Where Ever It Is Dark - An Illustrated Poem

I came across this poem one day while reading Preeti Kaur ji's blog, The World I Stitch. As I read, I saw pictures of all that our children go through in school, especially in America and I felt the need to illustrate her painfully beautiful poem. She has graciously given me permission to reproduce the poem here. The words are hers; I am to blame for the pictures. (She approves of them, though!)

I would suggest that any children experiencing such problems, go to Khalsa Kids. There is a lot of help there. Parents are welcome, too, of course!

where ever it is dark-- poem for sikh children- REVISED

where ever it is dark (revised, kid-friendly version) 12/7/07
for r. singh (especially) and children everywhere

after school
i tell my mummy
i don't want to go back
tomorrow

she asks me why

i tell her
today in the playground
bullies
push me
punch me
kick me
shout at me
potato head!
raghead!
alladin!
even osama bin laden!
everything i know
i am not

i fight back
throw a fist

imagine the bullies as monsters
call them ugly things too
my cheeks burn
my heart thumps
i am MAD

i didn't start this
i am just one
and no one listens
when i yell
stop it!
leave me alone!
no one helps me
when the bullies
rip the cloth
from my head
pull off
my patka

not even the friends
i swing with
everyday on the monkey-bars
or the kids
who swap sandwiches with me
in the cafeteria
not even the adults
who patrol the playgrounds
to make sure
everyone follows the rules

after
bloody noses
bruises
scratches
the teachers sit us down

a peace negotiation
where no one questions
the bullies

why am i a target?

inside
i am like a match
like the ones my daddy warns me not to play with
a blue flame
which grows shorter every second
burning my insides
faster than i expect

i go home
and cry
and cry

i tell my mummy
everything

my mummy
wraps her arms
around my shoulders
tells me she loves me
with her eyes

she unwraps
my joora
lets loose
my long hair
runs her fingers through

mummy whispers
your hair
is like the night sky
your hair
is the universe

she combs my kes
with a kanga
twists my hair firm
on the top of my head
a galaxy you carry high
mummy says

she takes the square patka cloth
angles it
like a diamond
sets the patka on my scalp
and ties it tight
mummy tells me
this patka
crowns you

one day
you will wear a turban
cloth as long as the seven oceans
the full span of the earth
will rest on your head

be a brave young prince
like Sahibzaada Zorawar Singh Ji
like Sahibzaada Fateh Singh Ji
when bullies
big as kings
threaten them
for carrying the universe on their heads

like true princes
when bullies
torture them
with three nights
in the cold
in the dark

when everyone wanted them to just be children
they raised their chins high

no tears
just the ways of the lion prince

with questions and conversation
a duty for the kingdom

mummy kisses my cheeks
i kiss her back

i tell her
i will go back to school tomorrow
i will be like a prince
a shooting star

bright and brave
where ever it is cold
where ever it is dark

pk

The Fighter Still Remains - BRENDEN FOSTER 1997-2008

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33ASQhDvfGs



The body of Brenden Foster has died. No longer is this bright, shining soul encased in a shell wracked with leukemia. No longer is he lying in a hospital bed with tubes coming out of his body and oxygen being pumped into his lungs.

I woke up yesterday morning to the news that he is no longer among us. He breathed his last while being held gently in his mother's loving arms. You may notice that I am avoiding saying that he is dead. This is on purpose. I am not in denial; I am not pretending that he is still among us. Sadly, he is gone.

So, for those who may not know, who is Brenden Foster. He is a boy of 11. Until a couple years ago, he was a little boy like many others, running around playing, just being a kid. Then he was diagnosed with leukemia. Since then he was been fighting and fighting, a true, small warrior, an inspiration to us. Is superimposing his face on a supernova a bit over-the-top? I think not.



It is always poignant when a child dies, whether little Zinna Linnick, kidnapped, raped, murdered or Ryan White, who died of AIDS some years ago after a very public battle or Sandeep Singh who achieved shaheedi in Delhi in 1984. Those have names. Equally touching is the death of the nameless child killed by American or Taliban bombs in Afghanistan or the little girl, unwanted, murdered preborn in Punjab (or British Columbia!) or the much-loved child that dies of starvation in his mother's arms or a lonely child crawling slowly toward food and shelter anywhere on earth.



What moves me most about Brenden Foster is the picture I saw of him on CNN. Tears streaming down his chubby cheeks, he was asked, "What makes you sad." He took a breath and responded gently, "When someone gives up." Brenden never gave up. His last wish was to feed homeless people.



He saw a story on TV about homeless people living in tents in Nickelsville, which I have already written about. Unlike me, however, Brenden did more than write and feel bad about it. He inspired others to get together sandwiches to feed these people. Not just peanut butter and jelly, he told workers, but ham and cheese as well, since some people are allergic to peanuts.



Last week, there was a huge local food drive to get people to donate food to the hungry. Brenden was awake and conscious and was able to see his last wish of feeding the homeless realised. Truck after truck was filled with food donated by people inspired by this extraordinary eleven year old child.

And this seemed to have caught on. I have heard about food drives around the country in his honour. This is wonderful. But I know Brenden would say that this is not enough. Feeding people once is good, but it's just not enough.

Here in Seattle recently, a very large, inclusive Food Bank had to shut down for lack of funding. This place not only fed the hungry but also aided immigrants, helped people find jobs and ran a free food bank. In addition, they sold refurbished computers with free Internet access at rock-bottom prices. Yes, this very computer that makes it possible for me to talk to you was bought there. I expect to hear about a Brenden Foster Memorial Fund to aid in such circumstances. If I hear, I'll let you know.

Seattle's professional football team, the Seattle Seahawks has offered to pay for his funeral, relieving his mother, Wendy Foster, of at least one worry.

I have found this website that should give the latest Brenden Foster news.

When I die, I suppose my friends and family will insist on having a funeral. There is a song I have requested be sung there, the last verse of Paul Simon's "The Boxer." It is how I want to be remembered.

It is how I will remember Brenden Foster.

In the clearing stands a boxer and a fighter by his trade,
And he carries the reminders of every glove that laid him down,
Or cut him till he cried out in his anger and his shame,
I am leaving, I am leaving.
But the fighter still remains.

Yes, indeed, the fighter still remains!

Courage And Hope - And Freedom, Sort Of - In Yemen

What to say about this? One very strong, brave little girl who - with the help of an aunty - stood up and said, "ENOUGH!"

You know I am sort of lobbying for the rights of very young girls. This story showed up today in the Los Angeles Times. No Anupreet today. Instead a very young woman, already married - and, thankfully, divorced - at age 10. Surely she can serve as an inspiration to all of us who sometimes feel that we have too much to overcome in life!

from The Los Angeles Times:

Yemeni 10-year-old divorcee Nujood Ali goes back to school

SANA, YEMEN -- Still groggy, the schoolgirl brushed her hair, struggled to pull on her socks and snuggled into her school uniform: a green gown and a white head scarf.

By the time she gathered up her books and strapped on her backpack she was smiling and enthusiastic, her nervousness eclipsed by anticipation of the first day of class.




Like children across the world, 10-year-old Nujood Ali went back to school this month after a lengthy break. But Nujood hadn't been lazing about or playing hide-and-seek with her friends during the summer.

Instead, after she was pulled out of the second grade by her father earlier this year, she was married off to a man three times her age, who beat her and sexually abused her.

For many girls in this traditional society, where tribal custom and conservative interpretations of Islam dominate, that would have been the end of the story. But Nujood was outraged. She gathered up her courage and on the advice of an aunt went to court in April. She got the help of a lawyer and filed for divorce.

A judge quickly granted it.

And on Tuesday morning, the divorcee, possibly the world's youngest, once again became a schoolgirl.

"I'm very happy to be going back to school," she said, waiting in her ramshackle home for her younger sister Haifa to get ready. "I'm going to study Arabic, the Koran, mathematics and drawing. I will do that with my classmates and I will definitely make friends there."

Nujood's unusual story of rebellion made her an international celebrity. Since The Times wrote of her in June, CNN, Elle magazine and other international media have come to this mountaintop capital to chronicle her tale.

Hordes of nonprofit organizations offered to help her get back to school, some even willing to foot the bill to send her abroad or to a fancy private academy, though they ignored Haifa, Nujood's little sister and best friend.

In the end, Nujood opted for a small, government-run public school relatively close to her home. She would begin where she left off, starting the second grade again.

Even then, it wasn't easy. One teacher said she worried that Nujood might disturb other students by talking about her sexual experiences.

The night before she went to school, Nujood said she dreamed of notebooks, drawings and new friends.

"When I left school, I learned how to count from one to 100," she said. "Now, I am going to learn how to count until a million."

Nujood said she wanted to study hard, to be able to attend university and become a lawyer like Shada Nasser, the well-known Yemeni human rights advocate who helped her get her divorce.

The girl's experience, and her ambition, have even served as an inspiration to her parents, uneducated rural people who moved to the capital's outskirts a few years ago and say they married her off to protect her from the dangers of the city.

"We were never asked if we wanted to go to school when we were children," said her father, Ali Mohammed Ahdal, who has two wives and 16 children.

"If we had a choice, we would have loved to study like Nujood."

On Tuesday morning, Nujood and Haifa climbed into a yellow taxi paid for by an Italian aid group and drove through the capital's smog-choked streets, passing vendors of the mildly narcotic khat leaves and the occasional shepherd.

Outside the schoolhouse, Nasser stood waiting, eager to share a day she had anticipated. "I can't believe we finally made it," said the attorney, who agreed to drop the rest of her caseload to take up Nujood's cause after the girl showed up alone in a Sana courthouse in April.

Nujood and Nasser were welcomed by Njala Matri, the principal of the school in Rawdha, a lower-middle-class neighborhood along the road to the city's international airport.

"You are welcome here. You can feel at home," she said, smiling at Nujood.

Only about half of Yemeni girls attend primary school. Last year, one of the school's 1,200 girls, a 13-year-old, dropped out to marry, though the legal age of consent is 15. "Now, she's a mother," Matri said in dismay.

Women's rights activists say child marriage is part of a vicious circle. Girls drop out of school and bear too many children, contributing to Yemen's high female illiteracy and exploding birth rate.

But on Tuesday, Nujood stepped through the school's gates into a vast courtyard, disappearing into a swarm of noisy classmates. Some paid her no mind, while others approached the girl who had become a local and international media star.

"I am so excited," she said, playing nervously with her hands.

A bell sounded and the students quieted down, forming lines for roll call before shuffling into classrooms of about 50 students each.

Nujood took a seat in the third row, neither at the front nor the back of the classroom.

The teacher, dressed in an all-covering black abaya, hushed the students and began the day's lesson by asking them to recite the national anthem as well as passages from the Koran.

Small hands shot into the air.

"Who can recite the Surat al-Hamd?" the teacher asked, referring to the first chapter of the Koran.

She saw Nujood's hand, and called her name.

"Nujood?" she said.

Nujood stood up and began, ending with: "Show us the straight path. The path of those whom You have favored. Not the path of those who earn Your anger nor of those who go astray."

"May God bless you," said the teacher.

"Let's give her a round of applause."

The others clapped as Nujood sat down, a little girl once again.

daragahi@latimes.com

Special correspondent Minoui reported from Sana and staff writer Daragahi from Beirut

*******************************************

Pictures by Delphine Munoui:

Nujood Ali, 10, stands near her home on the outskirts of Sana, Yemen. Her father gave Nujood's hand in marriage to a man three times her age.




Nujood Ali sits with her father, Ali Mohammed Ahdal, who is unemployed and has two wives and 16 children. Yemeni law sets the age of consent at 15. But tribal customs and interpretations of Islam often trump the law in this country of 23 million.




ONE THOUSAND CHEERS FOR THIS LADY!!Human rights lawyer Shada Nasser is representing Nujood Ali. Publicity surrounding the case prompted calls for tightened legislation, which conservative Yemeni lawmakers refused to take up.




Nujood Ali, left, sits in the living room of her modest home with her mother, Shuaieh. “All I want now is to finish my education,” Nujood said. “I want to be a lawyer.”






Ten-year-old Nujood Ali, left, waits for her sister to get ready for their first day of school. She was pulled out of classes earlier this year by her parents who married her off to a man three times her age.

Nujood, left, enjoys a day at an amusement park with her younger sister Haifa. After being married to a man aged 30 and suffering physical and sexual abuse, Nujood went to court to get a divorce, becoming a sensation in Yemen and abroad.

Nujood Ali, left, enjoys a break at a playground with her older sister Mona as she got ready to go back to school this week. Child marriage is common in Yemen, which suffers a vicious cycle of poverty, high female illiteracy, early marriage and booming population.

Nujood Ali, second row, right , sits with classmates during her first day back to school Tuesday. Many schools had refused her admission, fearing that she might share her experience of sexual abuse with fellow students. But the principal of a small government-run school in Sana welcomed her.

The Eyes Of Balwant Singh Rajoana - A Singh To Be Proud Of

This does seem to be an uplifting week.. A demonstration planned for Brother Laibar Singh Ji, an inspiring story of 1984, Inderjeet Singh Reyat out on bail and now this most generous gesture by our brother, Balwant Singh Rajoana.

From Sikh World News:

India Calls Him Murderer, He Gives Life
Balwant Singh Rajoana shames death sentence
Panth and Humanity sole claimants to my body after death;
donates eyes to Huzuri Ragi of Darbar Sahib, Amritsar
Jagmohan Singh

BURAIL (CHANDIGARH): Every time, Kamaldeep Kaur looks into her brother's eyes, she knows such occasions will be few and far between. Balwant Singh Rajoana is on the death row, convicted in Beant Singh murder case. But such is his worldview that perhaps Kamaldeep may long have to live with those eyes. Long after Balwant Singh hangs to the utter shame of Indian justice system.

Rajoana's Eyes. Eyes that have seen untold atrocities against the Sikhs, eyes that have seen the machinations of hegemonic brahaminical forces trying to annihilate as well as assimilate the Sikhs, eyes that have rarely dropped a tear, eyes that have always gleamed with pride in the service of the Guru.

Rajoana's eyes. Eyes that will now shame even death. In the presence of his sister, brother-in-law, nephew and the Deputy Superintendent of Model Jail, Chandigarh, (where he is lodged), Balwant Singh Rajoana has signed his Will, donating his eyes to the blind Hazuri Ragi Singh of Darbar Sahib Harmandar Sahib, Bhai Lakhwinder Singh, on 17 June 2008. The original Will

It was not a spur of the moment decision. Rajoana, in fact, first wrote to the Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib on June 5, explaining his wish. This was followed by calls from personal attendant of the Jathedar to the Deputy Superintendent of Jail, and thus he was granted permission by the jail authorities.

The Will of Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana Ik Onkar Oh Kabir, there is nothing of mine in this life Whatever is there, is yours If I surrender what is yours, unto Thee What do I lose or pay? Bhagat Kabir, Guru Granth Sahib Accepting the Omnipresence of Akal Purakh (God Almighty), I hereby swear on oath that after my death, all the parts of my body, which can benefit any person, are pledged to the highest temporal authority of the Sikhs, Sri Akal Takht Sahib. It is my earnest wish that after my death, my eyes may kindly be given to Hazuri Ragi of Sri Darbar Sahib Harmandar Sahib, Bhai Lakhwinder Singh, who is blind, so that through him, my eyes continue to revere holy Darbar Sahib. For medical or other reasons, in case this is not possile, then my eyes may be given to any other needy person. In addition to this any other part of my body (heart, kidney or any other) which can be beneficial to any other person, may be given to that person. I am writing this Will without any coercion or compulsion and out of my own convictions and commitment and with the approval of the members of my family. I am happily making this Will in the presence of my sister Kamaldeep Kaur, my brother in law Baljit Singh, my nephew Ajaydeep Singh, my neice Harnoor Kaur, Superintendent of the Model Jail Chandigarh, Navjot Pal Singh Randhawa ji, Medical office, B. K. Salwan and other jail authorities. Signed Balwant Singh Rajoana Countersigned by Kamaldeep Kaur Baljit Singh Ajaydeep Singh Navjot Pal Singh Randhawa Deputy Superintendent of Jails 17 June 2008

In his hand-written letter, sent to the Jathedar through the prison authorities, Balwant Singh Rajoana said: "As you are aware, I have been sentenced to death by an Indian court in the Beant Singh assassination case. I have decided not to appeal against this order and not to submit before this system."

He said while he was waiting for his final call from the government of India, he desired that "after my death, the vital organs of my body (eyes, kidneys, heart and any other part that may be useful to any other person) may be offered at Sri Akal Takht Sahib to be given to those who may need them." The idea was that the organs could be donated to anyone as per the wishes of the Sikh community. Rajoana had in fact made it clear right at the time of his conviction that his body shall be donated.

Explaining himself, he said that while watching the Kirtan programme on television, the sight of a blind Hazuri Ragi inspired him to offer his eyes, so that, "even after my death, (through the Ragi Singh) my eyes continue to worship at holy Darbar Sahib."

Speaking to the World Sikh News, Kamaldeep Kaur, the sister of Balwant Singh, informed that the will was signed in her presence. Her husband Baljit Singh, her son Ajaideep Singh and Mr. Randhawa, the jail deputy superintendent were also witness to the document.

In his communiqué to the Jathedar of Akal Takht, Giani Joginder Singh, he has said that "every single part of my body" that could be of any use to anyone in the service of the Panth and humanity could be used accordingly.

Parents of Balwant Singh Rajoana

Dying is no act of bravado, to be prepared to die for one's convictions is bravado par excellence. No university could have educated Kamaldeep Kaur about this great truth, but Rajoana's life has. "Many people think that my brother wants to die. No. Like all living things he also wants to live, but he does not want to cringe, he does not want to dither from his Ardas, he does not want to love life at the cost of his courage and the cause of the Khalsa Panth."

One only wonders how many sisters who tie rakhi around their brother's wrist across India can actually understand what Kamaldeep must be passing through. Or perhaps every single one of them will understand, if only the Sikh community ensures that the story of Rajoana's Eyes be spread and propagated all across the globe.

Harpinder Singh Goldy Rajoana's sister about his decision "Having lost my brother Harpinder Singh Goldy to the Sikh struggle, I do not want to lose another one, but at the same time I bow before his decision not to appeal his sentence and not to submit to the Indian system, which violates human rights of Sikhs. What he is saying and doing is in the true traditions of the Sikhs...My aged parents wanted a support system for themselves but they are not selfish. They are proud of their son and his commitment." Eye Pledge Form

"By this act, I think my brother will bring more respect to the Sikh community." There is no end to beautiful, heart-wrenching poetry about eyes, the beauty of eyes, the power of eyes, eyes full of tears, eyes that laugh, eyes that move hearts. But the saga of Rajoana's Eyes will remain perhaps unmatched, for which poet has ever written about the power of eyes of a man condemned to death? Rajoana does not want to shut his eyes to his Guru, to his brave Sikh nation, to the machinations of its enemies, to the great ideal of Sarbat Da Bhala.

Beant Singh's eyes were always covered with trademark black-tinted glasses, even during broad daylight. Those were eyes that could not handle shame, for more were dying under Beant Singh's jackboots than a human heart could bear to see. Now, Rajoana's Eyes will ensure that the line between a life spent in Guru's sewa and a death courted for one's principles shall stand merged.

Even the most ungrateful would hold him in awe and respect.

Rajoana's seven-year-old nephew, Ajaydeep Singh, was told about the reasons for which Rajoana was in prison, the contents of his will of June 17 and the possibility of him climbing the scaffolding ladder with a noose around his neck. "Tell Mamaji, I will never forget him. I will remember him for all my life." Little kid of the Sikh Nation, you will not be alone. Rajoana's Eyes will see that the Sikh Nation will never forget him. And the story of Rajoana's Eyes will live on long after those eyes stop shining.

2 July, 2008

--
WHY TRY TO FIT IN?
YOU WERE BORN TO STAND OUT!

Hood No Match For Turbanator

Here is a story from Australia that I found in a Google Alert today. Amandeep Singh's actions we can all be proud of.

From the Herald Sun:

Hood no match for Turbanator

A SIKH service station worker attacked by a bandit with a baseball bat says his turban saved his life.

Amandeep Singh weathered a rain of blows from the would-be robber, then managed to disarm him and use the bat to give as good as he got.

"I smacked him," he said. "After that, he fell to the ground.

"When he stood up, he said, 'I'm bleeding, I'm bleeding.'

Thwarted, the bandit fled empty-handed.

Mr Singh said the man entered the Coles Express about 12.10am yesterday and asked him for car oil.

Suddenly, he rushed Mr Singh, repeatedly punching him and striking him in the head and face with the sawn-off bat.

"He just started beating me with his fists and then he pulled out a baseball bat," Mr Singh told the Herald Sun.

"I am a Sikh, and I wear a turban. He hit me on the turban with the bat, and somehow I managed to grab the bat from his hand and I hit him back.

"He came rushing towards me, and I knew something was wrong. All I know is, my turban saved my life."

The 25-year-old TAFE student spent the night in Maroondah Hospital, where he was treated for facial injuries including a suspected broken nose and severe cuts and bruises.

But he said the attack would not stop him from returning to work at the outlet in Stud Rd, Wantirna South.

"I'm not a coward, so I will be going back to work. I'll be back there on Saturday," he said.

Sen-Det Paul Cosgrove, of Knox police, said Mr Singh had been forced to defend himself from a vicious and brazen attack, and had reacted bravely.

"It's fairly nasty, and there's a fair bit of blood everywhere," Sen-Det Cosgrove said.

"There were no demands. He just attacked. He (Mr Singh) was confident enough to take some evasive action and, as a result, has prevented further harm to himself."

The attacker was described as Caucasian, about 177cm tall, of a thin to medium build.

"I don't hate him," Mr Singh said of his attacker.

"But why would he do this to me? What have I done to him?"

The attack on Mr Singh is one of a number of attempted robberies on late-night convenience store workers in recent months.

Lindsay Connerty, 51, was attacked by a man armed with a 30cm carving knife at a 7-Eleven in Barkly St, St Kilda, in February. He suffered stab wounds to his hands, head, chest and back after vainly trying to use a baseball bat to fend off the thief.

Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

I will admit to a slight giggle as I noted the time of the assault.

There is a slight problem here. The picture, which I have not put on this blog, of Amandeep Singh after the attack, a surveillence picture with his kesh open and exposed. You can follow the link at the beginning to see the picture, if you like.

I made a comment which was published (Note: An earlier comment wondered, 'Where was his kirpan?':

Mr. Singh acted with courage and presence of mind. There was no need to use his kirpan, which would have been used only as a last resort. The bat seemns to have worked very well!

However, I must object to publishing this picture. Showing the kesh (unshorn hair) of a Sikh who normally wears a turban is roughly the equivalent of showing a woman with her upper body unclothed. Surely a more appropriate picture could have been found.

Posted by: Harinder Kaur of Seattle, USA 3:28pm today

Since there are no pictures with this post, I give you some more from professional photographer Charles Meacham. These are of elderly Sikh gentlemen. To see more, go to his website, Charles Meacham Photography, click on Galleries and then on Being Sikh.
--

WHY TRY TO FIT IN?
YOU WERE BORN TO STAND OUT!

Shaheed Bhai Lachhman Singh Babbar

My sister and dear friend, Kamal, sent me this history of the uncle of Parveen Kaur. It moved me deeply, so, as usual, I feel the need to share it with you. Astonishing! And it answers auestion I have long held. If the child murdered in her womb was a shaheed, then certainly, so were my two little girls.

Shaheed Bhai Lachhman Singh Babbar From Muslim to Babbar Based on article by Bhai Amardeep Singh Amar in Fatehnama May 2005 One of the forgotten heroes of the Sikh movement is Bhai Lachhman Singh Babbar aka. Bashir Mohammed. This is the story of how a Muslim policeman became a Singh and then a great martyr of the faith. Childhood Bhai Lachhman Singh Babbar, then Bashir Mohammed, was born on August 1, 1970 in Bhanmay Kalan, Dist. Mansa. His parents were Janab Ali Mohammed and his mother was Mata Noori (Dayalo). Bashir had two other brothers and two sisters. Bashir Mohammed was very studious from a young age and also very active in sports. He was the leading member of the Government High School (Bhanmay) volley-ball team and before entering the tenth grade, also began to take an interest in wrestling. Bashir began to practice wrestling in the village beside his and then travelled to all the local villages to particpate in the various athletic competitions. He began to be known in the area as a very good wrestler. Bashir eventually issued an open challenge to all the wrestlers in the area but no one accepted. He was now a wrestling champion. Bashir's mother, Mata Noori, had been one of the few Muslims left behind after the Partition of 1947. She had been raised by a Sikh family who then married her to a Muslim to respect her family traditions. But Noori had developed a respect for the Sikh faith and where Bashir was taught verses from the Koran, his mother also recited BaaNee. Bashir's diary was filled with quotations from both the Koran and Sree Guru Granth Sahib. Joining the Police After graduating from High School, Bashir decided to help improve his family's financial situation and joined the Punjab Police. Seeing his strong body and hearing about his skills as a wrestler, DSP Sukhdev Chahal took Bashir as his personal bodyguard. It was in these days that the Sikh Liberation Movement was in full stride. Sikh youth were leaving their homes with assault rifles in their hands and jaikaray on their lips to fight against Hindustani oppression and the disrespect of Sree Darbaar Sahib. The Panth had begun its struggle for Khalsa Raj. "We will not cause any hurdle to a just rule, but if an evil regime tries to destroy our religion and its practices, with the support of Satguru, Akaal Purakh, we will shake its very roots." In those days, Bhai Gurmel Singh Babbar and Bhai Racchpal Singh Babbar along with their Jatha were active in the Mansa area. The Punjab Police were frustrated by their growing influence and bold actions. The security forces, taking a cue from Brahmin ideology, decided to remove all restrictions on its men to fight the Sikh Movement. False encounters, atrocities on women, children and the elderly and recruitment of Black Cat thugs became the norm. Infiltration DSP Sukhdev Chahal realised that the best way to defeat Babbar Khalsa would be from the inside out. He decided that an informer was what the Punjab Police needed. For this mission, DSP Chahal needed someone he could trust fully and someone who would have no sympathy for the Sikh movement. He decided that for this mission, his trusted Muslim bodyguard, Bashir Mohammed would be their man. Bashir was ordered to grow his hair and take the appearance of a Sikh. Once his beard had grown long enough, the Mansa Police enacted an elaborate drama. Bashir, who now looked like a Singh, was shown to have escaped from the Sardulgarh police station with weapons and ammunition. He used information provided by the police to approach Bhai Gurmel Singh Babbar's group and managed to establish links with Babbar Khalsa. DSP Chahal had thought that by sending Bashir Mohammed into the Babbars, he would be able to learn about the inner workings of the group, stop their missions and eventually wipe them out. Akaal Purakh had something else planned. Bashir began spending time with the Singhs and although at first he would send regular reports, he started to develop a deep respect them. The Singhs would rise at amrit vela and meditate on Naam and would do their nitnem together. The way in which they read baaNee and their faith in Vahiguru impressed Bashir. They had complete love and respect for each other and were willing to sacrifice their all for their brothers. Bashir Mohammed spent time with Bhai Racchpal Singh and Bhai Gurmel Singh and also came in contact with Bhai Dharam Sigh Kashteeval and Bhai Vadhava Singh Babbar. Becoming a Singh Bashir had taken the Sikh form to infiltrate the group, but now he was beginning to feel Sikhi in his heart. He felt as if he was a traitor to his own conscience by being an informant. After being troubled for some time, Bashir decided that despite the risk of death, he would admit to the Singhs that he was an informant of the Punjab Police and also a Muslim. He approached Bhai Gurmel Singh one day and told him the story of how DSP Chahal had arranged his infiltration into the Jatha by faking his escape from the police. Bashir also explained that he could no longer continue the act and now felt as though he wanted to dedicate his life to Sikhi and fight in for Sikh liberation. He was not sure what reaction the other Singhs would have but the Sikh faith teaches, jo srix AwvY iqsu kMiT lwvY iehu ibrdu suAwmI sMdw ] The Singhs decided that Bashir should be given time to think about his decision and sent him for further training. There, he met many other Chardi Kala Singhs and his love for Sikhi grew. Bashir asked that he be given amrit. An amrit sinchaar was organized with Bhai Vadhava Singh doing seva in the Punj Pyaaray. Bashir bathed and arrived dressed in the Khalsa's BaaNaa to beg for the gift of amrit and naam. The Punj Pyaaray asked over and over, "Are you becoming a Sikh under any pressure? Is someone compelling you to ask for amrit?" Bashir would reply again and again, "No, it is my own wish. Please bless me…" The Punj Pyaaray decided that Bashir would be accepted and he was given amrit and the gift of naam. Bashir Mohammed was no more. Born that day was Bhai Lachhman Singh Babbar. Bhai Lachhman Singh and the other Singhs who wanted to fight for Sikh liberation with Babbar Khalsa, were sent back to their areas in Punjab after agreeing in the presence of Sree Guru Granth Sahib and the Punj Pyaaray to the following conditions: 1) Every Singh in Babbar Khalsa will be amritdhari 2) Every Babbar must at the very least complete his nitnem every day 3) Every Babbar must meditate on naam for at least two hours a day 4) Every Babbar must avoid the four kurehits (cutting of hair, use of intoxicants, eating of meat and extramarital sexual relations) 5) No Babbar will resort to extortion to raise money and will not loot ordinary citizens 6) No one should be killed without their guilt in some crime having been proven 7) No new recruitment will be done without the permission of High Command 8) Babbars will respect all women as sisters and daughters 9) No information about the Jathebandi will be leaked to outsiders 10) Looting, unjustified killings and rape will be considered treachery by the Jathebandi and will be punished by death. Entering the Battlefield After returning to the Mansa area, Bhai Lachhman Singh Babbar became a well known Sikh fighter. The traitors to the Sikhs in the area began to tremble at his name. After the shahidi of area-commander Bhai Gurmel Singh Babbar, Bhai Lachhman Singh was made the Lt. General of the area. DSP Chahal was going mad trying to control the Babbars. His informant in the Jathebandi had not been heard from for a long time and the Singhs would carry out the most daring missions and not be caught. And no information on who they were or where they were hiding could be traced. After some time though, Chahal received information that Lt. General Bhai Lachhman Singh Babbar was none other than his former bodyguard, Bashir Mohammed. Chahal was furious and vowed to kill his former informant at any cost. Bhai Lachhman Singh became known across the Punjab and DSP Chahal stayed closely on his trail. Bhai Lachhman Singh had now gotten married to Sakeena Begam who also became a Sikh and changed her name to Rani Kaur. Falling Stars The dark days of 1992 arrived and the major leaders of the Sikh resistance were eliminated one by one. The struggle began to slow down as the shining stars of Babbar Khalsa and Khalistan Liberation Force began to fall. Bhai Sukhdev Singh Babbar, Bhai Gurjant Singh Budhsinghvala, Bhai Pargat Singh Fauji, and Bhai Bhaag Singh Babbar were the major leaders in Malwa and all embraced martyrdom. By February 1993, Punjab was no longer safe for any Sikh fighter. Informers seeking rewards for turning in Singhs were everywhere, on the prowl. Bhai Lachhman Singh, still only 22, was one of the last major fighters in action. Rani Kaur was pregnant with their first child and so Bhai Lachhman Singh decided that living a life on the run in Punjab was too much for his wife and it might be best if they left Punjab for some time so they could rest and the situation might improve. The couple decided to move to Calcutta. An acquaintance of Bhai Lachhman Singh arranged the couple's travel to Bengal and they began to live in an apartment in the well-known Tiljala area. Bhai Lachhman Singh and Bibi Rani Kaur settled briefly into a peaceful life together. But DSP Chahal had not forgotten or forgiven Bhai Sahib for his betrayal. Chahal continued his search. Chahal managed to capture the acquaintance of Bhai Lachhman Singh, who had arranged his travel to Calcutta. He could not bear the brutal torture and revealed the whereabouts of Bhai Lachhman Singh and his Singhnee. DSP Chahal assembled a party of his bounty hunters and left for Calcutta. Shaheedi On May 17, 1993, Bhai Lachhman Singh and Bibi Rani Kaur had finished their day and gone to sleep. The Punjab Police hit squad moved in. They surrounded the area and closed in on the apartment. Leading the party were DSP Chahal and SP Operations SK Singh. Chahal's moment of revenge was at hand, but he was deathly afraid of Bhai Lachhman Singh. He remembered how big the wrestler Bashir Mohammed was and had heard of Bhai Lachhman Singh Babbar's daring missions. He wasn't going to take a chance. He ordered the police party to without warning, open fire on the apartment. The door was ripped apart by the burst of bullets and the firing continued on for 15 minutes. The surrounding area was awakened and neighbours began to go on their roofs to see what was happening. Chahal ordered his men to enter the apartment to see if the couple were still alive. The terrified officers crept forward through the shattered door and saw Bhai Lachhman Singh and Bibi Rani Kaur lying in a pool of blood. Bibi Rani Kaur was visibly pregnant and had become a martyr along with the couple's unborn child. DSP Chahal, having regained his courage, entered the apartment and grabbed Bhai Lachhman Singh's kesh and dragged his body out. The stone hearted police men were shocked at having killed a pregnant woman and respectfully carried out her body. The sun had risen and neighbours began to gather on the street to see the bodies of their new Sikh neighbours. One brave Bengali Babu approached and asked Chahal, "Sardar ji, why did you kill these people?" Chahal replied, "Why? What's it to you?" and shoved him aside. The bodies were loaded onto the police jeeps and the killers drove away to claim their rewards. Another star had fallen. Bhai Lachhman Singh Babbar is a hero of the Sikh Panth and his sacrifice should never be forgotten.

	look at his eyes...... absolutly fearless......thats an amazing story!! -------------------- "Physical Death I Do Not Fear, Death of Conscience Is A Sure Death" -Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale

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WHY TRY TO FIT IN?
YOU WERE BORN TO STAND OUT!

After 23 years, invalid Sikh seeks justice

Can you imagine being burned alive? Of course, that happened to many of our shaheed brothers and a few sisters during that last day of October and first days of November, 1984. But a very few were burned alive and survived. Gurecharan Singh, 17, was one of those.

Now, 23 years later, he is ready to testify against Sajjan Kumar, one of those responsible for this atrocity. I beg to differ with one line of this story, the one that says:

That terrible act of violence destroyed Singh although he didn't die.

Gurcharan Singh may have had a miserable life - I'm sure he has - but he has not been destroyed. He has lived to serve all of us with his testimony. And we owe him a collective 'Thank you.'

SO, THANK YOU GURCHARAN SINGH JI!

23 Years Later Invalid Sikh Seeks Justice
March 13th, 2008 - 12:23 pm ICT by admin - Email This Post

From Thaindians News

By Ritu Sharma
New Delhi, March 13 (IANS) Twenty-three years after a mob threw him into a burning truck, a barely living Gurcharan Singh is demanding justice after being reduced to a cripple in the 1984 anti-Sikh violence in Delhi. Confined to bed for life after the horrific incident, Singh reached the Karkardooma court in an ambulance Wednesday along with a group of other victims of the 1984 mass violence that left around 2,700 people dead.

A 17-year-old at that time, Singh was a resident of Uttam Nagar in west Delhi when reprisal violence swept Delhi following the assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi by two of her Sikh bodyguards on Oct 31, 1984.

Mobs incited by politicians immediately took over the streets, killing and raping innocents. Hundreds were injured and traumatised.

The mob that invaded Uttam Nagar killed Singh's father and maternal uncle before catching hold of him and throwing him into a burning truck. This happened on Nov 1.

That terrible act of violence destroyed Singh although he didn't die.

"When I gained consciousness, I found myself in a hospital bed. I was discharged after 10 days to live a miserable life. They (mob) had burnt our shops, homes and killed our people," Singh recalled.

"My brother was also attacked with bricks, leaving him injured in his spine. He has been incapacitated for life. From my family of seven, only two of us are alive," a grieving Singh told IANS in the court complex, speaking from the stretcher that has since then become his permanent shelter.

It was the start of an agonizing life.

Singh registered a case with Delhi Police, accusing Sajjan Kumar, a Congress MP who has been widely blamed for the 1984 mayhem but the police refused to name the MP in the first information report.

And then fear took over.

Living under constant threats of life, because the killers did not want him pointing his accusing fingers against them, Singh quietly moved out to Mohali in Punjab.

The Sikh Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC), the Sikh religious parliament, finally came to his rescue, dishing out - in Singh's words - a monthly pension of Rs.10,000.

When the government set up the G.T. Nanavati Commission to probe the anti-Sikh violence, Singh refused to depose. "I feared for my life," he said Wednesday, as two armed policemen from Punjab stood by his side.

One day, prodded by the court, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) came to him to record his statement at Mohali.

And the volcano in Singh burst out.

"I told the CBI that the mob attacking our area was led by Sajjan Kumar. He met the local 'sarpanch' and said: 'They (Sikhs) have killed 'maa' (Indira Gandhi), kill them'," Singh told IANS.

Sajjan Kumar has denied similar allegations against him in the past.

The SGPC also promised to protect Singh, giving him the courage to travel to New Delhi.

Singh has nothing much to look forward to, but he feels strongly that justice needs to be done and those who killed innocents in 1984 should be punished.

He knows that even if that happens, he will remain a cripple for life - for no fault of his.

Babu Singh Dukhiya, president of a forum seeking justice for the 1984 victims, told IANS: "Singh is living a miserable life. His only wish is that the court must record his statement. He knows he may die soon."

(Ritu Sharma can be contacted at ritu.s@ians.in)

Photo: Gurcharan Singh

YOU WERE BORN TO STAND OUT!

A Sikh Burmese Protest Leader!

For those who still insist that the Burma uprising is not a Sikh issue, I offer this, from an Australian newspaper, The Age.

I do not know if this gentleman, Surinder Karkar Singh Ji, is a Khalsa, but he looks like one and he acts like one. Until I have information to the contrary, that is enough for me.

We dream of the day when our Khalsa army will be able to ride to the assistance of the oppressed. It seems that at least one individual is not content to just dream, but has taken what action he can.

Can you imagine? He led 100,000 people through the streets of Rangoon protecting at least 5000 monks. It appears the Khalsa spirit is alive and active, after all. We can take great pride in the courageous action of our brother! The least we can do is to sign the petition supporting the monks and the people of Burma. We are posting the link once again in this post.

Please Sign This Petition!!

Burma protest leader blasts UN

Connie Levett
October 11, 2007

Protest leader U Pancha is now in exile.

An organiser of the protest movement in Rangoon has blasted UN special envoy
Ibrahim Gambari for bowing to the Burmese regime and achieving nothing in his
visit to Burma.

Surinder Karkar Singh, also known as Ayea Myint and U Pancha (the Punjabi),
helped organise the civilian protection circles that ringed the monks as they
marched through the streets of Rangoon for eight days.

"Nothing was achieved. I am fed up," the Sikh Burmese man said.

"He (Mr Gambari) plans to come again in November. Whatever the regime told
him, he did. While he was there, we were being shot, we were being detained.
After he left, there was more rounding up of people.

"He saw Aung San Suu Kyi (the detained pro-democracy leader) but gave no
press conference. He should announce what she said. This regime is full of lies.
Gambari reports to the UN what the regime says, not what Aung San Suu Kyi says."

U Pancha is now in Mae Sot, Thailand, where many Burmese opposition groups in
exile are based. He gave a rare insight into the first days of the protest and
how the organisers responded as the movement grew.

"I participated in 1988, then I retired. I took up the protest again because
prices were rising and people were starving around me," he said. "I was not at
all frightened. I participated in the forefront. I was prepared to die."

He met monks and a few civilians at the Shwedagon pagoda, the most important
Buddhist temple in Rangoon, on September 17 to plan protests.

"The idea was to bring down petrol prices, to get dialogue and an apology for
the way the monks were beaten at Pakokku," U Pancha said.

"There were only about 100 to start with. We let the monks lead. I was in
charge of surrounding the monks for protection.

"On the 18th, we were very anxious, we were worried whether people would
follow us, but from the beginning they joined in. We were very encouraged. That
night we had a hurried meeting because of the support and made three streams of
people to go to different points in the city. On the 19th the groups exceeded
100,000."

That night, they got word the military had issued a shoot-to-kill edict.
After a heated meeting they elected to proceed.

"In the midst of our marching, Battalion 77 refused to take the order to
shoot to kill," he said.

From September 21 to 25, the protests were peaceful and the crowds increased.
On the night of 25th, the military command changed from 77th battalion to 66th
battalion, he said.

He remembers the 26th and 27th as the most bloody days, with bloodshed on the
roads.

"When three monks went to beg them not to use violence, they started beating
the monks and shooting," U Pancha said.

"On the 26th, I led 100,000, with 5000 to 6000 monks. People were not scared.
I thought we were winning. In the midst of flying bullets we were able to march.
We had people in side streets with stones and rocks ready to give protection to
the protesters."

On the 27th, the monks were gone, and the crowd dwindled to 2000 to 3000.

"Many people were scared on 27th," he said. "When the Japanese (photographer)
was shot, they (knew) the Government would shoot even foreigners."

By the 28th, the movement had all but disintegrated.

U Pancha waited in Rangoon, in hiding, until October 4 to see the outcome of
the UN mission. Bitterly disappointed, he fled to Thailand.

He is determined to fight on. "I am still a leader, we have leaders inside
and outside," he said. "We are only pausing, not
surrendering."

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FREE BURMA!

WHY TRY TO FIT IN WHEN YOU WERE BORN TO STAND OUT?