Bhai Baldeep Singh Proposes Revival Of The Ghadar Party
Bhai Baldeep Singh Proposes Revival Of The Hindostan Ghadar Party
Village Saidpur, Panjāb
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The original flag of the Ghadar Party
ਭਾਗ 1
It has become a nationalistic fashion to say that people, especially the minorities, should not mix religion with politics. But these naïve ones forget that the foundation of this/these nation/s was un-built and broken into several pieces on the basis of religion; and they also forget that religions are born out of socio-political responses by the protagonists who are then revered as Messiah, Paigambar, or Guru. What exactly are these “reservations” in the country that are being provided to people, nay masses, who have been religiously discriminated against by adherents of particular religious philosophies? Advantage given to those who otherwise aren’t able to measure up to the parameters set for a particular job, or study, not only directly effects the organisation, administration, and governance of the nation but also the performance of the country as a whole. How can the state be held responsible and made to pay for atrocities, torture, and discrimination done to people since thousands of years bygone, upon the basis of merely a religious belief, and deprived of human rights — dignity, education, well being and right to comfortable living? If it were a religion or religions that perpetrated these crimes against humanity, they should be held accountable and made to pay for it but certainly not the state, which itself claims to be secular! On the other hand, if atrocities committed over thousands of years are being paid for by the state, a state that did not even exist then, it is more than fair for the Gur-Sikhs in particular, and all of Punjabi citizens in general, to ask the state for crimes it committed, for due payments, and with appropriate interest, for all unkept promises, treacheries planned and so inhumanly perpetrated, for all lost opportunities and lost generations, to ask for dignity of all those who lived for the nation and served, and those who dreamt for this nation and died for it with dignity, when the time came.
Please know that the parties and politicians who play the politics of the Dalits, Bālmiks, Ravidāsias, and other SC/ST/BC/OBC and underserved people, are the ones actually mixing politics and religion. As that is now demonstrated (as correct), then what is wrong in asking for redressal of all issues that remain pending with matters all Gur-Sikh, for they are not just the majority holders, over 52 percent approximately within the bounds of the present Punjab, but also of their political accumulations that include most of Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, parts of present day Rajasthan, Uttaranchal and Uttar Pradesh? The political accumulations attained and kingdoms established by the Gur-Sikh Panth and the Guru-Khalsa at extraordinary costs starting with the martyrdom of the fifth Gur-Sikh guru, Guru Arjan Dev, in sixth month of June, 1606 AD and appointing rulers from time to time were totally different from the kingdoms that existed for all Sikh Kingdoms and domains were the hard-fought, protracted battles for freeing the land from alien oppressors. These were Kingdoms and Rule of the Sovereign which were By the People of the Land, and for all people who lived in their respective domain and without prejudice, without malice for any religion, colour, class, or caste.
For the Guru-Sikh community to join in the Indian Union with all their assets including military and natural resources, was perhaps an easy decision for those who made it albeit without much thought or ado, but being ripped off of all uniqueness, dignity, stature, identity and effectiveness in nation-building was not part of any deal/s. The Indian Union was not at all meant to be some sort of a cremation ground for the Gur-Sikh Panth and its historic achievements. The Gur-Sikh world did not need protection, it was actually the Indian Union which wanted to ensure its internal and external security that it was desperate for the Gur-Sikhs to not announce their own Independence or to accept Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s invitation to be part of secular Pakistan. Obviously, the massacres that scarred the country then would have been averted. The Hindu “majority” community was a feeble organ of the nation when the Gur-Sikh community saved it from near extinction, but joining the Indian Union will not mean that the same majority community now emboldened due to deeds and achievements that weren’t of their sole making will be desirous of devouring all matters and assets Gur-Sikh. This is what the country needs to learn, and learn well!
Indeed the mutiny of 1857 AD was against the British presence but arguably not with any pan-Indian perspective. It was by a few kingdoms and for the benefit of their kings and queens and rightfully so. Questions that perhaps neither gets asked nor answered is what errors and lapses led the East India Company to be in such a vantages position in India, in the first place? Ghadar, instead, was arguably the first freedom movement of India and the reason why I want to honour it, evoke its founders, its martyrs and most importantly, its soul. The founders of the Ghadar offered their selves, forgoing all comforts for the good of the pan-Indian nation. I hope you will join me as I offer myself to the vision and the initiative of the founders of the Ghadar, for I believe there is still hope for the nation to redeem itself from all the evils — social, religious and political. For, as I wrote a few days ago:
Most people in the country are sending, as if, their emissaries to Negotiate with Corruption —to reach some sort of a Compromise. But friends, the Wise do not Negotiate or Compromise with the Corrupt, and certainly not with the Curse of Corruption! Know people, that the wise and true patriots of the land Deal with Corruption and sort the corrupt out of the nations’ scheme of things, there and then, as and when found!……We now need a Revolution, not a Conversation anymore, in the country to Weed-out Corruption!
To speak of Swarāj, Inquilāb, and/or Azādi, is merely crying for fruit. Ghadar is the wisdom, vision, hard-work, perseverance, resilience, and sacrifices all combined and requisite to realise such fruits, to reap such harvests.
Punjabis gained their sovereignty despite the might of the Mughal empire and retained it defiantly even during the height of British tyranny. Does it has to be that the Gur-Sikhs are to lose out on their historic achievements and so many firsts — that grant of sovereignty endowed upon them by the Gurus, Bhagats and Pīrs? The Ghadar says not! Murdering ones’ very own saviour is the worst sin that anyone can ever do – Ghadar won’t allow the country to be such a sinner!
ਭਾਗ 2 — ਮੰਤਵ
ਸੈਦਪੁਰ, ਪੰਜਾਬ | ੨੦੧੬/੦੪/੦੬ | ੩:੩੫ ਅੰਿਮ੍ਰਤ ਵੇਲਾ ਸਚੂ ਨਾਓਂ
- ਵਤਨ ਦੀ ਸੂਖਮ, ਅਬੋਧ ਤੇ ਸਥੂਲ ਪੂੰਜੀ – ਸਮੇਤ ਭੂ, ਜਲ, ਵਾਯੂ, ਅਗਨ, ਆਕਾਸ਼, ਖਾਣੀਆਂ, ਬਾਣੀਆਂ – ਦੀ ਰੱਖਿਆ ਕਰਨਾ, ਸੁਵਰਤੋਂ ਕਰਨਾ।
- (ਰੱਬ ਨੂੰ ਕਿਸ ਨੇ ਵੇਖਿਆ, ਵਿਰਲੇਆਂ ਹੀ ਸੁਣੀਂਦੈ ਪਰ) ਕੁਦਰਤ ਜਾਂ ਪ੍ਰਰਕਿਰਤੀ ਸਭ ਕੋਈ ਜਾਣਦੈ ਤੇ ਇਸੇ ਦੇ ਸਬਕਨਸ਼ੀਂ ਹੋਏ ਕਰ ਰਹਿਣਾ ਜਿਵੇਂ ਜਲ, ਵਾਯੂ, ਅਗਨ, ਧਰਤੀ, ਸੂਰਜ, ਚੰਨ, ਪਾਰਸ, ਤੇ ਭਾਵੇਂ ਬਿਖ, ਕਿਸੇ ਨਾਲ ਵਿਤਕਰਾ ਨਹੀਂ ਜੇ ਕਰਦੇ ਇਸੇ ਤਰ੍ਹਾਂ ਨਿਰਪੱਖ ਰਹਿਣਾਂ ਤੇ ਰਹਿਣ ਦਾ ਸਬਕ ਸਾਂਝਾ ਕਰਨਾ।
- ਰਾਜ ਕਰਨਾ ਹੀ ਕਾਫ਼ੀ ਨਾਹਿ ਰਾਜੁ ਕਰਾਓਣੇ ਕਾ ਭੀ ਚੱਜ ਹੋਂਵਦਾ ਹੈ ਜੀ। ਸਵ ਅੱਖਰ ਸਵਾਰਥ, ਸਵੈਹਿਤੈਸ਼ੀ, ਸਵਯੰ ਭਾਵ ਅਪਨੇ ਆਪੇ ਜਾਂ ਆਪਣੇਆਂ ਕੇ ਫ਼ੈਦੇ ਵਾਸਤੇ ਕਰਿਆ, ਅੱਖਰਾਂ ਸੇ ਭੀ ਬਣ ਜੈਹੈ ਪਰ ਸਵੱਛ ਅਰ ਸਰਬਤ੍ਰਹਿਤੀ ਜੋ ਸਵਰਾਜੁ ਹੋਵੈਗੋ, ਓਹੈ ਅਸਲੁ, ਓਹੈ ਭਲਾ।
- ਹਰ ਸੰਭਵ ਉਪਰਾਲੇ ਕਰਨਾ ਕਿ ਲੋਕਾਈ ਅਰ ਜਮਹੂਰੀਅਤ ਕੀ ਮਾਨਸਿਕ, ਸ਼ਰੀਰਕ ਅਰ ਮਾਇਕ ਸੇਹਤ ਵਧਦੋ ਜਾਵਸੈ, ਘਟਸੈ ਨਾਂ।
ਭਾਗ 3 — ਨਿਸ਼ਾਨੇ ਖ਼ਾਸ
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ਦੇਹਾਤੀ ਵਿਦਿਅਕ ਅਦਾਰੇਆਂ ਤੇ ਸੰਥਿਆ ਪਰਣਾਲੀਆਂ ਦੀ ਭਾਲ, ਸੰਭਾਲ, ਪ੍ਰਚਾਰ, ਪਸਾਰ ਵਰਤਮਾਨ ਤੇ ਨਵਯੁਗੀ ਸਿੱਖਿਆ ਪਰਣਾਲੀਆਂ ਸੰਗ ਸੰਵਾਦ ਵਿੱਚ ਖੜਾਅ ਕੇ ਨਿਵੇਕਲਾ ਵਿਦਿਆਤਮਕ ਭਵਿਖ ਸਿਰਜਣਾ।
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ਵਿਧਾਇਕੀ, ਪੁਲਿਸ, ਜੂਡੀਸ਼ੀਅਲ, ਪੁਲੀਟੀਕਲ, ਪਤ੍ਰਕਾਰੀ ਆਦਿਕ ਯੰਤਰ ਤਾਂ ਜ਼ਰੂਰ ਹਨਗੇ ਪਰ ਇਹ ਲੋਕਾਈ ਨਿਮਿਤ ਅਰ ਲੋਕ-ਭਲਾਈ ਹਿੱਤ ਹੋਵਣਗੇ। ਇਹਨਾ ਯੰਤ੍ਰਾਂ ਕਾ ਲੋਕਾਈ ਪਰ ਧਰਮੋ-ਗੈਰਧਰਮੀ, ਸਿਆਸੀ ਜਾਂ ਪੂੰਜੀਪਤੀਓਂ ਕਾ ਰਾਜ ਨਹੀਂ ਹੋਵਨੇ ਦੇਨਾ, ਨਾ ਹੀਂ ਲੋਕਾਂ ਕੋ ਵਸ ਕਰਨੇ ਕੇ ਲੀਯੇ ਦੁਰਊਪਯੋਗ ਹੋਵਨੇ ਦੇਨਾ ਅਰ ਇਹਣਾ ਸਭਣਾਂ ਕੀ ਲੋਕਾਈ ਅਧੀਨ ਰਖਿਆ ਕਰਨਾ। ਇਹਨਾ ਸਭਨਾ ਪਰ ਸਮੇਂ-ਸਮੇਂ ਲੋਕ-ਚਿੰਤਨ ਕਰਕੇ (ਲੋੜ ਪਵੇ ਤਾਂ ਫਿਰ) ਰਿਫ਼ੋਰਮ (ਪੁਨਰਸਰੂਪਣ) ਕਰਨਾ।
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ਰਿਸ਼ਵਤਖੋਰੀ, ਗ਼ੁਰਬਤ, ਊਂਚ-ਨੀਂਚ, ਜਾਤੀ-ਪਾਤੀ ਭੇਦ ਭਾਵ, ਆਦਿ ਵੱਖਵਾਦੀ-ਪੱਖਵਾਦੀ ਲੋਕਾਦਿਕ-ਜਮਹੂਰੀ ਵਿਕਾਰਾਂ ਦਾ ਖਾਤਮਾ ਕਰਨਾ।
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ਦੀਨਨਨ ਕੀ ਰੱਖਿਆ ਕਰਨਾ।
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ਉਪਰਾਲੇ ਕਰਨਾਂ ਕਿ ਆਕੀ ਬਾਕੀ ਨਾਇ ਰਹੈ।
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ਕਿ ਕੌਮ-ਵਤਨ ਕੀ ਸਦਾ ਹਰ ਮੈਦਾਨ ਫ਼ਤਿਹ ਹੋਵੈ, ਹਰ ਵਖ਼ਤ ਊਪਰਾਲੇਨਸ਼ੀਂ ਰਹਿਣਾ-ਬਹਿਣਾ-ਕਹਿਣਾ।
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ਜੇਕਰ ਭਵਿੱਖ ਮੈਂ ਲੋੜ ਪਵੈਗੀ ਤਾਂ ਫ਼ਿਰ ਤਦਕੇ ਵਿਦਵਾਨ ਪੁਰਖ ਪਰਮੇਸਰ ਰਲ-ਮਿਲ ਸਭਾ ਬੈਠਾਇ ਕੈ ਸਰਬਸੰਮਤੀ ਪ੍ਰਾਪਤ ਕਰਕੈ ਇਹਣਾ ਪ੍ਰਸ਼ਾਸਕੀ ਮਨਸੂਬੀ ਕੰਗਣਾਵਾਂ ਮੈਂ “ਜਿਵ ਜਿਵ ਹੁਕਮ ਤਿਵੈ ਤਿਵ ਕਾਰ” ਕਿ ਵਾਧਾ ਕਰ ਸਕੈਂ -ਇਸਦੀ ਇਜ਼ਾਜ਼ਤ ਭੀ ਨੱਥੀ ਕੀਤੀ ਜਾਂਦੀ ਹੈ।
ਭਾਗ 4 — ਗ਼ਦਰ ਕ੍ਯੋਂ
- ਗ਼ਦਰ ਮਚਾਓਣੇ ਦੀ ਲੋੜ ਪੈਂਦੀ ਹੈ ਜਦ ਗ਼ੱਦਾਰਾਂ ਦੀ ਮੰਡਲੀ ਜੰਮ ਜਾਂਦੀ, ਗ਼ੱਦਾਰਾਂ ਦਾ ਜਮਘਟ ਲਗ ਜਾਂਦਾ! ਗ਼ੱਦਾਰੀ ਕੀਤੀ ਹਿੰਦੁਸਤਾਨ ਦੀ ਜਮਹੂਰੀਅਤ ਨਾਲ, ਫ਼ਰੇਬ ਹੋਇਆ ਹੈ ਇਸ ਵਤਨ ਨਾਲ; ਇਸਲਾਮ, ਹਿੰਦੂ, ਇਸਾਈ ਆਦਿ ਮਤਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਗੱਦਾਰੀ, ਦਲਿਤਾਂ ਅਰ ਅਵਰਣ ਪਿਛੜੀਆਂ ਜਾਤਾਂ-ਪਾਤਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਗੱਦਾਰੀ, ਗੁਰਸਿਖੀ ਨਾਲ ਭੀ ਹੋਈ ਮੁਸਲਸਲ ਗੱਦਾਰੀ, ਦੇਸ਼ ਦੀ ਆਜ਼ਾਦੀ ਵਾਸਤੇ ਨਿਸ਼ਕਾਮ ਲੜੇ-ਭਿੜੇ ਸੰਗ੍ਰਾਮੀਆਂ ਨਾਲ ਤਾਂ ਹੋਇਆ ਧੋਖਾ ਹੀ ਪਰ ਵਤਨ ਦੇ ਸੂਰ-ਬੀਰ ਯੋਧੇਆਂ ਨਾਲ ਭੀ ਗੱਦਾਰੀ ਤੇ ਉਤੇ ਅਹਿਸਾਨ-ਫਰਾਮੋਸ਼ੀ, ਵਤਨ ਦੇ ਖਜਾਨੇਆਂ ਦੀ ਲੁੱਟ-ਘਸੁੱਟ, ਨੌਜਵਾਨੀ ਨਾਲ ਭੀ ਗੱਦਾਰੀ -ਸਮਾਂ ਤਾਂ ਆਓਣਾ ਹੀ ਬਣਿਆ ਗ਼ਦਰ ਦਾ!
- ਗ਼ਦਰ ਸਾਨੂੰ ਵਫ਼ਾ ਸਿਖਾਂਵਦੀ ਹੈ – ਬੇਵਫ਼ਾਈ ਤੋਂ ਮੋੜਦੀ ਹੈ, ਵਰਜਦੀ ਹੈ। ਗ਼ਦਰ ਜ਼ਿੰਦਗੀਪ੍ਰਸਤੀ ਦਾ ਸਬਕ ਦਿਲਾਂਵਦੀ ਹੈ। ਗ਼ਦਰ ਇਸ ਧਰਤੀ ਨੂੰ ਤੇ ਵਸੇਂਦੀ ਦੁਨੀਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਹੀ ਸੁਰਗ ਕਰ ਜਾਣਦੀ ਹੈ। ਗ਼ਦਰੀ ਬਾਬੇ ਤੇ ਬੀਬੀਆਂ ਸਰਬਤ ਦੇ ਭਲੇ ਵਾਸਤੇ ਹੀ ਅਡਿੱਗ ਸੂਰਮਾਂ ਅਓਤਰੇ ਹੋ ਜੀਂਵਦੇ ਹਣਗੇ, ਤੇ ਜੇ ਲੋੜ ਪਵੇ ਤਾਂ ਵਤਨ ਲਈ ਤਨੁ, ਮਨੁ, ਧਨੁ ਅਰਪਣੇ ਕੇ ਲਈ ਅਰ ਮਰਨੇ ਨੂੰ ਬੇਝੀਜਕ ਸਦ ਤਿਆਰ ਬਰ ਤਿਆਰ ਹਣਗੇ। ਗ਼ਦਰ ਵਚਨਬੱਧਤਾ ਦਾ ਭੀ ਨਾਓਂ ਹੈ।
- ਭਾਖਾ, ਧਰਮ ਜਾਂ ਕਿਸੇ ਹੋਰ ਬਹਾਨੇ ਵੰਡੀਆਂ ਪਾਓਣੇ ਨਾਲ ਮਸਲੇ ਹਲ ਨੀਂ ਹੋਇਆ ਕਰਦੇ। ਕਿਓਂ, ਜਿਹੜੇ ਇਕ ਵੱਡੇ ਜਾਂ ਛੋਟੇ ਘਰ ਵਿਚ ਕੱਠੇ ਨੀਂ ਰਹਿ ਸਕਦੇ, ਓਹੁ ਕਿਤੇ ਵੀ – ਤੇ ਕਿਸੇ ਵੀ ਬਦਲਵੇ ਹਾਲ ਵਿਚ ਚੈਨ ਨਹੀਂ ਪ੍ਰਾਪਤ ਕਰ ਸਕਦੇ। ਭਾਵ ਇਹ ਕਿ ਵੰਡੀਆਂ ਪਾਓਣੇ ਨਾਲ ਨਹੀਂ, ਟੁੱਟੀਆਂ ਗੰਡਣੇ ਨਾਲ ਹੀ ਸਮੱਸਿਆਵਾਂ ਦੇ ਹਲ ਪ੍ਰਾਪਤੀ ਹਨਗੇ। ਇਸੇ ਕਰਕੇ, ਸਵੈਹਿਤੈਸ਼ੀ ਤਾਬੀਅਤ ਹੀ ਕਲੇਸ਼ ਦੀ ਜੜ ਹੋਂਵਦੀ ਹੈ ਅਰ ਊਦਾਰਤਾ ਜਾਂ ਫ਼ਰਾਖਦਿਲੀ ਕਲੇਸ਼ ਮਿਟਾਓਣੇ ਦੀ ਅਵਖਧੀ!
ਭਾਗ 5 — NAME
The name of the Party shall be “Hindostan Ghadar Party” (hereinafter referred to as “The Ghadar”).
ਭਾਗ 6 — Allegiance to the Constitution of India
The Ghadar formed to help usher in and sustain the Political, Economic, Social and Intellectual Independence and Prosperity, bears true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India, its amendments past, present and future, as by law established and to the principles of socialism, secularism and democracy. The Ghadar would uphold the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India.
ਭਾਗ 7 — ARTICLES: With A Particular Focus On Present Day Punjab
May the proposed articles be read as follows:
(XV) — In the year 1913, Ghadar was a party formed in the land of the free to bring about a complete change in the political and economic system of India, when the land wasn’t free for the world had only a people of one colour that lived and had rights, all privilege, even when their womenkind had none of it; Ghadar is also a party that is reformed in the land of the free to protect and consolidate India’s Political, Economic, Social and Intellectual Independence and Prosperity, when the land isn’t at all free —helplessly bound in its humankind’s vices, whims and fancies, and wherein a people of a certain faith and socio-religious affiliation have all the privilege, merely because of their sheer number and not substance, and others not, where womenkind are not yet equal.
Ghadar is a party reformed to liberate India from all and any form(s) of corruption, greed, rampant looting of nation’s wealth, supremacist tendencies/attitudes on the basis of religion, race, caste, gender, sexual preferences, and to ensure India remains independent with equal rights for all.
The Founders of The Ghadar resolved in the first meeting in the year 1913 that, “No discussion or debate was to take place on religion within the organisation for religion is considered a personal matter and that it had no place in the organisation”. But, it is one thing not to discuss religion, it is another to protect all tangible and intangible assets of the nation(s). If Religion are Intangible assets, their respective followers are their Tangible Wealth. That is, all religions that are practiced in India and beyond its political and constitutional bounds, too have rights, as do the people who follow them — The Ghadar resolves to protect these rights and ensure(s) that it (The Ghadar) will do all it can and all that it must, so that all peoples may have the freedom unfettered to choose and practice their own faiths.
Ghadar is a party reformed for the protection of the people of the country from any/all form(s) of subjugation, manipulation, and humiliation at the hands of the state, rulers/ruling classes, corporate, religion/religious leaders, and/or any/all other force/factor.
(XVI) — Ghadar is revived so that our peoples’ world without (inter-nation) and the world within (intra-nation) may for always remain ornate with, and may never ever forget, freedom of thought and expression, the ability to reason, the voice of concern, the art of defiance —of resilience and of courage to constantly undergo self-scrutiny, maintain constant vigil and nurturing unwavering will to eradicate vices and all forms of discrimination, there and then, as and when found. For these virtues are the ornaments of a living society —of a dynamic civilisation.
(XVII) — Ghadar is to perfect, practice and propagate the art of solving conflicts, it is about crisis management. Ghadar is the name of that Resistance which is directly aimed against conflict creation especially conflicts that are simulated, theatres curated, to harvest a nation and/or alliance-specific benefits. Ghadar is the ability to build bridges between people. Ghadar is the name of that romance which can heal shattered hearts, and duly restore dignities of the ones so inhumanly humiliated. Ghadar is that vital key that instills Love and Compassion in the heart, mind and soul of the ones so brutal, ever so greedy, and those humiliating the humble, and the meek. The Ghadar is the antidote to the Politics of Privileges that exists for the rich and high classes of sorts, and also against the Politics of Convenience that is only made available for the underprivileged and underserved.
(XVIII) — Ghadar will know the State and its government(s), all elected and/or appointed and/or nominated representatives, and all of its employees as subjects of the people of India respectively, the country’s people, no longer known as subjects, as equal stakeholders whose Will shall be the true master and Guide of the nation; the well-being of the peoples, the very purpose of existence of government(s) and and of that of all of its public servants. that of all of its public servants.
(XIX) — Ghadar is to persevere for the benefit and overall good of all of the nation’s stakeholders, that is, the citizens of the country, without prejudice and with no malice, and for the benefit of the overall health of the mother planet, Earth. Ghadar recognises all natural resources as the wealth of humankind but that it must continue to share it with other life forms that constitute nature’s wealth. Ghadar defines the fight to save all life forms from extinction. Ghadar recognises the right of state and corporate combine to find intelligent ways to benefit from the natural resources albeit for collective good as enshrined in this clause and other relevant clauses, without infringing the rights of indigenous people and wild life. Ghadar recognises exploitation of natural resources only to benefit a state and/or a corporation, as a crime against nature and nature-kind.
(XX) — Note xx-1: Ghadar pledges to continue the battle waged by Guru Teg Bahadur who sacrificed his life, in the seventeenth-century, to protect the rights of people to practice their own chosen faith.
Ghadar recognises all religions and non-religious paths as equal without exception. Therefore, Ghadar derecognizes all missionary acts aimed at religious conversions of underserved people by means overt and covert. Ghadar recognises and stands by the right of people to choose their own religious faith or a nonreligious path. Ghadar allows for people to engage in a peaceful, even passionate debate on merits and shortcomings in and about any religious or nonreligious path. Ghadar will know such debates as crucial to keep alive people-to-people dynamics, of the constructive inter and intra-faith dialogue, and protect spaces for newer ideas and revelations yet to come. For Ghadar knows the realised and written as a finite, and the unwritten as an embodiment of an infinitude of ideas and realisations. Ghadar is that ability to prison-break out of dogmas and blind faith that constantly plagues us as a people. Ghadar is the right of a person to safeguarded that which gives him/her the freedom to venture into and out of a word, a concept, to relish and celebrate it and then to move to another and onwards and/or back.
(XXI) — Note xxi-1: Ghadar recognises the 24th day of the sixth month of June 1606 AD, when Guru Hargobind swore two swords —one that protects the Spiritual, the other, the Temporal; and the Vaisākhi Day of the year 1699 AD as the moment when Guru Gobind Singh empowered the people of the world with a sovereign right to self-govern both, the state and religion.
Ghadar resolves to constantly empower people with knowledge and insight so they remain enlightened and make informed choices for themselves, both politico-temporal and spiritual, and for their generations to come.
(XXII) — Note xxii-1: Ghadar reposes its faith in the numeric 1 prefixed to Oankār by Guru Baba Nanak and knows It as the One Doer of all creation.
Ghadar will not recognise any faith or a way of life as special. Ghadar also gladly inherits all languages and dialects and strives to honour them all as gifts to humankind —as heritage of human expression. Ghadar’s use of a particular language for state matters is not a testimony of its preference but of general administrative convenience.
— Note xxii-2: For example, in the historical and geographical bounds of Punjab, Ghadar will know any or all of Arabic, Persian, Punjabi and Sanskrit as its state languages with the native script of the land, generally called Gurmukhi revived by Guru Angad Dev and as used in the year 1604 AD by Guru Arjan Dev to successfully pen down Gurbani containing nearly 120 languages and dialects proving that the Creator is not a monolingual an entity, as the first state script.
(XXIII) — Note xxiii-1: Ghadar is inspired by the way Gurbani authored by 36 grand elders of South Asia, hailing from different socio-religious, privileged and especially underserved backgrounds, has been collated as Guru Granth Sahib. It is ironic that we often hear these “contemporary” politicians advice keeping politics and religion separate especially when our grand country was so mercilessly split on the basis of religion and with millions of its innocent citizens butchered because of their religion and sentiments! We need to understand, once and for all, that religion and politics cannot be separated and that socialism and secularism cannot be construed as death of religion nor its burial ground. In fact, politics needs pious people in its rank, and file, and leadership, not ignorant fanatics.
Ghadar does not recognise or advocate any partition(s) done merely in the name of ideologies, religion and/or languages. Such acts of linguistic or religion-based partitions have proven to be disastrous time and over again. Ghadar therefore de-recognises the partition of Hindustan done in the year 1947 and subsequent partitions of Punjab and other regions of Hindustan on aforementioned basis.
(XXIV) — Note xxiv-1: The Gur-Sikh Gurus endowed titles, privileges and kingships irrespective of caste, class, or any other materialistic or worldly standing. Thereafter, the Guru-Khalsa, which carries the seal of the Guru-Sikh Gurus, endowed privileges and kingships. These are beyond the purview of any state or federal government. When Mahātma Gandhi says the following, he spoke of the Sikh domains in the north of India and never imagined that the Sikh kingdoms will be dissolved without having the jurisdiction to do so:
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“I venture to suggest that the non-violence creed of the Congress is the surest guarantee of its good faith and our Sikhs friends have no reason to fear betrayal at its hands. For the moment it did so, the Congress would not only seal its own doom but that of the country too. Moreover, the Sikhs are a brave people; they will know how to safeguard their right by the exercise of arms if it shall ever come to that.” He further continued:
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“Why can you have no faith? If Congress shall play false afterwards you can well settle surely with it, for you have the sword. I ask you to accept my word. Let God be witness of the bond that binds me and the Congress with you” (CW Vol. 45 pg. 231-33).
Not even the Sikh Kings had any right to sign anything off to the central government for the seal of the Gur-Sikh Panth was the deciding factor.
Gur-Sikh Panth includes all the followers and following spread across South Asia and the world over of all the authors of Gurubāni recorded in Guru Granth Sahib. Gur-Sikh Panth is bigger than Punjab, is bigger than the nation(s).
Ghadar repudiates the revocation of titles and dissolution of Royal courts of South Asia affiliated to the Guru-Sikh Panth. Nanak-Panthic associates, in joining the Republic of India, never meant to forfeit the Guru-Sikh sovereignty including religious, social, political, military, diplomatic, financial, natural resources. In any case, the new democratic system adopted was not tried nor tested. Moreover, if the purpose of dissolution of the monarchies was to prevent dynastic rule(s), then that purpose hasn’t ever been solved. One form of dynastic rule has been replaced by a far more impoverished version of corrupt rulers who have been witnessed over the decades as being busier playing the game of political chairs than serving the people of this country.
— Note xxiv-2: Look at the family clans such as Gandhi, Badal, Kairon, to name a few, and then there are cultish amassments/buildups where in only the closest aides of larger-than-life phenomenons take over as if it were their ordained right. In all of these situations, it is a mockery of the idea called democracy.
It may perhaps be painful a note, but our country never really made the transition from being ruled to ruling itself. The idea called By the People has proven to be a mere farce. Ghadar recognises that the idea of instability at the top end of hierarchy has not proven to be beneficial to our respective societies in particular and our nation as a whole. Democracy is for all people and cannot mean eternal ordainment of a people holding a deceptive majority to rule over everyone else. Ghadar would like to recognise that the Politics of Equality wherein all religion are deemed as equal and no profiling is done in their name the politics of unequals (numbers). Ghadar realises that international tourism is an important source of revenue and that reinstatement of the myriad royal courts of India by giving them ceremonial roles within their respective erstwhile kingdoms and/or estates would not only honour and recognise, by ceremonial functions, their time-tested models of governance, but also attract people during ceremonies and other regional occasions. Ghadar understands that some form of meritocracy needs to be honoured in matters of state governance. Why must it only prevail in the corporate sector which does not apply the current democratic model upon itself? Ghadar suspects that the model of the East India Company, an armed corporate covertly controlled by an imperial power, ruling over several but not all of Royal estates of Hindustan is somehow in vogue. Corporates in the modern context are not patriotic entities for their pledge is towards existence, sustenance and surreal growth albeit of their own selves, and/but at any cost. Corporate families are now outlasting the political leaders and thus hold key. Ghadar, therefore, is desirous of finding a better, ever-evolving solution for self-governance that will ensure that the dignity and aspirations of our nation are never ever compromised.
(XXV) — Ghadar recognises that the Hindostani Hind or Indian India, for which the founders of Hindostan Ghadar Party founded the party to articulate their idea of struggle, fought to realise their vision of Hind, and even made supreme sacrifices, was very different from the India we live in today, and its fragments spread across South Asia. As they, despite belonging to different regions, kingdoms, estates, paths, saw the common enemy and joined hands to make it a joint struggle, it is time as revivalists of India’s Ghadar Movement to identify our common adversary today, not the tyrants and oppressors without but the tyrant, the manipulator within. Arbitrary deviation from the rule of law, communalism, poverty, corruption, failure to maximise our absolute potential as a society — a nation, unemployment, poor infrastructure and lack of anticipatory planning, inability to inspire and guide the youth to celebrate life in full and enjoy success, underachievement are amongst our common enemies. It is time therefore to rise in Ghadar!
(XXVI) — We, the people of the world have evolved and near-perfected, perfection being supposed to be the attribute of an idea called Parmātma, a society wherein opportunities to serve are granted by meritocrats on the basis of meritocracy. There is commonly understood knowledge, even logic, but then there is exclusive knowledge and specialised understanding about particular subjects. Ideas such as that of minority and majority were new to our world. Being in majority isn’t being the master of exclusivity of knowledge, agility and ability. Therefore, being beholden solely to some kind of a numeric majority does not translate into better deliverance or governance by the state or a states-person.
— Note xxvi-1: Not every citizen is a jeweller capable of assessing the Koh-i-noor’s value. Choosing the Guru, or a Pīr wasn’t a decision of the majority of the people; it was of an absolute minority. In fact, only Guru Nanak could’ve chosen Bhai Lehna as Guru Angad over his own very capable two sons, Baba Siri Chand and Baba Lakhmi Chand. So much so that mere capability and ability isn’t enough, for they are just mechanics — instead, it is the ability to discern, to be able to sift the chaff out yes, but then to choose that one that is unique —that is paramount, that edge. It is valuing that space where a surprise too could exist if it chose to reveal itself.
Squabbling about who will gain a minority was always a destructive part of our society, meritocracy was the constructive part; the creative framework within which innovation, revelations and realisations naturally occurred. Ghadar rejects sheer battling and groping in the dark as a means to govern the state. Ghadar identifies itself with the humility requisite to seek out responsible members of society capable of providing solutions and leadership regardless of their race, caste, creed, socio-religious and political affiliations, sex and sexual preferences, etc. To give, grant and provide for selflessly is statecraft; to grab and to greed is not.
(XXVII) — Ghadar, believes that our nation, for it is a unique home to almost all the major religions of the world, must have a Council of Religions above both the Lower House (Lok Sabha) and the Upper House (Rajya Sabha), including representatives of non-religious affiliations, wherein each religion and non-religious affiliation is represented by one member. All members are to have the power of veto so that no decision or manipulation in the name of religion(s) is successfully/unsuccessfully attempted by the politicians, affiliates, organisations and individuals, as witnessed in the past. The veto will ensure no place of religious and non-religious significance or an individual is threatened even if any one particular religion may have an absolute majority to influence the four pillars upon which the nation stands namely, the political, judicial, executive, and journalistic. The council may have non-voting, non-veto powered ex-officio members from one each of the following:
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Judiciary – Retired Chief Justice or a Supreme Court Judge
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Diplomat – Ambassador or above-ranked
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Military – A retired Armed Forces Chief
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Bureaucracy – Cabinet Secretary or above ranked
Ghadar, therefore, resolves to have a Council of Religions of its own.
(XXVIII) — Note xxviii-1: For the story of Bhagat Kabir would be so incomplete without Bibi Loyī; for the discerning Bebe Nanaki who identified the Guru in the young Nanak; for Guru Nanak’s reprimand made in the 15th century and sung each day ever-since, questioning why women were being considered as ‘filthy’ and lesser than human;
Ghadar resolves to hold 50% equal participation in all of its endeavours in conjunction with article “xxvi” including its party spheres, state administration and government, for women.
(XXIX) — Note xxix-1: For Guru Baba Nanak included the works of Bhagats and Sufi masters such as Bhagat Kabir (weaver), Bhagat Namdev (washerman), Bhagat Ravidās (cobbler), Bhagat Dhanna (farmer), and others irrespective of the classes and castes they hailed from, and for he identified himself with the lowliest of the low; for the Ghadari Braham-Vichār of Guru Baba Nanak would be half without the Rabābi strings of Bhai Mardana, a low caste mirāsi:
Ghadar resolves to include 50% participation of the Dalits and our fellow citizens hailing from the underserved, underprivileged and backward classes and castes in conjunction with article “xxvi” (read in the video as “xxiv”).
(XXX) — Ghadar is that place of convergence where elders who’ve had a few eventful decades engage in a constructive discourse, a dialogue sharing their respective harvests with the Youth that is bound to have a few eventful decades of their own. Ghadar invites at least 30% participation of the Youth, aged between 25-45 years, in all of its endeavours.
(XXXI) — The 50% participation as aforementioned in articles “xxviii” and “xxvix”, and in article “xxx” (read in the video as “xxvii”, “xxviii” and “xxix”, respectively) are to be calculated together in conjunction with article “xxvi”, that is, the partnership as required in articles “xxviii” and “xxix” will be divided between the General Category and of the citizens hailing from communities mentioned in article “xxix”. Being a Dalit, a Jatt, a Lohar, a woman, a Brahmin, or a person hailing from any category, general or otherwise, will not be enough. Instead, a party leader/s or any/all office bearer/s must be deemed as worthy by the Ghadar Personnel Appointee Committee (G-PAC or jI-pYk) that he/she/other is a solution-bearing selfless contributor citizen of the country.
(XXXII) — Ghadar’s response to Mughal-British Eras and will to address problems in the post-colonial era:
Ghadarites represent the struggle of the native Indian populace against unfreedom, injustice, extortion and repression by various tyrants over the past several centuries. Ghadar has fought for the rights of the indigenous people over themselves and their natural resources and reserves. Ghadar recognises that several repressive laws were enacted by the British Colonialists to control/rule over the people of South Asia which were mindlessly carried forward by the new Indian rulers of India. This is highlighted by the manner in which the freedom fighters of the Indian National Army were dealt with immediately after the partition by the Indian State. Even the status of martyrs such as Bhagat Singh and others who came before him and after are still technically recorded as terrorists.
Ghadar resolves to dismantle all systems of controlling people and their aspirations set in place by the British Colonialists, all of which were just mindlessly continued by the leadership that inherited the reigns of the executive in 1947. Ghadar will take these acts one by one, starting with the following:
— Note xxxii-1: With regard to the Sikh Acts enshrined in the Constitution of India, one wonders what remedies have the traditional parties such as the Akali Dal and Indian National Congress taken ever-since the day the constitution was adopted. Despite assurance by the likes of Mahātma Gandhi and others, the Congress betrayed the Sikhs, yes, but how have the Akali Dal leaders not betrayed the Sikhs? Given the precious time and extraordinary opportunities that have all gone by, it will only be fair to state that they (the Akali Dal leaders) did not have the intellectual and tactical wherewithal or understanding of Guru-Sikh histories to represent the Sikhs in particular, nor Punjabis in general, for throughout history, Sikhs (who were born out of the Hindu-Muslim populace), ensured the safety of the local peoples and their vernacular languages. Where was their so-called intelligentsia with its defiance and resilience? Where were the protests of Non-Cooperation and peaceful non-violent protests to win back their due dignity and socio-political rights? Akali Dal leadership over the decades has only ensured that Punjabis in general, and Sikhs in particular, have been toyed with, and deprived of all military, financial and political power. No parallel regulations were prepared and enacted by the Punjab State Assembly. Their foolishness is so rampant and visible that on one hand, they claim they have not signed the Constitution of India, and on the other, they have continued to follow its (Constitution’s) acts verbatim. Can the Akali Dal explain how come they follow the Indian Constitution diktat to even conduct elections? What has the act of 1925 got to do with the Constitution, actually, and what have the Sikhs got to do with what’s written in it when they aren’t even signatories?
As part of this, Ghadar resolves to free the Sikh Gurudwara’s from this illegal and unethical state control as well as Sri Akal Takhat, whose management was clandestinely wrested out of Sikh control by the British Colonisers. The idea of elections is as farfetched and ridiculous as it can be from the models of self-governance endowed upon the Sikhs by the Gurus. Ghadar, therefore, will initiate and inspire the Second Gurudwara Reform Movement to free all Sikh Affairs and assets from all/any state control.
Ghadar, therefore, resolves to protect all religions and places of learning from attempts by the state to control them, overtly and/or covertly.
— Note xxxii-2: As part of restoration of Sri Akāl Takhat to its original glory as endowed by Guru Har Gobind, the sixth Gur-Sikh Guru, Ghadar resolves to invite the participation of Nihang Dals so that the same number of cavalry as adorned by the sixth Guru-Sikh Guru that is, all of 700 horses, 57 Cavaliers, 60 Gunmen and 500 Infantrymen are all attached to the office of the Jathedar Sri Singh Sahib. The 500 infantrymen may be drawn in consultation with the Ministry of Defence from the Sikh Regiments, who will come for a set transfer whereby they could also benefit learning languages, music, scriptures, martial arts, etc. It is only expected that the soldiers may take back a greater heart and more intense a passion to serve the Panth and the nation it protects, back to the units that they were drawn from.
Ghadar remembers that the Akāl Takhat was higher than the Mughal Takhat in its principles, deeds, and conduct, so Ghadar resolves to restore its uniqueness —not just as a seat of service that ensures for your temporal and spiritual sovereignty, but also acts as the source of light and of hope for the whole world. Dilli Takhat is no different for it is the Taldā Sacch (ever-changing or escapable truth), while the Akāl Takhat is the Ataldā Sacch (unfazed or inescapable truth).
— Note xxxii-3: Ghadar resolves to have Akal Takhat revive its courtly proceedings by appointing a bench of retired Supreme Court judges from India, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh so that people from the whole of South Asia wherein and beyond, Guru Baba Nanak travelled and taught may approach and benefit by resolving their issues, their disputes. The court, called Kaccheri Sri Akāl Takhat Sahib, of Jathedar Sri Singh Sahib will receive petitions for any review or grant of pardon. Laws on the basis of Gurmat to be drafted and subsequently administered —even Sharia based but with a caveat that no torture, physical abuse or capital punishment will be granted.
Ghadar, by way of working to restore the Darbar Sahib and its territory as one of the finest abodes of learning —languages, music, shastra-shāstra vidyā (from literature to martial arts), will honour this institution of Guru Nanak that singlehandedly helped the nation preserve its diverse nature. For it was the only place where all religions could converge under one roof and sing songs of revelation —of One Creator, One Creation, celebrate the gift of life, love and compassion, and congregate to pray for peace and harmony in the world.
— Note xxxiv-4: The Nihang Dals will be allowed spaces around the Darbar Sahib Parkarma so that the vernacular Gur-Sikh lifestyle is able to thrive and age-old traditions which helped the nation retain its eclectic uniqueness are not only duly honoured, but also conserved.
— Note xxxv-5: The Udasi, Nirmala and other Sadhu Samprdās associated with the Gur-Sikh world and history will also be allowed spaces around the Darbar Sahib.
— Note xxxvi-6: The institution of Langar will also be revived so that all Gurudwaras in the country remain dedicated to unconditionally serving healthy food to the people, especially the needy and humbled, day and night without exception or selection.
End Note
Dear electors, I have taken particular care not to engage in any form of conversation with anyone who is in any way related of affiliated to a political party, except for a few scholars, thinkers and responsible scribes who understand the pillars our nation is founded upon, and also of their rampant abuse and recent (hi)stories. I did not want to engage with friends who would simply compliment this proposal with a Shabā-bai-shabā or Wāh-Wāh, literally, Bravo, but with those whom I have known and witnessed over a period of time as having an objective voice —and who have shown extraordinary courage to say the truth. These are among those people who are gifted with the ability of sifting the real form the spurious. I am grateful to every single one of them for their patience, for my musings were without doubt very lengthy.
This is a proposal —know this that either it will prove to be my parting note, or a starting point. Nothing short of addressing the core issues I have pointed out will bring lasting peace to South Asia. If we can remove distrust, confrontational attitudes and greed, then I can guarantee there will be more prosperity and happiness than we can ever imagine!
To my fellow Punjabis, all admirers of and beneficiaries of the vision and sacrifices of the founders of The Ghadar across the nation and beyond its bounds, I will be glad to meet up at the end of the 1st week of August, 2016. And if, the proposal is acceptable, I propose we shall relaunch the party on the night of the fourteenth day of the eighth month of the year 2016, when it is no longer the day when Pakistan was torn apart, and not yet the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the year 2016 when India wasn’t yet left abandoned to its pitiable state. Let it be known that the revived and revitalised Ghadar remains resilient, emboldened and resolute, still a dreamer, and wanting to persevere for the people of the nation and making our country a responsible contributor to the community of nations.
Let the Ghadar Recommence! Let the Ghadar Begin! Jai Hind! Sat Kartar!
© Bhai Baldeep Singh. 2016. Village Saidpur, Punjab.
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