future college students. Theview is that the Prime Minister mingling of different people withshould concentrate on solving a wide range of ideas, experien-the Punjab problem rather than ces an d aspirations is part of theworrying about South Africa . He uniqueness of college life _Never-has not thought about youth theless, the admissions systemplaying a part. requires stream lining, and the

Raakhi Handa, of Delhi Pub- scope for a rewarding and effeclic School also feels that th e tive three years could considereducated youth can do little ably be broadened. In the meanexcept talk with others and raise time, the 'fresh ' batch movesconsciousness. However , it is th e forward to meet the new acauneducated who get swayed demic year.

Hindustan Refrigeration Stores.for

Kirloskar Hermetic CompressorsDanfoss Controls etc.284 Nelaji Subhash Marg

Darya Ganj , New Delhi-ll0002


8/16

MinorityRights. Civil LibertiesEquality forWomen. Democratic Values. Environmental Protection

Politics of Discord and DesperationThe Punjab accord is, unfortunately,

fast running out of steam .It

has not onlycome under fire from its well knowndetractors at the Centre an d in the state,but is also being ill-served by its chiefpatrons: Mr. Rajiv Gandhi and certainfactions an d leaders of the Akali DaJ.

The Prime Minister has failed to galvanise his ideals and statecraft to give theaccord a political push forward. He hasalso not been successful in preventingthe various issues which constitute -thePunjab tangle from getting bogged downin technicalities and legalities before aseries of commissions.

It is also not encouraging to witnessthe spectacle of the Prime Minister of asub-cbntinental multinational nation su chas India functioning in the maniler of amere party leader. - t o give him thebenefit o f the doubt, it may be concededthat he wants to develop into a leader ofnational stature, but is prevented fromdoing so by the small people aroundhim. However, on his part Mr. Gandhihas not deviated from believing that themass base of his political appeal lies inthe nation's northern Hindi belt.

Thus, to quote Darshan Singh Maini(Tribune, Monday, July 7), "The Centrehas made Haryana 's cause its own , and itwould go on 'monkeying' with the Rajiv-Longowal accord till it fades out of existence .. . "

The impression has also spread thatthe various commissions are being 'fixed 'in such a way as to protect what is seenas Haryana's interest - whatever the fallout of such 'fixing' on the accord and onpeace in Punjab. Such 'management' ofthe functioning of commissions is one ofMrs. Gandhi's less edifYing legacies to thear t of government in India. Her politicalmoves were often based on promisingthose whose support she was solicitingthat the findings of a commission into adispute would be guaranteed in advance .And so it was that Fazilka and Aboharwere earmarked by her and the ShahCommission for transfer to Haryana.

Had Rajiv Gandhi succeeded in breaking with his mother's political 'philosophy' the farce of the Mathew and Ven-kataramiah commissions would havebeen avoided; Chandigarh would havebeen transferred by now to Punjab andthe decks cleared for a dialogue withmost if not- all sections of political opinion in Plinjab. But as things stand, theBamala government has been pushedinto a 'political c u l - d e~s a cand the temperin Punjab ha s moved further toward desperation an d confrontation.

It is true that the Congress-I is stillintact in Haryana. But the critical question is: At what cost?

Notwithstanding his commitment toclean politics an d a modern outlook, Mr .Gandhi has been swayed by less thanpraiseworthy political compulsions topretenq that the carnage of Sikhs in

8- Wednesday 16-31 July 198 6

November 1984 was a non-event. The P.M.

appears to have forgotten that the accordalso aimed at restoring the trust that hadbeen broken between Punjab and theCentre and between the government ofIndia an d the Sikh people . His government 's refusal to act against those guiltyof the carnage has also resulted in a setback for the accord . Perhaps Mr. Gandhiis a prisoner of his party's immoral political culture . The accord will find it difficult to move forward if the Centre andthose who clamour for an iron-fistedPunjab policy, continue to treat Punjabwith double standards . For the reality isthat whereas Sant Longowal came outopenly against communalism and terrorism, Rajiv Gandhi has so far not shownthe same courage or ability to isolate thecriminal an d chauvinist elements in an daround his party .

An essential precondition for a settlement in Punjab, accord or no accord,is that the people do not see their leadersas being at the beck and call of NewDelhi. The political impasse cannot bebroken without a political initiativewhich satisfies the regional demand formore genuine federalism within the constitution . In this Mr. Badal does have apoint.

The accord will also fail if the Akaliparty , whichever its faction, allows itselfto be mesmerised by tempting overturesto share power with the Congress-I. Itwill also fail if leaders like Prakash SinghBadal allow themselves to tall into thetrap of projecting Sikh alienation andanger as the only basic issu e in Punjab .They forget that there can be no solutionin Punjab unless they are also heard andseen to be speaking for the sizeable andvocal Hindu community.

The accord must save Punjab by helping the state to recapture its Punjabi consciousness, which is greater and richerthan Sikh fundamentalism and Hindufanaticism put together . To defend Punjab is more important than to defend theCongress-lor a faction-ridden Akali Dal.It is thus unfortunate that in the recentRajya Sabha poll an effort was not madeto keep the Congress-lout by mobilisingopinion in favour of a second candidate ,apart from Gen. Aurora, who would havebeen acceptable to both sections of theAkali Dal as well as Punjabi-mindedHindus.

It is also high time that the PrimeMinister was advised to avoid giving theimpression that the Barnala governmentonly acts decisively when pressur ed fromNew Delhi. Not only is such an impression erroneous, but it can also erode thecredibility of the state government in theeyes of the Punjabi people.

The stakes are too high in Punjab forthe Prime Minister of India to act like aregional politician and for regional leaders to speak for only one section of thepopulation .

Emerging Political Pointersin Punjab

Implications of Rajya Sabha PoD ResultsRajinder Purl

Une of the country'sforemost political com-mentators, Rajinder P u r lposes the question whe-ther o r no t the Congrestrl is primarly respo&sible for creating, intensifying an d prolongingthe Punjab crisis. Healso questions the logicof the Barnala group'srole in helpiiJg th eCongress-l wi n th e second Rajya Sabha seatf rom th e state.

T he recent Rajya Sabhaelections in Punjab haveproved to be crucial.Th e results could have fBI'reaching consequences. Theymay have created th e base fo ra future polarisation of politic s in the country so deep an dfundamental as to alter thevery system of government bywhich we ar e ruled.The Punjab poll gained significance from the candidature ofSimranjit Singh Mann, who waspu t up by the Badal group.Mann was by any reckoning acontroversial candidate. Had theBarnala government gone halfway in an effort to forge unity , itis arguable that another candidate mutually acceptable toboth factions co uld hav e beenfound . But th ese will he the 'ifsand 'but's of history , Mann contes ted th e election a nd lost n arrowly . Thereby , instead of twoAkali ca ndidaies , only one beca m e victorious. The Congresslllwon th e 'other sea t. The entiresordid episo de revealed all th eprin c ipal characters and partiesin a very poor light. And thesituatjon now has been pushedtoward s polarisation, perhapstoward s confrontation and destabili sa tion . Let 's tak e a look atthe scorecard to see how eachparti c ipan t p erformed.

P M 's Volte-FaceThe Congress(l) gained mos 'l

in th e short terrn . It got what itwanted. It stopped Mann an dobtained victory for its owncandidate. It also got the opensupport of the BJP, an d thebarely concealed support of th eBarnala government against therival Akali candidate. Whetherpeople choose to recognise it ornot , this has created a seachange in the political situation.The battle ines now are clearlydrawn . Each party has made itschoice .

Prime Minister Hajiv Gandhiappeared to be a most satisfiedman and made no attempt todisgUise his brazen volle-face onthe issue of teITOrism in Punjab.A few days before the poll , theP.M . was telephoning the PunjabCM. an d issujng public wam

ings to him that unless hehandl ed the t e fTorists an d lhelaw and order situation moreeffectively , hi s 'days were nu mbered . The harassed and struggling Barnala co uld do little on

that front. But he did succeed inblocking Mann from the RajyaSabha. That apparently was enough for the Prime Minister .After the Rajya Sabha results theP.M . was oozing milk an d honey .He publicly described Bamala asthe bravest chief minister in thecountry bar none . He also opinedthat the CM . had taken effectivesteps on law an d order to curbthe teITOrists . What those stepswere remained a mystery asdaily accounts of six to a dozenvictims being shot by teITOristscontinued to hog the front pageof newspapers each morning.But such is the logic of expedient politics. Bamala toed thePM 's line on Mann , hey presto ,Bamala became the best '

Barnala 's RolePoor Barnal a is stiU making

th e motions of walking a tightrope , littl e realising that he hasa lread y fallen off it. His mostrecen t gesture of boycotting theDesa i Co mmi ssio n .vill not foolanyone . When th e chips weredown , he help ed th e CongresslIlca ndidat e \.,i n th e Hajya Sab haelec tio n , Bam a la ca nvasse d withth e BlP MLAs to cast th e ir firstpreferenc e vo tes for Aurora , andsecon d preference votes forHansphal. th e Congressl l ) ca ndidat e . Now whv sho uld Barnalahav e done t h~ f ? Aurora waswinning co mfortabl y on th e firstpreferenc e vo te any how . But lorsake of the Congress(I ), Bamalahad to initiat e a dialogue . Thusthe nam e of Hansphal thrown inalmo st covertly . Th e ugly rumours of two BJP leaders havingpocketed money we ma y ignore .In fact. Barnala was lobbying forthe Congress(J) ca ndidate b ecause he could not persuadeeven his most pliant Akali legi slators to support the CongresS(ll.Why then should not the PrimeM i ~ i s t e rhave been pleased enough to describe Barnala thebravest CM in the country?

Pathetic B.JPThe BJP was the most pathe

tic. The Punjab State Executiveof the BJP had resolved toabstain from voting in the RajyaSabha poll because the party , inits public posture at least. wasagainst both the Congress(l) andthe Akalis . Mann , of course, wasout of question . Had that decision been followed , the BJPabstention would have ensured

th e viclory of Mann over Han sphat. That was why Bamala 'sint elVe ntion on behalf of th eCongress(1J became so crucial .Meanwhile , th e Congress (1I ma -

Con tinu ed on f l a ~ e.'I. col . 1


9/16

F8rum- - - - - - - - - - - - G a z e t t c - - - - - - _ ~ ; . . .Emerging PoliticalPointers . . .Contin ued trom page. 8

chine ha d swung into action inDelhi too. The central leaders ofthe BlP, who had first considered an inquiry into the violation of the state executive resolution to abstain from voting,quickly changed their tune. Indeed, after the poll, the Punjableaders were actually reprimanded by the central leaders fornot having cast their first preference votes for Hansphal. Advaniand Kedarnath Sahni werethe most strident in theiradmonition, the most hawkishin their pro-Congress(l) posture: Their only regret wasthat they had not obtained awritten guarantee from theCongress(I) fo r reciprocal support in a future poD inJalandhar.

And this brings us to thebasic question. Why did Mannbecome so important? Becauseto block him it became unavoidable, in the later stages of theelection, to help the Congress(J)win. In effect, parties wereforced to choose th e lesser evil.Barnala an d the BlP chose theCongress(I) as the lesser evilNone of them even bargainedwith the CongresS(IJ to agree onany mutually accepted compromise candidate. By their abstention from voting, or fromcasting the second preference Ivote, both parties could havekept their records clean, andcould not have been held responsible for Mann's victOI)"which would have been squarel .vattributed to the Congre s5, ,intransigence over an agrer!dcommon candidate. The att cill p twas not even made . The BJP , 'assorry after the event that it ha dnot cast its fil'st prefere nce votefor Hansphal , and Barnala resorted to devious parl eys withBJP legislator s in o rde l to balance his own uncont rolle d MLAswho insisted in ca:, ring theirsecond pr eferenc e votes forMann. Therefore . il W ilS not justa case of opposint-: Mann. Thechoice indic a ltn/ clear recognition bv both 1/1(' BJP and theBarnaia group Ur i!. stark proposition : in the gil"en Punjab situation , both parlies are compelledto unflinclJingly support theCongresslI l. And Simaranjit SinghMann be came the symbolic rationale for that d ec ision.

Fundamental QuestionsThis brings us to some fun

danl en tal questions on whichpeople can have honest differences . First is, or is not , theCongress(J) primarily responsiblefor creat'ng, intensifying an dprolongi .lg the Punjab crisis?How can those , who considerBhjndranwale guilty, at the sanletime exonerate the Congress(l)for encouraging him an d evenguiding him at the most decisiveearly staee, to actually vote forthe Congressll) candidate now ? Iam sure that people wouldargue, "Ah , but trus is the case ofMann , a known terrorist! Whynot support the Congresslll against him? "

A known terrorist'? First hewas accused of complicity in theIndira Gandhi assassination case.But in court the prosecution

steered clear of referenc e to him.The co urt tound no evidence ofan y cri me co mmitted by hjman d th e charges against rumwere clismissed. He continues tobe detained under the draco-

nian laws promulgated to maintain security in the state bywruch the Government virtuallyis not answerable to anyone. Arewe to take it then that Mann is aterrorist simply because theCongresS(l) Government has decided trus?

What Kind ofGovernment

And what kind of Government is it? Is it not the sameGovernment wruch justified theNovember riots in Delhi througha bland reference by th e PMrumself when thousands of innocents were slain as the policelooked on when not directingan d encouraging the mob? Is itnot the same Government wruchno t only did no t challenge in acourt of law public allegationsthat some of its leaders ha dengineered those riots, bu t subsequently made those very persons so accused ministers in theCentral . (,ovemment? is it n o ~the san le Government wruchcontinU'!s to hold in jail withouttrial thousands of Sikh youtharrestr on charges no more'seriou : than those levelled atone hm e against th e late Harc han d Singh Longowal, Barnala,1'ol,ra an d Badal, who were all1d e ased an d allowed to contestelections? Is it not the sanleGovernment which completedthe trial against two accused inthe Indira Gandhi assassinationcase, after wruch it arrested atrurd person for complicity inth e assassination, a personwhose name figures nowhere inthe events reconstructed in courtby the prosecution , renderingthe entire affair farcical? Is it notthe same Government which byspecial ordinance has kept frompublic scrutiny the contents ofthe Thakkar Commission InquiryReport on Indira Gandhi's assassination? .. . One can go on , an don.

We cannot state whetherMann is innocent. We know thaIas yet he has not been provedguilty . But we cannot statewhether the CongressllJ Government is innocent either. We doknow that there is sufficient circumstantial evidence to warrantan inquiry to clear the Government's name of genocide, butchery and tampering with thetruth.

Two opinionsWe cannot absolve the tel1"Or

ists and extremists. But theircrimes cannot exonerate theblack deeds of the Congressll)Government. There are two opinions about whose is the primeguilt tor the present situation inPunjab . There are also two opinions about the first requirementfor resolving the Punjab crisis :.To remove the Central Government, or to wipe ou t terrorism?Some may reasonably hold thatthe second cannot be accomplished without the first. Barnala ,the BlP an d others have indicated that they consider theextremists an d a section of theAkalis to be primarily guilty,There are others who believethat it is the CongressllJ which isprimaril y guilty . They are not

moved by epithets regardinglack of patliotism flung againstthem by the establislmlenl an dits writers in the press. Theyknow that Laldenga too was anoutlawed traitor once. The y

Deploying the Army in PuBja(We reprint below two letters tothe editor of 'The Statesman 'dated 7 July 1986. Both lettersshould prove to be of nterest toou r readers.]

Sir,The argument in the editor

ial, "Central Issue in Punjab "(June 29-301, boils down to thetwin proposition that it is nolonger necessary to adhere tothe Punjab agreement an d thatthe anny deployment is becoming a political imperative. Raghukul Tilak's article, "Drastic StepsNeeded" !July 1-2), also arguesthat not only should the accordbe consigned to cold storage bu talso, to curb terrorism, a censusof the entire population shouldbe carried ou t with a view toissuing identity cards to "allmale adults above the age of 12"(siel, presumably applicable toSikhs only. Both these suggestions are fraught with dangerous

possibilities .In recent months opinion

has been aSSiduously cultivatedagainst the Punjab accord. It isbeing suggested that Mr RajivGandhi was both naive an dunworthy of trust when hesigned , the memorandum of settlement with Sant HarchandSingh Longowal barely a yearago. Any such imputation isunfair to Mr Gandhi ,

The crescendo of demandsfor induction of the anny isreminiscent of the pre-B1uestarscenario . What transpired in thegrim months following May,1984 , was anytrung but a "spectacular success", II is strangethat the editorial should suggestthai the Centre may soon have

to play its "last card" an d thattoo "regardless of consequences". I hope we learn from history by analogy, if not b y themaxim that a military solution isinvariably worse thaR th edisease.

True ., the escalating violencemust be curbed. But wrulesc reaming headlines proclaimeach incident, neither theGovernment nor the media arebothered about the killing of theinnocent by para-military forces

know that some of the demandsof the so -called traitors of theGorkha National Liberation Fronthave already been conceded bythe Government as it hastilypromises to establish new indus

tries near Darjeeling. They knowthat the real struggle is for justice an d more self-rule for thepeople , whoever they are , wherever they are.

In th e final analysis, thosewho talk of patriotism , of unityand stability , are in fact speakingfor the status quo. The Congressll) represents that. The BJPand Barnala have supportedthat. They may not have realisedtill now what they have done.But that is exacti y what theyhave accomplished .

There are others who want anew India, who want change.The c rudest political main festation of trus urge is total opposition to the rogue Government ofth e Congressll) led by Rajiv

Gandhi Alway s, there are twosides to a dispute. There are twosides to a polarisation. This iswhat th e fight really is all about.The battle has barely begun . LetBarnaJa an d BJP ponder that.

in so-called encounters which mad!J a hOSIl! ~ ~ ,~ "11iiiiijijiJi]have been reduced to an a cc ep - polit ics . All t h ~Ctirif8:1 iniItiitted form of fiction in India. All vours have s of a r . b e e R i 1 D 8 ~,deaths in encounters are dee- by i ts anxiety , tQ yv e the:eoo-med by implication, to be those gress(J) ' in Hafyaii1l and n@t' toof terrorists . win .over the alienated peo.elt\.

Impiementation of the ac- Punjab. Induction of the ariQY.'cord, even at this late stage, is will seriously undennjne" both.the irreducible precondition for the capacity fUld credibijity ofa just .peace. It is unfortunate the Barnala Government.that Punjab's destiny has been Saran t:alcuua;

The Agony 01 Riot Vic1ims -Sir, acts of social violence bave .seJ-

Apropos of "Queer After Ef- da m if ever, been punished _ llfects of November '84" by Neerja post-independent India But 'iJ;fe'Chowdhury (June 23-24) we wish . ' minimum expected to the aoth!),to substantiate some of he r rities is t o allot a1temate 'acCQpl-observations an d also address a modatio n to the victims fu.otberfew questions to those in power. safer parts of DeIhl . Or m u ~ t w e lContinuing to work among th e force them to quit Delhi?November '84 riot victims, we Regarding the mucb-tbtiJ:oohave been 'Closely monitoring scheme of allotment of ~ l ~the various welfare schemes tenements on n e x c ~ e ~ .announced by the authorities. the less said the better. Is iflfaIDWe are convinced that a 'Iarge .to expect a victim with ,proper.ynumber of ' victims have been worth lakhs to exchange t \ : f u~ adenied their rightful du e . mere 25 sq yd slum t ~ ~ ~,

Even 20 months after the Hundreds of victims have beeqcarnage, about 2,500 victims ' forced or duped to 'e n t ~ d n t c icontinue to languish in four trus uneconomic deal . Is this nOtmake-shift camps at Farsh Bazar , analogous to , State-sponsoredNanak Piao, Hari Nagar an d Tilak loot? Will this not f u r t p .~ ~ l l. ~ Vihar. Indeed shameful. Insecur- Sikh economy? And whot sO( 'ofity is the principal reason for th e rehabilitation is trus, whereinvictims not returning to thier 5000 genuine claim cases (for.earlier residence as the culprits death / injury / damage to dwel:involved in th e riots land specif- ling units) have simply beer{ically named in sworn affidavits brushed aside. 'before the Misra Commission) - D.S. Samloke (Dr),are still at large. No one expects Gopa Joshi (Dr) andthe Government to punish the P.s. Sahni (Dr)guilty. Culprits involved in such New Delhi, JW1e ~ .

All that GlittersSir,

I am curious to know as to

why the roof of Harnlanrur Sahibin Amritsar was covered withgold. Guru Nanak Dev an d , forthat malter , all the Gurus , Ithjnk , believed in humility . Assuch a show of gold atop theSacred Temple does not seem tobe in keeping with their profess ings .

A few years ago, I visited theGolden Temple in Amritsar inth e com pany of a frie nd - aretired I.C.S. officer - a trueSikh. We djd parikrama of theshrine around th e large Sarovarfull of sacred water - Amrit. Iheard that some organisationswere contemplating to cover the

roofs of some other monumentswith gold. What is the sacred

value of gold?The water in th e Sarovar was

sacred , but it cer tainly was notpure. 1\ was definitely contaminated . So I asked my friend as towhy th e organisations, who werewiLLing to spe nd larg e sli ms ofmon ey tor covering mo re monuments with gold, would notput up a large plant to sterilisethe waleI' of the sacred tank andpurify it?

There was no answer , I hopeso m e one knowled ge ble willclruify.

- B.L. BhagatC-448, Defence Colony

New Delhi.

Jolly to the Core

A ew weeks agothe Chelms

ford Club in New DeIhlwitnessed a glittering func

tion in connection with the 86thBirthday celebration of a verylikeable young man ' - SardarGurdit Singh Jolly . A nationalistto the core who spent threeyears as a valiant freedom fighterin the jails of the Raj, SardarJolly has been an educationistand social worker .

Shri 1.K. Gujral, who presidedover the function recalled manyinteresting anecdotes from ruslife . Gifted with humour, as hehimself is, Gujral recalled thatJolJy Sarub 's birthday celebrationhad always been eventful. On rus75th birthday , Emergency wasdeclared an d on rus 86th , tlle

tra nsfer of Chanrugarh hangs asa Democle's sword before us,pre gna nt with ma n y possibilitiesfor goo d or ill .

A young doctor , ParamjilKaul' ha d a point. She thought

'loDy' was not a surname butwas suffixed to Sardar GurditSingh's name in acceptance ofrus amiable nature .

Dr. Maheep Singh was thefirst to make a reference to the

unruffled Jolly against the roughand tumble in difficult moments .A book - 'Gurdit Singh Jolly :

A Patriot' was released on theoccasion .

- Haridshan Singh

We d n e sd ay 16- 3 July 1986 9


10/16

.' F8rum_A_M_3_tte_r_o_fP_e_o-=..p_le___________ Gazc llC- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

From Soldier to Forum to PoliticsJaya Jait#y, one of the Gazette's consulting editorsr:=====-==met Gen. Aurora at his residence on

Dal and member of th e RajyaSabha, wiD there no t be someconfusion in the minds ofmany as to what role th e SikhForum will play?

Friday July 11. She recalls he r association with the General since November1984. During t heir meeting, Gen. Auroratalked about his decision to seek nomination to th e Rajya Sabha (to which hehas been elected) on an Akali Dal ticket.

When Barnala offered me th eseat I did a lot of heart searching. I had many diverse reactions from people-one groupsaid; oh!' yo u too have succumbed while others said 'thankgod ' now you can represent ou rviews in parliament. Two pointswere made to me . One that thesituation in Punjab was worsening an d will have an impact onthe Sikhs outside. As a memberof parliament I would be moreeffective in my approach to thepowers that be . The press.which is communal. would haveto take note of my statementswh.ich it earlier ignored. I wantto be able to project throughparliament that Sikhs are proudof being both Indian an d Sikhan d that the AkaIis are not boorish and ill-informed as they aremade out to be; that they blievein the concept of nationalisman d an integrated society.

'- - ____ ....He also took th e opportunity to draw acontrast between his forthcoming role in parliamentan d his position as a member of a non-party politicalorganisation like the Sikh Forum.

DUling the traumatic daysfollowing the carnage ofNovember 1984 all those

who responded emotionally tothe plight of the victims foundthemselves fighting a commonbailie to provide relief an d rehabilitation to them. I first met LI.Gen. Jagjit Singh Aurora in themore formal fomm of the Peo

ples ' Relief Committee and subsequently in the room of the LI.Governor of Delh.i where we hadseparately gone to argue for morerelief for th e thousands of peoplethronging the camps. After aheated an d unpleasant exchange in wh.ich the Lt. Governorquestioned the credentials ofthe Nagrik Ekta Manch . whichI wa s representing . GeneralAurora gallantly and indignantlycame to ou r defence. Subsequently he was one of Ihosewho founded the Sikh Fommand todav is a member of theRajva Sabha on the Akali Dal.

'From a soldier 10 a stliCtlynon -pa rty forum man to a representative of a political pm1y inparliament is a phenomenon

worth ex plorin g from manypoints of view. So I took advantage of ou r f r i e n d s ~ i pto e ngageh.im in conversation for thebenefit of th e readers of Ti mFo ru m Gazette.

When the Sikh FOMlm cameinto being in the wake 01' theevents of November 84. it wasseen as a platform that wouldarticulate issues on behalf 01't h ( ~Sikhs outside Punjab. Isthis correct?

Yes it is but although theFomm was co ncerned with thesocioeconomic problems of theSikhs outside Punjab . we alsostressed solidarity with the Sikhsin Punjab without getting involvedin politics. rf we had startedplaying party politcs , we wouldhave got lost in that and forgottenthe larger interests of the communitiy, wh.ich was paramountafter Blue Star and the Novemberattacks.

Was there ever any clashbetween the interest s of thoseoutside Punjab an d those inside wh o naturaUy were moreinvolved with th e political aspects o n h e problem?

There were clashes and manyoutside asked why they shouldhave to suffer . But we felt thatthis attitude should be changed .Since Congress politics was todivide us we had to supporteach other and not allow ourselves to be weakened.

Ho w far do you think th e

Sikh Forum ha s been effectivein intluencing decisions takenin Punjab or at the Centre?

We realize that we are asmall platfonn but two thingsha d to be done. One was to pro-

ject a correct image of the Sikhsan d the second was to safeguardthe interests of the Sikhs whohad to face an adverse administration, We felt we should makecommon cause with those whowere concerned with humane .aspects rather than with anycommunal party. We neededthem to project our problems

an d we got help from the PUCL.PUDR, Nagrik Ekta Manch andso on. However. we felt that theSikh community itself shouldtake on the responsibility ofrelief and rehabilitation. TheSikh Forum therefOl'C took upthe cause of those who com

How do you intend to balance this with your role in tht'Sikh Forum?

"My first love will always be the Forum an d theGazette .... The role I am going to play does no tcompel the Forum to become a part of the Akali Dal .We should not get involved in the factionalism ofPunjab politics. "

U. Gen. Jaglit Singh Aurora

- elected (0 the Rajya Sabha on an i\Iuili Dal ticket

p la in ed t ha t t he y w er e n ot get- I k no w that I was very clearting a fair deal. We took up var- that the Sikh Forum did notious cases with the administra- want its members to go intotion in a business-like manner . electoral politics . So I gave mySo the authorities ha d to take resignati on to it on June 20.note of us. They are having a meeting to

You did also make statements on political matters.

Yes. on those wh.ich had animpact on the community . Wewanted to act as a pressuregroup rather than a politicalparty .

decide on the matter. My firstlove will always be th e SikhFomm an d its adjunct Th eFOnJm Gazene an d I must see

to the success of both . The role Iam going to play does not compel the S i ~ Forum to becomepart of the Akali Dal and there

B.,at no w that you have has been no such approachbecome a member of th e Abli made to me. It should continue

IU We .. . "sday 16-31 July.. .1986

Dharam Singh Rawat:A Crusade For Accountability

InderMoban

Dharam Singh Rawat on fast at the Boat Club lawns in New Delhi.

S nior lA S . o nicer , DharamSingh Rawat , cause d ripplesin the cesspool of the U .P.Administration when he wenton a hunger strike at Lucknowfrom May 22nd to 2. ah, 1986The issue he raised wa : the lackof accountability of the bureaucracy to the people . Raw ;,( maintained that this had leu to theinstitutionalization of cor. uplionwithin the administrati . ~ svstern . He realized th.is thrm .(h ' ' ' . ;own experience, when h ~ ' ,,,',victimized for attempting ,enforce the U.P. urban L a l~ ,Ceiling Act of 1977 within I :major towns in the s tat e , o r.behalf of the Directorat e 01Urban Land Ceiling. Some 112crore sq. m. of land, worth Rs.30.000 crore. !available as perstatements fUI1lished by land lords for government utilizationwas in the hands of usurp ersdu e to the State's failure 10acquire it. Rawat's attempts toset this right had met within s urnlountabl e hurdles andended in his fast at G.P.O. Park .Later he went on a similar fast inDelh.i, sending shock wavesthroughout th e country.

'The ca lis e of accountabilityis an All India matt e r" Rawatobselved. Three important civilse n /ants . A.K. Chatterjee , K.B.Saxena and P.S. Appu had al-ready hi g hlighted this malais e in

to function as it has i.e . in theinterests of the Sikhs outsidePunjab . There is no clash . Thevalue of Th e Forum Gazette isthat people should feel here is apaper that fights not only for theSikh community but for thecauses of the minorities . theunder-priveledged and againstoppression.

What about the factionalism in Punjab politics? Howwill you stay clear of that?

We should not get involvedin that - Bamala has made nosuch demand . They have askedme to continue with the task ofgiving credibility to th e Sikhsoutside. Many view the Akaliparty as narrow because of positions taken by the local leadersh.ip at different levels . but it isnot so. Everyone has their ownloyalties . but I shall play anadvisory role within Punjab . I donot have a vote bank there . I canonly try to bring harmony between differing groups . Outside I

can do propaganda and imagebuilding and see that we do notbreak ourselves into differentgroups as they do there . I shall.make every effort to show moresolidarity among ourselves rather

the system. Their approach.however . was comparativelysubdued. Rawat's direct . peaceful protest action set a uniqueexample . It evoked a very positive public response. He alsoreceived heartening moral support from the Promoted lAS.Officers ' Association and theProvincial Civil Service Association in U.P. In Delhi . some of hiscollegues dropped in tor a minute or two - understandablvnot wishing to be noticed by t h ~many intelligence men constantly present. Other officials sentthier wives or familv members to

I

, the Boat Club, to express their! hood ..vishes and support .

People from all walks of life,e ked to the Boat Club. Many

~ ;o \ ' er n m e n tselvants fe lt thatH ' . at had taken a l ea d on a vitalis: cw. Some expressed theird e l l ~I ' J l l i n at i o nto laun ch sintilars tr ugglp.s in th eir spheres ofwor k. r he scep tical ones rais edqu esti on s: ' \vill the Governmentbe m ove d to taking po sitiveact ion ' Do you ex pect a c1earcutresponse "" To which Hawat's respo nse wa:;, "ultimately unit edaction o n the part of all of uswill and G, ln u 'Cate a svs tem freeof soc ial. eco nomic ~ l 1 d administrati ve eVIJ:, '.

It is to Raw a l's cre dit that heCo ntinu eel 01 : Page 15 co l oJ

than divisiveness .

Can yo u convince othersof where exactly you s tand?

Toda y the Sikhs are underpressure and the politi cal strength of the Akali party is beingbroken . I felt that at this stage Iwould be more effec tive in parliament than in 84. After all I hav ehad a good life anel could haveretired to bridge and golf but Ibecame emotionally il valved inthis whole problem . .'

Do vou feel no w th a ( thepoliticai process and in vo lvement in i-. is a more effectivewa y of bringing about change?

Sometimes it does not help .then you have to do it from theoutside. After all many of ou rSikhs were running after theCongress and giving them money . But the Congress did notbother about them during thecarnage. The most prominentSikh leaders in the Congress didnot feel any more secure. With

my joining th e political process.the Akali Dal wishes to show itsempathy with the outside Sikhand create an impression at thenational level rather than at theparoch. ial level.


11/16

F8rum_H__~ . . . . ; . . . t a _ g ; ; ; . . . . e _ a _ n _ d _ H _ i s _ t o _ r y ~_ _ _ _ _ _ _ Gazettc _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Maharaja Ranjit Singh: A Tribute and Assessment*Ranjit Singh(1978 - 1839) ofthe Suken:hakkiamisl established

his sway overother misls an d_" became the un-

'- - _ _ _ _ - ' disputed mas-ter of land between the riverSutlej an d a point only a fewmiles off Jalalabad, now inPakistan, He had received noeducation an d could neitherread nor write, In spite of this ,writes General Sir John Gordo n,'he managed better than othersmore learned to transact thecurrent duties of his State bymeans of his retentive memory ,quickn ess of mind , an d keenobservation ', In fact, he hadsuch a sharp mind that VictorJacquemont confesses that 'hisconversation is like a nightmare ,He is almost the first inquisitive

Indian I have seen" , , The mostskilful of ou r diplomats is acomplete simpleton (in comparison ",,;th him )',

Stories of his capacity an ddebauchel}' apart, Ranjit Singhwas neither cruel no r bloodthirsty . He was perhaps the onlyoriental autocrat who did nottake a single life for fun or fan cy.flp. was actually knm vn 10 I ~ 'ward his fallen foes if onlv towin th e m over to his sid e. h; hisThe Co ur l an d Camp of Ranj ee lSingh, Osbor 'n writ es: ' He ruleswith a rod of iron , il is tru e, bUIin ju s tice to him it mu s t bes tat ed that , excep t in actual warfare , h e had never been kn ownto tak e life, and his r eg ion wi llbe found free from all Y strikillgacts of crue lty and oppressionthan thos e o f manv mor e civ-iliz ed monar chs ', (~a pt a i n LcoRaid von Orli ch bp.lieve d IhatRanjit Singh 'attra c ted fai thfulservan ts a nd bravt-' wa lTiors bvmeans of exce ssi ve libera lit\ '", '

Secret of SuccessTh is per.haps exp lain s w hy

even in that age of not o rious( "shifting loya lties , he \Vas servedloya lly. 'It is remarkable ', ohse ryes Dr Gokul Chand Nara ng ,'non e of hi s offic e rs , mini s ters orgenerals eve r pla ye d liaisewith him ', In I'act, on e lIlustcount amo n g Ranjit Singh'sgifts hi s matchless abilitv toinvoke allegiance ! 'rom' hi ssubjects irrespective of eastean d creed . There could be noother explanation as to th eemergence 01' a powerful SikhState in a region where th eSikhs were outnumbered byth e "indus an d th e Muslims inth e propor tion of one to ten.This achievement 01 RanjitSingh is th e more remarkablebecause until his advent onth e scene, th e Muslims an dthe non-Muslims were sWOl'nenemies of each o ther.

Another achievement thatshould ungrudgingly belong toRanjit Singh was his victory overthe Afghans , the traditional invaders an d conquerors of theIndian sub-continent. He forcedthem to cede the territory beyond Peshawar , Attock and theDehrajats , which eventuallyfOl1l1ed the North-West FrontierProvince of undivided India , butis now in dispute between Pakistan and Afghanistan . Indeed, butfor Ranjit Singh not only this

area but Kashmir too might hav ebe c om e part of Afghanistan -perhaps for ever,

Bul Ranjit Singh did not ha vethe c ivil administration onewould normall y expec t of a rulprwith such power and authoritv ,perhaps because he was to opreoccupied ""ith milital Y ca mpaigns , His tinancial s y stem , 100,did not conform to anv slrictcanons of propli e ty, G(;ne rally ,Ra njit Si ngh hand ed over new lvacquired te rritories to hi s tilvm;r ite co mmand ers and cou rlie rsand left th e m h-ec for it t i x ~~ds um to use s uc h m e a S U r l'~ S asth ey deem ed fit to e nri c h Ihemse lves ,

fn th e c ir c umstan ces , th en 'co uld p e rhap s be n o trainedco rp s of etllc ient c ivil serv antswh o co uld run th e dav -Io -davadministration, V e x al i o ~ ls c u ~ -to m and excis e duties WP.I'Cimpos ed on co mm erc ial classesan d an exorb itant land l'Cve nu ecame into vogue , It was nowonder that this should haveled to e mbezzl e m e nt, falsifi ca

tion of accounts and rack e terring . As Lt.-Col. H. Steinbachsays in his book, The Punjab ,Ranjit Singh 's sys te m of taxation'embraced everything, ever}' loca ,lity, every thoroughfare , everytown an d viIJage, every articlewhel'Cver sold, imported or exported, dom es tic or foreign ',This svstem, if on e can use theterm, -rendCl 'C d the peasantryand the middle classes too weakan d th e army too powerful. Itwas also in contradiction to Sikhstress on essential democracy ,

Qui:c,ksands of HinduismIf Ranjit Singh 's reign was the

pinnacle of Sikh ..1] :lJxgl(nce, italso c on t a i ~withilf J JSeU' theseeds of its d i B j h ~ ~ J o nan ddegeneration, H : ~ ! . 'o traditions of royalty; ' t e n- back onthe Hindu customs both forpurposes of the court and political legitimacy. In line with the

By Satindra Singh

COUl't customs of th e time , th eSikhs began to wear caste mark sand follow Hindu rit es at birth s,w eddi ngs an d d ea th s, T hev began burning sac lificial fires andc hantin g Ve di c hvmn s, 'RanjilSingh 's Sikhism had a s lrongHiridu odour: h e cele hrat e dHindu f e sti vals; obse rl'ed Hindurituals , hi s p a l a c a~ a nd hi s wivesobs e rved Hindu cu s lo m s; hevisited Hindu h !ll1ples and pl,,ces of pilgrimage and gal '!' th e mhand so me financial gra nt s ,

When he died in I I n~J , fo ur ofhi s Il,w il 'es and seven s lav('-girl sperform ed :;i/ li and Rs,2,OQ,()(J ,OOU w( !r: distribut e dam o ng Hindu Hrahillins , On hi sdeathhed, Ihe Maharaja order e dthat th p Koh -i-Nuor b e se nt t oJagannath teill ple as an offelingto propitiate Hindu gods andgoddesses for e nsuring hi s lCeovery , Fortunately . his orderswere disregard e d by th e SikhSardars. According to Khushwant Singh, the well-knownSikh historian. the religiouscommunity, which had achi

eved the semblance of a sovereign entity in its ow n right ,"began to disappear in th equicksands 01 Hinduism ".

Also, against Guru GobindSingh 's un equivo cal e dit , RanjitSingh marri ed two Muslim women , nanlel y Gul Beg un andMooran, Both of them hailedtram the s treet of ill-fame , During the Holi festival, Ranjit Singhused to roam about the streetsof Lahore with Mooran by hisside, He also struck a coin in he rname ,

Emasculation 01Sarbat Khalsa

On the political plane , too ,Ranjit Singh did everything possible to weaken the power ofKhalsa, His professed aim , ofcourse, was no more than ' togratify an d conciliate' it. In fairness, he did not wear a crownno r did he sit on a throne, as

was c ustomar y with persons ofhis e minen ce and authoritv . Healso struck no co in in his " ow nnam e; his c urren cy di sp laye dquotations from Guru :'\Ianakand Guru Gobind Singh , Rut h evvas, in all this , guided Illor e bvpolitical exp ed ie ncy and exi gp,,;cy than by an I' altrui s tic motiv es,W,L.M ' G'rego., in hi s Hi s lur y o rIh n Sikhs wrire s: 'With reg ard toRa njit 's own r e ligious c hara c te rit is so m ewha t doubtful if he ha sa ny fixed s y st e m , but a s th e sovere ign o f tlw Sikhs w h o fo llowth e ' re ligious ten ts of Nana k,modified by Gu ru Gob ind Sing h,it is politi c o n hi s part to s upport th e 1C ligion , wh ich h e d oesin th e 1I10 s t munific e nt manner' ,

Ranjit Singh assiduouslyengineer'ed th e emasculationof the Sc.rb


12/16

~ J l l ! ..m_In_te_r_lu_d_es_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ~ e l t e - - - - - - - - - - - -

Confusion Confounded

and Compounded" M a v come in sir') "

I look at the personwanting to com e in.

Yes , he ca n see. His eyes don 'tlook heavy with blindness .

I look at mvselL Do I look somasculine tha 't he cannot m a k ( ~out my sex') Inspit e of my'manly ' demeonour an d mann e r i s ~ l s ,which arc not reallymanly , but signs of a workingwoman , I find I look feminine

MadamChairman

enough. Men usually don 't passme oil as a sexless apolol{Y of afe male . Then why on earthcan 't this ma n an d so manyothers who come to mv officesay , "May I come in ~ ~ d a m ' ?'Perhaps it is his inadequate EngUsh ... I wait for him to speak afew sentences . No no - his Eng lish is not so bad reallv . Then

what the hell is it !.) .

Is it that he is not lIsed toseeing women in offices . atleastnot in executive positions ? In!>pite of our former womanPrime Minister , aU the profusestatistics which are trotted outabout women being in this an dthat job, in poUtics. in the administr'dtive an d foreign service,etc., an d all the eloquent pronouncements about women'sequality in ou r country, atleastthis poor man has still not seentoo many women whose permission has to be sought toenter their offices. For him it isnatural that the deity in theoffice must always be a male .Now, when he does see a

woman, why can't be - call awoman a woman? It is probablyvery difficult for him to call awoman in a position of power, awoman. That is wh y womenpresiding at meetings are refer-

Kamla Bhasinred to as 'Madam Chairman "(What is she now? A man , awoman, both or none?) That iswhy Mrs. Indira Gandhi wa scalled "The only man ill thecabinet; the SheKing of India! "

Their Confusion .. .an d Mine

Confusion , confusion . .. canfusion .. . Their confusion is so

o Mi5,...!r. .Mr, ... er .

'r . . . . er.~ - -

letters could be of th e saml:'gender as themselves .

That is why well knownwomen artists ' have to have'One -Man shows ' l Sometimeswhen my husband com e s alongwith m!:' for on e of my meetings ,I find that the person la malel Ihave gone to meet looks only athim while talking to me . Suddenly so shy an d l-espectful!How considerate men are'

Poor Confused SoulsThe reason for addl-essing a

clear-cut woman as 'Sir' couldalso be that the poor souls areconfused . When they come to anoffice without the least suspicion of finding a woman in theseal', they don 't know how tobehave when confronted bysuch an unprecedented, od dan d unnatural situation! Theyextend their hand, then take itback. Shaking hands with awoman '! No! No! 'Namastey' willsurely do-or just a smile. Whiletalking to me , they don ' t knowwhere to look. Sometimes, it istowards the window, sometimestheir feet. Men lend to look at uswomen only trom some slinkingside angle . usually lecherouslyand with a sense of guilt.Straight looks an d straight conversation, it seems , are strictlyfor men an d between men only .

If they are .flat aware of mymarital status, the poor (ellQWs

ar e all the more confused'. "Nowis this woman a Miss or Mh.?"Had I been a man things WoUldnot have been so difficult; . a Mr.everyone knows is a Mr, whethermarried . bachelor or divorced.The us e of Ms for womenshould reduce the confusion,but one wonders if there isenough conlmon sense around 'for such an unthinkable innova -

compounded that it confuses tion to be accepted with equame. The oth e r day there was this nimit y. C

Documents

The Forum Gazette Vol. 1 No. 4 July 16-31, 1986