My Malice and Bias

A controversial decision to rename Delhi University's Dyal Singh College as 'Vande Mataram Morning College' was taken by the management committee in November 2017. The decision was taken " to remind our students of (the) freedom struggle ," Pawan Kumar Sharma told India Today. Dyal Singh College Campus, New Delhi The move has evoked strong reaction from Sikh bodies as well as Congress backed student body NSUI. Opposing this decision are SGPS and DSGMC. Sikhs have claimed that the resolution adopted by the governing body was unconstitutional and illegal. and any effort to belittle the contribution of Dyal Singh Majithia that would not be tolerated. The Dyal Singh College website acknowledges that the college owes its existence to Majithia and his foresight in setting up an education trust for a truly secular college. The move is being perceived as a design to wipe out the legacy of Dyal Singh Majithia. Who was Dyal Singh? Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia (1

In September 1620, a small ship called Mayflower left Plymouth, England, carrying 102 passengers—an assortment of religious separatists and other lured by the promise of the New World. After a treacherous and uncomfortable crossing that lasted 66 days, they dropped anchor near the tip of Cape Cod. One month later, the Mayflower crossed Massachusetts Bay, where the Pilgrims began the work of establishing a village they named as Plymouth . Thanksgiving at Plymouth in 1621 In 1621, the Pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast in Plymouth that is today acknowledged as the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. The Pilgrims’ first corn harvest proved successful and Governor William Bradford organized a celebratory feast and invited a group of Native American allies. However it wasn’t until 1863, during the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November. Thanksgiving Meal In many Americ

The Sikh community suffered a massive loss of lives, property, and loss of dignity with the events that exploded in 1984. It all started with Operation Blue Star in June, 1984 resulting in the assassination of Indira Gandhi which then led to the genocide of Sikhs in Indian capital Delhi and other Congress ruled states. The suffering did not stop here and continued in the format of fake encounters of Sikh youths in Punjab in 90s. Grief of Sikh Nation Kübler-Ross Model of Grief The stages of grief and mourning are universal and are experienced by people from all walks of life, across many cultures. The Kübler-Ross model, or the five stages of grief, postulates a series of emotions experienced by people who have experienced bereavement, wherein the five stages are denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. The model was later modified to seven stages as shown below. I would like to apply the Kübler-Ross model to the Sikh nation's emotions and reactions to the Ope

The Taj Mahal meaning "Crown of the Palace" is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the south bank of the Yamuna river in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan (reigned 1628–1658), to house the tomb of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal . The tomb is the centerpiece of a 42-acre complex is set in Mughal style garden bounded on three sides by a wall. Taj Mahal An Husband's Love for His Wife The Taj Mahal was commissioned by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in 1631, to be built in the memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, a Persian princess who died giving birth to their 14th child.  The queen’s real name was Arjumand Banu . When Mumtaz Mahal died on June 17th, 1631, The death of Mumtaz reportedly affected the emperor so deeply that his black hair and beard turned snow white in just a few months. The emperor was overcome with grief, and vowed to keep his beloved wife’s memory alive forever. He decided to build her a monument of eter

Live by the sword, die by the sword? For brutal dictators, the adage is more often true. In fact, dictators and warlords who indulge in genocides are more likely to die at the hands of an enraged populace or stealth assassin. The concept of dictatorship as well as the use of force and systemic persecution of political opponents to stay in power dates back to the ancient Roman civilization. However, it was the modern history dictators who made it virtually a synonym for gross human rights violations and brutality. Sadly, some of the most brutal dictators in modern history held power not so long ago. Dictators of the World There may be ultimate justice for the wicked, but the deaths of dictators do provide some pretty interesting tales. Here's how 9 of the world's most notorious modern dictators kicked the bucket. 1. Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945) This evil man who rose to power in the 1930s was responsible for the greatest atrocities in human history. He ordered systematic

It's hard being the younger sibling, You are always measured against the bar set by your older sibling. Same is true for the young state of Haryana in India. Its trying to create an image of itself in the shadow of its older sibling - Punjab . It has tried painfully to establish itself as anti-Punjab and anti-Sikh state ever since its conception. In fact, Haryana is one of the wealthiest states of India and has the third highest per capita income in the country at $2,100 . The state is one of the most economically developed regions in South Asia, and it has emerged as the largest recipient of government investment per capita in India. Ignoring Haryanvi Culture Over years Haryana governments have made a concerted effort to disassociate themselves from Punjab. Nothing wrong in it, right? Haryana has the right to establish its own language, culture, and traditions that defines its people as Haryanavis . But this is where they have gone wrong! Instead of developing Haryanvi

About 20 years ago on my trip to India, I had a very interesting conversation with a close family friend in New Delhi. This respectable member of society and a very successful Sikh businessman was oblivious on the impact of 1984 Genocide on the Sikhs of Delhi. I questioned him if he feels the pain of the families who suffered in 1984. To my dismay, he emphatically stated, "Look, I have no empathy for the likes of Sikh taxi drivers. I have no connection with them .. I can't even understand their rural Punjabi accent. I have more in common with my friends in Delhi with whom I grew up .. and meet everyday for business or socially." I was shocked and attributed it to the selective amnesia of a successful man who wants to disconnect from his religious and cultural roots for the sake of financial and political gains. But I was wrong as he is not unique in his thinking process. There is a whole class of Brown "Babus" and "Sahibs" who find it hard to connec