George Orwell wrote a futuristic novel called 1984. Later it was also made into a Hollywood movie. Who was George Orwell? He was an officer of Royal Indian Army and spent most of his time in Burma. Initially Burma was also part of India under the British. After his retirement, Orwell settled in England, and in early 1950’s he wrote the famous novel that popularized the phrase “Orwellian.” [7]

The main theme of 1984 is that the world will be divided into three blocks (the Free World under the leadership of USA; the erstwhile Communist Empire, and the then budding NAM – Non aligned Movement lead by Nehru). This novel was Nehru’s favorite who often quoted from it in his speeches.

The main prediction of this book was that though the three blocks will be equipped with nuclear arms, they will be constantly at war with each other with conventional armaments. All three will control their populations by controlling the minds of their people. Two more phrases became prevalent – “Big Brother” (the despot who controlled one block) with the help of “Thought Police” (a system that monitored thoughts of all citizens to prevent them from revolting.)

Certainly Indira Gandhi was also well versed with the theories and predictions of this work of fiction. Indira became “Mother India”, an equivalent of “Big Brother.” She made the Press subservient, and then she used it to brainwash Indians. Remember the slogan, “Indira is India.” So the heroine, Indira, had to invent a villain, whom she must subdue to become “Indira the Invincible.” For the villain, she picked the Sikhs.

Indira’s real aim and objective was to abrogate democracy, assume all powers and to set up a dynastic rule. She built up the pitch by declaring Emergency that resulted in the suspension of all democratic norms. But, Sikhs opposed this abrogation of democracy, and launched a peaceful agitation against it. Thus Indira realized that it were only the Sikhs who had the courage protest her despotic rule, and thus Sikhs became the proverbial “villain.”

With her advisors, Indira devised a plan to teach Sikhs a lesson, and the events fully orchestrated from her residence [1] culminated in Operation Bluestar (the attack by Indian Army on the Golden Temple and 44 other historic Gurdwaras – the Sikh places of worship), followed by Operation Red Rose that resulted in selective killings of the Sikh youth between the ages of 10 and 30 throughout the state of Punjab.

Indira’s ambition was such that she even overlooked the warnings of history. It is a fact that whosoever attacked the Golden Temple never survived. Thus she invited her assassination. After her death, an unprecedented pogroms of Sikhs took place over most of India, though Delhi witnessed the worst of it. George Orwell was pretty accurate in his fictional predictions. The physical manifestation of his predictions came in the “1984 Pogrom of Sikhs in India,” - when thousands were brutally massacred. Let the world take note of it.

In 1984, India became the “killing fields for Sikhs.” The next attempt that is being perpetuated is to minimize the damage. Whenever any reference is made to these horrific events they are referred to as: Attack on Golden Temple and riots in Delhi. First, it was not just an attack on the Golden Temple but also the Akal Takhat Sahib and forty-four other historical Gurdawaras, Sikh Reference Library and Central Sikh Museum, and the Tosha Khana that were destroyed and looted even four days after the battle. This was followed by extending the killing fields throughout the state of Punjab and later to virtually whole of India.

While watching a young and prominent Akali leader on a talk show on ZeeTV, I was startled to observe that the Akali politician repeating like a stuck record needle why the Government was not taking action against a couple of Congress politicans mentioned in the Nanavati Report. How conveniently he overlooked the massive tragedy of 1984 and thereafter that let alone ordinary Indians, even Sikhs have forgotten the total scope of this tragedy. Again the mastermind behind this holocaust has succeeded in reducing the focus to insignificance. [2]

Twenty-one years later the drama of appointing commission after commission is anything but justice. Gurbani emphasizes that, “raje chulie niyaon ki.” (the paramount duty of a King / government is justice). Even despots like Jahangir craved for Adil-e Jahangiri – Jahangir’s justice. When USA sought and won independence from UK, “No Taxation without Representation” was the war cry. Taxation is no where as severe as mass extermination of a minority by design. Now after 20 years, no matter what is delivered, a resolution in Parliament or an apology by the Prime Minister or the President, it certainly is not justice. Dozens of worthless “Enquiry Reports” have been produced, and now Justice Nanavati, in his seventies, is credited with a report that Khushwant Singh called “utter garbage” [3]. The “blind-folded” icon of justice stresses that the evidence on each side is weighed to arrive at a just decision without seeing who is on what side. Tons and tons of evidence is not able to budge the “scale”. This, however, does not suggest that the justice is deaf and cannot hear the heart rending cries of those orphaned children, widowed women and mothers who lost their sons.

India has great aspirations to earn respect among the nations of the world. It is aspiring to get a permanent seat in the Security Council. These seats carry a tremendous amount of responsibility. Does India think it really deserves a Security Council seat? India claims to represent a billion people in a country that lacks moral values.

In Management theory there is a very important principle: “If a thing has to be done, do it yourself. If it can be delayed, delegate it. And if it is not to be done, appoint a committee/commission.” Does it tell you that India never had the intention of doing any thing about the 1984 killings? Why were commission after commission appointed when a Nuremberg style trial court could be set up. The truth was right before everyone’s eyes? Justice Tarkunde and Dr. Kothari saw it vividly and TV audience all over the world saw endless smoke columns over Delhi’s skyline for days. This evidence was certainly more than what Punjab police used to kill people in fake encounters. [5]

In a democratic country, Press is considered the fourth estate, a voice of conscience of the people. This, however, is not true for the Indian Press that is subservient to the demands of the politicians. It eats from the hands of the perpetrators of tyranny and ignominy.

“All the massacre was largely condoned by Hindus and Hindu-owned media. Giri Lal Jain, Editor of the Times of India, wrote that Sikhs should have been aware of what lay in store for them. N.C.Menon, Editor of the Hindustan Times wrote that they had “clawed their way to prosperity” and deserved what they got.” [3]

Let me acknowledge a few writers and reporters who dared to report some truth. But these sporadic efforts did not have any lasting effect.

Can you imagine any civilized country whose Capital for four days sees the worst in mankind and all the Government machinery, Civil services, Police services right upto the President of India, just impotently watch as if they do not have any duty to the people whom they serve. Not one conscience deserter. The emaciated administrative, and law and order services proved just like menials to the culprits.

A number of Indians did come forward to do immediate investigation, and we cannot forget the names like Justice Kothari and numerous others; we appreciate the efforts of people like Shonali Bose who made the award winning movie AMU, against the backdrop of the 1984 Sikh massacre, and Dr. Ram Narayan Kumar who authored the report Reduced To Ashes. Still one valid question that remains unanswered is what does the majority community in India think about Sikhs? This question has to be asked in all honesty. The politically correct answer we hear is that Sikhs are regarded as, “our younger brothers”. If indeed it were so then would you sit idle if someone beats and kills your younger brother or dishonors your younger sister.

The role of Sikh leaders has been very despicable. They have neither shown any compassion nor any vision. On the other hand they have brought the whole sublime Sikh nation to their own level of being mere beggars. Any common man can see that there is no justice, but not the Sikh leaders. They keep on harping on the same tune for the last twenty-one years. Don’t you know that justice delayed is justice denied? Of course it keeps their political agenda alive. Sikhs have always protected the honor of even non-Sikhs at the cost of their lives but never begged for mercy or justice.

Another question for Sikh leadership is about compassion. What have we done for the victims of this 1984 massacre? Twenty years have passed and it brings tears to see the condition of the widows. Why has Sikh leadership not been able to help them to rebuild their lives with dignity? Is it that by keeping these ladies in that condition our leaders can make emotional speeches to collect money for their personal and election funds.

As a concerned person of Indian origin, and recipient of Hind Rattan (Jewel of India) Award, I feel pained at the degeneration of values in India. India has made progress in economic spheres. It is the most talked about country in the IT fields. To attain prominence is one thing and to retain it is another. Unless Indians do some soul searching India will not be able to develop the guiding morals that are essential for it to succeed globally.

To my community I suggest creating a fantastic monument to commemorate this massacre and killings in 1984 in Delhi along with a an excellent museum (like the Holocaust Museum) and a Library, so that not only our progeny but the all of mankind may remember it. “Forgive” even if guilty have gone unpunished. It will heal your wounds. Have faith in the Guru as He is the ultimate judicial authority. He will take care. If you keep pursuing, you get surcharged with negative emotion of “seeking revenge. The Khlasa is always optimistic. We have seen worse than this and have come up bigger and better.

NOTES

[1] It is a known fact that Indira created Bhindranwala and encouraged his militant stance. Unfortunately his movement went out of hands. (A parallel is Mujahedin “Talibaans” in Afghanistan, though created by America became the biggest head ache for US)

[2] “Parliament should pass resolution on ’84 riots” Tarlochan; Tribune News Service, August 27,05. What is the relevance and significance of such a resolution if it is begged and begged and laughingly a junk piece of paper produced? Has any body ever remotely recognized that it was a big tragedy for India not just Sikhs? Worlds so called largest democracy ceased to exist for months and months. It was despotic rule. No Law and order machinery, no civil service, no political institution, no judiciary, no Free press was functioning . It was rule by one family and every body else was virtually reduced to hand cuffed slave. It was very dark hour for India, does any body realize even after 20 years?

[3] Khushwant Singh, “ Victory To The Mob” – The Nanavati Report is UTTER GARBAGE. All the killers are roaming free. – OUTLOOKINDIA August 22,05

[4] The innocent victims of Kanishka also deserve justice. Canadian Justice System evaluated the evidence presented and came to the Not Guilty Verdict. But a tragedy did happen and 563 people lost their lives. It is quite possible that the enquiry was misdirected. May be it was intentionally side tracked by the real guilty party, Two respected Canadian Journalists had published a book “Soft Target” right at the heels of the tragedy. It was a good work of investigative reporting and journalism. They did give clues behind the Kanishka Tragedy. May be An International Commission independent of the pressures of Governments should be authorized to investigate it thoroughly.

[5] Dr. I.J. Singh, The Canary in The Coal Mine. August 10,05 Over a dozen such “garbage” reports have been produced. So many “Canaries” have already died. The mine is full of poisonous gas. May be “Carbon Monoxide” (The deadly LAUGHING GAS), which has put even the NATIONAL CONSCIENCE OF THE WHOLE OF INDIA to “Sweet Slumber.”

[6] “What you do, speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

[7] I was surprised when my grand daughter, Harlean, while talking to me on phone the other day said, “Nanapa, guess what, I am reading “1984” as an assignment from school.” She s in High School in Phoenix.


Copyright©2005 Jasbir Singh Sethi. About the author