Harbhajan

Hindustan Times Vipul Mudgal, May 13, 2008 Black Thunder’s silver lining The resounding success of Operation Black Thunder in 1988, four years after a disastrous Operation Bluestar, established the value of transparency for law enforcement agencies in this country. In the 1980s, when the Indian State was battling more mutinies than ever, success came at a critical juncture as it struggled to stay united without sacrificing democracy. In Operation Bluestar, tanks, armoured carriers, helicopters, mortars, artillery shells, machine guns and tonnes of ammunition were used — and all within less than 72 hours. In Operation Black Thunder, that began on May 12 and ended with the surrender of militants on May 18, the ‘siege of patience’ was aided by a surgical strike and some smart media management. Both operations flushed out terrorists from a fortified Golden Temple even though the level of fortification was a lot higher in 1984 under the leadership of slain zealots, Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, and retired Major General Shehbeg Singh. But the isolated shots fired by sharpshooters during Black Thunder had a far more devastating effect than the entire arsenal used in Bluestar. The climax — when the last batch of militants emerged out of the Golden Temple with arms raised in surrender — was televised live all over the world. A lot has been written on how Operation Bluestar could have been less tragic. As a media event, it was arguably India’s worst embarrassment. Militarily too, it yielded very little. It brought hundreds of casualties, stirred up army desertions, led to the assassination of a Prime Minister, and the widespread carnage of Sikhs that followed. It also scarred minds and deepened the nation’s communal divide. Parts of what transpired will never be known. A news blackout left no scope for independent agencies to document the operation. Meanwhile, Doordarshan added insult to injury when it kept repeating shots of huge recoveries of arms and ammunition rather than answering burning questions about the fate of the missing people, the real damage caused to the temple, or the actual death toll. In contrast, the live coverage of Operation Black Thunder stood out as an example of openness. The desecration of the Harmandir Sahab by those holed up inside was the worst PR disaster for the otherwise media-savvy extremists. Their worst undoing was the disclosure that they had desecrated the holiest Sikh shrine and defiled antique utensils of immense emotional value. In hindsight, one can say all this wouldn’t have worked if the State had issued press releases, pictures and video clips instead of allowing media crews to take their own, real-time shots. Having witnessed the seven-day siege, I came across many instances when transparency worked as a shield against misinformation by vested interests. On one occasion, many journalists and temple officials were upset when the police tried to dispose of two corpses in undue haste soon after the surrender. But later it became apparent that Amritsar’s Red Cross and district officials were rushing things because an overpowering stench from the decaying corpses was making the obligatory ‘panchnama’ very difficult. As soon as the first set of paperwork was over, a covered municipality truck was called in to take the first body away and the same routine was followed later. Hence two trucks were deployed to carry two corpses due to extraordinary circumstances. Some self-proclaimed eyewitnesses later swore to reporters that they had seen two truckloads of dead bodies being taken away. Some even produced pictures to ‘prove’ the claim. Their presumption of hundreds of deaths could have sparked off riots in an already tense city. Fortunately no journalist bought the story. Since everything was unfolding in front of everyone, nobody gave any importance to the ‘well informed’ Akali leaders. (Mercifully, India’s neurotic 24-hour news channels were not yet born and it was still trendy to double-check facts). Some days later, when many bodies were dug out of a mound of earth inside the complex, nobody blamed the security forces. Everybody knew that these hapless people were victims of the terrorists who controlled the temple before the siege. Once during the siege, the officials panicked when all the journalists and photo journalists, perched atop the Guru Ram Das Serai and the Guru Nanak Niwas for a vantage view, decided to leave together for their hotels. Many hadn’t slept for several nights and some were dizzy with hunger. (Amritsar’s curfew-bound markets were all deserted.) A persistent chief of Punjab’s Public Relations finally convinced them to go in batches and his subordinates produced hot ‘puri-chhole’ in a jiffy, presumably from the CRPF kitchens. Clearly, the idea was to ensure that the media were present at all times for the sake of transparency. For the Indian State, the biggest lesson of the two diverse siege operations in 1984 and 1988 was simple: it is always simpler to manage the media than to black out news. The significance of what was achieved during Operation Black Thunder becomes apparent when we compare it with the treatment meted out to the media during Bluestar. A day before Bluestar, the army herded together all Indians working for foreign papers and all foreign correspondents and drove them out of Amritsar in special buses. (The only foreign correspondents known to have given them a slip were Mark Tully of the BBC and Brahma Chellaney of AP. A criminal case was later filed against Chellaney, now among India’s most respected national security strategists.) After the expulsion, army technicians took over, closing offices and snapping all phone lines indiscriminately. Those trying to resist were either booked or beaten up. An upshot of the censorship of Punjab’s press was that nobody believed the government version. Not even the death toll figures of civilians or soldiers. Initially, the authorities stated that 96 soldiers had died, but some officials promptly denied this. Khushwant Singh attributed a death toll of 379 civilians to some historians and the Akalis’ figures ran to several thousands. Rajiv Gandhi later quoted the figure of 700 soldiers dying while addressing the Nagpur session of the Youth Congress. But there was nothing official about it. Obviously there were several opinions within the government about whether it was better to play down or to play up the toll for ‘national interest’. The truth remains a casualty to this day. For future operations, nothing works better than the rare recollections of officers of things gone terribly right during a big siege. This becomes the cornerstone of something critical for democracy: the institutional memory of seriously right or wrong steps for the security forces. A good example of this institutional memory was the army’s exemplary restrain and openness during the siege of the Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar in 1993. In Hazratbal, the army played the waiting game for over a month, and not once were Indian or foreign journalists stopped from covering the proceedings in any way they wanted. The government did not deny the fact that some known ‘anti-national’ leaders from the Hurriyat were involved in negotiations. When it allowed safe passage to some 40 terrorists, India’s anxiety about saving the holy shrine was appreciated everywhere, including in the valley. On the 20th anniversary of Operation Black Thunder, we must celebrate the demise of foolproof official secrecy, often daftly associated with all national security missions. Rather than copying the US model of embedded journalism, which hasn’t exactly won hearts over in Iraq and Afghanistan, a mature democracy like India must showcase — and learn from — its homebred success stories. http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Pr...06-f220d7690d47 © Copyright 2007 Hindustan Times

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/05/s..._set_on_fi.html Sikh student's turban set ablaze during school fire drill by Jeff Diamant/The Star-Ledger Monday May 12, 2008, 8:45 PM A routine fire drill at Hightstown High School in Mercer County turned terrifying for one student. As students gathered outside on school grounds one morning last week, someone came up behind a 16-year-old junior, a member of the Sikh faith, and allegedly set the boy's turban on fire. His hair was singed in several places, but he was otherwise unhurt, according to his uncle, Harjot Pannu. "He felt like a bee stung him, and he patted on it," said Pannu. "Next thing he knew, a teacher came over and told him he was on fire." An 18-year-old Hightstown senior, Garrett Green, was arrested hours later and charged with arson and criminal mischief, said Ben Miller, an investigator with the Hightstown Police Department. "I was very angry and very upset and very mad initially, I could not even think straight," said the victim's mother, Sukjhot Kaur, who asked that her son's name not be printed. "The fact that something like this could have happened is beyond comprehension, especially in this day and age with the diversity we have and the way we are taught ... There should never be any fear of violence." More than a quarter-million Sikhs live in the United States, according to an attorney with the Sikh Coalition in New York, Harsimran Kaur (no relation to Sukjhot). Since 9/11, there have been at least 600 reported bias incidents against Sikhs in this country, he said, including one homicide in Arizona. New Jersey is home to one of the five largest populations of Sikhs in the nation, with somewhere between 25,000 and 30,000 residing here, according to Kaur. "Sikhs are visibly identifiable as being different because most Sikh men wear a turban," said the coalition's lawyer, Kaur. "The only association that the general public sees with turbans is Osama bin Laden, or Middle East terrorists. Sikhs have nothing to do with terrorism. Our turban is an article of faith that's religiously mandated." Sukjhot Kaur, whose husband died of cancer 10 years ago, works for the U.S. Postal Service and she and her son live with her brother, Harjot Pannu, in East Windsor. "I spoke to the cop who went out there, and the cop told me the teacher didn't take it seriously," Pannu said. "She thought it was a prank. To me it is not a prank. It is life-threatening."

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20080502/punjab1.htm#2 SGPC chief too flays Vedanti Varinder Walia Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 1 After Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, flaying Joginder Singh Vedanti, Jathedar, Akal Takht, for advocating creation of “Khalistanâ€, SGPC president Avtar Singh, who is in New York, said Vedanti should “think before he speaksâ€. He said the SGPC always endorsed policies of the SAD which was against the demand of a separate Sikh homeland. He said the SGPC would seek report from Vedanti as he had already backed out from his statement. Avtar Singh said he always held Vedanti in high esteem keeping in view the great post he held, but he should give statements which were in the larger interest of the Sikh community. However, Dr Amarjit Singh of the Khalistan Affairs Centre (KAC), Washington DC, who had invited Vedanti to attend the “Sikh Parade†on Baisakhi, said it was unfortunate the jathedar was trying to back out from his statement on Sikh homeland. From the US, Dr Amarjit Singh told The Tribune he had recorded the entire speech of Vedanti which would be made public. He said initially, representatives of various gurdwaras in the US were against inviting Vedanti due to his tendency of changing stand. He said the jathedar had “boldly endorsed the right of self-determination of Sikhs for a water/food-rich democratic buffer state of Khalistan in South Asiaâ€. He added the call of Vedanti was endorsed by over 30,000 Sikhs gathered at Madison Avenue Park, New York. Joining the issue, the Dal Khalsa described the formation of Sikh state as inalienable right of the community. The party slammed Badal for ridiculing the concept.

source: http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20080501/punjab1.htm#3 Flays Vedanti on ‘Khalistan’ Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has condemned the recent statement made by Joginder Singh Vedanti, jathedar of Akal Takht, on “separate homeland for Sikhsâ€. He added that Vedanti should have realised that he was heading an important institution and should have not made such remarks. Badal was reacting to Vedanti’s remarks in New York that “he was in favour of a separate Sikh homelandâ€. Speaking on the issue of tainted police officers, Badal said the case was still in the jurisdiction of the courts and added that since the matter was sub judice in nature, he was not in a position to comment. Badal announced a committee, comprising veteran journalist Kuldip Nayar, editor-in-chief of Ajit Barjinder Singh Hamdard, MP Tarlochan Singh, and V-C of Punjabi University Jaspal Singh, to go through the details of the proposed ordinance of making Punjabi compulsory in schools. Backgrounder: Vedanti’s view on ‘Khalistan’ puts SAD in fix Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 29 The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today found itself in a sticky situation following an open support for creating “independent Sikh homeland†by Joginder Singh Vedanti, jathedar, Akal Takht, during his current visit to New York. SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal had to face embarrassment when mediapersons sought his reaction on the announcement of Vedanti, who had stated that “the community has the right to separate Sikh stateâ€. This announcement was made by him on the occasion of Sikh Parade where Vedanti was the chief guest. His statement also coincided with the 22nd anniversary of the “Khalistan declaration†made by the then five-member Panthic committee from Akal Takht on April 29, 1986. The controversy happened at a time when SAD has been making all-out efforts to woo Hindu voters for the forthcoming Amritsar byelection. The statement, however, has emboldened the hardliners such as the Dal Khalsa. Its general secretary Kanwarpal Singh said after a long time, the jathedar has “articulated the collective aspiration†of Sikhs

http://www.punjabnewsline.com/content/view/10271/38/ Christian school apologises for ban on wearing turbans by Sikh students MANU LAKHOTRA - Punjabnewsline Wednesday, 30 April 2008 CHANDIGARH: The Sikh organisations on Wednesday held a dharna and demonstration against a christian school at Mohali, protesting Principal's action of banning three Sikh students from attending classes, who came to school wearing turbans on Tuesday. The dharna was lifted after school management apologised for its action.Hardip Singh member SGPC while speaking at protest rally said that Sikhs were fighting for wearing turban in Europe especially in countries like France but it is most unfortunate that Sikhs were being descriminated in their home country. He said that such actions convey wrong picture of Sikh rituals all over the world. The management of the Lawrence Public School on Wednesday withdrew its orders and Principal Veena Malhotra also tendered an apology from Sikh bodies. "I apologise if setiments of Sikh commuity are hurt", she told protesting Sikhs. She said as per the school dress code, students up to Class X were to wear "patka". Only students of Classes XI and XII could wear turbans. She said the decision was taken after some parents had requested the authorities not to make turban compulsory as a lot of time was needed to tie it. She had attributed the the action to decipline of school. Three Class X students were not allowed to enter their classroom yesterday because they had come to the school wearing turbans. The students said they had been coming to the school with turbans for the past five days, but today their teacher did not allow them to enter the classroom. They were allegedly made to stand outside the class for sometime and later sent to the sick room.

source: http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodna...8F%29&sid=1 sikh heritage demolitions Have You The Eyes For It? Sikhism's heritage is being pulverised by a blend of ignorance, arrogance, new money CHANDER SUTA DOGRA Heritage Mauled In the name of kar seva, historic Sikh structures are being demolished: Part of the 150-year old Gurudwara Hazoor Sahib in Nanded was razed The 500-year-old home of Bebe Nanki (elder sister of Guru Nanak) also met the same fate Homes of Sikh gurus Amar Das and Ram Dass in Amritsar were razed According to INTACH 90 per cent of all ancient Sikh buildings in Punjab have been demolished *** In the dead of the night, sometime in October last year, police surrounded the historic baradari at Gurudwara Hazoor Sahib in Nanded, Maharashtra, built during Maharaja Ranjit Singh's reign. Under their watchful eye, the once-magnificent structure was razed to the ground, even as conservationists who had drawn up detailed plans to restore it were pleading with the gurudwara management to preserve the 150-year-old building. It was 300 years ago, in October 1708, that Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh guru, bestowed the guardianship of the faith on the Guru Granth Sahib at this very spot. Since then, Hazoor Sahib has been revered as one of the four takhts of Sikhism. What happened at Nanded in October and before that in January 2007, when another historic structure in the complex, the Ramgarhia Bunga, was similarly demolished, leading to rioting by local Sikhs and police firing, has become a recurrent story with Sikh historic monuments across the country. In the face of sharp criticism by conservationists and Sikh intellectuals in Punjab and elsewhere, as well as vigorous online campaigns spearheaded by expatriate Sikhs to preserve their heritage, the keepers of these monuments have brazenly continued their wanton depredation. Gurmeet Rai, director of intach's Cultural Resource Conservation Initiative (CRCI), who has restored several ancient Sikh historical buildings in Punjab, says, "I would say 90 per cent of Sikh heritage monuments have been destroyed in Punjab in the name of renovation and kar seva." Kar seva is a unique institution in Sikhism, wherein the community collects funds or volunteers its labour to repair or build religious structures, generally gurudwaras. Why and how did things come to this pass? "Though kar seva babas had been renovating gurudwaras ever since anyone can remember, it was after Operation Bluestar, when the Sikh community donated generously for the massive rebuilding of the Golden Temple premises, that 'babas' began to appreciate the money-making opportunities such rebuilding threw up. The trend then spread across Punjab and in the last two decades, old heritage structures began to be demolished and replaced by garish, opulent marble gurudwaras", says H.S. Dilgeer Singh, a Sikh historian. Adds Rai, "These pseudo-babas are armed with so much money but they spend it foolishly on rebuilding instead of restoration, because they are absolutely ignorant about the historical value of these old monuments. Somewhere along the line, the original, unpretentious Sikh architecture has begun to be perceived as something to be ashamed of. Our Gurus were simple, down-to-earth men of the soil, and their buildings reflect the simplicity and harmony which Sikhism is all about." It was this very simplicity of the Ramgarhia Bunga and the Baradari at Nanded which brought about their destruction. Dr P.S. Pasricha, present chairman of the Hazoor Sahib Gurudwara Board and former director-general of police, Maharashtra, told Outlook, "The Baradari was a dilapidated structure which was coming in the way of the huge development plans currently being executed for the celebrations of the 300th anniversary of the guruship of the Guru Granth Sahib at Nanded this year.As far as I am aware, it had no historical value. As for the Ramgarhia Bunga, it was an old room with two tin trunks in it. We have now given 3,000 sq ft of land at another place to the Ramgarhias to construct a new 31-room sarai with a museum. We are making the place an international pilgrimage destination. Besides the Rs 125 crore which the board is spending on the gurudwara project, the town of Nanded too is getting a facelift, for which the Planning Commission has earmarked Rs 1,500 crore." But what Pasricha and his cohorts do not talk about is the painstakingly elaborate restoration plans made by Sharad Chalikwar, a consultant engineer with the board and Kiran Kalamdani, a restoration architect from Pune once associated with the project. "I spent two years drawing up the plan for the Baradari, but was forced to dissociate myself from the project when it was demolished despite our pleas. They are bulldozing their own heritage," says Chalikwar. Adds Kalamdani, who was originally appointed to conserve the Baradari, "We were thrown out along with the demolition of these monuments. All that matters to them is the desire to make grand structures." Both the Baradari and the Bunga were built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The destruction at Nanded is particularly unfortunate because it was done under the supervision of a top police officer and not some ignorant kar seva baba. Back home in Punjab, the list of Sikh heritage structures which have fallen at the hands of overzealous babas is growing too. Dr Gurtej Singh, a Sikh scholar, lays the blame at the door of the Sikh leadership of recent times. "Whether it is the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee or the Akal Takht or even the political Akali Dal which draws its strength from the former two, there is no appreciation for our heritage. Scholars like us do not matter in the scheme of things, because we obstruct their commercial aspirations. The sgpc patronises these babas and they do not realise that they are converting history into mythology by destroying historical evidence." Take the case of the 500-year-old house of Bebe Nanki (elder sister of Guru Nanak) in Sultanpur Lodi. A few years ago, it was bought up by one Baba Jagtar Singh and was demolished in 2003. A sparkling white marble building now stands in its place. The old homes of two Sikh gurus, Amar Das and Ram Dass, which stood in Amritsar till a few years ago, were pulled down and shining new gurudwaras erected in their place. The same fate has befallen Gurudwara Jyoti Swarup at Sirhind where the two sons of Guru Gobind Singh were cremated, and Shahid Ganj near Mani Sahib Hall near Amritsar, the site of the mass cremation of Sikh martyrs who fought against Ahmed Shah Abdali. The peeling, faded frescoes at Baba Atal Gurudwara in Amritsar and at Baba Bakala in Gurdaspur were removed and replaced by common ceramic tiles, much to the anguish of educated Sikhs. Why, even the Golden Temple at Amritsar was not spared—frescoes in its Darshani Deori were whitewashed some years ago and the 'renovation' was stopped only when the matter was raised in the local media. But who shall bell the cat? Or is it too late already to launch a strong protest? If community leaders are apathetic to the obliteration of their spiritual heritage being done with the active collusion of religious leaders, is there hope for Sikhism's architectural heritage, much of which has already fallen prey to insensitivity and greed?

http://www.sikhsangat.org/news/publish/asi...4_printer.shtml Victims of Treachery By TNS Apr 7, 2008 Ludhiana: The misery of abandoned wives has trickled down to their next generation. Earlier, there were 30,000 women in Punjab suffering from the treachery of their NRI husbands. Now, it is the turn of children born out of their wedlock to suffer for no fault of theirs. Nearly 6,000 children of these abandoned women are living the same agony their mothers went through all these years. They lived through hell and grew up ruing the treatment meted out to their mothers. A number of such children, accompanied their mothers, to the office of Lok Bhalai Party leader, Balwant Singh Ramoowalia on Saturday, where nearly 100 abandoned brides were narrating their tales of dejection. All women were crying inconsolably, regretting the life they were forced to give to their children. They were brought up, making rounds of police stations and courts, with the law of land failing to help them. Despite having legally and socially approved fathers, their children were fatherless. And whenever they managed to talk to their respective fathers over phone, they got threats to their life if they demanded love, care and security. ''I never got a penny from my father. Neither his love. All I get to hear from him is that he will get me and my mother killed,'' said 14-year-old Harpreet Kaur of Jalandhar. She had seen her mother losing her youth waiting for her husband. Harpreet’s father moved to California when she was two-month-old, leaving them at the mercy of their relatives. They said the slow system of justice had added insult to injury, as they had spent years in their fight, and had now grown-up kids, who stared into their faces. Harpreet grew up seeing her mother crying in the middle of the night. ''Whenever I asked for papa, I was told he was in America. But I could never see his face. My friends' fathers would play with them, help them in studies. I had to depend on my maternal grandmother, who is bearing the burden of my education,'' said Harpreet. Similar was the fate of Amandeep Kaur (15) of Garhshankar, whose mother, Surinder Kaur, was deserted by Holland-based Balwinder Singh only to live in a house meant for cattle. The mother-daughter duo spent all these years waiting for his call from Holland. But the call never came. They only got news that he had got married to an Indian woman settled in Holland just to become a citizen. ''Now, I have learnt that my father has sent sponsorship to my uncle's daughter. He does not want his own children. Where should we go? '' asks Aman as she looks towards her malnutritioned mother. The fate of Balwinder Kaur of Khadoor Sahib in Tarn Taran is no different from Surinder. She was deserted when she gave birth to three sons and now works as a domestic help to eke out a living. Her husband Baljeet Singh went to Lebanon, promising that he would take her, but had married another woman there. Similar story was narrated by Renu of Jalandhar whose Singapore-based husband left her pregnant. Now she has a two-month-old son, who would grow up like other NRI-abandoned brides’ kids trying to belong somewhere. Ramoowalia said there were 6,000 children in the state who were abandoned with their mothers by NRIs. ''These women and kids have nowhere to go. Who would come up for their welfare?''

http://www.business-standard.com/common/ne...t=0&chkFlg= `I have passed all tests for leadership` Q&A: Sukhbir Badal Aasha Khosa / New Delhi April 06, 2008 MP and Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Badal tells AASHA KHOSA there is nothing wrong in him becoming the next Punjab chief minister You are already being talked about as the next chief minister of Punjab. Are you comfortable with the idea of dynastic politics, even when parties like yours have been accusing the Congress of perpetuating this trend? My case is different from that of the Congress. I have been in public life for nearly 20 years; I have gone through the rough and the smooth and have worked very hard to rise in the party. Unlike other political families in South Asia, who para-drop their children studying abroad to claim succession, I have worked my way up. More importantly, during the last Assembly elections in Punjab, I really worked hard and proved my mettle. So, I have passed all the tests that are required for a leadership position. If I become the chief minister tomorrow, what is wrong with that? Your are already so powerful — people flock to you for seeking favours. Don't you feel this can harm your image? The situation is different today. I hold the position of the president of my party. I am not just an ordinary partyman. People who come to me are our supporters and it is my bounden duty to help them. Ultimately, it is our party’s government and we have every right to help our supporters. What reforms and changes are you planning for your party, which is seen to be linked to the ‘jathedars’ and gurdwaras? I am planning a major makeover of the Shiromani Akali Dal. Although there is no ban on the entry of non-Sikhs in the party, the fact is that we do not have many non-Sikh leaders. You should soon see all this change. I want faces from all communities to find place in various committees of this party. Also, I want to induct many more younger faces in the leadership positions. Very soon, the SAD will give itself high-tech modern offices in towns and even villages. These offices will have internet facilities. The idea is to make our working transparent and also to create a link between the workers and leaders, the people and the party leaders. Akali Dal and JD(U) have been consistent partners of the BJP. Don’t you want to have more choices and may be even experiments? The Shiromani Akali Dal’s relationship with the BJP is not a marriage of convenience but is based on principles. It is also not a one-time affair but has a historical background to its very creation. We joined hands with the BJP at a time when the party was called communal and treated like untouchable by others. Mind you, our support to the BJP has always been unconditional. Then, both these parties have faced challenges (read militancy) together. During the worst years of Punjab militancy, we were pursuing a common agenda. It is not a give-and-take relationship but is like a united family. Our cadres bond well at the grassroots and that is the cause of our success and reason for the longevity of our relationship. Unlike other alliances, this is not a bond between two political parties but a common mission that would continue for long. Even after what happened in Gujarat, your party’s faith in your ally remains unshakable? We believe that the Modi government was not behind what happened in Gujarat. Has the Sikh community reconciled to what happened to it in the past after Manmohan Singh’s elevation as prime minister and the Congress offering an apology to the community? In their heart of hearts, Sikhs in India have not pardoned the Congress party for the 1984 riots. Had the government been able to get even one person booked for the riots that saw hundreds of Sikhs killed in the heart of the country’s capital, probably the wounds would have healed. On the contrary, people who were involved in the riots have become ministers. Can you imagine this happening anywhere else — hundreds of innocent people killed and nobody put on trial? This is hurting the Sikhs. So what if Manmohan Singh is made the prime minister and he offers an apology? Didn’t they make Zail Singh the President when the Akal Takht, the holiest of the Sikh shrines, was razed in Amritsar? But one thing is sure that Punjab would never return to the days of militancy. Mind you, the state did not even witness one incident of retaliation when Sikhs were killed in Delhi and other parts after the assassination of Indira Gandhi. The Akali government is hounding former chief minister Amarinder Singh, who in turn had harassed you during his term. Is there any effort to end this politics of revenge in the state? Amarinder Singh, interestingly, is locked in corruption cases that were registered during his regime. There was a massive embezzlement case registered during the Congress regime. We have not even filed even a single case against him. Like in other parts of the country, farmers in Punjab are also committing suicide. What has your government done to help them? Punjab is facing a major agricultural crisis. Our water table is going down at an alarming rate. If we do not reverse this, I am told the state’s land would turn barren in the next 40 years. Also, the costs of farming have gone up without the framers getting matching remuneration. Actually, a state government can do very little to end the plight of farmers, since all the powers, including those of finances, control of prices and procurement, are in the hands of the Centre. The previous state government wanted to diversify the crop patterns to end the water-intensive rice-wheat cycle in the state. Are you following the same policy? This proposal looks good on paper but is not practical. A farmer can grow new crops on experimental basis on a small part of his land but certainly not on the entire land. We are going to ask for a major package from the Centre for irrigation in Punjab and realistic remuneration for farm produce. This alone can salvage the farmers of Punjab.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/stor...?hub=TopStories Meditation can lead to greater compassion: study Mar. 27 2008 CTV.ca News Staff It seems that people can acquire the ability to feel emotions such as kindness and compassion, just as they learned skills like reading and writing, a new study says. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison say that by monitoring subjects with a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machine, they could see that the part of the brain that controls empathy is affected when a person is engaged in compassionate meditation. Study director Richard Davidson, professor of psychiatry and psychology at UW-Madison, said in a statement: "Many contemplative traditions speak of loving-kindness as the wish for happiness for others and of compassion as the wish to relieve others' suffering. "We wanted to see how this voluntary generation of compassion affects the brain systems involved in empathy." The study, also co-authored by UW-Madison associate scientist Antoine Lutz, was published Wednesday in the journal Public Library of Science One. For this research, Davidson and Lutz monitored 16 monks who had at least 10,000 hours of meditation practice, along with 16 other subjects who were given two weeks of training in basic elements of compassion meditation. The training included the ability to first think about loved ones and wish them happiness and well-being, and then to expand those thoughts to include others. Subjects were attached to the fMRI machine and were told to alternate between practicing compassion meditation and refraining from it. While they were in both states, subjects were exposed to negative and positive sounds from people that were designed to evoke empathy in the listener. When subjects were meditating, the fMRI scans showed activity in the part of the brain that plays a role in how emotions are manifested in the body. Activity also increased in the part of the brain that helps process empathy and the ability to gauge the mental and emotional state of others. The effects of meditation were noticeable in all study subjects, but more so in those with greater meditation experience. The findings could have an impact on a wide range of people with behavioural or emotional problems. Everyone from children who are bullies in the schoolyard to those who suffer from depression may be able to learn how to feel happier and more compassionate.

source: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/st...97-698952dff040 Giving money away can buy happiness, research finds Randy Shore Vancouver Sun Friday, March 21, 2008 Money can buy happiness, according to a study by University of B.C. psychologist Elizabeth Dunn. Even spending $5 in the right way can make you happier. But people usually get it wrong when they try. Dunn had always been nagged by the notion that money can't buy happiness. Reliable research across the developed world finds that once a person's basic needs are being met, surging incomes are only marginally related to happiness. A wealthy nation is not necessarily a happy nation. People usually predict that spending on themselves will make them happy, but it doesn't. "I wondered if maybe we just weren't doing it right," Dunn said. Dunn and her colleagues -- UBC grad student Lara Aknin and Harvard researcher Michael Norton -- designed and conducted a survey on money, happiness and giving. They found greater happiness among people who give money to charity and buy gifts for friends, regardless of income. But does giving, what researchers call pro-social behaviour, actually cause happiness? "Money seems to be an effective vehicle for accomplishing pro-social goals and that is strongly associated with happiness," she said. "So we wanted to find how people could do it right." The researchers measured the happiness of middle-income employees at a Boston-area health industry firm before and after the employees received profit-sharing bonuses of $3,000 to $8,000. People were happier after spending their windfall, but only if they spent it on others, Dunn said. "It was a remarkably strong effect," said Dunn. "So strong that we had other people analyse the data again just to make sure." In the third leg of the study, people were given either $5 or $20. Some were told to spend the money on something for themselves; others to donate the money to a charity or buy a gift for someone else. Pro-social spenders were happier at the end of the day than selfish spenders and it didn't matter one bit whether they spent $5 or $20, so long as it was for the benefit of others. "You don't have to go out and get some high-paying job so that you can spend thousands of dollars on other people," said Dunn. "It may be enough to think about how you spend $5 in a day." Making those kinds of decisions is not as easy as it sounds. Earlier studies done mainly at UBC have found that even thinking about money -- let alone earning lots of it -- makes people less likely to donate to charity or to spend time with others, both of which are strongly associated with happiness. "Money seems to subvert the pro-social choices that we could make," Aknin explained. Darn human nature, anyway. On the other hand, making the "right decision" with money seems to promote self-esteem, Aknin said. In other words, if doing something would make your mother proud of you, it's probably going to make you feel good. "Money is a great tool for making the world a better place," said Aknin. "So hopefully this will impact the way people spend money and they can be happier as a result." "My mom is very proud of this research," she admitted. Oprah Winfrey -- her finger always on the pulse of North American trends -- has taken the idea of giving and the happiness that it spreads to unimaginable heights with The Big Give. People who appear on the show -- ordinary citizens and celebrities -- compete to see who can spend money charitably fastest and for maximum impact. The last episode of The Big Give drew about 12 million viewers; the woman's grasp on popular consciousness is nothing short of magic. Pro-social giving needn't be about cash. Thoughtfulness counts. Dunn put theory into practice recently after her boyfriend gave her six dozen roses to celebrate their anniversary. Dunn in turn tried to give one rose to six dozen people, spreading the happiness windfall far and wide. rshore@png.canwest.com © The Vancouver Sun 2008

source: http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20080315/saturday/above.htm One truth, many expressions You must often wonder why every religion in the world is splintered into many factions. Christianity has three major branches — Catholics, Protestants and Greek Orthodox — all three are further divided into dozens of sub-divisions. Islam has two major divisions — Sunnis and Shias — both of which have many sub-divisions. Buddhism has its Mahayana, Himayanan, Zen and regional varieties. Hindus are split into innumerable castes and sub-castes. Even religions with smaller followings like Jainism and Sikhism are split. Jains have Digambars, Swetambars and Sthanakvasi. Sikhs are divided into Kesadhari Khalsa and Sahajdhari as well as Nirankaris (two factions) Namdharis and Radha Soamis. What is baffling is that factionalism exists despite the fact that all religions accept the existence of one God, have one founder-father, messenger or messiah, and one major religious text. Christians believe in one God, Jehovah, one messiah, Jesus Christ, and one book, the Bible. Muslims believe in one Allah, his messenger, Muhammad, and one book, the Koran. Buddhists and Jains avoid questions about the existence of God but recognise Gautam Buddha and Mahavira as founders of their faiths. Hindus believe in the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. Vedas and Upanishads are their holy books. Sikhs believe in one Waheguru, Nanak, as the founder of their religion, and Granth Sahib as their scripture. While these factors are shared in common by all major religions, there should be no disputes between them. But there are. Why? I put the problem to my niece-in-law, who goes under the happy name of Happy. She is much into reading religious literature, and what she calls metaphysics. As it happened, she had put the same question to her religious mentor. His reply made good sense to me. He said: "In a class of 20 students, there is only one teacher. He uses only one textbook for teaching. However, when he sets out questions for the annual exam, he gets 20 different answers to the same question". Ekam sad bahuda vadanti. There is only one truth. There are many ways of expressing it. - Khushwant Singh

http://www.dailypioneer.com/indexn12.asp?main_variable=CHANDIGARH&file_name=CHANDI2%2Etxt&counter_img=2 Akal Takht supremacy can't be challenged: Sikh sammelan Pioneer News Service - Amritsar - Monday, March 10, 2008 The Sikh scholars, legal brains and heads of Sikh organisations on Sunday unanimously passed a resolution reiterating that the Akal Takht was supreme and its supremacy and sovereignty cannot be challenged, compromised and questioned as was being done by certain vested interests. The occasion was the seminar organised by the Dal Khalsa to discuss about the role, working sphere, status and appointments of the Takht jathedars. The speakers were vocal and went on to the extent in saying that the incumbents use and misuse the authority vested in them, the political leadership maneuvers the religious heads -calling them head priests and employees of the SGPC as per the exigency of the situation. They observed that the concepts of Sandesh, Gurmata and Hukamnamma have become hazed over the years because of the manner in which edicts have been handed over in recent years -from the blatant interventionist to the utterly ridiculous and the politically motivated. Delivering the key note address, the party president Satnam Singh said today's seminar was the first in the series of 6 Seminars proposed to be held over the next year to go into the entire gamut of issues relating to the institution of the Akal Takht Sahib and its jathedar. Kanwar Pal SIngh said without evolving and implementation of specific rules and guidelines regarding the appointment, removal and working sphere of the Jathedar of the Akal Takht and other Takhts, nothing on ground is going to change. One of the resolutions read by HS Dhami stated that the institution of Akal Takht Sahib is a highest temporal authority of the Sikh nation and the devout Sikhs, irrespective of political leanings revere the institution. The gathering passed another resolution empowering the organisers to constitute a 'draft committee' of scholars, experts and thinkers to fix norms for the post of the jathedar Akal Takht and other Takht. It further said after due deliberations and discussions with various representatives, the proposed committee would submit its report to the Akal Takht by 14 March 2009. Former Minister Manjit Singh Calcutta while addressing the gathering said the names of the members of the proposed draft committee would be finalised very soon. He explained that they had to undertake the project because the SGPC has failed to do so. He rued that the monopoly of SGPC, Nanded Management Board and Patna Sahib Management Committee in appointing the respective jathedars was the root cause of the problem. Advocate HS Phoolka in his address said that jathedars of these Five Takhats were appointed and removed by the committees in whose jurisdiction of the respective Takhat falls. There is no laid down procedure of any of these for appointment and removal of Jathedars though the Singh Sahibans have the highest authority in the Sikh Religion and their writ run among the Sikhs but the committees treat them like their employee. He said the Jathedars of these Five Takhats concerns and affects the whole of Sikh Nation throughout the world. As such the appointment of the Jathedar shall not be left only to the whims and fancies or prerogative of the respective committee. Supreme Court lawyer HS Phoolka, Wing Commander (Retd) RS Chhatwal, Damdami Taksal head Baba Harnam Singh, Akand Kirtani jatha head Baldev Singh, Chief Khalsa Deewan secretary Bhag Singh Ankhi, Director Jagdish SIngh, Narien Singh, Dr Gurdarshan Singh from GNDU, KAC convenor Mohkam Singh, Daljit Singh, chairman of Dharam Parchar of the DSGMC, Former jathedar Kewal Singh and Jagtar Singh Jachak, SKP chairman Rajinder Singh, AISSF president Karnail SIngh Peer Mohammad were amongst those dignatories who graced the ocassion. ******************************************************************************** http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20080310/punjab1.htm#4 Conclave blames SAD for Panthic crisis Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 9 Representatives of various Sikh organisations at a conclave, jointly organised by the Dal Khalsa and the Khalsa Action Committee, here today expressed unanimity that ignoring merit while appointing Sikh high priests of various Takhts had created a crisis of sorts in the Panth. They held the ruling Akali Dal and the SGPC responsible for the present Panthic crisis which was a result of “arbitrary†decisions taken by the Sikh clergy who frequently succumb to the pressure of political leaders at the helm of affairs. Sikh intellectuals, representing various Sikh bodies like the Khalsa Panchayat, Chief Khalsa Diwan, Damdami Taksal, Akhand Kirtani Jatha, Delhi Sikh Management Committee, AISSF (Pir Mohammad) and Akal Federation; besides certain SGPC members and certain former Jathedars, alleged that the Sikh high priests had failed to come up to the aspirations of the Sikh Panth. They said the ruling Akali Dal had been appointing Jathedars from “circuit house†etc, thereby denigrating the institution of Akal Takht. The debate was initiated by veteran SGPC member Manjit Singh Calcutta, who said it was unfortunate that the authority of the Sikh high priests was being questioned. Hence, it was the need of the hour to take corrective measures to restore the glory of Akal Takht. Senior advocate of the Supreme Court H.S. Phulka suggested that a supreme Sikh council be formed, comprising representatives from various Sikh bodies of the world so that Panthic decisions could be taken in the most democratic way. Chief Khalsa Diwan’s secretary Bhag Singh Ankhi,said it was unfortunate that some so-called Sikh intellectuals had been creating division in the Sikh community. Bhai Mohkam Singh, spokesman for Damdami Taksal, former Jathedar of Damdama Sahib, Giani Kewal Singh, former Granthi of the Golden Temple, Bhai Jagtar Singh Yajak, Dr Gursharnjit Singh and Baba Harnam Singh Khalsa, Chief Damdami Taksal, criticised certain Jathedars for having failed to come up to the expectations of the Sikh community. They said the present Panthic crisis was the result of the appointment of “ineligible†persons as Jathedars.

http://www.570news.com/news/national/artic...ontent=n030417A More immigrants keeping mother tongue March 04, 2008 Camille Bains THE CANADIAN PRESS VANCOUVER – Bimal Kular is busy ironing crisp, white napkins while eight other women scurry around preparing tantalizing sauces, homemade cheese and a sizzling oil, onion and cumin mixture before hungry diners arrive at one of Vancouver's most renowned restaurants. Kular, 57, has felt right at home since she landed her laundry job six years ago through her sister-in-law, who's the kitchen supervisor. Everyone around Kular speaks Punjabi, and that was the essential part of her short job hunt in Canada, where she became a citizen last year. Even now, seven years after arriving at her adopted homeland from India, Kular doesn't speak English. "I really wanted to learn English but once I got here I just became so busy," Kular says in Punjabi. Punjabi is also the language Kular is surrounded by in her social circle and at home, where she lives with her husband, two sons, their wives and a total of four grandchildren. The latest census figures released Tuesday by Statistics Canada show a large number of Canada's new immigrants are working in a native tongue which is neither of the country's official languages. The large rise in immigration over the past five years of people whose mother tongue is neither French nor English did not necessarily mean that more of them were using non-official languages in the workplace. But in B.C. and Ontario, the provinces where most immigrants land, a large number reported using a language other than English or French at work. The proportion held steady at 30 per cent in B.C. over a five-year period and dipped only slightly to 20 per cent from 21 per cent in Ontario. Kular says a major benefit of her three-days-a-week job is that it gives her time to look after her grandkids – ages eight, six, five and 18 months – and speak Punjabi with them so they learn the language. On a Sunday afternoon, the three boys have cranked up the volume on the 24-hour cartoon channel to an ear-splitting level. They speak some English, but it's clear that Punjabi rules in this home. Kular's daughter-in-law, Sarbjit Kular, 27, says it's important that the kids know Punjabi because the language is integral to their culture. Eight-year-old Simran Kular, who was born in Canada, takes English-As-A-Second Language classes in Grade 2. His grandmother says she's glad the classes are offered to children who are being raised to speak their mother tongue at home. But Kular, who's dependent on her family's English skills when Punjabi won't suffice, realizes the limitations of her Punjabi-only world. "When I take the kids to school or pick them up it's hard," she says. "If I have to talk to the teachers I just stay silent. And when someone from my son's work calls I just say, `Not home."' Hi, bye, good morning, good night, OK and thanks are some of the other words Kular knows, but it's clear that despite her insistence she understands English, she really doesn't. "I'd like to learn English so I can talk to my neighbours," she says in a city where even Mayor Sam Sullivan, who is of European ancestry, is taking Punjabi lessons and gives speeches in the language at local Sikh temples. The Canadian-born Sullivan also speaks Cantonese. Balwant Sanghera, who heads the Punjabi Language Education Association, says that while his group promotes Punjabi instruction in schools, colleges and universities, he doesn't think people should get stuck in their "ethnic enclaves." "We need to get out of those enclaves and reach out to the broader community," he says. "We should all try to learn at least one of the two official languages of Canada, either English and French. Then, I think we should learn our own language. The more languages we know the better." Sanghera says the onus to learn English falls first on the individual, then the family, followed by the government, which needs to provide more community-based language centres. Liza Yuen of Toronto says her lack of English skills 30 years after she arrived from Hong Kong is hardly a hindrance because she mostly deals only with people who speak Cantonese. Whether she's grocery shopping, visiting the doctor or doing her banking, the Chinese community in Toronto is more than large enough to accommodate Yuen in her mother tongue. "I don't have any problems using Cantonese as a daily language," she said through an interpreter. Yuen says she has adapted to the Canadian way of life and that her deficiency in one of the country's two official languages is of little consequence. "I am not less of a Canadian, because I am a Canadian citizen, but I will always remember my Chinese roots." Yuen's children would prefer she speaks English to avoid communication problems but she uses Cantonese so they will learn the language. When she can't speak Cantonese and the little English she does speak fails her, gestures usually help get the point across, says Yuen, a retired insurance saleswoman. Don DeVoretz, an economist who specializes in citizenship issues at Burnaby, B.C.-based Simon Fraser University, says people like Kular and Yuen don't need to know any English to become Canadian citizens. He says that instead of a written exam, judges allow would-be citizens to answer questions about Canada orally with the help of an interpreter if they feel language is a barrier. "Nobody wants to go back to the situation in the United States in the 1950s and 60s, where in order to vote you had to prove that you were literate." DeVoretz says 75 per cent of immigrants become citizens after five years and that 95 per cent apply for citizenship within 15 years of coming to Canada. But he says people who don't speak English or French pay a hefty economic price. "On average, people who don't speak English and are in the labour force earn considerably less money so it's a built-in penalty they're paying." DeVoretz says requiring immigrants to know one of Canada's official languages was tried in 1999 when a legislative committee that travelled the country made 141 recommendations to revise the Immigration Act. Only one of those recommendations failed to be widely accepted: that immigrants speak either English or French. Chinese speakers were most incensed, saying they have a tough time learning English and that the requirement would make it difficult for them to enter Canada, DeVoretz says. "There's nothing more volatile in this country than language. I'm not talking about English and French, I mean other people's language." Once people enter Canada without English or French, DeVoretz says, most don't have time to learn either language in any formal setting despite the social and economic price they pay. "Over the last few years I've interviewed about 900 people in Vancouver who are Chinese, because that's where all the studies are. I've said `What's your biggest problem in Canada, in Vancouver, (for) integrating?' And they say, `Language, language, language.' " He says that while people without English or French don't have a problem getting a job, they don't advance to better employment.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/st...f3c&k=59124 Punjabi classes enable students to reconnect with their heritage Kim Bolan Vancouver Sun Friday, February 22, 2008 METRO VANCOUVER - University of B.C. biology student Daljeet Singh Mahal has never felt so connected to his Punjabi culture and heritage. Since last year, the 21-year-old has been taking Punjabi classes at the university, in addition to his science major. Mahal, who lives in Burnaby with parents and grandparents, already spoke his mother tongue. But the classes have greatly aided his proficiency and opened up the world of Punjabi-Canadian literature. "It has improved my vocabulary for sure, and in terms of reading and writing, I didn't know how to do that at all before. Now I can," said Mahal, who is considering entering medicine or dentistry. "In terms of Punjabi arts and culture, to be able to read in Punjabi, I can now really understand what Punjabi culture is about." Mahal is part of a growing trend in Metro Vancouver: more and more young people are studying Punjabi to reconnect with their heritage. And more and more school districts, colleges and universities are offering courses in the popular language, says Balwant Sanghera, of the Punjabi Language Educators' Association of B.C. PLEA is hosting a conference in Surrey Sunday to mark 110 years of Punjabi language education. The event, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., is expected to attract more than 200 people to the Haveli Restaurant, at 8220 120 Street, to hear about the history of Punjabi in Canada and the current opportunities the language affords. Sanghera said that public schools in Vancouver, Richmond, Surrey and Abbotsford are now offering Punjabi language classes. "In Surrey, there are close to 1,000 students taking Punjabi classes all the way from Grades 5 to 12. That is a really big plus for us," he said. "We are working at two levels as a community - one level is at the gurdwaras and we are working at the public school and post-secondary level." UBC has the oldest post-secondary program, but Kwantlen University College and the University College of the Fraser Valley are also now offering Punjabi language courses to students. "The Punjabi population has grown. It is much in demand. There are a lot of signs at city hall, hospitals, banks, credit unions and in Punjabi, they say: 'We speak Punjabi'. So it is really encouraging," Sanghera said. There are thousands of jobs in the Lower Mainland alone in which Punjabi is needed. Some of the students are from non-Punjabi backgrounds and are learning it because of the added advantages of being bilingual, Sanghera said. "That's why we are encouraging the kids and the parents - look there are good economic opportunities. In addition to communicating with their parents, grandparents and their extended family in Punjabi, this also has an economic impact. It is much easier for them to get a job if they know Punjabi." Punjabi is the third most common language in Vancouver behind English and Chinese. In both Surrey and Abbotsford, it is number two. Mahal admits there might be an economic advantage to knowing Punjabi. "That is not what motivated me to take it, but it is an added bonus," he said. He really loves being able to read literature without needing it translated. "It is almost like the base of Punjabi arts is literature and poetry and to really appreciate that it is so much better to be able to read it first-hand." Sadhu Binning is a renowned Punjabi author, as well as long-time UBC professor. He says the Punjabi literary community in Canada is thriving, with about 400 books published over the last three decades. "What is interesting with Punjabi literature is that the majority of the people that are living in Canada and writing either poetry or fiction, about 95 per cent of the time they are writing about their experience in Canada," said Binning, one of the PLEA conference organizers. "So the literature they are creating is Canadian literature. But because Punjabi is not recognized as a Canadian language, they treat you as not being recognized and I think Canada could become very rich simply by saying this literature belongs to Canada." Binning sees Punjabi language education as a tool to connect younger Indo-Canadians with the stories of their parents and grandparents. "We hope that people will read in Punjabi and learn what the earlier generation wrote and thought about." kbolan@png.canwest.com © Vancouver Sun

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20080223/punjab1.htm#6 Sikhism: Tarlochan flays govt, SGPC Tribune News Service Chandigarh, February 22 Former chairman of the National Minorities Commission and member, Rajya Sabha, Tarlochan Singh has criticised the Punjab government and the SGPC for trying to “narrow the ambit of Sikhism for their vested interests of controlling admissions to educational institutions by characterising them as minority institutionsâ€. Tarlochan Singh was reacting to an appeal filed by the Punjab government and the SGPC before the Supreme Court against a judgment of the Punjab and Haryana High Court saying the Sikhs were not a minority community in Punjab. In a statement here on Wednesday Tarlochan Singh said by denying voting rights to the Sehjdhari Sikhs in the SGPC elections, the community had already shown the door to Sindhi Sikhs and members of the Udaasi sect. Now by saying the Radhsoamis, Namdharis and followers of Baba Dyalji were not part of the Sikh community, the community was being narrowed further. He said vested interests were narrowing the confines of a religion founded by Guru Nanak Dev just to seek admission to education institutions. Earlier, the SGPC used to claim that the Sikhs in the world number over two crore. But the new stance of the SGPC would reduce the population of the Sikhs in the world to mere 50 lakh. This would create a grave crisis for the community at the world level in future. Tarlochan Singh said the Arya Samaj and the Sanatan Dharam had conflicting principles, but both were Hindus. Similarly, Catholics and Protestants and Shias and Sunnis followed different principles, but were called Christians and Muslims, respectively. It was unfortunate that leaders of the Sikh community were not willing to accept members of various Sikh sects as Sikhs. Describing the issue as “political,†he said before going to the Supreme Court, the SGPC and the Punjab government should have consulted intellectuals and legal experts as well as taken the MPs into confidence so that the issue could be raised in Parliament.

source: http://www.ibnlive.com/news/all-followers-...pc/59093-3.html All followers of Sikh gurus not Sikhs: SGPC New Delhi: The Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee or SGPC has contended that different sects who worship and follow Sikh gurus cannot be called part of Sikh community and the recent Punjab and Haryana High Court order denying minority status to the Sikhs was a serious error. Filing a petition before the Supreme Court against the HC order striking down a Punjab Government notification, granting minority status to SGPC-run educational institutions in the state, the SGPC said it is a serious error to treating all followers of Sikh gurus as Sikhs. The SC issued notices to the Centre, Punjab state, Sahil Mittal and others on the basis of two separate petitions filed by SGPC and state of Punjab. A bench consisting of Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan, Justices CK Thakker and RV Raveendran, however, refused to stay the operation of the High Court judgement dated December 17, 2007, holding that there is nothing to show that Sikhs were not a dominant group in the state. Earlier a group of students had moved a petition in the High Court after they had been denied admission in medical science courses in view of 50 per cent reservation granted to Sikhs in the SGPC-run medical colleges, which enjoy the status of minority institutions. The students had challenged the validity of Punjab Government notification dated April 25, 2006, under Section 2(f) of Punjab Private Health Sciences Educational Institutions (regulation of admission, fixation of fees and making of reservation) Act 2006, which granted minority status to SGPC-run educational institutions. According to the petitioners, Sikhs constituted 65 per cent population in Punjab and cannot be granted minority status. The High Court later ruled that the definition of minority under Articles 29 and 30 of the Constitution of India couldn’t be overruled or changed through a state government act. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/T...how/2786665.cms Those not on our rolls are not Sikhs: SGPC 16 Feb 2008, 0051 hrs IST, Dhananjay Mahapatra,TNN - TIMES OF INDIA NEW DELHI: At a time when there is a hefty premium on the numbers a community or caste can boast, the Sikh Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee, along with the Punjab government, seem anxious to prune the ranks of Sikhs. Determined to retain the 'minority' tag which gives SGPC virtually a free hand in running the huge network of Sikh educational institutions, the committee has said that only its members can be counted as Sikhs. The audacious claim, which seeks to conflate the community with members of the controversial religious body and puts a whole number of sects - from colourful Nihangs and Nirankaris to Dera Sacha Sauda, Udasis and Radha Soamis - out of the fold, was put forward in the Supreme Court on Friday by SGPC and the Punjab government. SGPC and the state government, controlled by its political cohorts - the Akalis - had approached the SC to challenge an order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court which ruled that the community could not claim "minority status" in Punjab. The HC judgment had come on petitions filed by students who had applied for admissions to medical and dental colleges run by SGPC but failed to secure them because of the 50% reservation given to Sikhs after the state conferred minority status on the Sikh community. The SC Bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justices C K Thakker and R V Raveendran, which issued notice on the petitions but refused to stay the HC judgment, seemed to scoff at the arguments. On behalf of the petitioners, counsel Harish Salve and Jayshree Anand argued that SGPC had since its formation in 1925 recognised only those as Sikhs who believed only in "Guru Granth Sahib", the "Ten Gurus" and "no other religion". Though true, the criterion has never been used as a litmus test for determining who is a Sikh. Though the community has frowned upon leaders of Nirankaris and Baba Ram Rahim of Dera Sacha Sauda, who call themselves Gurus, Nihangs have rarely been seen as outsiders. The community leaders did not seek to look askance at Sikhs worshipping Hindu gods even after the toll the turbulent 80s took on the bond between the two communities. The HC in its December 17, 2007, judgment had said: "There is no material to substantiate that 'Sikhs' are a non-dominant group in Punjab apprehending deprivation of their rights at the hands of 'dominant group' who may come to power in the state in a democratic election." Counsel for SGPC tried to substantiate their plea by arguing that the number of Sikh electors in Punjab registered with the religious body was 53.98 lakh, which is less than 50% of the total 1.65 crore registered voters in the state. It did not seem to wash with the Bench which remarked that if the SGPC's method of determining the minority status was to be accepted, then the entire Hindu community, with myriad sects and sub-sects, would also be entitled to claim 'minority status'. SGPC and the state, in their appeals before the SC, took shelter under a declaration from the National Commission for Minority Act under which the Central government had issued a notification on October 23, 1993, declaring Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Zoroastrians as minority communities. The Bench, however, demurred, pointing out that the Act pertained to the areas where the community, in relation to the total population, was in minority, implying that the law could not be invoked in Punjab where, according to the 2001 Census, Sikhs were the majority. The stand of the Bench mirrored the one taken by a constitution Bench in the T M A Pai case. This was also the reasoning that HC used to strike down a 2001 notification of the Punjab government, allowing SGPC to reserve 50% seats for Sikhs in its educational institutions. The HC had said government should have taken the population of the state into consideration rather than of the country. (dhananjay.mahapatra@timesgroup.com)

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20080214/punjab1.htm#3 Sikh missionaries communists of Panth: Giani Iqbal Singh Varinder Walia Tribune News Service Amritsar, February 13 Giani Iqbal Singh, Jathedar, Patna Sahib, today dubbed Sikh missionaries as “communists of the Sikh Panthâ€. Again challenging the supremacy of Akal Takht, Giani Iqbal Singh alleged that the English word “supreme,†used by Sikh missionaries for Akal Takht, was the root-cause of the current problem faced by the Panth. He said as a matter of fact no Sikh institute could claim itself being “supreme temporal authority†because Guru Granth Sahib is supreme for the Sikh community. Taking a strong view, Prof Suba Singh, principal, Sikh Missionary College, said Giani Iqbal Singh should consult some psychiatrist. He said the Sikh missionaries and missionary colleges had done great service to the Sikh Panth and Jathedar Iqbal Singh had no right to use derogatory words for them. However, the Jathedar, Patna Sahib, alleged that the Sikh missionaries had been instrumental in dividing the Sikh community due to their “radical approachâ€. He said as per the Sikh traditions, all five Takhts were equal. On the other hand, Prof Suba Singh said as per Sikh history, Akal Takht had been the target of Mughals and other invaders as they wanted to smash the supreme temporal authority of the Sikhs. No other Takht had faced such attacks, he said. He has also said edict once issued from Takht Patna Sahib, including rejection of Nanakshahi calendar, could not be withdrawn. He, however, added that the five Sikh high priests could discuss the matter relating to the Sikh maryada, Nanakshahi calendar in the forthcoming meeting at Akal Takht next week. To yet another question, the Jathedar said the meeting regarding summoning of Mohinder Singh Romana, president, Takht Patna Sahib Management Committee, was still pending because he (Romana) had sought adjournment of the meeting of Sikh clergy on health grounds. He said Romana in his capacity as president had no right to place Jathedar under suspension. Meanwhile, Giani Iqbal Singh said Pratibha Devisingh Patil, President of India, would be visiting Takht Patna Sahib to pay obeisance on February 16 . Giani Iqbal Singh today gave a “clean chit†to Diljit Singh Bedi, a former assistant secretary, SGPC. He said he had learnt that the “objectionable pictures†of Bedi, published in a section of the press, was with his second wife. He saidthere was no harm in keeping a “second wife†without giving divorce to the first wife.

http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sto...92a&k=32408 Delta dad arrested in baby's murder Staff Reporters The Province Friday, January 18, 2008 A father has been arrested after a one-year-old girl was found dead inside the family's North Delta (Metro Vancouver, B.C. Canada ) home early Friday. Police have not confirmed the identity of the suspect or his relationship to the victim, but neighbours say the girl was the youngest daughter of Lakhvinder Kahlon and his wife, Manjit. A close friend of the family, Surinder Johal, said Kahlon had been depressed for the last five or six months over the birth of another girl. According to Johal, Manjit walked her two older daughters to school and came back to find that the baby girl had been stabbed multiple times with a kitchen knife. Delta police spokesman Const. Paul Eisenzimmer said officers were called to a possible homicide in the home in the 7800-block 116th Street just before 9 a.m. Eisenzimmer confirmed the child was "apparently murdered," and that police arrested one man. Eisenzimmer wouldn't confirm the exact age or sex of the child, nor the relationship of the suspect to the victim. But he said more information would be available at a media briefing at 1 p.m. Friday. © The Vancouver Province 2008

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/D...how/2703573.cms Diamond brooch for SGPC chief ? Sikh leaders debate 16 Jan 2008,Yudhvir Rana,TNN THE TIMES OF INDIA AMRITSAR: It may be the season of gifts, but a lavish offer extended by a Canadian Sikh to the Akal Takht jathedar has got the community all tied up in moral knots. So will the Rs 20-lakh diamond-studded brooch sent by NRI Kehar Singh become a part of attire of the Akal Takht jathedar? Sikh scholars, already into a heated debate about the gift, are likely to hold a meeting soon to decide on the issue. The congregation will also ascertain whether the brooch is a personal gift to the jathedar, Joginder Singh Vedanti or should be considered SGPC property. Vedanti's personal assistant Jasbir Singh told TOI that the brooch was with the jathedar. The Takht secretariat has sought details from Kehar Singh on the weight of diamonds and its worth. Former jathedar of Akal Takht Bhai Ranjit Singh said devotees from abroad often sent gifts but always mentioned whether they were for personal use of the Jathedar or for the institution.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Congres...how/2681877.cms Congress, BJP decry SGPC glorification of Indira killers 8 Jan 2008,TNN - TIMES OF INDIA NEW DELHI: Both Congress and BJP on Monday criticized the "glorification" of Indira Gandhi's assassins by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) as "martyrs to the cause of the Sikh nation," while a lone Punjab government official, the adviser to chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, tried damage control. "Eulogising the assassins of a prime minister is disturbing, dangerous and divisive," Congress spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan said. She termed the SGPC statement as "totally violative of the Constitution, bordering on treason." Her BJP counterpart Rajiv Pratap Rudi said the SGPC move was "completely unacceptable." Denouncing the Sikh religious body's statement, Rudi said, "We have learnt that SGPC has commemorated the assassins of Indira Gandhi. We condemn this — it's completely unacceptable to us." Natarajan said that coming from a statutory body like SGPC, the statement was shocking. She pointed out that the SGPC action not just condoned Indira's killers but also "called upon the people to take to violence and terror." In Chandigarh, Daljeet Singh Cheema, adviser to Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal, struck a cautious posture, saying, "What the SGPC has said is a religious affair of the body and the state government doesn't interfere with its functioning." At the same time, Cheema took care to add that his statement must not be construed as approval of Indira's killers. The strong Congress reaction was understandable as the SGPC act gave the party an opportunity to revive its nationalist plank and recall the sacrifice of one of its tallest leaders to the anti-terror cause much before jihadi terrorism cast its shadow on the subcontinent. At a time when the party is under attack from its opponents for being "soft on terror," the controversy helped it evoke Indira's death "defending the nationalist cause." But even as the Akali Dal-led Punjab government responded charily, various Sikh organisations sought announcement of rehabilitation and financial succour to the families of Indira's assassins. These bodies have also demanded raising a memorial to ‘Operation Bluestar', following which the former PM was shot dead by her bodyguards, Satwant Singh and Beant Singh. Speaking to TOI, chief of hardline Damdami Taksal, Harnam Singh Khalsa, said, "These people are not killers but martyrs of the Sikh nation - those who gave a fitting reply to the powers that dared attack Sikhism's sanctum sanctorum. They will always be revered by the Sikhs." Khalsa asked the Centre to earmark funds for all those who had suffered during the decade-long "agitation" in Punjab. Echoing his views, another office-bearer of Dal Khalsa said, "Satwant, Beant and Kehar had taken revenge for the desecration of Golden Temple and Sikhs have been honouring their martyrdom." He said the girl who was engaged to Satwant Singh, married his photograph after he was hanged. Meanwhile, the general house of SGPC, Sikh's single largest representative body, has resolved to raise a memorial to 'Operation Bluestar'. *************************************************************************** BACK GROUNDER: "India Gandhi's assassins declared martyrs at Akal Takht" Jagmohan Singh - Hoshiarpur - Daily Pioneer January 7, 2008 Satwant Singh and Kehar, the assassins of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi were declared martyrs at Akal Takht (highest Sikh Temporal Seat here on Sunday. On Sunday morning a special religious function was organised at Akal Takht which was attended and headed by the Jatehdar Akal Takht, Gyani Joginder Singh Vedanti. Vedanti during the function declared Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh as martyrs of Sikh Panth as they had assassinated Indira Gandhi. Vedanti also justified the assassination of Indira Gandhi by Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh during the religious function here on Sunday. Satwant Singh and Kehar were hanged to death on January 6 for killing the former Prime Minister Indra Gandhi at New Delhi. Both had killed the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for sending the Indian Army to the Golden Temple to carry out operation Blue Star in 1984.

http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sto...80b6&k=1174 Surrey trio plotted murder, police allege Ludhiana: Indian cops lay charges in alleged conspiracy to kill father of young bride Fabian Dawson, Jupinderjit Singh The Province; The Tribune, India; with a file from Pooja Sekhon in Surrey Sunday, December 30, 2007 Indian police have arrested four men, including one from Surrey, and charged them with conspiracy to murder the father of a young bride in Ludhiana, Punjab. They have also issued arrest warrants for the woman's husband and his cousin, who live in Surrey. Police charges allege that the husband and his cousin hired a group of contract killers for 120,000 rupees (about $3,000) after the father of the bride could not raise the dowry for his daughter. According to police, the bride, Pawanjot Kaur, who came to Canada to look for her husband but without the $75,000 dowry, is currently living with her grandfather in Edmonton. The couple were married in 2004 but the bride was told that she could not come to Canada until the dowry was settled. Dowries -- normally in cash, jewelry or land -- are gifts a woman brings to her husband in marriage. It is an ancestral custom officially abolished in India, but one that prevails in practice and is considered a sacred duty of the father. While there is no suggestion of the involvement of the in-laws in this case, on average, Indian police record one case an hour of brides being violently ill-treated by their in-laws for failure to deliver dowry. The practice of giving dowry, widely acknowledged as a social evil in India, led to the murder or suicide of 7,618 women in India last year, according to official statistics. Court papers and police reports in the alleged dowry-related murder conspiracy identify the four arrested men as Ramandeep Singh, alias Rimpy, of Surrey and three alleged contract killers -- Sunil Kumar, alias Moni, Kulwant Singh, alias Kanta, and Jaskaran Singh, alias Jassi. Police say they arrested the four last Thursday night while they were on their way to Mundiya village outside the industrial city of Ludhiana, where the bride's family lived. Police seized a car, two guns, ammunition, Canadian, U.S. and Indian currency and a photo of the bride from the suspects. Two others who were in the car and believed to be part of the plot escaped. Police are searching for them in the district of Ganganagar, where the alleged contract killers lived. Also charged with conspiracy to kill under the Indian penal code are two men: Pawanjot Kaur's husband, Veerharinder Singh, a Surrey businessman, and his cousin, Sukhvir Singh, alias Sukhi. Indian police said they plan to seek the extradition of the two. "The conspiracy to kill was allegedly hatched in Canada about two months ago," Ludhiana Senior Superintendent of Police R.K. Jais-wal told The Province. Jaiswal said that police were tipped off to the plot by a man who overheard the four suspects allegedly planning the murder at a roadside restaurant. "The accused were allegedly planning their operation sitting in a Dhaba [roadside restaurant], when a local informed us about the plot. We laid a trap and arrested the gang members. "The suspects are accused of planning to kill Pawanjot's father, Ranphul Singh," Jaiswal said. Jaiswal said preliminary investigations suggest that Ramandeep Singh was sent from Surrey to oversee the operation after the hired killers in India failed in an earlier attempt. Police tracked 60,000 rupees sent from Surrey to the hired hit men via a Western Union money transfer two months ago, he said. "Ramandeep had a return ticket to Canada dated Jan. 1, 2008," said Jaiswal. Jaiswal said the dowry involved in Pawanjot's marriage was 30 lakhs rupees (three million rupees or about $75,000). "Pawanjot's husband and in-laws kept postponing her visa application. Later, the family demanded 30 lakhs for sponsoring the bride to Canada," he said. "The father-in-law refused to give this money and, after waiting for three years, Pawanjot came to Canada legally on her own. It annoyed her husband and in-laws." Jaiswal described the case as bringing a "new dimension" to the issue of abandoned brides. The phenomenon of India's abandoned brides was detailed in an award-winning series by The Province two years ago. The extent of the social tragedy is reflected in official studies that say 30,000 women in India have been left behind by their overseas-based husbands, referred to as non-resident Indians. The Province series inspired new legislation in India and a religious decree from the Sikh holy city of Amritsar condemning the practice of giving dowries. It also led to the formation of an international network of special units and non-governmental organizations to aid abandoned brides. © The Vancouver Province 2007

Reht Maryada This document is the Official Sikh Code of Conduct. There were a number of unsucessful attempts in the eighteenth century following the death of Guru Gobind Singh to produced an accurate portrayal of Sikh conduct and customs. These attempts were contradictory and inconsistent with many of the principles of the Gurus and were not accepted by the majority of Sikhs. Starting early this century in 1931 an attempt was made by the Shromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (S.G.P.C.) to produce a modern standard Rehit. These efforts involved the greatest Sikh scholars and theologians of this century who worked to produce the current version. The document produced has been accepted as the official version which provides guidelines against which all Sikh individuals and communities around the world can measure themselves. The Reht Maryada is the only version authorized by the Akal Takht, the seat of supreme temporal authority for Sikhs. It's implementation has sucessfully achieved a high level of uniformity in the religious and social practices of Sikhism. SIKH REHIT MARYADA - THE CODE OF SIKH CONDUCT AND CONVENTIONS SECTION 2 - CHAPTER III A Sikh's Personal Life Article III A Sikh's personal life should comprehend:- i. Meditation on Nam (Divine Substance, also translated as the God's attributed self) and the scriptures, ii. Leading life according to the Guru's teachings and iii. Altruistic voluntary service. Meditating on Nam (Divine Substance) and Scriptures Article IV 1. A Sikh should wake up in the ambrosial hours (three hours before the dawn), take bath and, concentrating his/her thoughts on One Immortal Being, repeat the name Waheguru (Wondrous Destroyer of darkness). 2. He/she should recite the following scriptural compositions every day : a. The Japji, the Jaapu and the Ten Sawayyas (Quartets) - beginning "Sarwag sudh"-- in the morning. b. Sodar Rehras comprising the following compositions:- i) nine hymns of the Guru Granth Sahib, occuring in the holy book after the Japuji Sahib, (The Phrase in Italic has been interpolated by the translator to help locate the hymns more conveniently.) the first of which begins with "Sodar" and the last of which ends with "saran pare ki rakho sarma", ii) The Benti Chaupai of the tenth Guru (beginning "hamri karo hath dai rachha" and ending with "dusht dokh te leho bachai", iii) the Sawayya beginning with the words "pae gahe jab te tumre", iv) the Dohira beginning with the words "sagal duar kau chhad kai". v) the first five and the last pauris (stanzas) of Anand Sahib (The object of reciting the Anand as part of Sodar Rehras or at the conclusion of the congregational gathering is just to express joy and gratitude for the communion with the Guru ) and. vi) the Mundawani and the slok Mahla 5 beginning "tera kita jato nahi"- in the evening after sunset. © The Sohila - to be recited at night before going to bed. The morning and evening recitations should be concluded with the Ardas (formal supplication litany). Source & for further info: ENGLISH: http://www.sgpc.net/sikhism/sikh-dharma-manual.asp PUNJABI ( offical version ): http://www.sgpc.net/sikhism/punjabi/sikh-dharma-manual.asp

source: http://www.sikhnet.com/sikhnet/sikhism.nsf...2565b7007b33ac! Powers and Effect of Daily Banis THE DAILY BANIS The following are the daily banis given by Guru Gobind Singh, and their relationship with the five tattvas (elements): Ether: Japji Sahib, Shabad Hazaaray Air: Jaap Sahib, Tev Prasaad Swaiyaas Fire: Anand Sahib Water: Rehiras Sahib, with Baynti Chaopai Earth: Kirtan Sohilaa These banis should be read from the Gudka, (a small book of Banis) so that one does not get engulfed in one's thoughtfulness. They are best read, even though one may have them memorized. The Power & Effect of the Daily Banis JAPJI SAHIB: Control's one's "ji," one's soul. When your ji, your being is endangered, when the radiance of your soul is weak, recite Japji. Guru Nanak said that the thirty-eight Pauris of Japji would liberate the humanity from the cycles of birth and death. SHABAD HAZAARAY: This is the highest disciple's love letter, written by Arjun to Guru Ram Das. Its boon is that it gives the benefits of a thousand Shabads, and the soul shall directly merge with God. It makes the separated ones come home with grace. One who recites this Shabad shall never be separated from their beloved. JAAP SAHIB: The Naad of Jaap Sahib rouses the soul and the self of the Being. Sahib means grace. Recite it when your position is endangered, or when your authoratative personality is weak. This Bani brings grace and greatness. It will also give you the ability, that whatever people say, you will automatically be able to compute what they are actually saying. And, once you are able to recite it correctly, it will give you the power, the Siddhi, that whatever you say, must happen. Man can direct God and God can direct man. Guru Gobind Singh recited Jaap Sahib so we won't become beggars at the doors of others. TEV PRASAAD SWAIYAAS: Spoken by Guru Gobind Singh. When you are not getting any satisfaction out of life, this is the Bani to recite. ANAND SAHIB: Whosoever recites the forty Pauris of Anand will have endless bliss, because the Guru is limitless. In this Bani, mind and body are explained in relation to cosmic divinity. Guru Amar Das gave us this Song of Bliss to qualify the mind and to understand the depth. For husband and wife to get together, recite it together, alternating sutras (lines). REHIRAS SAHIB: This Bani is recited after one has worked and is tired. It adds energy (raa-hu) to one's being, to one's total concept. Also, recite it when your worldly wealth is endangered. In Naad, reh means live, and raas means commodity. Rehiras Sahib helps you when you are physically weak, or weak in money, property and earthly goods. KIRTAN SOHILAA: This Bani is done before sleep at night. It is the most harmonious Naad ever uttered. It multiplies the aura to the sensitivity of protection that it eliminates any negativity for miles and miles. When you are endangered by any species of direct or indirect source, and when you want to protect yourself with the surrounding of the entire magnetic field of the earth, recite Kirtan Sohila. GUDKA: Gudka is actually a stopping of the lever on a Persian wheel. It is the name given to a small collection of Banis, which are usually recited on a regular basis. Bani is a Gudka, itself, as it stops the negative cycle of the mind. To each negative thought, Bani brings a positive thought, and inner balance is achieved. It stops the mind and reverses the thought forms. Gudka will immediately take you out of any urge of the hidden self. Whatever frequency you will apply to yourself, the world will apply to you. One very powerful Gudkaa is the mantra, "Ek Ong Kaar Satigur Prasaad, Satigur Prasaad Ek Ong Kaar." If this mantra is chanted five times, it will stop the mind under all conditions, and it will put it in reverse gear. Whenever you chant this, Siri Guru Granth Sahib will sit in your heart. This was said by Guru Gobind Singh, at Nander where he lived the last months of his life. The whole Siri Guru Granth Sahib is an explanation of the mantra, "Ek Ong Kaar Satigur Prasaad" (One God has created the creation, and is realized by the Grace of the True Guru). These are just a few of the infinite blessings which reside in Siri Guru Granth Sahib. It is for the seeker to visit this great city and discover the abundant joys to be had there. Guru Ram Das says . . . "Baanee guroo guroo hai baanee Vich baanee amrit saaray. Gur baanee kehai sayvak jan maanai Partakh guroo nistaaray." "Bani is the Guru and Guru is the Bani. In the Bani are contained all the nectars. If the servant obeys whatever the Guru says, The Guru, in person, saves him." Siri Guru Granth Sahib, Nat, 4th Mehl, Guru Ram Das, p. 982

http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detail...d=dec2207edit3 End female foeticide Radhakrishna Rao EDITORIAL: The Assam Tribune - December 22, 2007 The relentless female foeticide linked to the sex-determination test in Punjab and Haryana, which has led to an alarming dip in the female population of the two States, have now found a new easy-to-use high-tech gadget to determine the sex of the unborn baby. For parents who consider a male progeny as a prized possession, this innovative kit imported from the US and Canada and costing around Rs 20,000 has become a most sought after gadget in the States. The gadget enables the identification of the gender of the foetus within seven weeks of the pregnancy. Both in Punjab and Haryana where a skewed sex ratio has caused an acute shortage of “local brides’, this new kit could definitely undermine the efforts at minimising the menace of female foeticide. Against such a bleak social situation, women’s groups and religious organisations in both the States are now in the thick of a campaign aimed at ending the rampant and widespread menace of female foeticide. As things stand, the female-men ration in India is 933 females for every 1,000 men. However, in sharp contrast Punjab has 874 females and Haryana 857 females for every 1,000 men. Kerala seems to be the only exception. There are more women than men in this lush green South Indian State. According to the Punjab Medical Council, â€There are reports that doctors who are believed to be indulging in the illegal practice to carry out sex determination tests through the ultra-sound technique are selling the kit to the clients.†To cry a halt to this, the State’s medical fraternity has now called for widening the scope of Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PNDT) Act to take care of the latest development. Incidentally, Punjab is known to lose one fourth of all girls who would be born. Appalled by the growing and unchecked trend of female foeticide and abandoned female children, the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabhanadhak Committee (SGPC), the highest seat of Sikh spiritual and temporal authority, has not only issued an edict against female foeticide but has also decided to take care of the abandoned female babies. Towards this end, the SGPC would soon ask the gurudwaras all over the State to place cradles at their entrances and exhort unhappy parents obsessed with “a boy†syndrome to leave “the innocent female children at God’s door and not the devil’sâ€. According to media reports, in recent months, there has been an increase in the number of new-born female children being abandoned in public parks, railway compartments and roadsides. Further, as pointed out by the Centre for advocacy and research, “The preference for a son is a reality but we have to create enough processes to make sex determination costly and difficult. Without this happening, talking of putting an end to sex-determination is like crying in wilderness.†In Rajasthan, ten out of 28 districts have a sex ratio between 850 and 900 girls per 1,000 boys. Recall, the discovery of a few female foetuses in a deserted place outside the township of Nayagarh in Orissa sometime back had created country-wide revulsion. It was alleged that a few doctors working in the Government hospitals had a role to play in this heinous act. Following the public outrage, the Orissa State Health Department raided 277 nursing homes spread across the State. Shockingly, it was found that about 78 of these were unregistered. The truth finally emerged. Nayagarh had become a nerve centre of female foeticide. According to a demographer, “The unholy alliance between tradition (son preference) and technology (ultra-sound) has a played a havoc in Indian society.†Added a doctor, “Ultra-sound was invented in the 1950s for safe motherhood but it has not only killed millions of foetuses in India, it is also a leading cause of matrimonial mortality.†In States such as Punjab and Haryana, where there is a serious shortage of local women, men are forced to marry girls from outside their home states. For instance, Jat men from the pre-dominantly agricultural hamlets of Haryana, enter into wed-lock with girls from the North Kerala township of Payyannur. However, many of these girls from the impoverished social background, unable to withstand the ignominies heaped on them, have returned back to Payyannur. Men from the Punjab villages “import†brides from parts of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and the North-Eastern states. What is more, some Punjabi men have managed to get brides from as far off as Philippines. These brides are not only expected to take care of the rigours of the household work and agricultural operations, but also bear, ideally, a male progeny. In some cases one “bride†is shared by a number of brothers in the family they are married into. Thus, polyandry is raising its ugly head in the rural backyards of Haryana and Punjab. Sociologists are clear in their perception that a huge dowry associated with marrying off a girl is a major factor pushing the people of Punjab and Haryana (to a large extent) and western Uttar Pradesh (to some extent), into the clutches of “female foeticide.†Moreover, as per the Hindu tradition, only a male can light the pyre of his dead father or mother. Besides, a male child is considered a ‘safety net’ in the evening of one’s life. In fact, a favourite justification for supporting the practice of female foeticide is that it serves as an effective tool of family planning. However, many field surveys show that sex-determination tests can only ensure multiple abortions with perilous consequences for the well-being of the female. As it stands, the lack of food, clean drinking water, economic security and safe clinical facilities could lead to a situation where women has to have over six children to ensure one surviving male child. Indeed, as one research study points out, any further reduction in the sex ratio in North India would signify a continuing decline in the relative status of women. Moreover, it would be unlikely to offer any benefit to the women. Thus, the ongoing practice of female foeticide completely negates the glorification of women in India’s religious texts as the “Mother Supremeâ€.

In brief: I feel the real reason is that Sikhs have deserted the true spiritual path as taught by the Gurus & Gurbani. This is seva, simran and sangat ! Our so called religious & spiritual leadership is self-absorbed in self glorification of politics at each level ! They are more interested in "Khursi & Maya" at the expense of the panth. Take a look in Punjab at the present education mess, drug culture, female infanticide, poison water, etc ! No wonder the young generation is truly floundering in the religious / spiritual wilderness. We lack real religious / spiritual knowledge, since we are born in the "Sikh" homes, we persume we know all about it ! Some soul searching and introspection will indicate otherwise and indicate the true picture ! We do not practice what we preach ! Majority of our religious institutions have become "business & social centres" only ! The so called "spiritual & religious" (SGPC and Akal Takht) leadership are presently totally impotent. They are being real chamchas, and at the mercy of the Badals, who have "sold" the Sikhs to the RSS via the BJP ! Without true panthic unity, sense of purpose & direction, and above all without true seva, simran & sangat, I do not see any progress in the near future , unless we learn to WALK rather tham TALK the basic Sikh way of life !