 |
Monday,
May 5, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
|
PM’s
peace offensive Congress conundrum |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Uncle
Sam’s agenda AFTER Iraq the next item on the US agenda is the establishment of peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians. The real purpose, however, is to weaken the strong anti-American sentiment all over the region. This will help not only to consolidate the American gains in Iraq but also to implement the US designs in the rest of the Arab world. Whatever the hidden plan, the new road map for peace is a welcome development.
Rising
tide of female foeticide
Portrait
of a college dandy
Gurmat
sangeet, Punjab’s musical heritage Very
essence of his life
|
PM’s peace offensive PRIME MINISTER Atal Bihari Vajpayee has proved that his Srinagar speech extending a hand of friendship to Pakistan was not empty rhetoric. His announcement in Parliament on Friday that he was giving peace one more chance has evoked a good response, both within and without the country. Restoration of full diplomatic relations and civil aviation links between the two countries will be the immediate fallout of his announcement. In other words, India has rolled back its policy of coercive diplomacy, which it had resorted to following the militant attack on Parliament. The coerciveness was such that the two countries were virtually on the brink of war. There are defence experts who believe that Pakistan had to pay a heavier price for keeping its forces in a state of perpetual readiness on the border than India. Whatever be the case, it is indisputable that many poor people living along the border lost their limbs or lives in several accidental landmine blasts. Be that as it may, Mr Vajpayee has taken a bold step, the success of which can elevate him to the position of a world statesman. As the Prime Minister has rightly indicated, it is a case of now or never for him. With general elections just a year away, he cannot afford to lose the gamble except at grave risk to his and his party’s fortunes. Hence, his earnestness in settling the issue that has evaded a solution despite the three wars the two countries fought and the several rounds of talks they held during the last 55 years is beyond reproach. At this point of time, it is pointless to fix blame for the failure of Mr Vajpayee’s bus journey to Lahore and the subsequent Agra summit. By planning the Kargil incursion and thereby sabotaging the bus journey and by converting the Agra summit into a public relations exercise, Gen Pervez Musharraf might have played the role of a villain. But then, does India have a choice in the matter? The Prime Minister’s announcement is, in fact, a tacit admission that India has no option but to negotiate with the General, no matter who represents him. Whether the two countries should immediately grapple with the core issue of Kashmir or adopt a step-by-step approach to narrow down their differences is a matter of detail, which can be sorted out once the two sides are serious about ending the present stalemate. It is only reasonable to expect a spurt in militant violence as a thaw in Indo-Pak relations has always been followed by an upswing in terrorist activity. This does not mean the Pakistan Government should turn a blind eye to the nefarious goings-on on its part of the border. It should remember that Mr Vajpayee will be able to sell the idea of peace with Pakistan, particularly to his constituents in the Sangh Parivar, only if Pakistan comes down heavily on the misguided jehadis. If, despite Pakistan not honouring its promises to end cross-border terrorism, Mr Vajpayee has shown readiness to talk, it is a measure of his foresight and sagacity. Pakistan will do well not to construe this as weakness. |
Congress conundrum IN the context of Friday’s organisational changes in the Congress it can be said that the more things change, the more they stay the same. The so-called revamp of the organisation seems to have been done by a bored gambler who wanted the pack to be shuffled in the hope of getting a better suit of cards. But mere reshuffling of the same old pack cannot produce the missing aces. Mrs Sonia Gandhi is evidently not a good political gambler. She has exposed the weakness of the party to her rivals through the sweeping changes she has made. The ostensible purpose of the exercise was to get the party in battle mode. Political battles and real combat follow certain common principles. One is to create an aura of invincibility that America created before invading Iraq. Indira Gandhi used to create this aura for the Congress with remarkable ease. But not Mrs Sonia Gandhi. The defeat of the Congress candidate from a seat in the Amethi parliamentary constituency in a recent byelection exposed her limitations as a leader. It is reassuring to have veterans among the top brass, but they must have proved their mettle as able soldiers and leaders in real combat. Not many Congress leaders, given new responsibilities, can claim to have been daring soldiers or competent leaders in battles fought in their territories of political influence. The Congress needs, not just for contesting elections, but for exposing the political bankruptcy of the rival parties, what Mr Tony Blair had given to the Labour Party in Britain over a decade ago — a spanking new image. Of course, with the Congress being in power in most states, the high command can always give undeserved credit to the so-called stalwarts of the party for it. The fact is that in most cases it was not the Congress that won, but the non-Congress ruling party that lost. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh and Karnataka Chief Minister S. M. Krishna are the exceptions to the general lack of credible leadership material in the Congress. The untimely death of Rajesh Pilot and Madhvarao Scindia was unfortunate. It may have extended the political careers of the old guard. Be that as it may, Mrs Sonia Gandhi should ideally draw up a long-term strategy and take certain bold initiatives, like retiring the aged and the ageing soldiers and giving the relatively unknown workers a chance to prove their worth. The objective should be to revive the Congress as a viable alternative both at the state and national level. In its present form it has failed to capture the imagination of the new generation or the trust of the old
faithfuls. |
Uncle Sam’s agenda AFTER Iraq the next item on the US agenda is the establishment of peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians. The real purpose, however, is to weaken the strong anti-American sentiment all over the region. This will help not only to consolidate the American gains in Iraq but also to implement the US designs in the rest of the Arab world. Whatever the hidden plan, the new road map for peace is a welcome development. Prepared by the US, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia, the idea is to force the Israelis and the Palestinians to talk to each other so that an independent, sovereign Palestinian state comes into being by 2005. The blueprint has been submitted to both parties, telling them what they have to do as a must to enable the fresh initiative to succeed where the previous ones failed. The contents of the new draft are reported to be almost the same as earlier. Israel has been asked to dismantle the Jewish settlements in the West Bank area, which will form part of the future Palestinian state along with Gaza. The new Palestinian Cabinet led by Mr Mahmoud Abbas has been made to understand that it has to rein in the militant elements like the Hamas and the Islamic Jehad which Mr Arafat could not do and, therefore, had to suffer. The US-brokered plan has one major flaw. This point may derail the entire peace process as it happened with the one that began with the signing of the Oslo accord. The problem is the linking of the fresh effort to the activities of the Palestinian extremists. Despite the promise made by Mr Abbas under tremendous international pressure, he is unlikely to tame the militants at this stage. The reason is their strong support base among the masses, which has been growing because of the Israeli state-sponsored violence against them. Ordinary Palestinians consider the militants as their heroes, who are ever ready to sacrifice their lives in response to the destructive activities of the Israeli army. The truth, however, is that extremism cannot bring peace. The Palestinian masses must be made to realise this through some concessions from Israel. The step will give strength to the moderate Palestinian leadership, leading to a considerable reduction in militant violence. As a first step in this direction, the US should take a commitment from the Ariel Sharon government that it will not run away from the negotiating table whatever the provocations from the militants. After all, peace is as much in the interest of the Israelis as of the Palestinians. |
Rising tide of female foeticide DEATH is a tragedy in whatever form, at whatever time and in whatever way it comes. The same way a murder is reprehensible and, therefore, unacceptable, whatever be the reasons before the culprit and whatever be the situation of the victim. It is an irony that society in our country has been tolerating the murder of females committed in many ways. A female may be compelled to end her life at the altar of dowry. She may be killed by a midwife who is supposed to help her come into this world. Or she may be killed by her own parents even before being born. Dowry deaths, infanticide and foeticide have failed to shake the conscience of society. These heinous acts go on as before. They have, in fact, increased as the country has developed over the years. It is unfortunate that society as a whole, or most of it, is insensitive to the evil practice of female foeticide. It is not moved or touched by the tragedy of killing a being before birth. Unless this sensitivity is restored, nothing will work by way of interventions and strategies to stop it. The problem has assumed grave proportions because the sex ratio has been declining fast in the country — 972 females against 1,000 males in 1901 and 933 females against 1,000 males in 2001. The disparity is more pronounced in Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh, Gujarat and Maharashtra. If the decline continues at this rate, it will have grave repercussions, creating social and other problems. A recent development is the selective termination of foetus after knowing that it is female through a sex determination test. Abortions were conducted in the past but not in such large numbers and not in this selective way. This is, however, only a symptom of the problem; the real malady is the preference for a male child over a female one. Religion is still a powerful factor in the Indian way of life and it can be used effectively by religious leaders to discourage foeticide. But it will have to be a sustained campaign over years, by making it as an essential and permanent part of their discourse. Efforts in this regard have been made in the past by religious personalities. There was the Hukamnama against it by the Sikh high priests, there was an all-religion conference where leaders of different faiths spoke against it. There was a recent yatra from Amritsar to Chandigarh organised by the Arya Samaj with the stoppage of foeticide as one of the cause it promoted. The Arya Samaj has also organised public meetings and even picketing at some places. These are good initiatives but they are like a flash in a pan and do not create an impact. Something has been done by way of legislation. The first one banning the misuse of amniocentesis was enacted covering government hospitals in 1978. Maharashtra came up with the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act in 1988 and the national level Act to prevent these tests came in 1994, which was amended two years later. The law is allright even with its inadequacies, but there are ways to overcome such restraints. Its enforcement has not been very effective. Also new techniques come up which make the existing law ineffective. Much of the activity to violate this law is clandestine and not many people are interested in exposing it. An awareness drive helps in such matters and the media can play an important role. The media has done its bit but it is not enough. Media people report the more sensational cases of atrocities against women and do an occasional piece but that does not change the mindset of the people in general. There have to be more features and articles, more news reports, more programs on TV channels and on radio. Features indirectly promoting gender discrimination should be discontinued. Seminars and conferences are welcome but their reports are not widely read. There is a need to use innovative, unconventional and folk media for this purpose. There should be a judicious mix of traditional and modern means of communication for a campaign. New agents of change need to be identified and utilised for such campaigns. Awareness also comes through education. Education of girls adds to their worth and status. Something has been done in this respect but, again, it is not enough. For instance, there is no tuition fee for girls in Haryana. There are, however, other fees to be paid. The fee concession is in government schools and colleges, and not in private institutions. There is no concession in higher education and vocational education, which, in real terms, would improve their potential for employment. Education to improve their skills is all the more important because of the Green Revolution in states like Punjab and Haryana where the employment of women in agriculture has been reduced and they do not have specific skills for other job opportunities. Needless to say that the economic, social, cultural and political status of women has to be improved in whatever way possible. The problem calls for a multi-pronged, integrated approach simultaneously and on an urgent basis. Ad hoc, piecemeal measures and a narrow approach will not help. All sections of society have to be motivated and mobilised to run a long campaign to put an end to female foeticide. Religious leaders can reinterpret the scriptures to help the cause of women. NGOs can act more effectively and organise demonstrations, even picketing against suspected sex determination clinics and abortion facilities which often work together. The Indian Medical Council in particular and the community of doctors in general can be more vigilant and punish the guilty among them, even cancel their practising licences. The law enforcement authorities have to be more efficient and honest in enforcing law and seek public cooperation in it. Governments should draw and implement development plans keeping women’s interests in mind. Once a multi-pronged attack is begun it may lead to new and more effective initiatives. National planning may tackle inequalities, particularly gender-related. Social boycott of the families which discriminate against girls can be organised. Education should promote social equality. NGOs and other groups should lobby hard for gender sensitive policies and governments should pay attention to them. The messages have to suit specific communities and regions. Just for an example, ethnic pride can influence some communities as they may not want their ethnic purity to be diluted by the shortage of girls in the community to marry eligible men. A simultaneous movement against dowry and measures to further empower women may be in order. But, then, who will do all this? An obvious answer is you and I. Who else? |
Portrait of a college dandy AS I ponder my past, my mind takes me compulsively back to my “salad” days as a college student. Rummaging thus the attics of memory, I find a figure plume up to hold my attention. During my undergraduate days at Khalsa College, Amritsar, I had the opportunity to watch a variety of freaks from the countryside — uncouth, loud-mouthed, blustering buddies with a heart of gold — as also a whole parade of pompous prigs and peacocks from the holy city. But one “worthy” who always styled himself as “Tikka Sahib”, and who often sported Western boots and breeches and stiff collar-tie even in the summer months, and who wrote love-letters to his “golden” boys on lavendered pink sheets, is the “hero” of this little story today. I lost sight of him soon after my college education, but from time to time I had reports of that dandy in his passage to the age of indiscretion and outrage. Now if there was one thing which the Tikka Sahib had learnt during his long but unfruitful stay in college, it was to treat the world as a playground expressly created by the Almighty for him and for men of his kidney. That was indeed the only philosophy he had imbibed, for otherwise after a four-five year bout with Kant, Hegel, Schopenhauer and “the like”, he had decided to “ditch” them, and return home to the lush, green pastures of his village. Yet, vaguely, it gave him an air of importance to be studying philosophy. It had, in any case, raised his stock at home, and he had often used it as a lever to extract more money. Beyond that philosophy might as well have been a study of cheese or chicken, he couldn’t have cared less. Anyway, he was now back home, and it was best to let those hair-splitting Germans remain buries in huge tomes. They had no business to plague the minds of decent folks. Stories of the Tikka Sahib’s exploits and “conquests” in the fields of flesh ranging from the village belles (whom he treated as his property, and their bodies as his “turf”) to those artful courtesans of the kothas in Lahore had not surprised me. I remembered his amorous advances, his kinky idiom and his libidinous ways too well to doubt such salacious stories. But the one involving him and his newly-broken mare was, I thought, a perfect “fit”, an eloquent gloss on his character and personality. Soon after he had succeeded his father “that, old stick-in-the-mud”, to use the Tikka Sahib’s description of his departed pater, he acquired an Arab filly, and accompanied by Moghul, an Alsatian of foul temper and training, he would often set out, like the legendary Maharaja of Patiala, to “pluck” women from the fields and the bush, as it were. But one fine morning of April when he rode out in style with Moghul at his heels, he ran into a bevy of girls washing clothes on rocks in the stream close to his village and setting up a big cacophony. And to show off, he tried to make the mare take the murmuring little stream in one massive leap, but the poor thing, frightened and shaken by the cracking noise, wouldn’t oblige. Which brought the enraged Tikka Sahib to a boil, and as he struck her again with a whip and with his nailed brute boots, she rose finally, like a column of fire on her two hind legs to take that desperate leap. But in that very instant, she threw off her rider who landed up in a mess of urine, mouth-foam and streaming sweat the poor creature had made below in moments of panic and pain. And he became a cripple for life. “His nemesis!”, as my informant put it. |
|
Gurmat sangeet, Punjab’s musical heritage Gurmat sangeet is a unique musical tradition in which the divine message is communicated through shabad-kirtan, which is an inseparable part of the Sikh way of life. The kirtan-chauki tradition is more in vogue in gurdwaras and the kirtan tradition, practised on special occasions, is an extended form of this institution. This practical kirtan tradition is in accordance with the concept of Shabad Guru as conveyed by Guru Granth Sahib. The bani of Guru Granth Sahib, written and indexed according to the prescribed ragas, singing forms, headings and other guidelines issued in the bani, creates original and specific musicology. A scientific approach to music can help in recognising more explicitly the music tradition according to Guru Granth Sahib. The system of music enshrined in Guru Granth Sahib is exactly in accordance with the musical tenets established by the Gurus. What came to be known as gur shabad kirtan is a unique confluence of shabad and kirtan propounded by the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Dev, with the help of divine music emanating from Bhai Mardana’s rabab. This emerged as a unique system in the Indian and world music tradition. In bani, gur shabad kirtan has been assigned a very prominent status. (Guru Granth Sahib, page 1075) Guru Granth Sahib contains the bani of the Gurus in addition to the bani of contemporary and earlier saints and bhagats. The classification of bani according to ragas makes it clear that bani is written in accordance with a particular system as conceived by Guru Arjan Dev, the fifth Guru, while compiling and editing Guru Granth Sahib. Besides the ragas, different classical and folk singing styles, rahao and other music signs are elements of the gurmat music system which always remain active due to their original musical characteristics and for the presentation of shabad-kirtan. Bani under shabad-kirtan is to be sung according to the prescribed ragas, raga forms, singing styles, music signs,
rahao, ank (digit), etc. Different music elements that govern shabad-kirtan can be understood through an independent systematic discussion about them and their functional aspect may become clearer through systematic thought. The whole bani of Guru Granth Sahib has been classified under 31 ragas and 31 different raga forms
(parkaars), thus making a total of 62. Raga markings in Gurbani as heading are an indication for singing a particular piece of Gurbani according to a prescribed raga that has been ordained in Sikh traditions. (Guru Granth Sahib pages 697, 821, 958, 1423) Many ragas in the gurmat sangeet tradition are original melodic forms. This is a tradition that is more than 500 years old. These original raga forms of gurmat sangeet are a unique contribution to Indian music’s raga tradition. Bani has different headings on it along with ragas such as Ashtpadian, Chaupade, Ghorian, Alahunian, Vaar, etc., in Guru Granth Sahib. Under the bani arrangement these forms not only assume poetical forms but specific singing styles. In Guru Granth Sahib, the digits have been marked at different places, viz. 1, 2, 3, 4, etc., as ank. In addition to the signs like rahao, bani has been divided through different digits. Under the gurmat sangeet shabad-kirtan, rahao is taken as sthaaee and the tradition is to sing it repeatedly after every antra because the rahao line has the central idea of the shabad. In addition to the rahao, gurmat sangeet has other musical signs such as ghar, jati, dhuni, sudhang, etc. Out of the 22 vaaras included in Guru Granth Sahib, nine have different dhuni headings such as Tunde us raajai kee dhunee, Malik mureed tathaa chandarharhaa sohee-e kee dhunee. These dhuni headings are special features of the ballad singing style used for the heroic deeds of the warriors. In addition to their importance in Gurbani, they have great significance for Hindustani music. These headings also provide a new formulation for the division of Indian music into Hindustani and Caranatic systems. In the landscape of North-Indian music tradition, Punjab’s tradition emerges as a central source. According to the Sikh tradition of music, a complete and specific form of shabad-kirtan is called kirtan chauki. Original kirtan chauki tradition of gurmat sangeet was started in the period of Guru Nanak, developed and propagated by all Sikh Gurus. Harmandar Sahib has a unique kirtan tradition in the form of different kirtan chaukis such as Tinpahee dee keertan chaukee, Aasaa dee var di chaukee, Bilawal dee chaukee, etc. The Sikh Gurus also chose special musical instruments. The rabab was played by Bhai Mardana during Guru Nanak’s time, Siranda during the times of Guru Amar Dass and Guru Ram Dass, Siranda and Israj during the period of Guru Arjan Dev. The taus and dhad-sarangi were played for vaar singing during the period of the sixth Guru, the mirdang during the ninth Guru’s time, and the tanpura during Guru Gobind Singh’s time. These were peculiar to the tradition, which proves the use of special musical instruments. These special instruments are also used in an original way. The tanti (stringed) instruments are especially useful for purity of notes of the ragas and traditional excellence of Gur Shabad Kirtan. Sikh history bears testimony to the fact that after second Udasi, Guru Nanak set up Sikh dharamsala (gurdwara) as an institution, where the tradition of kirtan started by the Guru was specially reiterated. Historical references make it clear that Gurbani was sung twice a day in the morning and evening at Kartarpur. Guru Angad Dev founded Khadoor Sahib and continued with the Kartarpuri standard tradition. Besides, Bhai Sehjad and Bhai Saddu and Maddu were also famous rababis at the Guru’s abode. Guru Amar Das founded Goindwal as a special centre for the propagation of Sikhism. Gurmat sangeet was also popularised at Sikh congregations. Guru Arjan Dev took on the responsibility of developing the gurmat sangeet tradition on firm footing. By this time Harmandar Sahib had been founded at Amritsar where shabad-kirtan was sung continuously in different kirtan chaukis. At this centre, where the rababi kirtan tradition emerged in a distinct form, common Sikhs were also encouraged to perform kirtan. After Guru Arjan Dev, Guru Hargobind started with vaar music by dhadis along with kirtan. Guru Har Rai and Guru Har Krishan further propagated the gurmat sangeet tradition. Anandpur Sahib was founded by Guru Teg Bahadur and made traditional kirtan an inseparable part of practical tradition. Bhai Saddu and Maddu were the famous kirtan performers at this great Sikh centre. In the contemporary gurmat sangeet tradition some prominent taksals and institutions are Damdama Sahib Taksal, Budha Jor Taksal, Mastuana Taksal, Tarn Taran Taksal, Damdami Taksal, Daudhar Taksal, Singhwala Taksal, Hargana Taksal, Sewa Panthi Taksal, Dumali Taksal, Jawadi Kalan Taksal and Namdhari Taksal, etc. Ever since the beginning of the 18th century, many scholars have been composing shabad-kirtan. This is contemporary to the efforts made in the arena of Hindustani music. Besides this practical performance on record, many scholars have contributed to the establishment of the theory of gurmat sangeet as well. In the contemporary world of music the gurmat sangeet tradition founded by the Gurus and developed by the Sikh Panth has established itself as an independent and original entity. In view of the global consciousness, the teaching, research and preservation of this great heritage have become all the more necessary. The writer is a well-known authority on gurmat
sangeet. |
|
Very essence of his
life
FOR Balwinder Singh Rangila, a well known raagi of Chandigarh, music is the very essence of life. And when he was asked by his father to use his talent to spread the message of love and peace through Gurmat sangeet at the age of seven, nothing could have refrained him from doing so, not even 20 years of hardship and poverty which he faced throughout the prime of his life. But times have changed for him now. One of the most sought after
raagi (religious singer) of this region, Balwinder Singh now runs a Gurmat Sangeet Academy in Sector 40, imparting religious education to more than 2000 students free of cost. Fame has eventually come to him and so has money, but it is the pleasure of knowing that he has been able to contribute his bit towards popularising gurmat sangeet among the young and old is that moves him the most. “I was still a child when I was given an opportunity by my father to sing and play tabla along with him in a gurdwara in Delhi,” recalls Balwinder Singh. “It was at that moment I knew what I wanted to do in life,” he says. He followed his instinct, with so much will that he dropped from his school to dedicate his entire time honing his skill — voice modulation and learning the tabla and harmonium. Life as a raagi had been hard on him. His passion had made him so unpopular among his own relatives that no help was forthcoming when his mother and sister died due to lack of medical attention and proper food. “But we — three brothers — remained loyal to our belief and kept on and over the years nothing has wavered our objective to sing the pure raag based gurmat sangeet,” he says. The changes that have come in the gurmat sangeet styles have overwhelmed him from time to time. “During my long association with Gurbani I have seen changes in gurmat sangeet, changing trend from pure raag based sabads to the ones based on filmi tunes,” says Balwinder. He claims to have raised objection towards such adulterations and according to him the last 10 years which saw a major influx of gurmat sangeet based on filmi tunes now seems to be passing. What about people who are coming away from gurmat sangeet and adopting pop music for name and fame? “It is true that youngsters even from raagi families have gone towards pop music, but then this is a stage when everybody is running after name and fame and raagi’s life is a hard life,” he says. Commenting on the controversy which was erupted by a comment made by one of the Sikh scholars in Panjab University sometime back that the gurus were not the original people who gave music to their compositions but the raags came later on, Balwinder Singh says: “Only those people who know nothing about gurmat sangeet can make such a comment. All the 10 gurus were famous musicians in their own right. It was Guru Nanak Dev who started teaching through songs and music created through an instrument called Rabab, a tradition which was later carried on by all other Sikh gurus.” |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 123 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
GURMAT sangeet is a global genre of music. This tradition emerges as a harmonious combination of classical and folk traditions of Hindustani, Carnatic and Persian music. The idea of the shabad-kirtan tradition of gurmat sangeet is to spread beatitude among all souls through its divine nature. 