From time to time the Indian state and various Hindu institutions give away awards. These awards in recent years have acquired a certain political color. Thousands of officers and men of security forces not only got usual and not so usual promotions in the wake of their deployment in Punjab, Kashmir and other Indian states but many of them were publicly glorified at award presentation ceremonies, These exercises have certain aims: the Indian state reiterates its commitment to its policy of suppression; it sends out a clear message to the forces that their actions, howsoever harsh and ruthless, have the government’s sanction and that those following the state’s policy can expect handsome rewards, These rewards at the top levels take the shape of not only monetary concessions but also extensions in service and appointments to eminent public positions. Thus, those who led the operation “Blue Star” such as General Dayal, General Brar and numerous others were appointed governs or Lieutenant Governs. Others who Jed Indian forces against Sikh youths fighting for their community’s freedom and killed thousands of them in recent years such as J.F.Rebeiro, Sidharth Shankar Ray and many others were given ambassadorial appointments. These efforts by the Indian state are supplemented by private Hindu organizations in their own way. The Hind Samachar group of newspapers in Punjab organizes almost every month a function under cover of providing help to victims of Sikh militant violence where political speeches against the Sikh community are delivered. Similarly, such organizations as the B.D.Goenka award trust give away annually awards to leading journalists for “excellence in journalism.” This typically Hindu organization is headed by a Parsee, N.A.Palkhiwala and has members belonging to the Christian and Islam community as B.G. Verghese, T.J.S.George and Justice Tulzapurkar and others. The B.D.Goenka Trust this year selected, among others, The “Tribune” editor, K.R.Narayanan, and praised him for “exemplary courage” with which he stood for political values and provided leadership at a time of national crisis. Only two years ago, a subcommittee of the Indian government appointed Press Council of India, headed by none other than B.G.Verghese himself, had indicated Naraynan for plagiarizing from a foreign author’s book an article he wrote on “terrorism in Punjab.” Certainly, the B.D.Goenka Trust’s aim of upholding “professional excellence” does not quit fit well with its choice of Narayanan. But no section of India’s “patriotic media” will question the trusts wisdom so long as it serves the Hindu India’s political aims vis-à-vis the Sikhs.
Not that Sikh institutions are oblivious of the utility of the awards, The S.GP.C, recently gave away awards to two Sikh Journalists “ Ajit” editor Barjinder Singh and “The Tribune”™ reporter Harbir Singh Bhanwar. It is a historic reality that the Rajiv Longowal accord was a diplomatic masterstroke authored by the late Rajiv Gandhi against the Sikh movement. The then Punjab governor, Arjun Singh, had served as a mid-wife S.G.P.C. chief Gurcharan Singh Tohra (and also Parkash Singh Badal) had then described the accord as a “stab in the back of the Sikh Panth.”* And what was the role of Barjinder Singh and Bhanwar in that infamous accord now quietly shelved by the Badal Akali Dal? The two gentlemen were the Indian state’s instruments in propagating the victims of the accord among Sikhs. The Indian state itself could have easily selected them for presentation of government awards also, But that purpose was served by the S.G.P.C. These small but significant events are recounted not to run down the individual recipients but to highlight the contrast in political approaches of the Indian Hindu state and the present Sikh leadership. On one side, the aim of giving away awards is essentially political. But, on the other hand, the aim is not political at all. Narayanan may not have taken any notice of the activities and speeches of men like Palkhiwala in “The Tribune.” But Tohra must keep in view the fact whether Barjinder Singh and the other gentleman would be of help to him to project his image as a Sikh leader or not. By selecting the men the S.G.P.C. selected, Tohra sent out no political Message except that journalists have to display his speeches in their respective newspapers. But the Indian state and its Hindu trust sent out a clear message to the effect that what it prizes is not the status of the individual but his political writings. That is the stark reality of the present Sikh leadership and its unequal status vis-à-vis the Indian state in matters political.
Article extracted from this publication >> April 9, 1993
