Independence Thinker
For anyone who has cared to look beyond text-bookish history, there is nothing really new in this article or reveiw rather. Yes, Gandhi had his contradictions and eccentricities, but that does not take away his much deserved place in history. It was he who was largely responsible for making the freedom struggle a pan-Indian, mass movement, taking it beyond the confines of court rooms, imperial chambers and underground revolutionary outbursts.

For those of us who never looked at him as being some kind of a saint in the first place, his quirks only serve to make him more interesting.

Khuda Ke Liye
Dear Yasser,

Nobody is saying that Taxila is yours or mine. Those were times when there was no 'India' and no 'Pakistan'. If you do read/study ancient Indian history though, the area that is now Pakistan is definitely an integral part of it. Gandhara, the state where Taxila was located was one of the many Mahajanapadas stretching across the Northern and Central part of what are today India and Pakistan. The Mauryan empire as you are well aware, with its capital at Pataliputra (in modern Bihar), even extended into what is today Afghanistan. We can't really cut up history into neat little boxes labeled 'India' and 'Pakistan' and study them in isolation. I'm sure you agree that history is definitely more complex than that. Should we on this side of the border stop studying the Mauryan empire or the Indus valley civilization for that matter in all its entirety just because some of the places now happen to be in another country?

You said that only Pakistanis are destined to create lasting art and contribution to human consciousness, citing Taxila as an example. In disagreement with that, I cited many other ancient historical monuments in India that (like Taxila) have already made a lasting contribution to human consciousness. Like I said before, art and culture are not the prerogative of any one culture or people.

I am well aware of the origins of the name 'India' as I happen to have read history. Unfortunately I don't subscribe to the 'Taxila mine, Taj yours' reading of history. I respect more nuanced stands.

Khuda Ke Liye
Dear Yasser,

I'm sorry I even bothered reading this. I'll leave you to bond and eulogize about Pakistan your with fellow countrymen/women since you're just too full of yourself to be able to hear anyone else out.

Khuda Ke Liye
I haven’t seen Khuda Kay Liye, so I cannot comment on it. But I would like to comment on the reference made to Rang de Basanti (RDB) in the article, and a couple of other things said in some of the interacts. Mr. Hamdani says:

When one compares KKL to say the Indian movie "Rang de Basanti" which supposedly seeks to address the problems of the modern Indian youth, one finds the latter lacking in substance.

I don’t think RDB set out to address the problems of the modern Indian youth. Like the movie ‘Yuva’, it asked them to be more pro-active in the Indian political scene; to be the change they want to see; to strengthen democracy and make it work better. Personally, I found the seemingly effortless juxtaposition of the past with the present both brilliant and relevant. The parallels of the colonial government with the one today, involvement of the youth then and the disillusionment now, the rot in the system, were all very interesting themes. I did find the direction loud and wanting at times, but that's besides the point. I don't see why the reviewer had to put down one movie while praising another. These are two different movies with differing themes. It's great that Pakistan is coming out with good cinema, but the denigrating reference to RDB was totally unnecessary.

In interact no. 10, Saima Shah says, "Soul searching is not common among pragmatic people in India..." I'm sure it's not even among pragmatic people in Pakistan. Although I do feel that pragmatic people can be soul searchers as well. She further adds, "People who dance to express themselves have no mental time to feel sad." This is really one of the silliest statements that i've heard in quite some time. Dance is a very complex art form that incorporates all kinds of emotions from happiness to sadness to everything in between.

Mr. Hamdani in # 85:

The same is true of fashion, culture, art... I strongly believe that it is Pakistan and Pakistani society that has the upheavel to create true art and true culture. In many ways... we- and not the Indians- are destined to create lasting art and contribution to human consciousness. Visit Taxila or Takhtbai... what do you see, except an obsession with this right way.

I want to laugh every time I read this. I fail to understand this snobbery of we, Pakistanis, are superior to Indians in every which way, especially art and culture. We speak the very refined Urdu language and neglect other local languages which of course are below our esteemed 'culture'. I expected something more nuanced than this immature gibberish. I don't know what you mean by "true art and true culture" but the Indian civilization has been known throughout the ages for its art and culture. And this includes the area that is part of Pakistan today. Taxila or Takshashila in Sanskrit, was when there were no nation states as we know them today and borders were more fluid and constantly changing. The Gandhara style of art found there is an amalgamation of Greek and native elements. But if for you that is an example of the "true art" of Pakistan, then so is the great Stupa at Sanchi in India, the Ajanta and Ellora caves with their beautiful paintings and the magnificent Kailasa temple, the Hoysala temples of Karnataka, the shore temples of Mahabalipuram, the stunning temples of Konarak in Orissa and Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh, and of course later on in history, the splendid Mughal architecture with the Taj Mahal being the most famous, not to forget the unique art of the Bahmani kingdom of the Deccan and of course the ruins of the Vijayanagar empire at Hampi. Aren't these enough examples of lasting contributions to human consciousness? Art and culture are not the prerogative of any one people or country. We should all be wary of such over simplifications of history that only serve to demonize the 'other'.

Zero Tolerance -- Dealing with Naxalites Stuka, I think that no movement for self determination can last very long if there isn`t any dissatisfaction with the State. And dissatisfaction isn`t only about funds. Alienation from the State can take on many forms.

Celebrating the Khalsa Mannyd, I am not denying the fact that Sikhism shares a common cultural and philosophical heritage with Hinduism as all Indic religions do.

And yes, the assertion of a religious idenitity as being very distinct from the other is a recent phenomenon in Sikhism, more a reaction to the Arya Samaj movement in Punjab than anything else.

Celebrating the Khalsa Mannyd, Even though your questions have been answered by various people, you keep repeating them over and over again. Since you`re a slow learner, let me regurgitate the facts for you once more:

-The Dasam Granth is a controversial text and IT IS NOT PART of the Guru Granth Sahib. Consequently, we can look at the Dasam granth as purely literature. Sikhs do not follow what is written in the Dasam Granth and only the Guru Granth Sahib is their living Guru. You are most welcome to quote from the Dasam Granth but do not equate is with the Guru Granth Sahib. If it was all that important, Guru Gobind Singh would have made it part of the Guru Granth Sahib.

-``The founder of Khalsa GGS was judged by the Khalistanis and found to be severly lacking.`` Khalistanis drew much inspiration from Guru Gobind Singh. Most, if not all Sikhs do so even today.

-You keep harping about `Nar Bali`. The events of the creation of the Khalsa have been mentioned above in this article. What more are you trying to say or add? What communal twist are you trying to give the events of 1699?

-Hari, Vishnu, Ram, Allah and others appear as references to one monotheistic formless God. For you to understand this better, I shall reproduce a translation of the Mool Mantar, the first composition of the Guru Granth Sahib that sums up the basic concepts of the Sikh faith which you apparently have trouble grappling with:

Ik Omkar Sat Naam Karta Purukh Nirbhau Nirvair Akal Moorat Ajooni Saibhang Gur Parsad

meaning
One Universal Creator God. Truth is His name. Creative Being Personified. No Fear. No Hatred. He is timeless and without form. Beyond Birth, Self-Existent. Realized by the Guru`s Grace.

- I`m sorry i was uninformed about idols being kept in the Harmandir Sahib and about the Mahant movement. But this does not in any way take away from the fact that idol worship is forbidden in Sikhism. The Guru has said this in unequivocal terms:

Their service is useless. Those who fall at the feet of a stone god, their work is wasted in vain. ||1|| My Lord and Master speaks forever. God gives His gifts to all living beings. ||1|| The Divine Lord is within the self, but the spiritually blind one does not know this. Deluded by doubt, he is caught in the noose. The stone does not speak; it does not give anything to anyone. Such religious rituals are useless; such service is fruitless. ||2|| (Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Ang, 1160)

or
Everyone must serve the One Lord, who created Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. O Nanak, the One True Lord is permanent and stable. He does not die, and He is not born. (Sri Guru Granth Sahib, 1130)

- The Guru Granth Sahib categorically states that all people have a common origin in the one Creator: ``Aval Allah Noor upaya kudarat kay sub banday...`` (Sri Guru Granth Sahib, 1349)

You keep creating a distinction between the ten Gurus when there isn`t any. In the Guru Granth Sahib, they are all considered to be a continuance of the same light and are refered to as first Nanak, second Nanak and so on. I think you need to understand the basic ethos of the relgion before you come up with your vague RSS mouthings.

About the halal issue that someone had raised, not only was it to prevent cruelty (i do think halal is more cruel for the simple reason that the animal bleeds a slow painful death as compared to jhatka where it is killed in an instant), but some historians are also of the view that Guru Gobind Singh wanted to fight against the tyranny of the times which said that meat slaughtered in any other way would not be allowed.

Celebrating the Khalsa Discoverer #21
Manmohan`s situation is unfortunate but that doesn`t make him a dummy (even though i don`t agree with his policies). Your arguments are very childish. My point is that Sikhs have risen to prominent positions in both the public and private sectors in India despite being a very small minority.

Yes, Guru Nanak was born in what is today Pakistan, but why does that make Pakistan my home???

After Operation Blue Star, Indira Gandhi was assasinated and there was militancy in Punjab.

Celebrating the Khalsa Maanyd, I think you most defnitely get your facts from the RSS. In the Guru Granth Sahib, Hari, Ram and Allah are references to a monotheistic God and not any specific pantheistic god. The Harimandir Sahib means the temple of God (a formless God is one of the basic tenets of Sikhism stated in the Mool Mantar) and most definitely not Vishnu. As far as I know there were never idols in the Golden Temple as Sikhism is against idol worship.

``Recently in the temple, very old panels of paintings were discovered that depicted Hindu Gods. They were removed by SGPC promptly.`` will have to check up about this. But even if there were, does not mean we worship them. And does not mean we are Hindus. We share a common cultural lineage with Hinduism and I don`t deny that.

``The dirty word in Granth sahib was Ram, which has been bowdlerized to Nam.`` Nothing has been bowdlerized to anything. Stop promoting your VHP propoganda.

And yes, sorry to disappoint you, but the Dasam Granth is controversial and is NOT part of the Guru Granth Sahib. Go do some homework for once.

Kabuliwallah, I agree with you. Sikhism has become synoymous with being Punjabi unfortunately.

Zero Tolerance -- Dealing with Naxalites Indian007, Nope. You`re rejected.

Celebrating the Khalsa Vaisakhi diyaan lakh lakh vadaiyaan! Happy Vaisakhi to all!

Salim Chauhan, is there any historical record of the abduction of Afghan women?

Mannyd #16, What you mention in your post abt Godess Chandi and Shiva, is from the Dasam Granth which is controversial and not part of the Guru Granth Sahib. There are some Sikhs who think that this was not written by the Guru himself, while others treat it as literature and not a part of the holy scriptures. ``GGS was fighting the Turks...`` He was fighting tyranny. period.

Discoverer #12 ``SIKH are people who don`t care about any one they are run by hindus as they have no brain of there own.`` The Indian PM is a Sikh, the deputy chairman of the planning commission of India is Montek Singh Ahluwalia, a sikh, the chief of the armed forces is J.J. Singh, to name just a few. This despite partition and then genocide against the community.

``Sikh call Pakistan there home cause they GURU was born in Pakistan...`` Do they? I don`t, and I`m a Sikh.

``Some time i feels pity fro Sikh as they have no right in india, there golden temple was destriyed by HINDUS and they did nothing about it.`` Thanks for the concern, but you need to do some homework because they did do something about it!

Zero Tolerance -- Dealing with Naxalites
Indian007, Most calls for self-determination arise from a failure of the state. Instead of addressing such failures, the govt goes onto impose more draconian laws on an already aggrieved people and indulges in gross human rights violations. And people like you make things worse by saying things like that`s a small price to pay.

Zero Tolerance -- Dealing with Naxalites Nasah, I couldn`t agree with you more.

Saving the Female Fetus Dost-Mittar, truely an article that needed to be written. About a year and a half ago, I was reading a report brought out by the Punjab govt on this issue. The report contained a survey of women who had indulged in female foeticide. Surprisingly, the number one reason these women gave for such a heinous crime was the importance of the continuation of the family line/name! This figured above dowry. These women however, may not have been completely honest for various reasons. What was also very interesting was that education had no correlation with female foeticide.

The govt has been trying to create awareness through the media and health workers, but to no avail. The issue is centered around the way society views women. Even if stricter measures against female foeticide are put in place, the girls who are born, will still be unwanted girls who will never be treated at par with the men. It`s the whole attitude that needs changing-an attitude that treats women like property. I`m sure you know that this crime is committed by the diaspora community as well.

Kabuliwallah #20, By using the word `eve-teasing` you make light of something as serious as sexual harassment/molestation of women on the streets. Hope you don`t use this term again for it underscores the gravity of the issue. And yes, it does seem to be more prevalent in north india.

Zero Tolerance -- Dealing with Naxalites The way the govt is dealing with naxalism is deplorable. They aren`t addressing the root causes at all. Apprently K.P.S Gill has been appointed advisor to help solve the naxal issue in Chattisgarh. He, who was responsible for some of the most flagrant human rights abuses in Punjab. A clear indication of where this govt is headed.

Until the govt`s policies are more pro-poor and dispossesed, risings be they violent or otherwise will continue. How long can you repress misery?

A Sculptor of Parachutes: Naga Diary 1
I second GT below.