While it may be widely known that the Zafarnama of Guru Gobind Singh in the Dasam Granth warns Aurangzeb of his Mughal Empire’s impending doom at the hands of the Khalsa, or Sikh Nation, it has been less widely propagated that the subsequent Hiqayat also reminds his successors, whether of Afghan, European, or even Indian extraction that the imperial capital, Delhi, was once founded by a prince of farmers Dalip Singh, to whom it would rightly revert. It is as inevitable as the Mughals and the British being forced to quit by the same, as it is predictable that their cronies from Gujarat, to whom the British ‘transferred power’ before they so ignominiously withdrew, will soon suffer the same fate. The following is a full chapter extract from the newly published narrative verse translation ‘The Zafarnama & Hikayats’ (see below) rendering this Hiqayat into English from its Persian original, in the same meter.
Hiqayat 2
One Origin, Victory to the Glorious Guru!
Hiqayat, hear said of Raja Dalip
Who once was seated at his father’s feet [1]
Alongside each other sat brothers four
Who were all well skilled in the ways of war [2]
Who sprang like lions intoxicated
With hand or horse, once infuriated [3]
He bid them be seated on golden thrones
Each one his own to be seated upon [4]
Then were summoned the wise and the wealthy
To ask, which of the throne, was most worthy [5]
Those of wisdom, upon hearing of this
Rose to the challenge, speaking their minds thus: [6]
‘You yourself are the defender of the faith
Cognisant God, independent of brain [7]
We have not the arrogance to answer
As do not virgins (accepting suitors) [8]
If, however, you force us to answer
We can this recommendation offer: [9]
Whomsoever, the Almighty befriends
Is successful in all his transactions [10]
One should first their intelligence confirm
By actions, suitability affirm’ [11]
To the first, ten thousand elephants gave
The king, in their mating season, enchained [12]
To the second, horse, five hundred thousand
With golden saddles glistening in the sun [13]
To the third, five thousand camels laden
With silver chattels and golden ribbons [14]
To the fourth, one pulse seed, and chick pea half,
Of independent spirit, mind, most sharp [15]
This intelligent son brought the seeds home
The half chick pea doubling made it whole [16]
By sowing seeds he wished to demonstrate
How great his intelligence and/or fate [17]
Burying both the seeds into the ground
Praying to the Lord hoped crops would abound [18]
After six months had elapsed thereafter
Green shoots all over began to appear [19]
For ten years more sowing and harvesting
He nurtured crops before rewards reaping [20]
By reseeding some ten-twenty times more
The area of growth multiplied galore [21]
In this way he gathered wealth beyond need
Accumulating mound upon mound, seeds [22]
Ten thousand elephants he then acquired
As tall as mountains, as drunk as the Nile [23]
He also five hundred thousand horse bought
Golden saddled, silver strapped, much sought [24]
Three hundred thousand camel, to boot, got
By both gold and silver, weighed down a lot [25]
Through sale of seeds, a city created
The name of which, Delhi, designated [26]
Another city, Moongi Pattan, built
Friend’s paradise, foes making heart stricken [27]
For another twelve years his kingdom grew
Could never be spent, such wealth that accrued [28]
After all this time the king on the throne
Asked be reminded, to whom, what was owed [29]
His advisors retrieved said document
On which was recorded the four’s accounts [30]
With pens in hand they signalled to the king
Readiness to account everything [31]
King responded by asking how many
Thousands had been gifted, to the penny [32]
‘Read the document, then say out aloud
What was to each of them by me endowed’ [33]
Listened they keenly to royal firman
As had been spoken by a paragon [34]
‘Bring forth at once and formally present
O lights of the world, O suns of Yaman!’ [35]
The first son spoke of gifted elephants;
Some died in battle but survived not one [36]
Asking second son of what had become
Of horses gifted, he answered as one [37]
Sarcastically, king asked ‘darling’ son
You gave away all the camels to whom?! [38]
Some died in battle, repeated son third,
The rest were gifted, as already heard [39]
Finally, of fourth son, asking the same;
‘Deserving heir, of the seeds, what became? [40]
Explain to me, what became of the gift
One whole of moong seed and one half chick pea?’ [41]
‘Sire! With your permission, I will bring forth
So many elephants, camels and horse’ [42]
He then presented twelve thousand elephants
With gold and silver brocade adornment [43]
Five hundred thousand horse then presented
Each with golden saddles accompanied [44]
Steel helmets, shining spears, shields expensive
Arrows and swords many, not mentioning [45]
Camels from Baghdad then joined the parade
With gold laden and draped undreamt brocade [46]
Millions upon millions gold coins
A sight for sore eyes, like sighting a friend [47]
From one moong seed created a city
Or Moongi-Pattan, in posterity [48]
From another half chick pea created
The magnificent city of Delhi [49]
Pleased with the exploits of this progeny
Installed his fourth son as Raja Dalip [50]
Establishing an empire of glory
Deserving of power, sovereignty [51]
Empire, sovereignty adorns such as he
Clever, dutiful, obeisance worthy [52]
Unintelligent, unclean, those others
Unsure in their ways, uncouth by their troth [53]
The king thought to hand over his throne too
All his monies, acquisitions accrued [54]
He would surely acquire fame and fortune
By his wisdom, a great sovereign prove [55]
Raja Dalip was presented his throne
By Raja Mahip with robes of honour [56]
His other offspring, removed from power
Had neither wisdom, nor were free from flaw [57]
Upon a new golden throne seating new king
All old treasuries opened before him [58]
Unburdening himself of all duty
Wandered to the forest in penury [59]
Wine tender, pour in my cup, Green liquor,
Wartime intoxicating elixir [60]
To take advantage of my destiny
And my sword’s demonstrate, supremacy [61]
09-04-2024:
Marking 30 years after L. Bhai Awtar Singh, 1953-1994,
Founder General Secretary, Council of Khalistan, 1989-1994,
New publication now available (in both hardback and e-book) :
ISBN : 978-1-914584-58-9
In Memory of Late Elder Siblings, Dr Surinder Kaur and S. Awtar Singh Srai:
Forthcoming New Book Release-
The Zafarnama & Hikayats
Narrative Verse Translation of the Epistle of Victory
& the other Persian Narratives of the Dasam Granth
Author/Translator: Dr M S Srai
Preface-Sikh, Persian & English Letters
Whereas much of Guru Gobind Singh’s Dasam Granth, characterises the newly formed separate Sikh nation’s relations with the majority Hindu Indian–subcontinent and therefore borrows largely from its language and literature, in contrast, the final heavily Persianized section, Zafarnama, emphasises relations between the Sikhs and the soon to be overthrown alien, minority, almost exclusively Muslim, Mogul ruling elite. The former utilises classical Indian meters and styles, whereas the latter emulates the celebrated Persian poets such as Rumi, Firdausi, Khayyam, Farid-Uddin-Attar, etc., but is rendered entirely in a single meter of ten syllable line (Decasyllabic) couplets, favoured by the notable English poets, Pope, Dryden (particularly, in translation of the Greek classics) and Shakespeare, among others.
A flavour of the former styles is translated in ‘100 Shades of Grey-Verse Translation of TriyaCharitar, or Wiles of Women’ by the current author. Similarly, this volume renders a (not previously attempted, to the author’s knowledge) metrically consistent, narrative verse translation of the last chapter of the DasamGranth, Zafarnama, which includes the Hiqayats, eleven other compositions, four of which themselves correspond to those in the aforementioned, TriyaCharitar. This demonstrates, not only a consistency of authorship between the original works, whether Sanskritized or Persianized, but also that of approach towards both minority and majority communities from the Sikh national perspective.
Zafarnama, or Epistle of Victory, as the first and title Hiqayat of the twelve in total, describes the fresh outbreak of conflict between the Sikhs and the Moguls, in particular, vis-a-vis the Guru and Aurangzeb, the Mogul emperor of Dehli, himself, to whom the versified letter is ostensibly addressed. This gives this first Hiqayat the nature of a personal epic, or Dastaan in the genre of Persian literature. Aurangzeb is castigated as a materialistic, hypocritical Islamist, together with his ally Hindu hill rajas, who violated their solemn oaths on their own Holy Quran and Hindu Scriptures, during the Guru’s violent evacuation and miraculous escape from the siege of the combined forces of the imperial and hill raja armies, amid their own instigated ‘peace’ negotiations, denouncing them as unfit to rule their respective regimes and prophetically predicting their overthrow. This was, indeed, largely accomplished by the Guru’s own convert and protégé, Baba Banda Singh Bahadur, within a decade of these historical events, establishing the first Sikh rule over these regions, instead. It is interesting to note that this regime change was marked by the issuing of coins with the joint Gurmukhi/Persian inscription, romanised and translated here:
‘Victory of Sword and Cauldron, Inevitable and Bestowed by the Gurus, Nanak-Gobind Singh’
This remained on the seal of all subsequent independent Sikh states, while Persian also remained an official language of the pre-British Sikh Empire, after which it was replaced by them to Urdu (Mogul, Persianized Hindi).
The second Hiqayat is also instructive for the imperialists, whether Mogul, British or Indian, who rule from Delhi. The establishment of Delhi is traced in antiquity to one, Maharajah Dalip Singh, the youngest of four princes, who founded the great city from an inheritance of half a seed, which he grew into a grand empire. Historically, its name was later morphed by the Dhillon clan of peasant farmers and the Sikhs are as much proud of their role in overthrowing imperialists who have adopted Delhi as their capital, as they are of establishing their own agrarian, egalitarian, empire, itself undermined only by regression in to the monarchic principle. This anti-imperialist theme continues throughout all of the subsequent Hiqayats, favouring instead, good and wise governance. Never-the-less, the concept of the struggle for and maintenance of sovereignty is deemed of critical importance for a dignified and honourable nation, even under monarchical, hereditary rule.
Other prominent themes include military prowess, valour, as well as romance and beauty. The latter is both an inspiration for the previous three as well as a devastatingly destructive, corrupt, corrosive, impermanent phenomenon undermining of humanity itself when malevolent or malefic. One could be forgiven for thinking that all the above themes indicate that the original masterpiece was a secular rather than a scriptural work. However, the prologues and epilogues of each Hiqayat are solely dedicated and devoted to the praise of the Almighty, respectively, belying this apprehension and are consistent with and confirmatory of both the spiritual and temporal purpose of the composition of the DasamGranth as a whole.
Dr M S Srai
Contents
Preface-Sikh, Persian & English Letters
Hikayat 1-Zafarnama, Epistle of Victory
Hikayat 2-Raja Dalip Singh of Delhi
Hikayat 3-The Emperor of China
Hikayat 4-Princess BacchatraMati
Hikayat 5-The Qazi’sMurderous Wife
Hikayat 6-The Minister’s Daughter
Hikayat 7-Queen HumaeAzeem
Hikayat 8-A Murderous Queen Mother
Hikayat 9-A Frustrated European Monarch
Hikayat 10-Roshan Dimagh& Roshan Zameer
Hikayat 11-Emperor Sher Shah’s Horse Thief
Hikayat 12-A Wanton Afghan Wife
Marking 70th Birth Anniversary of Late S. Awtar Singh:
New Book Release-
100 Shades of Grey
Verse Translation of Wiles of Women
(Triya Charitar of Dasam Granth, Masterpiece of Sikh Letters)
Within earshot of Jahangir, rumoured scandal: [21]
Chaupai
‘If a woman can smite a lion,
What hope with her, has her man, then?
What does it speak of gentleness?
One should fear such women’s harshness’ [22]
Arril
When Jahangir overheard this slander,
He hung his head and started to ponder:
‘Perhaps one should not get so close to her,
She could me too kill, if were disfavoured’ [23]
Chaupai
Jahangir, by remarks designed,
Of women, to be terrorised
Thought, if she can kill a lion,
Whatever hope has hapless man? [24]
Dohra
How wonderful is a woman, one cannot know,
Whatever she wants she does, makes it happen so [25]
Saving suitor from death, with single shot from gun,
In an equal instant, her heroics undone [26]
Emperor Jahangir, ever since remained spooked,
By women’s words and wiles, he once would overlook [27]
Here ends the 48th of the Depicted Legends of Wily Women, minister, king, in conference [48]
Translated and released on the 13th Death Anniversary of
(Late) Dr Surinder Kaur on 15th March 2023
Depicted Legend No. 25: Prem Kaur, the Queen of Kailakhaar
Dohra
Between rivers Ganga and Jamna is Kailakhaar
In which locale people live lives of herded hordes [1]
Chaupai
The minister again addressed:
‘Listen, my majesty, dearest’
A story for you, especially,
To relieve all your miseries [2[
Dohra
The king of Kailakhaar, had lawful wife wedded,
Who, from complete destruction, wretched kingdom, saved [3]
Chaupai
Prem Kaur, the Maharani’s name,
Who, because, king was old and lame,
And had no son or heir to name,
Her mind exercised, by the same [4]
Dohra
With no son or heir, the king had grown old and limp
Tired of marital relations and incapable [5]
Chaupai
She then concocted deception:
To maintain her grip on the throne;
Acquire another woman’s son
And pass him off as the king’s own [6]
Dohra
A pregnant woman identifying, summoned
And she herself was expectant, whispered around [7]
She bought off the pregnant woman, handsomely
Celebrating the birth day, ostentatiously [8]
Minstrels and musicians, rewarding generously,
Sher Singh, he was named, with pomp and ceremony [9]
Chaupai
Within some days the king expired
Replaced by Sher Singh, ‘son’ and heir
The subjects hailed their new raja,
Even though, he was an imposter [10]
Dohra
As per the lines of fate, the pauper, prince became,
Rather, wretch, raja, by dowager’s stratagem [11]
Here ends the 25th of the Depicted Legends of Wily Women, minister, king in conference, [25]
Translated and releasedon the 68th Birth Anniversary of
(Late) Dr Surinder Kaur on 1st March 2023
Depicted Legend No. 40:
The Patient Peasant, Achal Dev
Dohra
Jungle dwelling peasant, had a shrew for a wife
Countermanding all he said, with tongue like a knife [1]
Chaupai
Diljan Mati, his trouble, strife,
The tenacious, Achal Dev’s, wife
Of whom he was ever afraid,
So from their home, away he stayed [2]
Dohra
At the confluence of the rivers, Beas, Satluj,
He was headman of the village, where they both lived [3]
Chaupai
Whatever work was to be done,
She nit-picked its execution
In her own way, would have re-done
To her husband, never listen [4]
To ancestors, commemorate,
Approaching the auspicious date,
Cancelling the arrangements made,
She alternately, feast arranged [5]
Instead of solemn observance,
Priests arrived for a reception
He asked her to perform one task;
Not to pay, whatever they ask [6]
She would not hear a word of it;
Coins showered, on each of the priests
Becoming lady bountiful,
Dismissed them with their bellies full [7]
The Brahmins were well satisfied,
Sent home, extremely gratified,
Praising virtues of the woman,
For honouring their traditions [7]
Dohra
Crossing rivulet, adjacent village, rashly
Ignoring warnings, she, got in difficulty [8]
Chaupai
The peasant, much aggravated,
Her demise, had contemplated
Perhaps, dismissing his advice,
She drowning, save him daily strife? [10]
So he said to her, cleverly,
Not to go to her home, rashly,
‘I will give you a ferry rope’
Without which she, had not a hope [11]
Accompanying her to bank,
To his tortured mind, came a prank;
He, from the bank, to her shouted,
‘Listen to my words, beloved! [12]
You would much better board the boat,
For a change, do not me doubt!’
But she said she’d grabbed a cow’s tail
And would easily, stream travail [13]
Swaya
On that morning, a storm had raged, lashing and bashing, people’s homes
Mother’s in law ventured not, sister’s in law crossed not threshold
The entire neighbourhood besieged, collectively, held its breath
Hail stones showered down, how would the poor woman span the stream’s breadth?
Dohra
Grabbing the cow’s tail, she entered the stream, full flow
‘Hold on to it firmly!’ he shouted to the fool [15]
She let go of the tail, upon hearing his screams,
Cursing, entered vale of death, swept away by stream [16]
The peasant returned home, having sunk shrewish wife,
How can man find peace, with such trouble and strife? [17]
Here ends the 40th Depicted Legend, that of a Wily Man, minister, king in conference, [40]
Translated and released by Dr Manjit Singh Srai on the 69th Birth Anniversary of (Late) S. Awtar Singh, Founder General Secretary (1989-94) Council of Khalistan on 29th August 2022.
Modi’s Tricolour Gimmick Backfires as 75 Years of Colonialism Exposed
London: 17 August 2022: When Indian PM Modi called for every house to fly the Indian flag on Indian Independence Day this week, he hadn’t bargained for the robust response from the Sikhs. He seems to have forgotten that the Sikh flag was famously hoisted by Sikh nationalists on the Red Fort in Delhi last year, in an act of defiance which sent the Hindutva establishment into a tailspin. Inevitably, his call this week was met with an impressive reply from Sikhs across Punjab and the worldwide diaspora, who opted to fly Sikh flags to drive home the point that it is Sikh sovereignty that counts in the Sikh homeland.
In London, an array of Sikh organisations protested in front of the Indian High Commission against the forcible denial of self-determination in Indian-controlled Punjab since the disastrous British decolonisation of 1947. Seeing Indian rule as simply the switch from one colonial rule to another, Sikhs have long campaigned for their rights as a nation, under international law, to restore their sovereign rule in their homeland. The protest earlier this week exposed the nature and brutality of the fascist Hindutva project that has tried to neutralise Sikh nationhood over 75 years of genocide, involving systematic and massive human rights abuses, unlawful land and river water theft as well as linguistic, cultural and religious marginalisation. The protestors vocally highlighted the need to confront this majoritarian onslaught by asserting Sikh sovereignty and the inherent aspiration of freedom that comes with it.
As Sikh flags were proudly hoisted, Khalistani slogans raised and images of Sikh political prisoners displayed, the discomfort of High Commission officials was clear. A pathetic show of two counter protestors was quickly over and their tricolour flags were later seen being collected from the gutter by police officers.
Speaking on behalf of the Council of Khalistan, Ranjit Singh Srai condemned India’s colonialism and said it was time for the international community to tackle the Hindutva fascism that is not only targeting Sikhs, Muslims, Dalits and Christians within Indian-controlled territory but is also dangerously aggressive towards neighbouring states risking nuclear war in the region. Joga Singh, Speaker of the World Sikh Parliament highlighted the plight of Sikh political prisoners in India as a clear manifestation of the ongoing oppression of a nation that simply want to live peaceably in freedom in its own territory.
Rehana Ali of Tehreek-e-Kashmir urged suppressed nations to work together to defeat the Hindutva project in Kashmir, Punjab and the north eastern border areas where Nagas, Assamese, Bodos, Manipuris and others have also been forcibly denied individual and collective human rights for decades.
Dupinderjit Singh of Sikhs for Justice said the massive response from Sikhs in terms of participation in the ‘Referendum 2020’ process demonstrated that the Sikhs not only value their national rights, but were determined to exercise them to bring about freedom in Punjab.
Manpreet Singh of the World Sikh Parliament urged policy makers across the capitals of the world to recognise the geo-political necessity of peaceably resolving the potential lethal conflicts in South Asia, where India’s belligerence has raised the stakes considerably over recent years, by dismantling Indian colonial rule. The cost of failure is already too high and the time to act is now, he said whilst stating that a buffer state of Khalistan would be the only way to separate rival nuclear-armed states in the flashpoint region that seem otherwise destined for a catastrophic showdown.
-WSP reaffirms commitment to implement Sarbat Khalsa Resolutions
Why, on Hola, Guru Gobind Singh, supplanted the Bikrami with the Sikh Calendar
There seems to have been some confusion recently as to when Sikh New Year actually occurs. Some state it to be at the beginning of the month of Chet, while others say it is on Vaisakhi. The answer is neither. Baisakhi is the National day of the Sikhs, marking the creation of the Nation. The beginning of Chet, whether Sangrand or Massia, actually occurs at the end of the previous year. According to S.Balachandra Rao in Indian Astronomy: An Introduction (2000):
“In Punjab though the solar calendar is generally followed, the lunar calendar used is purnimanta. The lunar month is calculated from the ending moment of the full moon: the beginning of the dark fortnight. Chaitra is considered to be the first month of the lunar year. The lunar year begins on Chet Sudi: the first day after the new moon in Chet. This means that the first half of the purnimanta month of Chaitra goes to the previous year, while the second half belongs to the new Lunar year.”
Thus Hola Mohala, or just “Hola” for short, marks the new year, i.e. new years day. To emphasise the point, Guru Gobind Singh composed the following Charitar on the defeat of Bikram by Punjabi hero, Raja Risaloo’s father. The Bikrami calendar originates from Bikram’s defeat of the Shaka dynasty in 57 ce, south-west of Multan. Successive Indian rulers adopted the Bikrami calender in his honour, however the Sikh nation rejects this hegemony in favour of an indigenous (Punjabi) date marking Bikramjeet’s defeat in Punjab:
Depicted Legend 97: Raja Risaloo, Prince of Sialkot
Dohra
In Sialkot country, Salbahna was sovereign
Championed by his people, of Shastras observant [1]
Srimati Trirar, was the name of his consort,
Worshipper of Bhivani, ever their support [2]
Chaupai
Report of which, reached king Bikram
Who, with force, attacked their kingdom
By which Salbahn was not panicked
Stoically, putting up a fight [3]
Dohra
Then the goddess offering him assistance, said:
‘A terracotta army, I’ll revive from dead’ [4]
Chaupai
As Mother Earth ordained, he did
Terracotta force created
With her merciful, divine glance
Animated, armed combatants [5]
Dohra
From mud, were men resurrected, full of anger
Capturing chariots, killing their commanders [6]
Chaupai
Sombre music played in the city
As proud men grabbed adversaries
Cutting them to little pieces
Returning none, to their places [7]
Dohra
Warriors had but one mantra on their lips:
Whosoever is Bikram’s man, eliminate [8]
Bhujang Chhand
Charioteers, countless, captured and killed
Many a protagonist, sacrificed
Many infantry, battered to the ground
Of how many more, has no upper bound [9]
Rual Chhand
Vast forces accompanied each of the sovereigns
Vast equally their advisors, weaponry, cannon
Spears, swords, and arrows, each to maximum effect
Rendered their brave targets, battlefield wounded and dead [10]
Bhujang Chhand
Resurrected braves, in thick of battle
Roamed battlefields in inebriation
Sometimes, calling for annihilation
Challenging opponents manliness [11]
When from all four sides, warriors attacked
Conches sounded, horns blew, drums smacked
Warriors assembled, in great number
Goddess of death, awoke from her slumber [12]
Shiva himself, started to beat war drums
Sixty four muses sang in mournful tones
Angrily shrieked, witches in their madness
Ghouls were seen dancing naked, in gladness [13]
Tomar Chhand
Then Bikram in anger
Assembled advisors
In self-conceitedness
Entered the affray, thence [14]
Countless braves still fought on
Whatever the outcome
War drums kept on beating
To death ragas, playing [15]
Chaupai
Nearing approached, the conclusion
In answer to death’s clarion
Soldiers entering battlefield
Fought, fell, in heaven, heralded [16]
Whomsoever, had dared to fight
Not one alive, was left in sight
Sovereigns then for pride of place
To beats of drum, came face to face [17]
Orchestras of instruments, played
Conches, drums, horns, rousing sounds made
To various beats of battle drum,
To watch finale, had gods come [18]
However Bikram would attack
The goddess would his attack block
Not letting wound, her devotee,
By unrelenting enemy [19]
Dohra
Recognising as, her own, let him not get hurt
By Bikram’s spearhead, arrow-tip, or blade of sword [20]
Chaupai
One of Raja Salbahn’s consorts
By the war, who was much, perturbed
To the goddess supplicated
Past, future amalgamated [21]
To her, the goddess then appeared
To whom, bowing down, revered
In many ways appeasing whom
Gained prophetic victory’s boon [22]
Dohra
Salbahn, Bikram engaged each other in earnest
Furiously war raged, for full eight watches, at least [23]
Chaupai
Leader of the Sialkot state
In anger and guile warfare made
Many arrows on foe unleashed
Bikram declared to be deceased [24]
Dohra
With much relief, overwhelming king Bikramjeet
He returned to his residence with joy replete [25]
Chaupai
When he had arrived home
He learned queen had acquired boon
By which he had won, victory
And she, his fresh felicity [26]
Dohra
‘This queen has appeased the goddess, on my behalf,
Goddess pleased, victory granted over Bikram’[27]
Chaupai
Day and night, staying with the queen
With other queens, was never seen
After many months had passed by
Goddess granted a baby boy [28]
They named their newborn, Risaloo
On whom, the goddess, showered boons:
‘He shall a chaste warrior, be,
Of the like, who’s never been seen’ [29]
As Risaloo grew, day by day,
Many a stag, hunting would slay
Sojourning countries, far and wide
Of their sovereigns unafraid [30]
After hunting, would, coming home
Playing chess, he’d himself indulge
With other rulers he would play
Depriving them of all their stake [31]
An expert came to play him once
In all or nothing tournament
Losing his turban, clothes and horse
Suggested whom he should now crush: [32]
‘You are such a great chess player
Believe me, I am most sincere,
Against Sirkup, arrange a match,
Return back once he’s despatched’ [33]
As soon as he’d heard suggestion
Sallied forth in that direction
Arriving in Sirkup’s country
Challenged him to a chess tourney [34]
Sirkup, staking everything
Lost his weapons and his clothing
Losing his wealth, he staked his head
Which, haplessly, he lost as well [35]
When, just about to lose his life
The queen, seeking a compromise
Offered, Kokila, her daughter,
In marriage, instead of slaughter [36]
Risaloo sparing Sirkup’s life
Took Kokila as wedded wife
In wilderness, built a mansion
To keep her there, in seclusion [37]
His boyhood days, having ended
His youth arrived, with drums beating
But he would never go near her
Much to her pain and displeasure [38]
One day when he had there arrived
She, a devious scheme contrived:
‘Take me with you to that forest,
Where you go to kill deer for sport’ [39]
So he took her along with him
Where he deer usually hunted
On a spree, he a hundred killed
While Kokila, watched spectacle [40]
Unimpressed, she addressed him then:
‘Listen to me, my sovereign:
I will kill deer, with a single glance
While you’ll be left to stare and stand’ [41]
She removing veil, from her face
Intensely stared into deer’s eyes
Which when beholding her beauty
Stood still in incredulity [42]
As Kokila, the deer, captured
Risaloo watched on, enraptured
He, overwhelmed by jealousy
Cut off both it’s ears, angrily [43]
Letting the animal escape
Back to the palace, they both came
A raja of the Sindh country
Mounting horse had come there hunting [44]
Going to confront invader
Risaloo left Kokila there
Who then took another lover
Wicked glances winning over [45]
Falling in love, at her first sight
Formed clandestine relationship:
‘Let you and I, both here reside,
With no one else, knowing, besides’ [46]
Replying affirmatively
Remaining indefinitely
Fornicating everyday
Night after night, day after day [47]
Cockatoo accused Kokila
Of having no shame, no honour
Hearing which Kokila killed her
After which, parrot gained favour: [48]
‘It’s good you killed the cockatoo
And that you’ve taken lover too
Let me your kind, royal hands grace
Do not leave me bound, in my cage’ [49]
Soratha
‘If ever Risaloo returns here, from war
He’ll throw us both into the Indus, for sure’ [50]
Chaupai
Kokila put her on her hand
Flying away, took her chance
Reuniting with Risaloo
Shenanigans relating to [51]
So apprised, betrayal discerned
Immediately, made return
Kokila, seeing him arrive
In a rug, did her lover hide [52]
Remarking on her paling face
Which, used to even moon disgrace
Who had ripe mango, unripe made?
He asked her why bed was unmade [53]
Dohra
‘Since when you left, I have endured agony,
Tossing, turning in bed, without your majesty’ [54]
Chaupai
‘My mango cheeks became unripe
My body yearned, but for your sight
Causing it to so turn and toss
Like deer wounded by hunter’s shot [55]
No longer does it pearls adorn
Day by day it withers, forlorn
Overwhelmed with sensual urge
It matrimonial bed disturbs’ [56]
Dohra
‘Beholding you, my mind’s relieved of all sorrow,
Like a rain bird satiated, after rain droplets swallows’ [57]
Chaupai
So she him tried to persuade
And in such pleasantries engage
Further, even, went on to say:
‘My sovereign, lets play a game: [58]
Let us both take some raisons each
And rug targeting, try to reach
Whoever’s aim is better, wins
But loses, if the raisins miss’ [59]
Dohra
They both then taking aim, threw raisons as wagered
But he was too aware, to not notice stranger [60]
Chaupai
Raja, said to her, declaring:
‘Listen, queen Kokila, darling
A deer has entered the garden
In the shrubs, it trembles, hidden’ [61]
Referring to the intruder
Kokila, mistaking for deer
Saying he will hunt it down, kill
And then have prepared to eat, grilled [62]
Kokila was so overjoyed
All was going to plan she’d deployed
But the fool had still not reckoned
On what husband, instead had planned [63]
Pretending to animal hunt
Bow and arrow requisitioned
When the stranger tried to escape
He was confronted, face to face: [64]
‘Where do you think you’re going, man?
Past my dead body, if you can’
Trembling, unable to sword draw,
Was killed by a single arrow [65]
Hit by arrow, he hit the ground
Succumbing to the single wound
Corpse cut up into small pieces
Cooked, was offered to his mistress [66]
When Kokila devoured the meat
Most mouth watering, she thought it
Such as never tasted ever
To raja, expressed her pleasure [67]
Then Risaloo told her the truth:
‘The ‘dear’, who now did here intrude
To whom you’d made love so often
That same ‘deer’ you have just eaten’ [68]
When she heard the horrible truth
Her colour completely changed hue
‘It’s a sin, in this world, to live,
With the man who’s my lover killed’ [69]
Dohra
Snatching raja’s dagger, she thrust into herself
Falling down to the ground, as life before her eyes passed [70]
Self-mutilated, she fell over palace walls
After briefly convulsing, then to breathe no more [71]
Chaupai
Falling from height, hitting the ground
Losing honour, to death’s door bound
Risaloo, her corpse recovered
And fed it to the cockerels [72]
Dohra
Wife, who forsaking husband, to another goes
Why then not, given half a chance, punish her so? [73]
Here ends the 97th of the Depicted Legends (of Wily Men) minister, king, in conference, [97]
Published in memorium of Bhai Awtar Singh, Founder General Secretary, Council of Khalistan, on the 27th Anniversary of his death on 09/04/1994
Why the Sikh Flag (Crossed Swords) was hoisted on the Red Fort on 26th January 2021
Dasam Granth Depicted Legend No. 373:
Tale of Aftab, alias Hingula Devi
Chaupai
In a city, Daulatabad
Bikat Singh established his raj
Bhan Manjari was his fair queen
Whose like, again was never seen [1]
Bhim Sain merchant, also lived there
Equal to the moon, in splendour
Aftab Devi was his fair wife
In whose golden frame, God breathed life [2]
In her mind took hold ambition;
To behold, Bhiwani’s vision
Once, asleep, she gained fulfilment
Awaking, all astonishment [3]
Proclaiming she’d seen the Goddess
Told all who came, what she’d witnessed
Lavishing on them her bounty
None turned away, disappointed [4]
Credulous, falling at her feet
The Goddesses blessings beseeched
She became their Blessed Mother,
While orthodox raged against her [5]
Making complaint against upstart:
‘Has Hingula, Goddess usurped
Proclaiming herself Earth Mother
Both high and low, bow toward her’ [6]
All the mullahs and the qazis,
Yogis, brahmins and sanyasis
Losing out on their collections
Eagerly pursued petitions [7]
Scandalous allegations made
More angry at their loss of trade
Took her they then to the king’s court
And accusations ‘gainst her brought [8]
‘Let her miracle demonstrate,
Bhiwani not impersonate’
At which, woman thought up a scheme
Asking raja to hear her plea: [9]
Arril
‘Muslims proclaim mosques, as the house of Allah,
Brahmins worship stone idols, to find Har(i)
Let them perform their miracles, firstly,
After which, I too, will perform some, surely’ [10]
Chaupai
Hearing this, his majesty smiled
Brahmins, mullahs, assayed, beguiled
Shaven headed mendicants too,
Yogis, celibates, quite a few [11]
Arril
He then proclaimed to them each, as follows,
Leaving none in doubt, as to his orders:
‘You shall each perform for me a miracle,
Or prepare yourselves for deathly debacle’ [12]
In deathly silence, plaintiffs, his judgement heard
As if, in a sea of sorrow, were submerged
Bowing their heads before the raja, in shame
Now only miracle, could their blushes save [13]
By their abject failure, raja abashed,
Ordered seven hundred times, each be lashed
‘Either each one of you miracle show,
Or, at the feet of this woman, kneel, kowtow [14]
Those from the house of Allah must perform,
Or else must have their heads, in punishment, shorn
Unless brahmins, you show me a miracle
Into the river, I will throw your idols [15]
Without a miracle from the sanyasis,
Shave their matted hair, ignominiously
Without miracles from the shaven headed
Throw into the river, their sacred conches’ [16]
Dohra
But for crying out loud, no one had solution,
King turned to the woman, smiling in amusement: [17]
Chaupai
‘They were unable to perform,
In hope, to you, now I must turn’
So Hingula Devi spoke thus:
‘Listen, king, to my prospectus: [18]
Arril
Firstly, the Sword, as miracle, recognise
Whose splendour and terror people realise
Victory, defeat, life, death, it arbitrates
Oh, my soul, as the Lord, Sword celebrate! [19]
Secondly, Time, is no less a miracle
Of the fourteen worlds, the binding oracle
In Time, the world came to be; will be no more
Oh my foolish mind, Time, as Guru, install [20]
Thirdly, oh raja, Speech is miraculous!
By which good and evil are discerned by us
Fourthly, currency too, must be recognised
By which a pauper, a prince is dignified [21]
Chaupai
He who, no miracle knowest,
Meagre donations, does protest
If of miracle, he were fit
With begging bowl, would never sit [22]
The Sword that smites these wicked men
The Speech that makes me understand
Is the Miracle I proclaim!
Now you decide and you ordain’ [23]
Pleased, raja, accepted her plea
Awarding her, substantial fee
As Earth Mother, he, her proclaimed
Through Sword and Speech whose life was saved [24]
Here ends the 373rd of the Depicted Legends of Wily Women, minister, king, in conference
Published in memorium of Dr. Surinder Kaur, on the 11th Anniversary of her death on 15/03/2010
The primary anthology of the Sikh religion is the Adi Granth, or Guru Granth Sahib, since its installation as Guru, of its final compilation on the Leo new moon of 1704 CE, at Damdama Sahib, in the Sikh homeland, exactly one hundred years after installation of its original or Adi version, at the Golden Temple, or Darbar Sahib, Amritsar, Punjab, on the same date in 1604. Written and scripted in the Gurmukhi language, it is dedicated entirely to the devotion, or Bhakti, of a universal and personal God and therefore contains compositions from Sikh, Muslim and Hindu saints alike, as well as those of the Sikh Gurus, in various musical measures and genres.
The secondary anthology of the Sikhs is the Dasam Granth, a more specifically Sikh national anthology, defining aspects of their initiation into the Khalsa, or nation, as well as their religion, history, culture, identity, literature and politics, or Shakti. It has therefore often been the subject of internal and external controversy from some who, while might be prepared to accept that Sikhs follow a distinctive religion, undermine their status as a separate nation. Compiled and scripted in the same language and by the same scribe as that of the Guru Granth Sahib, the martyr, Bhai Mani Singh, during his tenure as High Priest of the Akal Takht, Amritsar, he was appointed by the tenth Guru, Gobind Singh, its principal, if not, sole author.
The majority of the anthology is comprised of Charito-Pakhyan, a collection of ‘Depicted Legends’ of Sikh, literature and culture, in various poetic meters, which though containing important elements of Sikh ceremonial such as its epilogue, Chaupai Sahib, is largely secular in nature, alluding to folklore from the Sikh homeland and beyond, from the Middle East to South Asia. Its significance lies partly, at least, in its outlook of envisioning a Sikh empire, later realised by the Sikhs, just as other regimes have commissioned similar anthologies symbolic of their hegemony. While the overall genre is ribaldic, the central message is moral, highlighting the dangers of corruption, of lustful beauty, wealth and power, but nevertheless espousing the cause of true love, valour and good governance.
A case in point are the four Punjabi romances, known collectively throughout the sub-continenr, as Punjabi Qissa; Heer-Ranjha, Sohni-Mahiwal, Sassi-Punnu and Mirza-Sahiba. Each of these took place on the banks of one of the five rivers of the Punjab, of the erstwhile Sikh Empire and geographical homeland. Each of the lovers, while Muslim in the mortal world, were god-like, or angelic beings of the Hindu pantheon, condemned to life on earth through erotic misdemeanours, but regaining their heavenly status after displaying heroism in the face of star-crossed adversity. This secular nature has demonstrated sustained popularity of the romances among all Punjabis, Sikh, Hindu, and Muslim, alike. Later, during the Sikh Empire, its Muslim poet laureates elaborated upon the themes in colloquial dialects, and the Qissa remains the major balladic theme of all Punjabi folk music.
While no translation can do much justice to the original, this translation endeavours, uniquely, to maintain consistency with the rhyming meters* of the original in the Dasam Granth, as completed on the banks of the fifth river, Sutluj, of the Sikh homeland, Punjab, on the eighth after the Leo new moon, 1696 and is released coincidental with its anniversary in 2020, and dedicated to S. Awtar Singh, 1953-1994, Founder General Secretary, Council of Khalistan, on 29th August 2020.
Sleeping he sleeps nose to nose, ever in my dreams
Awake, asleep, night or day, he never leaves me’ [20]
Chaupai
Ranjha, Ranjha, ever chanting
Whether awake, whether sleeping
Sat, stood, he, her accompanied
She, had come, to him, embody [21]
Whenever she met anyone
Would think, instead, of him, at once
So much with him, was she in love
Sleep or hunger, took no heed of [22]
By Ranjha, was captivated
As are the beads on a necklace
As are the stags with does mated,
Effortlessly, consummated [23]
Dohra
As when timber, is, by a raging fire, consumed
Momentarily separate, but then subsumed [24]
When Harja this witnessed, he tried splitting the two,
Means of separating them, plotting to construe [25]
Ranjha, Heer meanwhile, remained ever united,
Never to be separated [26]
Chaupai
Heer’s love had become so intense
It became a sort of madness
Becoming his embodiment
Unbecoming, her position [27]
Forcing father to consider
Getting rid of his own daughter
Or marrying off to the Khera’s
Without delay, whatsoever [28]
Inviting whom, to them betrothed
Ranjha, disguised in yogi’s clothes
Followed her, with a begging bowl,
Eloping they, to heaven stole [29]
Once they became re-united
All their woes were mitigated
Requiting unrequited love,
Wended way to heaven above [30]
Dohra
Ranjha became Indra, Heer, MainKa, again
Of their undying love, poets, inspired, remain [31]
____________________________________
Sohni-Mahiwal2
Chaupai
On the banks of river Ravi
One Mahival, a peasant lived,
Who, seen by the damsel, Sohni
Fell in love with him, instantly [1]
No sooner sun rose in the sky
She, to the river bank would ply
Swimming across on a baked pot
In no time across, river got [2]
One day, arising, going there
Half awake, her kinsman saw her
Following her, he found her out
Which, she had no inkling about [3]
Bhujang Chhand
He thought she’d gone to meet lover
Why else had she retrieved pitcher?
And then launched into the water
What reason, could there be, other? [4]
After meeting, she would return
The lamp of love within her burned
On the same pitcher, floating back,
Unaware, that she had been tracked [5]
Next morning, pitcher was replaced,
An unbaked one put in its place
When Sohni returned there at night
She tried to river cross, despite [6]
Dohra
As she tried paddling across, the pitcher crumbled
Drowning, her body washed away, life, left her lungs [7]
Chaupai
Mahiwal was very distraught
Where could Sohni have gone, he thought?
He dived in the river to search
But drowning too, when river gushed [8]
Kinsman enacting treachery
Murdered both Mahiwal, Sohni
Replacing pot with unbaked one
Which, Mahiwal broke head upon [9]
________________________________
Sassi-Punnu3
Dohra
One day sage Kapil Muni, on a pilgrimage
Seeing heavenly muse, could not restrain his seed [1]
Rambha was the name of that most beautiful muse
I relate that story, if only to amuse: [2]
Appropriating seed, Rambha, pregnant became
Baby girl in Indus throwing, back heaven came [3]
Chaupai
Flowing away downriver, girl
Came to where the Indus diverged
Whereupon, Brahm Dutt, rescuing,
Brought her up as his own offspring [4]
He called her Sassya, by name
Nourishing her in many ways
Whereupon, she became of age
Kings, entreated her for marriage [5]
Punnu, was the one she’d chosen
Him informing of decision
He arrived, as she invited
Marrying her, as requited [6]
Dohra
Possessed of longing doe eyes, summoning the gods,
Named after the moon herself, whom she had outshone [7]
Chaupai
Town’s folk came to offer blessings
Rhythms of many kinds, beating
Auspiciously, ditties singing
Sassya’s beauty, acknowledging [8]
Dohra
To romantic tunes of raag Kanra and taals, quick
Danced damsels, youths handsome, having homes and hearths, quit [9]
Chaupai
Not a damsel remained inside
To the lovely couple curtsied
Secretly all, feeling as if
Punnu had shot them with arrows, cupid [10]
Swaya
Drums beat in each home, in city, celebration
Singing songs, beating drums, in exhuberation
A thousand drums beating at once, women dressed in ostentation
Conferring blessings, couple wishing, the eternal Lord’s protection [11]
The king, subliminally, exhilarating atmosphere experienced
The crowds assembling, every happiness, men and women, to them wished:
In fulfilment of glorious destiny, to those coupled together by friendship
Coming, going, bride and groom, let ever remain in partnership [12]
Saffron splashed on the bride, as her mind imbibed ecstasy
Splendour sprinkled from all four sides, singing songs, harmoniously
Sovereign shone, so much so, all others paled, insignificantly
Smiled on beautiful bride, serendipity, bowing to her majesty [13]
Seven wives of good conduct, on her husband, rubbed henna
Overcome by sensuousness, they too were, for a split second
Seated among rival sovereigns, were forced, to him compliment
As if the moon, were holding court, among constellation complement [14]
The Indus blew conches, musically, while Indra trumpet played
Its waves played on flutes gently, while gods, drums engaged
As if the god of war, had victoriously held a parade
So was the marriage solemnised, as orchestra mastery displayed [15]
No sooner was marriage performed his first-wed wife was informed
Shocked by what had happened; not what she had planned for
Mantra, jantra and tantra, in much earnest started to perform
So that his new beloved bride, would appeal to him no more [16]
Chaupai
Evil spells visited their worst
Losing all sleep, hunger and thirst
Asleep, awake, nothing consoled
Absconding, he tried, leaving home [17]
Dohra
Sassya, becoming aware, into action shocked,
Summoned her friends and advisors, to the spell block [18]
Chaupai
They then devised counter attack
With counter spell, to bring him back
To make him fall in love again
From first wife’s company, refrain [19]
Then magically, they made love
Years, months and days, passed as one
He, intoxicated by her
Neglected duties as ruler [20]
Dohra
Not just youthful and intelligent, his own too,
Other than make love to her, what else would he do? [21]
Chaupai
Night and day, making love, enjoyed
Dearer than life, her, recognised
Hovering over her, as if
Honey-pot over, a fly, flits [22]
Swaya
Darling possessed her mind, ever seeking unique vision
Gladly would both eyes sacrifice, but for his appearance
Overwhelmed, moon-faced Sassi, smiled whenever their eyes met
So mesmerised was she, enough of him, she could not get [23]
Kabit
Overpowered by youthful urges, he could not see what enemies could see
Night and day, with her engaged, neglecting all political duty
Adorning jewels in her hair, not even maids allowing, in vicinity
Caressing her whole body with his lips, in unembarrassed intimacy [24]
Dohra
‘Hankering after his handsomeness my eyes, red,
Wagers beautiful body, on my beloved’ [25]
Swaya
In mind enamoured, in sight enraptured of his extreme handsomeness
Of wisdom deprived, when darling espied, in utter besottedness
Wise women watching wondered at what bordered upon shamelessness
Desisting not, when so advised, at his hands suffering, helplessness
Sassi Speaks-Swaya
‘Without him, my body, my maids, is like an awakening corpse
Without seeing him, my mouth, not food eats nor water thirsts
Not for a moment can my mind forget my omniscient lover
Whatever I do, I am undone, unable to outdo, my un-doer’ [27]
Kabit
Without countenancing lover, one sips not even water, and forsakes her parents, such is love
‘One takes oath on scriptures to lover follow, to hang on every word he utters
One repeats him parrot fashion, laying eyes upon, offering water, listen to me, my friends
One in devotion, who hunger, sleep abandons, only she is worthy of the love he tends’ [28]
Chaupai
As they listened, attentively
Report reached her rival, duly
By which, most distressed and angered,
Choicest warriors assembled [29]
‘The princess of a warrior
I will go to my ancestors,
Or else, husband kill, willingly
In his place, my son, king crowning’ [30]
‘Or perhaps, on pilgrimage go
And ultimate fast, undergo
Just as do, despondent widows
Even royalty, feels hollow’ [31]
Dohra
‘If during hunting, one of you, killed my husband
The sad news hearing, Sassya will die of her own’ [32]
Chaupai
So passing a resolution
With bribery and corruption
Sent her agents on a mission
To watch hunting expeditions [33]
When the appropriate time came
Duly came, Punnu, to hunt game
Arriving in the dense forest,
Enemy darts, hit their target [34]
Whence, Punnu, flew into a rage
Attacking foe, his horse rampaged
Killing them all, dying himself,
To the abode of gods, he went [35]
Dohra
Upon their sovereign’s death, they fell down to the floor
And wept clinging to his neck, but he was no more [36]
Chaupai
All his men, so disconsolate
As wealthy become destitute:
Who would return to the palace?
And tell his widow, face to face [37]
But the prophet had them ordained,
Which in grief, escaped their minds
When a warrior meets his end
He should be buried, there and then [38]
Dohra
So they buried him where, bravely, he had fallen
His clothes, weapon, as mementos, taking with them [39]
‘The prophet’s revelation permitted burial’
Presenting sword, uniform, informed his damsel [40]
Chaupai
Sat forlorn, the hapless damsel
Premeditating what happened
When she was given the sad news
Her complexion turned a pale hue [41]
Dohra
On palanquin, she set off, to where husband fell
Either to revive him, or to die there, herself [42]
Chaupai
Eventually, arriving there
Her companion was buried, where
Seeing tomb, she thought it better
To there, lay down, die and fester [43]
Dohra
Death falls on every head, but is not in vain
If in beloved’s memory, or in his name [44]
Buried next to her husband, limb enmeshed with limb
Abandoning this mortal world, to be with him [45]
Breath, pulse, heart-beat, soul, mortal body uniting
Lovers became one, with water, water mingling [46]
Chaupai
Offering up, him, her body
Joined him in immortal city
Whose king, them, offered half his throne
Welcoming them back, to their home [47]
Dohra
Gods and fairies putting them upon palanquin
Saluted and hailed them, to their good lord’s chagrin [48]
A fish out of water, has very few options
Other than death, as a wife without her husband [49]
Afraid neither of sin or hell, nor of herself
Angered, had husband killed, who’d married someone else [50]
Chaupai
In loneliness, she reflected
On whom she’d assassinated
‘Now that I’ve become a widow,
In peace, at least, will I wallow’ [51]
______________________
Mirza-Sahiban4
Dohra
On banks of the Ravi, lived damsel, Sahiba
Who doted day and night, on her lover, Mirza [1]
Chaupai
Groom came, to Sahiba marry
Dismayed, Mirza, did not tarry
By which method, could be achieved?
From forced marriage, her safe release [2]
Sahiba, herself, determined
She would not Mirza, relinquish:
‘How can I wed anyone else?
Than who defines my life and death’ [3]
‘I will with you, my love, requite,
To husband’s home, go as your wife
You have stolen away my heart,
I will not marry, you, apart’ [4]
Dohra
‘I speak the truth, from my heart; hear me, O lover,
Pleading, me to you, wed, refused me, my mother’ [5]
Chaupai
‘My friend, you have it all to do,
I will none else, but marry, you,
On the back of your horse, me, take,
Far away, blushing bride, me make’ [6]
Dohra
‘Before the wedding party, arrives at my home,
Mount me on your horse and away with me, elope’ [7]
Swaya
With you alone, will I go, my love, with other husband let me go nowhere
You alone, will I marry, otherwise, I will go die, somewhere
Professing love, enamoured of, your wife, I do myself declare
Have you forgotten, those days when, blossomed our love, without a care?’ [8]
Pain inflicts, my pure instincts, arranged forthwith, when marriage mentioned
I wring my hands, bite my tongue and chew my fingernails to the flesh
Raking the ground, with fingernails ground down, in dire distress
Darling apart, nothing appeals to the heart, of femme fatale, Mirza’s mistress’ [9]
Dohra
‘Engrossed in your engrossment, nought else engrosses,
Whom, when wedding party, whisks away, wail won’t your woes?’ [10]
Swaya
If I, even briefly, go away, how will my love survive?
Calling after me, wander around, when he, of me, deprived
The love between innocent teens will inevitably subside
Suggest to me, my faithful friends, how now to strategize’ [11]
Chaupai
They thought on what could now be done
Sahiba, came to conclusion:
One of them would go to Mirza
To come whisk away, Sahiba [12]
‘Tell him, if I’m taken away,
With garlands, he’s on me displayed,
Of what else will he be able?
I’m suicide, of capable’ [13]
Dohra
‘If ever you loved me at all, like I do you,
You will take me away, without further ado’ [14]
Arril
When Rangwati, her maid, heard instructions,
Dressing in men’s clothes, made preparations
On a horse, she raced, in his direction
Together with twenty other servants [15]
Chaupai
Once arrived at destination
Finding out Mirza’s location
To him they all bowed down their heads,
To him, Sahiba’s pleadings, read [16]
Hearing which, Mirza horse mounted
Without ado, there dismounted
Where Sahiba had him instructed
By handmaiden, intercepted: [17]
Dohra
‘Do not, before the night falls, hereto arrive,
Lest you as my lover, somebody recognise’ [18]
Chaupai
As per handmaiden’s instruction,
He sat hiding, in her garden
When the sun set and the night fell
He proceeded to where she dwelt [19]
He arrived there, in dark of night
Mounting his horse, she held on tight
Taking away, to foreign land
Whoever followed, shooting down [20]
So, the ultimate night passed by
Finally, when morning arrived
They decided to take some rest,
Whence she was discovered, absent [21]
Beside themselves with anger, kin
Proceeded in haste, after them
Mounting horses, warriors, outraged
Encircling, them, couple besieged [22]
Sahiba waking, realised
They were surrounded, on four sides
Among the foe, her two brothers,
Espying, shed mascara tears [23]
‘If my husband discovers them
With two arrows, will shoot them dead
I must therefore, preventing this,
To save their lives, sacrifice his’ [24]
Not waking her sleeping lover,
On a tree branch, slung his quiver
His other weapons, hid as well,
Which, when asked where, would not reveal [25]
Thereafter, enemy attacked
Called for his head, as they advanced
Mirza, when, opening his eyes,
After his weapons, her decried: [26]
‘What have you done, wicked woman?
Hiding away, all my weapons,
Enemy hordes, have approached near
My weapons have you hidden, where? [27]
Without them, how can I foes fight?
What spell, on me did you inflict?
I have no one to me assist,
How am I supposed to resist?’ [28]
Seeing that Mirza was unarmed
Foes proceeded, to him surround
They, her, retrieving, on horseback
Intended home, to take her back [29]
Though disarmed, still, he stood his ground
Utterly fearless, they him found
They would not let either escape
If required, both their lives, would take [30]
Some attacked them with their swords drawn
Some, sabres branded, around swarmed
Some, shooting arrows showered rain
Hitting Mirza, his turban claimed [31]
Mirza who, without his turban
Bare-headed, still stood defiant
His tresses dangling like serpents
As he fought, in desperation [32]
Some pierced his body with arrows
Others sliced it like a marrow
One stabbed him through his heart, betrayed
Finally, in battlefield, slayed [33]
Firstly, finishing Mirza off,
Towards Sahiba, advanced on
She’d sat down under the tree, where
With Mirza had slept, without care
Dohra
The sword around the waist, of her brother, grabbing
She went to meet her mate, after herself, stabbing [35]
Chaupai
First, eloping with her lover,
Under tree, putting to slumber
Then in sisterly affection
Upon the tree, hid his weapons [36]
First, finding pleasing, handsomeness
Made him her husband, sly temptress
Overwhelmed at sighting brethren
Got him killed, by siding with them [37]
Then for the sake of her husband
Of her body made a scabbard
Whatever woman wants, happens
Confounding both, gods and demons [38]
Dohra
First befriending, then having killed, rescued her, whom
By brother’s sword killed herself, saving whom, from doom [39]
Past, present or future, we’ll ever hear it said,
A woman’s wiles cannot, ever, be second guessed [40]
___________________________________
References
[1] Dasam Granth, Charitro Pakyan, Charitar 98
[2] Dasam Granth, Charitro Pakyan, Charitar 101
[3] Dasam Granth, Charitro Pakyan, Charitar 108
[4] Dasam Granth, Charitro Pakyan, Charitar 129
Sikhs to Internationalise Struggle for Punjab’s River Waters
As India’s Supreme Court prepares to deliver yet another deadly blow to Indian-controlled Punjab’s riparian rights over its own crucially important river waters, the Sikhs as a nation are mobilising efforts across the globe to challenge the theft of the region’s only natural resource. Pledging to work with all Punjabis in highlighting the issue, the Sikhs are once again on a conflict path with an increasingly centralised Indian state that is determined to deny the people of Punjab self-determination.
Decades of unethical policies driven by New Delhi, which have breached not only international law but also relevant provisions of India’s constitution, have resulted in over 70 per cent of Punjab’s river waters being diverted away to non-riparian neighbouring Indian states. Punjab, famously named after its river waters, has been reduced to a water-deficit zone which international experts have warned will become a desert by 2035. Not a single penny in compensation has been paid to the Punjab state coffers for the appropriation of its precious water and the state’s debt has spiralled out of control. Its farmers have come under unprecedented pressure leading to thousands of suicides over recent years.
The World Sikh Parliament has this week convened a major international dialogue involving participants from over 25 countries in order to launch a concerted effort to halt the theft of Punjab’s waters. The latest Supreme Court action focusses on a technical argument relating to the proposed SYL canal to take even more water away to Haryana (on which it has already ruled against Punjab), but will not address the core issue of riparian rights or even deal at all with the bulk of the disputed water which is being taken by Rajasthan. In a landmark judgement delivered in 2018 in relation to the Cauvery water dispute, the Supreme Court has already made its position clear; it sees rivers as a ‘national asset’, which ultimately New Delhi will control. India’s BJP government has identified the interlinking of rivers as a key policy and is busy putting pressure on Punjab to abandon its claims. As such, Punjabis of all political persuasions have no prospect of a just outcome from the Indian judiciary or the central government.
As such, the Sikhs are determined to highlight the issue on the international stage, by taking the matter to foreign capitals as well as the UN. They will also be making their resistance known on the ground in Punjab. Observers of the region will be acutely aware that it was just such resistance to the SYL canal that triggered the terrible Indo-Sikh conflict of the 1980s and 1990s. It seems that India has not learned that lesson. It is hoped that Punjab’s political leaders and civil society organisations will be able to present a common front, alongside a powerful diaspora, against an illegal policy that is surely taking Punjab to a calamitous scenario where irrigation as well as drinking water will need to be imported. An unthinkable nightmare for the erstwhile ‘land of five rivers’.
The World Sikh Parliament will take forward an international campaign as part of its wider ongoing campaign for self-determination in its homeland, pointing out that international law’s prescription on self determination (1966 Covenants on Human Rights) states:
“All peoples have the right of self-determination …All peoples may, for their own ends, freely dispose of their natural wealth and resources … In no case may a people be deprived of its own means of subsistence”.
GPKSC, Kashmir, Sikh fraternity stage mass anti-India rally in front of IHC in London,
Altaf Hamid Rao;
MIRPUR,(Parliament Times) :United-Kingdom based Pakistani and Kashmiri expatriates and the Sikh community Saturday observed India’s Independence Day as black day to reiterated extreme indignation and hatred against India for keeping bulk of the internationally-acknowledged disputed state of Jammu & Kashmir inher forced and unlawful occupation for the last 73 years besides becoming hurdle in the way of the popular movement by the Indian Sikh community in their movement for the emergence of their separate homeland – Khalistan, at gun point of the Indian occupational armed forces –besides turning the IIOJK into largest prison on the planet since the bleak day of August 05 last year, organizers said.
As all previous years, Pakistani / Kashmiri and Khalistan Movement’s Sikhs marked India’s Independence Day as black day on 15th of August around the globe including in in UK – where the British Pakistani / Kashmiri and Sikhs protested in front of the the Indian High Commission office in London besides outside the Indian Consulates in Birmingham and other major cities of UK and Europe, says a message reaching and released to the media here on Sunday.
The Chief Kashmiri host organization – Global Pak Kashmir Supreme Council’s Chairman Raja Sikander Khan, the organization’s President Kala Khan and their team along with British Pakistani/Kashmiri and Sikhs protested outside the Indian High Commission London agains the ongoing brutalities and human rights violations against the minorities especially Muslims, Sikhs, Dalits and Christians, the message said.
“It has been over a year of strict siege with huge numbers of Indian Armed Forces patrolling the Indian Illegally Occupied Kashmir and complete shutdown by violating all laws of the land and international laws as well as violating the UN resolutions which were agreed upon by both India &! Pakistan as India took the initiative of going first to UN to stop the tension in the region and promised the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Kashmir that they will hold a plebiscite and gramt them the right of self determination according to the wishes of people of Kashmir”, said Raja Sikander Khan, the GPKSC Chief, President of the organization Kala Khan and other key speakers from all Pakistani, Kashmiri and Sikh Diaspora community while addressing the protest rally.
Lamenting, speakers continued that now the fascist BJP Government-led by the butcher of Gujrat – Narindra Modi who was initially refused a visa to USA and UK due to his criminal and terrorist activities prior to becoming the Prime Minister of India, he was refusing to act upon the promise which was given to the people of Jammu & Kashmir that they will be given their fundamental right of self determination.
In fact, the speakers continued, fascist Modi rule was trying to bring about the demographic changes in the world-recognized disputed Jammu Kashmir state after abrogating special status of the disputed state revoking article 370 & 35A snatching the thousand-years old identity and cultural heritage of the Muslim-majority Jammu Kashmir and by forcibly thrusting the Indian residents in to the disputed IIOJK to permanently settle buying the land and property in the disputed State at gun point defying the ancient State Subject rules of 1927 promulgated in the State during then dogra rule, they underlined.
Raja Sikander Khan underlined on this occasion by addressing the rally that by exercising above nefarious move, the fascist Modi rule intend to convert the Muslim-majority disputed Jammu Kashmir state into a minority – but the people of Jammu and Kashmir living at either side of the LoC and rest of the world will frustrate all such sinister moves and nefarious designs of New Delhi, with full vigor, he declared.
“Kashmiris will never let the above Indian nefarious move to be exercised at any cost and will continue giving supreme sacrifices of their lives till the last drop of blood”, he vowed.
Addressing the rally Ranjit Singh Srai of the World Sikh Parliament expressed solidarity with the Kashmiris in their struggle for their legitimate right to self-determination amidst the Indian aggression for past 73 years in general and since past 30 years in particular.
“ Just as the Sikh nation will secure independence from Indian getting Indian-administered Punjab to make their separate homeland Khalistan, he vowed that the Kashmiris will also ultimately succeed in their just and principled struggle for freedom.
He warned that without the success of the above freedom movements of Kashmiris and Sikhs for liberation of their respective homelands from Indian yoke, the entire region will continue facing never-ending state terrorism by India. “Such ugly situation caused due to the Indian nefarious designs of expansionism through keeping Kashmiris and Sikhs homelands in her forced and illegal occupation, could ignite catastrophic conflict between aggressor India and the freedom-loving nations as well as neighboring states”, the Sikh community leader observed.
Chairman GPKSC Raja Sikander thanked all the participants for attending the black-day anti-India rally followed by the protest demonstration.
Earlier, the protesters turned out in large number before the Indian High Commission London to show their support and solidarity of Kashmiris freedom struggle as well as Sikhs freedom movement for the emergence of their separate homeland Khalistan. The furious protesters chanted anti-india slogans besides the zindabad slogans for Kashmir freedom struggle and Khalistan movement demanding free Kashmir and Khalistan from the Indian clutches besides early withdrawal of the Indian occupying butcher from the IIOJK, the message said.
INDIA FLOUTS INTERNATIONAL LAW BY FORMALLY ‘CRIMINALISING’ THE
SIKH NATION’S SELF-DETERMINATION STRUGGLE
4 July 2020: India’s Hindutva government, whilst in seeming paralysis over its humiliating military reverse in the Galwan Valley at the hands of China, has found something to do. In a pathetic attempt to look tough it has designated nine diaspora-based Sikhs to be “terrorists” under its infamous Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (“UAPA””) for “anti-national activities and through their support to and involvement in the Khalistan Movement”, despite there being no armed conflict in Punjab since the mid-1990s. In a busy week it has also arrested several Sikhs in India on trumped-up charges, whilst PM Modi has given Chinese troops a clean chit by declaring they never intruded in the first place.
The contrast says a lot about the cowardice and mentality of a right-wing majoritarian leadership that cannot see how perverse its actions are. But there is a much more important point here for the international community to register. The UAPA itself falls foul of international law by being completely incompatible with the right of self-determination, as enshrined in Article 1 of the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (“ICCPR”). Section 2 of the UAPA defines as “unlawful activity” any action (of whatever nature) which supports the secession of any part of the country or questions its territorial integrity. This directly contravenes the right of self-determination, one that has been accorded the status of a fundamental human right by the international community, pursuant to which the Sikh nation is lawfully and legitimately pursuing independence in its homeland, in the form of a sovereign state of Khalistan.
In yet another breach of the ICCPR, the “terrorist” designation is made without any ‘due process’ in law; there are no charges, no legal defence, no courts involved at all. This lack of due process under the UAPA and other Indian legislation has been castigated by international human rights bodies. Earlier this year Amnesty International counted the UAPA amongst “four Indian laws that should have never existed, let alone be used to stifle dissent and free speech” and, specifically in respect of the government’s ability to designate individuals as “terrorists” in this way, described the process as “being in absolute violation of international human rights law”.
The Council of Khalistan urges the international community to firmly reject this unlawful move by the Indian state and instead to take India to task over it’s appalling record of state terrorism which has been used to suppress the legitimate struggle for self-determination in the Sikh homeland in Indian-controlled Punjab. Some 200,000 Sikh lives have been tragically lost since 1984 by that genocidal policy and it is time the perpetrators were put before an international criminal tribunal. The Sikhs have long since designated them as criminals and will never forget their crimes.
The current potentially catastrophic security crisis in South Asia, developed over decades by India’s aggression towards freedom-loving nations in Punjab, Kashmir, Nagaland, Assam, Manipur – as well as its aggression towards neighbouring states – calls for urgent international action. The key to peaceful conflict resolution lies exclusively with the implementation of the right of self-determination, underpinned by international law. The Sikh nation will not be deterred by the foolish actions of a fascist regime; it will pursue its freedom struggle and bring down colonial rule in Punjab as it has previously done on several occasions over the course of history. Having made its Declaration of Independence in 1986, it will see the struggle through. With Modi’s multifaceted crises engulfing his regime and country, he would be wise to understand that – but is unfortunately unlikely todo so of his own volition. The international community, for the sake of hundreds of millions living in the region, should make him recognise reality and change course.
London: India’s Hindutva government, whilst in seeming paralysis over its humiliating military reverse in the Galwan Valley at the hands of China, has found something to do. In a pathetic attempt to look tough it has designated nine diaspora-based Sikhs to be “terrorists” under its infamous Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (“UAPA””) for “anti-national activities and …
USA: Responding strongly to the recent flurry of activity by the Indian government and its security forces to criminalise and intimidate Sikhs for peaceably pursuing their nation’s right of self-determination, Sikhs in North America have declared India a terrorist state. Many of the top rung of central Indian government leaders including PM Modi, Amit Shah, …
India’s Modern-Day Fascism Under the International Scanner:
Sikhs Applaud Robust Intervention
24 May 2020: Recent interventions from respected and powerful international voices have givenHindutva’s fanatical protagonists a timely reminder that, despite their domination of the political and security apparatus in India, they are bound by international standards that override their domestic hegemony. As such, they remain accountable to the international community for the excesses being relentlessly carried out against religious minorities and nations held captive by military force. The World Sikh Parliament, alongside Sikh organisations across the world, has welcomed this important trend and congratulates all those who have made such an important contribution to the ever-widening discourse on tackling the fascist agenda of India’s ruling elite.
From majoritarian policies and legislative changes aimed at undermining collective and individual human rights, mass killings by state and non-state actors, judicial activism that perversely targets minority interests and the creation of a media-driven frenzy of hate against those who resist being ‘Hinduised’, India has arrived at a toxiccrisis point. Those who have observed India for years know well that the processhas developed over decades, but the weaponization of Covid-19 by open vilification of Muslims and Sikhs during the pandemic crisis poignantly highlights the sorry state of affairs.
The 2020 Annual Report of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF)calls on the US government to blacklist India as a “country of particular concern” for engaging in and tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations. Citing a dangerous rise in atrocities, the report proposes targeted sanctions on Indian government agencies and officials responsible for severe violations of religious freedom by freezing those individuals’ assets and/ or barring their entry into the United States. The report followed the exceptionally thorough February 2017 USCIRF report, authored by respected academic Dr Iqtidar Cheema, which highlighted constitutional attacks on minorities, such as Explanation II of Article 25 of the Indian constitution which absurdly classifies Sikhs as Hindus and denies that Sikhism is a distinct religion.
In March, the UN’s High Commissioner on Human Rights also took steps to intervene directly in litigation in India’s Supreme Court proceedings dealing with the highly controversial new Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which blatantly excludes Muslims from refugee protection. Media reports suggest the UN legal submission will challenge the CAA by raising the principle of equality and non-discrimination in enacting legislation, emanating from the international treaties that India is a signatory to, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
Just last week UN Under-Secretary General Adama Dieng, an experienced international lawyer, issued a statement expressing concern over increased recent hate speech in India linked to Covid-19, as well as discrimination against minority communities there; once again pointed out that the CAA “is contrary to India’s obligations under international human rights law”. The childish reaction from Hindutva’s social media warriors has only served to highlight the point. According to media reports the leading BJP MP Subramanian Swamy is now threatening to sue Mr Dieng for parts of his statement. This is the same politician that publicly demanded a halt to the creation of the historic Kartarpur Corridor last August, ahead of its opening in November 2019 to mark the 550thbirth anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Ji. Rather than such pointless posturing, perhaps it would be better for Mr Swamy – and his ilk – totake on board the comments of the UN Secretary GeneralAntónio Guterres made when he visited Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan in February 2020:
“It is wonderful to see in the same shrine today Sikhs, Muslims, Christians, maybe Hindus — all worshipping in harmony and in peace. This is the best symbol that we can give for a world in peace and for a world in which there is mutual respect and there is the acceptance of what is different — recognizing that diversity is a blessing, is a richness, not a threat. When we see so many parts of the world fighting in the name of religion, it’s necessary to say that religions unite us for peace and the best symbol is this shrine.”
Those who value morality, human rights and a rules-based international order will see the wisdom and simplicity of that message. It is time the Hindtuva state recognised its obligations – both legal and moral. The international community must press ahead with the critically important work of educating its errant leaders on civilised conduct.
Whether it iscompliance with the prohibition of discriminatory policies, of unlawful killings including genocide, of unlawful torture and detention; or whether it is finally accepting the right of self-determination of the Sikhs, Kashmiris and others,the release of political prisoners and respect for freedom of expression – and many, many other international norms – India must be brought in to line if we are to avoid a meltdown in South Asia. Fascist policies within Indian-controlled territories have been coupled with aggressive posturing against China, Pakistan and now even Nepal, which could have catastrophic consequences for the region as a whole.
The Sikhs, as a nation, have always stood up to oppression and injustice. They suffered genocide at the hands of the Indian state in June 1984 and the decade that followed and are pursuing self-determination in Indian-controlled Punjab, in the form of a sovereign Khalistan. They have also shown, time and time again over recent months, that they stand for the rights of others who are being oppressed by the Indian state and its thuggish right-wing supporters. It is natural therefore that they congratulate others in the international community who have spoken out and can see the urgent need to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in the region.
The founder of the World Sikh Parliament, Jagtar Singh Hawara, speaks about the Khalistan Declaration Day on April 29, 1986. Instagram: @worldsikhparliamento…
India’s Continued Unilateralism in Kashmir Deepens Democratic Deficit and Threatens Catastrophic Conflict
28 April 2020: The Indian government’s infamous unilateral steps taken in August 2019, being the revocation of the limited autonomy for Kashmir and the decision to strip the region of even the most basic form of ‘statehood’ was an audacious move that was rightly condemned by right thinking people across the world. As an affront to the dignity of millions of Kashmiris, as a challenge to the UN’s prescription of a settlement based on the self-determination of the people and as a sheer act of provocation aimed at neighbouring Pakistan and China, it was an incredibly dangerous move. Paralysis on the part of the international community, the further deployment of tens of thousands of additional troops in Indian controlled Kashmir, and the spineless response of may so-called democrats in India itself has allowed – so far – the right-wing Hindutva inspired government in Delhi to avoid the backlash that many predicted. Such ‘fortune’ was always going to be exploited by the Modi government and on 31 March 2020 it took a further unilateral step. Again without any mandate from the people in the region; again it will deepen the crisis. A new law was adopted that allows non-state subjects to claim ‘domicile’ status which will entitle them to property and employment rights in a way that will, over time, alter the demographics of the region. Deliberately so, as that will jeopardise the chances of an authentic plebiscite to determine the wishes of the actual Kashmiris as a means of settling the conflict.
It is a simple tactic and one that poses a further serious challenge to the people living in the region and to those elsewhere that value a rules-based international order. It has been rolled out cynically under the cover of the international crisis over the coronavirus pandemic, so that not only the people of Kashmir will be unable to react but likewise with those in the international community, whose attention is almost exclusively focused on the Covid-19 nightmare.
Modi is still playing with fire and it is surely a matter of time before the Kashmiri population demonstrates mass civil disobedience to the diktats of a colonial power, which is devoid of any democratic mandate. It is a tragedy that many thousands of innocent men, women and children will then be targeted by a brutal army of occupation that has a record of suppressing self-determination struggles in Kashmir, Punjab and in the north eastern regions – at the cost of hundreds of thousands of lives. The horror of that outcome must be avoided and the responsibility lies with the international community to intervene in case India resorts to such genocidal tactics. The UN’s ‘Responsibility to Protect’, formulated after the catastrophic conflicts in Rwanda and Yugoslavia, was conceived for exactly such circumstances; it is a duty on ALL states to act to prevent genocide. That may include diplomatic, economic and ultimately even military measures. All eyes are on key states to discharge that duty. Let us hope we never again reach that genocidal state of affairs. Let us hope that such a scenario will not trigger war between nuclear armed states in which millions in South Asia and beyond will perish.
The only real peaceable solution to the conflicts in Kashmir, as well as in Indian-occupied Punjab and regions such as Nagaland, Assam and Manipur, is for India to finally accept that that the right of self-determination applies to the nations whose territories it controls. That is the position under international law and no amount of unilateral Indian legislation will ever change that. Article 1 of the 1966 Covenants on Human Rights sets out that right and is accepted across the civilised world, except India has officially rejected it by way of a formal ‘reservation’ lodged by it at the UN. The UN has asked it to withdraw the reservation, but it refuses to do so. The terrible consequences of that position have been experienced by Sikhs, Kashmiris and others for decades. It is time the UN took action over such gross breaches of fundamental human rights, if it is serious about its own pronouncements.
It was encouraging to see that the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights took the unusual step of recently intervening in an Indian Supreme Court case concerning Modi’s (unrelated) controversial amendments to India’s citizenship rules – based on their clear breach of internationally accepted human rights standards. This will hopefully be a signal to India that other interventions will follow in case it continues to fall foul of basic humanitarian law. It is puzzling that UN member states have been unwilling to pursue India via the international legal system for crimes of genocide as well as the denial of self-determination – that must change.
Whether we get there after further appalling bloodletting by India or via effective international intervention to put the Hindutva project back in its box, colonial rule will inevitably end one day in the affected regions. Modi and his henchmen are determined to stick to the course they have plotted; the question is whether the rest of us have the vision and the moral courage to stop them. The moral, political and legal basis for action is there; it is time to use it.
Ranjit Singh Srai, General Secretary, Parliamentarians for National Self-Determination
<span>London: The Indian government’s infamous unilateral steps taken in August 2019, being the revocation of the limited autonomy for Kashmir and the decision to strip the region of even the most basic form of ‘statehood’ was an audacious move that was rightly condemned by right thinking people across the world.</span>
www.kashmirinsider.com
World Sikh Parliament to alert World Leaders amid exposure of Indian Intelligence Operations
April 24th 2020: The humiliating exposure this week of a long-running major Indian intelligence operation in Canada will embarrass India’s spy agencies but, according to leading Sikh organisations, this should serve as another reminder to countries across the world that host Sikh diaspora communities to beware such unscrupulous activities.
Bribing foreign government officials to toe the Indian government line, infiltrating Sikh organisations (including Gurdwara management committees), and using paid media organisations to put out propaganda has long been the modus operandi of agencies such as India’s Research & Analysis Wing (RAW) and Intelligence Bureau (IB), in their unrelenting effort to counter the Sikh struggle for self-determination. Similar methods have been used to silence the Kashmiri freedom struggle.
However, a number of high-profile cases have shone a spotlight on these activities and, now that the targeting of government officials has been proven, it is time the international community took action to protect their own governmental systems as well as Sikhs residing in the affected countries.
Canadian Newspaper “Global News” has published the article by journalist Steward Bell highlighting Federal immigration proceedings in which an Indian, who has admitted he was “asked by the IB and RAW to perform various functions”. He allegedly met Indian intelligence more than 25 times over six years, most recently in May 2015 — a month after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Canada. A Canadian official wrote to him saying “You stated that you were asked by RAW to covertly influence Canadian government representatives and agencies on behalf of the Indian government”. The letter continues “You stated that the guidance from RAW included that you were to provide financial assistance and propaganda material to politicians in order to exert influence over them”. The article notes that India has long sought to pressure Ottawa over the activism of Sikhs in Canada in advocating independence for India’s Sikh minority. It also points out that, whilst the Canadian government was not providing direct comment on that specific case, the Public Safety Minister Bill Blair’s office said the government was “concerned when any country shows destabilizing behavior, including interference in other countries’ democratic systems.” The full article can be seen at: https://globalnews.ca/news/6823170/canadianpoliticians-targeted-indian-intelligence/
In a separate case Canada also reportedly recently banned an Ottawa company, with strong Indian links, from work related to the military or national security. Official documents show that that Canadian officials wrote to the company’s president saying: “This investigation has determined that since approximately 2000, you have had consistent contact with the Indian High Commission in Ottawa, including elements of the Indian government involved in information and intelligence collection activities in Canada”: https://globalnews.ca/news/6478679/ottawa-company-contact-indian-intelligence/
These cases follow closely on the heels of the conviction of two Indians by a German court earlier this year for spying on Sikh and Kashmiri groups in return for substantial payments by RAW. Further details of that case were published by the BBC and can be found at https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50763008
Swaranjit Singh Khalsa, Coordinator of UN-NGO Council of World Sikh Parliament said “I have myself seen many incidents of Indian agencies interfering in America’s democratic process. He gave examples of emails sent by Indian organizations against the raising of the Sikh national flag, efforts by the Indian Consulate in New York calling library in Norwich, Connecticut to remove a Sikh Genocide Memorial, Indian government agents emailing senators not to pass Bill in Connecticut for recognition of “Sikh Genocide Remembrance Day” and their attempts to intervene in our Gurudwaras (Sikh place of worship). Khalsa said “Due to the unacceptable and persistent interference in Sikh affairs by Indian officials, their entry (in an official capacity) in to Gurdwaras throughout the Diaspora has been banned.” That ban hit India’s underhand activities hard:
Ranjit Singh Srai, Coordinator of Sikh Self Determination Council of World Sikh Parliament, shared the Sikh experience in United Kingdom: “There has been decades of nefarious clandestine activity of this kind by Indian agencies and their paid stooges in the UK, but these recent official cases go beyond anecdotal significance. Aside from the more recent Canadian and German cases, a 2018 Ofcom ruling in the UK showed how blatant propaganda, against those advocating Sikh independence, by a broadcaster with strong Indian connections broke UK broadcasting rules”. The official Ofcom determination referred to can be found at: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/122960/issue-363-broadcast-on-demand-bulletin.pdf
Ranjit Singh adds: “The Indian lobby has been hard at work in the UK to interfere in the UK Sikh community’s determined campaign for separate recognition and monitoring of Sikhs here as an ethnic group, for the specific purposes of relevant UK law and practice, even though India as no conceivable legitimacy to do so. Further, India has, especially since 2018, been actively putting pressure on UK authorities to ban Sikh protests outside the Indian High Commission in London, seemingly ignorant of the fact that the right to protest is a fundamental aspect of the democratic framework in this country”. Sikh organisations worldwide have welcomed the exposure of such Indian interference in Sikh affairs and are following up by issuing advisories to governments requesting that they take effective measures to stamp out this unprincipled and unacceptable practice.
Issued By:
Manpreet Singh
Hardyal Singh
General secretaries World Sikh Parliament
The World Sikh Parliament was formed pursuant to a resolution of the Sarbat Khalsa (national gathering) held in the Sikh homeland in November 2015
Message Relayed by UN Genocide Prevention Committee Member, Dr Cheema
Preface to the Epilogue of the Charitro Pakhyan, or Depicted Legends
Kabyo Bach Benti Chaupai, translates as the Poet Laureate’s Plea in Quatrains, wherein the poet in question is Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th and last incarnate Guru of the Sikhs, who among other things, was the first poet laureate of the Sikh nation, and author of epic poems in the form of philosophical, historical, autobiographical and mythological works in Gurmukhi, of which this Epilogue is the final work. It is one of the five daily prayers of the Sikhs and of their initiation ceremony, and as such, its importance cannot be overstated.
In fact, both in content and importance, the Epilogue epitomises the Sikh concept of national self-determination, as it un-apologetically calls for the annihilation of their oppressors and specifically, the Sikh nation’s emancipation through armed self-defence and resistance to alien, non-indigenous, unclean, villainous invaders of the Sikh homeland.
Moreover, the Epilogue equally, if not more categorically, disassociates from and castigates worshippers of impersonal gods and stone idols, and instead eulogises the Sword, both as the divine protector or mother, and symbolically, as a defensive weapon, which Sikhs are instructed to carry on their person from the time of the afore- mentioned initiation.
As such, it is a most fitting conclusion to an epic work, Charitro Pakhyan, or the Depicted Legends of Sikh mythology, the Prologue of which eulogises the Sword as both Godly and goddess-like in the hands of ‘just’ warriors. The Epilogue is signed off with typical aplomb by specifying the precise date and location of completion of the greatest epic poetic work of the Sikh homeland.
This translation endeavours to capture the essence of the original by following the rhyming structure and meter of the original, a feature not attempted by previous translators, to the author’s knowledge.
Released 9th April 2020 in memoriam:
S. Awtar Singh, Founder General Secretary (1989-94), Council of Khalistan
One God, Victory to the Great Guru:
Poet Laureate’s Plea, in Quatrains.
Offer protection of Thy hand
Fulfil and pacify my mind
At Your lotus feet, let it be
Make me Your own, make me complete [377]
Our enemies all, destroy Thou
With Thy own hand, save us now
With happiness my family bless
My men, Sikhs, and everyone else [378]
To our protection appoint Thyself
While ‘gainst all foes, we ply ourselves
Fulfilled be, our deepest wishes
To be the songbirds of Your praises [379]
Let nought else be in my thoughts
Without Thy grace virtue is nought
Emancipate my men and Sikhs
Exterminate my enemies [380]
By Thine own hand emancipate
And fear of death annihilate
Ever be our Partisan,
Sword, Shield, and Armament [381]
Shelter me, my only Safeguard,
Sovereign, Saint, Supporter, Sweetheart
Friend of the meek, Slayer of foes,
Husband of heavenly abodes [382]
In Time, Brahma was incarnated
In Time, too Shiva created
In Time so too Vishnu appeared
In Time played this theatre [383]
The Time which created Shiva’s Yogis,
Eras of Brahmas and Bedis
The Time that maintains the worlds many
To that Time is, my homage only [384]
That Time, which then created Earth,
Its gods, demons and spirit world
In the beginning, end, always
Is my Guru only, know this ye [385]
Salutations to Him alone
Who sustains all on His own
Grants service, virtue to His own
And instant ruin on our foes [386]
The secret of every soul He knows
Good or evil, the pain is known
From smallest speck to biggest beast
He showers grace and flowers bliss [387]
Dejected by saints dejected
Delighted by saints delighted
One and all, the pain is known
Of every heart and every soul [388]
Creation, exhaling occurred
His subjects and worlds emerged
But then when, You imbibe
To You returns all that’s Thine [389]
However so many were made
They ever speak their minds in vain
You are unique, distinct from all
Known, unknown, not of this world [390]
Formless, Sinless and Limitless
Primordial, Unblemished, Timeless
Of your secrets speak the foolish
Who acquired but little knowledge [391]
They worship You as stone idol
These foolish intellectuals
They immortalise the mere mortal
Of You they know nothing at all [392]
As great is any one’s intellect
In word and phrase on Thee reflect
No-one can fathom Your expanse
Or how ‘twas fashioned by Your hand [393]
The One and Only Formless Form
At once the surf, at once the Lord
The egg and sperm and sweat and seed,
Shoots, nourishments, many He feeds [394]
At times, opulent Majesty
At others, Singularity
Universal Perplexity
Displayed Timelessly, Beautifully [395]
Now rescue me by Your own hand
Sikhs Free, antagonists disband
Foe, whoever, dare raise his head
Or villains many, smite them dead [396]
When one is shielded by the Sword
Then upon his foe, death is wrought
The man who seeks Your sanctuary
Dismissed are all his quandaries [397]
If one attunes just one second
Then even Death keeps its distance
Rescued is he by Timely hand
From foe and woe in an instant [398]
Mercy’s glance if received by one
All his fretting is gone at once
Miracles visit upon him
Enemies are ineffective [399]
If but once, You’re contemplated
From death’s noose we’re liberated
That man who once invokes Your Name
From pain and foe and grief is saved [400]
To Sword’s flag, I pledge allegiance
Liberate me by Your own hand
Be my shield, wherever I be
From adversary, adversity [401]
Have mercy on me, Mother-Earth
Allow completion of this verse
Remove any sign of blemish
Destroyer of our enemies [402]
When my Sword-arm shows His kindness
Will these verses show completeness
This mind will gain true fruition
And never feel sorrowfulness [403]
ARRIL
Listening to these, the dumb speak in tongues
Listening to these, the fools find wisdom
Sorrow, pain, fear approach not near the man
Who utters, even just once, these quatrains [404]
To the year seventeen hundred
And fifty three in addition
Eighth after the Leo new moon
On Satluj’s bank does this conclude [405]
UN under-Secretary General condoles with Sikhs on Kabul Gurdwara attack
New York: Adama Dieng, UN under-Secretary General and Special Adviser of the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide has expressed his condolence to the Sikh community on the Kabul Gurdwara attack. In a formal response to communication sent to him by UN global steering committee member Dr Iqtidar Cheema, Mr Dieng has expressed his sorrow on the attack and confirmed that he has noted the concerns expressed by Dr Cheema in his communication and he is looking into the situation. Dr Cheema as a member of UN global steering committee has sought UN intervention in Afghanistan to safeguard the Sikh community. In his communication sent to UN headquarters Dr Cheema wrote that ‘The Sikhs in Afghanistan are the target of international terrorist organisation ISIL. It is also in public knowledge that ISIL has threatened that either Sikhs should leave Afghanistan or face a massacre. The Sikhs of Afghanistan are a persecuted religious minority that has been subject to atrocity crimes over decades. In the early 1990s there were approximately 200,000 Sikhs spread across Afghanistan, but as a result of over 30 years of persistent attacks, the community has been reduced to merely under 300 families. He expressed his concern that, like the Yazadi and Christian Communities of Iraq, the Sikh community may face a genocide in Afghanistan’.
Dr Cheema also urged the United Nations to formally raise the matter with the Government of Afghanistan and neighbouring countries to ensure the safety of the Sikh community. He asked that UN headquarters shall approach the UN mission/bodies based in Afghanistan instructing them for maximum support to the Sikh community in Afghanistan.
Earlier on 27th March Dr Cheema also wrote to Mr. Stephane Dujjaric, official spokesperson of UN Secretary General about the factual error in the Secretary General statement on the Kabul Gurdwara attack. The statement of UN Secretary General referred to Kabul Gurdwara as Sikh-Hindu temple. Dr Cheema has confirmed that matter is also being looked at by the UN Headquarters and a corrected statement is likely to be re-issued.
Preface to the Prologue of Depicted Legends, or Charitar Pakhyan
All nations of note, Sikhs included, have recorded their own mythology in their own words and their own language (Gurmukhi). The Sikh nation, or Khalsa, itself invested as such on Baisakhi 1699, had commissioned its greatest poet, Guru Gobind Singh to render such a work, which was completed in 1697, as evidenced by its Epilogue, or Benti Chaupai, on Sunday the 8th of the lunar month of Bhadon on the banks of the primary river (Satluj) of the five rivers (Punjab) of the Sikh homeland. This epilogue, which espouses the cause of Sikh national defence and self-determination, is central to the Sikh initiation ceremony after undergoing which, Sikhs must at all times carry a ceremonial sword, Kirpan, regaling the Divine power or Shakti, complimentary to maintaining a natural head of hair, Kesh, in devotion to the Same, or Bhakti, along with the sovereign turban and three other K’s, Kangha (wooden comb), Kara (iron armband) and Kachhera (cotton shorts) completing the regalia.
Whereas the Kesh are naturally foremost, the key additional paraphernalia is the Kirpan, which is feminine and is also known by the name of Bhagauti, the goddess of war, the subject of the work’s Prologue. Not only is the Epilogue of the work recited daily, but the support of the Divine Sword is pleaded at the beginning of every supplication or Ardas, however so many times it is prayed daily, or performed during any other rite, and will be translated subsequently.
The Prologue is thus entirely in praise of Bhagauti in her various guises, and it becomes deliberately ambiguous as to which of her facets are being praised, the Divine, the Weapon or the Goddess, wherein, at least partly, if not wholly, lies the beauty and genius of the Prologue. This ambiguity has been seized upon by some trying to place Sikhs within the fold of Hinduism, and by some others too, who inadvertently or otherwise have been undermining the Sikh self-deterministic and sovereign Miri-Piri tradition, in the name of political correctness.
However, in the Prologue, at least, the feminine has been eulogised in Divine form as valorous, beauteous, nurturing and protecting the world from rogues, demons and aggressors to enjoy peace and harmony, when (even the masculine) gods failed it. Not the meek, sensuous, devious, expedient, manipulative, dangerous creature that is beyond the understanding and comprehension of weak, easily misled men, depicted in some of the subsequent legends. She is portrayed as a symbol of practical emancipation as opposed to a stone (-hearted) idol at the heart of superstitious ritual. The following translation, to the author’s knowledge, is unique in that it follows the precise rhyme and meter of the original.
Released: 15th March, 2020 in memory of Late Dr Surinder Kaur on her 10th Barsi.
One God, Victory to the Great Guru. Obeisance to Bhagauti, the Holy Sword.
Snake meter, by Your Grace. Charitar-Pakhyan, Prologue:
Broadsword wielder, decapitator
Arrow, lancet, razor-sharp scimitar
Armament of choice, in far-flung region
Standing Her ground, on each horizon [1]
You are Goddess Maya, Saraswati
Known here as Rupa, there Bhiwani
Vishnu, Brahma, Shiva’s incarnation
Mother Earth, ever in occupation [2]
Gods, demons, spirits, You did conjugate
Turks, Hindus, on earth, You did propagate
You are safe passage from the incarnate world
You are the argument; You are the Word [3]
You created beauty, the meeting of eyes
You are its power; it’s soliloquies
You are the discourse of the four scriptures
You are the indestructable’s destructor [4]
You are both the prayers of kings in battle
And the arrow shower’s death rattle
You are the Lion-heart, smiting the demon
You are the horns bearing the world’s burden [5]
You are Ram, who smote the boastful demons
You are Krishna, who skinned the head of Kans
You are the lore of their incarnations
You are Capital of the fourteen realms [6]
You are death of night, yet are You springtime
You are both, the inceptor and deadline
You are both sovereign and sovereignty
Of the fourteen realms, are You Maharani [7]
Terrifier of the terrified, You
Unclassifiable by classics, You
You formed the armies of serpents, Yourself
You are an army of lions, it’s said [8]
You are the grace of the sword-wielder
Rogues, Chand and Mund, are You their destroyer
You are instigator of life and war
Yours are the hands that protect and reward [9]
You did behead in rage, Mahkasur’s imp
And those of Dhumracch, Jwalacch did You singe
Whispering mantras, did You overwhelm
Bidalachh, Chicchracchas and all their realms [10]
You sound invasion by beating the drum
You wreak havoc and laugh amid the scrum
You take up weapon in each of eight hands
Or grab by the hair and throw to the ground [11]
Goddess of victory, beauty and death
You are mercy, yet darkest Goddess
Durga are You, Shiva, forgiveness, too
To You, homage mine, sincere, absolute [12]
You are whitest dawn, or warrior red
You are heaven’s hue, imagined, unsaid
You wear the yellow of the ascetic
You quell attachment of the monastic [13]
You bare bloody red teeth, allegedly
You chew away the doubts of the priestly
Did You descend to earth as a pauper?
You are a whole body of enigma [14]
You are the big tree, You are the small fish
You are the coastline, and You are the sea
You incarnated Yourself in Ram’s form
You constellated stars, planets, their orbs [15]
You incarnated as final Avtar
To finish the alien, once for all
Mother to Your serfs, show mercy to me
Fulfil my wishes, divine them on me [16]
Swaya
With the skies crowning Your head, and mighty sword girded around your neck
Glowering red are both Your eyes, illuminating Your haloed forehead
Your tresses are loose and entangled, and lightning sparks from Your teeth
Your snake arms spit fire, over You, no wonder an eye He keeps [17]
Brilliant as the sun, as stout as mounts
Arrogant within, without feet on ground
Who, provocatively, Saturn’s war drum pound
Bhivani beheaded, on the battleground [18]
Those who cared not of the multitude foe
Who defeated Indra, with fortress torso
Rather by vultures be ate, than turn tail
Such chiefs, frighteningly, Kali assailed [19]
Scarred bodies, frightfully featured and proud
Came they, from four sides to disembowel
Were themselves by a whirlwind overwhelmed
Of Pandemonium’s lions, anger-filled [20]
Countless wounds unflinchingly sustained who
Boastfully that challenged Almighty too
Who did not let mountains stand in their way
Pandemonium’s lions, did She slay [21]
The drums sounded, the sharp edged advanced
Amid showered arrows, showed they arrogance
Their generals ran, frit by Her angry glance
Roaring lion-kings, she despatched at once [22]
At the war drum’s sound, the demon host emerged
With contempt for missiles with twangs discharged
But in an instant, the Godmother pounced
Roaring lion-kings, she despatched at once [23]
The colourful scene, with hordes mutilated
Witnessed Shiva duly coronated
Wherever, whenever, She bade them run
Roaring lion-kings she despatched at once [24]
Sumbh and Nisumbh and their like were outraged
Armed and armoured, wantonly war who waged
Who had conquered the nine continents, all
Beheaded did they fall, put to the Sword [25]
Thotak meter
The way She brandished It
It cannot be descript
Its glory made them run
As stars when rising sun [26]
Wreaking death, destruction
On legions of demons
All, with one blow She claimed
None, with any guts remained [27]
Swaya
To the beat of drums and pipers tune they roared on forwards
Full of pride they faced the foe, and would never take a step backwards
When even Death took away their breath, the foe would not withdraw
With glory, without fear, they fought, fell, and crossed the sea of gore [28]
Others who, even Vishnu, could not subdue, joined in the affray
But without Your blessings who, from the melee, could but run away
Kali instantly cut off their heads, like banana trees felled
As if playing a colourful Holi, in the month of Phalgun [29]
Dohra
With firebrand eyes of amalgam copper
Unrelentingly, Chandika uttered: [30]
Swaya
‘All foes will I annihilate instantly’, thundering with anger
She brandished her sword, mounted a lion and battle entered
It dazzled amidst the demons as if Godmother’s weapon
Were shimmering on the waves of the sea, like the rays of the sun [31]
Chandi unsheathed Her other self in uncontrollable rage
The ranks of gods and demons alike, by Her skills were dazed
The blow to the head of demon Chishur, one cannot narrate
The insurmountable foes were slit, before She took respite [32]
Dohra
Guns, axes, bows, spears and many were swords sparking
With the sun, nowhere to be seen through flags fluttering [33]
The raga of death blazed with vultures hovering
Over choice warriors cut to meagre offerings [34]
Many pipes were blown, and many a drum pounded
Conches, horns and flutes too, began to be sounded [35]
To ballads, and raga Kanra, wherever performed
To the strains of raga Maru, turned their backs, not one [36]
Unto the breach, once more, the braves came face to face
Heads rolled thudding down, souls arose to heaven’s gate [37]
Jackals roamed the battlefield, vampires licked their lips
Vultures flew away with flesh, but still they would not quit [38]
Swaya
Whosoever was excited by the beating of drum
Who nonchalantly, on legions of demons, looked down upon
Who themselves ruled nine continents, and feared Indra none
They valiantly fought, fell and to their final home were gone [39]
Dohra
Belching witches and whispering ghouls roamed around
Brandishing swords, the headless would not go to ground [40]
Unsheathing swords, the many, still fought face to face
Fighting, falling to the ground, invoking their Goddess [41]
Those who cannot swim, wish to swim the ocean
They have not a chance, lest with Your special sanction [42]
How can else mutes recite six Shastras, or lames climb?
How can one hear if deaf, or see if blind? [43]
Secrets of the womb, of a king, or women can’t be known
Only with Your insight, can I a little pretend [44]
Belief in Your supremacy, is but my intellectual strength
Regard not these lines as mere ribaldry, not even in jest [45]
I first invoke Bhagauti, women to treatise
I the shore where ripples wash, You the river wherein they rise [46]
Swaya
From blades of grass to Mount Sumer, You raise me as no one can
Forgive me Thou, my trespasses; none is prone as perhaps I am
Serving Thee, instantly, certainly, bring home treasures they
In the dark-age now, the Sword’s time has come, the standard of invincibility [47]
Infinite become infinitesimal at a stroke, biting the dust
Ruthlessly ruling over unruly, strong-arming the arrogant
Restoring order to heaven and the sound of music to earth
Devastating on battlefield, no other is Your equal worth [48]
1000’s JOIN REPUBLIC DAY DEMO DESPITE INDIAN PROTESTS
26th January 2020, London: High level protests by India, to the British government, seemed to have backfired as thousands of Sikhs and Kashmiris demonstrated outside the Indian High Commission here, under tight police cordon and glare of world media. While these protests are an annual event, tensions have been heightened by recent draconian steps taken by India’s right-wing Hindu nationalist government against minorities, such as Sikhs, Kashmiris, Muslims and Dalits, including sanctioning the destruction of religious shrines.
Chief among those taking part were Amrik Singh Sahota (OBE)and Ranjit Singh Srai of the Council of Khalistan, Joga Singh of the World Sikh Parliament, Gurdev Singh Chauhan of Shiromani Akali Dal UK, Gurpreet Singh Kesari Lehar, Paramjit Singh Pamma (Referendum 2020), Dupinderjit Singh (Sikhs for Justice), Gurcharan Singh (Dal Khalsa), Lavshinder Singh and Nirmal Singh Sidhu of United Khalsa Dal, Sarbjit Singh and Kulwant Singh Muthadda of Akali Dal Amritsar, Kuldeep Singh Chaheru (FSO), Amrik Singh Gill and Dabinderjit Singh, Sikh Federation UK and Kirpal Singh Malla-Bedian and Pritpal Singh Tarn Taran of the Sikh Students Federation.
Fahim Kayani of Tehreek E-Kashmir, Prof Nazir Shawl of Kashmir Concern and Lord Baron Qurban Hussain of the Liberal Democrats also protested along with other Kashmiri leaders and organisations in their thousands.
The protest organisers thanked participants for their attendance, which much exceeded expectations and castigated the Indian Constitution for denying separate recognition of the Sikh religion and nation, and which therefore Sikhs have never approved. Its enforcement has resulted in the genocide of Sikhs, Kashmiris and other minorities in India and further culminated in the historic declaration for an independent Sikh state, Khalistan, on the same date, in 1986, after India sealed off the Punjab in 1984, violating international law. It has repeated this mistake last August by invading Kashmir, abrogating Articles 360 and 35A of its own constitution, which had granted limited autonomy to the region. Such actions can only lead to India’s own dismemberment and freedom for its annexed territories, they stated.
As history is witness to the downfall of Mughal, Nazi and British empires and the important and glorious role Sikhs have played therein, so over the last 70 years it has become clear that they will have a similar role to play in bringing about the end of the Hindu nationalist state that India is today. From its inception, the Sikhs have rejected the Indian Constitution, which has been forcibly imposed since 70 years ago. Sikhs were forced to fight for their separate identity, their language, their capital, their river waters against sacrilege of their scriptures and finally not able to bear the genocide of 1984 or the demolition of their supreme seat of authority, the Akal Takht, declared for an independent sovereign Sikh state, Khalistan, on 26th January 1986.This historical decision, issued by a national committee constituted by national assembly on 29th April 1986, was re-endorsed, as recently as 2015, by national assembly and by the World Sikh Parliament constituted by it in 2018.
On the other hand, the Indian state’s intention of creating a Hindu nation, has now been exposed, which only the Sikhs can prevent, as all other world powers seem to have accepted this as de facto, if not de jure. Nevertheless, the Sikh nation is determined to exercise its right of self-determination under UN articles and international law, from which India has itself withdrawn. Terrified of this, Indian courts have incarcerated Sikh supremo Jathedar of the Akal Takht, Bhai Jagtar Singh Hawara and thousands of other Sikh and Kashmiri political detainees and prisoners of war for decades without parole. In so doing, they are presenting Sikhs the sympathy, if not the leadership, of these peoples.
Recognising this, you are asked to participate in a demonstration outside the Indian High Commission along with leaders of these minority organisations, which the Indian authorities are desperate to prevent, having made representations at the highest level to both the London Mayor and the newly elected British government, and give them a glimpse of the serious consequences of their tyrannous actions.
TENS OF THOUSANDS PROTEST INDIAN INDEPENDENCE AT LONDON HIGH COMMISSION
London Protest Puts International Pressure on UN to tackle Modi on Kashmir, 15 August 2019:
In an unprecedented and huge protest outside the Indian High Commission in London on Indian Independence Day, thousands of Kashmiris, Sikhs, as well as supporters from Pakistani and other communities gave an unmistakable message to Indian PM Modi that he faces fierce resistance to his military-backed move to annex Kashmir and brazenly ignore any semblance of democratic accountability.
The size of the gathering and the vehemence of the demand for self determination, both in Indian occupied Kashmir and Punjab, will have taken the Indian government, which has been nervously monitoring the lead up to this protest from New Delhi for the past week, aback. The deafening slogans of “Kashmir Zindabad” and “Khalistan Zindabad” and the complete blockage of the Aldwych to vehicular traffic caused by the sheer numbers of protesters gave the impression that Modi has unleashed an international reaction he will struggle to face down. It contrasted vividly with the images of the enforced silence in Kashmir which has been mercilessly locked down by some 800,000 security personnel since the unilateral removal of the state’s notional autonomy on 5th August.
Perhaps most importantly, the protest will put real pressure on the UK Government and the wider international community to respond to India’s widely criticised steps aimed at altering the demographic profile of the region, so that the Kashmiri right of self determination can be neutralized on ‘de facto’ basis, even if the right cannot be seriously challenged under international law.
China has facilitated the first discussion in the UN Security Council tomorrow, since it last addressed the Kashmir dispute in 1971. All eyes will be on the outcome of that process, as the failure to effectively bring the UN in to the scenario now will almost inevitably leave South Asia to a fate of military conflict. The protesters made the point that any such failure by the UN would force the people of the region to take matters into their own hands, with the UN itself being responsible for the potentially catastrophic consequences of the nuclear armed states fighting it out over territory.
The joint efforts between Kashmiri and Sikh groups and leaders poses a headache for the Hindutva forces that are looking to subdue national and religious minorities in a right wing project that the world is increasingly becoming wary of.
The gathering was addressed by leaders of diaspora organisations as well as UK parliamentarians and other prominent supporters of human rights.
MEDIA RELEASE ON MEMORANDUM TO UK PM ON 35TH ANNIVERSARY OF INDIA’S FULL-SCALE MILITARY ATTACK ON THE SIKH NATION
London, 6th June 2019. The World Sikh Parliament’s UK Chapter has asked the UK Government to tackle India on its appalling record of rights abuses against the Sikh nation which took on massive proportions since the infamous Indian army assault on the centre of Sikh spiritual and temporal power in Amritsar in June 1984. The recently formed representative body, which has taken the lead in articulating the concerns of Sikhs on the international stage, asked the UK government to recognise its moral responsibility and accountability, not only as the former colonial power but also as the representative of some 700,000 Sikhs living in the UK, and intervene.
On the 35th anniversary of the attack on the Harmandir Sahib (often referred to as the Golden Temple) complex, in which thousands of Sikhs were massacred and historic shrines were reduced to rubble, a WSP delegation delivered a memorandum to 10 Downing Street calling for bilateral and multilateral action to help bring the Indo-Sikh conflict to a peaceable resolution in accordance with international law. The Word Sikh Parliament (WSP) document urges the British government to promote selfdetermination in Indian-controlled Punjab, as well as in Kashmir, as the only credible means of restoring justice and bringing enduring peace to a region – which remains the most dangerous on the planet as nuclear armed India, Pakistan and China are otherwise perhaps inevitably to clash in catastrophic conflict.
The urgent need to curb the rabid Hindutva extremism of Indian PM Modi’s newly re-elected government is, according to the WSP’s memorandum, something that most neutral international observers fully recognise and it is now time for key global decision makers to act before massive conflict in South Asia erupts and drags in the rest of the world. The BJP’s determination to abrogate Article 370 in early course will almost certainly trigger renewed hostilities in Kashmir.
The WSP asked the UK to seek security guarantees for the Sikh nation in case of war in South Asia as the Sikhs are not a party to the Indo-Pak conflict yet the Sikh homeland of Punjab will, according to military experts, be the theatre of battle. India’s warmongers do not recognise the Sikhs as a key stakeholder in the region and seem intent on destroying their homeland in the cause of Hindu nationalism.
Delhi High Court’s recent acceptance that it does not have the power to punish genocide, as India refuses to comply with its obligations under the Genocide Convention 1948 by bringing that offence in to its domestic criminal law, was presented as conclusive evidence of the need for an international court to punish Indian genocide perpetrators. Tens of thousands of Sikhs were butchered in November 1984 on the streets of Delhi and elsewhere. On the fast approaching 35th anniversary of those pogroms it is scandalous that the culprits are today being provided impunity by a state that apparently sees genocide as a legitimate weapon in suppressing its minorities.
In addition, the UK government was asked to take up the issues of the release of Sikh political prisoners in India, attacks on Sikh identity and the desecration of Sikh scriptures under a deep-rooted Hindutvainspired conspiracy to eliminate the Sikhs as a nation and a distinct religion.
International Conference Lambasts Warmongering in South Asia
Birmingham, UK 11 May 2019: An international conference, organised by the World Sikh Parliament’s UK chapter, has issued a demand that warmongers in South Asia pull back from a war that threatens catastrophic outcomes. Instead, India and Pakistan need to resolve their disputes through dialogue and work towards stability in the region by including all those stateless nations that are stakeholders in peace.
Held at in the Chamber of the Council House in Birmingham, the conference heard from experts, political representatives and human rights defenders. It urged the UN and the wider global community to intervene in order to prevent a potentially catastrophic war that could easily kill tens of millions. The recent tensions and military encounters between India and Pakistan, driven by the incessant warmongering rhetoric of right-wing political parties in the ongoing Indian general elections, have brought the region to a dangerous tipping point. Indian PM Modi has even been making public threats that his nuclear weapons are not just for displays at Diwali. With warplanes recently downed there are many bruised egos looking for retribution.
Noting that the Sikhs, as a nation, are not a party to the Indo-Pakistan dispute and yet would suffer the most as Punjab would be the likely theatre of such a war, the World Sikh Parliament (WSP) has called for all would-be combatants to undertake that the Sikh population, homeland and holy sites will not be used or targeted in any military conflict.
Ranjit Singh Srai (Council of Khalistan and WSP member), who conducted proceedings, said the way forward was instead to resolve underlying conflicts, in line with international law and the fundamental human right of self-determination, so that the aggression over artificial borders became a thing of the past.
Manpreet Singh (WSP Coordinator) said both Kashmir and Indian-controlled Punjab have seen legitimate freedom movements suppressed by brutal state terrorism for decades; neither of those conflicts have been resolved and both are directly linked to massive militarisation of the Indo-Pak border that has driven the arms race in what is widely accepted as being the most dangerous place in the world.
Dr Iqtidar Cheema, an advisor to the UN on the prevention of genocide and atrocity crimes, said the application of the right of self-determination to creation of buffer states would separate India, Pakistan and China in that volatile region and is the only viable way of getting those nuclear- weapons states, with historic enmities, to disengage. The WSP took the opportunity to honour Dr Cheema by presenting him with an award for his exceptional work over recent years to create global awareness of the Sikh scriptures as well as the Sikh nation’s human rights concerns.
Dr Annie Waqar of the University of Westminster stated that such disengagement has become an imperative for world peace and the UK, as the former colonial power’s whose chaotic exit in 1947 created the underlying issues, should take the lead at the UN to galvanise international action. She emphasised the need for world powers to engage with the Sikh nation and Kashmiris so that their aspirations were satisfied in coming to a just dispensation.
Dr Rev John Joshva (Academic Co-Dean, Oxford Centre for Religion and Public Life) called for states in the region reign in right winger leaders by legislating against use of nuclear weapons and to respect of self-determination. It was time he said to think outside the box in saving humanity as all men of God, of whatever faith, are duty bound to do.
Joga Singh (Coordinator, WSP) read out a special statement from Amar Singh Chahal, spokesman of the Jagtar Singh Hawara, (political prisoner and Jathedar of the Akal Takht) in which the warmongering of the Indian state was roundly condemned and contrasted to the measured statesmanlike response of Pakistan PM Imran Khan. The statement highlighted the need for international intervention to avert yet another disaster being visited on the Sikhs after the horrors of 1947 and 1984.
Professor Nazir Shawl (Kashmir Concern) referred to the massive, systematic violations by Indian forces in Kashmir which the UN’s High Commissioner on Human Rights had detailed in a damning report in 2018; he said that whilst such oppression would never end the freedom struggle it risked a military conflagration that the world cannot afford.
In a message to the conference organisers, John Spellar MP wrote “We are rightly concerned that escalation could lead to major conventional conflict across the border and the geography of the region means that this would most likely be in Punjab. Naturally, the Sikh community have deep concerns at the threat this poses to their families in Punjab. This is quite apart from the issue that both countries have nuclear capability and the consequences of this being used are horrendous”. He has written to the UK Foreign Secretary seeking action, particularly at the UN, to ensure there is no war.
Phil Bennion (Vice Chair of Liberal Democrat party’s International Relations Committee) said it was time to push for buffer states, respecting the right of self-determination, to separate belligerents whose nuclear arsenals threated the entire region and beyond. He suspected that de-escalation would follow the completion of the Indian general election.
Anthea McIntyre, MEP said the conference was very timely and important at a dangerous moment in South Asia. Having recently visited Kashmir she spoke of the terrible human rights abuses there and said we should all see those abuses as an affront to us all. The EU needed to pay more heed to rights, including the right of self-determination for the Sikh nation and for Kashmiris – just as the UK had freely allowed Scotland to determine its own destiny.
Gurpreet Singh (Saving Punjab) outlined the myriad threats facing Punjab such as drugs and the desertification of the region – a tragic irony for the land renowned for its rivers – which he said were the manifestation of a deliberate attempt to destroy the Sikh homeland. He said the Sikhs were, for India, expendable and the threat of a new war was just one more layer of the existential threats India has posed to the Sikh nation. He demanded that war must be taken off the table following repeated wars between India and Pakistan, as neither Sikhs nor Kashmiris want war in their homelands.
Professor Nazir Ahmed Shawl, Kashmir Concern also urged international intervention to stop rabid Hindutva forces from dismantling peace in South Asia. The right of self-determination is not conditional. The people in Kashmir and Punjab will not bow to the fascist ideology of PM Modi’s BJP but international law and mechanisms must now be deployed for meaningful peace building.
Graham Williamson (Nations without States) said a condition of peace was respect for self-determination and national sovereignty; in this case of the Sikhs and the Kashmiris. Most armed conflicts today are attributable to the suppression of such struggles; the need is for UN supervised referenda resolve them through peaceful means. Four major wars between India and Pakistan was a testimony to the fact that peace is a pipe dream until freedom is secured.
Dr Gurnam Singh (Coventry University) said the consent of the governed is crucial; he quoted Dr Martin Luther King in demanding the rights of human beings. Populist authoritarianism, fascism and hatred must be rejected and self-determination and dignity are the keys to peace and security.
Muzzammil Ayyub Thakur (The Justice Foundation: Kashmir Institute of International Affairs) said peace was not possible without self-determination. He said unity was needed to defeat the fascist agenda of Hindutva forces which are suppressing the legitimate freedom struggles in Indian-occupied Kashmir and Punjab.
Faheem Kiyani (Tehreek-e-Kashmir) spoke forcefully for the right of Kashmiris to resist India’s oppression and the need for Sikhs and Kashmiris to unitedly work for freedom in their homelands.
Jaspreet Singh (National Union of Students) said we need to understand the mentality of oppressive elites that dehumanise the people; the ongoing oppression of Kashmiris by Indian forces is unacceptable. He said the liberation of Khalistan will give the Sikhs an opportunity to demonstrate how a just order can be established where no one will be persecuted. He read out a message of support for the conference from Jagroop Singh (Convenor, All India Sikh Students Federation) which reiterated the Sikh nation’s pursuit of Khalistan.
Simranjeet Singh (Aston University Khalistan Society) said no external power had the right to turn the Sikh homeland of Punjab in to a war zone; the UN must recognise the Sikh nation as stakeholder in peace in the region and help facilitate self-determination both there and in Kashmir to deliver regional peace and security with a global peace dividend.
Amrik Singh Sahota, OBE (Council of Khalistan) said the events of recent months had validated the decision of the Sikh nation to declare independence on 29th April 1986; the creation of a buffer state in Punjab would prevent a calamitous conflict between India and Pakistan and was the only viable solution, along with freedom in Kashmir.
Kulwant Singh Mutadda (Shiromani Akali Dal (A)) urged Sikhs and Kashmiris to pursue their birthright of freedom and bring real peace to the region. Irfan Tahir urged global action to prevent war via dialogue, underpinned by self-determination in Kashmir; justice demanded that world powers needed to understand this rather than mindlessly sell lethal weapons of war to warmongers.
Dupinderjeet Singh (Sikhs for Justice) focussed on the right of giving the right of self-determination some practical manifestation in the absence of an effective UN mechanism to facilitate it. Urging support for SFJ’s ‘Referendum 2020’, a non-governmental referendum on the independence of Indian-occupied Punjab so that the Sikhs could, as was recently done in Kurdistan and Catalonia, demonstrate to the global community their demand for freedom.
Messages of support of the peace mission behind the conference were received from Salma Yaqoob (Patron, Stop the War Coalition), Robin Marsh (Secretary General, United Peace Federation, UK chapter), Rana Nazir (British Kashmiri Women Council), Kaleem Hussain (prominent peace activist), Parminder Singh (Voices for Freedom, USA) as well as Liz McInnes MP. Conference resolutions were adopted that underlined the ‘stop the war’ message of the conference and calls for the implementation of the right of self-determination in Punjab and Kashmir. The UK government in particular was urged to take a lead in raising these demands, on behalf of some 1.5 million Sikhs and Kashmiris in the UK, both bilaterally and at the UN.
WSP calls on UN to Tackle India on Human Rights Violations and Warmongering
The World Sikh Parliament (WSP) followed up its recent written submissions to the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights with a series of important initiatives this week, aimed at raising the profile of key Sikh human rights concerns. The heightened threat of large-scale military conflict in the region and the continued use of draconian tactics to silence legitimate and entirely peaceful Sikh activism in Indian-occupied Punjab has generated a toxic atmosphere in the Sikh homeland which the WSP, as a representative national institution, has taken the lead in addressing.
Delegates from the UK, France, Germany, Holland, Italy and Switzerland took part in a vocal protest outside the UN buildings in Geneva to oppose recent Indian warmongering which neutral observers of the region have clearly identified as being linked to the forthcoming Indian general elections. The international media present was told that, whilst the Sikh nation is not a party to the Indo-Pakistan conflict, it was a major stakeholder in regional peace and security. It has the most to lose in case of war; military experts have identified the plains of Punjab as the likely theatre of battle, even if war is triggered by the Kashmir dispute. The risk of nuclear war would be high and destruction would be potentially catastrophic. The Sikh homeland faces annihilation and yet Indian leaders seem set to, once again, totally disregard the Sikh national interest. Urging UN action at the highest level to force them to adopt the route of peace and dialogue, the protestors said PM Modi would be held personally to account for any death or destruction caused by his cynical and immoral manoeuvring.
The protestors also raised the important case of three Sikhs recently sentenced to life imprisonment by an Indian court for allegedly ‘waging war against the state’, despite the court accepting that there was no violence or weapons involved. The bizarre judgement cited simply the possession of literature referring to the Sikh struggle for self- determination as being sufficient cause for its decision which represents an outrageous assault on the internationally accepted right of freedom of expression. Having given a detailed briefing on the case to both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch this week, the WSP will continue to engage international public opinion to bring pressure on the Indian state which must stop criminalising dissent. India’s refusal to release Sikh political prisoners in general was also highlighted; some of them have served over 25 years in detention. The contrast with Pakistan’s recent release of a downed Indian pilot after 24 hours is testament to how Indian leaders have lost all sense of proportion in promoting dangerous right-wing Hindutva extremism.
WSP spokesmen at the protest were joined by Kashmiri leaders from across Europe in demanding a resolution to the conflicts in both Indian-occupied Punjab and Kashmir, based on the peaceful implementation of the right to self determination as enshrined in international law. They pointed out that there was no other option if war, at some point, is to be avoided. An independent Khalistan and freedom in Kashmir would bring enduring peace to a region that has been ravaged by unnecessary conflict for decades at the cost of hundreds of thousands of lives.
WSP members then took part in a lively panel discussion at Geneva’s prestigious Press Club, involving lawyers, academics, political representatives and NGOs, themed on the threats to minorities (whether national, religious, ethnic or linguistic) in Indian controlled territories. Issues relating to the restive North East, Punjab and Kashmir were raised and consensus was reached that the UN, as well as the wider international community, must bring India in to line with its international legal obligations, whether the relate to self-determination, the prevention and punishment of genocide, the right to profess and practice religion and the right of free speech. The unwillingness of India’s Supreme Court to deploy international law was identified as a key systemic weakness that has allowed successive unethical governments to brush aside international law.
The WSP has resolved to uphold international law and civilised norms of behaviour; it is time the Indian state followed suit. 16th March 2019
LONDON: The World Sikh Parliament has said that Hindutva chauvinism is responsible for the current crisis in South Asia which has brought nuclear armed Pakistan and India to the brink of war.
The World Sikh Parliament (WSP) said that the event following the Pulwama attack showed India’s incessant journey to an ever more right-wing Hindutva position, in terms of its treatment of other nations, minorities and even neighbouring states.
It said that the spectre of full-scale war with Pakistan over the disputed territory of Kashmir has, quite rightly, led to global alarm and even casual observers of the crisis will know that the current crisis is being driven entirely by the vote bank politics of the forthcoming Indian general elections.
Rajit Singh Srai said in a statement to this correspondent that both Indian PM Narendra Modi’s BJP and the main opposition Congress parties are desperately vying to play the ultra-nationalist card in order to gain the Hindutva vote and this is being done at the expense of the people of Indian Occupied Kashmir and, in case of war, the people of Punjab where experts have long believed that any military conflict will be largely fought.
He said: “The Sikh homeland in Indian-controlled Punjab, which itself is going through its own struggle for self-determination, is therefore at the heart of the issue and the World Sikh Parliament will hold India strictly to account for any loss of life or destruction in our homeland. The World Sikh Parliament urges the UN to take the lead in seizing this moment to nurture peaceful conflict resolution in both Kashmir and Punjab, based on international law which recognises the right of self-determination as a fundamental human right. The forcible denial of that right has led directly to hundreds of thousands of deaths in both regions over recent decades; it is time the international community woke up to the need to address the unlawful and morally indefensible position of the Indian state. Let us be clear; there will be no peace in the region until that happens.”
“Article 1 of the 1966 Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, accepted as the bedrock of international humanitarian law, provides that all peoples have the right to self-determination. Incredibly, when India signed up to the 1966 Covenant, it officially informed the UN that it does not accept that Article 1 of the document applies to any peoples or nations held within its territory! The UN itself has asked India to withdraw that ‘reservation’, but India refuses to do so.”
The WSP demanded that the Indians stop using the Sikh homeland and Sikh troops in its military aggression against Pakistan. “The Sikh nation is not a party to the Indo-Pak conflict and our homeland and resources must not be utilised for that purpose. The use of nuclear weapons there risks the annihilation of most of the world’s Sikhs; no Sikh can support the war mongering antics of the Indian establishment and its hysterical media acolytes. We laud the peaceful posture and wise counsel of Pakistan PM Imran Khan who has repeatedly offered negotiations and talks to his counterpart over recent days. We call on Sikh soldiers serving in Indian forces, in case of war, to refuse to engage in offensive actions and instead to go to Punjab to protect its people in the face of an existential threat to the Sikh nation and other Punjabis. The World Sikh Parliament extends its full support to those in Kashmir who are struggling to secure self-determination in accordance with international law.”
