Warning all Punjabis

THIS refers to Khushwant Singh’s most opportune write-up "Warning all Punjabis" (February 20).

Gurcharan Singh Tohra’s prompt denial of backing militants (The Tribune, Februry 22) reveals that the writing on the wall is clear and unmistakable. The Punjabis, after having tasted the sweetness of peace and harmony, are now solidly behind the concept of Punjabiat. They simply shudder to recall the most painful experience of the ugly decade of terrorism. They want to erase the memories of their untold miseries for ever. They will never allow irresponsible people to play with matchboxes.

Tohra has charged Khush-want Singh with having political ambitions. Well, it is not a crime to nourish these, provided these are achieved by using legitimate and constitutional means available to every Indian citizen, and without arousing the sentiments of one community against the other.

S.K. SHARMA
Hoshiarpur

Say ‘no’ to beauty contests

Apropos of Randeep Wadhera’s write-up "Say ‘no’ to beauty contests" (February 20), we Indians are master imitators of the western culture. In fact our craze for everything foreign has become a way of life and this is also affecting the psyche of the younger generation who has started aping the West by discarding Indian culture, customs, festivals, dress, language and heritage. Nowadays beauty contests and fashion shows are even being held in small towns.

A lot of coverage is also given, mostly by the English media, to Valentine’s Day, despite the fact that the said ‘day’ does not jell with the Indian traditions and social system.

This year, ‘Maha Shivaratri" and Valentine’s Day fell on February 14. Whereas extensive coverage was given by the English media to Valentine’s Day, very little and only a sketchy coverage was given to Shivaratri.

Most of the foreigners come to India to get a feel of the spiritual and cultural splendour this country offers; but they are dismayed, when they see our younger generations adopting a western way of life.

Let us not forget our rich cultural heritage. We should not imitate the western culture blindly. We should, instead, follow the positive aspects of the western culture such as hard work, discipline, work culture and love for indigenous goods.

O.P. SHARMA
Faridabad

Birth of Khalsa

This refers to Kuldip Dhiman’s article "Anandpur Sahib and the birth of Khalsa" (February 6). Artists poets, writers and historians often distort history or project the incidents in a dramatic manner to make them more interesting for the readers. This appears to be equally true in case of the history of the birth of Khalsa.

Probably it is being widely overlooked that Guru Gobind Singh had already successfully fought a number of battles, big and small, before creation of the Khalsa in 1699. The battle of Bhangani, fought in 1686 against the hill chiefs, was the most important one. The five beloved ones, namely Daya Ram, a Khatri from Lahore (Punjab), Dharam Dass, a Jat from Hastinapur (UP), Mohkam Chand, a washerman from Dwarka (Gujarat), Himmat Rai, a cook of Jheevar caste from Puri (Orissa) and Sahib Chand, a barber from Bidar (Karnataka) must have been with the Guru during these pre-Khalsa battles and must have excelled themselves in valour, courage, devotion and their willingness to rush into the jaws of death, at the bidding of the Guru.

The fact that the "Panj Piyaras’ belonged to five different castes, regions and cultures of India, negates the theory propounded by many historians and writers as regards the procedure adopted by the Guru for selection of the ‘Panj Piyaras. No Sikh ever claimed to have supernatural powers. Guru Gobind Singh could not have killed the chosen ones first and then brought them to life as is believed by some and suggested by the writer by showing the Guru’s sword dripping with blood when he came out of the tent and demanded another head. Some writers argue that the Guru killed he-goats in the tent to present before the sangat that those who offered themselves were executed. The Guru could not have been enacting a drama to show a sword dripping with blood nor was he expected to befool the audience by killing he-goats.

The main objective of the Guru appeared to be to build a casteless society and to provide social equality moral sanctity and vertical mobility for the lower castes. He was taking the programme of earlier Gurus of partaking of Guru ka langar by sitting in a common row (pangat) irrespective of social status, to its logical conclusion. Maybe, in selecting the ‘Panj Piyaras’ from five different regions, Guru Gobind Singh had a bigger dream of arousing the entire country against tyranny of the theoratic mughal Empire.

DALIP SINGH GHUMAN
Chandigarh

The biggest sin

This refers to the article "Never say die" January 23, by Taru Bahl. If such a write-up had been published a year before, my sensible and intelligence sister of 22 years could have been saved from committing suicide, for a silly reason. She took her life because she did not get her roll no from college for M.A. I English exams.

Media highlights news of suicides, and even mentions the name of pesticides used by suicide victims. As these pesticides are very easily available in the market, many young and sensitive people get motivated to commit suicide: Media does not mention the trauma and suffering of the people who are left behind.

Mostly, introvert, sensible, intelligent, sensitive and impulsive adolescents commit suicide. I feel that self murder is the biggest sin that exists in any religion. Finishing life does not end any problems. It doubles them for the victim’s loved ones.

JAS KIRAN GHUMAN
Jalandhar