You will be walking in memory of twenty-eight-year-old Darshan Singh who was a young farmer from Amritsar district. On 9 September 1990, Darshan and two other young men went for a motorcycle ride when a group of police officers suspected them of being militants and shot at them. Darshan, the pillion rider, was hit by a bullet and fell down dead. The police took Darshan’s two companions into custody and reported them dead in alleged encounters.

After recently registering for Ensaaf’s Appear for the Disappeared 5K walk, I received the above email with information about the individual in whose memory I would be participating.

Ensaaf has documented thousands of cases of disappearance and unlawful killings in Punjab and in an effort to allow its supporters to connect with victims, Ensaaf is holding a 5k walk, called Appear for the Disappeared, on April 6, 2013 in Fremont, CA. The walk is an opportunity for all participants and virtual donors to commemorate a specific individual who was disappeared in Punjab by Indian security forces from the mid-1980s to late 1990s. Ensaaf’s goal is to commemorate 500 individuals and raise $25,000 to complete documentation efforts.

Between 1984 and 1995, Punjab witnessed thousands of disappearances and unlawful killings, with many victims facing unimaginable torture at the hands of Indian security officials. Rarely were victim families informed of the fate of their loved ones, let alone given a chance to carry out final rites and funeral services. As thousands of men and women disappeared and their families left in the darkness, responsible security officials were awarded promotions and their human rights violations faded into darkness.

Twenty-eight years later, human rights violators still roam free of consequences and victim families still await reparations, truth, and justice. With each passing year, survivors and family members of victims die and we lose the memory of a disappeared individual. Ensaaf has reached thousands of victim families, but the organization needs your support to complete its work.

There are multiple ways to support Appear for the Disappeared:

1. Register to walk in Fremont, CA on April 6th.

2. Register to walk virtually on April 6. Ensaaf will set up a platform for virtual walkers to share videos of their participation.

3. Donate to a registered participant’s walk.

Register today and make Appear for the Disappeared a success!

“Murderous gangs of 200 or 300 people led by leaders, with policemen looking on, began to swarm into Sikh houses, hacking the occupants to pieces, chopping off the heads of children, raping women, tying Sikh men to tires set aflame with kerosene, burning down the houses and shops after ransacking them. Mobs stopped buses and trains, in and out of Delhi, pulling out Sikh passengers to be lynched to death or doused with kerosene and burnt alive. In some areas, the Sikh families grouped together for self-defense. The police officials then arrived to disperse them, by force when the persuasion did not work. In other areas, the police searched the houses for weapons including ceremonial daggers, and confiscated them before the mobs came. Over the next five days, nearly 3,000 Sikhs were killed.” -Reduced to Ashes, pg. 42

Government leaders and senior security officials involved in perpetrating the crimes against Sikhs remained protected by a culture of impunity while low-ranking security officers were awarded promotions for disappearances and killings. In the decade following Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination, thousands of Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims, and Christians disappeared from Punjab.  Human rights organization, Ensaaf, has been working tirelessly to promote human rights, justice and accountability in India.  They are currently raising awareness of the issue through a project titled, “Decade of Disappearances Art Contest”.  It is a call to artists to create print media pieces that shed light on human rights abuses and state-sponsored disappearances in Punjab, India.  The winning artist will receive the signed, iconic, limited edition fine art print titled 1984 by Singh Twins.

This is an important cause and we hope you will participate!  Below we have copied the submission guidelines (via Ensaaf).  The submission form can be found here.

Are you a visual artist who is passionate about the struggle for human rights? Do you believe art can help tell the stories of people disappeared by their governments? Then take part in Ensaaf’s Decade of Disappearances Art Contest.

Although perpetrators remain free and unpunished, Ensaaf wants you to show the world that those who were disappeared are not forgotten. Submissions accepted until November 30, 2012.

Awards
1) Winning piece will be the face of Ensaaf’s December social media campaign.
2) Winning artist will receive the signed, iconic, limited edition fine art print titled 1984 by Singh Twins.
3) All entries and artists will be featured on Ensaaf’s social media sites.

Winner will be announced on December 10, 2012 to commemorate International Human Rights Day!

Be sure to review the rules and regulations below and submit your entries at http://ensaaf.org/programs/community/artcontest/

Questions for inspiration:
1) What is a disappearance and how does it feel? Who are the disappeared? To learn about the Decade of Disappearances in Punjab, visithttp://ensaaf.org/about/faq/
2) Why and/or how must the global community represent the disappeared and unlawfully killed in Punjab?
3) How does India’s failure to address gross human rights violations impact its citizens and the world?

Judging Criteria:
1) How well does the piece address the theme: Decade of Disappearances?
2) How much creativity and originality is demonstrated in the piece?
3) Quality of artistic composition and overall design based on the theme.
4) Overall impression of the art: What is the effect of the artwork in general and as a whole? Does the artwork stand on its own as a complete and outstanding work of art?

Guidelines/Rules
1) Eligibility: The contest is open to artists of all ages, religions, and nationalities.
2) Print media only
3) Artists must complete an entry form and upload their image by November 30, 2012 (11:59pm PST).
4) Each artist may only submit one entry.
5) Size of artwork
- Must be printable to 11 x 17
- Max. 300 DPI
- Must be saved as high resolution JPEG file
- File must not exceed 10MB
6) Artists must submit a description of their artwork, limited to 250 words (space is provided on the entry form).
7) Artwork must represent human rights violations that took place in Punjab from 1984 to the mid-90s
8) Artwork must be representative of Ensaaf’s mission statement.
9) Must be original artwork. Artists cannot re-use pieces that were previously created.
Artwork that contains any third-party materials that violate or infringe (or may infringe) any copyright, trademark, logo or other mark that identifies a brand, entity or other proprietary right of any person living or deceased (including but not limited to rights of privacy or publicity or portrayal in a false light) will be disqualified.

The Sikh community in the UK is once again preparing to mark the anniversary of the June 1984 Indian army invasion of their holiest place of worship. Harmandir Sahib, also known as the Golden Temple located in Amritsar, was invaded in an unprecedented Indian army action against the civilian population that resulted in massive casualties and wide spread human rights violations.

Every year for the past 27 years the UK Sikhs have been gathering in Hyde Park London for a protest march that ends with a rally in Trafalgar Square. This year is no exception with the rally taking place on the 10th of June. The rally makes vocal the Sikh demands for justice and has been seen as a show of solidarity and remembrance.

As times have changed and the Sikh diaspora have become more educated and media savvy, their methods of protest have also evolved. Young Sikhs have come together to found a charitable NGO and Think Tank called the National Sikh Youth Federation (NSYF). This organisation, whose motto is ‘To Educate, Inspire and Unite’ has become the platform for an innovative media campaign to highlight the events of June 1984. Utilising both social and physical media NSYF are attempting to create mass awareness. From the 1st to the 10th of June NSYF will be uploading one picture everyday at 0700 GMT via their twitter account @theNSYF centred around the hashtag #10DaysofTerror.

NSYF will be telling the story of June 1984 by recreating the major events of each day with a historic newsfeed, culminating in the release of a video to tie the campaign together.

Ten years on, and this case is no longer an anomaly. Stories about Punjabis of all genders, classes, religions, and ages injecting themselves with things like horse respiratory medicine are not even remotely funny. Or uncommon. Virtually everybody in Punjab has a story about drug abuse. 75% of Punjab’s youth is addicted to drugs. 60% of ALL illegal drugs found in India are confiscated in Punjab. Drug abuse in Punjab is no laughing matter, but laughing about alcohol is apparently still okay because the problem in Punjab has nothing to do with alcohol. It’s all about the drugs. Many of this relative’s other stories were and still are more socially acceptable for us to laugh at because they involved drunk Punjabi men falling off tractors or scooters.

And there is no awkwardness at laughing at the following well-executed parody by Jus Reign of the “drunk uncle, who provides for great entertainment” and includes the drunk uncle dancing with a glass on his head, falling down, and generally behaving like an idiot. We don’t see the drunk uncle as having an actual problem. It’s just alcohol, after all, and not anything “serious.” (The section I am referring to starts at 2:41 and ends at 3:25.)

Click here to view the embedded video.

Jus Reign is one of my favorite comedians, not just because his humor is aimed at Punjabis (although that helps), but because he is genuinely funny and tackles issues in a way that doesn’t go for a quick laugh. He sometimes has a social point that he makes, but wraps it up in “comedy” like “WTF Punjabi Music Industry?” (listen at 1:42). The “drunk-unc” sketch is a well executed comedy sketch, but a drunk uncle is different than an alcoholic uncle, when it would hopefully not be funny. Jus Reign’s comedy comes from actual family members and his own observations of life, so, this next question is in earnest: how far off are we from a parody about the irresponsible, but lovable, heroin-addicted uncle?

While drug abuse is completely out in the open in Punjab, it isn’t socially acceptable to casually reference it in popular music originating in Punjab. Right? To clarify, I’m not talking about musicians of Punjabi descent who live in Western Counties and sing their bhangra pop bits, or “Punjabi” rappers like Bohemia, who raps about (amongst other things) doing cocaine, smoking weed, and being estranged from his family members because of it. Or Honey Singh, who is from Punjab and seeks to “bring to light,” some kind of a social message. I’m not exactly sure what that message is, but he’s apparently keeping it real. In “Dope Shope,” he raps/sings about girls on yachts who are inevitably loose, take “dope-shope,” and are solely responsible for tarnishing Punjabiyan di shaan by drinking large quantities of vodka that destroys their livers.

“Niri suki vodka na mariya karo, thoda bohut Limca vi pa lia karo/
Ainvi mitti vich rol na Punjabiyan di shaan.”

He even tries to help the girls and their livers out by suggesting they mix their vodka with some Limca. He insists that the overarching message of his songs is rooted in a moral: “if you’re a girl, don’t do dope-shope or drink alcohol straight. It isn’t proper. And is mittying up Punjabiyan di Shaan.”

Like their hip-pop counterparts, they are talented musicians, but the songs really aren’t about any moral issues anymore than “I’ve Got Hoes in Different Area Codes” is about empowering women of different ethnicities. It’s about exaggerating the lifestyle of a playa: parties, fast cars, plenty of bling, and creating a piece of music that is entertaining. And Punjabi musicians are certainly not lacking in the talent department. Honey Singh is talented and has clearly studied the art of 16 bars, effective hooks, and creating an energizing mood throughout the piece. If you can skip the content of his songs, if his talent isn’t obvious, he also has a degree from the prestigious Trinity College of Music, which is no joke. Bohemia, on the other hand took the more street thug approach – he grew up poor in Oakland, lost his mother to cancer, and now apparently lives the thug life, which is what all of his songs are about. Artists like these, and plenty of others like RDB, Nindy Kaur, and a host of others all know their stuff, and deliver on simple, catchy lyrics with a good beat. Try listening to any of their songs and not wanting to sing along, or stomp your feet and yell “bruaahhh.” Try it. Didn’t work, did it? But there aren’t any moral issues at play here. And the real question is, should there be? If they don’t make grand proclamations of getting Punjabis to be aware of Bhagat Singh, and just claim they’re entertainers, does that solve it? Lil Kim or Jay Z or Ludacris don’t have any particularly deep songs. They are just entertainers too, right?

To return to Honey Singh’s “Dope Shope” song for a minute: those who are addicted to drugs in Punjab aren’t getting high to go party on a yacht. They are strung out on the streets, begging for 30-300 rupees to get some knock off synthetic drug to last them a couple of hours. The abuse of drugs for those who live in metropolitan cities in India, or in Western countries, is born out of a totally different experience than what has been ripping through Punjab like a tornado, apparently unnoticed. And now it can’t be ignored. Not by Punjabis. Not by India. And not by the world press.

There is a New York Times article from April 18, 2012 that was severely disappointing in its scope, but a much more in-depth one from just a few days ago from Tehelka is definitely worth reading. Neither of these are exactly “news,” to anyone who has even a mild interest in the state of affairs in Punjab, but this is a rather chilling story. Not just because 75% of Punjab’s youth are addicted to drugs (that’s one addict in every third family). Not even because 60% of all drugs in India are confiscated in Punjab. But because of this: “India’s Election Commission said that some political workers were actually giving away drugs to try to buy votes. More than 110 pounds of heroin and hundreds of thousands of bottles of bootleg liquor were seized in raids. During the elections, party workers in some districts distributed coupons that voters could redeem at pharmacies.”

It’s a sign of manliness in Punjab to go to one of the million thekas littered throughout Punjab – small shops selling legit and bootleg alcohol where Punjabis can get their booze early in the morning or late at night with misspelled generic names like “Scartish Whiskey” manufactured in Uttar Pradesh. Or spend less than a couple rupees and get old school moonshine in plastic packets, with saunf and a limca to wash it down, delivered right to your tractor. It has been so ingrained in our psyche that Punjabi munde should drink massive amounts of alcohol and be able to handle it. That’s why you’ve never heard a song about Punjabi boyz drinking patiala pegs, then stumbling, slurring their words, and vomiting all over each other’s shoes. They’re always coordinated and slurring just enough to be funny and “cute,” but not enough to be unsexy (like PBN’s “Fitteh Moo”).

All of our revered legends of Punjabi music have sung songs in praise of alcohol. From Asa Singh Mastana to Bindrakhia to Gurdas Mann to Malkit Singh. And these days, virtually every single Punjabi singer’s collection features tracks about alcohol and girls. Nobody seems to have anything else to say. But why is it that Punjab is the only state in India that makes it incredibly easy for unregulated alcohol to be sold at thekas? You can find two or three at ever mile marker (I’m not kidding). You don’t see that anywhere in U.P. or Maharashtra or Himachal Pradesh. Is that Pakistan’s fault or some ISA conspiracy?

You can probably name twenty songs dealing with alcohol, but since that is clearly not the problem (Punjab only has a drug problem, you see. That’s what needs to be stopped), I’m going to talk about someone else: Geeta Zaildar, an unlikely segue into my discussion on drugs.

When I first heard Geeta Zaildar’s song “Chitte Suit te Daag Pe Gia,” I thought it was quite catchy. And I have yet to find someone who listens to the song and doesn’t feel like belting out the chorus. In terms of a catchy hook, it’s up there with “duppata tera sat rang da,” “Unhh,” (Biggie) and Kriss Kross’s “Jump.”  Okay, maybe those last two were just me. The point is, it is catchy and has the formulaic “hook” that everyone sings along to. He also has a fantastic voice, there is a good beat, and a typical storyline: girl is mock angry with boy because he isn’t paying attention to her; this issue will be resolved by the end of the song, and there is rain.

But there was a line in there that surprised me, considering that most of his other songs are standard boy-girl light drama. He doesn’t do those testosterone-filled macho man songs with whiskey spilling from the cups, is never off shooting guns for no reason, or in a night club with or without sunglasses and a crew. But then again, neither was Diljit up until a few years ago (read about it here). Anyway, I listened to the stanza again. Here is a version that someone took the time to translate into English. Overall, they capture the gist of the song, but watch the bit that translates to “You pulled the covers and went to sleep,” followed by “you can gain your freedom.” Not even close to what the Punjabi translates to. Watch from 1:29:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here are the lyrics in Gurmukhi and Romanized Punjabi:

The word “soota,” is a verb, meaning to inhale smoke. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what he has been smoking that would knock him out for the entire night, not even waking up when his “jaan” repeatedly bangs on the door, yells at him through the window, and calls him repeatedly on the phone. After he invited her round. The line after that, in good jovial fun, she questions their relationship continuing because he has become not just a “vaili,” (a drug addict), but “vaili ho gia bhara”: he has become a heavy drug addict. But he seems fine after he wakes up, completely functional; he smiles and everything is all good. So, perhaps she was just over-reacting to this Punjabi munda doing what Punjabi munde do: having a little soota here and there? That Miss Pooja – she be tripping.

Is this a new norm for Punjabi songs? Casual references to drugs like it’s no big deal? Just part of the narrative. Like having a peg-sheg, riding a Bullet motorcycle, or whistling at kudiyan on GT Road. Will we still have the girls running through mustard fields in the songs, the men wearing turbans for part of the song, and then taking a break to shoot some heroin or cow tranquilizer? Will they still be wearing their karras to reprezent? Will there be a song from a Punjabi singer equivalent to Afro-Man’s “Because I Got High?” Just another catchy, beat-driven song? Maybe I just need to get with the times and start supporting Punjabi music regardless of what it’s about because it’s in Punjabi, has a good beat, and the lyrics are catchy. It is, after all, only entertainment, and is helping keep the Punjabi language and a semblance of the culture alive (yay?).

Nashe Harao: Defeat Intoxicants. Good plan. How?

Clearly the problem in Punjab then has nothing to do with alcohol. But those drugs, man, that’s where the real problem is. Not soota though. Soota is okay. It’s those Pakistani ISA agents trying to destroy Punjab and those crafty drug smugglers bringing their poisons to Punjab. Nothing to do with our own politicians, who couldn’t possibly be complicit what with those impassioned speeches they’ve been making. Oh wait, last time they said anything about it was . . .  during the elections. And the agricultural policies that our politicians put into place couldn’t have anything to do with it. What possible link could there be? Certainly, none. Isolate the problem. Check! Simplify the problem. Check! And then blast it (pending), because that always works out well. Then we can have Apna Punjab again, drink our ghar di sharab (to reiterate: not the problem), and have our mooley with the ganda – is there any other way?

So the real issue is drugs, and the staggering statistics, like 75% of youth in Punjab are addicted to drugs, and yes that includes the girls, too, when they’re not running through mustard fields in their traditional outfits. Despite these statistics, according to politicians, the solution is actually very simple. In India, it’s all Pakistan’s fault. In Pakistan, it’s all Afghanistan’s fault. Who knows whom Afghanistan will put the blame on. And let’s just forget that there are plenty of places in India and Pakistan where it’s 100% legal to grow opium and marijuana plants, the latter, which grow like weeds all over the country. But let’s just blame the “foreign” smugglers who are crossing over into India with heroin – the drug for those with money, which has given rise to the cheaper alternative “synthetic drugs” – and prescription medicine that is injected into the bloodstream and can deliver highs for several hours.

The other solutions, like de-addiction centers, prey on families who have money and are absolutely desperate to try and help their sons or daughters. Yes, daughters too. Since it isn’t official (not that this means much), many of these centres are unlicensed, and are business-oriented, offering “luxurious facilities” or rapid results, or others that try to beat the addiction out of them using belts, or by getting you addicted to another drug, like Buprenorphine, for repeat business. And unlike detox centers in Western countries, they don’t need to get permission from the addict. A team comes in a van, grabs the son or daughter, and forces them into “treatment.” There are, of course, legitimate de-addiction centers, but the problem goes much deeper than placing blame on one or two things, especially when you have politicians buying votes with drugs and then making speeches about how something must be done about it.

Unemployment is high in Punjab for a variety of reasons, rooted in approved Agricultural laws on both sides of Punjab that have allowed companies like Monsanto to gain a stranglehold on farmers by copyrighting genetically modified seeds, forcing farmers to take out loans to pay for pesticides (amongst many other things). In unrelated news, Monsanto is in Afghanistan and Iraq. And this brought about an influx of loan sharks who took (and continue to take) full advantage of the vulnerable position the farmers are in by charging extortionate rates, ultimately resulting in an epidemic of farmer suicides, whose families then had to deal with the aftermath – psychologically and financially. So it’s not particularly shocking that many of those who are drawn towards drugs (definitely not alcohol though) are from villages and agricultural areas. But using these synthetic drugs has now become more widespread because of its social acceptance, especially amongst the youth, even in towns and cities that aren’t directly connected to agriculture, like Chandigarh. Walk into Punjab University or Khalsa College and odds are you will find someone to supply low grade synthetic drugs, and heroin. Out in the streets of Punjab, nobody can even be bothered to hide it anymore. They’re just out in the alleys, side-streets, open spaces, enclosed spaces, in groups, or alone just doing their thing all over Punjab, from Lahore to Mohali. Even in Amritsar, steps from Harmandir Sahib, the Golden Temple.

Tell me I’m not the only one who sees the parallel between what the government tried to do during the 1980s, but couldn’t because of the ideological movement (contrary to popular belief, violence did not define it). What failed then is working today (for now). Now, when we are told that alcohol is in our D.N.A., part of our cultural heritage, we fully embrace it through music, through parties, through weddings. We sometimes don’t even have qualms with having the wedding ceremony at the Gurdwara in the morning, and getting drunk in the evening for the reception. And what better way to squash any resistance to things that matter than to silence an entire generation by plying them with not just alcohol, but drugs too, effectively guaranteeing they will not be thinking about anything other than where to get their next hit.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji with Bhai Mardana and Bhai Bala

Remember that just a year before the revolution in Egypt, people would complain about corruption on every level like it was just one of those things that had to be accepted as part of life. In Punjab, we kick up a fuss every so often by marching in the streets or burning effigies to protest (insert cause here) and then we get sidetracked and forget all about it. In the “West,” we pride ourselves on churning out numbers to protest marches, social media campaigns, but none of this has really sparked a revolution or any meaningful change that I have seen. In two months, thousands of people will pour into the streets with banners condemning the Indian Government for their role in 1984. There will be signs for Khalistan, and Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana. We will update our status on Facebook and Twitter. And then, we will get sidetracked by something else. Whatever happened to that whole Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana thing? Did we “win?” (I didn’t get the memo).

During our Gurus’ lifetime, there are obvious differences in the circumstances, but the “nuisances” weren’t so drastically different than they are today.  There was religious persecution, an iron clad caste system, and gender inequalities, amongst a list of many other societal “norms.” Guru Nanak Dev Ji never accepted the way things were – none of our Gurus did. They fought for the way things ought to be as individuals, and for the Panth. In different ways, they fought for the rights of others and some of our Gurus laid down their lives for this basic human right, not just for themselves, but for all human beings, regardless of their beliefs. And these basic human rights – to live with dignity, free from oppression are being -what feels like – systematically deprived specifically in Punjab. Elsewhere, you don’t find thekas so easily accessible outside offices, schools, places of worship, residential areas. But you do in Punjab. This strategy is not new. You don’t find this in Maharastra. You don’t find this in Goa, or Kerala. Or anywhere else in the country. And they drink plenty of alcohol, and even have their own version of turra (moonshine).

The revolutionary spirit extends beyond what our Gurus accomplished as individuals, but what they contributed for the Panth. It lies in every poetic verse, raag, and the powerful concepts in the Guru Granth Sahib, which were all well ahead of their time, and still cannot be fully grasped, such as the idea that God exists within all of us mere mortals. But what our Gurus contributed through the Guru Granth Sahib is revolutionary in its own right as a body of work that incorporates not just the wisdom from our Sikh Gurus, but shabads from Muslim and Hindu Bhagats. No other religious text has ever attempted to include ideas from those of other faiths, or to give credence to the idea that there are many paths towards God. There are no passages in the Guru Granth Sahib that threaten someone who isn’t Sikh with burning in the fiery pits of hell or not being able to reach salvation. That idea in itself is revolutionary.

Our Gurus encouraged us all to think and question the world we were born into, and never simply accept things the way they are, but to constantly strive towards how we know things should be based on the teachings of our Gurus. But there don’t seem to be any significant questions from our generation coming out of Punjab, particularly in the arts. Outside of Punjab, there is at least a ripple. There have been some incredibly courageous people in Punjab (not of our generation though) who have sought to change things in their own way, like human rights activist, Jaswant Singh Khalra, Sardar Gursharan Singh, who brought real issues to the streets of Punjab through theater, and Bhagat Puran Singh, who was 19 when he informally began Pingalwara – a home for the destitute and “unwanteds” of Punjab. But these people are  gone now.

Outside of Punjab, there are musicians like Humble the Poet, Jagmeet “Hoodini” Singh, Tanmit Singh of G.N.E., Sikh Knowledge, and Mandeep Sethi, who use their connection to Sikhi to rap about some issues in Punjab, but it is primarily about issues of a more universal nature, or about their experiences living in North America. They have proven that having a beard and a turban, while rapping about real issues and staying true to their ideals can garner a significant audience. And there are musicians and writers of the older generation also who sing and write in Punjabi on issues like female foeticide, or partition, as it relates to them as N.R.I.s, like my father, Punjabi poet and singer Pashaura Singh Dhillon. As with writers like Neesha Meminger, or Nav K Gill, who have watered down the complexity of 1984 to make it palatable to a Young Adult audience outside of Punjab. Or Shonali Bose and Bedabrata Pain, who made the film, “Amu” to tackle the Delhi “riots” — and alluded, as much as they could, to it being congress-lead — in a form palatable to non-Punjabis. And documentary film maker, Harpreet Kaur, who made the “Widow Colony” and most recently, “A Little Revolution,”a documentary about the children of farmers who committed suicides (both films are highly recommended and extremely powerful).

These artists obviously have ties to Punjab in some capacity, but none of these artists live in Punjab, and while their stories are a valuable part of the conversation, the conversation is incomplete without the Punjabi voice from Punjab. Where is it? Not every youth in Punjab is addicted to drugs. And there are plenty that recover from their addiction, and return to the world of bleak futures and temptation to alcohol and drugs at every corner. Perhaps this is where we should be spending more of our time and energy, rather than protesting Bollywood films, or buying that gold karra. Without taking logistics into account (yes, I know it’s kindof a big deal), encouraging a people who love to tell stories and express themselves musically, visually, and through written word, is not difficult.

Who knows – maybe the next Bollywood screenwriter and director will be a sardar from Amritsar, or a former drug addict will pen the next great Indian novel or a Punjabi poetry collection. Or a Punjabi rapper from Punjab will emerge, one who is actually grounded in the history of hip-hop, rather than continuing the trend of hip-pop with girls outnumbering guys at “parties,” plenty of alcohol, and catchy, but vacuous lyrics pervading the genre today. Perhaps, the next Jagjit Singh will have the confidence to take on the world of the ghazal and not be afraid of keeping his Sikh appearance.

I leave you with a poem by revolutionary poet, Habib Jalib. “Jaag Mere Punjab,” which will hopefully reverberate, even decades after he first wrote it, and will transcend East and West Punjab politics, and simply address the issue of Punjab as a whole. And hopefully, we stop being satisfied with the adage, “yeh India/Pakistan hai. Yahan sab kuch chalta hai” and start asking questions inwardly to incite a real change, as small as it may be on how to solve some of the issues that affect Punjab.

Note: “Chala” in the context of this poem means “to ebb” and “Pakistan” represents “an authoritative regime interested in assimilating all subcultures and languages.”

Here is the original version of the poem:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here is an homage to Habib Jalib’s original, by the Laal Band (this has better audio, but no translation):

Click here to view the embedded video.

All of our attention shifted towards Punjab last week.  There was some interesting developments early this week.  One is that Voices for Freedom, a non-government organization, based out of Punjab filed a public interest litigation (PIL) petition against the Sukhbir Badal’s appointee for Director General of Police (DGP) Sumedh Saini.  Saini is a well-known human rights abusers and was involved in the many murders, “disappearances”, and torture during the 1980s and 1990s.  From the media reports, while the petition may not go far, hopefully it does center some more attention on just the type of thugs that the the Badal Mafia appoints.

Another note from Punjab came yesterday when the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India announced that they would pay Rs. 175,000 (about $3,500) to 1,500 families in the Amritsar district for the murder of their sons.  Of course there is no culpability, just an attempt to buy silence.  Well-known human rights lawyer Navkiran Singh of Chandigarh has rightly state:

It is too little too late and why only from Amritsar District? Khalra gave example of Amritsar district, but wanted an inquiry for the whole of Punjab.  Imagine we had to pursue the matter in the NHRC for 17 years for this little justice.

UPDATE: I just wanted again to stress the lies that KPS Gill has restated for years.  See this interview with an Australian journalist, when asked point-blank about the case of illegal cremations, KPS Gill lies without hesitation.  Contrast this where the NHRC admits it occurred and even pays out money to families, though without casting any blame or responsibility.  I have yet to see a true Indian journalist expose KPS Gill for his lies.  Unfortunately they continue to lionize him, assuring that impunity continues – whether in Punjab, Delhi, Gujarat, Kashmir, and many other regions of South Asia.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Shifting from Punjab, I did want to highlight the dynamism in the diaspora.

@Blighty and @rococo (pagh salute) have highlighted the amazing energies of the UK youth.  Despite claims that generation 2.0 in Canada did not turn out, the Sikh Activist Network and others were successful in popularizing an #iPledgeOrange campaign, as well as protesting Jonathon Kay’s article, attempting to portray Sikhs as “extremists.”  Sikh-Canadian youth, of all walks of life, flooded Kay’s twitter account with their messages, to which even he had to reply:

I gotta hand it to Canadian Sikh activists. They sure know how to marshall the Twitter troops against me and @CBCTerry

— Jonathan Kay (@jonkay) March 30, 2012

However, Sikh-Canadians were hardly limited to the online protests.  Many young Sikhs braved the snow to come out and support the Rally for Rajoana.

Click here to view the embedded video.

If there is a particular diasporic community, where the second generation has been quieter, it is the United States.  The Berkeley SSF took a first initiative in starting a critical forum on facebook as well as a website, in addition to helping organize the protest rally at India’s Consulate in SF.  UC Davis is organizing a discussion to be held today and even covered their greens with orange yesterday.  The Jakara Movement has been organizing similar forums on other UC campuses, as well as in the Sacramento and Fresno communities.  Last week, I posted their powerpoint to make it available for anyone that may wish to use it.  These activities must continue!

One especially promising initiative by a Sikh-British youth in starting RajoanaTV.  Here you’ll find episode 3, but click here to see the channel and watch previous episodes.  The young brother was interviewed on Sangat TV this past weekend.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Another activity that is becoming popular are the various petitions.  There are petitions to the Indian Government calling for clemency (I don’t think I’ll bother to link to them, as you can read my previous comments here), there are petitions calling on Jathedar Gurbachan Singh to step down and install Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana in this position (I don’t think petitioners are aware that under the current system, it is not Gurbachan Singh’s call – that choice belongs solely to Prakash Badal), and there are even petitions to Hillary Clinton calling for greater freedom of press in Punjab (I do not know what the petitioners are using as examples.  The Sikh Channel team was briefly detained, but soon released).

I’ll do a more critical analysis this weekend.  The energy must continue, although the forms are beginning to change.

The following is a guest-post, In Defence of Assassination: Balwant Singh Rajoana’s Gift to the Nation, by our guest-blogger Inklabi Singh.

Balwant Singh Rajoana has been in jail since 1995 and was sentenced to death 5 years ago, but it was only recently, as the date of his execution started to loom closer, that a wave of indignation and concern swept over the Khalsa Panth, both in Punjab and the Diaspora. As others have written, this is a spontaneous response to the power of a Sikh fully in love with his Guru and Panth, completely at ease with the will of God and unequivocally unafraid of death. This popular movement leaves many of us in a predicament though. The dilemma we face is that we are socialized to view acts of violence as inherently immoral. How then are we able to express love for an individual who planned and helped carry out the suicide bombing of an unarmed old man? Balwant Singh’s case puts us in an uncomfortable position. Can we defend assassination? Can the killing of unarmed officials be justified? Are such acts true to Guru Nanak’s vision of compassion and respect for diversity?

Many have been asking why the Indian government attacked Sikhs in 1984 in the first place. How did we reach a point that Balwant Singh felt he had no choice but to assist in the killing of Chief Minister Beant Singh in August of 1995? We can go through the history of South Asia and clearly delineate the path from the Independence struggle, through Punjabi Suba and Emergency to the Amritsar Massacre of 1978, but the short answer is a simple one. It is the same reason the British tied Sikhs to cannons in 1885, the Mughals executed 200 Sikhs a day for weeks in the courtyard of the Red Fort in Delhi in 1716 and why Guru Arjan was burned alive for five days in Lahore four hundred years ago. It is because we did what Guru Nanak compelled us to do, to speak truth to power and not be silent in the face of tyranny just as he did when he condemned Babur the Mughal’s invasion of India. That act, enshrined in Guru Granth Sahib jee, of standing with the oppressed against the oppressor, has led to generations of Sikhs putting the principles of freedom and human rights above their own safety and wellbeing.

This is never a fair fight. The oppressor controls vast resources and commands huge armies that dwarf our meagre numbers. This was true when Guru Gobind Singh’s forty Sikhs held off the entire Northern army of the Mughal Empire at Chamkaur for a long cold and wet night in December of 1705 and it was true when Baba Jarnail Singh and his band of a few hundred young men and women stood like a mountain against the technological might of the Indian army for a long, sweltering week in June of 1984. We will always be the minority for we take the uncomfortable, unpopular and dangerous position; we forsake the riches of collusion and collaboration for the principle of equality and justice, even if it means a tortured death.

And once the inevitable massacres occur, once the oppressor tires of our demands for dignity and human rights and we suffer another massacre, another Ghalughara, then what? What are we left with as a people? Because we speak up for the rights of all, we must suffer the greatest indignities. And make no mistake about it, these vicious campaigns that we have suffered throughout our history serve only one purpose. Not our genocidal elimination, not in the sense that the Jewish people suffered in the Holocaust, but instead the end of our political strength, the breaking of our spirit. If it was about just killing us then there would be no need for these brutal tortures, things so depraved we are shocked that people could even fathom such cruelty. The government seeks to end us a force for positive social, political, economic and spiritual change. They seek to humiliate us so thoroughly and to take away our own dignity that we dare not ever speak up again; that we grow so timid that while we may still exist in the nominal sense and while you may still see Sikhs walking around, they would dare not stand against the oppressor, they would dare not speak truth to power.

For a Khalsa that fulfills its purpose and is true to its creation, that strives for freedom and equality, is capable of great acts. That Khalsa can transform the face of Punjab through massive land reform, as the armies of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur achieved. That Khalsa can destroy the vast armies of the Mughal and Afghani armies, as the Misaldars demonstrated. That Khalsa can terrify the world’s largest colonial empire, forcing them out of their prized possession, as the independence struggle against the British did. Of course tyrants fear us. We have spent generations destroying them.

When my daughter hits my son, even if he isn’t hurt, he cries and expects consequences. As a parent I explain to her what she has done is wrong, ask her to apologize and if necessary give her a punishment. My son is not crying because he is in physical pain. He is crying because his rights, in a very minor way, have been assaulted and he wants justice. We all understand this basic impulse and this is one of the main reasons that governments exist: to create a justice system and ensure that citizens’ rights are respected and if they are not, that there are consequences for unjust actions. Justice may be blind, but she also carries scales, for the act of delivering justice is a means of bringing balance to a society, giving dignity to those who have suffered, punishing those who have committed crimes. That’s all anyone wants when they’re hurt. Some respect, dignity and justice.

But where do you turn if it is the government itself that has harmed you? If it is the state that has raped you? If it is the police that has grabbed you in the middle of the night and dragged you to a police station to be tortured for weeks on end? If it is your members of parliament who have come to your house, thrown tires around your neck and burnt you alive with gasoline while desecrating your beloved scriptures? What options do you have? How do you right that wrong, how do you take back your dignity and ensure that justice is served?

You have but one option. To take justice into your own hands. If the state is unjust than a true citizen must punish the state. And who represents the state? Innocent civilians or the population at large? No. The political and military leadership of the state are ultimately responsible for its actions.

That is why Bhai Mehtab Singh and Bhai Sukha Singh killed the Mughal administrator of Amritsar who hunted down Sikhs for bounty and desecrated our religious institutions, Bhai Mewa Singh killed the Canadian immigration officer Hopkinson who played an active role in the Komagatamaru incident, Bhai Udham Singh killed Michael O’Dwyer, the former Lieutenant Governor of Punjab during the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and Beant Singh and Satwant Singh cared not for their own lives and shot down the Prime Minister of India at the end of October 1984. This impetus begins from the time of the Gurus; in fact there is evidence that on three separate occasions Sikhs in Delhi tried to assassinate Aurangzeb for the execution of Guru Tegh Bahadur. These were restorative acts of justice, not petty acts of vengeance. Revenge is bloodthirsty. It stems from hate and anger. Justice flows from compassion and tries to ensure that those who have committed crimes are brought to account. It is compassion for the Panth, to give it back its dignity and compassion for society at large, to bring a balance back to the world.

That is why Balwant Singh Rajoana is so at peace. That is why his words, spoken so eloquently through his graceful sister Kamaldeep Kaur, have spurred us to action across the globe. He is not conflicted about his actions. He does not doubt his choices, or worry that he has done wrong. We see the same poise and calm in Sukha and Jinda’s letters from jail, in Udham Singh’s statements in court, or Mewa Singh’s last words before he was hung in Vancouver. Balwant Singh’s actions were a result of his love for us, his sisters and brothers in the Khalsa Panth. He did what he had to, to serve justice, to give us back our dignity and allow us to return to our essential purpose, to better ourselves and by extension, struggle for a more just and equal world, whatever the cost. How then can he fear death? Why would he beg for mercy? He has committed a transformative act of love. He has made himself an instrument of the Guru’s grace in the world.

We fight so bravely for the rights of others, and many times must suffer terribly for it. But when the Panth is at its lowest, when we are near broken, unable to stand tall, it is the selfless acts of a few are able to bring about a sea change in the community and allow us to raise our heads, not in pride but with dignity. We should not be ashamed of their deeds, or hide from them as inconvenient facts. Their actions were determined by love for their people and their nation. They were gifts to the Khalsa Panth, that gave us back our dignity, our self-respect and our purpose.

We can never thank them enough.

Long Live Baba Banda Singh Bahadur!
Long Live Bhai Mehtab Singh and Sukha Singh!
Long Live Bhai Nirbhau Singh!
Long Live Bhai Mewa Singh Canadian!
Long Live Baba Kishan Singh Gargajj and the Babbar Akalis!
Long Live Bhai Udham Singh!
Long Live Jathedar Ranjit Singh!
Long Live Bhai Surinder Singh Sodhi!
Long Live Bhai Anokh Singh Babbar & Bhai Jugraj Singh Toofan!
Long Live Sukha and Jinda!
Long Live Bhai Dilawar Singh!
Long Live Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana!
Long Live Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana!
Long Live Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana!

May we strive to be worthy of your sacrifice!

It has now been confirmed by Navkiran Singh, well-known human rights advocate and a lawyer for Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana, that Ranjeet Singh is in critical condition, but is alive.  Our apologies for the incorrect information, but one can understand that with information from Punjab being limited, details are being lost.

Yesterday I wrote about Jaspal Singh, whose loss became well-circulated, due to social media and the outstanding work of Sangat TV and the Sikh Channel.

A very young Ranjeet Singh Mandher, only 16 years old, son of Jaswinder Singh, from village Pandher (Mukerian road) was shot by police.  With the heavy police fire, no one came to help him.  The veer had to take his own rickshaw to the hospital.  From there the hospital in Gurdaspur sent him to Amritsar, where he is in stable condition.  I am including the only picture I have received of the youth.  If others can provide more information about this young student, please do send it to us.

In other news, Bibi Kamaljeet Kaur was not allowed to meet the family of Jaspal Singh in Gurdaspur.  She was stopped on orders from the government.  Such is the government of Badal, where police offers open fire and underlings can only be suspended.  It only follows the logic of one that would promote a murderer as Sumedh Saini as DGP and give coveted MLA seats to the wife of a butcher like Izhar Alam.  The Punjab Government fears Bibi Kamaldeep Kaur and are trying to limit her movement.  At present, she is still giving interviews on Sangat TV and other media outlets.  Sangat TV has a livestream that can be seen here as does the Sikh Channel, which can be seen here.

A video by a Punjabi Hindu brother condemning the violence of the Shiv Sena is popularly circulating.  This brother, though he acknowledges that Rajoana’s struggle was not his, reminds us that this fight is against the Government in our quest for ensaaf (justice), not against any other community.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Despite the Shiv Sena’s attempt to communalize the struggle with their acts against symbols such as seen below, let us remember this is a national one and should not be subsumed under a mere ‘religious riot’.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Finally, while I believe that the message of Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana is primarily aimed at Sikhs and to stir our consciousness – such is the wonder of the Shaheed – other media outlets are paying attention.  Some have attempted to bring this site to attention and other Sikh social media outlets, but I have also seen examples of fine writing.  I highlighted one yesterday, but want to give special kudos to the courageous writing of Ruchi Gupta in the Indian Media.  She actually provides context to Rajoana’s actions, as opposed to others, especially in the Canadian media, that have sought to divorce his actions from any political context.  Luckily one Canadian Sikh replied.

Finally, there have been rumors circulating on FB and other sites that Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana had been removed from Patiala.  Lawyer Navkiran Singh and others have confirmed that this is false and merely a rumor.

As Bibi Kamaldeep Kaur labeled her website….The Sangharsh (struggle) of Truth continues….

At Gurdaspur this morning, Jaspal Singh, a young 18 year old Sikh boy from Chor Sidhvan village, was killed by police firing.  Below the tab you can find an eye-witness video of how the Sumedh Saini’s rogue police has differential treatment towards the Sikh youth and the out-of-state-arriving Shiv Sena.  Remember it was Sukhbir Badal, the so-called heir apparent, that personally chose this known human rights abuser to be the Director General of Police.  Murders are lauded in Punjab.  It was this same Badal that ran for election the wife of the one of the worst butchers of Punjab – Farzana Alam.  Farzana’s husband, Izhar Alam, ran his own crack team, called the “Alam Sena” that would give criminals unlimited powers to run wild.  His own atrocities are stunning.  Eye witness accounts describe his atrocities on women and his summary executions.  These are our new “leaders” of Punjab installed by Badal

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here is an interview of his family, courtesy Sangat TV.  Big shout-out to Sangat TV and the Sikh Channel for their tireless work.

Here is a channel with live-videos being uploaded on to youtube.  We hope for the safety of all.

I tend to spend my nights at the Darbar Sahib, emerging from the complex around 9 am from the Manji Sahib jorha house. What I saw this morning near the South side of the Darbar Sahib complex near Baba Atal was notedly different from the scenes described yesterday.

As I walked towards the South side of the complex, there were sounds of people yelling and a general sense of urgency in people around me. When I reached the street, there was a large haphazard group of people filling the street speaking loudly and excitedly to each other. Many were kirpans and some had sticks in their hands.

I headed to the side to make my routine stop at the Nescafe shop for some coffee and learned from the Nescafe Uncle that Shiv Sena was coming to Punjab cities to exact retaliation for the arrest of 14 Hindu men/boys in Ludhiana yesterday. The 14 men/boys had been arrested as they caused damage/ruckus in front of Sikh shops that had been closed on Punjab Bandh, and got into a tussle with local groups of protesters as well. Shiv Sena had declared that if Khalistanis could shut down Punjab on Wednesday, they would shut it down on Thursday.

I headed next door to the Bram Butta Bazaar to run some errands, where the Uncle Ji at the shop excitedly explained that a group of Shiv Sena had entered the city at the Hall Gate (Amritsar Khaas) and started throwing stones/bricks at open businesses. I had noticed earlier that some of the shops were still closed today even though Punjab Bandh was yesterday. From the shop Uncle I learned that Shiv Sena called for Hindus to close their shops today. Shiv Sena was now harassing businesses that were still open, businesses that were expected to be of Sikhs or of non-sympathizers. Many of the Bram Butta Bazaar shops also started to bring in their displays and the Uncle urged me to run my errands tomorrow and get out towards the West side of the Darbar Sahib complex and head home.

As I headed back to Darbar Sahib, there was a rush of people going about. Lots of people were leaving. Shopowners were closing up and many had men standing in front with sticks. Police was heavier than yesterday, with male and female members in uniforms of several Punjab Police and paramilitary companies, lined the streets with guns. Right outside the Darbar Sahib complex, Singhs poured out of the complex. I saw SGPC bande handing out large dandey to people standing outside. There were chants of Khalistan Zindabad and it seemed that people were gearing up for a fight.

I waited around to see what would happen. After some time, people around the Darbar Sahib started heading towards Jallianwala Bagh and Hall Road (main city road that leads to Darbar Sahib). I also headed in that direction towards a hotel owned by a family member as I tried to get a better, higher look. I got up to the top floor, but couldn’t see what was happening clearly. There was a meeting of crowds from two sides and activity in the middle with tons of police.

From CID (police intelligence) I learned that several people had been arrested, of them many were Sikhs. I heard from members of the public that ironically all of the people arrested were Sikh and non were Shiv Sena, but wasn’t able to confirm this with CID.

As you may have already learned, 2 Sikh youth were killed today. Punjab is on, what everyone keeps referring to, as “Red Alert.” I tried to learn more about what the heck that really meant in terms of security but was confused until I headed out to Gurdaspur later in the evening and on my way back to Amritsar, we drove around the Amritsar shehr perimeter and then into the shehr itself to check out the police density. There are checkpoints all around the city’s perimeter with heavy police at each point. We were hailed to slow down at the one where we entered the city, but not stopped. However, after entering the city, I didn’t see a single police officer until I got closer to Darbar Sahib. We roamed the city before heading home, but again no sign of any police forces beyond the perimeter checkpoints. I’m not sure where “Red Alert” falls on the security scale, but the above should provide some perspective to diasporic Sikhs in terms of what is really happening here on the ground.

It has been a frustrating few weeks politically, for all of us. Heck, its been a frustrating 28 years. Perhaps we can go into that another day. Meanwhile we ask/call/clickonfacebook/tweetontwitter for revolution, but we don’t really understand what would be required of each and every one of us in the current context to truly induce one.

Rabh Rakha.

The following are daily live reports we have been receiving from a friend in Amritsar. This came from yesterday (March 28, 2012) on the Day of the Bandh. So long as we hear from them, we’ll keep posting.  We’re posting this exactly as they wrote it – spelling, capitalizations, and all.

Hi guys, a friend asked and I know a few others might be curious so here is what i’m seeing today. Sorry for being somewhat terse and possibly rambling, I’m kinda taking a break when i dont have time for it:

Outside my door is loud and rowdy as its a shutee for everyone and the kids are running around playing with the adults sitting and drinking cha…

Beyond my street, in Amritsar Khaas, its not nervous, its not calm either, but everything is shut down. it is quiet and more deserted than i’ve ever seen. Patiala is pretty much entirely shut down, Ludhiana is half open, half closed. Here, around Darbar Sahib, everything is closed and there is less sangat. It is definitely the quietest Amritsar i’ve ever seen.

Most ppl wandering around are ppl in orange paghs and dupattay, not to make it sound like there are mobs of them however, there are some groups, and many people going about as individuals in orange. the army has been making short marches around the city mainly to show that they are here and to give non-sympathizers a feeling of security. but there are also short marches of supporters.

It does not feel like any kind of revolution or w.e. the heck ppl are calling it on facebook and twitter. its mostly a political ploy, and the events that have occured up to Punjab Band in Siyasat and the folks leading these efforts make me want to throw up at their farce.

they won’t hang Rajoana. they’ll commute it to life and cut off our legs at the knees by doing so, and by ‘our’ i mean the panth and Rajoana’s qurbani that landed him in jail to begin with and his wish to kiss the noose and go out with a jakara.

i’m also sickened by how much of twitter and facebook doesn’t get the idea of “Shaheed” with their stupid petitions.

The most exciting thing that happened personally was an argument I and a friend got into with some bhaiyay at a juice stand. they didn’t know why ‘some guy was being hung’ and when we interjected with an explanation, we discovered two of them were patriots. at this point, the juice stand guy (who had an om tatoo on his hand and tikka on his forehead) told them to ‘dafaa ho’ and heartily declared that Rajoana was a Sher and they should have sharam before they speak without knowing what this man experienced first hand at hands of police and that he had more ijjat and drarirtaa than any of them would ever have combined.

Of course that anecdote is not to make sweeping generalizations about people with Om tatoos and forehead tikkas. Our kothi is bordered by two streets. One street is lined with Kesri Jhande. It’s a street of farmer/landowner Sikhs. The other side is all Hindu with 1 Sikh family who own one of the larger kapra stores in Amritsar. None have raised Jhande. I asked one of the sons of that 1 Sikh family why they were conspicuously quiet and they hinted that it wouldn’t look good/appropriate as their street was Hindu and so were many of their customers. Please note that I’m not making any kind of judgement on caste or religion, but rather making another observation of what I’ve seen/experienced.

I’ve spoken to some members of the police as well over past few days. CID (Punjab Intelligence) waleya’n te bha dee ban gayee hai (they’re srsly on edge, for those who dont understand my majha boli). there is definitely a sense of anticipation that something may happen. They have gotten orders to issue orders to disperse to any group that is too large or too loud or more than 5 ppl, or really any fucking excuse. Not surprising not only because its India and its Punjab Police, but also lets take a minute to consider recent developments. Some of you may not be aware but usually after the Punjab election, a new DGP (which is the highest Punjab police force office) is selected. The new Punjab DGP appointed by Badal is Sumedh Singh Saini, who was a Superintendent during the Decade of Disappearances and his name shows up in multiple Ensaaf interviews and affadavits as a tough cop who committed countless heinous crimes, for which he climbed police ranks, as did all cops who stand in high police positions today. Amritsar’s streets have about 3-4 times as many security forces roaming around… at checkpoints where i usually see 2-3 punjab police drinking cha on kurseeyan, there are now 12-15 Army + Punjab Police milling around and standing alert, and stopping larger vehicles.

I’m also seeing Singhs carrying rifles, which isn’t out of ordinary, but i’ve definitely seen more them and in groups.

Some buses are still traveling trans-city but not seeing much traffic beyond the Bus stand. Very very few autos and rickshaws compared to before. There are more rickshawalay and shopowners who are not in service, that I’ve politely inquired from over the past few days, in hiding because they fear possible mobs than those who are voluntarily participating in the Bandh. Of course, I have to note that many of the rickshawaley did not know who or why he was being hung.

I don’t want to give you the idea that Punjab cares en masse. No. In fact, and as expected, most people want to stay out of it. Politics is uncomfortable, and we’ll wait out the Bandhs and see what happens IS the general consensus.

Lastly, since about 10 days ago, Amritsar has also been PLASTERED with posters with Rajoana’s picture in a gathra and white kurta pajama standing confidentially frontal with his public letter (from right after his death warrant came out) in punjabi. Literally I can’t walk 10 feet in Amritsar Khaas without seeing several more posters. This is bold and very beautiful.

Rabh Rakha.