My Malice and Bias

Impression of Makhan Shah Lohana Before his untimely death in Delhi,  Guru Harkrishan Rai had named ' Baba Bakala " as his successor to be the next Guru. No one understood who 'Baba Bakala" was and left the Sikhs leaderless for some time The Sikh community elders discussed the possibilities but no conclusive decision could be made on who was the eighth guru was referring to. Among the Sikh elders searching for the 9th Guru was Bhai Makhan Shah , a wealthy merchant from Kathiawad in Gujarat. Bakala Town Map of Bakala, Punjab Bakala is a small historic town in Majha region of Punjab located at 31°33′18″N 75°15′56″E, on Batala Road, near Amritsar, Punjab, India. The town is located about 26 miles) away from Amritsar, 29 miles northwest of Jalandhar and 120 miles northwest of the state's capital of Chandigarh.  The region was famous for the cultivation of 'Bakala' or Buckwheat . The buckwheat Common was domesticated and first cultivated in inland Southeast As...

South Indian vs. North Indian Ten years ago, I met a well known Indian historian on a plane. We spent hours discussing history of India. I mentioned that my ancestors came from the region of West Punjab where the Indus Valley Civilization blossomed 5,000 years ago. Same land where Vedas were composed, Yoga and Sanskrit grammar was defined, and how proud I am of the facts that my ancestors successfully challenged the Assyrians, Greeks, Persians, and the Afghan invaders. I also shared with him my maternal genetic lineage to the original Kshatriya warriors ( Khatri in Punjabi) going back all the way to the Gods of Hindu mythology. I expected some form of acknowledgement from the learned professor from a well known University from South India. He replied, " Actually, the South Indians are the real Indians. " I was shocked and asked, " How about us, the Punjabis ?" He replied with a smug smile on his face, " Mr. Singh, I do not want to upset you but the fa...