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Pics / jhande bai di shote hunde di foto
« on: May 27, 2011, 06:46:51 AM »
jhanda bai bachpan to e rab nu bohut manda :D:
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Pics / jhande bai di shote hunde di foto« on: May 27, 2011, 06:46:51 AM »
jhanda bai bachpan to e rab nu bohut manda :D:
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News Khabran / the gulabi gang« on: May 27, 2011, 03:21:33 AM »
one victim of domestic violence. Few of their cases make it to court and those that do experience long and costly cases.
But in the north of the country, a group of women are taking the law into their own hands. They may wear pink saris, but this is not a fashion statement – they wear pink as a symbol of their cause. These vigilante women go after corrupt officials and violent husbands with sticks. Numbering over 100,000 in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, they proudly call themselves the Gulabi Gang or ‘pink gang’. Their leader is 48-year-old Sampat Pal, who first decided to act when she witnessed domestic violence. “My neighbor was a young girl who had been married very early. Her husband used to beat her, so I argued with him,” remembers gang Leader Sampat Gulabi Pal. “He threatened me, so I came back with five women and we beat him up. Since then, this movement has taken off. Whenever a woman is beaten or harassed, she comes to me.” Banda is one of the poorest districts in Uttar Pradesh. Women bear the brunt of discrimination here – dowry demands and domestic violence are common. “For the last month, my brother-in-law has been hitting me with a stick. He hit my son so badly that he started bleeding,” said Siya Rani, who has come to Sampat for help after being beaten in her own home. She explained that she “approached the police but they didn’t help.” “When women are harassed, instead of letting them waste years in courts looking for justice, we go to the village and try to arrange a settlement,” states Gulabi Gang leader Sampat Pal. “After all, men and women are two wheels of the same vehicle.” Click to enlarge Although most of the gang's actions are on behalf of women, they are increasingly called upon by men. When local farmers decided to take to the streets to demand compensation for failed crops, they asked the Gulabi Gang to be there. “The Gulabi Gang takes up the cause of anybody who faces injustice, whether they are poor or rich,” shared supporter Ashok Srivastava. “It may take money and time, but these women fight against injustice and raise their voices for the innocent.” But Sampat herself is in danger of being criminalized. Following complaints by the police, she is waiting to hear if she will be formally charged with rioting and attacking government employees. “The police tell us, ‘Don’t take the law in your own hands.’ So I tell them, ‘We have no option. When we have no faith in the police, we have to protect ourselves.’” Sampat Pal argues. In rural India, with the administration often corrupt and failing to deliver, and with women still amongst the most oppressed, it was only a matter of time before movements such as Gulabi Gang became popular. 104
Gup Shup / read , think nd then answer mr. Fateh« on: May 20, 2011, 01:20:32 PM »
we r not saying sikh man all r good but now it is just a guess he got turban and beard when 100% proof will come then u can what u like ida hawa vich arrrow na chadddi jao saare
sikh r honest 95% ok nangi turi firdiya sharab peeke flirt kardiya ki karega banda fir insaan galti hi karuga ,,, sikh r honest it is prooved by us look sikh made tht topic hune koi muslim ya hindu karda ta kisi dujje ne topic bhi nhi banan c like u mr jamaal this white girl r not even dudh diya dhuliya ok 105
Discussions / mobile and marrige« on: May 05, 2011, 03:28:19 PM »
mai hune hune news dekh riha c ta ik khabar c k punjab vich aurta di sabha ne eh kiha k viah to magro mobile pati patni de sambanda vich bohut vadi bhumika nibhaunda e khas taur te negetive. Jive niki niki gal kuri apne pekya nu dasdi e te is nal ghar vich kalesh rehnda e kyo k is nal unha de ghar vich dusrya di dakhalandazi vadh jandi e. Is nal ik dusre te shak di v sambhavna vadhdi e te naubat talaak tak v pohonch sakdi e. So tuhade is bare ki vichar ne. Ki eh sahi e ?
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Fun Time / ha ha ha wat a change. . .« on: April 30, 2011, 02:26:43 PM »
this was the first pm by mr. Fateh to me. . .
april 29, 2011, 01:43:11 PM bro i made topic khalistan read tht topic and rahul veer ne kiha ida de topic na banao ,, mai kiha tuvanu read nhi karna na karo nhi changa lagda but donot tell me to stop tht type topic mere topic vich kisi bhi dharam nu galat nhi kiha tusi read karlo and i said rahul tu hindu hona so wht is wrong "So i simply replied that i hv read the topic bt rahul didn't aimed ur topic on religion bases. It was a general reply. Bt u target him on the bases of his religion. So u should think befor replying." Nw i hv another msg frm fateh . . . today at 01:02:42 PM waar waar banavaga hor das tu na read kar naa tera oh rahul read kare tuvanu khujli hundi khalistan de naam to dassso ??? tu and rahul kon hunda mainu dassan wala mai ki topic banan ya ki nhi ,, mai kisi dharam baare maada likhiya in my topic nope fir tuvanu koi problum nhi honi chahidi mind ur business k Wat a change in his behaviour. And i can't understand this man wt the hell he wants to proove to the pj. Wt is his thinking its ok bt why he wants other's involvement which must be in his favour. Smbdy calm him dwn. Thax 107
Religion, Faith, Spirituality / sikhi bare vadmulli sankhep jankari« on: April 25, 2011, 12:10:37 AM »
Name the ten Gurus of the Sikhs in the right order
1. Guru Nanak Dev Ji (1469 - 1539) 2. Guru Angad Dev Ji (1504 - 1552) 3. Guru Amardas Ji (1479 - 1574) 4. Guru Ramdas Ji (1534 - 1581) 5. Guru Arjan Dev Ji (1563 - 1606) 6. Guru Hargobind Ji (1595 - 1644) 7. Guru Har Rai Ji (1630 - 1661) 8. Guru Harkrishan Ji (1656 - 1664) 9. Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji (1621 - 1675) 10. Guru Gobind Singh Ji (1666 - 1708) Name the present Guru of the Sikhs Guru Granth Sahib Ji and Guru Panth Khalsa Who were the four Sahebzadas ? They were the sons of Guru Gobind Singh Ji. Name the four Sahebzadas 1. Baba Ajit Singh Ji (1687 - 1704) 2.Baba Jujhar Singh Ji (1689 - 1704) 3.Baba Zorawar Singh Ji (1696 - 1704) 4.Baba Fateh Singh Ji (1698 - 1704) Who was the eldest Sahebzada ? Baba Ajit Singh Ji Who was the youngest Sahebzada ? Baba Fateh Singh Ji Name the Sahebzadas who were bricked alive. 1. Baba Fateh Singh Ji 2. Baba Zorawar Singh Ji Name the Sahebzadas who achieved martyrdom in the battlefield of Chamkaur. 1. Baba Ajit Singh Ji 2. Baba Jujhar Singh Ji When & where was the Khalsa Panth created ? It was created on the day of Vaisakhi (March 30) of the year 1699 at Kesgarh Saheb, Anandpur by Guru Gobind Singh Ji. What name did Guru Gobind Singh Ji give to the newly created Sikh Community ? Khalsa Panth Name the first 'Panj Pyaras' (The five beloved ones) 1.Bhai Daya Singh Ji 2.Bhai Dharam Singh Ji 3.Bhai Himmat Singh Ji 4.Bhai Mohkkam Singh Ji 5.Bhai Saheb Singh Ji Name the five 'K's that every Sikh must always possess 1.Kes (unshorn hair) 2.Kangha (comb) 3.Kirpan (knife / sword) 4.Kaccha (short breeches) 5.Kara (wrist band / bangle) Who is the spiritual father of all Sikhs (Khalsas) ? Guru Gobind Singh Ji Who is the spiritual mother of all Sikhs (Khalsas) ? Mata Saheb Kaur Ji What is the native place of all Sikhs (Khalsas) ? Anandpur Saheb What is the Sikh Salutation ? Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh What is the Sikh Jaikara ? Jo Boley So Nihaal Sat Sri Akaal What is the literal meaning of the word 'Sikh' ? Disciple What is the literal meaning of the word 'Singh' ? Lion What is the literal meaning of the word 'Kaur' ? Princess Name the five prayers that comprise 'NITNEM' the daily prayer of the Sikhs (according to the SGPC Rehat Maryada) Morning (Dawn - Amrit Wela) 1.Japji Saheb 2.Jaap Saheb 3.Sawaiye Evening (Dusk) 4.Rehras Saheb which comprises Sodar, Choupai Saheb, Six (first 5 and 40th) Pauris of Anand Saheb, Mundawani, and Salok Mahala 2, the concluding hymn of Guru Granth Saheb. Night (Before sleeping) 5.(Kirtan) Sohaila Which of the 'Baanis' of 'Nitnem' are not included in Guru Granth Saheb, but are taken from the 'Dasham Granth' ? 1.Jaap Saheb 2.Sawaye 3.Choupai Saheb (included in Rehras Saheb) What are the four main apostate acts ('Kuraihats') prohibited for a Sikh ? 1.Shaving or cutting of hair 2.Eating Kuttha meat 3.Adultery 4.Use of tobacco or any other intoxicant. Name the 'Five Takhts' of the Sikhs 1.Akal Takht, Amritsar 2.Harmandir Saheb, Patna (also known as Patna Saheb) 3.Kesgarh Saheb, Anandpur 4.Hazur Saheb, Nander 5.Damdama Saheb, Talwandi Sabo bathinda 108
Are You Having a Bad Day?
1. The average cost of rehabilitating a seal after the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska was $80,000. At a special ceremony, two of the most expensively saved animals were released back into the wild amid cheers and applause from the onlookers. A minute later they were both eaten by a killer whale. 2. A psychology student in New York rented out her spare room to a carpenter in order to nag him constantly and study his reactions. After weeks of needling, he snapped and beat her with an ax, leaving her with permanent severe brain damage. 3. A woman came home to find her husband in the kitchen, shaking frantically with what looked like a wire running from his waist towards the electric kettle. Intending to jolt him away from the deadly current, she whacked him with a plank of wood that had been by the back door, breaking his arm in two places. Till that moment he had been happily listening to his Walkman. 4. Two animal rights protesters were protesting at the cruelty of sending pigs to the slaughterhouse in Bonn, Germany. Suddenly the pigs, all two thousand of them, escaped through a broken fence and stampeded trampling the two hapless protesters to death. AND THE WINNER IS....... 5. An Iraqi terrorist, Khay Rahnajet, didn't pay enough postage on a letter bomb. It came back with "return to sender" stamped on it. Forgetting it was the bomb, he opened it and was killed in the explosion. See... You're not having such a bad day. 109
Gup Shup / good friend v/s best friend« on: April 08, 2011, 02:44:43 PM »
Good Friend-Hands you your shoe if it falls off.
Best Friend-Grabs your shoe and runs around the room with it,screaming "Ha, ha, loser!" Good Friend-Helps you up if you fall down. Best Friend-Will stand beside you laughing, because they pushed you you over in the first place. Good Friend-Will rush over right away to comfort you if you're house burns down. Best Friend-Will be roasting marshmallows over the coals and flirting with the firemen. Good Friend-Will pay your bail if you're arrested for DUI. Best Friend-Is sitting in the cell beside you, saying "Great party, huh?" Good Friend-Will call your parents by their first names. Best Friend-Will call your parents 'Mom' and 'Dad'. Good Friend-Knocks on your door and wits for you to answer. Best Friend-Walks right in and says "Mom, I'm home!" Good Friend-Acts like a guest at your house. Best Friend-Raids your refridgerator and makes themselves at home. Good Friend-Will watch what's already on the TV. Best Friend-Will wrestle your little brother for the remote. Good Friend-Waits for you after school if you get detention. Best Friend-Will get themselves in trouble just to land themselves in detention to keep you company. Good Friend-Will help you with your chores. Best Friend-Will stand behind you and say "You missed a spot." Good Friend-Will lend you money and not expect you to pay them back. Best Friend-Will lend you money and then charge interest. Good Friend-Will comfort you if your boyfriend breaks up with you. Best Friend-Will say "Be right back", go out with a baseball bat, come back at 3:00 in the morning and say "It's all been taken care of." Good Friend-Will have little "inside jokes" with you. Best Friend- Will randomly break out laughing because of some "inside joke" you guys had last week. Good Friend-Will come and get you if you call to say you're lost. Best Friend-Will call you an idiot for not asking directions. Good Friend-Will try to talk you out of bungee-jumoing off the Empire State Building. Best Friend-Will tie the bungee cord themselves and then push you off. Good Friend-Disagrees if you say words can't hurt you. Best Friend- Hits you over the head with the dictionary to prove you wrong. Good Friend-Would give you the last life jacket on a sinking ship. Best Friend-Would say "I hope you can swim, and if not, I'll really f***ing miss you." Good Friend-Will ask if you're okay, and when you say "I'm fine" they'll drop it. Best Friend-Will ask if you're okay, and when you say "i'm fine", they'll look you in the eye and say "Okay, now tell the truth." 110
Jokes Majaak / beware of english« on: April 08, 2011, 02:32:34 PM »
The Japenese eat little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.
The French eat a lot of fat and also suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans. The Italians drink a lot of red wine and they, too, suffer fewer heart attacks than the Birtish or Americans. Conclusion: Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you. :D: 111
Jokes Majaak / god in the car« on: April 08, 2011, 02:19:57 PM »
After getting all of Pope John Paul's luggage loaded into the limo (and he doesn't travel light), the driver notices that the Pope is still standing on the curb. "Excuse me, Your Holiness," says the driver, "Would you please take your seat so we can leave?" "Well, to tell you the truth," says the Pope," they never let me drive at the Vatican, and I'd really like to drive today."
"I'm sorry but I cannot let you do that. I'd lose my job! And what if something should happen?" protests the driver, wishing he'd never gone to work that morning. "There might be something extra in it for you," says the Pope. Reluctantly, the driver gets in the back as the Pope climbs in behind the wheel. The driver quickly regrets his decision when, after exiting the airport, the Pontiff floors it, accelerating the limo to 105 mph. "Please slow down, Your Holiness!!!" pleads the worried driver, but the Pope keeps the pedal to the metal until they hear sirens. "Oh, dear God, I'm gonna lose my license," moans the driver. The Pope pulls over and rolls down the window as the cop approaches, but the cop takes one look at him, goes back to his motorcycle, and gets on the radio. "I need to talk to the Chief," he says to the dispatcher. The Chief gets on the radio and the cop tells him that he's stopped a limo going a hundred and five. "So bust him," says the Chief. "I don't think we want to do that, he's really important," said the cop. The Chief exclaimed, "All the more reason!" "No, I mean really important," said the cop. The Chief then asked, "Who ya got there, the Mayor?" Cop: "Bigger." Chief: "Governor?" Cop: "Bigger." "Well," said the Chief, "Who is it?" Cop: "I think it's God!" Chief: "What makes you think it's God?" Cop: "He's got the Pope as a driver!! 112
Gup Shup / test urself« on: April 08, 2011, 02:10:56 PM »
according to Andersen Consulting Worldwide, around 90% of the professionals they tested got all of the questions wrong. But many pre-school children got several correct answers. Andersen Consulting says this conclusively disproves the theory that most professionals have the brains of a four year old.
Q1. How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator? Correct Answer Open the refrigerator, put in the giraffe and close the door. This question tests whether you tend to do simple things in an overly complicated way. Q2. How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator? Wrong Answer: Open the refrigerator, put in the elephant and close the refrigerator. Correct Answer: Open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe, put in the elephant and close the door. This tests your ability to think through the repercussions of your actions. Q3. The Lion King is hosting an animal conference. All the animals attend, except one. Which animal does not attend? Correct Answer: The elephant, since it is still in the refrigerator. This tests your memory. OK, even if you did not answer the first three questions correctly, you still have one more chance to show your abilities. Q4. There is a river you must cross, but it is inhabited by crocodiles. How do you manage it? Correct Answer: You swim across. All of the crocodiles are attending the Animal Meeting! This tests whether you learn quickly from your mistakes. 113
Knowledge / an interesting research« on: April 08, 2011, 02:06:11 PM »
Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe :blah:
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Jokes Majaak / smart kids« on: April 08, 2011, 01:57:34 PM »
:excited:
TEACHER: Maria, go to the map and find North America . MARIA: Here it is. TEACHER: Correct. Now class, who discovered America ? CLASS: Maria. ____________________________________ TEACHER: John, why are you doing your math multiplication on the floor? JOHN: You told me to do it without using tables. __________________________________________ TEACHER: Glenn, how do you spell 'crocodile?' GLENN: K-R-O-K-O-D-I-A-L' TEACHER: No, that's wrong GLENN: Maybe it is wrong, but you asked me how I spell it. ____________________________________________ TEACHER: Donald, what is the chemical formula for water? DONALD: H I J K L M N O. TEACHER: What are you talking about? DONALD: Yesterday you said it's H to O. __________________________________ TEACHER: Winnie, name one important thing we have today that we didn't have ten years ago. WINNIE: Me! ______________________________________ ____ TEACHER: Glen, why do you always get so dirty? GLEN: Well, I'm a lot closer to the ground than you are. _______________________________________ TEACHER: Millie, give me a sentence starting with 'I.' MILLIE: I is.. TEACHER: No, Millie..... Always say, 'I am.' MILLIE: All right... 'I am the ninth letter of the alphabet.' _________________________________ TEACHER : George Washington not only chopped down his father's cherry tree, but also admitted it. Now, Louie, do you know why his father didn't punish him? LOUIS: Because George still had the axe in his hand. ______________________________________ TEACHER: Now, Simon, tell me frankly, do you say prayers before eating? SIMON: No sir, I don't have to, my Mom is a good cook. ______________________________ TEACHER: Clyde , your composition on 'My Dog' is exactly the same as your brother's. Did you copy his? CLYDE : No, sir. It's the same dog. ___________________________________ TEACHER: Harold, what do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested? HAROLD: A teacher :D: 115
Jokes Majaak / a dinner story« on: April 08, 2011, 01:32:51 PM »
A woman goes to her boyfriends' parents' house for dinner. This is to be her first time meeting the family and she is very nervous.
They all sit down and begin eating a fine meal. The woman is beginning to feel a little discomfort, thanks to her nervousness and the broccoli casserole. The gas pains are almost making her eyes water. Left with no other choice, she decides to relieve herself a bit and lets out a dainty fart. It wasn't loud, but everyone at the table heard the pouf. Before she even had a chance to be embarrassed, her boyfriend's father looked over at the dog that had been snoozing at the woman's feet and said in a rather stern voice, "Skippy!". The woman thought, "This is great!" and a big smile came across her face. A couple of minutes later, she was beginning to feel the pain again. This time, she didn't even hesitate. She let a much louder and longer fart rip. The father again looked and the dog and yelled, "Dammit Skippy!" Once again the woman smiled and thought "Yes!". A few minutes later the woman had to let another one rip. This time she didn't even think about it. She let rip a fart that rivaled a train whistle blowing. Once again, the father looked at the dog with disgust and yelled, "Dammit Skippy, get away from her before she s**ts on you!" :D: :D: :D: :D: :D: :D: :D: :D: :D: 116
Gup Shup / meri kismat« on: April 03, 2011, 10:54:57 AM »
hanji mai apni kismat di hi gal kar riha ji. Pta ni ki vjah e par jad v koi chiz ya koi kam mai badi shiddat nal karna chohna matlab eh kam hune e ho jaye ta koi na koi adchan pai jandi e. Te sab to zyada is tra mere netwrk nal hunda. Jad v ithe pj te ya hor kite mai badi reehj nal dilo kise lai kuj likhda ta aksar netwrk dhokha de janda. Nd mainu fer gussa aun lagda :angry:
Kal raat e hoya , india match jit gya mai sochya chlo ghar dad nal gal karde a kuj clg frns nal khushi sanji karde aa. Bt eh netwrk mera dushman ban gya. Aj sara din pj te kuj likhan da dil ni kita bas ehi gal dimag ch ayi k je sachi meri kismat mere nal ise tra e kardi e ta je life koi khwahish puri karni chahi ta ki bnega. :hehe: Vaise ta mainu koi khas dar ni lapda is tra soch k bas apne mind nu thoda relax karan lai share kita. :smile: 117
News Khabran / a new political party in punjab 'PEOPLE's PARTY OF PUNJAB'« on: March 28, 2011, 12:37:11 AM »
Khatkar Kalan March 27:
Former Finance Minister of Punjab and the rebel Akali leader Manpreet Singh Badal today launched his new political party. People’s Party of Punjab (PPP) is the name of the new party. Terming his mission as 2nd movement for the freedom of the country, Manpreet asked his supporters, who had gathered in large numbers, from every nook and corner of Punjab, to devote 11 months to his party so that his dream of changing the destiny of Punjab comes true. Elections to Punjab Vidhan Sabha are due in February, 2012. He took everyone by surprise by announcing tickets for Abhay Singh Sandhu a nephew of Shaheed Bhagat Singh and Bharat Bhushan Thapar a nephew of Shaheed Sukhdev. In a dramatic move, he invited both of them near the podium while he was speaking, announced to field them as party’s first two candidates and also laid a precondition on both of them that they won’t go and ask for votes. “You won’t go and ask for votes as you are the ancestors of the great martyrs but we will ensure your win”, he said. He said that his party will not be confined to a particular section of the society. He said that his party will have people from all walks of life and work for every religion, every community, every caste and people belonging to each and every section of the society. Addressing a huge gathering of his supporters at Khatkar Kalan, the village of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh he slammed (without naming) his uncle and the Chief Minister of Parkash Singh Badal for saying that his was going to be a party of deserters. Referring to Badal’s statement, made at Khatkar Kalan, on 23rd of March, Manpreet asked “are the lakhs of Punjabis gathered here, deserters?” “No, he said, in fact PPP is the party of Martyrs.” This he said is the party of trustworthy, self-respecting and brave people. Manpreet made it clear that People’s Party of Punjab shall accommodate only those people who have a clean background and whose mission is to give something to the country rather than taking from it. He didn’t elaborate on the agenda, the principles, the policies and the constitution of the party but said that it will be clear to one and all as it will be in the newspapers of tomorrow for everyone to read. Swearing by the soil of Khatkar Kalan, handed over to him during his speech at the podium itself, Manpreet said that he will work for eradication of corruption, poverty, illiteracy, unemployment and will oppose anti-nationals tooth and nail. Manpreet, before coming to the venue of his rally at Khatkar Kalan, today morning went to Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib at Anandpur Sahib to seek the blessings of the Guru. Telling this from the stage, he said that he had nothing new to offer but he will only follow in the 10th Guru, Guru Gobind Singh ji’s footsteps, who had said ‘Deh Shiva var mohe ehe, shub karman te kabhun na taron..’. Quoting the above couplet from the Gurbani he called on his supporters to be ready to perform good under the banner of People’s Party of Punjab. Before going to the stage of his rally, he along with some of his supporters went to the memorial of Shaheed Bhagat Singh to pay his respects to the great martyr. During his speech, Manpreet didn’t utter a single word against the SAD, Congress, the BJP or any other party of Punjab in particular. He also chose not to mention the names of his uncle Parkash Singh Badal and his cousin Sukhbir Singh Badal. He however, without naming anybody, said that the leaders have been overpowered by greed of wealth instead of love for their country. “Instead of giving something to the country, they prefer to take everything from it.”, he said. The flag of his party will have the words PPP on it and the it would be saffron in colour. It will be the same colour his supporters have been using for ribbons at their turbans and as siropas. Gurdas Singh Badal, brother of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and father of Manpreet was present at the stage along with other family members. Noted Comedian Bhagwant Mann, Abhay Singh Sandhu a nephew of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Varinder Singh Bajwa former Rajya Sabha Member, Jagbir Singh Brar MLA Jalandhar Cantt. were the prominent speakers who addressed the gathering. 118
Religion, Faith, Spirituality / panj kakaar« on: March 25, 2011, 09:22:04 AM »
sant singh maskin hora de mukh to uchri panj kakaara di mahima, jis nu sun k tuc maan mehsoos kroge.
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Jokes Majaak / a touching moment« on: March 25, 2011, 03:29:26 AM »
On their way back from School Arjun started talking…
Arjun : Bro! I am moving to a different city to study. I will miss you man
Pargat: I will miss you too mate. But nothing can break our friendship. We will at least meet once every year.
Arjun:Yes that is a deal
and they parted with tears in their eyes...
As time went by, both got busy with their work life. They kept their promise for two years and after that they moved on with their own lives and in the process Arjun lost his contact with Pargat. Time went by and both became Police Officers.
Time:30 Years Later…
Venue:The Police station where Arjun works
Tring... Tring...
Arjun picks up the call and he gets a pleasant surprise...
"Is this Arjun?"
"Yes. Who is on the line?"
" Bro. Its Pargat! I just found out that you are posted in this station"
Tear drops welled up Arjun's eyes
Arjun:Where are you?
Pargat: I am standing outside the Police station. Come Out
Arjun:Is it? I am coming right away.
Arjun rushed out of the Police station and saw Pargat standing outside. They were seeing each other for the first time after thirty years. He wanted to go and hug his friend. But he could not hug his friend. It was a very touching moment for both of them :
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Punjabi Stars / *SARDAR BHAGAT SINGH* his ideologi nd sm answers of a question« on: March 23, 2011, 03:09:16 PM »
really a great artical with facts .
Ever since death sentence for Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev in Lahore conspiracy case-II was pronounced on 7th October, 1930 by a controversial three member special tribunal established by British colonial government, it became a national issue to get the lives of these patriots saved. And who could save these precious lives? In general perception it was Mahatma Gandhi, who was thought to be the tallest national leader of India at that time. Since then this question has never been settled. Every now and then, this issue again erupts, why did Gandhi not save the lives of these young men? Or could he save or not save? This issue had been discussed umpteen times, ‘Mainstream’ had series of articles, both in favour of and against Gandhi, but without any convincing conclusion. Academia had remained more or less aloof from this contentious issue, but with well known historian V.N.Datta’s latest publication ‘Gandhi and Bhagat Singh’, the debate has entered academic world also. V. N. Datta has referred to earlier debates on the issue and has come out with his own views as well, which are of course in favour of Gandhi to a large extent. Although no one gave thought to this view, whether this issue deserved so much energy and space and such long time to continue? Before probing the different aspects of this contentious question, one should look at the background in which this question got focused and later even struck. Bhagat Singh and his revolutionary group after getting their organization renamed as “Hindustan Socialist Republican Association’ from earlier simple ‘Hindustan Republican Association’ on 8th and 9th September 1928, went into quick political actions, but they were trapped in the quagmire of British repressive actions on Indian masses and had to act against their own ideological perspective of building socialist movement with organizing masses in foreseeable future and thus creating an alternative to Indian National Congress for liberating the country. As the group requested Lala Lajpat Rai , a tall national leader, though with whom they had differences on communal issue, to lead the mass protest against the visit of Simon Commission to Lahore on 30th October, 1928, Lalaji fell to the brutal lathi blows of colonial police while leading the mass demonstration and succumbed to injuries on 17th November, 1928. There are two famous statements of that occasion, one issued by Lala Lajpat Rai himself on the same evening, i.e. 30th October, 1928, while addressing mass rally against this brutality by British police officers, namely Scott and Saunders, Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent of Police at Lahore at that time. Lala Lajpat Rai proclaimed in highly charged mass rally that ‘every blow on his body will prove to be the last nail in the caffeine of the British colonial rule in India.’ Other equally charged reaction came after the death of Lala Lajpat Rai, this was by Basanti Devi, the widow of most respected national leader C.R.Das that ‘whether the youth of this country have lost their shame? Whether our young men will avenge the death of our tallest national leader at the hands of a lowly British police officer? Known to be the most sensitive to the dignity of Indian nationhood, revolutionary group of Bhagat Singh had no option under the circumstances to uphold the dignity of Indian nationalism by avenging the death of Lala Lajpat Rai, who was the symbol of Indian nationalism at that time, despite their bitter differences with him. On 17th December, 1928, exactly one month after the death of Lala Lajpat Rai, Saunders was shot dead by Rajguru and Bhagat Singh, with the cover given to them by Chanderrshekhar Azad. Though they all escaped from Lahore in a very daring manner and could even had lie low for sometime, but the sharp intellect and growing political maturity in Bhagat Singh led him to take further clear decisions. Bhagat Singh could see that in spite of reaching the consciousness of the need to have socialist revolution in India through insurrection, like in Russia in 1917, he and his group was not equal to that great task. He knew that their days are numbered and they must perform such spectacular actions which could awaken the sleepy masses of India. He wanted that the socialist ideas of his revolutionary group and his own must reach every nook and corner of the country and they had to sacrifice their lives to awaken the masses. Bhagat Singh was more than absolutely clear that sacrifice of some of the leading leaders of the group was must and due to his involvement in Saunders murder, he had to be one of those, who must accept this moral duty towards the nation and its people. It was with such clear understanding that the second spectacular action of throwing harmless bombs in Central Assembly Delhi, ( ‘To Make the Deaf Hear’), to protest against anti people legislations like ‘Public Safety Bill’ and ‘Trade Disputes Bill’ was planned very meticulously. The decision not to escape and use courts as platform to propagate their ideas was also taken with political maturity. Further to sing national songs and raise slogans in the court and get brutally beaten up publicly at the hands of British police in response, was also part of that political design. Even to use the weapon of hunger strike and observe record hunger strike of 115 days, with the loss of their dear comrade Jatin Dass after 63 days was to rouse the masses and they did succeed in their target. Bhagat Singh delayed the Lahore conspiracy case proceedings, much to the chagrin of British colonial rulers, but he never wanted to save his life. He agreed to allow and appeal to Privy Council for this purpose but with the clear understanding that ‘Execution must not stop’. His wish was that ‘they should be executed at the time when Indian people’s rise in masses to demand for their release was at its peak’. That is what exactly happened. He was executed exactly when the whole nation had woken up and Bhagat Singh had become a household name and it proved Gandhi’s apprehension expressed to Irwin, true, that ‘their execution will make them ‘national martyrs’, so they became defeating both Gandhi and British crown design to marginalize them from Indian political scene. ‘Gandhi and Bhagat Singh’ is an enlarged and revised version of a long keynote address delivered by Prof. V.N.Datta at the international conference held on ‘Bhagat Singh and his Times’ at Panjab University, Chandigarh in September 2007 by ICHR and Institute of Punjab Studies. In a short preface the author argues that ‘The question of Bhagat Singh’s life and death has to be seen from a broader perspective, especially within the framework of the British Imperial system operating in the country, which is generally ignored’. The author also questions the view of some of the historians that ‘Bhagat Singh was a convinced and confirmed Marxist, Socialist and Leninite’. The author takes this view to be one dimensional. Prof. Datta also poses the question—‘What was his (Bhagat Singh’s) legacy? What was his achievement? The author counterpoises the view of Gandhi that Bhagat Singh’s mode of militant nationalism was ‘most injurious to the cause of Indian independence. Still more Prof. Datta proclaims that ‘Sukhdev was the real brain and organizer of the entire programme’ and ‘his role has been ignored’, further ‘ Sukhdev still awaits a historian!’. For a small book of about 125 pages, these questions and observations are too tall. The book divided into eight chapters includes in appendices, notice by HSRA after killing JP Saunders, the leaflets thrown in Central assembly after throwing the bombs, Governor General’s statement after Gandhi-Irwin pact and Karachi Congress resolution of 31st march 1931 on ‘Fundamental Rights and Economic Changes’. Apart from useful index and bibliography, Chronological table of Bhagat Singh’s life has also been included in the book. In the first chapter, the author refers to the debate that took place mostly in the pages of left weekly ‘Mainstream’ on Gandhi’s role in this whole episode. While Ashok Celley, D.P.Das and A.G.Noorani took a strong stand that Gandhi had not sincerely tried to save the lives of these young revolutionaries, Anil Nauriya and Prem Bhasin counter these views by supporting the view that Gandhi did his best to save the lives. Some other authors have also been referred from their books. K K Khullar and Kuldip Nayar are quoted as supporting Gandhi for making efforts, while D(G?) S Deol, Manmathnath Gupta and also A.G.Noorani in his book ‘The Trial of Bhagat Singh’ have been referred to castigating Gandhi in this context. S. Irfan Habib has been referred to be a bit ambivalent on this issue. Some British historians like Roy Jenkins, Andrew Roberts and Allan Campbell Johnson have been shown as describing the events or Gandhi-Irwin negotiations in a matter of fact manner. In fact the major article in this regard was penned by D.P.Das, which was published under the title ‘Gandhi and Bhagat Singh’ in Independence Day number of ‘Mainstream’ in 1970. D.P Das had based his arguments on the basis of documents of British bureaucracy in national archives. He also referred to Lord Irwin’s autobiography, in which he has referred to his dialogue with Gandhi on this issue. This article has created ripples, as for the first time Gandhi’s image was questioned in a very serious manner. A.G.Noorani later added this article in his book in appendices and he himself supported all the arguments of Das with his own painstaking research in the process of writing ‘The Trial of Bhagat Singh’. Ashok Celly argued that Gandhi never tolerated any other view in the national movement apart from his own views. He refers to the throwing away of Subhash Bose from Congress party despite being democratically elected President, as he had defeated Gandhi’s candidate in elections. D.G. Tendulkar and Pattabhi Sitaramaya are quoted for espousing Gandhi’s moral dilemma in this regard as being a votary of non violence; he could not defend an act of violence by the young men. INA General Mohan Singh and author G.S.Deol are unhappy with Gandhi’s passivity in this matter. All this debate is concentrated on only on one issue, which was why Gandhi did not make it the condition of Gandhi-Irwin negotiations going on that time that the lives of these young men will be spared and it would be converted into life sentence. Privy Council by this time had rejected the appeal on these executions and now only Viceroy could commute the sentence and all the appeals were being made to him. Since Congress party as main driving force of national movement was expected to take lead in this regard, pressure was being built on it from inside and outside to take a clear stand and further make it a condition of any agreement with British Government. Not only Gandhi, who was the undisputed most powerful leader of Congress party, even the Congress working committee also did not make it as a precondition for the negotiations with British Government. At that time Subhash Chander Bose was part of Congress party, Jawaharlal Nehru like popular leaders of the party were admirers of Bhagat Singh, yet they all were so helpless before Gandhi that none could force the issue, so their admiration for revolutionaries remained on paper and confined to speeches. Prof. Datta has thrown some light on Gandhi’s attitude towards revolutionary or militant means in national movement in third chapter of the book. In 1909, Madan Lal Dhingra, son of a pro British rich family from Amritsar, came for higher studies to London and under the influence of Veer Savarkar’s militant views, killed Curzon Wyllie and got executed in London itself after a quick trial. Gandhi was in London in those days and he condemned this killing in most strong words. Gandhi had also referred to this case in his tract ‘Hind Swaraj’, which many people think is the key to understand Gandhian thought on Indian independence. This book written in Gujrati in 1909 was banned, when its English edition came out in 1910, for some time. Gandhi also condemned bomb hurled on Lord Harding on 23rd December 1912, during his ceremonial entry into city, after the capital was shifted to Delhi from Calcutta. Gandhi from South Africa at that time declared it to be ‘a catastrophe’. Incidentally Madan Lal Dhingra and the four persons executed in Lord Harding bomb case-Master Amir Chand, Balmukund , Awadh Behari and Basant Kumar Biswas were highly praised by Bhagat Singh in his writings on national movement. Gandhi from his South African experiences has made non violence as his creed for national movement and created a political term ‘Satyagraha’, literally meaning ‘insisting for truth, as new weapon for attaining independence for the country. Gandhi had again strongly condemned bomb thrown on 23rd December 1929 at Viceroy’s train by Bhagat Singh’s comrades. Killing of Saunders and throwing of bombs in Central assembly was also condemned as strongly as other actions of the revolutionaries by Gandhi and some other leaders of the Congress party. Gandhi had described the bomb throwing in Central Assembly as ‘the criminal act of two mad youth’. In this longest chapter Gandhi’s Attitude, Prof. Datta has referred to some other interesting aspects of national movement, such as commercial interests or one would say national bourgeoisie’s interests. Every one know that Gandhi was too close to business magnet G.D.Birla, in fact mush of the funds for Congress party came from these business houses and largest from Birla family. Prof Datta has quoted another eminent historian of national movement Sumit Sarkar that ‘ G.D.Birla, Walchand Hirachand and Purshottamdas Thakurdas thought that the further continuance of anti-British struggle would adversely affect their commercial interests.’(Page 39) It is same Purshottamdas Thakurdas to whom Bhagat Singh had referred in his famous quote that what difference it makes to people if Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru or Purshotamdas Thakurdas take the place of Lord reading or Lord Irwin, if system does not change. Prof. Datta has quoted Gandhi’s letter to Viceroy written on 23rd March, 1931, the day he was observing silence. This is by far the strongest defense for Gandhi in favour of his ‘efforts’ to save the lives of these young men. But this letter rather than being the defense of Gandhi becomes a moral reflection on him, as the letter contains such reference to revolutionary group, which was far from truth and no one could believe that. In the letter it is said that-‘ I am able to inform you that the revolutionary party has assured me that, in the event of these lives being spared, that party will stay its hands, suspension of sentence pending cessation of revolutionary murders becomes in my opinion a preemptory duty.’(Page 42) It is a double moral reflection on Gandhi’s considered ‘truthful’ personality. Every political personality in those days and British administration as well, knew fully well that whatever may come, Bhagat Singh and his comrades will never give any assurance on renouncing violence under pressure or to ‘save lives’. Such was their moral stature. Though it was a fact that Bhagat Singh and his group had decided to keep away from political violence and work for organizing the masses, yet they would never convey it to their sworn enemy, the British colonial rulers. Aruna Asaf Ali had vouched to this in this very chapter’s references. Here Bhagat Singh’s ‘truthfulness’ had higher credibility than Gandhi’s. Nationalist leader and Bhagat Singh’s counsel Asaf Ali was trying his best to get some dignified statement from Bhagat Singh, which could convey their political view of shunning terrorism as method, but he was not granted permission by British rulers. Gandhi writing this letter to Viceroy on 23rd March morning also makes it as a ritual, as British administration had sent secret circular to jail authorities to execute the prisoners on 23rd evening itself, though it was widely believed that executions will take place on 24th March morning as per tradition. In fact, Prof. Datta has not quoted the passage from Lord Halifax’s (Irwin) autobiography, which had been quoted by DP Das in his ‘Mainstream’ article that during their talk on Bhagat Singh issue Gandhi had asked Irwin that would he mind if he publicly claims that he put the maximum pressure on Viceroy on this issue. Irwin had replied that he won’t mind that. So ‘the best efforts’ made by Gandhi ‘to save the lives of Bhagat Singh’ were planned in the full knowledge of British administration. In this chapter, Prof. Datta had not referred to some more facts in this regard. Durga Bhabhi widow of revolutionary Bhagwaticharn Vohra and herself an accused in attack on British Governor in Bombay had met Gandhi in this regard. Gandhi knew her well and thought she had come to seek his intervention in her own case. She was living underground those days and had warrants against her. Gandhi told her ‘to surrender’ and the rest he would take care. But when Durga Bhabhi told Gandhi that she had come to appeal him to ‘save the lives of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru’, Gandhi told her point blank that ‘he can not do anything in the matters of political violence cases’ and refused intervention. Chandershekhar Azad was desperate to save Bhagat Singh as he thought revolutionary group needed his ideological leadership most urgently. He himself had meeting with Jawaharlal Nehru in Anand Bhawan Allahabad, about which Nehru had narrated in his ‘Autobiography’. Nehru was all sympathetic, but wanted the revolutionaries to go to Moscow to get training in Marxism, he actually contributed some money for this purpose, the project which never could materialize. Jawaharlal Nehru was actually patronizing ‘Bhagat Singh Defense committee’ as well, whose secretary Kumari Lajjawati was Congress activist. Massive meetings and rallies all over Punjab and elsewhere were taken out under the aegis of this defense committee. There was signature campaign all over India to save the lives of young patriots. Record of at least two lakh signatures is preserved even today in National archives Delhi. More than forty thousand signatures are on record on just one petition from Kanpur. All these facts do not find mention in Prof. Datta’s book, when the issue of value of Bhagat Singh’s life is being discussed. The fact that Gandhi did not take into account this popular sentiment of Indian people towards Bhagat Singh does not find mention in the book. Pattabhi Sitaramaya has himself recorded this sentiment in ‘The History of Congress party’ that Bhagat Singh was no less popular than Mahatma Gandhi in those days. Even today if ‘Hindu’ survey finds Bhagat Singh having the approval rate of 64% Indians, ‘India Today’ finds Bhagat Singh at the top of Indian people’s approval rate, while Gandhi is found much down in its approval rate. Indian people rightly think that Bhagat Singh sacrificed his life to defend the dignity of Indian nationhood, which was seriously compromised with the death of Lala Lajpat Rai due to brutal police beatings. While national leaders of Congress party exhorted revolutionary youth to ‘avenge’ this humiliation of Indian nationhood at that time, clever and politically astute leaders like Gandhi diverted the issue from ‘ national dignity’ to that of ‘political violence’ Revolutionaries trusted Moti lal Nehru more in this matter, who passed away on 6th February, 1931 and revolutionaries thought that they lost ’sincere sympathizer’ to their cause. Robert Bernays has been quoted from his book ‘Naked Faquir’ in this chapter in reference to Sarojini Naidu, who had told the author that ‘Bhagat Singh ought to be punished for his crimes, but not by death. After all he is only a rebel.’ (Page 47)In this chapter there is an interesting quote from internationally renowned Urdu poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz that ‘slogan Inqilab Zindabad’ had replaced Bande Matram’ in those days.(Page51) Faiz’s daughter Salima Hashmi had confided to this author that Faiz had heard the pistol shots on 17th December, 1928 from his hostel of Government College Lahore. The college is little away from where Saunders was killed that day. Lord Irwin has been introduced in next chapter, who was a conservative party man but ‘liberal’. After holding many senior positions he came to India as Viceroy in 1926 and served for five years. Days before he relinquished his charge as Viceroy, the ‘liberal Viceroy’ got Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru executed. In this chapter the author had quoted from editorial of ‘The People’ of 22nd March, 1931, which refers to British civil servants machinations in Punjab, including threat to ‘resign’, if these revolutionaries were not hanged.(Page 64). Prof. Datta refers to the bomb thrown on Viceroy’s train and also Punjab Governor being shot at in Panjab University Lahore convocation by young Harikishan. All these references are fine to analyze and understand, but the concluding paragraph based on these analyses is somewhat intriguing. The author concludes—‘Bhagat Singh had killed a British police officer and the punishment for murder was hanging. In imperial calculations Bhagat Singh was a cold blooded butcher who had committed the murder of a fellow human being. From the British perspective, he was a rebel, a seditionist, a challenger, and wrecker of their system, which they were zealously determined to guard against anarchists like him. Irwin realized that the British life in India was unsafe so long as political militancy was not crushed. Of course, he could not ignore the strong feelings of British bureaucracy in India, and of Home government.’(Page 66-67) One can understand British colonial viewpoint in this regard, but that does not justify or clarify nationalist response to that viewpoint, which to say the least was pitiably inadequate. Even the historian seems to be reconciled to this perspective that the whole issue revolved around whether Bhagat Singh could live under those circumstances or not. To this reviewer this is most inadequate explanation. It was Bhagat Singh, who more than anyone else, British bureaucracy, Gandhi or Irwin, knew most clearly that ‘he can not live in those prevailing circumstances’, which he made clear in his last letter to his comrades, a day before his execution and he almost chose the path of gallows himself. Injustice done to him, however by nationalist leaders or historians, is to obfuscate his own viewpoint in this whole debate or scenario. The author has devoted one chapter to Bhagat Singh’s self education, where he admires his personality. He quotes from Motilal and Jawaharlal Nehru to show their admiration as well. Author narrates Bhagat Singh’s life story, particularly of his college days, but he commits a blunder in referring to his first arrest by Punjab police. Author mentions-‘Bhagat Singh was arrested in connection with the Dussehra bomb outrage in 1926, and was locked up in a small cell on 17th December, 1928.’(Page 27) Actually Bhagat Singh was arrested in this case on 29th May 1927 at Lahore and released on bail on 4th July, 1927, full five weeks after his arrest. This is his only arrest by police before his final arrest on 8th April, 1929. Ironically 17th December 1928 was the day, on which Saunders was shot dead. But to be fair to the author, this could be a ‘printers devil’ .In a chapter on ‘The Trial’, author quotes A.G Noorani that ‘ Bhagat singh’s trial was a farce, politically motivated, and the procedures adopted in his prosecution were devious and a ‘negation of justice’.(Page 69) But author’s own narration of this trial does not support Noorani’s contention that strongly. Author is appreciative of Bhagat Singh’s court statement for its ‘elegance, ’lucidity’, ‘cadenced language’, ‘sobriety and seriousness of its theme’, ‘breadth of outlook and loftiness of thought’ etc., but gives its credit strangely to Jawaharlal Nehru, despite admitting that Asaf Ali had admitted only of ‘polishing’ Bhagat Singh’s language. No source had been referred to the authorship of Nehru for this statement except the author’s own imagination that the statement has ‘the striking features of Nehru’s own prose writings’.(Page 74).This shows our academia’s vision of our supreme revolutionary hero, no one wants to recognize his intellectual potential, that is why Bhagat Singh’s transition to Marxist thought is also questioned, despite his own writings as the best proof for that. In this chapter author raises the issue-‘why no eminent lawyer defended Bhagat Singh and his associates in Lahore conspiracy case’. Author even surmises that ‘lawyers wished to keep themselves out of a British police officer’s murder case because they thought that as Bhagat Singh’s counsel they might incur the ire of British bureaucracy and judiciary from which they were accustomed to seeking favors.’(Page 75). One does not know whether to laugh or cry at such observations. The fact of the matter is that the best lawyers of Lahore and from whole country were ready to offer their services and they treated this as a national cause. Lawyers like Asaf Ali, Kailashnath katju, Chanderbhan Gupta, Mohan Lal Saxena etc. had all remained concerned about this trial, including Nehru father and son duo. It was revolutionaries own decision to engage lawyers selectively. By a conscious decision they divided themselves into three groups- one group completely ignored court proceedings, they did not engage any lawyer and practically boycotted court proceedings to show ‘the hollowness of British judicial system’. Another group, which included Bhagat Singh engaged lawyer as to counsel them only and they represented themselves in the court after consulting their counsel on legal points. The third group properly engaged lawyers. Interesting fact is that the fees of revolutionaries counsel’s were paid by British rulers as per their own laws in this regard. Lala Duni Chand, Amolak Ram Kapoor, Prannath Mehta etc. counsels of revolutionaries were among the best lot. Prof. Datta’s observation on Sukhdev that he was the real brain etc. comes from the fact that this case was registered as ‘ Sukhdev vs. the Crown’. Sukhdev in fact had made the statement to the police when he was arrested, that statement damaged the group a lot. But as Sukhdev refused to become approver and the statement he gave was due to ‘standard police tactics’ of misleading through telling plain lies to the accused. Sukhdev in jail broke his hunger strike midway, when his other comrades suffered a lot. Sukhdev did not have the consistency, patience, farsightedness and suffering capacity of true revolutionary leader, though he was one of the intellectuals and quite well read. His only saving grace has been to go along with his comrades and accept death sentence cheerfully, though he was not part of the conspiracy or actual execution of murder of Saunders. One of the travesties of justice in this case was the death sentence awarded to Sukhdev. In a small chapter on Karachi Congress held immediately after the execution of Bhagat Singh and his comrades, the author has thrown light on Gandhi’s capacity to face criticism without yielding from his position. Gandhi told emphatically to the press that ‘the commutation of the death sentence these young men ‘was not a part of the truce’ with British’. He faced black flag demonstration and was presented black flowers in Karachi amid the slogans of ‘Go back Gandhi’ and ‘Down with Gandhism’, he was even described as the ‘ally of the British exploiters in India’.(Page 84) Prof. Datta has highlighted that how writers like Prem Chand and Rabindernath Tagore had kept quite on these executions. Gandhi declared in his speech at this congress that ‘the way of violence cannot bring Swaraj; it can lead only to disaster.’(Page 85) But revolutionaries were not fighting to get Swaraj in the country, they wanted to overthrow the system of exploitation and build socialism in due course, which of course would have been disaster for Birlas, Lalchandanis and Thakurs of the country, who funded and supported Gandhi. Author has mentioned about the resolution of condolence passed in the congress as per the wishes of Gandhi, but not the fact that how narrow was the difference in voting on revolution. In a full fledged book on Karachi Congress, which was banned by British rule, Jitmal Lunia had given details of parallel meetings of Naujwan Bharat Sabha, in which all the fiery leaders of Congress party had participated including Subhash Bose, Nehru, Ghaffar Khan and Madan mohan Malviya etc. The chapter gives figure of Rupees 18 lakhs given by Birla for the congress and promise of Rs. 30 lakhs to attend Round Table Conference in London for congress delegation. To placate left-wingers like Nehru and Subhash Bose, Gandhi got resolution of ‘Fundamental Rights and Economic Change’ passed in this session, which gave a little pro poor and democratic color to Congress social programme. But how much he depreciated Bhagat Singh was the letter Gandhi wrote to Mehta Anand Kishore on 26th June 1931, in which he refused to associated with building any memorial to Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev.(Page 90) Mehta Anand Kishore had been Congress activist of long standing and close family friend of S. Kishan Singhj, father of Bhagat Singh. In fact the first Lahore Conspiracy case in 1915 against Ghadar party activists was registered as ‘Mehta Anand Kishore vs. the Crown’. Mehta was acquitted in this case, in which Kartar Singh Sarabha and Vishnu Ganesh Pingley like uoung patriots were executed. Comrade Ramchandra, President of ‘Naujwan Bharat Sabha’ in 1926 has given a lucid detail of how Congress party had sabotaged the Naujwan Bharat Sabha’s plan to build suitable memorial to three martyrs in Lahore. The plan was chalked during Karachi Congress itself, but Congress party used Bhagat Singh’s father Kishan Singh to throttle the plan. Congress party promised to build the memorial on its own and Mehta Anand Kishore , a Congress activist and friend of Kishan Singh was made General Secretary of All India Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev memorial society, on whose behalf Mehta wrote to Gandhi for issuing an appeal to raise funds for the memorial. Gandhi’s response to this letter killed the whole plan. This act on the part of Gandhi show that how Congress party used these young men, when the honor of country was at stake and after gaining ground, ironically due to public sympathy for the young revolutionaries, Congress disowned the patriotic acts of these revolutionaries as ‘political violence’, thus keeping themselves aloof, but reaping the fruits of their sacrifice to get concessions from British colonial bureaucracy. In ‘Conclusion’, Prof. Datta has rather absolved not only Gandhi, but even Irwin for the execution of the revolutionaries because it was beyond Irwin and Gandhi to save these lives as ‘they were not free and independent enough to do whatever they wished as commonly assumed. They had to act within the framework of the British imperial system operating in the country’.(Page 93) One can very well understand Irwin’s role as British imperial system’s representative, but unwittingly the author has ascribed this uncanny aspect to Gandhi’s personality and position as well, which many analysts including revolutionaries, then and now say with force of logic. Prof. Datta has also shown that leaving aside the issue of Bhagat Singh’s death sentence, Gandhi could not even stick to his position of abolishing capital punishment altogether, which almost all the democrats then and now support world over, which make his moral position further week. There is another error of dates in this chapter, ‘Why I am an Atheist’ was published in ‘The People’ of Lahore in the weekly issue of 27th September, 1931 and not on 31st September as mentioned. In this chapter author had again expressed doubts on Bhagat Singh’s English writings and he ascribes their ‘amendment’ to Asaf Ali, despite denial by Asaf Ali himself. He doubts even the authorship of articles attributed to him still as ‘mystery’.(Page 95) Had he seen the proceedings of Bhagat Singh case, this would not have remained mystery to him. In continuing exhibition in Supreme Court Museum at New Delhi on ‘The Trial of Bhagat Singh’, number of such letters in Bhagat Singh’s own handwriting are on display there with no sign of Asaf Ali ‘amending’ or ‘polishing’ these. One may not find even a spelling error in those letters written in beautiful handwriting of Bhagat Singh. In Recollections’ after conclusion, author has referred to his meeting with Partap Singh, who narrates the story that though Irwin has decided to commute the death sentence at Gandhi’s request, due to Dr. Muhammad Alam, a CWC member’s premature revelation to public had made Irwin order the execution. These are the kind of folk tales created after such incidents. Prof. Datta also like Kuldip Nayar has taken undue interest in the later life of Hans Raj Vohra , who had turned approver in the case and who died in Washington as journalist after living a long life. There were seven approvers in the case, out of which Phaninder Ghosh was murdered in Bihar and Baikunth Shukal was executed for that. Jaigopal was shot at in Maharashtra’s Jalgaon court by Bhagwan Das Mahour and Sadashiv Malkapurkar. Jaigopal was also hit on head with chappal by Premdutt, youngest member of revolutionary group in the court, since he was provoking the revolutionaries by ridiculing them. But none of other approvers were subjected to any kind of misbehavior on the part of revolutionaries in jail or outside. They understood perfectly that not all can stand up to police tortures. Hans Raj Vohra felt guilty and ashamed even during the trial, but his parents being of high class could get him out of country. Had Vohra written his accounts, some truth could have come out about police methods of brutality. By this presentation of Bhagat Singh, it would look as if he achieved nothing or left no legacy, rather negative legacy in Gandhi’s terms. But the fact is that Bhagat Singh, exposed British imperial system as a system of exploitation and oppression to the core. How one would explain the ‘Jallianwala Bagh’ episode of British colonial system, the single most brutal incident, in which as per Congress fact finding team repost more than one thousand Indians were mowed down by General Dyer’s orders, out of which more than four hundred and fifty names are being in the process of putting on record now in the memorial itself. Since no justice was done to the brutal killer of people, Udham Singh had to go London to shot dead Michael O’dwyer, after 21 years of the incident, who as Governor of Punjab defended Dyer. Udham Singh was also hanged in London like Madan Lal Dhingra earlier, would anyone say that since the Jallianwala bagh killing was part of imperial system, so there was no need to bring the culprits to book. Were Scott or Saunders even questioned once for brutally hitting Lala Lajpat Rai, an old man and respected national leader. Or in neo colonial/imperial times, has any court summoned Bush and Blair for causing more than six lakh murders in Iraq and committing worst crimes against humanity, as committed earlier by Hitler and Mussolini? Whatever Gandhi may think or the historians influenced by him may analyze, for common people of the country Bhagat Singh and Udham Singh had defended the dignity of the nation. In political movements, when movements win who counts the killings during the process of movement. Can anyone dare to book Prachanda today for political killings or earlier Castro or Che Guvera. Yes the colonialists and imperialists have always called Marx, Lenin, Mao, Castro, Che Guvera etc. with all kinds of names, yet their role to liberate the people of the world from exploitation and oppression will remain a beacon light of all liberation movements in the world. Bhagat Singh’s name also falls in that revolutionary legacy. The revolutionary legacy of not only India, but of the struggling people of the whole world. That is why, despite all political contradictions between India and Pakistan, Bhagat Singh is as much loved in Pakistan as in India. In fact one of the major Urdu writers of Pakistan, Zahida Hina has recently described Bhagat Singh as ‘the tallest martyr of Pakistan’. Bhagat Singh and Udham Singh like national heroes did not need reprieve, they did need the proper appreciation of their deed by fellow countrymen—politicians, scholars and common people alike. Common people do understand and appreciate them for their noble deeds, but it is the politicians and sometimes some scholars, who want to defend the system and in the process misconstrue the history. But as Bhagat Singh was fond of being a phoenix, he comes alive as many times he is burnt by colonialists or their defenders. However Prof. Datta must be complimented for bringing out many facts |