Roundtable
Heroes & Villains
The Roundtable Open Forum XXVI - Apr 28 - May 4
EDITOR
The Rules of the forum are posted here on the right, and need to be followed strictly by all participants.
The following is this week's (April 28 - May 4) topic for discussion, which should focus on the questions posed therein:
HEROES & VILLAINS
1 T. Sher Singh writes:
"I was asked by CBC, Canada's national TV and Radio network, to deliver the opening eulogy on CBC Radio the morning after Pierre Trudeau passed away on September 28, 2000.
"I began by listing the small group of my heroes who have influenced me in my life ... and concluded the list with Trudeau. Included in the list was Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the extraordinary creator of modern Turkey.
"The following morning, I received a call from a CBC executive, telling me that she had received a complaint: another CBC employee, an Armenian by descent, had demanded that I be made to apologize on air for having described Ataturk as my hero - a man she and other Armenians considered evil.
"I knew that CBC couldn't possibly treat the complaint seriously, but also sensed that they were curious what my response would be.
"I told her that I would gladly recant and even promise to never, ever say a nice word about Ataturk - provided CBC would give me an undertaking that it would never, ever allow anyone to praise or honour Indira Gandhi, a politician who 30 million Sikhs worldwide consider as degenerate as Hitler.
"The CBC executive was quiet for a few long seconds. And then, softly said: "I understand you perfectly."
"That was the last I heard of it."
2 During the last few days, a handful of petty politicians in Canada - under ‘pressure' and misinformation from India - have been ranting and railing over some of the slogans, floats and pictures being paraded during Vaisakhi in Surrey, British Columbia.
3 Unpopular politicians - including PM Stephen Harper, the Liberal leader Michael Ignattieff, Ujjal Dosanjh and a few relative unknowns such as a Dave Hayre and Surrey's Mayor, whatever her name is - have joined in a chorus, orchestrated by some local Hindus and bigots, that Sikhs should not be allowed to honour this person and that. Included in the list are Bhindranwala, Satwant Singh, Beant Singh and some clowns who India dishonestly accuses for the Air India tragedy.
4 In the meantime, the KKK continues to spew its hatred publicly whenever it wants to on the streets of Canada and the U.S. North Indians continue to vilify, as the devil incarnate, the very god that much of South India worships - namely, Ravana. And, our friend Ujjal Dosanjh - a self-proclaimed fan of Sikh freedom-fighter Bhagat Singh, who was branded, tried and hanged by the British as a "terrorist" - feigns piety and patriotism by criticising non-existent extremists.
5 sikhchic.com does not necessarily support or endorse the parading of pictures or the shouting of slogans in honour of the persons named in paragraph 3 hereinabove during Vaisakhi celebrations or at any gurdwara at any time.
6 But what happened to our Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Expression, Freedom of Religion, Freedom of Association, Freedom of Assembly ...?
7 Rights and freedoms are entrenched in our civilized societies not for the protection of the majority, not to adorn our walls, but for the benefit of the minority or those who are different. Even for those who everybody disagrees with, or those who are obnoxious or 'wrong' or 'misguided' or just, plain despicable ... as long as they do not cross the line and break the law. [A caveat: this is not to be construed as a judgment or opinion on anyone.]
QUESTIONS TO PONDER
- Your hero may be my tyrant, and my hero your tyrant. Should either of us be allowed to dictate who honours whom?
- After the desecration of the Darbar Sahib and the massacre of thousands of innocent bystanders at Indira Gandhi's orders, is it appropriate to allow anyone to honour her memory ... if it is considered inappropriate to honour Bhindrawale or Satwant Singh or Beant Singh? If one is okay, why is the other wrong? To honour mass-murderer Rajiv Gandhi?
- If General Dyer and Governor O'Dwyer, both of Jallianwala Bagh infamy, were honoured publicly by the British, why is it inappropriate to hail Sardar Udham Singh as a hero? Or Bhai Mewa Singh of Vancouver?
- Putting aside the lack of sophistication or short-sightedness or even stupidity, if you wish to call it such, of the Surrey revellers ... for the purpose of this exercise ... what gives the right to any politician or government authority to approve or disapprove of what goes on at the parades or within the gurdwaras - as long as they fully observe and respect the laws of the land?
- Does it matter at all that the Indian government and its minions feel, genuinely or otherwise, that there are separatist threats fermenting in Canada? Isn't this the land where we allow publicly-declared Quebec separatists to sit in our national parliament - simply because they have the right to espouse whatever they wish, as long as they stay within the bounds of democracy?
- What do you think is behind the silliness being spouted by the likes of our Canadian politicians?
- And, as my late grandmother would have said: "Have the rest of the Sikh-Canadian politicians died?" Why haven't we heard a peep from any of them?
- And why haven't we heard a peep from the ‘chaudhries' who prance around in their tuxedos and their wine glasses at our Vaisakhi galas, film festivals, art shows ...? Whenever it gets a bit hot, where do they disappear?
- And where are our professionals and academics and CEO's? Not a word has been heard from any of them? Don't they have any professional skills to use in service of our community? Or is it their sole mandate merely to whine and criticize and bad-mouth the gurdwaras ... feather their own nests, and do little else?
Conversation about this article
1: Bicky Singh (Ontario, Canada), April 28, 2010, 12:40 PM.
This is a very interesting topic and I'm looking forward to the responses. The idea of "My Hero" vs. "Your Tyrant" has been around for ages ... even our Gurus had gone through this. For instance, Guru Arjan was highly regarded by most people at his time; however, to some Muslim Qazis, he was a threat. Without seeing the whole picture, misconceptions are developed regarding political/ religious figures. Even when the whole picture is provided, people still have the nature to cling on to their biases and their perceptions will not change. In the case of the Surrey parade, the politicians are looking out more so for themselves (and for ensuring that they can get enough votes for the next election) than for really boycotting against their beliefs. Wherever they can get the most votes, that's where they'll go. I'm not sure that the dust has finally settled in regards to some of the facts behind Bhindranwale and his associates. How close was he with Indira and the Congress Party? Why did things end up the way they did? Until we can answer these questions, I'm not sure that it is really appropriate in showing such pictures at these public parades that can cause some questions to arise amongst our publicly elected officials. The same thing can be said about the current Hollywood stars. Sure, a lot of people admire them, but when you find out that such a person is a drug addict or pedophile, will this change your perception of the person? Mine sure will. The main point that I'm saying is that we really need to do our homework on celebrating these so called "personalities" so that they fit within our concept of a true Sikh. Instead of celebrating Bhindranwale, etc., why not put our Gurus' images on the floats? Or how about Bhagat Puran Singh? That way, when the mainstream people ask about them, we have positive things to say about their personalities and accomplishments. I don't think that if we take this view that this it will conflict with our right to Freedom of Speech.
2: Shabash Singh (Manitoba, Canada), April 28, 2010, 3:51 PM.
Louis Riel, the great Metis leader, was labeled a "terrorist" and "traitor" by Canadians and hanged in 1885. His name and reputation remained in legal purgatory until more than a century later - that's how long it takes our governments to figure out they goofed up! - Canada's Parliament changed his status to "hero"! Hm-mm-mm!
3: Arthur Baxter (London, United Kingdom), April 28, 2010, 3:54 PM.
So, now we know that Mohandas Gandhi was a sexual pervert - and had the weirdest of ideas about blacks and women - can we permit anyone in the world to display his image in honour, or shout slogans to praise him? I hope not!
4: Sangat Singh (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), April 28, 2010, 7:31 PM.
My tyrant or yours depends on which side of the fence is more profitable. It is a currency for the highest bidder. No question of conscience, it is a marketable commodity dependent on supply and demand exigencies. We are our own enemies, ready to go in action as a reflex. Thinking is not allowed. There is a joke: when three friends a Muslim, Hindu and a Sikh were debating on what the religion Hunuman was: The Muslim opened his speech that he was a Muslim as his name indicated, ending appropriately with "-man", like 'Rahman'. The Hindu said that there was conclusive proof that he was a Ram bhagat, and therefore he was a Hindu. The Sikh, of course, had the last word. "No, my friends, he was a Sikh. Who else could jump in the fray to meddle into someone else's business?. Ravan abducted Sita, someone else's wife. Hanuman rushes, or rather, flies in with his tail ablaze, like a jet engine, and sets Lanka on fire. Tell me, who else could do such a daring feat?" The usual disclaimer: 'No offense meant!'
5: Kartar Singh Bhalla (New Delhi, India), April 29, 2010, 2:04 AM.
The Editor has stated that 'General Dyer and Governor O'Dwyer, both of Jallianwala Bagh infamy, were honoured publicly by the British ...' This is not correct.
6: T. Sher Singh (Mount Forest, Ontario, Canada), April 29, 2010, 12:37 PM.
Re Kartar Singh Bhalla's comment above: It is imperative that we do proper research - fully, with an open, independent and objective mind - before we jump to conclusions like these. Here are but a few examples of the honours bestowed on these two mass-murderers by the British ... there is a whole litany of them, to be found with the most minimal of research: The House of Lords and the 'Morning Post' of England and a substantial section of the British population supported the massacre. On his return to England, General Dyer was presented with a purse of 18,000 pounds sterling, a huge sum in those days, which emerged from a collection on his behalf by the Morning Post, a conservative, pro-Imperialistic newspaper, which later merged with the Daily Telegraph. A Thirteen Women Committee was constituted to present "The Saviour of the Punjab" with a sword of honour and a purse." This single incident incensed the Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore so much that he renounced his knighthood in protest. The Morning Post had supported Dyer's action on grounds stating that the massacre was necessary to "Protect the honour of European Women." As for Governor O'Dwyer, he was the keynote speaker at a function honouring him, when Udham Singh shot him in London, England.
7: Dr.Birinder Singh Ahluwalia (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), April 30, 2010, 7:25 AM.
Someone once aptly said: "If the lion does not write it's history, the hunter will! Freedom and democracy are based on a legislative process that enacts sensible laws, a free press that covers and debates sensibilities of those laws with the informed public, and a judiciary that adjudicates sensibilities of those laws in the context of their applicability and enforcement - not to forget the importance of the enforcers of those laws as being an important part of the whole equation. Freedom is as much about waving a flag proudly as it is about stomping on it or burning it in disgust - as long as all actions are portrayal of personal expressions to address an issue within the context of the law (without hurting anyone). Drinking wine and schmoozing with the elite is as much a right to exercise as it is to speak out against oppression and tyranny in the form one chooses to do. Prime Minister Stephen Harper is an exemplary leader who has met all challenges facing Canada (during the toughest of times) head-on, even though he presides over a minority government. The Hon' PM also has every right to do everything in his power to make Canada a safe country and enable Canadians to live peacefully and securely (and he is privy to information and intelligence that we don't know). I am not speaking here as a Conservative or a Liberal, but as a father who cares about the future and security of his children. I believe history will judge him to be a great leader of his times. We all know there are lunatics out there who will resort to violence to harm others without having any regard for law and order or respect for human life. What I have perceived is that the only piece missing from our great democracy is a moral, ethical, policy driven media - the media has become a cesspool catering to sensationalism. With more pundits than reporters to convey the news as it should be, more analysis than truthful coverage, it has become hostage to lobbyists and the personal agenda of individuals and nations, with attempts to spread around and feed on fear tactics rather than tell the truth, distort facts all the time by using verbiage such as "alleged" or "may be" etc. ... I can go on and on. I simply long sometimes to go back to the days when half-an-hour's news program was more complete and accurate and relevant than current the 24/7 cable news, or when a newspaper was what it was supposed to be - a "News" "paper" and not a compilation of punditry, one sided, analytical gibberish ... well, maybe I am getting older and ...
8: Amardeep (U.S.A.), May 02, 2010, 11:21 PM.
Sikhs were treated unfairly in India and we are still hurt. If we cannot put whose ever picture we want to put and say whatever slogan (after community consensus), especially on a Sikh Day Parade, and following rules of law, that is not a democracy. Can India remove all Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi names from all public places?