Recently I was sitting with a friend who does a lot of work with those youth initiatives that spreads the word on human right issues especially those that concern Sikhs and India. I’ve been working in India a lot and I told my friend about a huge three day conference in Delhi where my friend and the organization would be welcomed to present their view in front of ministers, the president and some of the most powerful people in India. My friend, never having gone to India, refused right away citing that most likely he would be arrested or detained by the big bad Government of India. For the life of me I could not understand that given the opportunity to voice your opinion publicly to the people who can make change in India, why anybody committed to the cause would avoid such an opportunity. I sat down and thought endlessly how this could happen and it hit me like Rick James slapped just slapped me, many of us here are brainwashed into fear of India.

So I thought, I can’t be crazy, I need to prove it’s possible to challenge the government in this ‘New India” and I stumbled upon this clip.

I was blown away by the arguments Arundhati Roy produced. This clip of the interview is clip 3 of 5 and I strongly suggest you watch it all. As to what she said my reaction was simple: She thinks exactly how I think and she says exactly what so many socially conscious people here in the west have been saying about India for ages! Why isn’t she silenced or buried like Jaswant Singh Khalra? It’s what we expect of India… isn’t it?

It’s been on my mind for a while now but I’m afraid to say it. I’ve been changing, maybe maturing, like if I see 2 gay people in the street I’m not offended any more… but your almost afraid to admit to that openly. Time to come out of the proverbial closet and say it, I… don’t… want… Khalistan. There, I said it! Now before I’m flogged with stones at Dixie or my Malton membership is revoked, I’d like to plead my case to the masses. What do you have to lose, at most I’ll make sense and you have something new to shit disturb with next time you’re with your boys.

Ever since I picked up my first book on 1984 or watched that first video tribute to the victims of a genocidal Indian Government I’ve been on that unanimous “Fuck India” tip. Things changed at home too. I began preaching to my family and the Wolverine poster went down and Sant Jarnail Singh Jis poster went up. I’ve done everything from the candlelight vigils to the online petitions and rallies on parliament hill. So if anybody dares to call me a sellout then they can kiss my ass.  On my first trip to india I tested my limits by rocking a Sant Jarnail Singh shirt thinking it would get me into trouble. I felt like a ghetto thug straight out of the Hood until I saw a poster of Sant Ji on the back of a Scorpio, then a Maruti, and later yet on a Safari. The confusion was staggering to say the least. I had to re evaluate India, the people, and the attitude there.  I’ve made it a point to go to India more often now and the picture of a badass government backed by a sleeping population just doesn’t add up.

With that said let me paint you a picture. Ever since we got back stabbed by our own people in India, Sikhs left that country and prospered here in the west. The whole time we’ve been hate mongering but with justification of course. However, that will only take you so far. The India of the 80’s and 90’s isn’t that same India today. India’s a place where shits going down, things are developing there. No longer do you have dumb Bhaiyeh running the streets, they all bow to the smarter educated middle class who run the neighborhoods. India has the world’s youngest educated population. It’s the largest English speaking population, and homies know how to run the internet. If you look at things changing there they make Canada, USA, UK look like we’re moving at a snail’s pace.

People there are smart and they have recognized they live with a corrupt, biased, and non secular Government. We here in the west thought we were smarter than our Brethren back home. That only we recognized that India isn’t a true democracy, then out of nowhere Bollywood dropped Rang De Basanti and you question how asleep Indians are to the exploitation of the Government if Bollywoods openly making movies about it. You have people like Arundhati Roy who are on prime time TV, on CNN being watched by millions in India voicing for human rights violations by a corrupt government. You have Phoolka Singh who has been working his butt off for the Delhi pogroms victims in Supreme Court. In fact, in many of the universities throughout India you’ll notice the new educated India voice out against all the injustices being committed by a bloated and corrupt government that prays on any minority that shows dissidence to the central regime. People in India are actually doing something, making progress, and moving forward.

What about us here? We’re remembering the dead. Yes, we wave our saffron flags during Nagar Kirtan downtown every April and shout Khalistan Zindabad slogans. We make mix tapes and YouTube videos showing kharkhoos posing with guns and have token MP’s make speeches at our events about ‘84. Let’s get this straight; we aren’t doing anything for the cause here. All we have done is made it known to Canada and the world that “Here in the West, we hate India for turning on us.” Good, now what did that accomplish for the families who got screwed over in India? India is a growing superpower and every country in the west wants to ride its coattails to the top. That means nobody will ever pressure India to reform; hell India didn’t have shit ready for the Commonwealth games but besides some shit talking every country tucked their tails between their legs and showed up in Delhi.

If India is going to change, it must be from within. Yelling and picketing in front of the consulate is a waste of time, count me out. I’d rather push for civil liberties to be extended to the people of India, fight to end police brutality and urge the Government to have a Truth and Reconciliation commission set up for victims of genocide Sikhs faced in the 80’s and 90’s. Lastly, instead of having a local MP speak at Nagar Kirtan or at Parliament Hill, hearing that anglicized SAAT Seri A-Kal, or Wahuguru Ji Ki Khalsa, Vahuguru Ji ka Fat-a for the thousandth time we should have Roy and Phoolka speaking here. Not just at Sikh functions but in universities and at all Human Rights lobby functions. We need to get them recognized for their work in India and we ourselves need to recognize the credibility people like them have who are fighting for actual change by taking on a country whereas compared to us pitifully name calling the Indian Government. Goes back to ‘sticks and stones’ don’t it?

There are a lot of organizations that work hard in educating people on 1984 such as Sikh Activist Network and One Panth just to name a couple. They each have unique and attractive methods in getting attention and voicing their opinion in matters such as this. Suffice to say I’m a fan for the most part. As a fan I’d like to offer some constructive criticism which is: let’s actually make some change in India. If you can fight for the G20 police violations here in Toronto why can’t we voice the same injustices that occur in India? India is a long way from what it was 20 years ago, you can actually go there and voice your opinion and make a difference. Jaswant Singh Khalra did more by fighting through the system than 1000 Kharkhoos did with their guns. In the end Khalra died but he died a martyr to a cause he believed in. He showed that you can fight back without firing a shot. Many people preach the line that Guru Sahib said “when all other means fail, it is righteous to raise the sword.” I agree during those times all reasonable methods of dealing with the central government were exercised and the Sikh nation did have to fight back. However, I implore anybody reading this to re-evaluate today’s position. Is it not possible to exercise the power of the knowledge and education rather than fostering hate and promoting civil disobedience? In an age where the truth can’t be hidden to the world as it was in 1984 thanks to the web, have we done everything possible to reform our native land? Are we doing all we can for the victims still living in India? Can we really bring justice to the dead by protesting here in Canada? In the end wouldn’t you want to promote the greater good and unification of the whole Sikh nation with its native land or promote hate, fear and anarchism?

- Shout out to DJ Smuglove and Duchess of Leicester who discovered India with me Holla at yo boi.