Dear Editor
The editors of Punjab newspapers are in a relatively better position since they don’t have to use an English equivalent of Jujharu Singh. in WSN July 3 issue I read a letter by Narjt Singh under the title “Punjabi” more appropriate than Militant It was well written letter with a great message “Al Punjabis should unite to fee their Homeland” I sincerely pray and hope that the Sikh Raj should be according to the principles preached by our Gurus!
Unfortunately at the present time at least in my opinion the use of a too general term like “Punjabi” could confuse the readers. How about news written as: Some Punjabis liked saint Bhindranwale and sacrificed their lives for the benefit of Punjab whereas some Punjab is liked Lala Jagat Narayan and consequently disowned even their own mother language another example i would like to quote is from the “Time” magazine. During 1984 after Mrs.Gandhis assassination in one issue “Time” wrote “Mrs. Gandhi was assassinated by two Sikh body guards and then in the riots following the assassination more than 2000 Indians were killed in New Delhi.” I then wrote back to the editor that in New Delhi and in other parts of India thousands of innocent men women and children were massacred not because they were Indians but because they were Sikhs. Later on in a personal ewer tome the editor id realize this misunderstanding for the information of the reader the meanings of some terminologies from Webster Encyclopedic Dictionary are given below:
Guerrilla: noun someone engaged in harassing raiding or sabotage operations carried out by small heads of irregulars acting independently. The term was first used of the Spaniards who harassed Napoleons army during the Peninsular War. This method of warfare has often been used against enemy occupation ESP.
Where the terrain allows the guerillas to hide and live off the country. Tito’s partisans in Yugoslavia were an outstanding example in the 2nd World War (Spanish Guerra).
Militant: (1) adjective; engaged in fighting aggressive in support of a cause militant free trader of the Church militant. (2). noun; a militant person (Latin militants) Rebel) . Noun a person who resists authority a person who opposed the lawful government by force of arms (2) . adjective rebellious of or pertaining to rebels [French rebelled )
Terror: noun; great fear a person or thing that causes great fear person who is a dreadful nuisance. The Terror the period of French revolution from the fall of the Girondists (June 2,1793) to the fall of Robespierre Guly27,1794) dominated by the committee of public safety is mass executions were intended to galvanize national resistance in the face of foreign invasion. Old French noun the policy of using acts inspiring terror as a method of ruling or of conducting political opposition. [French terrorism} American Heritage gave three meanings: (I) the use of terror violence and intimidation to achieve an end (2) Fear and subjugation produced by this. A system of government that favors or practices terrorism [French terrorist]
Actually there is some difference between a militant and a terrorist More frequent use of the word “freedom-fighter” should suffice {for our purpose at least for the time being. The moment other Punjabis show some concern for the freedom and their good intention at least to support the World Sikh News then one should seriously consider the use of the word “Punjabis.”
Amolak Singh
New Orleans LA
Article extracted from this publication >> July 24, 1992
