L E T T E R S    T O    T H E    E D I T O R

The issue of kirpan

In the article “Sikhs and kirpans” (Saturday Extra, Feb 26), without naming me, Khushwant Singh has said that I had unnecessarily made an issue of the kirpan as an MP of the Lok Sabha and I did not enter Parliament without taking my kirpan.

He has gone on to state that by taking such a stand I had gone out of my mind, as I had been severely tortured. As regards the sate of the mind, he is not the only person who has made such a statement. While deciding to enter Parliament in 1989 and thereafter, I merely followed the only right given to the Sikhs in the Constitution, which in Article 25 states: “The wearing and carrying of ‘kirpans’ shall be deemed to be included in the profession of the Sikh religion.”

The fact that the State stopped me from exercising my constitutional right has never been fathomed by Khushwant Singh and other critics on the issue of the kirpan though Indira Gandhi, in her time, allowed Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to address both Houses of Parliament with a 9 mm pistol.

SIMRANJIT SINGH MANN, Amritsar

Of poetry and pairs I read Khushwant Singh’s piece, “Gifted Sahir, petite Amrita” (Feb 19, Saturday Extra). An informative piece, it is about the love affair between poet Sahir Ludhianvi and poetess Amrita Pritam. Pritam has not only written Pinjer but also another novel Gojar Dian Parian. She stayed for some time at Gojar, a tiny village nestled in Kangra valley, near Andretta, which is famous for the art gallery of the late painter Sobha Singh. It is a fact that poets and poetesses who write about love fall in love themselves. I am reminded about poet Alam and a poetess, who was a dhoban (washerwoman), tying the knot. RIKHI DASS THAKUR, Hamirpur

Kudos to Khayyam

I read the article, “Khayyam: A Hindi film music prodigy” (Feb 6), wherein the contribution of Indian music composer Khayyam has been highlighted by Harihar Swarup. The writer has given sufficient information about Khayyam. He was born as Sadat Hussain in undivided Punjab in the Rahon village Nawanshahr District.

It is noteworthy that Mohammed Zahoor Khayyam Hashmi has won three Filmfare awards for Best Music in 1977 for Kabhi Kabhie and in 1982 for Umrao Jaan. In 2010, he was given the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award. And now, he has got this year’s Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award in India.

Khayyam was still to deliver his best and the opportunity came in Muzaffar Ali’s Umrao Jaan in 1981. He made compositions for Asha Bhonsle, which are indisputably her best. “In Aankhon ki masti ke”, “Ye Kya Jagah hai doston” and “Dil cheez kya hai” are evergreen. Khayyam also composed non filmi songs notably “Paaon padun tore Shyam, Brij Mein laut chalo” and “Ghazab kiya tere vaade pe aitbaar kiya”. He also composed for Meena Kumari’s album, “I Write, I Recite”.

AMIT KUMAR LADDI, Faridkot