Disabling Punjab — Nris To Blame?

[kdsingh80]

http://www.sikhsangat.org/2010/12/disabling-punjab-nris-to-blame/

We had the money, the resources to enable them instead we worked hard towards disabling them. Once Punjabi’s were known for working hard, living life of dignity and loving their families but that is no longer the case. Today Punjab is riddled with huge unemployment rates, crippling drug problems and the country’s highest girl feticides rate. As much as we like to blame the Indian government for all the issues Punjab is facing, I can’t help but feel we are also responsible. Did we lay the foundation and the Indian Government take advantage of the situation? Are we somehow responsible for the unemployment, drug problems and the loss of love between families?

Did we disable our families from wanting to work by sending them money, with no strings attached? When NRI’s first began earning in other countries, their first concern was sending money home. Originally the money was used to pay off loans occurred over the years and the loans taken out to get out of the country. But once the loans were paid off, NRIs did not shift focus onto fixing up their own living conditions. They kept sending money back home to buy more land, to build a bigger house, to buy a car and etc. The family back home got use to receiving the luxuries without having to earn them. Now the first generation knew the struggle it took to receive those luxuries and was appreciative but the second generation that never had to struggle for anything in life, felt it was their birth right. All of sudden almost all jobs felt unfit for those that were used to getting everything without working. NRIs disabled our youth when it comes to working and caused the beginning of Punjab’s unemployment problems.

If unemployment was not bad enough, it brought a drug problem with it. The youth had no desire to work but had a desire to prove themselves cooler than all their friends. So when they were introduced to drugs, they could afford it using money sent by NRIs but they had no reason not to try them. It became a competition how could find the better drugs, do the better drugs, get the better high between the rich and the spoiled. While the rich competed, the poor looked for outlet for their pain. The pain that comes from knowing that no matter how hard I work, someone will have better stuff then me without even trying. Their pain found the outlet in drugs they could afford and sometimes drugs they couldn’t afford. The addiction got so out of hand, families began cutting their kids off and the youth became desperate. Desperate youth began committing first petty crimes and then major crimes to get their hands on the drugs without which they could no longer imagine their lives.

Families began to fall apart because they did not know how to cope with the wide spread drug epidemic. On one hand their families falling apart on the other NRIs visiting and having to cater to them to keep them happy, so they would keep giving the money that they could no longer operate without. The stress created tremendous amount of tension that began ripping families apart. Everyone knew there were problems but no one said a word. The NRIs could not see how the families back home could be so upset, since they gave them so much; to them the families were just ungrateful. The families back home didn’t know how to tell their NRI family members their true struggles. Struggles that involved spending more than the earned and then getting into debt because they were too dependent on money being sent home by NRIs. About the youth going in the wrong path and people not understanding, blaming them, for everything and still not being able to help their children. All these problems but not being able to talk about it, find a solution because we are all created in this fake perfect world that was made used NRI money. We created the problems that drove our families apart.

And then the Indian government took advantage of the situation, to worsen the condition of Punjab. To break it because it is the home of the Sikhs and the Indian Government has never liked Sikhs. But we are strong people, Punjabis don’t get defeated; we fight. That fight in us, gives us the strength to admit that the NRI’s money caused as much damage as it did good. It gives us the strength to try and fix our mistakes. We can still send money home but we have to make sure it is spent to strength our families, not break them from inside out. The money needs to be spent creating jobs, fighting drugs and saving our daughters. Our time needs to be spent not fighting but connecting with Guru Granth Sahib Ji, so there will never be a need to fight anymore and we can finally have peace.

So, let’s stop focusing on the Indian government; what they did to create the problem and what they didn’t do to solve it. Let’s focus on us; what we did and what we can do to solve our own problems. Let’s stop waiting till it is too late.

[dalsingh101]

Desi Panjabis need to take responsibility for the mess around them.

[kdsingh80]

Desi Panjabis need to take responsibility for the mess around them.

Well This article reflect some harsh truth.NRI's are not 100% responsible but they are partially responsible.Free money create's lots of Damage and kill hard working attitude

[dalsingh101]

Well This article reflect some harsh truth.NRI's are not 100% responsible but they are partially responsible.Free money create's lots of Damage and kill hard working attitude

Some people may have used it wisely. I remember one girl telling me how the money her father sent to her chacha back home was spent on new tractors and how the idiot chacha had 4/5 tractors when he only needed one with the amount of land he had. Then came the inevitable feuds with other farmers who demanded he 'share' with them.

Funny though, if NRIs don't help they are selfish bastards, when they do, they are ruining Panjabis back home.

I tell you one thing, this culture of shifting blame away from ourselves kills the quom more than ANYTHING else. The truth is that the primary Sikh religious institute in Panjab is thoroughly corrupted by very egocentric Jatts who could not care a toss about Sikhi, Sikhs or Panjabis. Droves of the youths are plain layabout junkies. The Jatt culture emphasis on status, wealth, pleasure and dekawaah as well as 'lording' it around (being a sardar in your own imagination) has overtaken the Sikh values of restraint, discipline, abstinence and humility in Panjab. The people seem to lack a moral, spiritual base as well as an intellectual one. Under these circumstances, how are they going to do anything other than go from calamity to calamity?

How is any place with such a strong preponderance of bullshit, superficial values going to be anything other than crap? Plus the combination of apnay's love of err.....chemically altered mental states mixed with Paks across the border with their drug dealing predilections doesn't help at all.

But where is our vibe in all this? Are we just going to keep crying about who has wronged us or start being astute in how we raise and educate our youth? It's hard not to feel that Panjabis deserve every bad thing happening to them these days.

Fix up man!!

Edited January 5, 2011 by dalsingh101

[kdsingh80]

Some people may have used it wisely. I remember one girl telling me how the money her father sent to her chacha back home was spent on new tractors and how the idiot chacha had 4/5 tractors when he only needed on with the amount of land he had. Then came the inevitable feuds with other farmers who demanded he 'share' with them.

There are always some people Who use money wisely

I tell you one thing, this culture of shifting blame away from ourselves kills the quom more than ANYTHING else. The truth is that the primary Sikh religious institute in Panjab is thoroughly corrupted by very egocentric Jatts who could not care a toss about Sikhi, Sikhs or Panjabis. Droves of the youths are plain layabout junkies. The Jatt culture emphasis on status, wealth, pleasure and dekawaah as well as 'lording' it around (being a sardar in your own imagination) has overtaken the Sikh values of restraint, discipline, abstinence and humility in Panjab. The people seem to lack a moral, spiritual base as well as an intellectual one. Under these circumstances, how are they going to do anything other than go from calamity to calamity?

On one hand you are saying shifting blame from ourselves is killing quom on the other hand you are shifting blame to jatts.O.K Please tell me What other castes have done so much great for Sikhism? DSGMC is equally as corrupt as SGPC ,Delhi and Other Urban Sikhs also live lavish lifestyle .Intermarriage of sikhs with Hindu's especially of sikh Girls is such a common news .Urban sikhs are fast assimilating themselves into hinduism ,should we blame also this on jatts?

[dalsingh101]

On one hand you are saying shifting blame from ourselves is killing quom on the other hand you are shifting blame to jatts.

How is that shifting blame? They are a part of 'us'. The point is that our problems mainly stem from within us.

In anycase, the numbers of Khatris in the panth makes them pretty uninfluential as a cultural force in Panjab these days. This is only probably different in Delhi.

This whole victim mentality desi Panjabis have adopted en masse needs to stop now.

PS - Plenty of British Sikh are assimilating themselves all over the place too. We don't have that insular mentality I guess, well, at least when it comes to outsiders, between ourselves we act like idiots. The amount of Jattian or apneean in general married to, or dating goray (and others) I've met at work is beyond counting. What's your point?

Given the female feticide, inter-cultural and inter-religious marriages are only going to become more prevalent - not less.

Edited December 16, 2010 by dalsingh101

[jaikaara]

the prob with the people is nothign but arrogance and ego, punjabi/jatt pride is the cause, the feeling of superiority and looking down on others as some miserable creatures has shown the result.

talk to any punjabi in delhi whether hindu or sikh, it doesnt matter if u r new, in minutes they want u to know that they r highly paid and highly influenced and also want to know yor caliber.

marriages are where they show their pomp, nothing wrong in spending one's own money but then its a race, in a locality if someone's son has gone to usa or canada, the others start wondering when their's would go, if not to usa then atleast to australia or new zealand.

family values are gone for a toss, see the divorces and at the rates they are rising specially amongst apne.

its all about hook or crook one has to get success .. in canada the drug mafia has a good number of apne, bindy johal, Batthar are well known names in canada

here is something i came across on this discussion :

http://www.sikhsangat.com/index.php?/topic/28225-punjabi-mafia-in-canada/

my cuzon was also killed over gang war in vancouver, wen i was last in canada i was reading a newspaper with a singhs foto on who was wearing a big round orange gol dastaar nice long daree and then i was shocked wen i red that he was caught smuggling drugs in his dastaar and underwear, 3 months later he was also killed.

do we have answers for all this ?

[kdsingh80]

In anycase, the numbers of Khatris in the panth makes them pretty uninfluential as a cultural force in Panjab these days. This is only probably different in Delhi.

Yes this is my point ,In urban India other castes are influential but nothing good for sikhism is happening,so why to onoy point finger at jatts?They have their bad points other castes have their.

PS - Plenty of British Sikh are assimilating themselves all over the place too. We don't have that insular mentality I guess, well, at least when it comes to outsiders, between ourselves we act like idiots. The amount of Jattian or apneean in general married to, or dating goray (and others) I've met at work is beyond counting. What's your point?

Well Its obvious some of them those living in england's cities may assimilate themselve into British culture,but number of jatt sikhs is quite large so it does not matter if handfull of british sikhs assimilate themselve as long as their rural backbone is intact on the other hand other caste's mainly Khatri's don't have any such rural backbone ,once they are gone it is forever.

Anyway My main point No caste among Punjabi's is doing anything good for sikhism

all have their bad points,all are money minded ,just pointing finger at one caste is not going to do any bhala of quom

[dalsingh101]

Anyway My main point No caste among Punjabi's is doing anything good for sikhism

all have their bad points,all are money minded ,just pointing finger at one caste is not going to do any bhala of quom.

Yes this is my point ,In urban India other castes are influential but nothing good for sikhism is happening,so why to onoy point finger at jatts?They have their bad points other castes have their.

I would have agreed with you if it weren't for the fact that Jatt Sikhs go out of their way to make out like they are some sort of thekadaars of the Sikh quom. If they are, then they are doing a really crap job at this right now, living off what you may have helped do in the 18th century just doesn't cut it now.

I see the halat of Panjab as very important to the wider Sikh condition. If things are really messed up there, then questions have to be asked and fingers pointed at those making a mockery of supposedly running the show on our behalf. Personally, I see Delhi being of marginal importance in this respect. I guess this is plainly Panjabicentrism?

[Jogi]

I see this "Maya Jaal" (WWN world wide net of money) everywhere, not just limited to Punjab.

Dhan Dhan Baba Guru Nanak ji said that we should only use "hak di kamai" (honest earnings), when money is given free then you didn't really deserve it in most cases and it must be repaid one way or the other. It is especially bad when it comes from places where it shouldn't (like your sister, brother-in-law), and I have seen it first hand how people start disrespecting free money which they didn't have to earn and end up worse off.

The only way to get out of this situation is Gurbaani and naam simran, have faith in Waheguru and he will provide one with everything such that they don't have to look elsewhere.

[HSD1]

The truth is that people in Punjab should be more responsible with their money. Use it to educate their children abroad, set up a business that isnt already in Punjab or buyout land/buildings owned by undesirables in the Punjab. Not on drugs, deras, dodgy babas or a regiment of tractors.

Edited January 4, 2011 by HSD 2