The

_V_O_I_IV i 9_h_tl_y_)__R_u..;.p_e_e_s_T_w_O_ _ _ _ _ _ _
__N_O_"._1_8_1_-1_5_0_ct_o_b_e_r_19_8_9_(_F_o_rt_n_ G a z e He
In This Issue
Strategy To Keep Sikhs
VIEWPOINT
Page
Away From Voting
The Question 3
clear that in view of its precarious by them is likely to be quite effec- ranks and cynicism among
Of Development By FG Correspondent situation and prevailing mood in tive. For some people will volutar-' masses. Given a free hand by the
the country the ruling party is plan- ' ily follow their dictates and some government, some extemist outfits
ning all types of strategies. Vari- will not go to polling booths out of may gain public goddwill in the
CONTROVERSY any observers are ous reports, . opinion polls and fear. process, and oblige the govern~

Move To
Introduce
'Manu Smriti'
5
M
(Manjit Group)
feeling disturbed on analysis so far have shown that if
the All India Sikh Stu- opposition is able to provide direct
dents Federation fight then atleast in some states it
convention held at can have almost clean sweep.
Amritsar on 20 September and Punjab is considered t,.., be one
It may be pointed out that even
in September 1985 elections call
to boycott elections was given. But
then the government was support-
ing the moderate Akali elements
ment by giving a call for election
boycott.

Sikh Card

(j CENTRESPREAD
government's response towards it. such state where if vari~us Akali
They are asking questions how factions unite and join hands with
and the ruling party was prepared
to lose some seats. Now the sit- S uch a boycott call may help
Congress also playing the
first of all such a convention whose other opposi~ion parties, it will be uation is reverse. Sikh card in some other states as
outcome was known was allowed' quite difficult for the Congress(l) to The point becomes clearer. it did in 1984. May be this time this:
Jawahar Lal 6&7 to be held. Then why no action has
win any seat. But if a signific<;lnt when one finds government's card may not prove to be trump
been initiated against those ...... ho position of Sikh voters do not par- card but nevertheless it may have,
Nehru And The hand in creating and increasing
moved or passed resolutions ticipate in elections then Congress confusion in Akali ranks. SGPC some impact. Prime Minister has:
Arab World including for "establishment of lia- may win some seats. president is being treated as a
already started beating the
sion with militant organizations in The Strategy state guest in his detention. He is Anandpur Sahib Resolution and
t he country like the NSCN, the' allowed to meet all sorts of visitors perceived threats to countrY's
RELIGION and make statements and allega- unity.

Dussehra: 8
PLA, the Kashmir Liberation Front
and the TNV front", "own raj, I t seems that Congress{l) is
working on a strategy whereby '
sarkar and darbar", plea for help a section of Sikhs do not partici-
tions. One consequence of this While almost all saner elements '
has been the controversy about are suggesting for rejuvenation of
pate in elections if some extremist . Akal Takht Jathedar, Prof. D~r~ democratic process in Punjab, the
The Victory from Pakistan, etc.
If this attitude of government is organizations are allowed to mob- shan Singh. It is by now clear that ruling party's thinking seems to be
Of Good seen along with other develop- ilize some mass support for them relationship between Akal Takht opposite. For it winning a few
ments and in context of forthco- and in the process also discredit Jathedar and SGPC president are seats in elections is more impor-
Over Evil ming elections the answer seems the established Akali leadership, no more cordial. Needless to say tant. And for that if natinal interest
to be obvious. By now it is quite then a cult fClr boycott of elections this can lead to confusion in Akali Continued on page 4

OPINION
Playing With 9 Police Brutality In Punjab
I
.The Security Of
The Nation Height Of Highhandedness
squads have ol')ce again displayed another daughter were out in the Border Security Force personnel
CHILDREN By FG Correspondent abuse of their unlimit~d power. corridor. These AK-47 weilding on duty at the Suchani post about
Kid's.Questions 10 ri the dark hours of September
Five of ,them travelling in a white
Maruti van (PCB 1381) got to the
men asked Mohinder's wife to call 3 km away. These BSF personnel

I
On Computer 10 a group of five policemen
of Punjab attempted to rob the
village Kaler Khurd in Gurdas -
HUMAN RIGHTS pur district and in their unsuccess-
ful bid to flee one innocent
Husban,-d 11 teenager was killed . Though this '
was not an isolated and new
Subjects His development of state terrorism, the
Wife To Agni incident has sparked off wide-
spread resentment among the
Prareekshah
.. intellectuals and right-thinking
people in the country.
v For anti-terrorist operations an
SPOTLIGHT underground hit-squad was
formed by the Punjab police some
Attempts To 12 time back. They are often called
Undermine The 'Cats'. All of these Cats are given
unlimited power and are granted
Sikh Political even the 'licence to kill'. These
underground hit-squads were orig-
Power inally meant to infiltrate into the
network of terrorists and, thus, tor-
pedoe their base. But as time pro-
PLUS gressed these Cats turned into
Many More With state criminals primarily because
of lack of integrity in the security
Our Regular Features seryice system and sincerity in the '
actions of the government.
This latest operation of these.
the male members of the house. along with the villagers searched
outskirts of the village Kaler Khurd Having all the members of the the pockets of the slain Cat whose
around 11 .30 p.m. These Cats together in a corner, one of them body lay in the courtyard of
managed to bully the house plundered into the house and Mohinder's house. From the
owner's sister, Sukhwinder Kaur, started looting. SlJddenly there pocket, an identity card bearing
and took away about 30 grams of was a commotion and a shootout the name of Jaswinder Singh, son
of Joginder Singh, resident of vil-
lage Thande, was recovered. The
identity card bore the belt number '
Police highhandedness has cost many a life of the policeman which read,
in the trouble-torn state of Punjab in the Number 1821. A driving licence
was also recovered from the Cat's
last few, years. The recent looting and pocket which also carried the
killing spree in Kaler Khurd village is same information.
taking place only days after the unleashing As ill luck would have it, the
remaining four Cats did not come
of brutality on two mothers in the Batala to know they had killed one of their
police station area own men. So they all waited for
the dead man to come and drive
them away, as the dead man had
gold ornaments and- about Rs . followed it. ' Mohinder's son and
the keys of the van. So they waited
ir .he nearby sugarcane field. The
2000 in cash. . one of the policemen were left aSF personnel on seeing the
After the loofjhese' men jumped. killed in the confusion. In the dark- empty van , surro,l,mded the area.
intothe second house belonging ness the Cats shot their o,wn man After a little search they discov-
to Mohinder Singh, a decorated and not realising this they waited ered the Cats hiding in 1;1e field .
soldier of the 1962 Chinese .for their friend outside the house. Later these men were identified as
aggression. Mohinder and hisln'the meantime the boy's uncle, known police .Qats.
. daughter were sleeping inside ' also a police constable living next Continued on page 4
;w~ile his teenaged son, wife and door, went and informed the
 ... ~ ,

i FORUM~
~ ~~ \ - ... , I, .. " p ...

! OPEN FORUM
. . . tlazeHet ~ .. - ._ "" , - - >- I ~'.:-' . .... ~.

~lETTERS tSZI Sound And Fury

Registration Of
Parties ancEi partner of the not-so-secular Since then, a lot of injustice has Mr. Rajiv Gand hi givGS extensions to Mr Katre and Mr Katre gives
National Conference(F) in Jammu been meted out to the community, extensions to Mr Raji'/ Gandhi.
and Kashmir and of the tribal par- specially due to the President's -Mr. V.P. Singh

A.
total of 216 parties and
organizations have sought
reg istration with the Election
Commission as political parties. All
will pledge faith in the principles of
, Socialism, secularism and
democracy". But once registered,
wil] they honour the pledge? Will
~he BJP and the Muslim League
not seek votes in the name of
Rama Janambhoomi and Babri
Masjid? Will the Akalis not use the
gurdwaras and ask for votes in the
name of the Panth?
There may ' be millions ill this
country who do not believe in
Socialism as an Ideology' Should
they be denied a political forum
because Section 29-A of the Rep-
resentation of the People Act so
decrees? Will it not'offend Article
19 (right to form associations or
unions) and Article 25 (right to
freedom of conscience) of the
Constitution?
Had there been, for instance, a
Swantantra party around, would
the Election Commission have
forced C. Rajagopalachari or Piloo
'Mody to go around mouthing the
virtues of Socialism? When polit-
ical pluralism is becoming a real-
ity in Eastern Europe aAd even in
the Soviet Union, why should we
Jry to turn the clock back in India?
One wonders.
And then, which brand of
Socialism-Marxism, JP's Demo-
cratic Socialism, British Socialism,
Nehruvian Socialism or Socialism
'of the Scandinavian countries-a
political party will have to swear by
.to get itself registered? Will such
a vague law not create difficulties
for the Election Commission?
Secularism is a mirage in this
~untry , The Congre~.s(l) is an alli-
t.t.naR1IJlI Editor
AmrlK.lnah
G_neral MtmBger
Ll. Col. Manohar Singh
(Reid.)
ties in Tripura and Meghalaya. It
flirted with the Muslim League in
the Tamil Nadu elections in Jan-
uary. In Mizoram it played the
Christian card to the hilt.
The Janata Dal is an ally (in the
National Front) ,of the semi-
separatist DMK, the TOP and the
AGP. Mr Devi Lal and Mr Ajit
Singh swear by Jatism. Mr V.P.
Singh had to depend on Syed
Shahabuddin for Muslim votes in
the Allahabad byelection. Mr
Chandra Shekhar is up to anything ,
from flirting with the Akalis to wear-
ing Jayaprakash Narayan 's
mantle.
The CPM had no qualms about
joining the DMK-Ied front (in the
Tamil Nadu elections) which had
an alliance with. the Lateef group
of the Muslim League-leave
. alone its long association with the
League in Kerala, even having
Leaguers as Ministers.
Will registration be refused to all
these parties?
And now democracy. In 1980,
the Election Commission had
pointedly referred to undemocra-
tic trends in political parties and
recommended that a law should
be enacted providing for "regulat-
ing their internal functioning and
the manner and mode of elections
of their off ice-bearers." But has
anything been done in this area?
Things have rather worsened over
the years:
In fact, Section 29-A was not at
'all necessary. We are a "sove-
'reign, socialist, secular, democra-
tic republ ic". And every legislator ,
has to declare his commitment to
the Constitution under Article 84
(for Parliament) and under Article
173 (for State Legislatures) of the
Constitution.
5.S. Jain
Chandigarh
I '
Christians and JD
Order 1950, according to which
only the Hindu and Sikh Sche- !
duled Caste and Scheduled Tribe
Mr Gandhi wants only the P.M. and the D.M. but not the C.M.-
-Mr Devi Lal.
communities could get the bene-
fits of reservation and other priv- Is the Congress(l) clean ?
ileges granted by the Constitution. -Mr Nar Bahadur Bhandari.
There have been anti-conversion
Bills passed in UP, Bihar and The Congress(l) is just like the Gang a. It is pure and can never
Arunachal Pradesh. In spite of the be dirtied.
community's tremendous work in -Mr Kalpnath Rai.
the field of education , health ser-
vices and social services in bui ld- Which is a worse disease-<:holera or plague ?
ing up the nation, the community -Mr E.M.S. Namboodiripad, asked whether he considered the
is still looked down on by the Gov- Congress(l) or the BJP the bigger enemy.
ernment with suspicion by deport-
ing priests who have served India I bel ieve that Arun Nehru and V.P. Singh are making' a "naqli"
for more than 40 years. Congress out of the Opposition.
The Janata Dal should promise -Mr Akbar (Dumpy) Ahmad.
to grant justice to the Christian
community by rectifying and Political power cannot grow out of the barrel of Bofors.
reversing the above mentioned -Frontier.
order and granting benefits to
Dalits in Christian and other minor- The line dividing politicians and journalists seems to be getting
ity commlJnities. thinner by the day. Once there were politicians who wrote, now
we have writers who politick.
Mark Machado -K.S. in The Sunday Observer. _
C-14, Divine Light I think the Press has contributed to fanning terrorism in th e State.
137, M. V. Road -Dr Farooq Abdullah.
Andheri (East)
BOMBAY-400 093. I have the highest regard for the Indian Press. I hold journalists
in very high esteem.
-Mr J. B. Patnaik.
The idea of an Indian writing in English is fascinating to most
people, like Dr Johnson's dog standing on hind legs.
-Jay Dubashi in Organiser.
Readers are: You Presswallahs want to have unlimited freedom eVAn to sell
requested to send the country.
-Mr K.K. Tewary.
in their letters
neatly hand- I am concerned more with my country than with myself.
-Mr Morarji Desai.
written or type-
'written to the If anyone calls me a madman must I go around trying to prove
I am not mad?
Editor, Forum
-Mr AB.A Ghani Khan Chowdhury.
Gazette,3 Masjid
Road, Jangpura, I am Chief Minister, not a cheap Minister.
-Mr Devi Lal.
Bhogal, New The iron curtain has begun to part.
Delhi 110 014. Let- -President Bush.

ters may be edited Solidarity was fully financed by the CIA.

ith regard to the reported
Editors
A.S. Herang
Glan Singh Sandhu
W call from the Janata Dal to
Christians to support it in the
for clarity. ~Mr B. T. Ranadive.

The very fact that the USA and the USSR should pay lip service
coming"elections, it is true that the
to NAM should be a mat1er of concern to us.
As,i5tant Editor Congress has ditched the minor-
-Mr AP. Venkateswaran.
KH Neza.r (8alju) ities and has not kept the word
given by the Founding Fathers of
Design the Constitution.
PH Cllex

Business Manager
Onkar 51ngh Gulral
NEWSHOUND By Rap
"' , M~1 APrOJllT A
Publishers
Ekta Trust
2121, Sarva Prlya Vlhar
.... Deihl 110 016
Ph. 160738
I,
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ltn'O1H J

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New Deihl 110 014.
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1-15 October 1989

VIEWPOINT
......111111111111111111....111111111111111111111111111111111111111111..1111111111111111111111111111
FORUM
. Gaze~~

.'The //h~ Minority Rights The Question Of

FORUM '//./
Civil Liberties
Equality For Women
Gazett. Democratic Values Development
./ &/ -'.Envir~:mmental Protection
level it is necessary to understand emanate. Not only are these
By Amal Sanyal the question in relation to our own people denied the right to educa-
process of developmElnt and its tion, shelter, employment, justice,
own specific institutions. minimum wages and health ser-
he essence of economic

T
development, as we all
know, is the process of
man's victory over the
The Sri Lanka Tangle forces of nature. The struggle
against nature at the most elemen-
tary level is for food. shelter and and the one least commented
cjothing , and at a more advanced
hile an agreement between India and Sri Lanka level the same struggle continues
I will he brief. I fee i that in the vices, but their own perception of
their traditional common property
context of our own economic
rights are treated as criminal and
development, there are ~t least
three distinct sources from which is one of the most distressing
the problem of rights or the denial
of rights emanate. The fore most,
issues in many states of the coun-
try.
The second source that can be
upon is the following . The eco-
identified is related to the following
nomic evolution In independent

W for the withdrawal of the IPKF has been negot- in order to make nature yield these
benefits more easily. The growth
iated and 'signed, that does not appear to be the
of civilization and productivity is
end of the matter. Both countries are interpreting
essentially this process. It is a par-
it differently. India maintains that this agreement is an elabo- adox, therefore, that this process
ration, and not a replacement, of the July 1987 agreement ")f development which ' to that
between the two countries. Sri Lanka thinks otherwise. In this
extent liberates mankind, should at
. situation, if things get further complicated it would not be a sur- the same time restrict the rights of
prise. its vast majority, putting them in
India's approach is based on two assumptions. The stated one servile bonds to the handful minor-
is that India entered into the 1987 agreement partly to protect ity of others.
the unity and integrity of Sri Lanka and partly to safeguard the At a very general level of
interests of the Tamil population there. What remains unstated . abstraction, perhaps we know the
answer to this riddle. With each
is something different, more as alleged by other countries than
advance that humanity made in its
as admitted by India. This is an indirect way of saying that India
looks upon herself as a dominent power in South Asia.
. path of gaining mastery over
nature, the organization of people
While this need not be questioned, at least one country- engaged in this pursuit became
Pakistan-refuses to accept this is hypothesis. With the Amer- more complex. giving separate
ican and Chinese support that Pakistan undoubtedly has her .roles to separate groups of people
reservations about India and these cannot be disregarded. Con- in relation to this growingly com-
sequently, this means some kind of continuing confrontation plex organization of production.
between the two countries. Private, property and classes
developed subjugating one group
Without going into these details, it is important to examine
the unstated asumption which consists of two parts. One part of people to another in the orga.n-
ization of the struggle for wresting
(protecting the unity and integrity of the country) has been over-
away benefits from nature, soon
taken by events. If there is a near civil war situation in Sri Lanka,
giving rise to an uneven distribu-
this is partly because of the presence of Indian troops in that
tion of these benefits. The eco-
country. To withdraw the Indian troops would save the unity nomic rights, which I may :,escribe
and integrity of the country rather than otherwise. But India is as the r:ghts of having a fair share
not so willing to do so, more for reasons of domestic compul- of the struggle against N\~Ure
sions than because the presence of Indian troops in Sri Lanka which is jointly undertaksn, cClrne
helps the latter. This has been analysed in such detail by many a to be unevenly distributed. not
commentator that it is not necessary to say anything more about it. accidentally but as a necessary
It is the second part of the assumption which is more ques- .result 0'1 th a p ~ocess of human
tionable. While it is true that India has a stake in the security pursuit f .)j freedom f.rom na;:ure.
and welfare of Tamils in that country, surely it does not require And to perpetue.te this un:;:.';,!]
character of econpmic rig r~s , lhe
the presence of Indian troops in Sri Lanka to ensure it. This
India has been directly managed
by the state. But neither the private
sector industry nor the state had
large enough resources for the
kind of economic expansion the
country had gone in for from the
2nd Five Year Plan onward . Big
industry rather weak in its social
base and credibility has been
maintained in ~s pol~ical rule by an '
alliance with all other sections of
property owning class~s and the
pettybourgeosie, a fact which has
preemp~ed any . possibility of
.,IIJ.
-To perpetuate the
uneven character of
economic rights, the
political rights were
devised in a
manner that would
reinforce rather
than contradict the
unequal
distribution of
economic benefits
facts . The political rule of big
industry, as we mentioned above,
has been feasible only through an
alliance with various other classes.
In the countryside for example,
these other classes provide the,
electoral support for the big indus-.
try. and in exchange maintain their:
own oligarchical strangle holds on'
the local people. Similarly in indu-
strial and mine areas the leaders'
of musclemen and money lenders
find big capital their electoral sup-'
port by manipulating, buying or
coercing the workers and in.
exchange manage to perpetuate
their own stronghold on the local'
people. Also, these local oligar-
chies both in countryside as also
in industrial areas not only
manage the electoral support but
also provide the infrastructure.
intelligence, social support and
other resources for the local level
government bureaucracy in its
management of day-to-day affairs
of these places and the distribution
of loans, subsidies, and oth er offi-
cial beriefits in the area. They are
thus an important component of
the political system and are not
going to get weakened with the
.progress of industrialization, as
many people bel ieve . Th is wide-
spread rule of oligarch ies at th e
grass-root level is a second impor-
tant source of undermining and
denial of democratic rights all over
the country. They not only enforce

. argument, if stretched further, can lead to ludicorus results. For
instance, Indians constitute 10 percent of the Malaysian pop-
ulation. Except for one or two percent, the rest are Tamilian.
Does it follow that if there is discrimination or insecurity for
the IndianS living in that country, India would be entitled to send
her troops there?
What about Fiji? Half the poPl1lation thyre is Indian. In the
1987 coup, they were displaced from power. What ditl India do
in that case?
The point in refering to these analogies is that India has no
moral or legal claim to intervention in Sri Lanka. Because of
the peculiar circwnstances in that country, something happened
in 1947. To stretch that claim to the point of a continued presence
in 1989 is neither defencible nor wise.
As stated earlier, Indian keenness to keep her troops in Sri
Lanka is-born out of electoral compulsions within the country.
These are t elated to the loss of face in an election year. In a
Sense, election time is about the worst time for a rational and '
sensible political decision. What is happening today is largely
. because of the impending election. It requires to be said how-
. ever, that elections, while important, cannot be allowed to decide
the political future of the country. The country is more impor-
1.fmt than a political party and this must never be lost sight of.
. rights in our society could not be large private and public units, in
"'11'
political right s -"'! 3re devised in a unlawful contracts on the society
at grass roots, but also forcibly
manner that wvuk; ,einforce rather
than contradict the unequal dis- resource raising through confisca- block any possible access to law.
tribution of econ ,~ mic benefits. tion or taxation of private property, They also impede the develop-
This very generall,lnderstanding Among its various other conse- ment of trade- union rights in the
is. I believe, a common know- quences one has been thesyste - industrial areas as well as in coun-
ledge. And the belief, that given matic encroachment by private tryside.
the spectacular achievement of property and state on common The seco nd probl em just dis'
the human race in its struggle property in the country . Forests, cussed above stems from the con-
against nature, it is feasible to do pasture, beachrs, rivers, fisheries tinuation of old oligarchic structure
away with this uneven structure of- and small mines that were part of of execution in a system whos6
rights and entitlements, stirs the common property, particularly in declared appearance is democra-
people all over the world into the areas of the Indian native tic. The third kind of problems arise
myriad forms of struggles against kingdoms or tribal chiefdoms have. out of a genuine conflict between
all kinds of domination and. hier- . been systematically encroached the old and the new in the process
archies be it against imperialism or upon over the jast forty years, and of development rather than
apartheid or chauvinism or for the process is still continuing. The because of their complicity . As a
asserting human rights over other resultant separation of millions of result of the development of indus-
kinds of subjugation and oppres- people from their traditional source try, increase in the number of
sions. I will like to examine the of food, shelter, cloth ing and fuel, urban centres, spread of educa-
question of human .rights in the and forcing them upon the rest of tion and other positive de>velop-
specific context of our. own eco- the society as a source of cheap, ments in whatever lim~ed amount,
nomic development. I will concede ununionised, uneducated and there has arisen in many areas Cof
that at a sufficiently rarefied level unskilled labour to work on con- the economy a sense cif defiance
of abstraction; the. problem of struction sites, as casual labour in :to the old local authorities, be it in
the rural areas, in urban or metro
very different from that in others mines and in all kinds of low-paid politan an post towns, inside off-
and there may not be anything Sui and hazardous jobs is the first and ices and institutions or even inside
generis different in the Indian sit- foremost source from which pro- th~ fam.'lies: 0 -'; the citherhand the
.
uation. But at the more concrete blems of rights of various kinds
- Continued on page ~

1-15 October 1989

'F ORUM..
", ________________________
The Height Of Highhandedness
Continued from P~9f'. 1
years. This horrible incident is 16-30 Sept. 1989). E-ren before Amritsar district, was picked up by _.;perienced police officer of Mr
Other Incidents the Chowk Mehta police on April Riberio's stature has gone with the '
taking place only days after the the furore over the B.atala outrage

P olice highharidedness has

cost many a life in the trouble
tom state of Punjab in the la~t few
unleashing of brutality on two
mothers in the Batala police sta-
tion area (The FORUM GAZETTE,
could die down, another incident
of torture came into public view .
18. He was relaesed fo ilov,'ing a
high court order, then ag ain
whisked away by the police.
wind . The government, it seems,
have no intention to find a solution
to the trouble in the border state,
Baldev Singh of Shapur village in
Again , the high court intervened instead it covertly pouring fuel into
and he was finally produced the fire which has already con-
before a judge on August 25. He sumed a lot of oxygen . Some
told a tale of brutal torture wh ich unfortunate reactions like that of
has left him a virtual skeleton with murder and kidnapping of sons of

. . .. . .,h.
For anti-terrorist operations an underground

~- - ------,
hit-squad was fonned by the Punjab police
some time back They are often called 'Cats'. All
of these Cats are g iven unlimited power and are
granted even the 'licence to kill'. These
underground hit-squads were orig inally meant
to infiltrate into the network of te rro rists and,
thus, torpedoe their base. But as time
progressed these Cats turned into s tate criminals

WIllI1 . ~. .' . '

broken legs. The court ordered his
imm ed iate hospitalisation. Th e
police on its part gave no offi cial
expal antion fo r his illegal deten-
tion , though sources sa id that it
was a case of mistaken identity .
The condit ion in Punjab is going
bad to worse day -by-day. Th e
gov e rnment does not mind
reason . Even advice fro m a most
senior police officers have already
taken place . Killing of innocent
children of police officers cannot
be ju~tified by any st:etch of j u~) ')
tltlcatlon. But state , It seems, i
bent upon creating situ ation s in
wh ich terrorism flourishes, gulf
between people and police increa -
ses, and ultim ately ch aos preva ils.

-
For wh at? That is an ybody's gues~

To Keep Sik h s
Away Fronl Yoting
------------------------ -------------- .--- --
for no reaso n.

FORUM
Continued from page 1
One wond ers where thi s adho-
needs to be compromi sed that is cism, just to win elections will lead.
no mailer of concern . That is why If government is seriou s to hold
Gaz~tte lead ers known for their belief in. talks with extremist outfit s then it
legislative politics are being kept must do so in a prope r manner
A NATIONAL FORTNIGHTLY FOCUSSING ON in detention while extremists are But the game of playing on ,'
being given free hand to arouse against the other will only prove
Minority Rights. Civil Liberties. Equality for Women the sentiments. Police repression 'dangerous for the long run . Hope
Democratic Values. Environmental Protection is providing sufficient following for people and those political partie s
extremist groups. On the other which teel concerned about
PLUS hands some of the leaders known democratic values and national
for their moderation and legislative interest will realize the game and
Cir,lema. Sports. Books. Science. People. Short Stories. Religion politics are being kept in detention will not be traped in .it.
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1-15 October 1989

 CO~NiiiT.RO.V.EiiiRSiiY_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ FORUM
By Baiju
n June this year 'a life-size
I statue of Manu, 'the father of
law,' was installed at the pre-
mises of the Rajasthan High
Court by some ultra-conservative
and anti-social elements with the
" partial' permission of the acti~g
.The statue of Manu in the compound of the Rajasthan
high court.
Chief Justice of Rajast~an . High
Court, Mr. Narendra Mohan Kas-
liwal, who is presently Chief Jus-
tice of Himachal Pradesh High .
Court. The installation of the statue
has sparked off a major contro-
versy with several scheduled
caste organizations demanding its
immediate removal.
Every human being is born free
and equal. The lowness and high-
ness of a person cannot be judged
by the accident of birth. But Manu
It'\opagated an id,ea which went
~~ntrary to the very concept of
equality 'of humar. beings, He con-
cocted the idea of privileges and
contempt on the basis of the so-
called purity attached to a person
by birth. The initiation of this idea
paved the way for the Brahminist
hegemony over the Hindu society.,
Manu helped the division of
humanity into different groups and
thus subjugated most of the
groups permanently by providing a
set of laws that would give Brah-
mins the most privileged position
in the society, , revered figure among Hindus,
The law of Manu is highly dis-
;criminative against the persecuted.
classes and women. Under the
constitution of Inc;:lia, which ensh-
'rines equality, justice and democ-
racy, any honoui ' conferred upon
Manu by the state should be a
gross violation of the basic tenets
and dignity of the Constitution,
The statue, jointly sponsored by .
the Rajasthan 'Judicial Officers'
Association and the local Lions
Club was scheduled to be
unveiled on 28 June but because
of the growing protests the unveil-
ing ceremony was postponed, but
some miscreants unveiled it in the '
evening the same day.
1-15 October 1989
. " .
badly shaped gOdS or hut mos
Statue O'f Manu Installed At H.C. Premises -ques ' with- a bOx ~r extracting
donations. On the fOotpaths, in the
middle of roads, in gOvemment off-;
Move To Introduce ices, public vehicles and a1mos~
everywhere, where one is .not
'Manu Smriti'
supposed to install his relig;dU
feelings in any form, one "an 'sea
a moorthy of a god. Now-a-dc3,ys
all government meetings and cer-'
emoriies are commenced with rit,
uals from holy books. However,
, other, Sharma referred the case to a :only the beginnings are marked
The counsel for the Ambedkar with a religious note, the course
bench of the High Court. Over the
Vichar Manch, Mr. Prakash Bagri, ignores all dharmas. ,
"",id the decision to install M<,,'w's past few days, many dharnas' So far all thes& unwarrented ,
~tatue had violated the spirff of the have been organized in the Court and tension creatingtdions have
Constitution. He contended that premises in protest against Justice been subjected to questioning by
'Manu Smriti' was at the root-of all Sharma's order. But with installation
The law of Manu is highly discriminative against
the persecuted classes and women. Under the
constitution of India, which enshrines equality,
justice and democracy, any honour conferred upon
Manu by the state should be a gross violation of
the basic tenets of the Constitution. But with ~he
installation of the statue of Manu in the compound
of a High Court itself, the whole question of use of
religion for dubious gains is legitimised
1IIIIIIMT
evils in Hindu society today. He Use of public property and of the moorthy of Manu in the
demanded that . the statue be public places for religious purpo-' compound of a High Court itself,
shifted to a new site. ' , ses is a common doing in India. In the whole question of use of reli- '
Issuing his stay order on the . every corner of the streot one gion for dubious gains is legiti-
removal of the statue, J(jstic~ , would find a small temple with, 'rnised. '
A p'lea filed before the acting
Chief Justice, Mr. Milapchand
Jain, by the Republican Party of
India and other organizations in
,the last week of July arnued that
'the installation of the statue would
hllrt the feelings of the scheduled '
With , best Compliments Fron1
ca:;tes and other weaker sections,
Everl as the Judicial Officers'
A~sociation agreed to remove the
st?tue, a series of writ petitions
were filed against the move. How-
ever, on July 28, a full bench of the
court directed that the statue be
SUPREME ELECTRONICS
dismantled.
,The High Court registrar accor-
dingly asked' tflE~- judical officers
and the Lions Club to comply with
the court's order. Subsequently,
Justice Mahendra Bhushan
' Sharma issued an injunction on
the order in response to a writ peti-
tion. Arguing on behalf of the peti-
tioner, Acharya Dharmendra, his
counsel, Mr. C-K. Garg, said the
, removal of the statue would have
far reaching legal and constitu-
tional implications as Manu was a
The counsel also argued -that'
though the court was competent to
grant or refuse permission of a
statue, it had no power to ordElr its
removal once it was installed.
.Such an-order would- be 'an off':
ence under section 295 IPC and Leaders in
a violation of Article 15 of the Con-
stitution, he contended. Mr. Garg CAR CASSETIE PLAYERS, STERE0 SYSTEMS,
warned that if the High Court
"gave into pressure from a hand-
fuf of people," it would be setting
MICROMOTOR$, TAPE DECK MECHANISM,
a bad precedent. Any order to
remove Manu's statue from the
QUARTZ CLOCKS & TWO-IN-ONES
,court compound would lead to a
. A-62 Naraina Industrial Area Phase I, New Delhi .110028
chain reaction and almost every
statue in the country would hav,,: Phones: 536778, 539380 (Factory)
to be dismantled on one pretext or'
 FOR NTIi

have equally benefitted from each

By Dr. Saleem~ Kidwai

re is hardly any country in

other."
T=
Defeating Imperialist Designs
. the world with which India
has better, warmer and
more cordial relations
.than the countries of the Arab
T national mov~ments were nationalism and makes it appear
world. Jawaharlal Nehru was the
main architect of Indo-Arab under-
standing which has been built up
into a solid edifice. H.e laid the
conceptual framework of India's
Arab Policy long before . India.
became independent. By virtue of'
emotional alfinity with the nation- how often it is repeated :
being the undisputed authority on
foreign affairs in the Indian
National Congress, he prepared.
the base for Indo-Arab firendship
long before independence.
Nehru was basically a historian.
His study of world history turned ~
him. into an admirer of the creative
contributions of the Arabs to world
civilization. Besides, he was
greatly fascinated by the cease-
less intellectual and'cultural con-
tacts between India and the Arab
world since time immemorial.
While addressing a seminar on
Indo-Arab relations in 1964, he
rightly observed: "Throughout the
course of history both the regions,
I!'epr.~senting two great ciyilj.zations
Jawaharlal Nehru j
History", so England puts Jewish islT'. His support for Palestinian. ialist designs aimed at deprivi
o Nehru, India and Arab religious nationalism against Arab Arabs was derived not only from the Palestinian people of th
integral parts of the tide against that her presence is necessary to
moral considerations but also from
his anti-British and anti-colonial
homeland and creating the l
called National Homeland for 1
woi1d imperialism. He was fully act as an arbitrator and to keep the sentiments. Jews. It further resolved that 1
conscious of the imperialist peace between the two. It is the method of solving the Palesti
designs of Britain not only in India same old game which we have problem should be an amical
but in countries like Palestine. As seen in other countries under The Great Betrayal settlement between the Arabs a
alt.$edom fighter ~e cherished an imperialist domination; it is curious the Jews. It appealed to the Je
not to seek shelter under the B
alist stirrings in all parts of the Arab . Stressing the need to sympa- N ehru viewed the Bafour
Declaration of 1917 which
favoured the establishment of a
world. Nehru shared with many of .thise with the Arabs, Nehru argued
his eminent Arab contemporaries "India and Palestine have both Jewish national home in Palestine The acid test of the
the belief that the struggle against their national problems, and both as "a gross betrayal of Arabs by foreign policy of a
imperialism was one and indivis- struggle for independence. They British imperialism . At the
instance of I Nehru, the Indian .
interests of the c
ible. have something in common in the
While in prison, Nehru spent a struggle, and the opponent is the National Congress expressed a' Viewed in this c(
good deal of time in pondering same ... We must , therefore, complete sense of indetification concluded that Ind:
.o ver the events in other countries understand each other and sym- and solidarity with the Palestinian as enunciated by l'
and seriously analysing the world pathise with each other. He thus people and passed several reso- '
situation. He had keenly followed found something common to the lutions (drafted by Jawaharlal
the events in Palestine and had a Arabs and the Indian people-the Nehru himself) supporting the ish Mandatory Authority and not
complete grasp of the issue at fight against British imperialism. Arabs in . .allow themselves to be exploitE
stake in that conflict-ridden coun-. His meetings with the representa- their struggle against the British by British imperialism. Again. th
try. Nehru was fully aware of the tives of the Palestine Nationalist and the Zionists. For instance, the' All India Congress Committee ;
designs of British imperialism that Movement at Brussels in 1927 All India Congress Committee its Wardha sess!on in Decembl
followed the same policy of divide gave him greater insight into Pal- adopted a resolution at its Calcutta 1 938 passed a resolution deplo
and rule in Palestine as it did in estinian affairs. He was very much Session as far as back as 1937. ing the unholy alignment of th
India. As he pointed out in his influenced by the struggle of Pal- The Congress party at its Haripur Jews in Palestine wjtb Britis
famous ~o~ Gljmpse~ of World estiniansagainst British imperial-. session denounced British imper- i mperiali sm. All these I'')Iution

LITEI
HINDUSTAN The Min d (
REFRIGERATION By Dr. O.S. Prem
dead, with Buddha with Plato, will
Add ison. We walk the streets a

STORES eabylon, of Rome ; we see grea

monum ents of Alexandria, 0

2 & 4, Netaji Subhash Marg,
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Freezeking CompressOrS
L
iterature, in any for m
exhales beauty as flow -
ers exhale colour and
fragrance. The waves of
literature permeate in the mind
and inculcate aesthetic sense, a
poet ic justice "Give the wisest
271152, 271898 (Pbx.) Symphonist a tempest to render".
2n725, 27n35 Nothinti is easier than to imitate
521273 the whistling of winds and the
noise of the thunder. Literature
522858 (Director)
speaks direct to the mind and no
material is so powerful to affect the
imagi nation as this.
We appoach life from two
angles-the objective and the sub-
jective: At every moment, we are
conscious in two ways of the world
around us and we look out upon :
realities from two outlooks. Our
reflections range from our sens"'''' '
conf ined to the four walls and
glimpses around on the one hand;
Stockists & Mfrs. of:
and our thoughts soar at will over
Dry Ice & liquid C0:2 the objects and existences of
Liquid Ammonia every country and every age.
Ammonia Valves & These soaring sensations are
Compressors concerned solely with subjective
Copper Tubing outlook and termed literature.
Deep Freezers Literature. is the record of the
Combination Coolers impression in the wider sense,
made by the realities of life, upon
Ice Lolly & Cream Plants
great minds ~nd of the reflections
Water & Brine Chillers
which these men have made upon
Dehumidifiers them. The subject matter covers
Igloo Chumers the whole range of human life and
Soft Ice Cream Dispe~sor~ aC!)vJ!y.
.Sulphurdioxide Let us pause a -momentl o
introspect what literature does for
us. We converse with the great
Shiraz, of Egypt, reared ages age
and some long since crumbled te
the dust, we recreate the life of dis
. tant epochs, of Mahabharta, 0
Ramayana, of Paradise Lost, anc
thus by comparison gauge thE
progress achieved by - en 0
today. Through literature, welearr
wisdom from Soloman, from Aris
tot Ie; law from Justi nian, MOfaiit,
from Vedas, Upnishads. MorE
than th is the masters of -creativE
literature make region of thier own,
people with the ch ildren .of theil
g~nious . Homer has given us an
A nation with
like a s
,an at su nlit isl ands and
.~e seas ; Dante a dark and
~ oIysterious Inferno; Milton a
garden of Eden; Shakespeare, a
new England with landscapes
brightly hued and people finely
real, than the original ; Moliere, a
France, more natural and vivid
than France . of the Grand
Monarque. And so it-is that Faus-
t~s, Hamlet, Odysseus, Beatrice
'arid the rest, spiritual offsprings of
great souls live side by side with
Alexander. Caesar, Joan of ArC:
and Moses: For literature has:
,made the personalities as familiar
ias those of our dearest and inti-"
imate friends,--
Literature enhances our ability

. _:20 ! 14
6 r
,:. ' ....,
1-15. OC
IESPREAD
lnd. The Arab World
ng, obyious!) refl$cted Nehru's senti-
eif ments. Besides passing the res-
l()' olutions the Indian National
he , Congress had several times spon
he$ored the observance of Palest,ine
ne Day in order to mobilise mass
)Ie 'support, agaiSrit the anti
nd Palestinian' British Policy._
N_S In an article published in ~e
rit. Hindu on December 17, 1938"
succesS or failure of the
country is whether the
[)untry gained or lost.
Intext, it can safely be
ia's policy on West Asia
t~hru is farsighted
p Nehru categorically asserted that
~ "Palestine is an Arab country and
e Arab interests must prevail there.
& While the national movement in
tr India under the leadership of
Nehru sympathised with the
.national aspirations of the Arabs,
tl)f la~er ~ealise~ 1hat theJr o~n
~ ;clpatlon was tied up with the
outcome of the Indian struggle.
This brought India and the Arab
world nearer to each other and ,
close contacts were established
between,tfle Indan National Con-
gress and'the Arab national par-
ties like the Wafd Party of Egypt.
'ndia's Interests
:It is, therefore, not surprising that
independent India under the
stewardship of Nehru felt emo
tionally and morally committed to
the national .a_~pirations of the
Arabs. As the architect of free
India's foreign policy Nehru
evinced an abiding concern for.
Paltestine which was and conti
nued to be the crux of the West
Asian problem. One of India's first
priorities in the United Nations was,
to raise her voice against the Par'
tition Plan that created IsraeUndia
tried her utmost to avert partition.
She along with Yugoslavia sub-
mitted a Plan for a federal state of
Palestine. But unfortunately the
plan did nto find favour with other:
coutnries. As a result, Palestine
was partitioned . and Israel
emerged as an exp~nsionist state
grabbing a lot more territory than
was assigned to it by the United
'Nations resolution.
Nehru was fully conscious of the
'complications, the creation of the
' state pf Israel had brought into the
region. In a speech in August 1958
he pointed out, Ever ,since Israel
~me into existence, it has been
a :source of constant irrita~ion to
the Arab countries. This was
because the Arab countries have
looked upon Israel as an outpost
from which their freedom might at
any time be threatened.
Nehru fully agreed with the fears
of the Arab cciuntries. , Conse-
quently, in the Un~ed Nations and
its various forums as well,as in var-
ious Afro-Asian and Nonaligned
'Conferences, India supported the
.Arab stand. Nehru's opposition to
1he creatiortof Israel was based on'
ideological'~s well as -emotional
factors. Ideologically, India knew
from its own experience that par
tition did not solve basic problems;
rather it accentuated them. Emo-
tionally, the long standing friendly
ties with the Arabs moulded
Nehru's attitude. Then there were
questions of india;s political and '
economic needs and interests.
lJndoubtoo.ly the Arab Statesare
the best markets for Indian goods.
The Arabeountries provide a sub
stantial capital for Indian indus
tries. The Arab markets are a
source of .Il)uch needed foreign
exchange. ~articularly important is
the fad that .lndia's growing need
for petroleumerude supply is
being largely met by the Arab
world.
llndia under the leadership of
Nehru also wholeheartedly sup- '
ported the freedom movements in
Algeria, Moracco, Tunisia and
South Arabia This support of India
to the Arab cause was totally in ,
line with her declared policy of
supporting freedom movements in ,
Asia and Africa and her adherence ,
to the principles of secuJarnation
alism.
, The Suez Affair
H owever, it was during the :
Suez crisis that Nehru made
a decisive impact on the Arab
mind. Nehru took the earliest
opport~nity to make it clear that
freedom of navigation in the Suez '
Canal .was not contingent upon
beign run by a foreignowned
company. He justified Nasser's
nationalisation of the canal and
maintained that Egypt had sove
ORUM
Suez
reign rights over the CanaL
Nehru's India lost no time in con
demning the AngloFrenchlsraeli,
attack on Egypt. Nehru denounced
it as a naked aggression, rem.'
niscent of the past colonial.
methods. India further showed its;
solidarity to the people of Egypt in;
their hour of crisis by extending a :
loan of Rs. 50 million to Egypt
which was subjected to Western
economic blockade. ,
- Inbroad terms Nebru's Arab'
policy was rooted in three con
verging principles: opposition to
imperialism; extension and consol
idation of the area of peace; and
restoration of India's cultura~ eco
nomic and commercial links with
the Arab world. The Nehru era
indeed witnessed an allround
development of IndoArab rela
tions. It was during this period that'
the foundations of a sound and
viable policy were .Iaid. The acid
test of the success or failure of the
foreign policy of a country is
whether the interests of the coun
try have gained or lost. Viewed in
this context, it can safely be con-
cluded that India's policy on West
Asia as enul}ciated by Jawaharlal
Nehru is logical and farsighted. '
The economic, cultural and polit
ical interests of India are inexor-
ably linked with the Arabs both in
the short as well as long term per'
spectives.
..

fHumanity
,for understanding the world and the sympathy. It appeals to
heightens and intensifies the plea' desires, sentiments, passions.
sure that we derive from works of This literature perpetuates feelings :
art and the face of the nature. and emotions that are true to all '
oft
"For when on my couch I lie ages in all countries I.e. admira
in vacant or in pensive mood tion, pity, tenderness, simplicity
they flash upon that inward eye and innocence.
which is the bliss of solitude". The link between literature and
And then niy heart with pleasure fill ... life is vital. The expression of
, 1Jt.erature is the mind of human- social life and thought is all liter-
~ )terprets every fresh 3ensa ature and the noblest literature is
tion and experience and the race one that expresses in profound
at large has a record of its past in and universal way the most trea
, literature and it is in the light of this sured content of our corporate life.
record alone that its present cir- Literature takes n all characters of rn
:cumstances, can be understoOd. life, its virtues and vices, its ach
Reading maketh a full man; con- ievements, its aspirations and its ,~:
ference a ready man and writing failings.
an exact man."

eak literature is
Literature is social reflection of
changing times through changing'
conflicts and struggles. Literature
,must rise above prejudices and
o
UJ
'nted tree ,oddities and is universal, aiming
. above to rise superior to the
. To define literature, -then in a )narrow sectarian interest in favour
satisfactory manner is an Hercu- of a humanity as a whole. the
poetry of Nanak, Kabir, Farid have .
rn
,~,
Manu-
facturers
of:
,lean task.
Uterature has its importance in , ,immense Universal appeal. Utero
:the life of a community. A country 'ature is a social function. Walt .~
,sans natiC?nal literature. or too Whitman has tru!y said, "Object is
,insignificant to force 'i~~ ways to free, and dilate the human '
'abroad, it virtually unheralded and 'mind." An immortal book is a '
,unknown. Literature is the immor source of strength for ever, inspir-
g.., [FHP Single Phase &
,tality of speech, the brain of the ing .one and all, allover. Goethe; '~ Three Phase 'Motors]
humanity, the mirror of the says, Decline of literature is the
~ociety-a reflection of life. 'decline of a nation, the two keep. '~ (Bush & Bearing Type)
pace in their downward tendencY."
The literature of knowledge is ' The stUdy of1H8rature nourishes'
I direction, a rudder whereas the ,the soul: prepares ' the youth,
,'0 DI9/6,-Qkhla :tndustrial Area PhaseII, New Delhi-l 10 020
literature of power is the sail, the ,adores prosperity; solaces adver-
(IlOve: One cater to the mind, the 'sity, deightes a Home, and refines
ther to the heart. One provides :sensibilities. A nation with weak
;.'0
..
. ,
.
Phone: Fact: 6832289
Resi: 6431138 '
'PN Cilax
!'
e reason, the other the pleasure, , 'Iiterature is like a stinted tree.

r 1989 7
 DUSSEHRA
The Victory Of Good
-B-YN-eer--";"as-wa--";"roo-p Over Evil board and cracker-stuffed effigies.
of the three principal demons of
.the Ramayana-the ten h~aded
Ravana, his brother Kumbhakarna

D
urga Puja and Dus- The ten (Jay festival begins on and his son Meghnada-are
sehra are the curtain ' new moon day of the month of
burned down to the cheers of
raisers of the festive Ashvin. The first nine days of the
thousands of spectators chanting.
month of October, when
Ramchandra ki jai.
the .,country becomes a colourful month are exclusively for the wor- Vijaya Dashmi, which falls on
kaleilloscope of festivals. Each ship of Durga, a practice popular
Octobar 10 this year marks the
festival is a joyous celebration of from ancient times. Called Mah::l-
conclusion of the colourful Dus-
Ine. Like the colours of the rainbow navmi it was initiated when Brah-
sehra festival. In Delhi the day
or t~e seasons that drape the mins worshipped the nine
commemorates Lord Rama's
Indian landscape in spring green, incarnations of the goddess, recit-
return home from exile after his
mustard yellow and chilly red, the ing verses from Vedas and Pura- victorious crusade against evil. In
festivals and fairs of India are nas, for peace and prosperity for
the Bengal tradition the day is
myriad and infinite. The major fes- all. The war Goddess? Durga had
observed as Kali Puja. It com-
tivals of India like Dussehra and killed the demon Mahishas.ura and
memorates the 'coming home' of
Deepawali (Diwali) are celebrated the ninth night called Mahanavmi
the victorious Durga after a pro-
throughout the country, though the was marked forthe 'Niranjana' fes-
, longed and bitter battle against a
emphasis and the rituals involved tival when 'Aayudha' (the wea-
wicked demon, whose atrocities
change from region to region. . pons of war) were worshipped by
against the pious and devout
Dussehra is observed in differ-the militant ruling clans. The fes-
assumed intolerable proportions.
ent ways in different parts of the tival had political significance, for
After killing the demon, the
c;:ountry. It is celebrated as Ram ' .on the following day i.e. Dashmi
daughter Durga on this day returns
Lila in Northern India (Delhi and (Octobar 10 this year) expeditions
to her husband (Lord Shiva) in the
Uttar Pradesh), as Durga-Kali- were planned. Sabarotsava, also
Himalayas after . the Dussehf:'-'~,.
Puja in Eastern India (Bengal, celebrated on Dashmi was an
reunion with her pa~nts in thb I~
Bihar), as Warrior's festival in occasion for licentious revelry and
plains:
Western India (Rajasthan, Guj-amQrous courtship called Bhagal- memorate the Victor)' of good over is- based on the -b'elief that he In Rajasthan Dussehra is
arat), and as Navrathri in South inga. Later, Dashmi came to be evil, of vice over virtue. invoked the blessings of Goddess observed as 'Soldier's Festival'.
India. But essentially it is the wor- associated with the slaying of the Durga (the embodiment of Sakthi) 'T~d~ional arms and armour of the
ship of 'Sakthl (valour) Goddess ten headed Ravana by Rama. The association of Rama, the . before his final battle against the ' by gone chivalrous era are brought
a is symb~li9 of.
...:::='"':==- ., 'Dur!;j8 Puja and Dussehra com-_" seventh incarnation demon king Ravana. Each of the out for display and worship. Rajput
first nine nights,Navaratri of this women observe the occasion with
festival is dediCated to a different prayer and fasting. Young girls are
.aspect of the Goddess Durga. especially enjoined to perform the
Thus in Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh Nava Durga Puja to propitiate the
in particular, principal episodes nine incarnations of the Durga for
from the epic Ramayana are blessings and marital happiness.
With Best Compliments FraIn enacted on open air stages. In the Kullu Valley against th~
Ramlilas have become an backdrop of snowclad mountains'
annual feature of the cultural and villagers dressed in their colourful
religious life. They are based on finery take out processions of local

VENUS
thE' story of Lord Ram as projected deities to the music of pipes and
in the Ram Charit Manas of Tulsi drums and an animal is offered in'
Das, one ot the greatest medieval ritual sacrifice to the gods .
. Bhakti poets of the country, pri-
o; '
Also famous is the Dussehr
marily because it is the greatest of Mysore, where caparisoned ~,~

MEDICAL HALL our living literary heritage, grand in ph ants lead a colourful procession
aesign, majestic in sweep, heroIC through the gaily decorated streets
in content and extremely rich in of Mysore city.
human values and conception., In South India it is Vijaya
The tremendous influence exer- Dasami. It not only marks the end
cised by this immortal story over of Dussehra but also the beginning
Also Available: the hearts and minds of millions of of a new chapter for children. The
our people over the centuries is day is considered most auspicious
unique in the history of world liter- to initiate children into the 3 "R's".
ature. The message of Ram Charit The concluding day is devoted to
COSMETICS, AYURVEDIC Manas, that ultimately good the Goddess Saraswati in her
triumphs over evil and that this manifestation as the patron of

MEDICINES, TOILETTERIES, triumph is not something spon- learning and the arts., In Tamil.
taneous but a result of continuous Nadu a peculiar aspect of Dus-
gearing of human effc;>rt, holds sehra observance is the display of
BABY FOODS, ETC. good for all times. The epic tells us dolls representing the various
that divinity can be realised only manifestations of gods, and their
through the path of self- manifold minions. Made of clay
abnegation, sacrifice and renun- and dazzlingly coloured by crafts-
ciation : This philosophy is brought men these dolls are arranged
home again and again through a attractively, tier upon tier in a cen-
23A, Savitri Cinema Building, plethora of episodes lending it a tral hall in every South Indian
Greater Kailash . II unique Indian personality. home. They are on display all the
Of all the episodes enacted the ten days.
New Delhill0 048 most thrilling part of the Ramlila . Indeed the heritage of India is
celebration is tna vivid portrayal of an amalgam of cultures which
Phone: 6410452 the final battle between Rama and have survived race after race in a
(Tuesday Open) Ravana given by masked dancers riot of colour, 'music, drama,
who go on elaborate floats in a dance, song and prayer, becoming
procession through the city. On an integral part of its festivities.
the tenth day, the culminating point These festivals invariably reflect
of the festival, colossal paste- the aesthetic refinement of Indians.

1-15 October 1989

 IIIIIIII~IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII""IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII""IIII"IIII":
FORUM Gazette

Playing With The Security

,M' r. Jalgam Vengal Rao,
the Union Industries
Minister; made some Of The Nation reins of power allow such Gener-
als even to become Army Com-
manders to occupy the post of
statements on Sep- Chief of Army Staff later on. The
,tember 4, 1989, which contains experience shows no to this.
some very serious remarks and It is difficult to comment authen-
observations on the conduct of the By Lt. Col. Manohar Singh (Retd.) tically in favour of or against the
former Chief of Army Staff, Gen- statement made by General Sun-
eral K Sunderji. The matter should derji in respect of the Bofors gun ,
not be allowed to escape the deal. The glow of the whole epi-
public notice, since these will have tions, 'In cancelling the contract professionally outstanding and pill, rather vomiting it out with stink sode seems to indicate as is to bail
very serious repercussions on the were not accepted he should have , _dedicated to the cause of theser- endangering the morale of the out the Prime Minister from the
morale of the defence services, resigned, and his prestige would , vice, the merit of seniority is totally Army and foiling the respect exist- Bofors scandal. But what one
particularly of the Army as it have gone up. He is accused of set aside if one does not qualify for ing between the men and the should be concerned about is the
involves the integrity of the Gen- nourishing some favou'r after the post otherwise. The question Generals. Mr. Rao cannot afford to morale and image of the defence
erals' cadre as such, who have not retirement ' in the way of being arises then under what circum- accuse the General for his minus services, which would be objec-
only to defend the country from appointed as governor or on some stances General K. Sunderji was points under the existing situations tively studied by the loreign coun-
foreign aggression, but assist in other position. But the Centre had selected and was found in all because no one is going to believe tries to exploit our weaknesses. hi
maintaining the law and order in not obliged so far though his junior respects a man of character and him.A political or immature leader conclusion, it would suffice to say
the country itself and also perform Lt. Gen. Dayal was favoured with a sound professional soldier that ' may falter in this respect, but not that the national leadership and
very delicate dUties on the call of Lt. Governorship of Pondicherry. he was allowed to have his full' a seasoned soldier like General public are to ensure that the
other countries as a peace- The inference one could draw from successful term of service. How is Sunderji. defence services are allowed to
keeping force. He is the person to this is that the government has the , it that all his minus points like lack- The other most important ques- function without political interfer-
build up the character, and discip- policy to keep the Generals who ing of integrity and political ambi- tion is why he did not resign when ence. The Generals should be
line and leadership of the whole could be twisted to oblige the pol- tions did not come up in the course his suggestions were not kept free from this kind of episode.
'officer cadre al)d rest of the entire iticians as it is alleged that Lt. Gen. of crowning him with the most ' accepted. Yes, we the soldiers do Washing the dirty linen in public
'e without ' which even well- Dayal did during Operation Blue- responsible duty in the country? expect that all our officers, espe- would only denigrat e our co untry's
(" _,ned forces would fail to play the star for performing role other than . ~orthe prestige of the Army and cially the cadre of Generals to prestige and strength in the inter-
requirement of its role. of his own. have this basic quality as an inte- national community . .A.nd most
Out of Vengal Rao statement Now the question before us is, government's relationship with gral part of their character, which importantly it will affect the blind
the points demand special atten- who selects the person for the post Army (Chief), even if the assess- ,is essentially needed to protect the faith 01 men in th eir lead ers'
tion are: a) integrity of the general ; of Chief of Army Staff and what ment has gone wrong the Cabinet interest of the organization . But character-the key to success of
b) political ambition; c) guts to pro- are the criteria for that? It is a should have swallowed the bitter would the politicians holding the any army in the world .
test and resign ; d) prestige and declared policy .and procedure of
image ; e) favour and sense of the government that it is the whole
responsibility towards armed Cabinet of Ministers which eXe!:
forces . In nutshell Mr. Rao main- mines the cases of Generals in the
tains that General K. Sunderji run for the said post. After full With Best Compliments 1
since had some political ambitions scrutiny of their merits and politi-
made belated disclosures about cal considerations, which implies From
the Bofors gun deal, otherwise, if that the person should be of non-
he were honest and his sugges- political character and of course

AN APPEAL
Dear Friend :
On Baisakhi day, three years back, we started thi s magazine without raising

QUICK ELECTRIC WORKS

any capital or collecting donations. When it was brought out, everybody told
us that once we start, the support is bound Jo follow. This had not happened.
, Inspite of this we have persisted and managed to continue. The paper has been
very well accepted and appreciated by intellectuals, with its obvious limitations.
At this stage we .wlJl like to draw your attention to some of the developments
which underline the importance and necessity of an English paper wl.ich speaks
for minorities and human rights. What happened in 1984 and particularly in
November 1984 arc the details that do not have to be recalled. Our point of AUTHORISED DEALERS
view was never projected with the result that the poisonous propaganda of tlie
electronic media created a hostile environmcnL Consequently when killiqps took
place, except for a handful of courageous and upright people, hardly anyone
spoke out in protesL
The situation has not significantly changed. In September 1988, six persons RACOLD, VENUS,
were killed in Bidar. At first the incident was more or less ignored by the media.
Later when the ha rrowing events came to light blame,was put on Sikh students
for their alleged misbehaviour. As you are aware of, this magazine was the first,
perhaps the only one, to send a team to investigate into and report the grue-
THERMOKIN.G,PEARL, DITZ, REMSON,
, ,

some killing of t1!e innocents there in Bidar.

Similarly in Jan~~ry 1989 in Jammu 12 persons were killed and the earlier
reports either playdl down or misrepresented the situation.
GEYSERS & ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES
To collectively counter these problems we ourselves have to act more crfec-
tively. Paucity of resources and manpower are the main constraints.
You are requested to scnd your contribution by cash, cheque, draft, etc. in
Specialised Selvices available f.or
favour of THE FOR UM GAZElTE, 3, Masjid Road, Jangpura, New Dclhi 14,
. at the earliest. Your contribution can be adjusted, as desired-towards subscrip- Home Maintenance Jobs
tion for the paper, advertisement or outright donation. In a'matter like this we
need everybOdy's cooperation. In addition to youqlCrsonal tielp we request you
. to persuade others. Atleast send us the nanles and addresses of such pcx)ple whom
we should approach in this maUer. Your suggestions arc requested and will be 28 -A, Defelice Colony Market
given serious attention.
New DeJhlllO 024
Sincerely, LL Gen. (Retd.) J.S. Aurora ~bc:iDe:62'i200 '
, Chaiin):Ill,. '" I_~ ' .

., 1-15 October 1989 9

)

\
FORUM Gazette
CHILDB~N/STUDENTS

PROFESSOR WORDS
DID YOU KNOW? 'A word out of seaSOIl may mar the course of a whole
life'. It is very important to use right words in the right
What Is a computer? How do Computers make pic- How Is cOqlputer speed mea- contexts. The ability to make the right use of words is
tures? ~ured? n~t inherited from ancestors or received as a gift from
A computer is a machine that the gods. It is acquired and developed by study. Some
processes information according . A computer picture is called a Computers process information words present greater difficulties and require more study
to a set cif instructions called a graphic. Artists, architects, : so quickly that the speed is not than other words.
programme. Computers are cap- engineers, and video game play- measured in seconds. It is mea-
able of storing and retrieving ers all use computer graphics. A sured in billionths of a second, or Literally-Actually order to see. Look implies volition
information. A computer's ability to computer is programmed to ' nanoseconds. but not necessarily result. We can
do this distinguishes it from other ' change information into graphics Literally is erroneous as a mere look without seeing what we are
intensive when there is no refer- looking for. To see is to perceive
mathematical devices, such as the when its operator draws, types, or
abacus and the electronic calcul- presses buttons or other hand What language do computers ence to words or their interpreta- with the eyes, with or without
ator. controls. Tiny dots called pixels understand? tion, as "He is literally six feet tall"; voluntary attention. We see what
light up, forming a picture on the Computers only understand "This is literally Saturday. ~ It is a is before us without looking for it.
screen. binary numbers 0 and 1. The pro- still graver error to use it in such
Who invented the computer? grammer uSliIs a special "lan- a sentencd as "The news literally Look-out-Outlook
guage" by which the computer bowled me over" when the
How do computer ~ake music? translates instructions into ' the speaker mea~s metaphorically Look-out is colloquial in the sense
In general, the invention of the
binary system. More than a thou- and not literally. of a concern, something to be
computer is rooted in the devel-
opment of other mathematical Music is an organized collection sand computer languages based watched or guarded against, as
Locality-Location "That is his look-out". It properly
machines, ' beginning with the of sound frequencies a computsr' on this binary system are in use
ancient abacus. Vanneval Bush can be programmed to reproduce. today. The most common lan- "Within a mile of town there is an means an observation point or an
(1890 - 1914), an American To reproduce frequencies, the guage used is called BASIC. excellent locality for an airport." observer. Outlook ~eans the view
Does the writer mean a locality or or prospect seen by an observer.
,--~ , a location? Both words mean a These words are sometimes inter-
place. A locality is a place viewed changed but the definitions just
in reference to its geographical sit- given represent the best usage.
uation or its surroundings. It is
often equivalent to a neighbour- Looks Good:-Looks Well
hood. A location is a place
selected for a certain purpose. "That apple looks good" me;:! s
land set aside for use as an air- "That looks like a good apple."q
looks good" means "He appears to
port or considered for this purpose
would be called a Io~tion . be a good man. "Good is an adjec-
tive and not an adverb. Looks well
Locate-Find is-the correct construction in refer-
ences to health. "He looks well"
Locate is correct in the sense of means "He looks healthy" or "He
hunt for and find the source or seems to be in good health."
engineer, was the first to build a computer sends out electricalsig- How do people _communicate place of something. as. "to locate looks well is the correct construc-
machine called a computer in the nals that represent notes, pitch" ' with compoters? a noise or a light." It is not in good tion in other references to appear-
i present meaning of the word . His 'timbre, rhythm, and other physical Most people communicate with use as a general substitute for find. ance. "She looks well in that hat"
machine, called a differential ana- qualities ofmusic. Music made by a computer by typing information Say "I can't find the book"; "Did means "She makes a favourable
Ilyzer, was completed in 1930: computer is called electronic on a keyboard. Some special y-ou find the man?~ impression." Looks good is inco-
music. computers listen to people talk and rect in these senses.
respond by typing out IT)essages; Look-See
Who Is the "Father ()f the Com- How long will a computer last? others respond on the touch of a
puter"?
To look is to direct the eyes in
Different parts of the computer
Charies Babbage, a 19th- have different life spans. The elec-
century British mathematician who ,tronic parts; like the microchips,
WORLD ,OF WORDS
designed a mathematical machine don't wear out. The mechanicaf . Ih

capable of processing information, parts, like the keyboard, teF:ld to An' Oblong of Opposites
is considered to be the "Father of break down first, but can be
the Computer." , replaced or fixed. A computer can
Find the opposites to words 1-8. As a guide you are given the fIrst
last a long time, if it is cared for letter and the number of letters in the word. The letters you require
properly. appear at random in the oblong and each one may be used once only.
Is ~ Computer Intelligent?
Because computers are cap- Can a computer make a mis-
able calculating at great speeds take? y c
with perfect accuracy, they are Computer errors result from N U
often thoug.ht to be intelligent. feeding wrong information into the finger on the screen. There is even
R B
However, computers are only able machine or from an electrical mal- a computer which is operated by
to process information give;, to function of the machine. These the user's looking at it. This com- ,
p T
them by people, who are intelligent errors are called "bugs." The pro- puter records eye movements and o H
beings. Computers never have cess by which errors are corrected prints the letters at which the E R
ideas of their own and so cannot is called "debugging." person .is looking.
be considered intelligent. T Y
E A
N o
WT R

Sharp (B. 5) 5 Piiin(p.8)

2 Joy(S.6) 6 Discord (H. 7)
3 Ugliness (B. 6) 7 Rare (C. 6)
4 Accept(R.6) 8 Knowledgeable (I. 8)

Answers

--
-.7
lUeJou61 '8 'uowwcy.) 'L'
''{uOWJf!H '9 '8JnSf!8Id'g 'l:J8!8H .~ ',{vIe88 'f: 'MOJJOS .~ 'JUniB 'l

- Compiled By AC Razia

10 1-15 OCtober 1989

 .F ORUM . G~.H4I! ~ . ' r. - , ~ - ' . ,. T
HUMAN RIGHTS
' .. ~ '
- -

..
.

"Hell Would Be Bette!"" Ol~ganized M'ass Rape.

In the same week some warnell Th is has aroused the greed of
of the neighbouring village of . one neighbouring landlord, who,
and make us answer what we had
Sukhrampur were subjected to has b 6en involved in other land-
'never known .. ._
similar humilation and tort ure. grab cases. He, possibly in collu-
"After the prel iminary 'interroga-
"They are coming . They are It is widely believed that certain sian with other such elements, is:
tions' we were taken from camps
coming for me. Please landlord interests of the area bel ieved to have encouraged such
to camps. And finally we landed at
save me. Save me somehow ..... ." having links with dace its may be 1error-tactics.
the central hell of Jodhpur. Life in
These are the words with which .encouraging these terror-tactics The terror-struck men and,
'the Jodhpur jail was beyond nar-
. a young woman of Harijanpur vil- with a view to driving out the har- women have been ordered by
ration. Man against man. Brutality
lage wakes up suddenly in the ijan cultivators. Ironically these dacoits not to ope n their mouths
was the order there. Man was
middle of night these days. harijan families w.are resettled regarding these atrocities. Pro~ec
nasty there. There we re no code
, She has not been able to forget here after they had fled from tion should be immed iately pro-,
of Conduct. No manner. Nor any
the nightmarish experience of that Babaru region following atrocities vided to them. So tar the local
love. For days I did not see a ray
day when she along with -several by landlords there. police has failed to instil any con-
of the sun. There was no fresh air.
other women were surrounded by After their resettlement here, fidence among poo r people here.
And around me there was no smil-
dacoits in a forest near their village with their hard work and help from Ironically all this torture and,
ing face.
(where they had gone to collect government and voluntary ag~n- . humiliation of women has taken'
I n our series on the tales of tor-
tu re from the Jodhpur Jail, we
bring you the experienc~ of Mr
"Of course we were given food ..
Once with no chilli powder.
Another time with excessive quan-
fire wood, etc.) In a most disgrace- cies, they have been able to 'irri- place very near to the famous pil-
ful and s.hameful manner, the . gate the. land and increase grimage ce ntre oj Chitrakoot
Chanan Singh, son of Mr Hakam dacoits stripyad the women, tied substantially the productivity of where Lord Ram a had came after
tity of it. Once with lot of salt.
Singh of village Rania in Amritsar their clothes to trees and subjected land which new yields good crops his exi le from Ayodhya.
Another time with no salt. .But a/Wheat ;3!')d. padd~.

I
them to ma~s .rape. .

TALES FRO~ JODHPUR I Boy Forced To Flee His Own Village

district.
. Mr Chanan Singh, 67, an Amrit
~) hari Sikh, hails from an ordinary
farmers' family. Mr Chanan Singh
'is illiterate, but it never hindered
his thinking in high levels. When
contacted, he could recollect a lot
of what he confronted w.ith in the
central hell of Jodhpur. He
remembers, "havinq comoleted
my work in farm, I went to Amri!-
sar to attend the Gurpllrb day of
fifth Guru on 3 June 1984. Curfew
,was imposed at the Golden
Temple complex just after my
reaching there. The army started
firing in the early hours of 4 June
'and along with some others I wenl
inside one of the rooms of Saran
(inn).
"The army then asked us to
:;ome out. But our fear draged us
always with a lot of sand in it. Is
it for human consu~Rtiqn? Had a,
slave been treated like thiS DeTOre
the dawn of civilization? Or isn't it
better in hell?
"Life was going waste. My mind
was filled with my starving fields.
My thirsty plantation . Oh! it was
really a nightmare. Sleep par:ted
,me for ever. Only my faith helped
sustain life. And came out alive.
"While I was in ja;'1 my young son
stoped studies. I lost my two
Bhabis (brothers' wives) and my
cousin. The police continue to visit
my house day in and day out. Now
my body has become weak and
useless. I cannot look after my
land."
When asked about his political
ideas, "I have no faith in Akalis. I
have no political leniance. I have
For Rescuing Thousands
A serious train accident which irain from Gwalior to Howrah) was
could've claimed hundreds of about to arrive here.
lives was averted by the timely The youth discovered that a por-
livl':)s. Some passengers also gave
a few rupees to the tribal boy.
The train Waited for ({e aily 3
warning of a tribal youth. But tion' of the railway track was hours as repair work was under-
instead of rewarding him, he has breached. Just near the breach taken . Photog raphs were also
oeen terrorised and forced to was a very deep ditch. Without taken .
.Ieave his village by those who . wasting any time he took off his It was said at that time that he
were afraid of the exposure of their Clothes, which happened to be of will get several rewards for his
n.egligence. red colour, and waved madly at bravery and presence of mind.
the train. The train could stop just Late r, however, the local officials
The incldent occured on Octo
be~ 28 last year about 12 kms from in the nick of time to avoid the who were guilty of negligence
breach and the ditch. exerted press ure on the boy so
Manikpur railway station, on
TI18 driver first angrily <isked that he had to flee from his village.
Mani.kpur-Banda route. Rampal
why the train had been stopped, For several weeks , he had to
Kol, an 18 year old tribal youth (s/o but when the breached track and remain ' away from his village ,
Daddiva Kol) r,: village Marachan the ditch were seen then several resulting in great distress to "him
dra was passing this way and staff membe rs and passengers .and -his mother who is a widow.
Ch.,mnal Express
- . (a super --
fast
. ."
thanked the
. boy. for. saving the i'r
Witn'13est Comp[t'ments

~
. ackward. Later on the army ent- only faith in Taksal."
. ed our room and pulled us out. When asked whether he feel :From
oung ones were separated from happy on his release, he was sad,
the eld~H ones. While the youn- "I would really feel happy on my
gesters were tortured brutally, the release only when the others
elders were given a less dosage. would also be released", realising
The army interrogation team used
iron rods and rifle butts to question
L_ _
the horror in the dungeons of
Jodhpur. Satkar Financial.
H'u sband Subjected Corporation
Wife To Agani-Pareeksha'
inno Kol, a 16 year old girl of ignored.
B Gabdelha village , under On March 10 she was again
Bahilpurva police station in Bande beaten up by her husband at
district of Uttar Prade5h, was 8ahelpurwa railway station when '
forced to stand on burning embers .she was returning from Karvi town ' 2651 Kucha Chelan
for some tilJ:le resulting in burn where she had gone for medical
injuries on her f.e~t. treatment. The Police held both of
Darya Ganj, New Delhi-l10002
The man who fnflicted this insult them and after some time released . Tele. Nos. 275595, 267628
and injury on her was n.Jne other them .
than her husband Ballu Kol. From Binno's father again complained
where this poor and illiterate tribal to the poiice but once again his
got this idea is still unknown, but complaint was ignored. I

he decided to subject his wife to ' The Police should have brought\
agni-pareeksha (fire-test) for sus- this matter to the notice of the!
. peeled infidelity. higher authorities so that an effortl
. This tragic incident occurred on could be made to find out how such:
Feb. 26. As Ballu Kol discarded his an idea was implanted in this per-'
wife, Binno went to the home of son's mind, and what can be done
her parents in Rampuria village on . to remove such superstitions
February 27. Her father informed among people like him.
the PoHce but his complaln was .
p '

.1
11
t I
Begl.stered with the Registrar of Newspapers of India Reg. No. 45763
FORUM
' . Gaz.~.
,, Attempts To Undermine The
deep conspiracy
A Sikh Political Power
is visible to us
and is implied in
the following
'COnditions: 1. Religious impartial
ity, human equality and democra-
tic system; 2. Unity and integrity df
;the country; and, 3. Country's
lconstitution-oath of confidence
for the same. I feel that the above
conditions are meant only to brand
the Sikhs with suspicion and
nothing else. A Sikh from very birth
lis impartial in religious metters, '
simply democratic in character
and has full faith in human equal-
ity and its rights. The day he loses I
. these three good qualities then
every Sikh becomes a suspect,
because the above virtues form
the real basis of the teachings of
Guru Granth and Guru Panth. The
Harmandir Sahib is the prime
centre of the Sikhs, its foundation
was laid by a Muslim saint, Sain
Mian Meer. And it is in this place
hymns of Sheikh Farid, Bhagat
Kabir and Guru Gobind Singh are
sung daily.
"Awake, oh, Fari!:l, be re~dy for
~~.rning prayers.: .. ;!!r~t of all-
. ..I
. On or 011. Texla Colour
TVs are a pleasure to
v.atch The ptrtect
match between State-of-
, (he-an colour
technology and
3estMt:.r.allyapptaltng
design
COL 0 U
iii"" 1
Print~ and published by A.S. Narang 'for Ekta Trust, 2126 Sarva Priya Vihar, New Delhi 110016, at Mercury Printer, Cooriwalan, Delhi
110 006. Composed at DTP Services & Consultancy (P) Ltd., A-86/3, Majlis Park, Azadpur, Delhi 110 033.
Speech By Proof. Darshan
God~reated light and all the
human beings, have same divine
'light and are His crations; the
whole mankind is one and this all
of us have to recognise and real-
ize.
"The teachings of Guru Granth
Sahib are so liberal and universal
in its approach that it encom-
passes the whole of mankind.
These were the ' themes which
have inspired the Sikhs through-
out the last 500 years of its exis-
tence.
"Caste, country, religion, poor or
' riCh, high or low, have got mixed
up with man made differences and
great teachers of our faith tried to
eliminate the same. Thus the
double institutions of Sangat and
Pangat(sitting .for food in Sikh
Sleek!
. eve" I'l0l8.'
R TEL E V
1iltd The right 'choice
Oelhl Postal Registration No. D(SE) 15/86
SPOTLJGHT
means upholding of religious, polit-
ical and economic status-Nonein
. '
the garb of democracy or impar-
I
tiality dare to do away with the high
beliefs and teachings of Sikhism
which do not allow to be compro-
Singh mised by any self-seekers.
''under the present rule of the
government, Vie are witnessing
.mess irrespective of caste, creed communal clashes occuring often
111b. and status) were set in force parr here a~d there, poor are becom-
:manently and it was ,here that the ing poorer and the rich ones get-
great emperor Akbar was not ting richer and richer; the judiciary
If the present accorded any separate or .higher: not bestowing justice, all round
status than of a commoner of ' anarchy and on the top of this, the
constitution does humbleorigin, in God's house. In; innocents are being killed almost
not give equal daily in fake police encounters. As
,the city of Amritsar 52 holy sing- regards unity and integrity of the
rights and ers of various creeds and castes colJntry, I feel that by making it a
privileges to the were all welcomed to settle in the pre-condition for the Sikhs the loy-
Sikhs, they have to place thus giving a final blow to the alty of the Sikhs towards the coun.
keep on struggling "touch me not" idealogy. This itself try is being suspected. Sikhs had
is a proof of respect of human opposed the very idea and con-
for the amendment, equality in the faith . . cept of Pakistan and infact they
an ~ will keep on "Personal and individual liberty supported the cause of equal.
tht: right to fight have power which should go hand rights for all Muslims and in no way
in hand with the ideal of human had agreed to divide the count; 'J
'. equality and to enforce the same In Lahore, before the partitic. , , )
""~I . Gurus upheld the superior status Master Tara Singh had torn apart
of the Sikh Congregation (Sangat), the flag of Pakistan-this was the
and such one is tailed of 21 outcome of our joint and collective .
, bisways while Guru himself stands community approach and spirit. I
only for 20 bisways. would like to ask that for the sake
,tNanak in his master piece of political power for selfish pur-
"JapaV had . declared "Panch pose who had agreed to the divi-
Parwan, Panch Pardhan"-Five sion of the country? Even now this
selected ones (who gave heads) ' selfish motive is at the root of all
and not elected who were hence troubles and will lead to further
forward to be the real leaders and division 9f the cQuntry-True and
guides whose word was law and loyal citizens of the country should
Guru Gobind Singh had bowed ' realise and recognise these harm-
down his head to the command of ful and nefarious designs-and
the five and had even this narrow thinking will be the
declared-" It is because of them . cause of breaking up the country.
that I have attained the high posi- "Next comes the expression of
tion otherwise I would be lil{tt mil- full faith in the Constitution of the
lions whom none res~s or country. The ruling party, every
obeys- "In hi ki Kirpa ke siJjs ham five years and even someti,- ' .
hain, nah Mo so Garib crors paray before the expiry of the same, ti:. /,
hain", and commanded his follow- the oath for all this but when it
erS to oQey the decision of such comes to obtain political gains,
five a true democratic system. many times the constitution has
':And then .came in existence the been amended and modified .
Amrit taking ceremony when in th,e . Such changes in the last 40 years
holy presence of Guru Granth can be counted as many as 65,
Sahib all took Amrit from one and then how is it that those who take
only one bowl. Sikhs took oath and oath feel after sometimes that
Pai!lSlaklngly hence forth they would renounce something is wrong with the con-
put togelller to bring the caste mentality and be always stitution and this one is to be
you pm sharp pecture impartial in matters of religion and amended-why have changes at
Rlc~. naturel c:lIOuR
same Sikh has promised to sup- all and why not accept the status
And strikingly sleek
extenors! AU at 8 price port every religion and help the quo for good? What is the fate' or
th?~ Will pleaSe you suppressed and persecuted ones value of such oaths. If rulers can
always. He would be a true dem- introduce such changes for the
ocrat if one obeyed the Panthic benefit of its own party-and yet
leadership. It was after accep-- they call themselves upholders
.tance of all such commands that and believers in the constitution .
one would be termed Khalsa. It is But if the present constitution does
for this reason that all office bear- not give equal right and privileges
ers of Akali Dal must take Amrit so to the Sikh people and so Sikhs
that they are impartial in religious have to keep on struggling for the
matters to be true democrats and ' amendment, and will keep on the
then only one is supposed to have right to fight-and then why this
passed through the test of being condition for Sikhs alone. In the
a democrat. In Sikhism all these light ,of ail the abov~ one is com-
principles are upheld-these are pelled to one, and ,only one, con-
to be taught, practised and spread clusion that the centre suspects
I S ION S .from all the Gurdwara pulpits. only the Sikhs and is pursuing a
Akali Dal takes full responsibility of dangerous scheme of destroying
on its head. It is for this reason the political future of the Sikhs~
this
'that the Sikhs have adopted the
motto which is contained in the -Translation by Principal (retd.)
.slogan, Khalsa ji da bol bala whic~ Tanjit Singh, G.P. T
1-15 October 1989