Are You Religious or Communal ?

Story 1

During dusk, a bus going on a dusty road surrounded by fields on both sides is suddenly stopped by few men. They enter the dilapidated bus with their AK 47s and take out some of the men from the bus leaving behind some others and shoot them to death. One dying son looks at one of the windows of the bus and reaches out to hold her mother’s hand while dying. The men with guns are kind enough to fulfill the last wish of the son, allowing the old lady to have her dying son in her lap for one last time….

Can the acts of these men with guns be justified in certain circumstances? Did those lying in pool of blood do something to deserve such death? To be continued…..

Story 2

A train is stopped at a railway station and a group of men enter it, searching for someone. They find their man. He is taken out violently, ignoring pleas of the young lady running behind them carrying a crying infant. The group enjoys pouring some liquid on the man while some of them held tight the lady crying her lungs out. Her lone screams could be heard despite the loud laughter of mob. A matchstick is lit and the man sees his wife and child for the last time before being burnt to death….

Can the act of this group be justified in certain circumstances? Does the man deserved to be burnt to death in front of her wife and child?

Read ahead if you are able to answer the above questions.

Story 1 was the killing of Hindus in Punjab by radical Sikhs in 1980s.

Story 2 was the execution of ‘Khoon ka badla Khoon se lenge’ slogan by Hindu goons in Delhi when they killed thousands of Sikhs in 1984 massacre.

If your opinions changed on knowing the full story, it is this very mentality that pits humans against humans and drive people to commit the most inhuman acts of violence. Killing, burning, cutting into pieces or raping in front of family including kids becomes justified in the name of religion or revenge.

If your opinions changed, you are not a pice better than those men who butchered innocent people for no fault of their own. You will form the cadres of potential blood thirsty brainless mob in future who will go on raping ‘Humanism’ for the sake of some ‘religion-ism’. 

Shani Shingnapur: A village centuries behind 'Shining' India

India has a shameful distinction of segregation of human beings in the past by labeling some as 'impure' unlike the pure ones who were usually the upper caste men. Women, were treated impure and unworthy to be equal in status and opportunities even when they belonged to the so called 'upper caste'. And if you think that the ever rising and shining India had left behind all these brainless social structures, here is a village in Maharashtra which was hitherto famous for its doorless homes, apparently because of another irrational belief that those trying to steal from the houses in this village would invite the wrath of Lord Shani, whose famous temple is situated in this village. Now in 2016, a daring women broke another obscurantist tradition that disallowed women to enter the core area (Garbha Griha) for worshiping and as expected, it was followed by protests from some religious groups. The temple administration 'purified' the whole temple by washing it with milk just because a woman walked there! How could anyone expect any logic from such people who have ostensibly stopped using their brains many years ago when they immersed themselves in such blind faith. Even after the High Court ordered equal rights for men and women to pray in the temple, they stubbornly blocked women from entering into the temple. 

Such are the places of worship, where god is selectively available and his accessibility is denied by his creatures to his fellow creatures. Ideally, such temples and mosques discriminating against women for the biological processes which are the very reason for existence of humanity must be demolished as they are worse than public toilets (which in fact are much needed in India than religious monuments). It is a shame that governments in modern, democratic, pluralist and progressive India could not stand up firmly to throw open all public places for all the citizens without any discrimination. It is yet another example of how human minds are enslaved by religion leaving them to live lives worse than animals without any application of mind and under constant fear of wrath of god falling if any of the diabolically inhuman social custom is changed. 

The Poisoned Generation - Drug terrorism of Punjab

“Fauja Singh, 103, who holds the world record for marathon in his age group, has been selected for British Empire Medal as part of New Year Honours.
Fauja, who completed his last competitive 26-mile race in Hong Kong last year, will receive the award in recognition for his athletic achievements.”

Reading this newspaper report last week & feeling proud for Punjabi ‘Turbanned Tornado’ who even featured in an Adidas advertisement in 2004 with David Beckham and Mohd. Ali, I received a phone call bringing news of demise of a childhood friend due to drug overdose. Death of a newly married, 29 years old friend would shock even the most stone hearted person. Albeit sad , I wasn’t shocked!

One are destined to die that way if he choses heroine over your meals.

Charas (cannabis), Ganja(Marijuana), Afeem, Heroine have became part of Punjab’s lifestyle. Heroine is bought from Afghanistan at Rs 1 lakh/kg. Passing through Pakistan it is smuggled into Punjab and sold for Rs 30 lakh a kg. From Punjab it is sold to the rest of the country. Having the most unfortunate tag of being one of the highest per capita consumer of liquor, Punjab is now going through a hurricane of drugs which has claimed lives in epic proportions in the granary of India.

Village Of Widows

Maqboolpura, a village near the Golden City Amritsar is now famous as village of widows where at least one man from each house has given up to this diabolical monster. Amritsar and Tarn taran districts are the worst affected. Many more villages await the same fate in the land of saints where liquor shops outnumber public schools.

The Sixth River

The land of five rivers-Panj(5) & Aab(water)- now has one more river on its land but that’s nothing to be cheerful for. This sixth overflowing river is of Drugs is flooding the generation. And it has left no one untouched- college & school children, kabaddi players, police personal, national boxers, politicians. Some as victims and some as smugglers.

75% of Punjabi youth is drug addict as per Punjab govt.’s admission to Punjab & Haryana High Court. The drug business is worth thousands of crores and ever growing. When the policy makers in New Delhi formulate strategies for reaping Demographic Dividend, I wish these unfortunate boys and girls get a fraction of their thought. They need support, strength and a strategy to come out of that part of society where they are treated as useless, hopeless & wasted burden.

3/4^th of youth of a state get addicted and drugs reach the remotest corner without any agency smelling any foul. Is it a normal failure of governance? The extent of drug menace makes one wonder if  anyone is checking this at all.

Agencies involved to keep vigil

BSF, Directorate of Narcotics Intelligence, Narcotics Control Bureau, Intelligence bureau, Punjab Police are all behind the drug traders, dealers, consumers. Isn’t it intriguing that nothing has worked out so far? What makes them all helpless fence sitters while more & more are dying? DSPs & Cabinet ministers’ names are being dragged in investigations of drug smuggling. “Who will guard the guards ?”

Punjab is known for creating new highs and records. Yet another was an unprecedented phenomenon of distribution of drugs for votes in 2009 assembly elections. A bewildered and amazed Chief Election Commissioner revealed that he has seen liquor distribution in many elections but this was for him a “unique phenomenon in any elections”. Prisons in the state are instead of being the correctional homes, working as safe havens for drug users. You see such news every second day in local newspapers. Amidst such events even the most optimistic person will yield ground. UN Office on Drugs & Crime warns about the alarming levels of drug use in Punjab posing danger to a whole generation.

Many pharmacies offer synthetic versions of expensive drugs for those who can’t afford genuine versions. The illegal drugs industry has modified itself according to the needs of market and all this under the nose of the best agencies of country. If you still can’t afford synthetic ones, the jugaad comes in. Petrol, Iodex or even lizards serve the purpose. That is the desperation of addicts causing immensely horrible health consequences and sudden death.

Drugs in Punjab has become immensely complex problem requiring immensely innovative solutions. For civil society, teachers, social activists, legislators, religious leaders, students & each & every Punjabi & Indian and for PUNJAB…. It is Do or Die!!!

Being a Pat'Riot' in India

An organisation with its head office in Nagpur never unfurled the tricolour but Saffron flag, wear nickers yet dictate young women to not wear shorts, prepare (read indoctrinate) young men and women for some war which will take place within the country against the countrymen (Read Muslim brethren) according to them, who lynch father of Air Force personnel for keeping Non Veg in home,  conduct weapon training with lathis and swords, celebrate the death of Mahatma Gandhi, install the bust of first terrorist of independent India - Godse, declare that everyone living in India is a Hindu first, want secularism to be erased from the Constitution, want to create a Hindu Rashtra in India by capturing area from Afghanistan to Bangladesh and feel that they are the sole authority to issue certificates of Nationalism in India, absence of which means that the so called “Anti Nationalists” should move to Pakistan or they will beat them to death.

Any guesses?