Operation Bluestar: Why We Should Forgive

Bhagwant Singh Dalawari. The Sikh Review, August 1994

Vinash Kale Vipreet Budhi is how Jaya Prakash Narayan had reacted to Indira Gandhi's megalomanic decision to impose Emergency and arrest him among thousands of others. What could one expect from a frightened pigeon who, although a Prime Minister because of her Nehru - connection, spent most of her time smelling rebellion and defiance, would not brook a waiter in PM's House serving her friends before herself? I wonder how sincerely the historians would be able to judge her long mystery-prone rule. But as an ordinary citizen I believe she was responsible for perpetuating our poverty through the garibi hatao slogan, for destroying the unity and integrity of our Nation through her save unity & integrity shibboleth and undermining the democratic institutions of our country through cries of Indira is India by her sycophants. Indeed she lost her head in her single minded pursuit of power and her murderous onslaught on any kind of opposition.

But the way she chose Guru Arjan Dev's martyrdom day in 1984 for a massacre of the innocents and sullying the sanctity of our most sacred Institution, Harmandir Sahib and Sri Akal Takht, was the ultimate act of a modern Nero. She reminded us at once of the travesty of all that satyamev jayate stands for.

She hustled the army into some of the most uncivilised acts against fellow Indians. She frightened the Judiciary with all kinds of tactics. She threatened the Services with the Emergency type measures and made her Cabinet colleagues fawning lambs. I had written immediately after the Bluestar that Mrs. Gandhi had struck a deadly blow on the unity and integrity of the country for which she said she was acting. I had said then that the country will suffer for years and decades and I fear now that, unless Providence sends miracles, we shall never be the same, because Indira - Rajiv have seen to it that when we move into the 21st. Century, we will continue to have memories of the barbarities akin to medieval ages.

Yet, why we should forgive and why we should never forget, is the way we should now look at the ten year old ghalughara, Operation Bluestar in June 1984 followed by anti - Sikh carnage in November, in the light of our traditions and our steely determination. Perhaps we may have occasion later even to "thank" Mrs. Gandhi for regenerating in us the spirit of the Khalsa by her treachery. Maybe our real worth would come out in formulating our future with the grace of our Gurus and the valour of our past heroes and martyrs like Guru Arjan, Guru Tegh Bahadur and Bhai Dayala, Mati Das and Sati Das, as also the glorious sons of Guru Gobind Singh. For the Guru decreed that we shall not be frightened by anyone, nor shall we frighten others. We must analyse the indignities heaped on us, the malicious propaganda unleashed and the untold atrocities committed by the rulers against us, and should never forget the following lessons:

• Our illustrious Gurus built the edifice of our religion on PRINCIPLES which are inviolate both for upholding the Truth of Akal Purakh and for serving Mankind;
  

• We are, in the pursuit of our principles and righteousness, not dependent upon any outside authority, nor are we beholden to others for the sake of guarding our principles;
  

• The edifice of our democratic religious brotherhood is strengthened and reinforced by the blood and bones of our martyrs who always preferred death to slavery and defiance to submission;
  

• Atrocities make us stronger, hardships produce greater resolve to uphold our dignity, and
  

• Last, but not the least, our Gurus are always with us because Guru Granth Sahib, the living Guru, is the embodiment of their collective Light.

And this moral strength gives us the wisdom never to build our future in terms of revenge, but in the determination that we shall never surrender to untruth, tyranny or malice. And we shall remember that while we will use everything in our power to settle our affairs peacefully, claim and win our rights peacefully and face atrocities manfully, we reserve the right to engage ourselves in prolonged struggle and will consider it justified to offer armed resistance only when other methods have failed.

Why is it important to forgive the misguided, tyrannical power rulers? Because by living in a siege mentality, we shall fritter our strength away from Naam, in the cauldron of revenge and in brooding over our past. The greatest disadvantage in not being able to forgive is, firstly, to forget the message of our Gurus - "pehre kapar khimka"- we must put on the robes of forgiveness. Why go on licking our wounds? More than that is the need to become clear- headed, and sincerely examine ourselves where we went wrong. Let us introspect:

• Why and how did the rulers come to the conclusion that we will take Bluestar assault lying down?
  

• What did our so-called leaders do to forestall and prevent the onslaught on Harmandir Sahib and the destruction of Akal Takhat?
  

• Did not our leaders in the religious field indulge in politicised aggressive postures without steeling themselves and us into the dogged determination to stand united in spiritual strength?
  

• What was a Sikh President doing when the Bluestar assault was launched and, more shamefully, when the army was being decorated for atrocities on our people?

While we are busy in finding answers to these questions, let us also look at the degeneration that had set in in the Indian State during the Indira era. Excesses during Emergency, The Shah Commission farce and subsequent return to power of Mrs. Gandhi must bring home to us Sikhs, and Indians, that Democracy never functioned even when the Parliamentary structures were - or what was left of them - seemed in tact. We as Sikhs, may not be responsible, but we, as Indians, were part of the degeneration that had set in. When nothing mattered but power and nothing worked but money, and the masses cringed, Mrs. Gandhi assumed that she would last for ever. Probably cut to the quick by the only effective opposition to her Emergency measures by the Sikhs in Punjab, she thought she would teach them a lesson through political chicanery, through division in their ranks and through sheer opportunism. While she went on talking, even as hopes of settlement were dangled before the people, she went back on her commitments.

Let us not forget that until today Operation Bluestar has not been condemned by the Government or Congress (I). Whether it was right or wrong for the late Sub Inspector Beant Singh and Satwant Singh to assassinate Mrs. Gandhi will be debated for ever. One thing comes out starkly alive that Beant Singh and Satwant Singh of Delhi police had nothing to gain from killing her, and Kehar Singh, merely because he was a devout Sikh, was entangled without evidence. Yet Beant Singh and Satwant Singh simply projected the strong resentment that every Sikh felt deep down in his heart. The Sikhs paid for the assassination of the Prime Minister with thousands of innocent lives, many others maimed and yet others rendered homeless and raped. We must not forget that the rulers themselves, Rajiv and his cronies, with the connivance of Police, organised the carnage throughout the country, and while the killers of Mrs. Gandhi were killed (Kehar Singh without evidence) the killers of thousands of Sikhs continue to roam about in freedom. And let us not forget that the Parliament, until today, has not condemned this unashamed official massacre. And, I suggest, let us still forgive them, in our own interest. Indira Gandhi is dead, so is Rajiv. Let us steel our nerves for the more important task that we have ahead of us. Of course, the legal steps against the criminals must continue as ex-Chief Justice R S Narula has advised.

The state of the Nation is piteous: securities scam, while the Bofors affair still looms large, allegations against the PM, internal squabbles, Neros fiddling while our nation is burning and corruption no longer an issue, demolition of the historical mosque, are a few of the issues now dominating our life. We, The Sikhs, now, have a very important agenda and we must, instead of living in the past, chisel into ourselves the living message of Gurbani to live it in our lives. God knows what our young people in Punjab aimed at when they talked of Khalistan and when they listened to the so called leaders entrenched in selfishness. What is clear is that they have gone through untold sufferings whether in the Police State of Beant Singh now, or during the President's rule when KPS Gill and their ilk let loose a reign of terror. Let us now weave out a "Land of the Pure" in our hearts and win over the hearts of other people wherever we are so that in stead of Sikhs complaining against others, these people themselves come forward to declare that the Khalsa of Guru Gobind Singh can never be vanquished.

Look at our assets. Look at the universality of Sikh ideals. Look at our in built righteous state of mind. Let us listen to our Guru. Those who teach us the lessons of unity and integrity for their personal selfish ends of power and rule should learn once again:

• Our most sacred shrine desecrated during Operation Bluestar (besides 39 others) the Golden Temple has the distinction of its foundation stone being laid by a Muslim divine;
  

• We have no charlatans as gurus. Our Guru is the Holy Word, Guru Granth Sahib and the Guru's reign is in perpetuity. Let us remember and assert that Guru Granth Sahib has the messages of non Sikh saints and Bhaktas from all over India, i.e. Naamdev of Maharashtra, Jaydev of Bengal, Ravidas and Kabir of U.P. Baba Farid, a Muslim saint, Bhikan Shah and others.
  

• Even when the Government has done its worst propaganda, perpetrated atrocities in an unprecedented manner, maligned us in the extreme, common man still thinks of a Sikh as an honourable, respectable human being worthy of respect and attention, November '84 carnage notwithstanding.
  

• Because of 1984 events, the whole world knows us better and in the civilized societies of the World and in all the States of India, the Sikhs still hold their own, win respect and approbation.
  

• In most cases we are prosperous enough to look after ourselves, our downtrodden brethren in the community and serve others without difficulty.

But, sadly, we have lost our moorings. The 1984 Bluestar and the country-wide killings have not given us the jolt that we needed. Our Gurus do not deny us the comforts of living, earned honestly. Wherever I go , I suggest that our life should be lived in accordance with the sixth. Ashtpadi of Sukhmani Sahib. In other words, our eating, our living in luxury and our enjoyments and ornaments should make us remember 24 hours the grace of the lord and our gurus. If we embark on this endeavour, we will ensure that those who dishonoured us in November 1984 would never think of us in the evil ways and would never dare to threaten us again. We must not forget that Guru Gobind Singh has given us his Khaas Roop so that we have his uninterrupted protection. The only rider is: jab eh gahe biprin ki reet, mein na karoun inki parteet (When they become Brahmin-like hypocrites, I shall not look after them!). It will not be improper to examine ourselves and determine whether we are that Khalsa, the roop of Guru Gobind Singh, deserving of his "tej dio mein sara".

Wherever in India I am asked to go for gurmat lectures, there is a genuine interest. Sometimes it is heartening to see that, along with the display of wealth, there is genuine display of devotion. But I must confess, with a degree of dismay, that in most cases there is emphasis on the externals. All that we have to remember is Sadhu T L Vaswani and Daulat Rai. The first one was a great Sindhi Mystic and the second a great Arya Samaj Spiritualist. Here is what they say about Guru Gobind Singh:

• "Three qualities, as it seems to me, were emphasised by the Guru as essential to everyone who would be "Singh", a man of manhood. The first is self respect. I have often thought of Guru Gobind Singh as a prophet of democracy. The Guru developed among his disciples a democratic consciousness, a characteristic common to Sikhism and Islam. The peasants showed wonderful devotion to the Guru; was he not to them a symbol of the Highest? He could command them; he respected them. And over and over again he taught them to have respect for themselves and others... Respect for the poor is, to my mind, one of the greatest lessons of Indian History. In the day we lost respect for the poor the world lost respect for this country. The true Sikh is democratic; he respects the poor; he respects the voice of the community. Ranjit Singh offended Sikhs by falling into some evil ways. Baba Phula Singh pointed out to him his faults. And in humility and repentenance the great king of the Punjab laid bare his body to be flogged."
  (T L Vaswani) in the book "in the Sikh sanctuary" - 1922
  

• "The Sikh type of character was conspicuous for qualities which have, I believe, a great value for us today. The Sikh formed a community whose nationalism grew out of Religion. They lived a simple life. They recognised no class distinctions. Devotion to the Guru was their strong point. That devotion became the parent of a mighty national movement." (ibid)
  

• "Guru Gobind Singh took up the challenge and created such a virile, upright and one God loving people like the Sikhs who struck terror in the hearts of their enemies, who were ever ready to lay down their lives for their country, people and Dharma, who always came to the succour of the needy, the tyrannised and the down trodden. He changed cowards into men of great courage, uncowed by the Muslim might."
  (Daulat Rai in Sahib - i - Kamal) 1901

Let us not forget that we are born out of sacrificial death. Bhai Daya Singh and the other four beloveds set a standard for us. Death for a Sikh is a paper tiger, but let us not forget that, following November 1984 events, many of our young men shaved off in fear. It is time for us to examine ourselves what has happened to us. Our life is full of sacrifices and hardships. But today our sactuary is money and position. Many Sikhs easily fall prey to the rulers' inducements. It is no use accusing the rulers of creating divisions among us. They will always do that. Rulers would not be rulers if they do not do so. Our fall is not necessarily due to others' onslaughts, but it is primarily due to our own deviation from the True Path. I have said many times: We must give examples of what the Khalsa is. For that, our principal projection is amritvela prayers, daswand and service of humanity. We have the strength to forgive and we have the tenacity never to forget the wrongs done to us so that we steel our nerves to display the roop of the Khalsa with HIS Light shining in our hearts 24 hours with simran and seva.

We must embark upon serious introspection because I believe we, as a community, are not used to examining ourselves. We rarely wish to find out what has gone wrong with us. When Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya at one time wished that every Hindu family should have a Khalsa member, and Swami Vivekananda wanted all Indians to become Guru Gobind Singh, how come that when the rulers committed atrocities and destroyed Akal Takhat, most of the people in the country believed the propagandist version of the Government? The reasons are obvious. But since our moth -eaten leadership, whose selfishness and whose eyes on unspiritual pelf, power and the "Panth in Danger" slogans, could never discern our own self conceit and degeneration, they were - and are - content in dividing all Sikh institutions and swallowing Pooja Dhan. The intellectuals and the wealthy are too busy enjoying their comfortable domain. Now is the time that we should undertake the following self-examination:

• Are the qualities of the Khalsa that Guru Gobind Singh envisaged manifest in us?
  

• Is our life in the present based on the dictates of our Masters?
  

• Are we the protectors of the weak, the defenceless, and providers of the poor - even among Sikhs?
  

• Are we able to believe that as the cream of human family the present Khalsa is really the best among men?
  

• Are the rich, the highly placed, the more enlightened really involved in raising others and enriching them in all spheres of life?

I am sure we will be sorely disappointed. A Khalsa is supposed to be a spiritual devotee, a first class engineer, an altruist doctor, carpenter, driver etc. Above all, he is supposed to be the first servant of humanity without distinctions of caste, creed or sex.

If we continue to lick our wounds and hold others responsible for our degradation, if we continue to blame others for our follies in addition to their own, we shall be bogged down in controversies and polemics and will never be able to come out on the top. We must keep the memories of all those who fell as martyrs to the cause of our sanctity of religious places and our anakh, honour, but we must not linger on in despair. Let the law take its own course in regard to the despicable crimes against us in Nevember 1984, but we must have the strength to forgive the degeneration that befell the country's rulers when they lost sight of the fact that they were acting against the country, in their foolish acrobatics against the Sikhs. We have always risen after every ghalughara; we always show defiance in the face of adversity; we have chardi kala. But let us remember that this chardi kala has, at its back, the love and grace of The Guru, which is available to us all the time only if we act on his commands.

Let us be magnanimous in forgiving others' follies, but let us be steadfast in remembering ours and learning from them. Finally, let me quote Sardar Saran Singh on "forgiveness" ( in relation to biased writings of foreign scholars):

"Gurbani teaches us to repose faith in the Divine Spirit, to generate goodwill, to be compassionate, charitable and forgiving. The attribute of forgiveness has, in fact, been termed as the finest adornment of a human being."