#Neverforget1984

And that time comes again. October 31 - Nov 3. For most people, the year on the calendar changes. For some of us, it will always be 1984.

Disilusioned? Ignore that cacophony!

From 1930 to 1947, a gradual, but definite radicalisation was done. This radicalisation took in its fold rational intellectuals like Allama Iqbal (who went from translating the Gayatri Mantra to insisting on offering namaaz at a converted cathedral) and Md. Ali Jinnah(who went from being staunchly anti Pakistan in 1936 to being the Qaid-e-azam of Pakistan) - people who had grown up in cosmopolitan surroundings, had friends from all faiths and nationalities.


Even they were converted to radicalism by this paranoia of "Muslims cannot co exist with Hindus without living in perpetual fear." As a result of this, not one but 2 separate and new countries were created, for Muslims to live in peace, without fear and with freedom to practice their religion.


It has now been 70 years. History has seen the result of the 2 theories - that Muslims will live in fear in a Hindu country, and that Muslims will live well in a country of their own.


Today, I see the replay of that paranoia. I hear the same cacophony that played from 1930 to 1947. So, as a survivor of 1947, here is my humble request to you:


If you feel that Muslims are not secure or free to live as they please in India, please understand that this is not a new or original thought. With exactly this fear in mind, Jinnah has created 2 countries for Muslims to live free and happy. All you need to do is, prepare your citizenship papers, then go to the country of your choice, and tell them, "My forefathers made a mistake when they decided to continue living in India. Jinnah was right. Muslims cannot live in a Hindu India without fearing for their life and belief. Please don't punish me for the wrong decision of my grandparents. I need to join the dream that Jinnah saw for us."


But please, do NOT poison the air that we breathe. Because when I turn off your cacophony and look around me, I see Muslim craftsmen making Jain marble temples. I see maids saying "Didi I wont come tomorrow, its my Eid, and the Hindu didi putting enough money to cover the Eidi of all the maid's children. I see a national Muslim body saying they will sing Saare Jahaan se accha instead of Vande Mataram, and no one batting an eyelid.


This poison is worse than you can imagine in your wildest dreams. It killed millions of people in a gory, bloody journey, displaced millions, created orphans and widows who didn't care about religion in the first place. Just honest men and women concerned with earning their daily bread. My family went through this and By God , I do not want to go through this again. So please, unless you can control the consequences of your short term power hunger(and you cannot): SHUT THE FUCK UP.

Why i worship Gurdas Mann

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_Kp8gsdne0&feature=youtu.be




47 ਵਿਚੋਂ ਲੰਗ ਕੇ ਆਈ ਸੀ, ਤੂੰ 84 ਦੇ ਦਿੱਤਾ..
ਹੁਣ ਖੌਰੇ ਕੇਦਾ ਵਰਯਾ ਦੇਣਾ ਈ




ਕੀ ਖਟਿਆ ਮੈਂ ਤੇਰੀ ਹੀਰ ਬਣ ਕੇ...

1984

Day 3 of the carnage. #Neverforget1984

Bhopal, India - Dec 2, 1984

That was a dark year for India.. and i was so caught up with the riots, that the Bhopal Gas Tragedy did not register as strongly as it should have. Until i read this post - today, and realised the sheer criminal stupidity of what has happened, and has been allowed to be condoned.

In India, we believe in the Law of Karma. Stories like this explain why our bureaucrats and politicians are always rich, and never happy, or healthy..

http://www.anindianmuslim.com/2009/12/horrors-of-bhopal-gas-tragedy-1984.html

Reports on 1984 massacres - compiled

Reports, those useless things that are compiled by other people to tell everyone else what everyone already knows.. however, if you, like me, are trying to understand the pic in the kaleidoscope, here it is:
http://www.nov1984.org/who-are-the-guilty/
http://www.sikhspectrum.com/112005/1984.htm
http://www.massviolence.org/The-1984-Anti-Sikhs-pogroms-in-New-Dehli?cs=print

And 2 press reports that i bumped into while preparing for this series:
http://www.thehindu.com/fline/fl2218/stories/20050909004302600.htm
http://nitawriter.wordpress.com/2007/10/05/justice-denied-to-sikhs/

First Person Accounts of what Happened in 1984..

As you can deduce, for every day of the massacre, I am putting up a post. Just my way of reminding that justice is due yet.

One of the first accounts i read was from Mai, and its an account that chilled me to the bone.. go read it, here:
http://roadtokhalistan.blogspot.com/2007/08/our-stories-from-1984.html

And at this website, the third video is totally heartrending, though the first and the second deserve a dekko too.. go only if you really want to hear these stories from the people who went through them....
http://www.nov1984.org/
Here is the link to the third video:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7316718150045451781&hl=en#

And some more relevant accounts here:
http://ibnlive.in.com/videos/54715/after-jasbir-another-84-riots-witness-surfaces.html

Caution: These accounts are disturbing. Don't go if you don't want to.

The Story that i always wanted to read..

All through these years, as I have done my own personal coping with the events of 1984( you really only see a riot when you see it as a victim), i've wondered about the other children who survived.. what happened to them? How did they cope ? Financially, Emotionally, otherwise?

Here, finally, is a photo essay that focuses on just that - children who were survivors of 1984 - and how they coped.. what happened to their lives after those 5 days? After the Earth was shaken enough, could they ever rise from the dust...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sanjayausta/sets/72157622636127218/

Do read. Its a very interesting factual story that completely cuts out the emotional crap.